If you’re not a Seahawks fan, last night was about the Halftime Show and the commercials. Peyton was playing like his younger brother while Russell Wilson was playing like he’d been there before. But the most important question that went unanswered for me was, where was Round 2 of Erin Andrews vs. Richard Sherman? I suppose it just wasn’t meant to be. Maybe next year. Well despite your NFL woes over another season come and gone, check out some new music below. Today we have projects from three rappers as well as four bonus projects from one singer and three producers. Since we didn’t have a West coast representer, we filled that spot with four projects that went outside of the box for this column. Plus, no rapper can really complain about not having beats or a singer when we just gave you four projects to choose among. Give us your opinions on Twitter.

In case anyone has this column’s aim twisted, consider being featured on SYLR as the official first step to your endless path to getting to the top of the chain and staying there. Notice how we said, “staying there.” Some artists have been putting in work and have seen relatively minimal hype. This platform was created to spotlight those deserving the attention of industry folk, fans, and everyone in between. Be sure to stay up to date on what’s legit by checking out the four projects below. If you feel differently, we welcome you to prove us otherwise.

Attention all rappers: This weekly post is a call to arms-lyrical arms. If you do this thing called rap, these four projects are four slaps in the face punches to the throat. And no one just takes a punch to the throat without retaliation. Let’s see yours. And for those who were selected already, let’s see where you go from here. The Source is watching…

South: Cane – Charles St. Chi

The Fredericksburg, VA emcee has been unrelenting in his freestyles. He released a collection of some of his best freestyles over industry beats as well as some original tracks. The title of the mixtape comes from his old home studio where he would hone his freestyling abilities. And don’t skip around since the skits are pretty hilarious.

Midwest: Dally Auston – Westside

The SaveMoney emcee hits us with an EP from the Westside. The slowed down vibes on this one are sure to have you either cruising late night, aimlessly or sitting still, thinking about where your life is at right now. Dally has a knack of playing the movie called Life at half the speed so you can notice the details.

East: Topaz Jones – The Honeymoon Suite

The New York/Jersey has prepared the Honeymoon Suite for the world. The vibes and solemnity of his style remind me of J.Cole a bit but his anecdotes and experiences make him a one of a kind emcee. Some of the beats will have you rocking moves your parents may have pulled back in the day but they definitely didn’t have a rapper like Topaz back then.

Something Extra:

MeLa Machinko – 9AM Blues
SUROCK – Suck My Disk
Small Professor – Gigantic Jawns
Phoniks – Autumn in New York

You can call this part of this week’s #SYLR the rapper starter pack. The first project is from a Brooklyn singer who really pours some of herself into your tracks. She goes in over some familiar beats and some not so familiar. But the passion should be familiar to like minded artists.
The second project, although two years late, comes from a Washington producer who created the whole thing on an <strong>E-mu SP-1200. It sounds a little bit rawer than you might be used to as an emcee but if I were to spit, I’d prefer this kind of bite in my production.
Philly producer Small Pro has been consistent for years now. There’s definitely some weight to his beats, making them perfect for the imaginative raconteurs.
The land project comes from a Portland producer who remixed some classic Hip-Hop records but with a Jazzier feel. The title says it all.

Trust me, I listen to every submission. To get your project considered for SYLR, please email the following information to SYLR@thesource.com:

Name
Where you’re representing
Short bio
Streaming link to your project (do not attach any music)

Bryan Hahn (@notupstate)