D Double E Drops Track, ‘Roll Up’ + Video

D DOUBLE E shares his latest single ‘Roll Up’, a laid-back, funk infused Swindle-produced party tune that sees D Double exhibit his unrivalled unique tone and clever wordplay. Referencing everyone from Chabuddy G, Chaka Khan, Christian Louboutin and more, he also shares a classy video shot in the smoking room of a gorgeous mansion featuring a dapper D Double E and other well dressed guests partying till the early hours.

Following his sell out UK Tour end of last year showcasing the best of his 2020 album ‘D.O.N’, the new single is news of his next EP, ‘Bluku! Bluku! 2’. The seven-track follow to his 2011 debut EP ‘Bluku! Bluku!’ due for release on Friday 1st July.

One of the UK’s most celebrated and genre defining artists, in 2020 D Double E shared the invigorated and daring D.O.N. An acronym for Double or Nothing, this incredible 12-track follow up to his 2018 debut solo album Jackuum which has garnered over 12.M streams to date was a star studded affair featuring the likes of Ghetts (‘Where Do We Come From’), Giggs, Kano ‘Tell Me A Ting’, JME, Skrapz, Ms Banks (‘Bedroom Bully’) and Triggz.

With production handled by Splurgeboys, Greatness Jones, Fanatix, Prince Rapid, 1ne, Diamondz and D Double E himself – his first credits as a producer – the project tread on new sonic ground for the grime veteran. Since the release which was widely supported by The FADER, CRACK, Highsnobiety, i-D, The Line of Best Fit, Resident Advisor, Complex, Annie Mac, DJ Target and more, he’s been nominated for Best Grime Act at the 2021 MOBO Awards, put his lyrical magic touch on an advert for Pepsi and continued to collaborated with the likes of Backgroad Gee, Big Zuu and more. Most recently he’s been tapped up again for an iconic Christmas Advert for Camden Hells.

Time to check out the master at work below…

Song of the Day: Jaws – Spell Jordan & SLVG

SPELL JORDAN and SLVG aren’t new to the phonk scene, both bringing in millions of streams alone on phonk songs such as ‘Models’ and ‘GASOLINE’.

Last month, the pair connected for the release of ‘The Crow’, the first song from the two’s upcoming EP, ‘Movie Night’. ‘The Crow’ has been a successful first single, bringing in over 4,000 streams on Spotify in only 13 days.

Now, Spell Jordan and SLVG dropped the second single from Movie Night, Jaws. As the title of the EP suggests, each song is a reference to a movie title, this referencing the 1975 Steven Spielberg’s film.

Check Spell Jordan x SLVG single below…

Natty Boi Zoe Returns With Track, ‘Street Poet 3 (Rolling Craps).’

Following on from the release of music video for track, ‘Fortunate’ last month, which claimed the blog’s Music Video of the Week title twice in a row, NATTY BOI ZOE is back with another thoughtful, spoken-word single, ‘Street Poet 3 (Rolling Craps)’, out yesterday on your favourite music provider.

Check it out below…

Song of the Day: Feelings – Caviar Gabe

Launching himself into the scene as a solo artist, dropping vibey and left of field bangers, CAVIAR GABE is making it clear from the offset he’s not playing around this year with single ‘Feelings’.

Originally from London but being raised in South Africa, Caviar Gabe’s unique upbringing provides a catalyst for an even more unique sound. Combining braggadocious and thoughtful bars with ethereal and vibey instrumentation, Gave creates an intoxicating style of floaty UK rap, courtesy of his unique cadence and accent from spending life in both the UK and SA. His trappy and bouncy style is hard to pinpoint, yet reminiscent of his contemporary UK rap peers such as Blaze YL, Knucks and Sam Wise. Gabe’s voice glides across the instrumental in a woozy yet stylistic manner, and harnesses a captivating hook that utilizes his laidback delivery, weaving his way through the pockets in the instrumental. With the subtlety of the arrangement, all working together to enhance his introspective bars.

Growing up in Johannesburg, South Africa, made a huge impact on how Gabe views the world, and in turn, his music. Talking about his experience, he explains: “Growing up, I wasn’t raised by bad parents. They tried to give me everything, but we were tainted, and when everything went south, I tried to find escapes, hustling just to make sure I was treated equally by my peers. I grew up with robbers and killers with hearts of gold, peacekeepers too. Mainly influenced by zulu traditions and cultures, I saw the complete contrast between extreme wealth and extreme poverty, fought for human rights, got shot at by police and had more heartbreaks than you could count.”

Being influenced by musicians such as David Bowie and Mick Jagger on his fathers side, to his mother rooting him in Soul, R&B, Reggae and Dance, Caviar Gabe’s inspirations are an eclectic mix of different cultures. Such inspirations have clearly affected Gabe’s aesthetic, and gives explanation for the importance he places on his visuals and imagery. Gabe’s artsy and edgy style provides the perfect backdrop for his equally edgy music.

With this being Caviar Gabe’s first serious release of the year, with plenty more in the works including a project coming in the summer, “Feelings” acts as a flag in the ground for his intentions in 2021. Check out the official video for Gabe’s single below…

OUT TODAY: ATO Drops Reflective Track, ‘Cold’ + Video

Leeds-based and of British-Ghanaian-Danish descent, rising rapper ATO (pronounced: atu) follows his recent Flohio remix of 2021 Side A’s introspective banger ‘no caroline’ with his latest offering ‘COLD’ via MCMXCV. Putting his identity as a northern rapper from Leeds front and centre, over an emotive yet ominous stevexcooper produced beat, ATO muses about the exclusive nature of the London scene and his everyday frustrations.

Dropping alongside the single today is an Untold Studios Production, Eve Mahoney directed video that compliments the fast pace energy of the song. Sporadic moments of luminar mish mash interspersed with performance shots of ATO mirror his stream of consciousness and according to ATO “gives weight to the feeling behind the bars”.

Speaking on the single, ATO says: “COLD is a stream of consciousness that addresses my everyday vexations. As an outsider from Leeds, I find the industry politics and exclusive nature of the London scene a bit weird. I wanted to express who I am against the backdrop of these frustrations.

I was working on some other music at the time but was feeling to get a few of these things off my chest, so I hit stevexcooper for something I could rap over… He sent a beat titled ‘reflections’ and the energy was perfect. I wrote the verses that night intended for a freestyle and then ended up adding the COLD hook later.

Check out ATO’s video for ‘Cold’ below…