Tag: London

Professor Paws Continues To Push Boundaries With New EP, ‘To The Bag’

Since PROFESSOR PAWS arrival onto the scene just 18 months ago, he has quickly become a force to be reckoned with. His first release from his To The Bag EP, ‘Southside Girl’, was undoubtedly well received, obtaining praise from trendsetting magazine Notion. He then followed with the lead single and title track, ‘To The Bag’, amassing over 125,000 views and over 75,000 streams in the process.

With a musical approach that is second to none, Professor Paws creates a unique hybrid between new age R&B and a gritty UK rap sound for his new EP. The opening track ‘To The Bag’ portrays his distinct R&B style, highlighting an instant ensemble of differing melodies whilst delivering punchy lyrical content that we’ve come to expect. This release epitomises his approach this year as he sets his aims on getting ‘straight to the bag’. The next track ‘Southside Girl’ is the perfect blend to stir up the party feeling as the vibrant melodic chorus instantly captures your attention while the hard-hitting rap verses deliver the perfect contrast. This song captures the excitement and flirtations of a relationship blossoming in its early stages. Moving in to ‘Sillionaire’, Professor Paws continues the musical theme of the EP, providing an R&B influenced hook with the raw rap that has become synonymous to his sound. A strong sense of the London artists affluent lifestyle shines through the lyricism, as he proceeds to remind us that ‘he is the man’.

Heading through the tracklist, ‘Gold Touch’ tells the story of the rappers’ similarity with King Midas and his golden touch, with the track delving in to a wittier, personable side of the rapper. With his usual combination of melodies and raw lyrics, this song is destined to be blaring out of car speakers across the UK. The final track is an extended version of ‘To The Bag’, the first version left listeners with a cliff hanger and this version is the clarity to the story. As he continues the go-getter mantra, we get a full understanding of Professor Paws mindset with his latest collection.

Of Ghanian and European heritage, Professor Paws is influenced by his roots and is keen to ensure that diversity always shines through in his music. Being exposed to such a wide range of sounds and styles in a rapidly developing musical climate, has helped shape his sound to one that moves fluidly between varying genres, tones and styles. His endless hours in the studio behind the desk as a producer has seen him work alongside major name rappers, including Giggs, Fekky, Cash and Joe Grind, and has undoubtedly helped to navigate his own personal artistry as he has cherrypicked wisdom from the best and been able to apply it to his own sound as an artist, something which evidently shines through in the EP.

With the release of his debut project ‘To The Bag’, we witness the development and evolution of Professor Paws. As he continues to gather momentum and make strides with his unorthodox hybrid of rap and R&B, we expect to see the experimental musician becoming a pivotal part of the music scene.

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Skeamer Comes Through With Emotive Track ‘Pain Is Temporary’

SKEAMER has been steadily building his stature within the UK music scene and his newest single ‘Pain Is Temporary’ solidifies exactly why his name should be mentioned alongside the greats. The London based rapper is renowned for his conscientious lyrical content and his heartfelt delivery, this is integral to his musical identity and is excellently demonstrated within his latest track.

After amassing millions of streams and views on previous releases, Skeamer has become a certified voice for the streets. His profoundly sincere rap technique sets him apart from similar artists within his field. On ‘Pain Is Temporary’, the Buckroll produced track has the ideal instrumental with hypnotic drum patterns, booming 808’s and unique vocal sampling, all coming together to deliver the perfect canvas for the rapper to paint his picture on. Skeamer’s lyrical ability shines through on the track, as he uses all the key pillars of rap to deliver his heartfelt story. Taking us on a breath-taking journey, detailing the lifestyle the OJB rapper lives, Skeamer talks about the trials and tribulations that he faces and some of the actions that he is forced to take.

Alongside his own solo drops, Skeamer has recently collaborated with his OJB member Skore Beezy, as well as Clue, Scorcher and Snap Capone. These major musical partnerships indicate the trajectory that the captivating artist continues to take as well as the ever-growing rumble surrounding his music. After his recent tour around his estate in Clapham, for the well-known YouTube channel ‘No Jumper’, the industry is eagerly awaiting his next move. This sentiment was mirrored by pivotal tastemakers within the UK, with support from BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ’s including Target, Sian Anderson, Snoochie Shy and Kenny Allstar as well as Kiss FM’s Ellie Prohan and Capital Xtra’s Shayna Marie. This outpouring of support represents the overwhelming approval that the Black British Music scene have for the artist.

As we continue to receive an introspective and honest musical approach, Skeamer has established himself as a dominant voice within UK rap. Check out the video for ‘Pain Is Temporary’ below…

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Song of the Day: No Caroline – ATO

Leeds/London based, British-Ghanaian-Danish artist ATO drops his introspective, candid new single ‘no caroline’ is a heart-rending track, brimming with raw sentiment stemming from past trauma, dysfunctional relationships, and is influenced by ATO’s on-going journey of self-discovery, defining his identity and understanding his heritage. An artist unafraid to wear his heart on his sleeve, ‘no caroline’ was originally written by ATO about a personal situation, quickly developing into a no-holds-barred deep dive into his own emotional shortcomings rooted in his experiences. In his own words, “the tensions of growing up black in a white city with no real understanding of my black history – lost identity, abandonment, and so on – correlated to the struggles of lost love.”

