Song of the Day: Afro – IThinkThatsRio

Introducing up and coming UK artist ITHINKTHATSRIO with his debut single ‘AFRO’! The melodic rap track comes six months after the London native burst onto the scene late last year with his ‘Prayer’ freestyle that caught the scene’s attention. ‘Afro’ sees IThinkThatsRio waxing lyrical about having the freedom to do what you want, whether that is with your hair or with your career.

Speaking about the inspiration behind ‘Afro’ and how the song came together, IThinkThatsRio says, “creating ‘Afro’ was such a vibe. I was in the studio with TheLifeOfKG when this Grossgod beat came on, and the first thing that came out of my head was ‘take out my braids, just roll with an afro’, and the rest came together from there. As well as the track just being a vibe, I believe the message behind it, which is that we should be free to make our own choices, without fear of ridicule or judgement from other people – in my case, it’s how I wear my hair sometimes”.

Originally from Chadwell Heath in East London, IThinkThatsRio has always had a passion for music, but he has been on course to become a professional footballer for a good few years, but after turning 20 last year and realising that music had the power to help him express his feelings, and how that made him feel, he began taking music seriously, and quickly charted a new course from a footballer to a musician.

Check out the accompanied music video below, collaboration between IThinkThatsAfro and burgeoning London-based visual director and photographer EazyVisuals (Ebenezer, B Young, Ryan De La Cruz, Michael Ward).

Song of the Day: Can’t F With – J-Onyx

Emerging with an air of mystery J-ONYX has a presence that can’t be ignored. Commanding attention with her deep tone and dynamic flows, her first release ‘Can’t F With’ captures her innate and undeniable talent as an artist. Her latest release has already landed support by DJ Target on BBC 1Xtra, DJ Shortee Blitz on his KISS FM and KISS Fresh show and Charlie Sloth will be adding the track as his Hood Heat of the week and he will also support on his Apple Music playlist. Choosing to keep her identity concealed for the time being, J-Onyx wants to let her music do the talking, as often young female artists can be over sexualized in the music industry. Catapulting through the ranks she joins the ‘Champions League’ as she ‘eliminates all of the tournaments’ and earns a rightful place as a one to watch in the UK rap scene.

The serendipitous calling to become a rapper can be pinpointed back to November 2019 where she was teasingly dared by her friends to rap an off-the-top-of-the-head freestyle and upload it onto her Instagram. Gaining an overwhelming reaction, the freestyle uncovered her natural gift with rhymes and flows and allowed her to nurture the talent into a dream career. To date she has released 3 freestyles on Instagram and her second freestyle for ‘Murda Murda’ received some strong support and was picked up by DJ Shortee Blitz and DJ MK on the KISS FM Hop Hop show.

Her exposure to music was planted long before the freestyle and the London based British rapper, singer and songwriter grew up immersed in a musical household. Building the fabric of her musical DNA her mother and elder siblings introduced her to an assorted collection of music, which ranged from Reggae, Dancehall and Hip Hop to UK Garage, Afrobeats, Rock and Indie. Her musical roots grew beyond her immediate family as her uncle was also a member of reggae band UB40.

Going against the conventional route, J-Onyx followed her own path, although she had the encouragement of her family she dropped out of school at a young age and found herself in challenging situations. What became evident was that the music was a constant and the turning point was getting into Brit School and attending drama school. Since her studies her path has led her to explore performing arts as well as pursuing a career in the property business. She has now found herself gravitating towards music as solo artist and ‘Can’t F With’ is a great introduction to her sound.

Check her out below…

E5qua Hypes Up Summer With Banger ‘Stealing My Heart’

Sampling from Amel Larrieux’s soulful R&B classic ‘For Real’, E5QUA drops a hot new summer love track titled ‘Stealing My Heart’. On this new melodic, Summer vibe, E5Qua is in his element flowing his cadence over a sultry sample. The record is topped off with a blazing guest appearance from DYFL that instantly makes this more than just a formidable Summer record.

E5qua is currently working on his next full album – so keep your eyes peeled out for that, as he’s sure to set the hot season blazing…but for now, wrap your ears around ‘Stealing My Heart’ – highly recommended…

Leïti Sène Drops Track ‘#SPANISHFEET’ + Video Portraying His Life In Barcelona

One of Spain’s fastest rising underground artists – rapper, creative and acclaimed actor LEÏTI SÈNE – shares infectious new ‘cute drill’ single ‘#Spanishfeet’, alongside a captivating video portraying his daily life in the vibrant city of Barcelona. Finding it’s home on the cutting-edge imprint Yuukii Music (home to Bhavi, Defensa, Zoe Gotusso and more) ‘#Spanishfeet’ is an addictive slice of Spanish drill – a tongue-in-cheek track that talks about honesty, realism and the false appearances he perceives in the genre.

Recorded in a DIY home studio in his flat on a random night, sonically, the track reflects the plethora of sounds and influences so prevalent right now in the burgeoning Spanish rap scene, as Leïti and producers Bexnil and Nadddot blends trap, new wave, hyperpop, afrobeats and rap with ease, always nodding towards his Senegalese roots. The follow up to recent poignant trap single ’T-Rex’ and its captivating Miguel Morillo – directed video, this is the second single from Leïti’s anticipated forthcoming JÖM Mixtape, due for release this summer. Returning to his solo work after recently starring in smash Netflix show Élite, ‘#Spanishfeet’ is another addictive taste of Leïti’s genre-defying sound and unwavering creative vision.

An artist known for his uncompromising approach to aesthetics and meaningful visuals, the music video, directed by Jordi Lops, plays with the spaces where Leïti feels more comfortable: the stage and his house, always with the CuteMobb collective by his side.

Why not check out the official music video for #Spainishfeet below…

Song of the Day: Strange Love – Cautious Clay (ft. Saba)

Singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist CAUTIOUS CLAY‘s track, ‘Strange Love’, featuring rising Chicago rapper Saba, is about the push and pull of identity in late capitalism.

Cautious explains further. “We’re constantly told we need x, y or z to let the world know who we are, inundated with information about what the latest and greatest and coolest is. I love fashion and clothes and putting them together to telegraph myself to the world, but sometimes it’s hard to separate what I like from what I’m being told to like. I think it’s a struggle lots of people can relate to.”

The smooth R&B/pop banger is taken from his long-awaited debut album, ‘Deadpan Love’ – out now independently via The Orchard – includes previously released singles ‘Wildfire’, ‘Karma & Friends,’ ‘Roots,’ ‘Dying In The Subtlety,’ and ‘Agreeable,’ and wraps influences from R&B, hip hop and indie pop in Cautious’ trademark sophisticated songwriting and jazz- and blues-inflected instrumentation. The album finds Cautious collaborating with a host of notable co-writers for Deadpan Love including Tobias Jesso Jr. (Adele, HAIM), Jim-E Stack (Caroline Polachek, Empress Of), Daniel Nigro (Olivia Rodrigo, FINNEAS), Jesse Shatkin (Sia, Kelly Clarkson), Ammar Malik (Maroon 5, Halsey) and Sir Nolan (Shawn Mendes, Selena Gomez).

Since the release of his breakout debut single ‘Cold War’ three years ago, the 28-year-old has been on a whirlwind ride. He’s released three EPs—Table of Context, RESONANCE, and debut Blood Type—that have earned critical praise from The New York Times, The New Yorker, NPR, TIME, Complex and many more. His songs have soundtracked key scenes in films like Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart and TV shows like Issa Rae’s “Insecure” and Selena Gomez’s “13 Reasons Why.”

Check out the video for ‘Strange Love’ below…