Day 58: Honesty by Pink Sweat$

Apologies in advance, but the next week will heavily feature dollar signs in the track titles and artist names. Personally, I think the music world should open themselves up to different currencies. A euro would be easy to squeeze in, maybe get a kroner involved or maybe just a humble pound. Anyhow, that trend is kicking off today with Pink Sweat$ and his track, Honesty.

Philadelphia born and raised, Pink Sweat$ obtained his name from a studio session where he was songwriting for other artists. His pink sweatpants came to define him, especially to those who didn’t know him besides outside of his attire.

Honesty first released as a single but is also the opening track on his debut EP, Volume 1. All the songs on here were meant for other artists as Pink Sweat$ started out as a songwriter. When he turned to recording, he drew on inspirations such as the icons that are MJ, Prince, and Kanye. Big shoes to fill, but music is purely for a vessel for him. It could have been anything, but music spoke to him the loudest and allowed him to get his voice heard.

It is a beautiful RnB track with a very stripped back feel. It is an invitation into his intimacy and his voice is silky enough to make you float into his world. The guitar underneath is an unusual touch for an artist that grew up listening to gangster rap and experiencing those songs first hand later that day. Just a singular guitar helps to create this delicate world of love that Pink Sweat$ is creating. A very soft song that showcases a soulful voice wise beyond it’s years, I for one am certainly glad he chose to stand in front of a microphone rather than pen the words one would hear.

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

Day 57: Retrograde by James Blake

2019 saw James Blake return to the musical forum with Assume Form, an epic, true to form saga that utilised the stratospheric clout of the likes of Travis Scott, ROSALIA and Andre 3000. For today’s post, however, we go back to a pubescent Blake, musically speaking. 2013 saw his sophomore album, Overgrown, grace the world after hearing a sample of it in the form of lead single, Retrograde.

Soulful and heartfelt, Blake’s low slung voice plods through the synth-filled, minimalist jungle of his production. Retrograde is part of a progressive journey away from dubstep, away from the singer/songwriter tag. Away from any genre restraints at all really. His sound is truly unique, with this song, in particular, forming a melancholic hark back to dubstep’s hay-day when Blake was growing up. Pioneers of the sound such as Burial and Skream were huge inspirations along Blake’s musical journey, and this shows how his style has shifted, encompassing more and more of RnB.

The rhythmic humming that underpins the whole song have a gospel quality to them that yet again dodge classification from one genre. Blake’s entire sound, across his entire discography, is fluid and complex. The production always makes each song feel like an audio blockbuster capable of transporting you anywhere. From an incredibly serious debut, self-titled project, to the gloomier, hip-hop rinsed offering from earlier this year, James Blake is a rare artist that is ever-evolving, and one that can be turned to no matter what the occasion, no matter what the emotion.

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

Day 56: First Fuck by 6LACK ft. Jhene Aiko

An RnB stalwart and a new kid on the block combine for First Fuck. Wintery, intimate and passionate, 6LACK and Jhene Aiko make a surprisingly delicate love song, considering the title.

Released in 2017 between 6LACK’S (pronounced “black”; the 6 is significant to him because of its spiritual importance and being raised in Atlanta’s Zone 6) freshman and sophomore albums, First Fuck came out as a single on LoveRenaissance and Interscope Records. He started recording at the age of 4 (yeah, 4! His father owned a studio) and started out his musical career with rap battles, famously engaging with Young Thug pre-fame for both of them. His moniker first entered the public eye in 2016 with his debut album Free 6LACK, bagging a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album in 2018. With a name like Ricardo Valentine, it’s amazing he chose to adopt a pseudonym, but the pronunciation debates regarding 6LACK have only served to raise his profile.

East Atlanta Love Letter is a fabulous second album, soaked in RnB and soul with just enough rough edges to occupy the ever-diversifying gap between hip-hop and rhythm and blues. 6LACK’s rap roots make for an interesting amalgamation of genres within a song and an album. Jhene Aiko’s inclusion makes for a dichotomy that reflects the songs battle between love and lust. Her voice is purer and smoother and has a cheeky knowingness that compliments 6LACK’s voice of the streets. He is lust, she is love and the song is a constant battle of emotions.

First Fuck is a prime example of modern-day RnB. Jhene Aiko helped pioneer the transition from the early noughties through till now, whilst 6LACK has a promising career as one of the artists to fly the flag proudly for the genre over the coming years.

