New Track: Hit The Ceiling – Lion Babe

New York-based duo LION BABE have unveiled their song, ‘Hit The Ceiling’. Produced by the band’s own Astro Raw – aka Lucas Goodman – the summer-ready track features a psychedelic (ish)  mix of funk, soul, electronics along with singer Jillian Hervey’s signature sultry vocals.  The latest single is taken from their forthcoming new project, which is set for release this summer.

Earlier this year, the band shared the first taste of the project via the funk jam ‘Rockets’ featuring Moe Moks, which received its first look on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 program. The forthcoming project will be the first studio release from LION BABE since their 2016 debut album, Begin. The album, which was released amid a wave of acclaim and attention, featured the career-defining singles ‘Jump Hi’ and ‘Treat Me Like Fire’ and found the duo collaborating with the likes of Pharrell Williams and Childish Gambino.

Last summer, the duo released the sun-kissed mixtape, ‘Sun Joint’, which coincided with their first headline US tour and a string of international festival performances, including Glastonbury, ESSENCE, Afropunk, Reading & Leeds and more.

Recently, LION BABE’s Astro Raw shared his debut mixtape project, ‘rawmix vol 1’. The 14-track project mixes Astro Raw’s stellar, one-of-a-kind production with his infectious, genre-defying sounds, seamlessly mixing R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk and dance…when you have the time, check it out.

For now, charge up for weekend and listen to ‘Hit the Ceiling’.

 

New Track: Sacrifice – A1 (Drake cover)

A1 kicks off Monday with his take on Drake’s slammer, ‘Sacrifice’. The cover track is the third installment from the series #A1Mondays, where this Washington D.C. emcee put his spin on recent hip-hop hits from the mainstream, on Mondays of this month.

A1‘s previous installment, ‘Honey‘ was recently named Song of the Week by NEW LEASE MUSIC…let’s see if his latest offering follow suit…check it out!

EP Review: Art 2 – Ugly Savaje

A few weeks back, a young rap contender by the name of UGLY SAVAJE hit my mailbox with his latest EP, ‘Art 2’, requesting some feedback on the set…and naturally, I was honoured give my opinion…

The mini project started off on a strong footing, with ‘Set it Off’ and ‘That One Love Song’. This young emcee knows how to slam down an electrifying flow against the chilled out, seriously head rolling bass.

Going further along the EP, the flame created from the start, begins to extinguish. It’s a crying shame as the quality of the beats come heavily distorted which, unfortunately, drown out the upriser’s delivery. It’ll be great if UGLY SAVAJE mix it up with arrangements that’s fun and uplifting, perhaps fusing hip-hop with R&B or pop music.

Personally, ‘Art 2’ doesn’t fully showcase UGLY SAVAJE as a creditable wordsmith, but with the right background tracks, he has the potential to be great.

Have a listen for yourself.