Some moments on Slowthai‘s incendiary 2019 debut ‘Nothing Great About Britain’ saw the Northampton rapper take a much-needed breather from being the album’s in-yer-face master of ceremonies. Both the chopped-up sample-heavy ‘Gorgeous’ and ‘Original Pirate Material’-style ‘Toaster’ saw Slowthai reflect on the ups and downs of his tough upbringing, back when “responsibility [was] another chapter“.
James Blake’s solo career seems to be at a crossroads. His last album The Colour in Anything was a deep dive into the maximalist breakup music he had been focusing on since Overgrown, but his most recent single, “If the Car Beside You Moves Ahead,” was a return to some of the more colorful, club-focused music of his past.
DJ Khaled might not actually do anything, but whatever he’s doing, or not, it’s working. He’s still the best famous-person-wrangler around, and he’s managed to round up a truly absurd posse of superstars on his upcoming album Grateful. You’ve already heard the #1 Justin Bieber/Quavo/Chance The Rapper/Lil Wayne team-up “I’m The One” everywhere on the radio, and you’ve probably already heard the Drake collab “To The Max” and the post-Grammys Beyoncé/Jay Z duet “Shining” too. Now, Khaled is sharing “Wild Thoughts,” which features Rihanna and Bryson Tiller and samples Santana’s “Maria Maria” guitar riff.”