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

Day 55: Ottolenghi by Loyle Carner ft. Jordan Rakei

There is a trend amongst rappers nowadays to namecheck basketball players in their bars. Recently, on his feature on 21 Savage’s a lot, J Cole mentioned New York Knicks and Orlando Magic point guards Denis Smith Jr.and Markelle Fultz respectively. 2009’s star-studded Forever was done in honour of Lebron James, and at the start of this blog, we featured Sheck Wes’ breakout hit, Mo Bamba (another Orlando star, this time a centre).

Loyle Carner opted for a different approach. Following his critically acclaimed debut album Yesterday’s Gone in 2017, Ottolenghi is named after Israeli-British chef, Yotam Ottolenghi. A bit different to a sports star! This was Carner’s first release since his album, and the honouring of the chef is fitting, considering the charity work he does. He runs cooking schools, primarily for children and teenagers with ADHD, to help them to cook and cope with their disability. It’s an issue close to his heart, having grown up with the condition also, and his school is brilliantly named Chilli Con Carner.

It’s based off an experience Loyle Carner had on a train, where he was reading the chef’s cookbook, Jerusalem, and was asked by a fellow passenger about his “Bible book”. He cites it in the song, singing “they ask about the bible I was reading/Told them that the title was misleading labelled it Jerusalem but/really it’s for cooking Middle Eastern” and he has employed New Zealander Jordan Rakei to supplement his gritty, hip-hop-washed singing voice.

The gentle combination of piano and synths becomes slightly more energetic with an assortment of drums, but the pairs delicate voices combine beautifully to create a frollicking track that breezes through a lazy summer evening. Loyle Carner’s intelligent lyricism and eloquent rapping are becoming notorious within the British hip-hop scene; a thriving community outside of the now global grime scene. Rakei is cut from the same cloth as Carner, producing effortlessly chilled out, hip-hop inspired music. The combination is as expected; a cleverly produced, mellow song that was well worth the 18-month wait Loyle Carner fans had before he released new solo music.

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

Day 54: Super Rich Kids by Frank Ocean ft. Earl Sweatshirt

Coming off Frank Ocean’s unbelievable modern classic, Super Rich Kids is a stereotypical slow jam that ebbs and flows smoothly through the world of substance abuse and the mistakes made by kids and young adults born into money.

Channel Orange, released in 2012, will go down as one of the best debut albums of all time. It followed a 2011 mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra, which itself came after Ocean’s induction into hip-hop collective Odd Future in 2010. It was released on Def Jam Recordings and bagged a Grammy for Best Contemporary Album in 2013.

Frank Ocean has recruited fellow Odd Future artist Earl Sweatshirt to spit in his deep, slow voice that compliments Frank’s RnB tones. The beat is minimal and seems an accessory to the much more important lyrical aspect of this track. This isn’t always the case, but with such a stripped back instrumental led by a piano and supplemented with a light scattering of drums and jazz-influenced synths, it forces the consumer to mull over and really feel the song. It is an analysis on the life of, well, super rich kids and is documenting a perspective that, in 2012, wasn’t as obvious to the masses.

Frank is a hugely important figure in music. Whilst he is an influential RnB artist and is cited as an inspiration for the newer generation, such as Khalid, Ella Mai, and H.E.R., his career has seen him impact and shift hip-hop culture. Historically a hugely homophobic genre, Frank Ocean coming out as gay was a positive step for the culture. He was supported heavily by fellow Odd Future members, Beyonce, Jay-Z, and countless others after he came out on his Tumblr blog in the summer of 2012. Never had such a huge star come out as gay so publically, and it was this brave step that has helped change hip-hop. It is by no means a finished journey, but with artists like Kevin Abstract of BROCKHAMPTON, and currently involved Tyler The Creator and Jaden Smith actively and proudly promoting inclusivity and individuality, the gay community has role models in high places in hip-hop. Long may that continue!

If you are unaware of the hype surrounding Frank Ocean, have a quick search for the frustration and anticipation for his next project following Channel Orange. It took 4 years for Blonde to release, and the internet broke down when it did. With such a beautiful voice, Frank Ocean’s discography is one you need to delve into. Late nights or early mornings, get this playing and enjoy.

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

Day 51: Location Unknown by HONNE ft. Georgia

Location Unknown is the subject of today’s blog, put together by all-caps British duo HONNE with Georgia providing the vocals.

HONNE consist of James Hatcher and Andy Clutterbuck and started collaborating just days into university. The name comes from the Japanese word for “true feelings” and they have a truly unique sound, fusing electronic and synth sounds with soul that amalgamates to create a delicate blend of music that is perfect for those intimate nocturnal moments. Location Unknown was originally released as a single ahead of the duo’s sophomore album Love Me/Love Me Not in August 2018.

