Harvest Blaque’s ‘Don’t Matter’ Challenges One Reviewer’s View of Hip-Hop
A new single from American hip-hop artist Harvest Blaque has prompted an unexpected change of opinion for our resident music reviewer who openly admits that hip-hop has never been his favourite genre.
Harvest Blaque contacted Apnin Music following a previous review of Rammstein, sending over his latest single, “Don’t Matter,” ahead of a new album project scheduled for release on October 28 2026.
Rather than discovering the track through Spotify or YouTube, the reviewer received the single directly from the artist and decided to give it a listen before sharing his thoughts with viewers.
The result was something of a surprise.
Having previously been critical of hip-hop, the reviewer admitted that he found himself enjoying “Don’t Matter”, particularly its immediate musical impact and catchy opening which he has been critical of artists over the last couple of years of failing to have a hook at the beginning of a song.
A strong opening
One of the key points we felt was the importance of grabbing a listener's attention within the opening seconds of a song.
With streaming platforms making it easy for listeners to skip between tracks, we argue that artists have only a short window in which to make an impression.
Taking this into account, “Don’t Matter” succeeds because its opening immediately draws the listener into the track, even before the vocal performance has fully developed.
The production was also highlighted, with the reviewer describing the musical backing as soulful and catchy, while praising Harvest Blaque's rap performance.
The combination was enough to keep the song playing rather than someone reaching for the skip button.
A Different Perspective on Hip-Hop
Kevin's reaction to “Don’t Matter” was particularly notable given his admission that hip-hop has never been a genre he has generally connected with. With all the record labels and PR companies Kevin has worked with they have been aware of this and have rarely sent hip-hop releases his way.
Harvest Blaque's “Don’t Matter”, however, offered him a different experience.
Instead of judging the track simply on its genre, Kevin found himself focusing on the songwriting, production and the way the song immediately captures the listener's attention.
Curious to see whether his reaction was shared by others, we played the track to several parents outside the gates of a local school who also said they were not usually fans of rap or hip-hop, the response was overwhelmingly positive, with none of those listeners finding anything negative to say about the track. Two subsequently asked if they could be sent a link to hear more of Harvest Blaque's music.
New Harvest Blaque project on the way
“Don’t Matter” is not Harvest Black's first release.
Harvest Blaque has previously released the Social Leopard mixtape, which arrived in January, as well as The Care Package.
His next project is The Electric Blue Cafe, produced by Los Angeles-based producer Ace Ha.
Harvest Blaque has written the project himself, with the album scheduled for release on October 28 2026.
Harvest Blaque's music is available through his website www.harvestblaque.com and mainstream streaming platforms like spotify.
An unexpected recommendation
For someone who has spent years openly declaring that he does not like hip-hop, “Don’t Matter” represents an unusual recommendation.
The track did not necessarily change my opinion of the entire genre, but it did demonstrate that the right song can challenge expectations and reach listeners who might otherwise have ignored it.
And that may be one of the most important lessons for emerging artists: don't assume your audience is limited to people who already listen to your genre.
A strong opening, an engaging performance and music that gives people a reason to keep listening can sometimes cross those boundaries.
For Harvest Blaque, “Don’t Matter” appears to have done exactly that.