North London’s rapper HARLEY MAXWELL gives Pablo Nouvelle’s instrumental ‘Stay’ a sassy makeover, giving the production a smooth slow jam vibes through his warm raspy delivery.
Harley found his interest in music at the age of 15, after visiting a friends studio in the mountains of San Joan, Ibiza. His EP ‘Summer Daze’ was well received and video for standout track ‘Monday Morning’ continues to clock views on SB:TV. ‘Chased Lines,’ a mesmerizing ethereal single, has generated well over a million plays.
Described as one of UK Rap’s most exciting growing acts, Harvey gets ready to release his debut LP, ‘ROOM TWELVE’ next month.
This is one hot track right here…check out ‘That’s Life’ below…
Following the success of his last album Augustine’s Legacy, which was dedicated to his late father and his first child and has now accumulated over 16 million streams on Spotify alone, Texas-based international rap artist S.O. releases new EP. ‘Larry Ginni Crescent’, which sees him tracing his footsteps back to his hometown in Nigeria, where he was born and raised. The new project is nostalgically named after the street in Lagos, Nigeria that S.O. lived on as a child called Larry Ginni Crescent.
Written and composed by S.O. and produced by long-time collaborator and Grammy Award nominated producer GP, alongside burgeoning Nigerian producers TBabz (Travis Greene, Faith Child, Aaron Cole) and SteveRawd, the Larry Gini Crescent EP is driven by lead singles ‘Kinda Love’ and the previously released ‘Corner (O Ti De)’ – the former is a summer-ready afropop love song from S.O. dedicated to his wife, where he exudes the virtues of their love, while the latter is an infectious head-bopping track that sees S.O. boasting about who he has in his corner, as he sings “no babalawo in my corner, just God putting things in order”.
Chronologically, the EP opens with the infectious up-tempo ‘Prosper’, which was penned in direct response to S.O. losing his grandmother last December and sees him putting an afrobeats twist to the popular Bible verse “no weapon formed against me shall prosper”. Elsewhere on the EP, S.O. is full of gratitude on the uplifting sing-along number ‘Good To Me’, while the up-tempo dance floor filler ‘That One’ sees S.O. fusing afrobeats, rap and a motivational message together to great effect. The EP then winds down with the sexy R&B driven ‘Want You’ and the afrohouse influenced ‘Wonder’ with its cautionary tale about battling sin and temptation.
Speaking about the inspiration behind his new Larry Ginni Crescent EP, S.O. says: “This is a project that is connected to my African roots – Larry Ginni Crescent is the name of the street I lived on as a child back in Lagos, but it’s also deeply sentimental for me and it is dedicated to my grandmother who passed away from COVID late last year. As a proud Nigerian, I have always loved my heritage, from the food and the language to the music and the culture, and afrobeats is one of the branches on the Nigerian tree that’s rooted in the diaspora.
This project has been something I’ve wanted to do for a while and the lockdown opened the door for that. I got to collaborate with two special Nigerian producers TBabz and SteveRawd, as well as my long-time collaborator GP. Not only am I a Nigerian but I am also a Christian and that comes out in this project. So ‘Larry Ginni Crescent’ can be described as deeply Christian and deeply Nigerian. From the songs about faith, to songs about love, everything connects to this one point – al that we do, all that we experience, can be used for our art. I hope it moves you”.
With over 40 million global streams and sold-out shows across America, Europe and Africa, and having also lived in Lagos, London and now Texas, S.O. is the true definition of an international artist. Since his now classic debut mixtape 5 Solas, S.O. has gone on to chart in the top 10 on the Billboard Heatseekers album chart, in the top 30 on both the Billboard Rap album chart and the Billboard Christian album chart, and in the top 5 on the iTunes Hip-Hop/Rap album chart across his four albums and two EPs. As his new project Larry Ginni Crescent arrives, S.O. is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Check out the blog’s song recommendations below:
Must Listens: Corner (O Ti De), Good To Me, Kinda Love, Want You
Newcomer, LOR fuses dark-pop production with bold yet vulnerable lyricism and smooth RnB influences to create a unique and current sound that’s both personally authentic and widely relatable. Sonically inviting and emotion-filled her debut single, ‘Used To’, narrates the all-too-familiar tale of knowing someone is bad for you but wanting them anyway. It’s about all the broken promises, all the extra chances and all the times you forgave, even though they don’t reserve it.
Written from LOR’s intimate, personal perspective, ‘Used To’ sees the young Toronto-based singer-songwriter bravely divulge her innermost thoughts and feelings over spacious pop production and airy, siren-like harmonies that perfectly demonstrate her powerful artistic range and sweet-yet-eerie vocal tone. Coupled with an intricate, dark piano melody and backed by a melancholy beat, LOR creates a haunting sonic experience that will leave you feeling lovesick on her debut single.
Watch the stunning, cinematically shot music video, directed by Sanjeev Kugan and produced by Paulina Van Schaik.
Connecticut’s rapper OPIUM BKACK makes a fierce entry on the blog and releases some blazing visuals for track, ‘Head Shot’ featuring Sheek Louch and Carti P. Newton. Check it out below…
Chicago and Toronto based multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, composer and producer, DEANNA DEVORE has teamed up with D.Lylez (a top 24 contestant on The Voice season 18), for single, ‘Need To Know’, a rich, lo-fi ambience, with a soothing, groovy melody, making for the perfect late-night production.
Written during the pandemic, Devore explains how the isolation elicited a long period of reflection. Described as a nostalgic song, ‘Need To Know’ reminisces about a certain someone, detailing that feeling of needing to know that they are thinking about you too. Lylez’s divine crystal clear vocals, his gentle falsettos and melodic agility complement the dancing keyboard motifs. Alongside the floaty, orchestral elements, there is a heavy neo-soul, jazz flush that brings an atmospheric wash, creating an ethereal musical diversion to help escape the uncertainty of the times.
Devore has seen success performing to sold-out venues and festivals across the map, such as Summerfest, CMJ, NXNE, and 80/35. She has had the pleasure of opening for renowned artists including Jamie Cullum, Bonobo and SG Lewis, as well as Raveena, Mother Mother and Yoke Lore. The composer has also been adding to her musical portfolio by scoring both feature & short films, as well as composing music for commercials including a Starbucks ad, podcasts and animation videos. One of her original songs, ‘A Beautiful View’ is in the new feature film “Tom of Your Life”.
