Editor's Note: Looking to get coverage for your music? We have a submission form. Take a minute to tell us about your project so we can better plan our editorial coverage. You can find the form HERE. So much going on this week. If you’ve got any time between marathons...
On February 27, 2025, Richmond's hip-hop community converged at RVA Boombox to honor the legendary J Dilla during Dilla Day VA. The event, which was also joined by Ma Dukes, Dilla's mother, transformed the venue into a sanctuary for beat enthusiasts, including a beat battle judged by heavyweights Bink and Nottz with sets by ProducerPlugUni and...
We love music. We love Richmond’s music venues. We love the city’s record shops. Now that we’ve covered the obvious, we’re excited to introduce Weekend Frequency—a weekly, reader-curated playlist made for the city, by the city. It’s a continuation of our RVA Mag Weekend Playlists, a series we ran for years before the pandemic, featuring...
Maybe it is a facade but the weather is nice and life is returning to the streets of Richmond. The parks are full, the lines for ice cream are long, and hopefully the venues are packed. Check out one of these shows, enjoy the weather, and pretend you are in a movie.If you’ve got any tips, send them my way. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply...
Few artists in Richmond’s hip-hop scene have made as much noise in recent years as Chandler Matkins. From viral moments to sold-out shows, his rise has been marked by constant evolution and increasing recognition. His recent Going Away Show at The Broadberry was a showcase of homegrown talent, featuring performances from Lunch $pecial, O-Z, TMA,...
"A key figure in Richmond’s ongoing music renaissance, TRAPCRY is absolutely killing it. If you’re not already familiar, it’s time to change that. His music is captivating, fun, and truly unique. I first saw him perform while working security at one of his shows, and I was completely blindsided—at a loss for words because I couldn’t stop smiling....
This marks the third year of our annual poll, and for the first time it really feels like a passing of the torch. Richmond’s next wave of musicians is taking center stage. That shift likely has something to do with who showed up to vote. The majority of this year’s voters were under 25, and they’re actively shaping the city’s music scene with new...
It’s the kind of connection that would’ve been unthinkable in hip-hop’s pre-internet days, when geography was everything and a Virginia MC had to drive to New York just to get in the right room. But in today’s digital-first landscape, persistence is currency—and Chandler Matkins has been spending it wisely. For years, he’s kept himself in the...
The streets are buzzing with whispers of new releases from some of RVA’s favorites, and I’m stuck in the present, waiting for them to drop. The only thing keeping me grounded is the constant rotation of shows at The Camel, Banditos, Gallery5, and beyond. If you’ve got any tips, send them my way. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply...
Tiny Porch Neighborhood Concert Series, a grassroots music showcase in Richmond’s Woodland Heights, is looking for musicians to fill its 2025 season. Organizers recently reached out to us after seeing the range of artists featured in our Richmond Music of Right Now poll, using it as a guide to find emerging talent in the city. Their hope is...
