Song of the Day: Jumpin – NLE Choppa (ft. Polo G)

Memphis rap star NLE CHOPPA‘s energetic single ‘Jumpin’, featuring Chicago rapper Polo G serves as the first release from Choppa’s EP ‘Me vs. Me’, released last Friday (3rd December). The fiery track finds the duo in search of cash and come ups. An accompanying cinematic video explores similar themes, featuring the pair in a multi-act heist story fit for the big screen.

‘Jumpin’ puts Choppa’s precise flows at centre stage. Flipping through flexes and delirious threats, the track lets him show off what he does best. “Play with my cash and I’m on your ass,” he raps. “Like the pockets on the back of your pants.” His ability to blend clever one-liners with a sense of menace is on full display, an approach that Polo also adopts on his melodic verse.

The accompanying visual plays like a classic heist film, with Choppa and Polo serving as the stars. Armed with guns, masks, an armored truck, and dazzling grills, the duo embark on an epic bank robbery, only to get into a shootout with the cops. Like Robin Hood, though, the crew escapes, and the pair end the video chuckling with one another, thumbing through their spoils.

Last year marked his first Top 100 single and 1Xtra playlist in the UK with ‘Walk Em Down’ featuring Roddy Rich and this along with his release with Lil Baby ‘Narrow Road’, another UK success was supported by Tiffany Calver, Tim Westwood, Kenny Allstar

This new collaboration is the latest track in a wildly successful year for NLE Choppa. In August he released the hard-hitting ‘Mmm Hmm,’ which followed June’s poignant, introspective ‘Letter to My Daughter.’ On April 1, he dropped his beloved ‘First Day Out,’ a freestyle over SpotemGottem’s ‘Beat Box.’ The video has since achieved 65 million views on Youtube and the track was eventually reissued as an official remix called “Beat Box 4.” Back in January, Choppa dropped ‘Picture Me Grapin,’’ with a video paying homage to Tupac Shakur. The visual was released at 11:11 AM on January 22, playing up Choppa’s fascination with numerology and spiritual enlightenment.

Choppa continues to push himself and the culture forward. He crashed the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 with his 2020 debut album, Top Shotta. He achieved a record run of 24 weeks atop Billboard’s Emerging Artists Chart. To date, he has gathered 5 billion-plus global streams, six RIAA-certified plaques, a spot on the 2020 XXL Freshman list, and a nomination for the 2020 BET Hip-Hop Awards’ Best New Artist and was recently featured on Billboard’s “21 Under 21” list.

With ‘Jumpin,’ Choppa continues his run as one of the most exciting MCs out, in addition to proving his mettle as a worthy collaborator. With Polo G joining on the ride, NLE Choppa has converted his momentum into another hit.

Why not check out the video for ‘Jumpin’ (released on NLE Entertainment/Warner Records)

Song of the Day: Free spirit Freestyle/Park Up (BTS) – RizzyB

East London’s emerging rapper RIZZYB returns, following on from the success of his previous release ‘Weh Ya Deh’ with his latest single ‘Park Up’. Produced by Jamaican born music producer Wizical, ‘Park Up’ is as infectious as ever with Rizzy bringing us through from Summer to Autumn with ease.

Featuring his signature smooth style and presence, the track is a fusion of rap and melodic vocals, flaunting Rizzy’s innate ability to captivate his listeners. The perfect blend of both mellow R&B and Dancehall, Rizzy effortlessly delivers yet another weighted offering.

Instead of producing an official music video, Rizzy gathered a team of creatives to contribute their natural gifts through an engaging freestyle video fused together with a candid ‘behind the scenes’ montage. ‘Anatural’, a term that Rizzy coined himself, is a core philosophy in not just his musical approach, but also in his approach to life.

Rizzy wrote and performed ‘Free Spirit Freestyle’, showcasing his lyrical ability and captivating artist presence, and enlisted photographer Keanu Reeves, director Tan Wright and model DKabs to come together and capture press shots for the artwork of the single. This unique merging of each persons individual talents allowed a uniquely authentic product to be born.

