Music is in a beautiful place right now and we owe it all to our free spirited virtuosos who are creating outside genre lines
By @eugene3005

Like most art forms that can be curated and stored, music is heavily classified. People have been putting music in different genres for ages and it’s through this that most people developed their musical tastes. One has to feel, however, that this practice can be limiting, especially for the minority of musical works that fall outside some of these well defined boundries. I’m here to champion for this under-represented minority.
Despite going under the radar of many, a few albums in 2018 have been absolute gems that show what lies ahead in a music industry where genre boundaries are well and truly erased. These works of art show that music, at its core, is a universal language that doesn’t need to be subdivided at all.
Idol Blue by Roc Nation signee Johnny Rain, is a gem that tells multiple stories. Three years on from his 2015 release, 11, Rain shows how much growth he has made, producing a sound that is both eargasmic and personal.
Most of the tracks here feel like it would be an injustice to play them in public, much like sharing a secret told to you by an old friend. Couple this with the sheer unpredictability of the music and you have a roughly hour long trip where you get sucked into a glittering black hole of indescribable sonics.
“Every once in a while, I can tell you don’t want me, I remember your smile, I remember that something” Rain confesses on the opener, Erosia, which serves as an appetiser for the project’s funky sound.
Idol Blue, much like the other releases I’m about to name, is like a journey through mystical lands where the landscape changes in every passing moment. An odessey where new scenery takes the place of new sound and the air is charged to evoke a kaleidoscope of emotions and feelings from the audience/journeygoers.
Second on this list, is Where Neon Goes to Die, a stunning approach by Florida singer and songwriter Steven A. Clark. This is a work of art that takes all the things that 90s RnB was so good at and repackages in a modern feel that’s just pure joy to the ears, honestly.
This album feels like a mashup between ultra-futuristic RnB and pseudo-pop sounds, all this layered with phenomenal production and 80s Michael Jackson-esque sounds make for a euphoric and throught-provoking listening experience which leaves first time listeners begging for more.
At some moments, admittedly, it’s not clear whether Clark is missing the mark with records that don’t necessarily add anything to the overall picture, or is making seemingly invisible brushstrokes that one day will be seen as instrumental to appreciating the entire project.
All the same, Mr. Clark excels here by his near mesmeric ability to merge the best qualities of very different eras or music. It’s an immense effort and really leaves room for one to fantasize about a future where Clark perfects this.
Last but far from least, is Negro Swan, an almost conceptual masterpiece by British-born, New York bred singer, songwriter, composer, dancer and director Devonte Hynes who channels an almost ethereal sound on his 4th studio album as Blood Orange-his alias. For me, this is the pinnacle of where one can take the multi-genre approach.
The project is well and truly a work of art, from the first minute to the last Devonte’s mission is very clear here. Hynes rides the precarious waves of talking about depression in the black community which is as difficult a topic as they come, all the while giving us an insight into his personal struggles and achievments in the most beautiful way possible.
The audio notes from American TV host and transgender rights activist Janet Mock compliment the album in a way that I have never seen. Her touching and heartwarming monologues provide an intimate look into Hynes’ mind and what he’s trying to say, with a much needed feminine touch. Below is just one of the scrapbook moments provided by Mrs. Mock.
“You asked me what family is
And I think of family as community
I think of the spaces where you don’t have to shrink yourself
Where you don’t have to pretend or to perform
You can fully show up and be vulnerable
And in silence, completely empty and
That’s completely enough
You show up, as you are, without judgment, without ridicule
Without fear or violence, or policing, or containment
And you can be there and you’re filled all the way up
So we get to choose our families
We are not limited by biology
We get to make ourselves
And we get to make our families”
http://genius.com/Blood-orange-family-lyrics
In the midst of all this storytelling and narration, Blood Orange is still able to produce some of the grooviest tracks of the year, records like Saint and Jewelry being the showstoppers.
In conclusion, not only have these 3 men been able to create music that knows no sonical boundaries, they have become the pioneers of a sound that feels like the sound of the future. Along with more mainstream releases like Kanye West’s and Kid Cudi’s Kids See Ghosts, and Frank Oceans’ Blonde, these albums are proof that creativity, in it’s purest form, knows no bounds.
