Hailing from East London, JOEYMVNE delivers a soulful, fluid, and trance-like single, ‘Plaistow’ a poetic piece where he gives us a fly-on-the-wall view into his world in Plaistow over Jimmy Edgar’s instrumental.
‘Plaistow’ comes after the release of his single, ‘COD’, which was well received by fans and also had local radio stations. Why not check it out below…
After closing out his ‘Take A Slice’ series, which has amassed over 160K Spotify streams, Rotterdam rapper, singer and producer KAY SLICE is working on his highly anticipated solo debut album, which is due for release in January 2022. This summer, he begins to tease out the record with its first single titled ‘BREEZE’.
Written by Kay Slice and produced by Slice and his long-time collaborator Bora, who also provides live guitar and bass arrangements, along with Willem T Hart on keys, Peter Somuah on percussion drums and Charmain Charlemagne on backing vocals, ‘Breeze’ is a soulful and infectious rap fusion tribute to this mother, and the people in our lives that have nurtured us and helped us grow, such as our parents and family, with Kay Slice vowing to return the favour. According to the Dutch Ghanaian native, “the people who provided for me mean the world to me”.
Speaking about the inspiration behind ‘Breeze’ and how the track came together, Kay Slice says, “the song came to me during my recent stay in Ghana. It was like Mama Ghana was talking to me. I came up with the melody and bassline, and from there, it was just a matter of perfecting it with Bora and the band. The song is about giving tribute and honour to our providers, to the people that nurtured and helped us become who we are today. It’s also about that urge I and a lot of people around me have to return the favour and provide for the people that provided for us”.
The accompanying music video for ‘Breeze’ speaks directly to this inspiration and desire that Kay Slice expresses. Shot in Aburi Botanical Gardens in Ghana and directed by burgeoning Accra-based cinematographer Edward Pappoe, the visuals for ‘Breeze’ beautifully capture the relationship and connection between a mother and her young son, with the timeless century-old botanical garden providing the perfectly calm, peaceful and vibrant backdrop to bring the track and its message further to life, which Kay Slice describes as “the perfect fit for this song”.
Emerging as an exciting and fast-rising new artist in the Netherlands for his glorious hip-hop and afrobeats fusion, Kay Slice has already performed on the biggest Dutch TV entertainment show De Wereld Draait Door, with the likes of 3VOOR12, VPRO Mundo and Red Bull Netherlands also singing his praises. He is now on a mission to spread his unique blend of hip-hop, soul, Ghanaian groove, afrobeats and highlife across Europe, Africa and the rest of the world. His music speaks to self-love, identity, finding yourself and connecting deeply with ones’ roots, and when it’s all said and done, Kay Slice wants to have left a rich impression on his generation.
Here’s your chance to check out the official video for Kay Slice’s epic tune below…
NOELLE‘s piano-led single, ‘Seasons Change,’ chronicles waiting for ‘that special person’, no matter how long it takes. Her emotive offering is accompanied by a glamorous music video, inspired by the vintage Hollywood aesthetic.
Commenting on the video, Noelle explains: “I really wanted to portray the feeling of unconditional love. You’ll be on standby no matter what, and they can take all the time they need.”
Why not check out the video for the classic love note below…
Earlier this summer, Edmonton hip-hop artist K-RIZ announced the release of his sophomore full-length album, Peace & Love. Now, he’s unveiling a new song from the project, ‘Lost in It,’ along with a new video filmed by Comrade and edited by Aliza.
In the video, K-Riz is shown being cleansed in a river, symbolizing his transition from one stage of life to the next, or shedding the old and stepping into the new. Displaying his rapid-fire flow over an aptly erratic beat produced by Calgary’s Rajah (Tory Lanez, Meek Mill, Lil Baby, Curtis Waters), K-Riz uses water as a metaphor to express drowning in, and eventually purging, his emotions from the end of a bad relationship.
With ‘Lost in It,’ the soft-hearted rapper goes hard, rhyming about the most difficult stage of heartache. “It’s the chapter where I’m caught up in my emotions and this cycle of negative thoughts,” said K-Riz. “When I was writing this song, I had these images of treading water as a tidal wave approached me, sharks surrounding me, and gasping after almost drowning. Rajah’s production went perfectly with the sink-or-swim metaphor I was trying to express in my lyrics.”
Much of the tracks from Peace & Love are linked lyrically to broken relationships with others and with self, capturing the different stages of grief and joy that come from experiencing love, heartache, and ultimately finding inner peace.
K-Riz is part of a new generation of melodic emcees who can rap circles around their opponents and sing their verses with equal aplomb. Listing the titans of soul and funk-inspired pop and jazz-oriented rap as his influences, from Stevie Wonder to Nas and Prince to J Dilla, the Toronto-born, Edmonton-based artist absorbs and spits out the specters of other eras while remaining spiritually in the present.
Peace & Love follows his critically-hailed The Room EP (2020), which drew praise from Complex for “quietly establishing himself as one of Alberta’s deftest lyricists.” K-Riz was also named as a Black Canadian artist you need to know by Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe of CBC’s The Block, and listed among the Canadian artists you need to hear by Exclaim in January of 2021.
Here’s your chance to check out the official video for the single below…
Fresh from being sampled on Pop Smoke’s ‘Faith’ and Kanye West’s ‘DONDA’, East London’s promising talent, LUKE NOVEMBER continues to perfect his hybrid sound with Brand new track ‘Queen Bee’.
Taking an alternative route to his counterparts, Luke November is rapidly gaining international support ahead of his homegrown discovery. Following the release of his track ‘Call Me Bad’, Kanye West’s management team were quick to contact Luke November. They loved his music and wanted to sample it on Kanye’s collaboration with Pop Smoke and Pusha T. Entitled ‘Tell The Vision’ the track debuted on the U.S Billboard 200 and features on Kanye West’s critically acclaimed album ‘DONDA’ and Pop Smokes posthumously released album ‘Faith’.
Still in the throes of discovery, Luke November is one of East London’s most prominent up and coming artists and his ‘Queen Bee’ release is the crescendo of a whirlwind year for the experimental musician. Providing soulful, melodic vocals over an aggressive sounding drill beat, ‘Queen Bee’ rises to a different level with it’s extremely catchy hook that contrasts perfectly with the fast-paced delivery of the verses. A smooth undertone of a soft, feminine vocal blesses the record to flawlessly harmonise with Luke’s deeper tones. The essence of the song is love in its purest, unadulterated form, making it easy and accessible, free of complication. Luke’s ability to create a musical journey of the traditional theme of love is artistically spun in to a new concept with his modern twists and styles that we can all relate and aspire to. The East London artist confidently blends a fascinating selection of musical influences to create this rare, one-of-a kind musical masterpiece, delivering something that is easy to digest yet able to take the listener on a sonic adventure.
Evolving with his music and making an exceptional addition to his discography, the independent London based artist is ready to be further unearthed by his home nation with ‘Queen Bee’. His intergalactic love story is detailed further in the visuals by multi award winning videographer ‘Dego Visionz’. As he continues to break boundaries with his unique blend of sounds, Luke has managed to set the perfect stage for his forthcoming EP dropping later this year.
Check out the official video for the single below…
New Lease Music 