Here’s your chance to check out RizzyB’s offering, Free Spirit Freestyle/Park Up below…

Song of the Day: Don’t Hold Back – Kaiya

Following her powerful debut in 2020, independent Melbourne based Alt/RnB singer/songwriter KAIYA, returns, baring her soul. Kaiya captivated the hearts of many around the world with her debut single ‘Introspect’, a song written and recorded in lock down to boost the collective morale. Introspect showcased Kaiya’s wisdom and vulnerability, as well as her catchy melodies and heartfelt lyrics. The visual accompaniment brought Introspect to new heights as we watched Kaiya levitate and dance at dusk. In early 2021 Kaiya released a follow up lock down single titled Love which explored the polarities of our human lives, love and fear. Love came at a time when the world needed it most and continues to serve as a voice toward building happier communities.

Her latest single release ‘Don’t Hold Back’ goes on a journey of chasing an emotionally unavailable lover and the transmutation of its subsequent pain, into power. It explores the awakening of self worth through self abandonment and inspires listeners to reflect on their relationship attachments. As part of the release, Kaiya partnered with “The Attachment Project”, an internationally renowned online platform full of resources to heal our unique misunderstandings of love.

Speaking of her single, Kiaya says: “‘Don’t Hold Back’ journeys through my healing of 26 years of unreliable relationships and the effects that had on me in my adulthood. If you feel like you’re attracting the same type of person into your life, maybe it’s time to gently start asking why. More often than not we’re used to re-experiencing our trauma through our relationships and I believe with some work, we can have a whole lot better than that.”

Have a peep at the aminated video for the single below…

Song of the Day: Bliss – Esseo

UK trap artist ESSEO‘s single, ‘Bliss’ carries on the spacey ambient vibe from his full length project Neptunes, released February 2021. Reminiscent of artists like PARTYNEXTDOOR, Lil Uzi Vert and Bryson Tiller, yet driven by a UK aesthetic, his music makes perfect for long night time drives.

A member of the Nothing Was Easy collective, Esseo is no stranger to the music industry, previously releasing under the moniker Scorpio. Esseo’s early music was also endorsed by British DJ Trevor Nelson and Ewan Grant (Ministry of Sound).

Why not check out the official video for ‘Bliss’ below…

Song of the Day: Grooveship – Rocomoco

Lifted from their forthcoming album, ‘Into The Blue’, slated for release this Friday (29th October) via Aviary Day on Aviary Bridge Records Ltd, laidback lo-fi duo ROCOMOCO‘s single, ‘Grooveshop’ features Denmark-based artist Hoffy Beats who is making himself at home in the sounds of chilled beats. He’s been featured on the Lo-Fi Girl Youtube channel and has earned just under 13 million plays on Spotify alone.

Berlin-based rocomoco have earned over 11 million streams across platforms, with features on vibe-maker Youtube channels such as nourish, Dreamy, Délicieuse Musique, College Music, STEEZYASFUCK, and The Jazz Hop Cafe to boot as well as appearing on Mr Suicide Sheep’s Favourites Spotify playlist. The duo were featured in Last Day Deaf’s Cool Smooth Chill playlist and received written support from the likes of CLASH Magazine, A Closer Listen, Stereofox, and Give It A Spin.

The pair have incorporate a collection of chilled vibes, jazzy guitars and dusty beats with a forward-looking left-leaning edge into their work, calling upon the likes of J Dilla, Nujabes and Jinsang as source of inspiration. In turn, their sound draws parallels to the likes of Potsu, Kruder & Dorfmeister, FKJ and Nightmares on Wax.

Speaking of the single, rocomoco says: “Our single is about when everything falls in place perfectly: Grooveshop serves liquid melodies from places of longing. Think about endless moments in Mediterranean beach bars where the time stands still. Hoffy’s Jazz chords and piano licks have been a good starting point for the atmospheric and chilled beat we ended up with.”

‘Grooveship’ follows previously released singles, ‘Years’ and ‘Warm Flicker’. Check out the accompanied colourful video for the feel-good single below…