Feriano JX – ‘Night Fall’

Los Angeles plays host to an incredible array of musical artists, and the latest one we’d like to introduce to you is Feriano JX, the stage name of Jacob, who came to the USA from Cameroon, Africa, 11 years ago. After attending high school and college, in Maryland, he went to Montgomery College to study business, before moving to California, where he currently works in Cyber Security. His real passion of course, is music, and Feriano JX takes inspiration from the likes of Michael Jackson, Nas, and Jay-Z among others. His good friend Jeremiah Bland pushed him relentlessly, and we thank him, because now we get to hear his first ever single ‘Night Fall’ – and there’s plenty more where that came from.

Ugotaya – ‘No Dey Lie’

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’

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’

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)’

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’

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.

Fresh Da Zoe – ‘No Sleep’

Born in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, but now in the US, Fresh Da Zoe doesn’t sound particularly menacing, or angry, or secretive on his new single, ‘No Sleep’. But with lyrics like, “If I want you dead, you won’t hear about it,” making the boast point-blank, almost cheerfully, utterly confident about his ability to eliminate rivals without breaking a sweat: that’s probably more frightening. He’s effortlessly lethal, yet at the same time he’s able to say the most remarkable and threatening things in an instantly approachable way.