Browsing Tag

afrobeat

Nate Dingo takes us to the movies in his latest cinematic single ft. Kmwurld & YDZ

Posted on 28 July 2021

Newark, NJ-based breaking artist Nate Dingo is starting to make major waves with his signature infusion of Afrobeat, RnB, pop and hip hop. If he is not already on your radar, his latest single, Movie, featuring Kmwurld & YDZ is the perfect introduction.

Movie is a sultry downtempo feat of tropic hip hop complete with jazzy grooves that throwback to old school, but with Nate Dingo’s boldly authentic approach, he has exactly what it takes to define the future of hip hop.

Tracks like Moves is what the phrase ‘it’s a vibe’ should have been invented for.

The official music video premiered on June 28th; it is available to stream via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Flow has brought RnB into a new era with ‘Where You Been’

Posted on 15 January 2021

North Carolina RnB Soul pioneer, Flow, released his latest sun-soaked hit ‘Where You Been’ on December 11th, with elements of Deep House and Afrobeat weaved in, it’s impossible not to catch the infectious high vibes.

While playfully experimental progressions allow glitchy beats to add to the energy of the smooth RnB melodies, Flow gives you an idea of how he came about his moniker. By switching between soul-dripping crooning and energising Rap verses, there isn’t a moment in the track which will allow your attention to falter from the fresh ingenuity on offer.

You can check out Flow’s latest single via Soundcloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Remykid has all the bells and whistles for Buzz Me Alert

Posted on 16 May 2020
The kick drum is the driving force behind London rapper Remykid‘s new single Buzz Me Alert. This song  is a purely plaintive protestation against a high maintenance lover’s demands. It’s a simple enough rhyme: ” She wants that juice, she wants that cash, that bag…” He is candid about his love: “She says she wants money, I give her money.” He’s not complaining. It is what it is. “I’m working for da money…” It’s the best this poor sap can do. “I live my life, woe woe woe,” he mumbles dejectedly for he’s still on her ‘buzz me alert.’
This is clever minimalist grime rap – the syncopated breakbeat telegraphs this mournful yet catchy lamentation while at  highlighting the bitter sweet tensions of giving in to the demands of a loved one’s wanton materialistic desires to keep her pleased. Relationships are fragile, retaining the affections of someone can make for a complicated love life.
As sorrowfull as these bars are, the beat of Buzz me Alert is dope yo! Our hero’s fragile love narrative is underscored by the jagged electronic sound that pulsates and characterises this song of love and materialism. Granted, the autotune is arguably a tad overdone and the kick drum somewhat overpowering, but with a little more time in the studio, coupled with a solid production engineer and some  remastering tweaks, this rap will linger.
Don’t be deceived though: This song will have you ‘ O nah nah nah-ing’  long after the track’s stopped playing. Check out this catchy, buzzing new single here:

Review by Annesh Ramklown

Afrobeat Artist Wisdom has released his debut chart-topping album “(Not) Just a Man”

Posted on 28 November 2019

Internationally acclaimed Afrobeat artist Wisdom has recently released their debut album “(Not) Just a Man” and injected plenty of organic soul onto the airwaves.

(Not) Just a Man has already reached the tops of the charts in Nigeria, and the exotic rhythms are sure to enamour anyone in the search for vibrant, flowing Afropop in colder climates too.

With each track being infectiously euphoric and glistening with sun-kissed soul, each track stands as a testament to their versatility. With elements of R&B, Afro Pop, Jazz, Afro-Soul and Afro House all utilised under a deft rhythmic command, there’s a smorgasbord of different sticky-sweet textures to delve into. Yet, we’d recommend hitting play on the punchy energetic earworm which is “Zombie” for the best introduction to Wisdom’s magnetic sound.

You can check out Wisdom’s debut album for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

NOVALA – Crimson Throne: Rhythmically Arrestive Afrobeats Fused with Funk

Posted on 6 October 2019

If you’ve forgotten just how arrestive masterfully composed Funk can be, hitting play on NOVALA’s single “Crimson Throne” will serve as a stark reminder.

The 10 piece Funk/Afrobeat may grab a few influences from the past to steep their sound in fluid familiarity, but there’s no denying that Crimson Throne along with their other singles “Myth” and “How it is” have a place on contemporary airwaves.

While Crimson Throne may kick off with fairly archetypal organically textured progressions, the single seamlessly evolves into a high-energy offering of cinematically frenzied Funk laced with Jazz and Swing. Crimson Throne may just be one of the most rhythmically captivating tracks I’ve heard this year.

And there’s plenty more to come from NOVALA, as they will be releasing the remaining tracks of their EP “Chapter 2” on October 11th, and for those lucky enough to find themselves near Santa Monica, they’ll be performing tracks from the EP at Harvelle’s on the same evening. I can only imagine how much euphoria will be floating from that stage.

You can check out Crimson Throne for yourselves by heading over to YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kay Da Ace releases brand new single ‘Daily’

Posted on 21 September 2019

‘Daily’ is the latest single by UK-based Nigerian artist Kay Da Ace.

If initially sounding akin to Reggaeton and standard club music, after a careful listen this song is actually a dancey mix of Afrobeat, Dancehall and Hip Hop, evolving through catchy melodies and captivating beats – and yes, also a track you would surely want to be played in one of your clubbing nights.

As a songwriter, Kay Da Ace displays his abilities in every single beat and, no doubt, he manages to stand out among his fellow peers.

Review By Jim Esposito

Mr LTEE Drops His latest Afrobeat Hit “Body Bad”

Posted on 15 February 2019

There’s no denying that up and coming Afrobeat artist Mr LTEE has an enviably rhythmic style when it comes to wrapping together sun-soaked world beats. His latest single “Body Bad” is fuelled by feel good vibes complimented by salacious romanticism. However, I couldn’t help but feel that the track would have benefitted from a little more lyrical depth and for the lyrics to stand out a little clearer in the mix especially when it comes to the verses. The instrumental arrangement packs in plenty of acoustics to give Body Bad a natural, organic feeling while the smooth production on the track ensures that not one note the multi-layer beat falls flat.

You can check out Mr LTEE’s latest single Body Bad from his latest EP “My Time” which was released on February 11th, 2019 by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Valentine Artist – Everything on Me: Deep Bass With Pure Soulful Rhythm to Set the Pace

Posted on 29 March 2018

Whack some headphones on and sink your teeth into the colossal new hit from Valentine Artist. For his debut single Everything on Me Valentine Artist teamed up with Hip Hop Rap sensations Haley Drew & Otis. I hope Valentine will forgive me for saying that Haley Drew absolutely stole the show with her rap vocals. Whilst Valentine Artist provides soothingly soulful R&B vocals and Otis steps up with his grimey rap flow there’s just no matching the sheer empowering veracity of Haley Drew’s verse. The perfectly polished production quality of Everything on Me, is just another one of the stellar qualities of the track, the multi-layer, deep-bass beat creates an anthemic aura around the track. There’s palpable high vibes to the track, thanks to the experimental xylophone polyphonic effects which gives a sweet Jamaican vibe to the sound. Everything on Me is certainly not a collaboration that Hip Hop fans will forget about anytime soon.

Check out the official music video to Everything on Me on YouTube which saw it’s first release on February 14th, 2018.

Review by Amelia Vandergast