New Music On Scene ed. 10
by Eric Jackson | Aug 15, 2025
The amount of artistic outpouring TRS has taken in over the past few months has been incredible—art galleries, food pop-ups, live shows, and festivals. But no form of expression ever enamors me as much as music. For the artists on this week’s list, vulnerability, confidence, maturity, and love all strike a deep relatability with the listener.
That same outpouring has kept us steadily busy, but this Friday morning, we found some time to settle into these Friday feels.
This week’s lineup features everything we’ve seen since the start of the month:
Mad Skillz | Words for Days, Vol. 1
Virginia’s own Mad Skillz drops an 8-track EP entitled “Words For Days.”
We all need that guiding light. A gentle push. A steady hand. And what Mad Skillz delivers is exactly what you’d expect from a vet who not only has words for days, but has dedicated so many days to words—recalling the foundational truths of the Black experience and reinstalling the core of who we are into our minds.
It’s a story of gospel, familiarity, and healing. Poetry and art. Hip Hop and Go-go. The album features plenty of spoken word, including an incredible piece from Radio B., where his cadence is part poetic, part chaotic, all beautiful.
Words For Days spills over with thought-provoking lyrics, and Skillz has kept his word—to use his platform in Hip Hop now to build, heal, and connect.
Available on all streaming platforms.
Hernbean5150 | Overly Bliss
“Overly Bliss”, from rapper and producer, Hernbean5150 releases a 5-track EP.
I heard a story recently from King Kaiju and Ty Sorrell about Hernbean5150 and the Hot For Pizza Cypher 5 that confirmed everything I believed about Hernbean — this man is a freestyling quiet genius.
I don’t even know which EP we’re on at this point, because every time I turn around, he’s dropping new music. But HB’s Overly Bliss is a melancholy project about love lost. His almost broken, monotone delivery mirrors the lo-fi, industrial textures in the production. On the last track, I honestly thought Westside was about to come in with the boom boom boom boom boom — but instead, HB keeps his fractured freestyle flow, delivering the line: “I can’t be told what to do.”
Overly Bliss is a short, five-song EP streaming now on all platforms.
Sneeze | Bald (The Story of Samson)
Sneeze is back with another drop. “Bald.”
Who said cancel white rappers? Ayo, our bro is back with another single — and with the steady release of very specific, seemingly related topics and a blonde-and-blue color palette (How to Tie a Tie, SGGC, and now the newly released “Bald (The Story of Samson)”), I’ve noticed a real maturity in Sneeze’s music. Not just lyrically or musically, but in personal growth, too.
“Bald headed like a Make-A-Wish Kid, tryna make it gotta stay consistent
Know they wanna see me sell myself short, I ain’t dying as a sales assistant”
Lines like this tell me Sneeze is contending for the title. He’s a grown man now. Tying ties. Raising a family. We’re looking forward to what’s next.
Check out Sneeze’s new single on all platforms.
Nickelus F. | Juggernaut
“Juggernaut”, from. Nickelus F., is the latest single from Richmond’s underground legend.
I didn’t need to look at the credits to know who set this on fire — it’s obviously F.
Classic production with psychedelic, reversed, slow-droned samples over crunchy 808s. F spares no one, tireless, and bar-for-bar delivers an unhinged reminder that he’s not just a top-tier lyricist — he’s really one of them ones. The first few bars are so clean they’ll go over your head like a razor:
“You a question like a Biblical truth, but I stand here as literal proof
I’ll reduce the number of your days to a digital route
I will put a final lap on your infinite loop
In daytime, I be in Gargoyle form as I sit on the roof”
One genius move comes at 1:43 — the sample itself answers the “digital root” reference in relation to the number of days he’s leaving his opponents with.
Classic F production. Answering his own questions with samples. One.
ShaelaSoul | Parked Car Conversations
R&B Songtress, ShaelaSoul releases her debut EP, “Parked Car Conversations”, a 5-track EP on love, and lost.
The project opens with a foreboding mood — strings, violins, and marching piano chords paving the road for a love story. From the very first track, Shae pulls listeners into an almost cinematic scene, recalling either the thrill of a new whip… or maybe the memory of a love she once had.
If you’ve spent any time in Richmond’s live music scene, you’ve likely crossed paths with Shae. She released No Good in December and has been a consistent force in putting on shows for the city. A gifted writer and soulful performer, she’s now stepping into the spotlight with her first complete body of work.
Read More on Parked Car Conversations, and our interview with ShaelaSoul here.
Tyler Donavan | only you
The “only you” cover art from Tyler Donavan reminds us of a Doug-inspired painting.
I first saw Tyler Donavon perform in December 2024 at the annual Flag on the Moon event at The Broadberry, put on by Radio B., Nickelus F., and Michael Millions. Tyler’s out of Norfolk, but TRS is all over Virginia.
“only you” is a sexy, upbeat, get-ya-ass-moving R&B record. It’s got the smooth melodies of early 2010s R&B, and on the second verse, Tyler flexes with some bars. The track feels like that second wind after a long week.
Streaming now on all platforms.
Starr Nyce | Finer Things
Ahead of his new album, Starr Nyce drops a new single called “Finer Things,” produced by Gordy Michael.
Can’t believe we almost missed this one. Been listening all week.
NY-bred and Richmond-based Starr Nyce is gearing up for his upcoming album “Club Vanguard” with the release of his new single, “Finer Things.” Starr Nyce brings classic boom bap percussions, with gold bars of wisdom laced throughout — harnessing old school precision, confidence, and storytelling.
Soulful sample production by Gordy Michael leans to simplicity.
“The Finer Things” ain’t things at all, but available on all streaming platforms.
