After a short hiatus, MAK ULTRA is ready to take things to the next level with his new single ‘Money Tree’s’. This bop heavy lo fi banger is laced with Mak’a signature nonchalant cadence and charisma. Playful production comes from Troyce Pitones who compliments Mak’s Rags to riches lyrics.
Mak spent a lot of his youth skateboarding which allowed him to see things outside of his usual environment. When Mak was introduced to SOA, he began a whole new chapter in his life, eventually allowing him to focus on music in a whole new way, as he developed his artistry.
He claims: “The music I create is an escape, a trip through my lens. That trips designed to evoke a series of emotion, from the fly, fast life of the city right down to your most vulnerable moment alone.”
I was sooo elated when South African rapper/producer J.A.S slipped me his latest album, ‘L.I.F.E: The Cause’ – it seemed ages since he grace his presence on this blog with previous project, ‘#Don’tSleepOnJAS’, which possesses electronic/downtempo soundscapes with infectious Trip-hop beats/bass.
With this latest album, J.A.S retains the same theme from the previous project, but delving further into the downtempo route with long-term collaborators, South African singers Palesa Blossom and Nevita, who both provide a pleasingly trippy experience with their alluringly soulful vocals with tracks such as ‘L.I.FE’, ‘Controlled’ ‘Moth to A Flame’ and ‘Scattered.’
J.A.S also adds another long-collaborator, South African acclaimed rapper, Sy’Defect to the impressive album’s lineup. Among the chilled vibes of the seven-track project, Sy’Defect injects such vibrancy with his semi-rapid flow to the delicate backdrop of tracks, ‘Controlled’ and ‘Scattered.’
Overall, ‘L.I.F.E: The Cause’ is a great escapism album to kick back with some friends and to forget about the great maze called life. Have a listen below…
After putting her sassy bluesy soul spin on Frank Schubert’s classic, ‘Ave Maria’ and Sade’s 80’s hit, ‘Smooth Operator,’ soul/funk songstress MIKO REED is happy to announce her upcoming single, ‘Back To That Day’ coming out this summer.
If you’re a massive fan soulful live instrumentation (think Anita Baker), then you’re in very cool company, as ‘Back To That Day’ boasts splashes of soul, jazz and funk, all brought together by Reed’s big vocals.
Miko has performed in many groups ranging from R&B, funk, gospel, blues, Latin jazz to Reggae. She was a backing singer to Grammy and Dove Award winning recording artist Rebecca St. James, Keith & Kristyn Getty and Brenton Brown.
Indeed, Miko loves staying busy with her music career. Just most recently, she had a live TV appearance at a local station KUSI Good Morning San Diego, where she performed with her cover band, Miko & the Magik Soul.
‘Back To That Day’ is slated for release in early June…but for now, enjoy Miko Reed’s earlier releases on Spotify. Also connect with Miko Reed via Instagram.
Upon announcing the album Don’t Trip which is slated for release via Forward Music Group and Black Buffalo Records on 22th July, Halifax, Nova Scotia-based artist, Lance Sampson – aka AQUAKULTRE – unveils his new single also titled, ‘Don’t Trip.’
The CBC Searchlight award-winning rapper and neo-soul writer, who has previously scooped Polaris Prize nominations, is joined by over 20 guests from locations spanning the globe. This roll call includes New Jersey hip-hop hero Ransom, South African R&B singer Amarafleur, Toronto-based R&B and pop artist, Tafari Anthony, and Halifax’s Zamani Miller, daughter of Delvina Bernard from legendary a capella group Four The Moment.
Despite its massive guest list, Don’t Trip is a deeply personal project. Sampson began working on the full-length follow-up to his breakout album, Legacy, in March 2020 while the pandemic lockdown forced him to remain inside with his family. The album was originally conceptualized as a five-song EP based on the first three weeks of a budding relationship with his partner, Julia when they barely left her bedroom. Eating ice cream and pizza, drinking wine, and listening to Lauryn Hill records was the start of a passionate love affair.
“I called the album Don’t Trip because when Julia and I first met we were both in a place of being tired of looking for someone,” Sampson explains. “Both of us were getting out of exhausting relationships where we had done everything in our power to make them work. Once we met each other, it was like closing that chapter of looking for the right person.”
This first single started out with listening to Snow’s “Be Like You” over and over and over, it inspired Sampson to want to make something that good and that ambitious. “Once I actually started to sit down to compose the beat,” he explains, “I found myself picking up a little keyboard Rich Aucoin donated to a studio we were raising money for. After a couple of hours, the beat was made, and it wasn’t too long after that the lyrics just started flowing. Jools [Julia] kept on telling me that it was the “jam” and I didn’t really believe it at first until I started showing the progress to other people, and they always pointed this one out, out of the bunch. “Don’t Trip” is just about reassuring each other in a relationship that this is for real, this is long term, and no matter what, we got enough trust in one another where we don’t have to worry about anything.“
In the process of reaching out to musicians he admired, Don’t Trip expanded into the most ambitious project of Aquakultre’s career. “I’m For Real” finds him trading bars with Ransom against a g-funk backdrop, with cuts by local legend DJ Uncle Fester. “Getting Close” shows off Sampson’s rapping skills with a little help from Black Buffalo’s Sargeant X Comrade. “It’s All Good”, featuring Lakita Wiggins and Trobiz, was inspired by Musiq Soulchild’s classic album Aijuswanaseing. Don’t Trip wraps up like a brown paper bag in Sampson’s closing collaboration with New Jack Swing duo DJ Chidow and Vadell Gabriel, bringing those house party vibes back in full effect.
Check out the official video for Aquakultre’s single below…
BENNY BIZZIE takes us on an epic adventure through a punchy, falsetto-infused single, ‘Forever’, out now on all music digital platforms.
Featuring a hard-hitting drum pattern and melodic nuances produced by heavyweight Cee Figz – who has also produced for the likes of Wretch 32, Fredo, and Popcaan – ‘Forever’ goes on an emotive journey, where the British-Nigerian R&B singer/songwriter desperately yearns for his love interest. The single is well worth exploring, as BBC 1xtra/BBC London-approved Benny is at a transformative stage of his artistry and trust me, you’re in for a taste of evolution…
‘Forever’ quickly follows Benny’s first well-received single of the year, ‘Drunk N Naked’, released on Valentine’s Day. The accompanied video for ‘Drunk N Naked’ generated almost 5K views within a month on YouTube alone.
‘Forever’ was released on 8th April 2022 on all major download and streaming sites. Check it out below…
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