Over the course of his distinguished and influential career, AZ has been nominated for Grammys, sold millions of albums, created hit singles, and lent his voice to some of Hip-Hop’s most timeless music.
It had been a decade since AZ graced fans with an album, but his long-teased sequel, ‘Doe Or Die II’, became one of 2021’s undeniable success stories and was a mainstay at the top of the DSP charts upon its release. ‘Doe Or Die II’ featured appearances and production from Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, T-Pain, The Alchemist, Conway The Machine, Dave East, Pete Rock, Statik Selektah, Idris Elba, Bink, Buckwild, Kaygee, Heatmakerz, Rockwilder, and Baby Paul.
“My last release was at the top of 2022 with the Doe Or Die 2 Deluxe. I feel really enthusiastic about releasing new music” AZ attests. “I wanted to drop a new single, “Respect Mines,” before year-end, to prepare listeners for my upcoming album that will be released in early 2023.”
AZ’s new video “Respect Mines” (produced by Buckwild & B Hawk) is now available for your inspection. Check it out below…
New York-based singer and songwriter MAE KRELL is closing out the year with the release of the ‘imposter syndrome (b-sides),’ which features singles, ‘tooth fairy’ and ‘(like) spring’ both written during the ‘imposter syndrome’ sessions. After the EP release, Mae revisited the unreleased demos with her producer Jakob Leventhal and decided to rework these two tracks.
“A lot of times my favorite tracks from an artist are the ones that almost didn’t make it out, so I thought it would be only fair to give people a chance to love these songs the way I love some almost-forgotten-about ones,” she says.
Mae released ‘tooth fairy,’ a heart wrenching track about realizing you may be better off without someone you thought you couldn’t live without, as a standalone single earlier this year. “(like) spring” rounds out the B-sides collection. A sparse, hypnotic and enchanting listen, “(like) spring” is a song about falling in love for the first time.
Elaborating on the new track, Mae writes: “I fell in love for the first time in February 2020 and by the end of the year I had followed her to a different state. Although I was away from my friends and family, I still had a feeling of home and belonging- thanks to her. Writing (like) spring originally started as me being fearful and lonely and trying to figure out why, and it led to a love song. For the places I never saw myself being happy in, until I was. For the neighbors and routines I didn’t think much about in the moment, until I moved away and started to miss them. And most importantly, it’s a love song for the girl who made me realize that I could write one, after thinking that I absolutely never would.”
At just 23 years old, Mae exudes a musicality wise beyond her years. Influenced by revered singer-songwriters like Bob Dylan, Phoebe Bridgers and Gregory Alan Isakov, Mae writes intimate reflections that confront past trauma, self-love and personal truths. With a distinct folk-pop sound and undeniable lyrical prowess, she has earned millions of streams across her repertoire with multiple tracks breaking 500K.
Her 4-track EP, ‘imposter syndrome,’ was released in early 2022 and instantly struck a chord with fans and tastemakers alike, with PRIDE aptly describing it as “an intimate and heart-wrenching dissection of the unavoidable self-doubt we all experience in our 20s.” This year has also seen Mae embark on two different tours, one supporting Ethan Jewell and a SoFar Sounds series that runs until the end of the year.
Listen to ‘imposter syndrome (b-sides)’ was released last Friday (2nd December) on all streaming platforms. Have a listen below…
Up-and-coming pop star, ZEIGH-V‘s new single, ‘Gone Too Soon, ‘memorializes young people lost too soon to tragedy, addiction, and battles with mental illness. Zeigh-V says, “This song is to encourage young people to refrain from taking substances because we have already lost too many lives.”
Hailing from Atlanta, Zeigh-V is the first artist to be signed to A-POP ® Entertainment for a good reason. Zeigh-V is the embodiment of what A-Pop Entertainment represents: youth making a positive impact on society. Under direction by A-POP® Entertainment creator Jim Joyner and other musical influences, Zeigh-V has created a distinct, unique sound for herself, having a rich and mature vocal presence even though she is only 14 years of age. Zeigh-V is captivating, down to earth, and positive – she is something the music industry needs in this day and age.
When asked what she wants to accomplish with her rising music career, Zeigh-V states, “I want to be able to help my peers who feel alone. I want to be able to lift their heads up when they feel like they can’t.”
Expressing the issue of rising youth issues of today, the founder of A-POP ®, Jim Joyner says: “Over my life, I have seen many issues that are affecting our youth. I knew a girl who was my friend in 8th-grade art class who was self-harming. Today, we are losing one teen every 10 hrs to fentanyl-laced pills. I asked myself :“What could be done about it?” I am the owner and president of Allstar Video Pitching Simulators, so in 2017, I began to pour my heart and financial resources into a brand new genre of music which I named A-POP ®.”
‘Gone Too Soon’ was released last Friday (2nd December). Have a listen below…
Coming from New York City, D.V. MAJOR (D V stands for Die-Verse), demonstrates his ability to delve into different aesthetics of music to stand apart from the others with track, ‘Decide’, an instantly addictive fusion of underground hip-hop and boom bap.
At the age of 17, D.V Major co-created Die-Verse Records, a label where artists are able to tap into different pockets and elements of music without the need to box themselves in. The key to D.V Majors appeal is his exquisite lyricism, wittiness and rapid fire flows where he takes inspiration from freestyle rap, boom bap, and underground hip-hop.
He prides himself on being able to make any type of sub-genre in hip-hop, approaching it in new and innovative ways…so it time to check him out…tap on that play button on ‘Decide’ below…
Lifted from her debut album, ‘Where I Left You’ via +FE Music/EMPIRE, singer-songwriter BEMYFIASCO‘s single, ‘U and I’ speaks to the delicate balance of the Dallas, Texas native’s pursuit of romance in the midst of a demanding music career. What began as a freestyle in a voice memo has now become the most popular song on the album, reaching half a million streams on Apple Music alone.
Out today, the song’s official music video exclusively premiered via BET Soul and is now available on YouTube. Written and directed by Felicia Pride (Grey’s Anatomy, Netflix’s Really Love, OWN’s Queen Sugar, etc.), the video co-stars Marcus Callender (best known for his role as Power in Hulu’s Wu-Tang drama series) and reflects the song’s narrative by offering visual representations of emotional vulnerability, tender affection, and quiet confidence in romance.
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