Tag: hip-hop

Song of the Day: Lost – Swindle (ft. Loyle Carner, Kojey Radical & JNR Williams

South London native SWANDLE‘s single ‘LOST’, is bright and emotive, offering lush with bubbling brass, funk laden basslines and soaring synths and strings. The track sees Kojey and Carner exchange conversational bars exploring the themes of success and loss, with JNR Williams smooth vocals on chorus duties – “oh they lost themselves in lying”.

‘LOST’ is Swindle’s first solo release since his 2019 critically acclaimed album No More Normal, that was praised widely by the likes Loud & Quiet, The Wire, Q and CLASH, ‘LOST’ was written last Summer as England’s lockdown lifted breathing new life into a community of artists isolated and able to once again collaborate.

An exceptional stalwart of UK music, throughout his career Swindle has released on a plethora of labels from Butterz, to Deep Medi Muzik, to Brownswood, and collaborated with everyone from D Double E, to Ghetts, to Amaarae, to Mahalia, to Celeste and more. A true sonic chameleon, his efforts has been continually praised across the board with champions in the likes of NME, Resident Advisor, FACT, DJ Mag, RedBull, CLASH as well as major support from BBC Radio 1 tastemakers including Annie Mac, Gilles Peterson, Mary Anne Hobbs, Target and Clara Amfo.

Expect more music and news coming from Swindle very soon…but for now, have a listen to ‘LOST’ below…

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Mickey Factz Responds To Royce Da 5’9″ In Fiery New Diss Track ‘WRAiTH’

The sensational battle between rap Gods Royce Da 5’9 and Lupe Fiasco is just the most recent piece to the everlasting debate of who should be crowned the best emcee. Enter MICKEY FACTZ. After being called out by name in round one, and antagonized by both Royce and Joe Budden on Instagram Live, the XXL Freshman alumnus unleashes his fiery response ‘WRAiTH’. Released on SoundCloud on Monday 26th July, the AWSME J-produced track finds Factz cleverly weaving in and out of styles for exactly 5 minutes and 59 seconds to proverbially “check boxes”.

‘WRAiTH’ arrives ahead of the forthcoming release of ‘The Narrative’, Mickey’s collaborative EP with fellow XXL Freshamn alumnus Blu and Grammy-nominated producer Nottz (of 9th Wonder’s Soul Council).

Check out ‘WRAiTH’ below…

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Producer JEZTLS Shares A Powerful Message With Track ‘Affair’

Taken from his self-produced EP, ‘El Paradiso’ JEZTLS‘ latest single , ‘Affair’ sees the producer take the spotlight, providing his own vocals for the first time in his career. The lyrics tackle his experience of sexual assault whilst studying abroad in France.

In just over two minutes, the track deals with the trauma head-on, he glides through vocal styles of singing and rapping, taking influence from the alternative R&B world of James Blake and the grime music he encountered growing up in England.

Speaking on the track he says: “Affair to me is such a representative song. I dealt with so much hurt after being assaulted, I spent two weeks stuck in a tiny room in student accommodation in a foreign country. I was so stunned after it happened, it felt like it took a lifetime to fully process – so when I finally got out of bed and pulled up this beat I’d made for another artist’s session, the truth all fell out.

I’d previously planned to release a collaboration album, it was all set for the end of April, but after the assault it just fell apart and I realised I was the only person that could speak my own truth. It’s funny producing and writing for other people all your life, then one day something clicked and I realised as much as I hate my own voice – singing these songs myself is the most courageous and honest thing I can do as an artist. The structure of Affair fully allowed me to channel the different notions I went through: Denial, Pain and Anger. I’m not a rapper but I knew that I had so much to address in the final verse – it just came out like that.“

Watch the official video for ‘Affair’, directed by Luc Chief of Sprayfilms.

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Watch Masego’s Video For Track ‘Mystery Lady (Sego’s Remix)’

Directed by Doug Bernardt, who was awarded the Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Entertainment for Music for the short film Bluesman, MASEGO‘s official video for ‘Mystery Lady (Sego’s Remix) bursts with brilliant colours, with a deep appreciation for the sensuality and rhythms of everyday life. Masego sings as he explores the streets, alleys and courtyards of Mexico City, encountering dance partners along the way and reveling in the city’s natural beauty.

To date, ‘Mystery Lady’ has soared over 100 million streams. Sego’s remix and the original version of the song – ‘Mystery Lady Ft. Don Toliver’ – appear on Studying Abroad: Extended Stay (EQT Recordings/Capitol Records), the deluxe edition of Masego’s acclaimed 2020 EP.

Masego made his breakthrough with his 2018 debut album ‘Lady Lady’, where lead single, ‘Tadow’, surpassed over one billion global streams. The song is certified Platinum in the U.S., Diamond in Brazil and Gold in Mexico. Hailed as a “musical polyglot” by the Los Angeles Times, Masego is a singular talent and surprising presence – a saxophone player, a singer, a rapper, a comedian, a DJ. NPR Music praised him as “musical shapeshifter, the creator of a blueprint for a new kind of sound.”

Check out the video below…

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Song of the Day: Mine – Kute Lee (ft. Tonee C)

Mine is the lead single from KUTEE LEE‘s EP ‘0 4 6’ which features rap prodigy Tonee C. The alternative rap song sees both artists discuss the affinity of a love interest for money and how that isn’t a problem for them on a quest to win her over. It’s one of those songs where the first and proceeding lines of the chorus could live rent-free in a listener’s head, with lyrics like “You got a fetish for dollar signs”.

A native of Anambra State but Based in Port Harcourt, Nigeria; Kutee Lee – whose real name is Chibuike Paschal Metu – began making music professionally in 2019 after he made a crucial decision of making a switch from his medical profession to building a career in music – a decision that wasn’t met with good reception from his family, but his affiliation with the renown creative collective Black Federation has been his center of support on a musical journey that has had it’s fair share of ups and downs.

He’s an artist with a voice that can fill a packed arena, firm, bold and unruly. His style of music could be described as Alternative because he plays across diverse genres with his music, and at each point tend to pass his message which mostly touches across subject matters like family, love, betrayal, life experiences especially back in the hood, amongst other things.

So here’s your chance to get acquainted with Kutee Lee; have a listen to ‘Mine’ below…

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