As we enter the New Year with unflappable optimism, Christian rapper MIKE BODY reminds us to spare a moment or two for the less fortune in his latest Andres Rodriguez-directed video for track, ‘Hope’.
Check it out below…
Tag: unsigned rapper
Song of the Day: Anna’s Arcade – Ash Shakur
Illustrator and experimental hip hop artist ASH SHAKUR‘s blissfully witty jam, ‘Anna’s Arcade’, takes you on a nostalgic trip down memory lane, via the arcade to play everyone’s favorite video games. Sonically, 8-bit game inspired sounds are woven into a boom bap beat produced by Masked Man, whilst Ash delivers playful bars based around his youth, unrequited love and his video games obsession. Listen out for lots of gamer references, as Ash uses video games as a metaphor for life’s obstacles, as he explains:
“The first verse explains a small part of the music game and how you have to watch out for those bowers! I wanted to draw parallels of life’s challenges to the levels on a video game”. The last verse highlights the theme of, how people play games ie: she’s playing hard to get – or he’s a player. I want Anna’s Arcade to be the place you think about having the most fun. Every time you listen, I want to bring you back to this feeling.”
The south Londoner is known for his leftfield take on hip hop, mixing witty storytelling with smooth melodies and catchy choruses his unorthodox style and flow has won fans across the globe. ‘Anna’s Arcade’ follows previous single Horror Flick’ which was supported by Adidas on Spotify and Indie Shuffle, whilst other tracks. ‘Lead The Way’ (released on Kitsuné Hot Stream), ‘Never Alone’, ‘Nokia’ and ‘Shine’ have courted wide spread media support from BBC 1Xtra, Noisey, Complex UK and Notion.
Ash is also the co-founder of Art Life Central, a collective that expresses creativity and freedom through music and fashion. He aims to inspire people through his vibrant visuals and incorporates this art direction across all of his musical content.
Check out Ash’s vibrant track below…may I take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.
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…
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…
Song of the Day: Rubber Bands – Rasstokyo
South-East London artist and producer, RASSTOKYO‘s latest, ‘Rubber Bands is no doubt catchy yet consciously charged, combined with an eye grabbing visual which shows Tokyo running for Prime Minister while spitting truths about the reality of life in the UK. Adding smooth transitions, rich tones and vivid colour into the mix – this is another example of why Rasstokyo is one of the most unique artists in the scene right now.
The artist first flooded the scene as a producer under the alias of Tokyo The Producer, before fixing his attention in front of the mic – singing and rapping. Soon he would be flowing through our playlists, on to our timelines and more, with a fluid and genre-less sonic that he brands ‘water music.’ Now, he’s looking to make a splash with ‘Rubber Bands’ and an upcoming project, so be careful or you might drown…
Check out the video for ‘Rubber Bands’ below…
New Lease Music 