Category: Music

Ugotaya – ‘No Dey Lie’

April 23, 2021

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, but now living in Atlanta, Georgia, Ugotaya raps and sings with authority and the air of a statesman. His music is a lot of fun, as he skilfully blends into his music the perspective of an African, and an African-American. His new single, ‘No Dey Lie’, lets his voice go full throttle, and the track is the perfect example of his style: drawn from Dirty South rap, deep-rooted gospel soul, and dancehall that’ll melt your socks off with its island heat.

Kooly Bros ft Young Thug – ‘Drunk Mess’

April 23, 2021

Young Thug’s vocals are instantly recognisable: with their laser-like precision they hit their mark fast, while at the same time their otherworldly quality ensures that there’s no mistaking whose voice it is. It’s what’s made not only his own releases best sellers, but also why he’s been in such demand as the secret ingredient in hits by the likes of Camila Cabello, Calvin Harris, Post Malone, and many other pop stars. So given all that, it’s clear just what importance been added to ‘Drunk Mess’, the mesmerising single by pop-rap duo Kooly Bros, when Young Thug provided his vocals. Speaking of his fellow Georgians, he said,  “it’s their time.”

Kelsey Coleman – ‘Break Mine’

April 22, 2021

Daniela Federici is a master of the black and white portrait, and together with pop singer Kelsey Coleman they’ve made a video that’s compelling right from the word go, with Coleman filling out every line and every syllable of her new single, ‘Break Mine’, while Federici captures every aspect of the performance. The clip is so watchable is the clip that you might might miss that it’s entirely footage of Coleman’s face, set against a black background.

FreeWorld – D-Up (Here’s To Diversity)’

April 20, 2021

Memphis Tennessee is probably the most important city with regard to the development of popular music. It’s the home of the king of Rock and Roll, it’s one of the birthplaces of the blues, it marks the gateway to the Dirty South, and and it’s the birthplace of many influential rappers and rap styles. Soul, R&B, gospel, funk, jazz, rockabilly, psychedelia: there’s hardly any American musical style that isn’t being done in Memphis, and being done well.

Sparkle – ‘Easy’

April 20, 2021

You may remember Sparkle from her debut single, ‘Be Careful’, released by the Chicago Soul and R&B singer back in 1998. It was one of the year’s defining songs, and it hailed the arrival of a gorgeous new voice, finding its way to the top of Billboard’s “R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay” and charts all over the world. Sparkle followed this success with a number of other hits, including ‘Time to Move On’, ‘Lovin’ You’, and ‘What About’. The songs were sexy tunes, but they were also grown-up pop tracks, which addressed complicated relationships in direct, unsparing language. Sparkle could communicate intense passion and true sophistication at the same time, and people noticed.