Music

Drakeo The Ruler Celebrates His Release From Jail With The Triumphant ‘Fights Don’t Matter’

Drakeo accepted a plea deal extended by the LA District Attorney after she lost the recent election. …

It didn’t take Drakeo The Ruler very long to find his footing after his lengthy stint in jail. If anything, he’s hit the ground running, announcing he’d drop a new mixtape just a couple of hours after his release and offering a teaser with his first post-incarceration song, “Fights Don’t Matter.” The song even arrived with a low-fi music video that finds Drakeo back on the streets enjoying his freedom alongside some friends and family draped in bejeweled necklaces and throwing stacks of money at the camera.

Drakeo spent nearly four years in Los Angeles’ Men’s Central Jail after a pair of arrests that saw much of his early rise to stardom eaten up by trying to wrangle his freedom. In 2018, he was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder stemming from a 2016 shooting in Carson, California at a party he was alleged to have attended with his crew, Stinc Team. Although he was acquitted, the District Attorney refiled new charges of criminal gang conspiracy and shooting from a motor vehicle in late 2019, accusing Stinc Team of being a gang and using LA’s antiquated (and racist) gang injunction laws to further pursue Drakeo’s continued incarceration.

Drakeo was freed this past week after Los Angeles voted to replace Jackie Lacey as District Attorney with George Gascón. The DA issued a plea deal for time served, which Drakeo accepted. It’s a sure bet that he’ll follow through on his plan to release a new mixtape because even when he was locked up, he was productive, releasing the acclaimed Thank You For Using GTL earlier this year, recording on jail phones. Drakeo’s new mixtape, We Know The Truth, is coming soon.

Watch the “Fights Don’t Matter” video above.

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Album Review

Paul Terry, Aptøsrs & Cellarscape unite on bold new album “Alternative Piano Club”

Combining his three artistic alter egos, Paul Terry presents an awe-inspiring new 12-track album, “Alternative Piano Club,” written in collaboration with Aptøsrs and Cellarscape. This is an album-length voyage of music that blends acoustic, rock, and piano-driven cinematic sounds.

Torn between this complex emotional spectrum, all the while the piano remains at its core throughout. Paul Terry opens his “Memento Mori (Chromogenic Phase)” contemplatively, creating a solemn, reflective mood. Cellarscape’s “Three Years Of Roses“ is warmer, whereas Aptøsrs’ “Questionnaires“ is much more textured as a large, sculptural post-rock.

“Dave’s Theme,” written by Paul Terry, musically expands the narrative with a touch of cinematic elevation that aligns well. “We Shape The Clouds” by Cellarscape is fluffy and heart-warming, “Writers Behind The Curtain” is somber, more narrative. We are all together in “A Place We Made,” an honest, intimate, emotionally grounded space.

The project contains vocal warmth and cultural depth in the song “This Is My Home“ by Silas Miami & Lana Crowster. Proceeding in a totally different direction is the stronger emotional clarity of Paul Terry’s acoustic storytelling on “Any Time You Want To Fly” and “No Sleep Has Come.” Cellarscape presents a wide, spacious atmospheric moment in “Cygnus,” while Aptøsrs ends with “Rust Mountain (Monochrome Piano Version),” a simple gem that brings the project full circle.

The mixing of Sam Okell and Adam Noble, the mastering of Alex Wharton and Robin Schmidt have, in many ways, brought their polish to it while still making it feel human. “Alternative Piano Club” is a work entity, where three musical personalities met and talk mind in the same emotional language.

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Artist Spotlight

LAST ALEX! balances precision and pulse on the electrifying track “Plus 1”

LAST ALEX!, a Chicago-based artist and producer, comes out with “Plus 1,” a high-energy release that combines technical prowess with an undeniable melodic instinct.

LAST ALEX! puts both craftsmanship and creativity on display here. The song’s strength lies in its balance, in detailed execution without sacrificing feeling, and in complexity without losing momentum.

LAST ALEX! doesn’t fully lean into the cold technique or loose emotion, but finds the sweet spot where skill and soul meet. This yields a polished, vibrant, and musically confident track.

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