Genre-Defying Artist Rufus has Dropped His New Track, ‘Taking Flight’

Coming on the back of his glorious debut single ‘One Eye Open’, which introduced listeners to his outlier fusion sound of R&B, alt pop and trap music, and caught the attention of tastemakers such as Capital Xtra, Earmilk, GUAP Magazine, 9Bills, Wordplay Magazine and Noctis Magazine, new genre-defying UK artist and producer RUFUS circles back to unveil his brand new single, ‘Taking Flight’ as he continues to build momentum towards his upcoming debut EP,

Written and produced by Rufus, ‘Taking Flight’ sees the young Wiltshire native pouring his heart out about the realities of following your dreams, persevering through and keeping to your chosen path, no matter how hard the terrain gets. According to Rufus, we should “always have the ultimate belief that you will reach your favoured destination in the end – maybe not today but one day for sure”. Sonically, the track is an exquisite R&B-trap offering with nuanced indie alt-pop sensibilities, and honest relatable songwriting.

Speaking about the inspiration behind ‘Taking Flight’, Rufus says, “the track came about when time was dragging on negotiating my deal (as always is the case when lawyers get involved). I woke up after another night shift of flipping burgers and washing dishes and felt real frustration. I decided to put it all into a song – I wrote, recorded and produced it in my bedroom on my small rig. The lyrics in ‘Taking Flight’ about not wanting to work in restaurants, cleaning dishes is not a diss on people that do, but rather a cry for something different for me as I’ve done it my whole life so far”.

Hailing from Wiltshire in the southwest of England, the gifted singer, songwriter, musician and producer fell in love with music from an early age and showed instant promise. From writing and performing at local venues as a teenager to producing for his peers while at college, Rufus has been honing his craft as an artist and is ready for the world to take him in. The exciting British talent has been hard at work with fellow producers such as TheElements (Stormzy, Headlie One, Zara Larsson), Remedee (AJ Tracey, Unknown T, Not3s), Kxlla K (Lethal Bizzle, Sneakbo) and Chris Rich (DigDat, Abra Cadabra) to bring the vision for his outlier fusion sound to life.

Here’s your chance to witness a newcomer on a rise; listen to Rufus’ new single below…

Jessica Wilde Gets ‘Down To Earth’ With New Single

Down To Earth’ is South London singer/spoken word/rap artist JESSICA WILDE‘s sixth single from her raw, confessional concept album, with each song serves as a diary entry taking us on a journey through addiction and toxic relationships to self- empowerment and living sober. The album has so far gained support from tastemakers such as Jack Saunders on BBC Radio 1 and CLASH Magazine.

‘Down to Earth’ comes as the transition song, Wilde’s inner conversation amping herself to be in her new found strength, ready to bring it back down to earth when sh*t hits the fan, stay grounded in her power and authenticity, knowing when she stays true to herself she can handle anything life throws at her.

Produced by Callum George, this vibey track grooves textures of live feeling drums and bass layered with electronic undertones, carried by Wilde’s husky, distinct and sensual vocals. Check it out below…

Song of the Day: Typebeat: Harley Maxwell (ft. Dream Mclean, Paddy Bars & Dame)

‘Typebeat’ is the second single from HARLEY MAXWELL’s ‘ROOM TWELVE’ LP and is one hell of a feisty showcase of rap talent. Monster Florence’s Dream Mclean, Colchester native Dame, and Maxwell’s day one friend Paddy Bars go back to back on this UK Alt Rap anthem.

A hypnotic instrumental from beat maker Tao White keeps you locked in whilst the MC’s lyrically weave in and out of each other with hard flows and slick wordplay.

Self-released on Harley’s Peng Deli label ‘Typebeat’ is going to have heads nodding and necks snapping…check out the video for this bad boy below…

Blazing Afropop Star Sean Dampte Drops Track, ‘Pepe (Remix)’ With Rising Nigerian Star BUJU & Nizzy

On the verge of his third full length project and the third series in his ‘Awoodah’ EP series, which is set for release next month, UK-based afropop and afrofusion artist SEAN DAMPTE unveiled his massive new single titled ‘PEPE (REMIX)’ featuring fellow UK-based afrofusion artist NIZZY and Nigerian rising star BUJU, who recently featured on the deluxe version of Wizkid’s ground-breaking album Made In Lagos and collaborated with Mavin Records’ Ladipoe on one of the biggest songs of the year ‘Feelings’.

Speaking about the inspiration behind his new ‘Pepe (Remix)’ single, Sean Dampte says: “Sometimes I find it difficult to fully express myself without my mother tongue, which is Yoruba. ‘Pe’ is the Yoruba word for complete and ‘pepper’ is Nigerian street slang for money, so the song title ‘Pepe’ is short for expressing that ‘Pepper pe’. Essentially, the song is me letting my woman know that I’ve got whatever it takes to give her whatever she wants because my money is complete – of course with help from Buju and Nizzy”.

Championed by the likes of MTV Base, BET, TRACE and Apple Music, while also having shared the stage with afrobeats royalty such as D’Banj, Wizkid, Davido and Wande Coal, Sean Dampte has been foundational and a staple fixture in the rise of afrobeats music in the UK, and is revered for his stellar fusion sound of afrobeats, dancehall and pop music, which has birthed such hits as ‘Alignment’, ‘You Can Call Me’, ‘2Nite’ and ‘Energy’, to mention a few, and amassed over four million plays along the way…Check out Sean Dampte’a sizzling hot single below…

Song of the Day: Far Away – Ntantu (ft. Miriam Makeba)

Hailing from Leeds, NTANTU is a UK Rap and R&B artist fusing his sound with African Diaspora inspired music. His new single ‘Far Away’, a blissful and thoughtful track that draws from Afrobeats as well as being infused with Ntantu’s personality.

‘Far Away’ captures a moment of reflection for Ntantu as he touches base with his roots through the style change in the music, and also exploring topics such as love and loss over slick production.

‘Far Away’ follows Ntantu’s hugely successful ‘Pressure (Oh My Goodness)’, which picked up wide spread support across BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music and BBC 1Xtra, over 250,000 streams on Spotify (with no editorial playlisting) and went viral on TikTok. Ntantu also performed ‘Pressure’ at this years Creamfields Festival and was a finalist for the Radio 1 BBC Introducing Live lounge in March/April 2021

Going from strength to strength, ‘Far Away’ is part of a wider narrative to an album project that Ntantu is set to release titled ‘NOW’.

Here’s the video for ‘Far Away’, directed by Ntantu himself, who pays homage to Craig David, a huge influence on his upbringing.