After grabbing the number six spot on the blog’s Top Ten Music Video of 2021, MIKE BODY bounces right back to the limelight with brand visuals for latest track, ‘Black Innovator’, which tackles the issues of ongoing struggles of the black community in the US.
The hard-hitting track is taken from Mike’s latest album titled ‘Epilogue’. Expect more conscious music from this rapper throughout the year…Until then, why not check out the video for ‘Black Innovator’ below…
The acclaimed Chicago rapper-producer and Pivot Gang Co-Founder SABA has teamed up with Cleveland rapper Krayzie Bone of the trailblazing GRAMMY Award-winning hip-hop group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony for new single ‘Come My Way.’
An ode to nostalgia and Saba growing up in his hometown Chicago, the latest offering is taken from Saba’s highly anticipated third solo album Few Good Things dropping on 4th February “Come My Way”, features Krayzie Bone’s signature flow adding a classic and familiar sound that helps ground the Daoud and daedaePIVOT co-produced track.
Speaking on the collaboration, Saba says: “When I think back on first discovering Bone Thugs-N-Harmony as a child, it immediately stood out to me as unique. I started paying attention and really learning how to rap from listening to them and trying to recite it. It felt honest and completely true to themselves — authentic in a way that doesn’t come around very often and in a way that will be impossible to recreate. Their mix of melody and rhythms that I had never heard is what connected with me in a way that other music just didn’t. It inspired me to be more creative.“
A successful independent artist, Saba has rooted his career in authenticity and musicality that’s made him one of his generation’s most important and unique voices. A major player in the Chicago scene who’s enviable career has seen him collaborate with and produce for the likes of Chance The Rapper, Noname, Mick Jenkins and more.
Following his first foray into making music at the age of 8 in his early adolescence, he built a recording studio in his Grandmother’s basement on the Westside of Chicago where he and a group of neighbourhood friends formed Pivot Gang. They began taking trains across the city to join creative youth organisations and perform at open mics.
Coming from a deeply musical family, Saba was influenced by his father, a Chicago R&B artist named Chandlar, at a young age who would bring him to the studio with him to record sounds of soul, R&B and jazz. All experiences that developed his sonic palette, sharpened his writing and performance skills and led him to be self-taught on a variety of musical instruments – an innate talent and musicality that has led to support from Pitchfork (8.7 Best New Music), NPR (#1 Hip-Hop Album of the Year for CARE FOR ME), Rolling Stone, Billboard, The Fader, FACT, Complex and more.
With new music on his slate for 2022, Saba is prepared to continue pushing musical boundaries on his climb to rap’s upper echelon.
‘Come My Way’ is available to stream now across all digital platforms via The Orchard. Have a listen below…
Oozing soul-stirring vocals, moody guitar riffs and a catchy hook, Los Angeles – based artist Sydney Agudong – aka JAYNE DOE – presents her new single, ‘Welcome To Hollywood’, which describes her experience in pursuing her dreams in the ‘city of stars and angels’, putting her health and heart out on the line without knowing what the future holds.
She says of her experience: “Hollywood’ is glamorized as a place where people can be whoever they want to be and live out their wildest dreams, but no one ever talks about the thousands and thousands of rejections and thoughts of giving up and giving in to one of those critics or “no’s” that tell you it’ll never happen, whether you or someone else is the critic themselves. No one talks about the mental strength and sacrifice it takes to make a dream come true.”
Born and raised in Hawai’i, the 21 year old, made her first on-stage debut at 18 months old, and knew that’s where she belonged. Also a multi-instrumentalist, Jayne spent her childhood years singing in local talent shows and competitions, receiving awards and recognition at every stop. At 10, Sydney wrote and recorded her first original song called ‘I’m So Sorry’ that was later played and requested on local Hawaiian radio stations.
Jayne is currently collaborating with Al Machera, a music industry veteran that engineered the famous “Salt N Pepa” and co-founded Westlake Recording Studios, a highly utilized and respected recording company known best for Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ Album.
When she’s not in the studio and out performing, Jayne is quickly developing her on-screen credits in TV and film. She shot a lead role in her first feature film titled, “West Michigan,” and booked a recurring guest star role on Netflix’s “On My Block”.
Jayne Doe, is in the process of developing her album. Until then, have a listen to her latest single, ‘Welcome to Hollywood’ below…
Photo: Chandler Clamp
JVSTN.‘s synth-heavy and forward pop single, ‘Dancing With The Enemy’ is his first original offering, following his smooth cover of Frank Oceans’ ‘Thinkin’ Bout You’. The New York-based pop artist has been working on his music production skills and started writing original music for the first time in 2021. Years of formal singing training, performing and recording with collegiate a cappella group The University of Rochester Midnight Ramblers, and music production courses have culminated to this very moment.
His new song actually started out as a songwriting and production exercise through Charlie Puth’s Monthly.com course. JVSTN. wrote the song with his best friend from college, Charlie Aldrich, and decided it would make an excellent debut. He produced the track himself in his Brooklyn bedroom and is excited to share it with the world!
Speaking of his debut offering, JVSN says: “‘Dancing With The Enemy’ is about a romantic nightmare a lot of us have experienced. I tried to capture the idea of teetering between semi-opaque feelings of a deep love and devastating hurt and anxiety. I go back and forth between infatuation and an uncertain dread. The music video (to be released in late January) focuses on a mysteriously alluring and manipulative woman. She draws me in and ultimately stabs me in the back – similar to what the feared venus fly trap does with its prey.”
This one’s a real beauty; check out the brand new video for single below…
JUICE CANNON and DICE CANNON have been steadily making their name in the underground hip-hop scene in their hometown, New York City for the last ten years now. Their latest collaborative project, ‘Trepac’, shows their appreciation for being in the rap game for so long, reflecting on their hard grind and achievements made along the way.
I have to say, this EP may be three tracks long, but the pair instantly shows us the very reason why they lasted so long in the game through the infectiously bass-heavy intro, ‘Twin Towers’, which documents the hard drive of building their craft from the very bottom right to the top. Their second offering, ‘No Statements’ carries on that infectiously head-bopping vibe, with loops of soulful vocals, later weighted in by one hell of b-line, which reverberates throughout the track.
Changing the tempo of the mini set is final piece, ‘Demon Time’, a smooth soulful trap joint where each rapper adds a peppery flow to the entire production.
Now I’ve already said this earlier in the review and it’s worth saying again: This mini fiery set shows the reason why these emcees are ranked so high in New York’s underground hip-hop scene and it wouldn’t surprise me if they overspill very quickly into the international scene very soon. Why not check out the EP below…
Must Listen: No Statements
New Lease Music 