Following on from the success of her debut album ‘Stripped’ in 2013 (featured three singles on BET International’s playlist) and a 5-year hiatus, HAYLEY CASSIDY released ‘Used to Be’ in January 2018, which instantly gained credibility as DJ Ace’s (BBC 1xtra) ‘Everything R&B Record of the Week’.
Fast-forward to 2019, the smooth songstress has been insanely busy working on a two-part EP entitled ‘The Low Key Effect,’ as well as recording a brand new album.
This year, the Londoner jumped into the lab with rising UK producer XVR BLCK to pen and create a melodically, heartfelt record with a heavy bass line, entitled ‘No Regrets.’
Hayley’s, caramel-like vocals relay a common situation of a past relationship being amazing while it lasted, but all good things come to an end. Life can’t be lived in reverse, however the good moments will always be cherished, with no hard feelings or no regrets.
Check out the video for Hayley’s ‘No Regrets’ below…
Making an impressive music debut, producer/rapper JOHNNY is emerging from the home of some of the biggest names in the UK scene including Dizzee Rascal, Lethal Bizzle, Wiley, Kano and Roll Deep – the epicentre of today’s black music explosion, BOW E3. With such a rich tapestry of influence, culture and inspiration plus such a high pedigree of neighbouring artists to contend with, JOHNNY has studied the blueprint of his peers enabling him to step straight into the mix with strength, confidence and skill as he drops his aptly titled single ‘Grinder’.
The East London rapper has already started turning heads on the underground. Delivering on both production and vocals, JOHNNY creates the perfect blend for ‘Grinder’ as the heartbeat of the record thumps with kick drums and sharp snapping sneer drums before mix with his luxurious, melodic rap/singing. He nails the ability to automatically make your head bop along to the riddim and winds it up to a belter of a sing-a-long hook.
Setting the bar even higher, JOHNNY teams up the audio with a well thought-out, one-take, vlog style visual on his stomping ground Roman Road, premiered on GRM Daily. Slick camera edits, angles and the vibrancy of colours, culture and the London skyline, package ‘Grinder’ into one of the most impressive, refined and cultured debuts of recent times.
JUICE MENACE bounces right back into the blog’s Song of the Day hot spot with second track entitled ‘Lizzi£’.
Her debut track ‘Hardly’ produced by Octavian’s Producer, Elevated, released in the wake of her first ever performance, opening for AJ Tracey at No Jumper’s London headline show, has now gone on to garner over 100,000 streams in a matter of weeks.
Following on from that success, ‘Lizzi£’ continues with the same self-assured and assertive style she’s fast becoming known for. Juice talks about staying in her own lane on the way to the top, when asked about the single, Juice responds “The song is about being money motivated and focusing on myself rather than paying attention to anyone else’s opinions”.
Check out the video for the blazing hot track below…
UK R&B singer HARLEIGHBLU and neo-soul & hip-hop producer BLUESTAEB come through with beat-heavy empowerment anthem ‘Queeen Dem’, the third single off upcoming joint album ‘She’, due for release October 11th 2019
The song is inspired by popular poem “This is for the women who don’t give a fuck” by American writer Janne Robinson. HARLEIGHBLU took the fierce manifesto of the feminist activist and interpreted it her very own way: “I tried to capture the strength of the poem, with a nod to Janne, and then elaborate with my own take on completely owning your own womanhood. Within writing the first few lines, I entitled the piece Queeen Dem. Queeen gets 3 E’s to accentuate the fact you are a queen.”
The empowering lyrics are driven by BLUESTAEB‘s impeccable production, which gives a nod to the 90’s era of boom-bap hip-hop. Following on from previous singles ‘Cake’ and ‘Present’, both picking up critical acclaim from the likes of Wonderland, Clash, The Line Of Best Fit, Dummy, as well as support from BBC 1Xtra and BBC 6, this new release continues the pair’s steady trajectory and keeps with the impressive musical standard they set for themselves.
‘Everybody’s Got 2 Learn’ is the latest rap offering from CRAZE 24 featuring Davinah. Featuring a sample of The Korgis’ 1980 classic ‘Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometimes’, the track not only heralds a touching feeling of nostalgia, but also serves as a hard-hitting tribute to the victims of knife and gun crime. In response to recently increasing spikes of violence in and around London, CRAZE 24 aims to shine a light on the darker sides of street life. In doing so, he also hopes to incite a much-needed change.
With the song’s music video telling the heartbreakingly honest story of a little boy growing up without any positive role models in his life and the negative impacts this has, ‘Everybody’s Got 2 Learn’ strips away the glorification of weaponry that has become so prevalent within rap music.
Speaking on the issue, CRAZE 24, otherwise known as Jay Miller, said: ‘I think the UK music industry should be standing together in solidarity and addressing the many factors that are helping to create this epidemic. Artists, platforms and labels have the power of influence which, by default, makes them either a positive or negative role model. If we keep turning a blind eye, pointing the finger and ignoring our responsibility when releasing music, we’re also contributing to the problem.’
Alongside expressing his feelings on this topic through his music, CRAZE 24 and his ‘We Run the Roads’ collaborator, Big Ven, are launching a youth divisionary programme to help the most vulnerable and susceptible victims of knife and gun crime.
‘Everybody’s Got 2 Learn’ is also the title track on Craze’s upcoming album. Featuring the vocal talents of P Money, D Double E, Stylo G and many more, the album travels through different musical genres, freestyles and spoken word to tell a larger tale of positive progression on a personal, social and cultural level.
With the track, music video and youth divisionary programme all being rolled out this summer, GX Records, Phoenix Music International and, at the heart of it all, CRAZE 24 hope that this will be the start of a new, positive revolution in rap culture.
Following on from the success of her debut album ‘Stripped’ in 2013 (featured three singles on BET International’s playlist) and a 5-year hiatus, HAYLEY CASSIDY released ‘Used to Be’ in January 2018, which instantly gained credibility as DJ Ace’s (BBC 1xtra) ‘Everything R&B Record of the Week’.
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