SOVEREIGN TUGZ hits the ground running with his first single of 2023 ‘Im drinkin’ rum, a promotional song for the Im Drinkin rum brand. After being performed live for crowds at Telford’s Jerk fest in 2022, it is out now.
This new release is sure to be a hit with fans of both Sovereign Tugz and ID Rum. With both Tugz and Just Dan doing their thing over this Error produced instrumental, this song is sure to get everyone up on their feet, while the smooth taste of ID Rum will provide the perfect accompaniment for any night out.
Hailing from the Black Country area of the West Midlands, rapper and entrepreneur Sovereign Tugz (formerly known as Thugz SNE ) has long been an advocate of the independent grind; a recognisable trait that has shown its head repeatedly in both life and in music. Predominantly known as a rapper, Tugz can also be found in the studio as executive producer and engineer for other artists, some who ended up signing to his record label See No Equal Entertainment. As a musician Tugz is mainly a hip hop artist but has always shown the ability to transfer those skills to genres outside of his own, such as his feature on Rose Bates’ Rewind (Remastered) The name Sovereign Tugz came about to emphasise the importance of freedom and independence, something that is seen in his consistent work ethic and stoic mindset.
Since 2010 Tugz has been self releasing projects and singles, each one better than the last with the latest project being 2015’s Streets 2 Tha Studio which was followed up with a barrage of singles such as The Bad Guy and other ventures such as SNE Online, a Hip hop only radio station that connected listeners and shows across the world and his all new OG rolling Papers, just a few examples of the hustlers ambition that had gained him recognition in 2018’s ‘Uprising’ documentary which had featured in cinemas and film festivals in The UK, Europe and America.
Formerly known as Nikz & Booda, 916 deliver their sultry new cut ‘Nuisance Interlude’.
With velvet-smooth production and harmonious vocals from Nikz, combined seamlessly with Booda’s relaxed yet quick-witted bars, the 916 collective execute another flawless blend of R&B, Soul, and Hip Hop in this new song, showcasing their unique signature sonics.
The luxurious track clocks in at just over 2 minutes captivating the listeners with a stylish seductive sound, which no doubt leaves fans craving for more from the Oxford based collective.
Bursting onto the music scene representing their Punjabi heritage, British born collective 916 have garnered their own unique sound, blending elements of R&B, Hip-Hop and Soul. With records such as ‘Get To It’ and ‘Motion’, 916 have since built further anticipation for a full length project with their most recent releases ‘Mimosa’ and ‘Nuisance Interlude’.
Throughout their career, 916 have consistently showcased an impactful style and sound, demonstrating their uniqueness and conceptual artistry, both visually and sonically. Since their foray into the music industry, 916 has amassed an impressive array of accolades. From performing at the Titan Festival in 2022 alongside Lloyd, Ludacris, and Jon B, to gaining notable support from BBC 1Xtra’s Sian Anderson, who featured their track ‘Pull Up’ as her ‘Online Find’ upon its release. Additionally, their music has received airplay on prominent platforms such as BBC Asian Network, Reprezent, and Radio2Funky.
With a multitude of releases slated for this year, 916 are poised to continue captivating audiences and solidifying their presence in the industry…Check out their lush single below…
Known for his role in Top Boy as Aaron, HOPE shares his single ‘Can’t Box Me’ and accompanied video, both released last Friday (19th May).
Hope says of his new single: “Can’t Box me explores the frustration of being ‘boxed’ into one medium and not taken seriously when branching out. Artistry can be expressed in multiple ways. For me I’m an actor who branched into music who can still be successful in both.”
Hope is a Rap/ R&B artist as well as an actor who is well known for his role in Top Boy as Aaron. His musical influences stem from the likes of Dave, Drake as well as 90’s/ 2000’s Hip Hop and R&B. Hope’s first single ‘Stop the Rain’, amassed an amazing 2,404,069 streams.
Can’t Box Me is the first single from his forthcoming, unannounced self-released EP, Mirror Man, out 8th September. Check out the video for the smooth single below…
Danish, London based musician, producer and vocalist MARIE DAHLSTROM releases her highly anticipated second album ‘A Good Life’ via her own JFH Records label. The release of new album ‘A Good Life’ today arrives exactly three years to the day since the release of her debut album ‘Like Sand’ in 2020, and features collaborations with acts including Jay Prince, Kofi Stone, Cory McKenzie Tribbett and Delleile Ankrah.