It is synth heavy and has an ethereal feel to it, especially with Georgia’s wispy, haunting voice. The start of the song makes me think of a forest carpeted in fog at twilight, though it transforms into more of an understated dance track. It’s a very emotive song, as I can imagine a contemporary dance routine done to this track, which is amplified by the male and female voices

The duality of the song is not restricted to 4 minutes and 50 seconds within the album though. The whole album explores the highs and lows of life, with half the songs focusing on the positives and the other half focusing on the negatives. The album title, Love Me/Love Me Not reflects this and each song is stylised with a circle, half white half black, at the end of the title. Location Unknown is on the melancholic half, despite the tempo being quite high. This could be raw emotion and passion for the lost person the lyrics talk about driving the speed of the song along.

Whatever their creative decisions, it’s a well thought out, beautifully modern project that draws inspiration from some of the greats of yesteryear, such as Michael Jackson, Al Green and Quincy Jones. HONNE are rising stars and show that modern British soul music is thriving.

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

Day 50: Do It Like Me (Icy Feet) by TCTS ft. Sage The Gemini and Kelis

What a milestone! 50 days, 50 posts and 50 certified bangers brought to you via this blog. Bring on the next 50!

Now, we’ve had a few songs I’ve heavily associated with my time at student radio and this is another one to add to that pile. It got a lot of plays on my show in my third year (when I had actually deferred-minor details) and it is a very unique bop that I’m excited to bring to you.

Do It Like Me (Icy Feet) is a 2017 release from TCTS, known offstage as Sam O’Neill. A Mancunian DJ and producer signed to MTA (the Chase and Status-founded label), he has brought in Sage The Gemini fresh off his smash bop, Now and Later. It is a great feature verse, with his style and lyricism matching up perfectly with the uptempo, summery vibe TCTS is going for.

It is also hard to avoid the second feature. Kelis, most famously known for her milkshake, her boys, and her yard, comes in during the chorus and on the bridge. Her vocal range is well suited to this house sound and compliments Sage on the chorus really well. It is nice to hear vocal duties being split on a house track, albeit a commercially washed one.

Summer feels all around you with this song. It is carefree and cocky and is a perfect soundtrack for a summer recapturing lost youth. So clearly I’ve given it to you in February. Enjoy!

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

Day 49: Till The World Falls by Nile Rodgers & CHIC ft. Mura Masa, Cosha and Vic Mensa

Tagging the artists on my Instagram story was a hassle today! After 49 days we have a song with a whopping FIVE artists on the roster. Nile Rodgers & CHIC are the revamped version of the disco powerhouse CHIC, founded by Nile Rodgers back in 1976. Under this new moniker, they have released the 2018 album It’s About Time, performed on the BBC to bring in the New Year, are embarking on a 2019 tour and are even up for a Brit this week for Best International Group.

Having made some of the most iconic disco and funk music of all-time, the release of their first album since 1992 was premiered with this single, Till The World Falls. They clearly mean business, bringing in some very talented new-age musicians in Mura Masa, Cosha and Vic Mensa. Mura Masa is a British DJ and producer hailing from the Channel Island of Guernsey and, even at a young age, has a strong lineup of collaborations, including Nao, Jay Prince, Charli XCX, Christine and the Queens and even A$AP Rocky on his smash hit Love$ick (which itself was an already-released beat from Mura Masa entitled Lovesick Fuck which was released as part of his 2015 EP, Someday Somewhere).

Vic Mensa is a Chicago rapper who helped found hip-hop collective SAVEMONEY, alongside Chance The Rapper and previously featured Joey Purp, amongst others. He signed to Roc Nation in 2017 after some high profile features, including working with Kanye and Sia on his The Life Of Pablo track, Wolves. Kanye also featured on Mensa’s own U Mad, whilst a lot of crossover work with Chance The Rapper bolstered the rapper’s profile, with his projects Innanetape (2013), There’s Alot Going On (2016) and Manuscript (2017) all receiving positive feedback from critics and consumers.

Cosha is arguably the least well-known artist on here, but she has a history with fellow featured artist Mura Masa. She is a 22-year-old Irish vocalist who, under the pseudonym Bonzai, was Mura Masa’s live singer for all of his shows between 2015 and 2017, the period where he really exploded and started getting radio plays. Having previously sung back up vocals for Nao in 2014, she is now releasing music as Cosha, with her cleverly named debut album R.I.P Bonzai releasing last year.

