I’ll forever be grateful to music blogger Joe Hova. We met on Twitter early on and instantly connected. If he’s writing about content – it is thoughtful, edited, and lengthy. He’s also become a great friend of mine. Occasionally he’ll pitch me a premiere – and I always sign on. This is not out of obligation – I’m honest when it comes to this blog shit. Joe just has an impeccable ear for hip hop, and I love everything he sends.

Joe recently introduced me to Newman, a bright new talent out of North Carolina who has a very promising career ahead of him. Case in point our premiere of his newest track Placencia. Newman tells the story of love while equating it to smoking weed.

This may initially sound like a cliche smoker’s anthem, but it’s anything but. It’s multi-faceted, and shows his country roots in his storytelling skills and choice of feature from fellow NC native Ace Henderson. The beat by Boujie fits the vibe for both MC’s to flow over smoothly. Newman told me: “the song represents nostalgia and reminds me of the summers before having to work for a living, trading in fun for a paycheck.” It’s a sweet end to the summer season – and a great introduction to the one of a kind MC.