Plus new ones from Rejjie Snow and Koreless.
Friday is here, which means it’s release day for a bunch of artists at home and around the world. With so many hot releases out there to tuck into, we’ve compiled some of the best to present to you for the weekend.
This week, Vince Staples teams up with Kenny Beats for his most cohesive work to date, Tkay Maidza stuns with trilogy finale Last Year Was Weird Vol. 3, Rejjie Snow sends us into a dream-like state on Baw Baw Black Sheep and Koreless breathes life into genre-bending electronic music via Agor.
This week’s top picks:
- Vince Staples – Vince Staples
- Tkay Maidza – Last Year Was Weird Vol. 3
- Rejjie Snow – Baw Baw Black Sheep
- Koreless – Agor
Read all the latest music news here.
Vince Staples – Vince Staples
California based Vince Staples, a close associate of the Odd Future collective, unveils his fourth major label solo record, the eponymous Vince Staples. Produced in its entirety by Kenny Beats, a popular twitch streaming producer and beat maker, this self titled record is his most cohesive work to date.
Delivering his raps in a deadpan style, Vince Staples shines over Kenny’s sample style trap beats. Lead single ‘LAW OF AVERAGES’ displays his craft with words, filled with tasty one liners including one about Muhammad Ali and showcases a tight flow. Other highlights include ‘TAKING TRIPS’ and final track ‘MHM’ showing off his trap styles for the head boppers and hip hop heads.
Check out the lead single below.
Tkay Maidza – Last Year Was Weird Vol. 3
Last Year Was Weird Vol. 3 is the final chapter in Zimbabwe-Australian artist Tkay Maidza’s trilogy of self exploration. This genre bending series showcases Maidza’s artistic versatility which results in a world class ending. This record is produced with her long time collaborator Dan Farber, Tkay Maidza steps out as a star in her own right.
The singer/rapper shines on the single ‘Kim’, full with high-energy vocal delivery which is up there with her US based peers, which would pop off on a dance floor. This is contrasted by ‘Cashmere’, where Maidza sings soulfully and puts out an uplifting energy on this future-R&B cut. ‘So Cold’ has a funky vibe to it, reminiscent of Anderson .Paak in which you could imagine yourself sipping a beverage by the pool in Summer.
Watch the video for single Syrup below.
Rejjie Snow – Baw Baw Black Sheep
Irish born Rejjie Snow has a unique steez to his music. On this Rejjie says, “people always said I was odd, so I turned into the ‘Black Sheep’. I use those differences to my advantage though. Things like my ADHD became superpowers, not weaknesses.”
This record is no exception, created as an audio companion to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, the interesting concept shines through completely, culminating in an incredible journey.
With ‘Cookie Chips’ featuring the late great MF DOOM, Snow references Pokemon in his rap, which is fitting as DOOM was a huge cartoon/comic book nerd. There’s a beautiful energy to this track, which fills me with optimism and good vibes. This could be said for basically the rest of the record, with other highlights being ‘Mirrors’, ‘Shooting Star’ and ‘Disco Pantz’.
Check out the music video for ‘Cookie Chips’ below.
Koreless – Agor
Welsh producer Lewis Roberts aka Koreless returns with his hotly anticipated debut record Agor. The record is named after the Welsh word for open, which is an approach Roberts has to his unique sound design. The record sits somewhere between contemporary classical, ambient and electronic music but sticks out as actually not being any of them.
The sensational ‘Black Rainbow” features a main melody that is just slightly off kilter and keeps you on the edge of your seat while other elements of the track mesh around it. ‘White Picket Fence’ utilises short vocal chops that will put you into a trance, over building heavy synths and long held vocal phrases. This record is sensational cover to cover and definitely worth a listen.
Check out this interesting video for ‘Black Rainbow’ below.
Check out more on Tkay Maidza here.
