Song of the Day: Destiny – Aina More

South London artist and producer AINA MORE could easily be described as one of UK rap’s best kept secrets, or perhaps one of the UK’s best new and emerging rap artists.

Having already been championed by tastemakers such as BBC Radio 1, The FADER, MTV and BBC 1Xtra, among others, and with The BRIT Awards featuring her on their BRITs compilation album a few years ago, the British Nigerian native should firmly be on your radar. On the off chance that she isn’t, Aina More is back in the frame to make sure of it!

She closes out 2020 with a fiery new track titled ‘Destiny’ and an equally fierce music video to go with it. Co-produced by Aina More herself and long-time collaborator Musiek Mambu, the track opens with an attention-grabbing sample of the Seun Kuti afrobeat classic ‘Bad Man Lighter’, before Aina More gets in her bag for two minutes straight, as she waxes lyrical in braggadocios fashion, about everything from her superior rap skills to decrying false prophets to the excellence of black women, while giving listeners an update on what she’s been up to this year.

Speaking about the inspiration behind ‘Destiny’, Aina More says, “With what I’ve been creating lately, there’s so much that I’m going to give of myself musically in the coming year, I have this unquenchable hunger to express myself freely, and ‘Destiny’ is the first part of that. Lyrically, I needed to remind everyone of just who Aina More is, and overall, I feel it represents my identity well, even down to the Oye 2.0-directed visuals – I’m very authentically Yoruba, but I’m also that girl that grew up in London, and sometimes I let my ego just do its own thing”.

With a fusion sound that can be described as a cross between Kendrick Lamar, Skepta and Fela Kuti, and a performance prowess that has seen her touring with Professor Green and opening for her idol Lauryn Hill, Aina More is typified by her unapologetic lyricism and cutting edge sonics, as highlighted as far back as her 2016 EP ‘For People With Short Attention Spans’ as well as subsequent tracks like ‘Girls Killing It’, ‘Afrikan Lady’ and ‘Healer’ that led to rave reviews and support from the likes of BBC Radio 1, The FADER, MTV and The BRIT Awards.

Check it out below…

Watch Atlus’ Video for Track, ‘Walk’

Powerhouse ATLUS‘ minimal yet powerful official video for single, ‘Walk’ documents his imminent road to success as a musician. Since its release late last month (30 November), the video accumulated over 137,000 views on YouTube.

The video also features Atlanta’s rapper and NEW LEASE MUSIC’s stalwart King Blitz, who adds a little fire to the emotive single. After Altus leaning his robust vocals to King Blitz’s soul-tugging track, ‘Stings’, ‘Walk’ firmly marks their burgeoning musical relationship.

Check out the video for ‘Walk’ below…

Song of the Day: Stay True – Danni Jackson

DANNI JACKSON‘s sound fuses pop and contemporary R&B with elements of Indie, being heavily influenced by artists such as JoJo, Jhene Aiko and Alanis Morisette. You may have seen her face before in Comedy Central’s award winning web series ‘Bad Cramps’, which Danni writes and stars in.

Having released her debut EP in 2016, Danni’s first single ‘We Ain’t Got Love’ was quickly picked up as BBC Introducing track of the day. Since then she has accumulated over 250k streams on Spotify alone with her most successful songs being ‘Everything I am’ and ‘Chains’.

‘Stay True’, showcases Danni’s ability to tell a story. The song depicts the breakdown of a five year relationship and is an open yet deeply personal letter to the other half. This is one that will resonate with listeners whether it be from a personal experience or one they have witnessed as Danni states, “The song isn’t something that happened to me directly, but I watched my sister and mum go through it so it’s their story I’m telling”.

2021 will see Danni releasing her follow up single ‘Too Much’ in January and her second EP by spring…but until then, check out ‘Stay True’ below…

Song of the Day: Be That Man – Like Tye

After the undeniable chemistry formed between R&B artists, Tyler Rivers, and Ty Rome, when they collaborated on their well-received single ‘Better Than My Ex’, the artists are now back as a duo under a brand new moniker that goes by LIKE TYE.

With creative energies taking a back foot for many artists during the pandemic lockdowns, the duo spent countless hours in the studio refining their sound and ultimately creating a uniquely vibrant brand. Their debut single ‘Be That Man’, is one bonafide R&B/pop tune fuelled with inspired and storytelling lyrics over an R&B throwback-inspired instrumental.

“We wrote this track from the perspective of a person in a relationship where they realise they need to step up before they lose what they have. The beat had that throwback vibe so we were inspired to write something that suited those early 2000’s R&B tracks.” – Like Tye.

‘Be That Man’ is now out on all download and streaming sites. Check it out below…

Lyrique Drops Video For Blazing Track, ‘Hunger’

Calgary rapper Lyrique has unveiled the video for his track, ‘Hunger,’ coming off his recently released debut full-length album, P.I.M.P. (Poetry Is My Pleasure). With wielding flashy future beats and a ravenous flow, the track’s message is simple: stay hungry.

Against a backdrop of contemporary landmarks and freshly painted murals (see: Jae Sterling’s homage to Black Albertans and an abstract work by artists Wilmer Aburto, Rosa Sana, Colin Menzies, and Harvey Nichol, who also appears in the video alongside Lyrique), the video is as much a love letter to the rapper’s vision of Calgary as it is a display of solidarity to other tenacious young artists striving for greatness.

Check out the video to Lyrique’s track ‘Hunger’ below…