Working with some of her closest musical allies across the album on its production, notably Young Poet/Ninja Tune signee Conor Albert and her partner Dan Diggas – who has previously lent his talents to the works of Mahalia and Central Cee; braiding together sun-kissed RnB, Nordic jazz, and resonant neo-soul, Dahlstrom strives to create a tapestry that presents life completely and truthfully, where leaning into moments of the dark and the light which make the days – and the music – all the richer.
Hers is a voice with the kind of divinity that could only be god-given. That sense of soulfulness – so hard to quantify but unmistakable to the ear – meant that Marie Dahlstrom went far beyond crafting sounds but rather singular worlds, where mood, ambience and emotion were instruments to be commanded like any other, pushing the parameters of what RnB is and can be.
Marie Dahlstrom contains multitudes, a thousand selves co-existing and contradicting at once. A singer-songwriter. A mother. A producer. A partner. “These different pockets of life also create friction,” she acknowledges.
The album is about dismantling the idea that your validity as an artist diminishes when it’s not the focal point of your life, that being a parent negates creativity. Marie went on to say:
“I’ve been figuring out where I belong, what I’m supposed to do and how I fit into all this – because I am so much more than an artist. When you have big dreams or goals and you see time being taken away from achieving them, and going towards something else – how do you make that a positive experience? There are always challenges, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good life. A Good Life is based on reflections from a few years of my life with many changes and adjustments. It’s an album about human interaction in all its complexity.”
The scope of Marie’s ambition not only for herself, but those she admires, was something she once could explore with abandon – but the arrival of her son meant that she had to recalibrate the woman she had been with the mother she had become.
‘A Good Life’ is a testament to her determination to embrace every dimension of who she is without limitation, to hold onto her passions even when they are no longer the most salient priority in her life. “I wanted to make sure I kept my essence for him,” she insists – and so A Good Life was nurtured in the spare evenings when she put her son to bed, written during a transitional period lived out of boxes between London and Copenhagen as she and her partner sought to renovate their permanent home.
From the introspective RnB-kissed duet of resilience that was lead single ‘Clouds’ featuring MiC LOWRY’s Delleile Ankrah, and the understated grooves of ‘Make It Up To You’ featuring Birmingham-hailing rapper Kofi Stone, to the nocturnal piano-led ‘Too Much To Ask’ and the shuffling beat of the Jay Prince-featuring ‘Let Me In’, Marie Dahlstrom’s spectacular second album ‘A Good Life’ is an instinctive, spontaneous and arrestingly honest depiction of an era of her life – a snapshot in time.
Marie Dahlstrom is supported and praised widely at press by the likes of Billboard, NPR, Complex, The Line Of Best Fit, Mixtape Madness, NYLON, New Wave Magazine, Wonderland Magazine and more, as well as being listed as a ‘Sleeper Pick’ by Joe Budden (twice) on The Joe Budden Podcast (the most influential podcast in R&B and hip-hop globally). Marie Dahlstrom has also received substantial radio airplay from BBC 1Xtra DJ’s Jamz Supernova, DJ Target, Toddla T and Rinse FM’s Jyoty.
‘A Good Life’ was released on Monday (22nd May) via Marie’s own JFH Records label…have a listen below…
Must Listens: A Good Life,The World Feels A Little Better,If I Belong (Freestyle), On My Own
Taken from her highly anticipated summer EP ‘Babe, Come Outside’, which released on Saturday (May 13), rising pop artist PRECIOUS dishes up her new single, ‘Her Spell’, an electrifying Sapphic pop anthem, intended to captivate listeners with its runway-worthy fierceness and bring them to tap into their own sensual power. With her bubbly aesthetic and early 2000’s influences, Precious brings a fresh and dreamy vibe to the queer pop music scene.
Having previously been featured in Sesi Mag and Pop Passion Blog this year, as well as collaborated with exciting names in music such as rising rapper Baby Tate and actor/singer Rotimi, Precious has built a dedicated online following, which she calls her “gumdrops”, and she has garnered over 100k of them on Tik Tok. As a black queer artist, Precious is committed to representing underrepresented voices in pop music.
Her EP ‘Babe, Come Outside’ showcases Precious’ growth as an artist, as she takes full control by writing and producing all of the tracks, including the infectious single ‘Her Spell’.
To complement the release of ‘Her Spell’, Precious will be releasing a visually stunning music video that captures the EP’s essence and embraces a dreamy pink aesthetic…but for now, check out the spell-binding single below…
New Lease Music 