New Jersey hip hop artist and indie record label owner, Nastyelgic, released his debut single, ‘Killin’ Hip Hop’, last year, to great acclaim from both critics and the hip hop community. Now he’s back with ‘Ali’, his homage to the legendary boxer.
‘Killin’ Hip Hop’ found airplay around the world, and garnered reviews in the likes of The Hype Magazine, Daily Hip Hop Jamz, and HipHopZila. The single also made it onto the top 40 releases of 2015 on HipHopVIP. The artist has over 16.5 thousand listeners on Spotify, and seen his fanbase expand outside the shores of the US into Europe and beyond.
‘Ali’ is on track to follow the same path. Premiering at Number 21 on the Cicana Urban Promotional Charts, it’s also made it to the Number 2 spot on DJ Scarface Radio’s Weekly Top 10, as well as receiving airplay in New York, France, and South Korea. The song features Pennsylvania rapper Blizz, and was produced by Tommy Gunz.
‘Ali’ focuses, not surprisingly, on Muhummad Ali, the champion prizefighter who on the surface might seem to be supremely conceited; a closer look sees that he in fact was expounding wisdom and positive thinking. Quotes like, “I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was”; “The man who has no imagination has no wings”; and the famous, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, are great life lessons everyone can learn something from.
‘Ali’ starts out with classic recordings of Ali making his usual proclamations, set to a 60s style piano and drums music track. The vocals come on strong and fast not too long after, with the artist cataloguing the success he’s had, that anyone can have. That Ali had. It’s a matter of attitude. Getting in the right frame of mind. “I’m going to show you how great I am”, the song finishes, once again with the voice of the great man himself.
It’s a fast paced song with a really hooky groove: the keys are slightly jarring but not in an offensive way, it adds to the general drama and urgency of the song. It definitely demands several listens in order to take in all the different aspects.
‘Ali’ is Nastyelgic’s second release under his Tilt Shift Records label, and is distributed by Forbes Music Entertainment. Nastyelgic’s debut album, ‘Back When Music Was’, is set for release in the second quarter of 2016.
You can find Nastyelgic online on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and his website. Download ‘Ali’ on iTunes and stream it on Spotify and Soundcloud.
