Planetarium Sessions is an orchestrally focused live series based in Los Angeles that helps to reinvent the Hip-Hop and R&B soundscape. As a huge fan of live musical performance, I find this Planetarium Session beautifully captures the vision and skill required to execute such an impressive fusion of Hip-Hop over live orchestral instrumentation – the level of coordination and cohesiveness to deliver such a unified sound is an artform within itself. With the concept of this live performance focusing on “the art of stargazing” I find this body of work elegantly encompasses the prospect of capturing the essence of an energy source light years away.

This pilot episode highlights the talent of Blimes and Gab curated over astronomy-inspired string arrangements. Blimes is an established performer who has been in the scene for over 10 years and has had notable collaborations with artists such as Method Man, who featured on her single “Hot Damn” in 2018.

Blimes’ gritty punchlines and melodic rhythms create the landscape of nostalgic 90’s rap and a modern day R&B fusion that sits blissfully in the ears. The way in which Blimes and Gab gracefully deliver punchy and catchy word-play, exercises their ability to leave you wanting more.  In how they harmonize on lines like “Honey with the pot I hit the block and they run through” as well as “mix the oil with the sprite smoke the mic like a foil pipe” magically emphasizes their strong rooted backgrounds in R&B and Hip-Hop to display their skillset of undeniable lyricism and flow.

Gab is the other half of this tastefully powerful duo, she is better known as Gifted Gab – with her capacity to portray complex verses through the ranges of smooth melodies and authentic lyrics makes her a promising artist to keep on the radar.