Maryland’s rapper, content creator, and social influencer, KRUJAY, bounces onto the blog with his latest single, ‘Recipe,’ which actually has some cheeky swagger that can lift the root off any summer party.
The infectious joint comes with an accompanying video, directed by Bruce Wood & Carl Casseus, which perfectly reflects the song’s narrative of being all goggled-eyed over a girl at a new place of work. So infatuated with his potential beau, Krujay was unable to concentrate on his work which doesn’t go down well with his boss…
Counting hip-hop heavyweights such as Eminem, Notorious BIG, The Roots, and Mos Def as heavy influences, the Canadian-born artist spent most of his childhood in Philadelphia, where he joined the infamous Philadelphia Boy’s Choir alongside his brother. During his time in the choir, Krujay had the opportunity to travel to Rome, Italy, to sing for Pope John Paul II. As his interest in music grew stronger, Krujay left the choir and took a leap of faith into the local music scene, releasing his first music video, ‘Like This’ in 2012. It was then followed by his official debut mixtape, ‘PrePAIRED’ and the single ‘Tonight (I Know),’ both met with critical acclaim.
Today, Krujay continues to work on his craft, bringing catchy tunes and lyrics through his latest single, ‘Recipe’. Check out the video below…
Rising rapper ATO returns to share a special new remix of his introspective banger ‘no caroline’ with added fire from British-Nigerian artist, rapper and songwriter FLOHIO, landing alongside a fresh docu-style video shot in sun-soaked Leeds and London.
The three-minute production was shot between North-East Leeds (Chapeltown/Potternewton park – the neighbourhood where ATO’s dad lived when he was growing up) and around west London (the first area he lived when he moved to the city at 18), both areas feel like home and provide the perfect visual texture for the rebirth of this track filled with real moments that make up life for ATO. In a serendipitous moment of full circle following the original single taken from ATO’s 2021 EP Side A via MCMXCV that saw him open up and deep dive into his own emotional shortcomings rooted in his experiences, Flohio’s lyrical addition delivers a strong statement of self belief backed up by refresh of ATO’s hook.
Speaking on the remix, ATO says: “When No Caroline was first made, there were a million ideas for which direction to take the song, so a remix felt inevitable. I wanted it to be in the same world of the original but with a new dynamic, to make it feel more like a rebirth than a remix. I’ve loved Flohio’s music for a minute! I believe she is one of the most unique and authentic artists in the UK. Putting Flo on the first verse felt like a natural way to kick off the song with new energy. Once Flo layed her verse, we started looking at ways to tie the new dynamic together. Following Flo, it felt like the hook needed something new. We came up with a response melody that was initially intended for me. Eden ended up laying down the demo and it just felt great, so we kept it that way. This approach captures the process of making the remix: being open minded to completely fresh ideas.”
Leeds-based and of British-Ghanaian-Danish descent, ATO is one of the most exciting new artists on the rise, using his music to reflect on his life and show an alternative side to the London-centric perception of Black Britishness. Bubbling up the scene since his 2019 collaboration ‘falling’ featuring Vic Mensa on his The Fader endorsed EP3, 2021 proved to be his biggest year yet with his acclaimed EP Side A (“Muscle Twitch”, “ziamonds !!”) garnering support from key tastemakers and broadsheets alike including The Observer, The Independent, DJ Target, Crack, Highsnobiety and DJ Mag who nominated him for their Best Of British Awards in the “Breakthrough MC” alongside ENNY, KAM-BU, Nova and DoRoad.
Hailing from Bermondsey, South London , FLOHIO draws inspiration from her surroundings and day-to-day experiences to create a sound that is quintessentially London as it is extra-terrestrial. Since exploding onto the scene in 2018 with her high-octane COLORS performance of ‘Bands’, the South London native has since cemented her status as an unpredictable talent who is as exhilarating as she is impossible to pigeonhole.
Check out the official video for ‘no caroline’ below, directed by Eve Mahoney.
Not many rappers in the UK scene can say they’ve been co-signed by a major US rapper after their first release — but that’s exactly what kind of power K HARRISON harbors. Hailing from Derby, the rising East Midlands wordsmith might only have one official song out, but he’s already championed by Compton rap legend The Game, as well as working side-by-side with the nation’s favourite redhead Ed Sheeran. Following his highly successful debut ‘Boss (Call Away)’, K Harrison is back with his sophomore single ‘Fire Fire’.
Once again opting for a tropical soundscape, K Harrison delivers a sun-warped Mediterranean-inspired banger, housing a syrupy vocal timbre and breezy flows. Despite its three-minute runtime, ‘Fire Fire’ is jam-packed with K Harrison’s signature charisma and charm.
Bringing the heat to the glass and concrete-bound Derby metropolis, ‘Fire Fire’ couldn’t come at a better time as summer planning, antics and hot weather creep up on the horizon. Standing worlds apart from his fellow Midlands MCs (Sainté, MIST, M1llionz etc.) K Harrison aims to provide party soundtracks, sharp lyricism and pure musical escapism, which is aided by the accompanying visuals that feature model Mina Jay, who has just won the ‘Miss Europe Continental’ title.
‘Fire Fire’ follows directly on from the aforementioned ‘Boss (Call Away)’ which was released back in March 2022. The Certi Beats-produced track was an ode to the titular female ‘Boss’. Currently, ‘Boss (Call Away)’ is sitting at well over 62,000 streams on Spotify and 170,000 views on YouTube.
K Harrison is putting the finishing touches on his forthcoming debut LP, and ‘Fire Fire’ is a great taster of we can expect from him in the near future….Check out the music video for the single below…
Serving up a bouncing hustlers anthem, STARMONEY adds to an exceptional recent run of music as he teams up with Sneakbo for the release of ‘Flex’.
Starmoney flexes his lyrical sway and teams it with a noteworthy delivery. Celebrating the wins, the duo drop their own verses on ‘Flex’ to take a look back at where they’ve come from and their current status in life. Sneakbo offers up the first verse with his signature flows and charisma while Starmoney litters the track with gritty ad-libs, an anthemic hook and two verses that keep his talent in the spotlight throughout.
Making his presence felt over the last two years, Starmoney has stepped out of the shadows to deliver a slew of his own heavy rap joints that have catapulted the rising star up the chain of UK rap, including the weighty collaboration ‘Catfish’ featuring Snap Capone. Starmoney made his debut with ‘Black Lives Matter’ in 2020, gaining attention with UK and Caribbean press. Deeply rocked by world events and inspired to be an activist for the cause, Starmoney made the transition from writer to rapper with a powerful message and has since continued to use his platform to speak on positive change and drive collaboration between Caribbean and UK artists, as reported by the Jamaica Observer.
Born in Trinidad and Tobago but finding a place to call home in London as a child, Starmoney has had a world of black music to fuel his personal soundtrack to life. From the calypso sounds of his mother’s singing to reggae, dancehall and hip-hop, Starmoney also immersed himself in homegrown UK sounds such as garage, grime and UK drill. The myriad of influences and cultural understandings award him a unique musical perspective that flows through the centre of his very own material.
Check out the official video for Starmoney’s ‘Flex’ below…
Following his debut on the blog with his 2020 EP, ‘The Silence Vol.’ which make it on the #4 spot on New Lease Music’s Top Ten album of 2021, South Africa’s producer/artist, BLESSIN F circles back with his first release of the year titled, ‘I’m Sorry’, a gleeful blend of hip-hop, afrobeat wit a Latin flair. 7
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