Leeds-based and of British-Ghanaian-Danish descent, rising rapper ATO (pronounced: atu) follows his recent Flohio remix of 2021 Side A’s introspective banger ‘no caroline’ with his latest offering ‘COLD’ via MCMXCV. Putting his identity as a northern rapper from Leeds front and centre, over an emotive yet ominous stevexcooper produced beat, ATO muses about the exclusive nature of the London scene and his everyday frustrations.
Dropping alongside the single today is an Untold Studios Production, Eve Mahoney directed video that compliments the fast pace energy of the song. Sporadic moments of luminar mish mash interspersed with performance shots of ATO mirror his stream of consciousness and according to ATO “gives weight to the feeling behind the bars”.
Speaking on the single, ATO says: “COLD is a stream of consciousness that addresses my everyday vexations. As an outsider from Leeds, I find the industry politics and exclusive nature of the London scene a bit weird. I wanted to express who I am against the backdrop of these frustrations.
I was working on some other music at the time but was feeling to get a few of these things off my chest, so I hit stevexcooper for something I could rap over… He sent a beat titled ‘reflections’ and the energy was perfect. I wrote the verses that night intended for a freestyle and then ended up adding the COLD hook later.”
Lifted from his brand new EP, ‘Trilogy III’, THEO TAMS shares his single, ‘FBG’ (F**k Boy Games) with an accompanied video.
Carrying an infectious electro R&B vibe ‘FBG’, featuring rapper Karma Rivera, is an upfront and hook-filled middle finger to anyone who has done you wrong. This track embraces self-worth, drawing on the experience of finally getting to a point where you no longer feel the need to accept inexcusable treatment by a partner.
Following on from the release of single, ‘Share My Life’, produced by Jermaine Forde (the son of Brinsley Forde from the legendary reggae group Aswad), RAPHAEL TATE makes a quick return with single, ‘Lord I Need You Near.’
Dedicated to Raphael’s mother, Patricia Ann Tate (1953-2020), ‘Lord I Need You Near’ is the first single that Raphael entirely composed and produced – from arranging the strings to performing the backing vocals. To be a conductor and composer has always been Raphael’s lifelong dream – and what better way to fulfil a dream by paying a tribute to a loved-one.
The stunning ballad features a stellar line-up who adds the final touches to the production. Award-winning jazz harpist JeffMajors, who collaborated with Raphael for 2021 single, ‘Everything Must Change’, provides the spine-tingling magic right from the beginning of the emotive piece.
Acclaimed bassist Mark A Walker adds a pleasing full-bodied tone to the heavenly arrangements. Mark has worked with the likes of Will Downing, Queen of Contemporary Gospel Music, Yolanda Adams and multi award-winning Gospel artist, Richard Smallwood who had a hit with single, ‘Total Praise.’
‘Lord I Need You Near’ was further brought to life by Ukraine’s Kaska Records Orchestra who provides breathtakingly stunning live instrumentation, a perfect platform for the UK-based singer/songwriter to showcase his powerhouse vocals, pleading for comfort from the loss of his mother. This single also serves as a soothing ode for everyone who lost a loved one, particularly during the pandemic.
Starting out as a Billboard chart-topping artist, peaking at number 25 on the American Dance Club with 2017 single, ‘ With Every Beat Of My Heart’, Raphael ventured out as an independent artist, creating his own label, Tate Love Production. His soulful vocal performance quickly earned him the title, ‘Prince Of Soul’ by his ever growing fanbase through tracks, ‘A Fool In Love’ and ‘Everyday Is Mother’s Day’, ‘Can You Feel It’ and ‘Blessed’, named Track of the Week by Premiere Gospel.
BBC London/Seani B-approved single ‘A Fool In Love’ and Reprezent FM featured single ‘Everyday Is Mother’s Day’ are also touching tributes to his late mother. ‘I Need You Near’ is the perfect tribute carry on the treasured memories of the biggest role model in his life.
Taking from the forthcoming EP Patricia Ann Tate Creations (release date to be announced) ‘Lord I Need You Near’ was released on Friday (13th May) on various music platforms. The release date marks the second anniversary of Raphael’s mother passing. Have a peep at the offcial video single below. You can also stream ‘Lord I Need You Near’ here.
Maryland’s rapper, content creator, and social influencer, KRUJAY, bounces onto the blog with his latest single, ‘Recipe,’ which actually has some cheeky swagger that can lift the root off any summer party.
The infectious joint comes with an accompanying video, directed by Bruce Wood & Carl Casseus, which perfectly reflects the song’s narrative of being all goggled-eyed over a girl at a new place of work. So infatuated with his potential beau, Krujay was unable to concentrate on his work which doesn’t go down well with his boss…
Counting hip-hop heavyweights such as Eminem, Notorious BIG, The Roots, and Mos Def as heavy influences, the Canadian-born artist spent most of his childhood in Philadelphia, where he joined the infamous Philadelphia Boy’s Choir alongside his brother. During his time in the choir, Krujay had the opportunity to travel to Rome, Italy, to sing for Pope John Paul II. As his interest in music grew stronger, Krujay left the choir and took a leap of faith into the local music scene, releasing his first music video, ‘Like This’ in 2012. It was then followed by his official debut mixtape, ‘PrePAIRED’ and the single ‘Tonight (I Know),’ both met with critical acclaim.
Today, Krujay continues to work on his craft, bringing catchy tunes and lyrics through his latest single, ‘Recipe’. Check out the video below…
Philly-based duo RUBBER‘s single, ‘Fries & Wings’, takes elements of 90s-2000s R&B and repackages them with a more modern approach. It employs a simple catchy chord progression played on a rich and warm electric piano, complemented by a soothing vocal performance, all glued together by an energetic drum machine pattern and a fat bass line- a signature Rubber flare.
The group is a writing-producing duo made up of singer-lyricist, Andrew Loper, and producer/multi-instrumentalist, John Della Franco formed during their time studying at Temple University in 2018. They started out writing music for fun, but after performing for the first time together in a campus coffee shop, they were signed to the Temple University Record Label and released their first single to critical acclaim sending them up and down the East Coast. The duo shines the brightest in a live setting where their combination of bass-driven grooves and vocal acrobatics has grabbed and held the attention of audiences across the country.
New Lease Music 