Hey everyone! Hope you’re all doing well in this heat. Beginning of a new month this week, and I’ve decided to play catchup on a few great releases that came out over the last month or so. Let’s get right into it!
Features
Couldn’t Wait To Tell You… is Liv.E at her very best : poetic, hypnotic, psychedelic and utterly captivating
Since discovering her amazing music, Liv.E has remained one of my absolute favourite musicians, creating some absolutely stunning, soulful and melodic soundscapes that are like vignettes of memories, assembled in a collage of incredibly lush and textured sounds. The vibe of this album is incredible, with stunning compositions and vocals that captivate and draw me in like no other project this year. Couldn’t Wait To Tell You… is Liv.E at her absolute best. Her stunning vocals, complemented by the lush and textured production makes for a mesmeric, reflective and beautiful body of work that showcases the extent of her talents as an artist. Read more
Releases
Goya Gumbani & Rago Foot – Children Of Ra
Goya Gumbani and Rago Foot have been two of the most unique, respected independent hip-hop musicians for the last few years. Both have individually released some stellar music, and have now joined their creative minds for a stellar new project titled Children Of Ra. Produced by Rago Foot (with additional production from Jeffski – a bit shoutout to you, bro hope you’ve been well), and rapped by both Goya and Rago, the tape is full of jazzy, soulful production, intricately chopped samples and hard-hitting beats that allow for both talented emcees to flow effortlessly and talk about introspective topics about self, love and the past experiences that have shaped who they are today. Highlights include “Cattle of Ra”, “The Force of Preservation” and “Unforgivable.” Go support!
Zelooperz – Moszel Offline
Detroit-based rapper ZelooperZ has come through with a surprise new album titled Moszel Offline. He is one of the most eclectic and interesting musicians working today, and has released some stellar projects in the past with Gremlin and Dyn-O-Mite. This new project is a trap-influenced, hard-hitting one, with infectious rhythms and beats, as well as ZelooperZ’s incredible lyrics and flows throughout. The short, punchy nature of these tracks make for a dynamic, captivating listen, and ZelooperZ’s engaging presence is fantastic throughout. “10 a Piece” and “Babylon” are menacing cuts, while “Stay Longer”, “T-Boz” and “Only Fan” are more melodic cuts, showcasing his eclecticism as an artist. A must support for this week!
CRUZIN – By My Side
ONew-York based emcee CRUZIN has come through with a brand new project titled By My Side earlier in July, produced predominantly by Noah. I’ve heard CRUZIN’s music here and there the last few months, but this is the first time I’ve listened to a full project, and I was immediately drawn to the incredibly soulful and lush production, as well as the personable and relatable lyricism from CRUZIN, whose introspective, raw and honest raps make for a terrific listen. His ability to flow effortlessly over these idiosyncratic production is impressive, and I look forward to continue seeing their growth in the future.
amir bilal – XVIII
Another great project that came out early in July is Virginia-based musician amir bilal’s new project XVIII. The talented emcee has released an incredible 5-track EP of soulful, jazzy production and introspective, relatable raps. “honest eye” ft CRUZIN and produced by e is an example of this. The mesmeric soundscape from the angelic beats make space for amir bilal to spit his truth. Intricate wordplay and phenomenal lyricism throughout makes for an incredible listen, and I hope he continues to grow musically. Dope project!
Spittzwell & Ekundayo – Summer Daze Vol. 2
Atlanta based rapper Ekundayo and producer Spittzwell have released a stellar 7-track hip-hop project titled Summer Daze Vol. 2. The incredibly lush and soulful boom-bap production is complemented by Ekundayo’s intricate lyricism. Tracks like “The Trip” featuring Boog Brown and El Sun and “The Art of Love” featuring Clifton Haston on sax are examples of smooth, atmospheric tracks that bring such a feel-good energy. It’s a terrific project that sounds perfect in the warm, summer weather outside, so definitely give this project a listen!
Nalim – Only.You
Producer Nalim has come through with a fantastic new beat tape titled Only.You. With 17 tracks worth of incredible bass-heavy, synth-led production, they’re able to draw me in with a incredible lush, soulful sound. Tracks like “comebacc4mo”, “journey” and “end of summer” are examples of the smooth, jazzy and funky soundscapes that capture lush, lavish and rich textures throughout. Definitely a pleasant surprise and a project that should definitely be supported!
Curly Castro & Small Professor – BLUu Edwards
Philadelphia-based Wrecking Crew have been an essential voice for the city’s musical identity over the last decade or so. Members Curly Castro and Small Professor have released a dense new hip-hop album titled BLUu Edwards. Familiar with Curly Castro through his work with billy woods and Armand Hammer in general, I was fascinated to hear a project of his, and this one does not disappoint one bit. With drum-heavy production that sounds cacophonous and overwhelming, it carries the same type of weight of an Armand Hammer project, with incredible, political and socially conscious lyrics. “Errol Barnes” featuring the underground legend Illogic is a terrific example of this, with dense lyricism and incredible lyricism that definitely requires multiple listens to fully digest and understand. Throughout the 14 tracks, both artists are able to create a dense, textured and dystopian-sounding album that is one of the more interesting releases of this year, so I definitely recommend checking it out!
wowflower – boris lament
Brooklyn-based artist wowflower has come through with a stellar new album titled boris lament. His incredibly energetic and textured soundscape he is able to create throughout is quite beautiful, with synths and rhythmic compositions that are dynamic and groovy. Tracks like “millions of ants” and “toppers groove” are examples of this, with the latter track especially featuring live drumming, incredible keys and lush synths throughout that are nothing short of incredible. The soul and sonic fluidity he is able to bring with his music is inspiring, and the only way is up for this talented artist, who still has so much potential. Go support!
Demae – Stuck in a Daze ft Ego Ella May (Single)
As far as neo-soul artists and singers go, Demae is one of the best you’ll hear. The London-based artist is releasing her upcoming debut album on the 4th September via Touching Bass titled Life Works Out... Usually. “Stuck in a Daze” is her brand new single, an angelic and beautiful track produced by Eun, with additional keys from Joe Armon-Jones and a vocal feature from the incredible Ego Ella May. The track is hypnotic and beautifully produced, as both singers bring a euphoric, stunning tone as well as a melody that is playful and catchy. Definitely check this single out and make sure you support her debut album when it comes out in just over a month!
Weekly playlist
Tracklist
Liv.E – Lessons From My Mistakes…but I lost Your Number (Couldn’t Wait to Tell You…)
Liv.E – She’s My Brand New Crush ft C.S. Armstrong (Couldn’t Wait to Tell You…)
Liv.E – I Been Livin (Couldn’t Wait to Tell You…)
Demae – Stuck in a Daze ft Ego Ella May (Single)
SomeOthaShip (Georgia Anne Muldrow & Declaime) – Mages Sages II (SomeOthaShip)
Madlib – Two For Pay Jay (No Dough, No Show) (Beat Konducta Vol. 5- 6: Dill Cosby & Dil Withers Suite)
lojii – over&over / round&round (lo&behold)
Action Bronson – Latin Grammys (Single)
Boldy James & Alchemist – Belvedere (The Price Of Tea In China (Deluxe Edition))
CRUZIN – Look the Other Way ft Noah. & amir bilal (By My Side)
Ekundayo & Spittzwell – The Trip ft Boog Brown & El Sun (Summer Daze, Vol. 2)
Nalim – comebacc4mo (Only.You)
Wowflower – daylight savings play time extension (boris lament)
amir bilal – and it was ft 98preem (XVIII)
ZelooperZ – Stay Longer (Moszel Offline)
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