New Lease Music’s Top Ten Albums Of 2020

NEW LEASE MUSIC presents Top Ten Albums of 2020. Each album/EP on the list demonstrates the artists/acts’ undeniable ability of pushing the boundaries in hip-hop, R&B, punk rock and folk music. So hang around and check out these top albums at your leisure.

Be sure to look out for NEW LEASE MUSIC’s Top Ten Songs of 2020, coming out later today.

10. FLYMIX VOL.1 – FLY VON

9. TIME I GOT GOIN’ – HOUSE ABOVE THE SUN

8. DREAM TEAM: A STOKELY HATHAWAY JOINT – GRIFF/SCORCESE

7. ALMANAC – NERU THEE FOURTH FUGEE

6. STILLBORN FLOWERS – RAIN TO RUST

5. BEATS AND PIECES: VOLUME TWO – JOSHUA LUKE SMITH

4. MUSE – ASTHA TAMANG-MASKEY

3. T.H.B – tHbENJ

 

2. The Silence vol. 1 – BLESSIN F

1. bad – ricco barrino

 

 

 

New Lease Music’s Top Ten Music Videos of 2020

Hey guys, hope you had a fantastic festive period! It’s that time of the year where NEW LEASE MUSIC rounds up the list for the top ten music videos of 2020.

So sit back, relax and check out the creative productions that’ll perk up your Monday blues…

10. satellite – drew makes noise

9. eastenders – ambush

8. hometown – j.kas

7. u cute – tonia victoria

6. pressure – benny bizzie

5. A Million Things – FEATURETTE

4. blacker the berry – nicki knightz

3. sex machine – ane lee

2. Easy – Lorelle Howard

1. Strangers – selci 

 

 

Song of the Day: Anna’s Arcade – Ash Shakur

Illustrator and experimental hip hop artist ASH SHAKUR‘s blissfully witty jam, ‘Anna’s Arcade’, takes you on a nostalgic trip down memory lane, via the arcade to play everyone’s favorite video games. Sonically, 8-bit game inspired sounds are woven into a boom bap beat produced by Masked Man, whilst Ash delivers playful bars based around his youth, unrequited love and his video games obsession. Listen out for lots of gamer references, as Ash uses video games as a metaphor for life’s obstacles, as he explains:

“The first verse explains a small part of the music game and how you have to watch out for those bowers! I wanted to draw parallels of life’s challenges to the levels on a video game”. The last verse highlights the theme of, how people play games ie: she’s playing hard to get – or he’s a player. I want Anna’s Arcade to be the place you think about having the most fun. Every time you listen, I want to bring you back to this feeling.”

The south Londoner is known for his leftfield take on hip hop, mixing witty storytelling with smooth melodies and catchy choruses his unorthodox style and flow has won fans across the globe. ‘Anna’s Arcade’ follows previous single Horror Flick’ which was supported by Adidas on Spotify and Indie Shuffle, whilst other tracks. ‘Lead The Way’ (released on Kitsuné Hot Stream), ‘Never Alone’, ‘Nokia’ and ‘Shine’ have courted wide spread media support from BBC 1Xtra, Noisey, Complex UK and Notion.

Ash is also the co-founder of Art Life Central, a collective that expresses creativity and freedom through music and fashion. He aims to inspire people through his vibrant visuals and incorporates this art direction across all of his musical content.

Check out Ash’s vibrant track below…may I take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.

K-Riz Shares R&B Throwback, ‘What A Shame’

Toronto hip hop artist K-RIZ‘s afterhours single, ‘What A Shame’, documents the depths of accountability and his own part in the dissolution of a past relationship.

“Sometimes I think as men we don’t take enough responsibility for our part in relationships failing,” K-Riz says. “I have made my share of mistakes, and sometimes loving someone is not enough. I’m in a very honest place in my life right now, and this EP is an expression of that.”

‘What a Shame’ forms part of his new  EP, ‘The Room’, released last Friday (18th December). The EP was written by K-Riz while recovering from injuries sustained in a June 2020 car accident. The title signifies the room in which the album was conceived and the mental space and time he was given to reflect and create.

The five-track set includes track, ‘A Place Where Love Is’ which offers up a brightness to the unrelenting events of 2020. Built around jazzy piano loops and whip smart verses, the track features the honeyed notes of Calgary songstress Yolanda Sargeant (of Sargeant X Comrade).

Have a listen to K-Riz’s ‘What A Shame’ below…