Day 90: Beautiful Criminal by ALX

Day 70: 10 Freaky Girls by Metro Boomin ft. 21 Savage

At one time famous for a star-studded Snapchat story daily, Metro Boomin on 6th November 2018 joined forces with new-school rap juggernauts, 2 Savage and Travis ‘La Flame’ Scott. He is an interesting artist, starting out life as a producer. He then officially announced his retirement on his Instagram, yet still getting production credits on the smash albums Queen and The Carter V by Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne respectively. And then, like Michael Jordan, Jay-Z, and Paul Scholes, he teased his un-retirement. Billboards in New York City and Atlanta were teasers for his debut full-length project, Not All Heroes Wear Capes.

Roguely, this always reminds me of the little-known indie band, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. However, less indie and more unrelenting hip-hop, Metro Boomin flexed his rap muscle heavily on this track, including the likes of Travis Scott, Gucci Mane, and Drake. This track, in particular, 10 Freaky Girls, features frequent collaborator 21 Savage. Pre-emmigration debacle, 21 Savage comes in hard on this track, over what is a very gospel melody. The production, certainly at the start, feels very Christian. But 21 Savage makes sure the rest of it steers well clear of the Bible. References to Spongebob and WWF make for a very cultured, well-spat song.

An infectious hook with a beat that grows from the Christian seed originally sewn to an epic, head-bopping new-age hip-hop jam, it does a stellar job as a single for this album. Both are fine artists that combine for a short, sharp burst of excellence to go beyond billboards and provide listeners with a tangible, irrefutable track to promote an excellent debut full-length project that, in my opinion, is long overdue.

Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex

Day 39: Talk by Khalid ft. Disclosure

I am so excited for new music by Khalid, and for it to be produced by Disclosure only adds to my energy for this song. The first single to preview his currently untitled sophomore album, Talk is classic Khalid. Soulful with more than a hint of RnB to his vocals, it is another shining example of his ability to provide hit after hit.

The instrumental eases in, feeling very 80s with infectious use of synths that feel outside of Disclosure’s comfort zone. They smash it out of the park, however, and provide more modern layers over the opening few bars. Khalid then does what the young Texan does best, sing his heart out about young love and, that hardest of things, defining it. His lyrics are old and wise before their time and show a maturity to his work. This feels more polished than his debut album American Teen, yet more appealing and commercial than his late 2018, 7-song release Suncity. The use of Disclosure on the track is inspired, and shows the clout he has within the industry at such a young age; Disclosure aren’t known for their features on other artist’s work. Having worked with the like of Marshmello, Benny Blanco, Calvin Harris and Billie Eilish already, Khalid is proving to be just as talented on his own as he is with collaborators.

All of this begs the question: when is the album due? It has been cited for release in April, and his comments have given fans a similar expectation, as he stated this week an interview that it should be here before Coachella, for which he is performing on the Sunday night(s) just before Ariana Grande closes out the festival.

If that doesn’t give you an inclination into his meteoric rise to fame, then maybe his streaming statistics will. He was the fifth most streamed artist on Spotify last year at the age of 20 and his top four most streamed songs push him over the one billion streams milestone. Already an incredible career,he will only improve if this song is any indication of just his second full-length project.

Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex

Day 8: Mo Bamba by Sheck Wes

If you’ve watched any deafening hip-hop mosh pit videos that consists of about 12 pixels, you’ll have probably heard the intense, infectious bassline of Sheck Wes’ Mo Bamba. It has taken the hip-hop community by storm and has put Sheck Wes on the map (even getting a namecheck by none other than Drake on his verse on Travis Scott’s SICKO MODE).

Mr. Sheck Wes, a Harlem child raised by Islamic Senegalese parents, is an incredibly high-rising star. Alongside his music, he models, dabbles in fashion design and has very, very serious ambitions of playing in the NBA.

That would explain the title of the song, an ode to fellow Harlemite and Orlando Magic centre, Mo Bamba. Clearly a big fan of the National Basketball Association, Mo and Sheck grew up in the same neighbourhood. It appears as though Sheck Wes wants to bring his friends with him on his rise to fame (it may have worked too well; when googling Mo Bamba, it is the song rather than the exceptionally large basketball player that gets the honour of first result).

The lyrics feel almost out of sync with the instrumental at times, but is instantly recognisable thanks to the staggered, aggressively delivered vocals and is yet further proof that hip-hop is the new rock and roll. Where once American teens would head banged to Nirvana coming out of their Walkmans, now moshing to Sheck Wes and his colleagues is the norm. This was one of my favourite songs released last year and I can’t help but bust a cheeky Milly Rock whenever I hear the producer’s, 16yrold, co-sign and the instrumental that is eerily reminiscent of a nursery rhyme.

Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex