Hailing from East London, JOEYMVNE delivers a soulful, fluid, and trance-like single, ‘Plaistow’ a poetic piece where he gives us a fly-on-the-wall view into his world in Plaistow over Jimmy Edgar’s instrumental.
‘Plaistow’ comes after the release of his single, ‘COD’, which was well received by fans and also had local radio stations. Why not check it out below…
West Coast indie Hip-Hop juggernaut BLU, Bronx rapper MICKEY FACTZ, and Grammy-nominated producer NOTTZ (of 9th Wonder’s Soul Council) have joined forces for EP, ‘The Narrative’, out now via SCHMTCS/Soulspazm.
‘Roll Up’, forms part of the six-track set, which finds Blu and Mickey trading bars about some of the turmoil the world has experienced in the past year and a half– not the least of which is the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to claim the lives of loved ones –over a haunting sonic backdrop laced by Nottz.
‘Roll Up’ is The Narrative EP’s third leak, following the singles ‘Stay Down’ and ‘Reign’. Check it out below…
What I find so appeasing about Bristolian rapper OLOFF is that you can never guess his next move. His second project of the year, ‘Expat’ took me a bit by surprise as it contain pretty slick uses of samples, ranging from retro soul, right through rock/90s grunge plus samples that has a twang of 50s Hollywood Glamour – see, I told his guy was so delightfully unpredictable!
One thing that’s not predictable is his infamous askew delivery which at times ferociously pierces through some of the most delicate productions (listen to intro single ‘I Don’t Breathe’, ‘Obvious/Someone’s Missing/Luigi’s Mansion)
I appreciate that ‘Expat’ isn’t everyone’s cup of tea or a one size fits all type of mixtape, but it’s definitely worth a go just to hear the juxtaposition of his wayward delivery against the varied arrangements.
Must Listen: I Don’t Breathe, Lord’s Prayer, Luigi’s Mansion
DIZZY RAMBUNCTIOUS is one of the few producers featured on the blog over the years for his dramatic, attention-grabbing bangers. So when he dropped his latest project, ‘Lightheaded III‘, I had to hunt down this New Jersey beat master to find out how he comes up with such out-of-sight productions in the 12-track set.
NLM Hey, thank you for taking part in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC. How is 2021 treating you so far?
DR: Ummm 2021, is definitely something else but it’s definitely better than last year haha. I’m hanging in there for sure
NLM: You released your album, ‘Lightheaded III’ back in June. What is the public perception on the project so far?
DR: Yes, I released it back on June 25th. my fans were very excited when they found out that I was finally dropping the album after teasing it with multiple snippets, new listeners enjoyed it as well because last year I started twitch streaming during the start of the pandemic/lockdown, I stream playing video games and I would play my music in the background so that new viewers can hear it and follow up on my entire discography. Those people from the gaming community I created joined a live listening session I hosted for lightheaded III before it dropped on midnight on all streaming platforms and they had a great response to it.
NLM: How would you describe the album’s sound to potential fans?
DR: The sound of the album is definitely dark and very spacey, it will definitely uplift any emotion you’re feeling when you listen to this album from front to back, it’s like you’re entering into my mind if that makes sense haha
NLM: What inspired you to produce the album?
DR: So basically what inspired this album is of course when lightheaded II dropped back in 2018 it was about a heartbreak from a relationship. Lightheaded III is a follow up after me finally recovering from that heartbreak but then other life situations hit me. Job loss, friend’s cutting me off, and dealing with anxiety from the pandemic/lockdown. It’s been hard but I’m in a great position right now in life mentally such as being in a very healthy relationship and having a better circle of people who I can trust.
NLM: What is/are your favourite single(s) from the album and why
DR: I love this question! Definitely my favourite songs has to be “The Deep End” with my bros Free Samuda and Lil Bear because When I was making the beat for it, I was in the mood like “Don’t fuck with me, don’t make me go off the deep end” and I was very excited when I heard the final product, F.E.A.R as well because the title is the main message of the album. You face everything and rise.
NLM: What message would you like the listeners to take away from your album?
DR: No matter what you’re going through with life, it’s only temporary and you will overcome it.
NLM: If you had to feature one mainstream artist on the album, who would it be and why?
DR: interesting, I like this question. I usually would wanna feature artists that are not really too too mainstream but like people know them really well, but if you’re talking mainstream I would say Don Toliver because he would’ve made this album so much more spacier and his sound would’ve definitely fit so well with the album.
NLM: Do you have other project(s) for 2021?
DR: Yes I do actually, I’m currently working on the 5th instalment of “The Blu Tape” series, I’m hoping to get it out there before the year ends if not early 2022.
NLM: How can potential fans find you?
DR: You can find me on the block! Just kidding haha but you can find me on Twitter/Instagram @Im_DizzyR and “Dizzy Rambunctious” on all major streaming platforms.
NLM: Finally, any special shout outs to those involved in the production of ‘Lightheaded III’ ?
DR: I definitely would like to shoutout the features on the album. TRPLSVN, Free Samuda, Lil Bear, Donnie Durag, & Willy Gonza, without them this album wouldn’t have the sound and direction it has.
Earlier this summer, Edmonton hip-hop artist K-RIZ announced the release of his sophomore full-length album, Peace & Love. Now, he’s unveiling a new song from the project, ‘Lost in It,’ along with a new video filmed by Comrade and edited by Aliza.
In the video, K-Riz is shown being cleansed in a river, symbolizing his transition from one stage of life to the next, or shedding the old and stepping into the new. Displaying his rapid-fire flow over an aptly erratic beat produced by Calgary’s Rajah (Tory Lanez, Meek Mill, Lil Baby, Curtis Waters), K-Riz uses water as a metaphor to express drowning in, and eventually purging, his emotions from the end of a bad relationship.
With ‘Lost in It,’ the soft-hearted rapper goes hard, rhyming about the most difficult stage of heartache. “It’s the chapter where I’m caught up in my emotions and this cycle of negative thoughts,” said K-Riz. “When I was writing this song, I had these images of treading water as a tidal wave approached me, sharks surrounding me, and gasping after almost drowning. Rajah’s production went perfectly with the sink-or-swim metaphor I was trying to express in my lyrics.”
Much of the tracks from Peace & Love are linked lyrically to broken relationships with others and with self, capturing the different stages of grief and joy that come from experiencing love, heartache, and ultimately finding inner peace.
K-Riz is part of a new generation of melodic emcees who can rap circles around their opponents and sing their verses with equal aplomb. Listing the titans of soul and funk-inspired pop and jazz-oriented rap as his influences, from Stevie Wonder to Nas and Prince to J Dilla, the Toronto-born, Edmonton-based artist absorbs and spits out the specters of other eras while remaining spiritually in the present.
Peace & Love follows his critically-hailed The Room EP (2020), which drew praise from Complex for “quietly establishing himself as one of Alberta’s deftest lyricists.” K-Riz was also named as a Black Canadian artist you need to know by Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe of CBC’s The Block, and listed among the Canadian artists you need to hear by Exclaim in January of 2021.
Here’s your chance to check out the official video for the single below…
New Lease Music 