Following their single, ‘Travesty Of Justice’, which speaks up for the US citizens over the corrupt conduct of the Trump administration, brothers Keith and Wayne Cousin – aka THE OPTICAL ILLUSION – returns with something on a lighter note…
Headed by Keith’s tranquil, David Bowie-esque vocal performance, ‘Shine So Bright’, encourages each and everyone of us to be the best versions of ourselves, no matter what obstacles may come our way. Have a listen below…
Following his feature on Skip Marley’s single, ‘Slow Down’, alongside Davido and H.E.R, rising Afropop star OXLADE slams down his brand new summer ready joint, ‘DKT (Dis Kind Thing)’. Intricately layered with Afrobeats and soulful R&B, the Spax-produced track is topped off by Nigerian-born Oxlade’s distinctively soulful vocals.
‘DKT’ follows his critically acclaimed EP ‘Oxygene’ which generated over 25 million streams across all platforms since its release back in March of this year.
Check out ‘DKT’ below…
STRIZZY STRAUSS‘ track, ‘Trust the Process’ is an inspirational and motivational piece exploring his journey as an artist, flanked by a chilled reflective piano driven production.
‘Trust the Process’ is the leading single from Strauss’ debut album bearing the same name. The album is a triumphant breakthrough, exploring Strauss’ personal struggles with parenthood, ambition and street life.
Hailing from Leicester, Strizzy Strauss has toured and performed with the GZA, Big Daddy Kane, Pharoahe Monche, Rodney P, Klashnekoff among others. He has received support from BBC 1Xtra, BBC Introducing, Mixtape Madness, Trench Magazine, FuBar Radio, DemonFM and I Am Hip Hop Magazine.
Check out the video for the track below…
With over two million streams under his belt, critical acclaim and support from the likes of Pigeons & Planes, FACT Magazine, Soulection, Indieshuffle, BandCamp and The Native Magazine, as well as recent production credits for rising stars such as Amaarae, Tems, Maesu, and Nonso Amadi, Beninois-Ghanaian producer, DJ and artist RVDICAL THE KID has unveiled his long-awaited Carte Blanche follow-up and highly anticipated sophomore project titled Little Planet.
To be released via Platoon this Friday (14th August), Rvdical’s Little Planet EP is backed by his new single ‘Nasa’, which features Ghanaian songstress and producer AMAARAE, who has been having a breakthrough year of her own, with recent support from Apple Music, The FADER, NPR and Hypebeast, among others. ‘Nasa’ marks the fourth joint effort from the two frequent collaborators Rvdical and Amaarae, who have been working together since 2017.
Speaking about the inspiration behind ‘Nasa’, Rvdical The Kid says: “It is a fun record I made with nothing particular in mind other than the pursuit of the exhilarating feeling of creating. The process of creating the record almost felt like an acid trip, flowing through synths, drums and foley that carefully landed me on a very ethereal and spacey and beat. My love for contrast and juxtaposition informed the almost obnoxious pitch screwed bass that drives the entire record”.
Have a listen below…
Jumping into today’s hot spot is U.S. alt-rapper/producer GEAR and his rampant track entitled ‘Type-0’, his first release with label Potent Funk.
Hailing from Dallas, GEAR is a multi-talented artist who creates rap inspired by a smorgasbord of electronic genres.
Throughout his younger years, GEAR discovered a large realm of styles in deep corners of the internet. They included grime, industrial, dubstep, drum & bass, and more. His sound is the pounding product of these influences.
In addition to what he gained through an immersion in Southern rap, he also draws inspiration from countries across the globe, making for an incredibly left-field and unprecedented combination. Check out the video for ‘Type-0’ below…
