Music

Mike Wilder and Jake Bass deliver the goods on ‘D.E.A.P.’

When it comes to hip-hop, Detroit is certainly a scene that has consistently provided innovative and engaging talent over the years. Capturing and distilling this on his new record ‘D.E.A.P.’, Mike Wilder and Jake Bass brings together some of the city’s best including Marvwon, Nolan the Ninja, and more for an all-out affair of sharp bars and poignant production. Versatile and dynamic, the record includes silky R&B moments, paired cohesively with thoughtful lyrical hip-hop and boom-bap, as well as stylish, gritty trap. Refusing to be limited to one sound or style, ‘D.E.A.P.’ makes for an exciting and enticing listen throughout.

‘D.E.A.P.’ provides such a variety of soundscapes that it captivates from the get-go, with lyrically focused songs like the opener “Pray for Me” and the sleek “Allure” giving it a pensive tone, while these are balanced with engaging party tracks like “So Fly” and “Premium 93”. Then, hard-hitting joints like “Who’s Who?” and “Roll Witta Clique” also provide diversity with their raw trap sonics and charismatic bars.

Artist Spotlight

Lisa Boostani creates a mesmerizing tidal realm in “Ocean”

Lisa Boostani’s “Ocean” takes you deep into a sensory world where body, spirit, and myth come together, beyond the surface of genre. Boostani makes a soundscape that is both ethereal and deeply human by combining the broad essence of psychedelic pop with the strong appeal of alternative rock.

Her voice rises as if it is coming from deep within her, shaped by emotion rather than action. She intentionally channels the intangible, turning weakness into strength rather than a source of pain, and “Ocean” tells people to get involved in this inner world, not just watch it. This release is an integral part of her first EP, “One,” which will come out in March 2026 and is based on love, sensuality, and unity.

If “Ocean” is any indication, the EP will show sensuality not as something pretty, but as a kind of spiritual intelligence, a way to know yourself by connecting with others. The song’s textures and structure have an aquatic quality, moving between clarity and delirium, rhythm and freedom. Its emotional focus is on immersion instead of resolution.

Artist Spotlight

NOAH. captures the unspoken signals in enchanting R&B track “That’s Bless”

“That’s Bless” captures the unspoken late-night message, the smile that was exchanged from afar, and the feeling you sense but are afraid to say. NOAH. offers a song with a smoky R&B feel and lyrics that capture unspoken tension, firmly in the realm of emotional ambiguity, where connection is clear but not defined.

This piece concerns the subtle discomfort of mixed signals and quiet longings, when looks say more than words ever could. NOAH. handles the theme with restraint, letting the chemistry simmer rather than explode. NOAH.’s delivery shows a confident gentleness, recognizing that some feelings don’t need strict definitions to be real.

In “That’s Bless,” he captures the essence of connection and the compelling allure that endures, even when both parties pretend it is not there. The composition is based on real-life events, and it acknowledges that specific attachments endure in the heart long after one has persuaded oneself of having progressed.

“That’s Bless” is at the crossroads of closeness and distance, clarity and confusion. The song doesn’t resolve the tension it talks about, and that’s what makes it so powerful. It sums up the connection we say we don’t want but keep coming back to in memory, rhythm, and pulse.

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