Hawk House

Calls home: London, England

Latest release: A Little More Elbow Room

These days, rappers and singers are too often stuck in the now. They want to hop on the song of the moment, which too often leads to “remix” upon “rework” upon “cover” of the latest Drake, Jay-Z, etc… single. Not London’s Hawk House. The three-piece formerly known as A Yellow Man didn’t just make a great decision change their name to Hawk House with the release of A Little More Elbow Room.

They also know exactly what they’re doing with their sure to be dubbed “Golden Era” sound. While they do utilize some classic beats on their new mixtape—most notably J Dilla’s “She Said” remix for “It’s Everyday”—the trio primarily snags beats from the likes of Ta-ku, Evil Needle, and Knxwledge to complement their smooth, melodic vocals. I’ve made this point repeatedly, but the success of Elbow Room will hopefully lead to some proper collaborations with the (living) producers from whom they’ve borrowed tracks. Additionally, the following line is just too real: “If you ain’t giving food for thought, you’re just supporting famine.”—Andrew Martin