All of these artists come together to revitalise the disco genre and repackage all that was good about it for a modern listener. There is still a deep love for disco and wider 80s music, with dedicated club nights and radio stations aplenty, but it is a genre and style that has found it hard to adjust to the rise of electronic and hip-hop music. Nile Rodgers and CHIC’s decision to bring in a hattrick of young artists with core, dedicated fan bases that are at the cusp of the shifting culture of popular music is genius. The song has the obvious stamps of disco, with the song opening with Nile Rodgers and CHIC to bring in hardcore disco-heads, whilst the song progresses into Vic Mensa’s verse to show young music fans who aren’t used to an 80’s sound that it is a versatile and upbeat style.

You might think that the song’s impressive lineup stops at the featured artists. As well as featuring Vic Mensa and Cosha on vocals and Mura Masa and Nile Rodgers on production, Anderson .Paak helped to write it and when it premiered on Later… With Jools Holland, Nile Rodgers brought out Mura Masa and Nao to perform the track. It is a great record and is a sign that Nile Rodgers, as he has done his whole career, is willing and incredibly able to bring his sound to whatever is trending in music on a global scale.

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

Day 48: Friend Zone by Thundercat

No that’s not your alarm going off, that is the opening beats of Thundercat’s Friend Zone. It has a very instrument heavy instrumental (if you know what I mean), with the bass and keyboard being supplemented with the hip-hop staple that is the synth. It reminds me quite a bit of yesterday’s lead artist, Anderson .Paak and the beat certainly sounds akin to To Pimp A Butterfly era Kendrick (on which he was a collaborator, as well as Lamar’s following project, untitled unmastered.).

Thundercat’s real name is Stephen Bruner and his first craft was playing the bass. He was very involved in the LA-based, pioneering movement of black music subverting and cross-pollinating music genres. He worked with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Erykah Badu, and Sa-Ra. His work with Flying Lotus led to his debut of the moniker Thundercat in 2011 on his project The Golden Age of Apocalypse. After the death of his close friend led to a more raw, darker album in Apocalypse in 2013, he worked on the aforementioned Kendrick Lamar projects and some of the late Mac Miller’s last work.

The song is a revenge song, focusing on the titular friend zone that unreciprocated love or romantic feelings can get you in. It’s notoriously difficult to escape this zone, and Thundercat makes light of this hugely relatable pit with clever lyrics and a jazzy outlook on heartbreak.

Thoughtfully released in time for Valentine’s Day 2017, it appeared on his album Drink. If you are looking for some imaginative, colourful and fresh artist and you enjoy hip-hop, then Thundercat and his impressive back catalogue is for you. If dance music is more your thing, Ross From Friends is an incredible DJ that has released a bouncy remix of this song and was featured on the collaborative album Brainfeeder X. All worth checking out if there’s nothing on the telly tonight or you’ve got a long journey ahead of you to get your teeth into some exciting music.

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

Day 47: The Waters by Anderson .Paak ft. BJ The Chicago Kid

This album is an unbelievable masterpiece, and I am so happy that Anderson .Paak is now getting the recognition he deserves after his joint win for Best Rap Performance for his track Bubblin at last weekend’s Grammys ceremony.

The Waters comes from Paak’s 2016 album Malibu and is the third song from what is a brilliantly composed body of work. He is from Oxnard, California and is a funky and soulful singer/rapper that has taken influence from the likes of fellow Californians Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar as well as The Free Nationals and KAYTRANADA. This album, Malibu, was the second album Paak released under that moniker, having previously released an album, O.B.E. Vol. 1, in 2012 as Breezy Lovejoy. It’s a great name in my opinion, alas he moved to his current pseudonym and has released some truly genre-bending hip-hop and funk music.

On The Waters, Paak recruits BJ The Chicago Kid for this wavy track. The Chicago native (no points for guessing that) has frequented songs with Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul, and it is a testament to Paak’s rising profile that he is collaborating with such a high profile star on just his sophomore project.

The verses have more of a rap flow to them, with the chorus reverting back to a more soulful sound that feels more true to the typical Paak instrumental. BJ’s feature is subtle and is a typical Paak use of a supplementary artist, seamlessly threading their vocals into the track to create a more emotive, funky sound. They work together rather than having distinct separation across verses.

It is this thinking and this approach to creating music that makes Anderson .Paak a truly unique musician that will continue to grab headlines, awards and even chart spots as the years roll on. This album was just the start for him and already he has gone on to release two more incredible projects in Yes Lawd! and Oxnard. Who knows where Paak can go from here.

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