A track of two parts, the first half of ‘no caroline’ see’s ATO singing rather than rapping, making light of a dysfunctional relationship, acknowledging an incapacity to relate to a partner on an emotional level. An impactful, lightening-fast energy surge flips the second half of the track from a hyper-pop influenced, experimental UK rap offering into a drum’n’bass free for all. Rapping over breaks, ATO soundtracks a sudden explosion of emotions, exploring the complex experiences of his past.

Speaking on the single, ATO says,

“no caroline began as a response to failed relationships, trivialising my own experiences of emotional detachment. The first part was written in my sleep (literally in a dream) and recorded the morning after. It was a new sound and I honestly thought it was done. But the production team introduced a second section that dragged me into different parts of my past. I wrote and recorded the entire second verse to what is now the outro before EDEN flipped the most of the section into a drum ‘n’ bass free for all.”

The second single taken from ATO’s highly anticipated forthcoming EP Side A, due for release this Wednesday (25th August) via MCMXCV, ‘no caroline’ follows recent releases including ‘Muscle Twitch’, 2020 single ‘Yours Now’, EP3, and his feature with Vic Mensa on 2019 single ‘falling’. Standing out from the crowd with pensive, poetic charm, earlier releases of ATO’s have seen him garner support from global tastemakers The FADER, Complex, Trench and Crack and

So here’s your chance to check out a truly astonishing artist at work…

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Jessica Wilde Returns With Single, ‘Daylight’

‘Daylight’ is the fourth single from JESSICA WILDE‘s concept album, with each song serving as a diary entry, going on a journey from addiction, toxic relationships to self-love and living sober. Her latest effort has a classic soul sound, with rich textured backing vocals reminiscent of a 60’s golden era but with an unexpected twist as Wilde introduces her fresh statement London rap flow, telling the tale of a relationship fueled on reckless, wild, party nights turning into a self-sabotaging Groundhog Day.

‘Daylight’ will be followed by two remixes set to land 10th September from Murder he Wrote, who last year amassed over half a million streams and has consistent support from Jeremiah Asiamah (BBC Radio 1), Tom Ravenscroft (BBC 6Music) and Anna Lunoe (Apple Music) and duo Ren Phillips and Ying Yang who have regular releases on Sola, Cr2 and Support from Jamie Jones, Joel Corry and SKT.

Wilde’s exciting project and authentic artistry has already picked up some serious heat across BBC Radio including ‘Record of the week’ on BBCR1xtra, BBC Radio London (Robert Elms show/Claira Hermet/Lionheart and Salma El-Wardany/Emelia Poamz) 6 Music, KISS FM (Rudekid), Hoxton Radio (Kerry Boyne), Reprezent Radio (Amika Eazer/Laughta), Radio 5 (Amsterdam) and many more.

Here’s your chance to check out ‘Daylight’, where Wilde has once again collaborated with producers Eljay and Grammy award winner Kiris Houston (The Disciples, Little Mix).

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Song of the Day: Other Side Of The Room – Harve

South East London based non-binary artist HARVE sparsely blends R&B and electronic music with single, ‘Other Side Of The Room’. Accentuated by Harve’s signature play with distorted vocals and layering, this track was written whilst they were in a long term relationship – lyrically it explores gaining a new perspective and taking a step back to see things a little more clearly.

Speaking on the track, Harve says: “OSOTR is both a song I wrote entirely for myself; about finding home within, listening to my own needs. But it was also my final attempt to let my then partner know how I was feeling. OSOTR is about checking in with yourself, it’s about knowing when to let go, it’s about stopping yourself from being left behind, and finding yourself in your loneliness.

An incredibly exciting new talent, the past few years have seen Harve in all the right places including supporting Celeste alongside Fredwave at one of her first headline shows and stunning a packed out Hoxton Bar and Kitchen with a stripped back set for Jamz Supernova’s Future Bounce. Coming straight outta lockdown #1, they debuted music from their EP live on Sofar Sounds and begun to host a regular slot alongside non-binary artist Attz on Polyesterzine called ‘ENBY CHRONICLES’ discussing all thing non binary.

Early singles ‘City Scapes’, ‘Caught Up’ and ‘ReAD’ and caught the attention of key tastemakers including XL Recordings, COLORS Berlin and Glamcult as well as garnering multiple plays across NTS and Reprezent shows and support from Jamz Supernova, Mary Anne Hobbs and Phil Taggart on 1Xtra, 6Music and BBCR1. Blending elements of R&B, Soul and electronic, through ardent lyricism, Harve dissects what it is to be a queer person; the self-acceptance, the relationships, the doubts, and the love.

Coming up this year they have a new project in the works and will continue to co-host Smooth Operator on Foundation FM with their podcaster sibling Nic Desborough; playing new and old music from around the world with a focus on highlighting queer artists.

Check out ‘Other Side of the Room’ below…

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