Sam Binga & Paul Wall – All Cap
Sam Binga has been pushing a UK underground-focused sound for some time, dancing between areas like jungle, dub and dancehall for a shadowy, bass-laden output that has always sounded fresh. The Bristol-based producer’s latest offerings, ‘Everfresh’ and the ‘Simmer Down’ EP, saw him mining UK pressure in the same vein, and now Binga has applied his weighty, jungle-meets-footwork sound to a new EP, ‘If The Cap Fits’.
Having already hooked up with dub vocalists and UK rappers like Warrior Queen, Rider Shafique, and Fox, it was time for something different. Binga drafted in North American rap hierarch Paul Wall, responsible for tracks like ‘Sittin’ Sidewayz’, ‘Still Tippin’ and ‘Grillz’ with Nelly, cuts that essentially put Houston on the rap radar and catapulted him to stardom.
Read the rest of this article at Dummy
Genesis Owusu – WUTD
It’s hard to find Australian rappers comparable to Genesis Owusu right now. Ever since his 2017 break-out Sideways, the Canberra-based artist has blossomed into a multi-faceted and complex new addition to our ever-growing hip-hop scene, standing tall amongst the rest as he combines smooth harmonies and unmatched flow with some incredibly powerful themes – the only justified comparable perhaps being Sampa The Great. Working closely alongside Hiatus Kaiyote and The Free Nationals’ Callum Connor, both of which boasting Anderson .Paak as one of their biggest fans, Owusu’s hip-hop is one of the genre’s most important and recognised, whether it be his break-out Sideways (which pays homage to his Ghanian heritage and its accompanying culture), awomen amen (an “ode to the female in all of her grace, elegance, nastiness, power, rebellion, boldness and ferocity”) or Wit’ Da Team, a breezy, soulful number which wouldn’t feel too out of place on .Paak’s discography.
Genesis Owusu is quickly becoming an unmatchable name within our rap scene and his latest two-track release – WUTD + Vultures – his here to cement this, showcasing two different sides of the rapper as he offers a lesson in hip-hop versatility. WUTD is a soulful blend of tropical, Californian melodies and Owusu’s more R&B-leaning vocal, which rises and falls as the single’s production transforms around it. Vultures, on the other hand, is somehow more ferocious yet also more relaxed, with a psychedelic swirl of synth melodies and punchy percussion layered underneath his vocal which this time around, takes on a more traditional hip-hop sound. “I’ve always had a thing for really abrupt duality,” he says on the release. “Never staying in the same place for too long. Vultures is almost harrowing in its lyricism, detailing a lingering internal and external strife. But then it goes into WUTD, which is a song purely for me to shake my ass to. It kind of makes no sense and all the sense in the world at the same time.”
Read the rest of this article at Pile Rats
Onni Boi – Tides
Kick off Friday morning with disco-tinged melodies and smooth vocals from new-comer Onni Boi. He’s granting us a first look at his new single “Tides” today, which will quickly have the whole room dancing. Aptly blurring the lines between electronic, indie, and disco house, Onni Boi carefully blends harmonies with his androgynous vocals and playful lyrics on “Tides”.
In a fun fusion of sounds, Onni opens up in lyrics and shares topics he would normally keep private talk. His intimate lyrics provide a shoulder to cry on but with a warm bouncy pulse to walk you home from the party. When speaking with us he shares, “I had a verse for ‘Tides’ laying around for a year or two. A little loop in the head. There was something irritating but exciting about it so ended up waiting a while before recording it. I think ‘Tides’ turned out cool and cheesy and also kind of personal. There’s this feeling of trouble with letting someone close (and keeping them that way). And how those are seasonal things, cycles, tides. It’s so much easier to please people than to let them in on where you head’s at. XO”. Kick up your heels, grab a dancing buddy, and put this one on the speakers.
Read the rest of this article at Earmilk
Cautious Clay- REASONS
Brooklyn-based musician Cautious Clay has enlisted the assistance of producer Hudson Mohawke and indie-rock vocalist Tobias Jesso Jr. for his new single “REASONS.” Also co-written by the two, the track is meant to serve as Clay’s leading single for his forthcoming EP slated to release early next year.
The project will follow the artist’s 6-track EP Blood Type, which includes the recently released “Cold War.” “REASONS” elevates his sound with dreamy vocals, an R&B influence, and a variety of drums and bongos for its offbeat percussion.
According to onestowatch, Clay has go on to explain what inspired the song’s lyrics, stating “I’m addressing the difference between purpose and pleasure in life and overall confronting the fact that having pleasure or happiness is the only way to achieve real purpose of any kind.”
HypeRead the rest of this article at Hypebeast
Kirin J Callinan – The Whole Of The Moon
Australian experimental musician Kirin J Callinan has shared a video for a new track, “The Whole of the Moon,” which is a cover of a 1985 song by Scotland’s The Waterboys. Michael Hili directed the video, which was shot in one day in New York City and is very theatrical, featuring Callinan miming. The Francois Tetaz-produced track is said to be the first taste of an upcoming new album on Terrible Records, which would be the follow up to 2017’s Bravado. Check it out below, followed by The Waterboys’ original and Callinan’s upcoming U.S. tour dates, including some shows at SXSW this week.
A press release announcing the track described the musician this way: “Kirin J Callinan is an apex predator. A butterfly. A grassfire. A beautiful baby boy wandered curiously into trouble. You’re listening to something very specific when you’re hearing Kirin J express himself. And you’re right to be wondering if this mania, this insanity, this total abandon exists within all of us. Makes you wonder if you’ve just missed out. If you’re a coward for never trying. If you were ever on the field in the first place. Out there is a pendulum that swings recklessly between madness and precision.”
Read the rest of this article at Under The Radar
