I’m sure you’ve read through countless articles regarding the new N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton. Most major music publications have taken fistfuls of inspiration to paint a new picture of the iconic yet controversial rap group. Along with the new limelight shone on the men behind the music, dark clouds have also started to circle.

Who says songwriting has to be conventional? Sure, it’s all well and good to follow a displayed structure to prevent any alienation between fans, but in order to stand out among the crowd, why not stir the pot a little? Why is it that we tend to only remember a song’s chorus?

MODEL 86 is a new name for the film and commercial scoring artist Matthew James Wilcock. Under this alias, he is anonymous. His sparse Facebook info page describes his gender as neutral and his interactions as minimal. However, behind the seemingly empty cover, MODEL 86 has a lot written on his pages.

Three minutes is not a lot of time for someone to explain themselves. If you had to describe your life, your likes and dislikes, education, etc. in a mere three minute timeframe, would you be able to do it? Not likely. Our worldly clocks continue to turn, making time seem infinitely faster as we grow older.

Beginner’s luck is a myth. Many people believe that the first attempt at something new and its obligatory fruitfulness are the stuff of legends. This is not the case with today’s music world. Marrow, Chi-town’s newest heroes, rope in all they can muster to spin a web of pure brilliance. Yes, The Gold Standard is their debut record but the phrase “beginner’s luck” is not the right sentence to utter.

Authenticity is a rare find in our world today, a world that shrinks everyday as we connect more than ever before, we compare and contrast cultural entities and seek out walls of influences or inspiration. Few artists have found their own niche of genuine identity and musical output. Zhala Rifat, a new artist from Sweden, offers a look into her own world, untarnished by label pressure and Western conventions.