It’s Monday! Here’s another round-up of our favorite releases from emerging artists within the last week. Listen to a powerful anthem reimagined by Melanie Charles, the story of lose-lose situation from Spanish Caribbean singer-songwriter Rosemarie, and an energized summer track from A$AP TyY.
Don’t forget to share the wealth with our Spotify playlist, linked below.
Spencer., “myluv”
Floating across the WIlliamsburg bridge, Spencer is unwavering. On his latest single, the Bedstuy up-and-comer smoothly boasts about his unbreakable bond with a special someone. In true summer love fashion, Spencer details entire days laid up lazy with his lover (“Gettin’ tongue-tied sittin’ with you dumb fried/ kissing ‘til the sunlight’s missing but it’s alright”). The track, reminiscent of a 2017 Steve Lacy record, earns points for originality through its horn section and Spencer’s distinct tone.
Hunnah, “Appreciate”
Ethiopian-Canadian songstress Hunnah wants to be seen. With an ultra-catchy pre-chorus and ’90s-esque stacked melodies, “Appreciate” comes straight from the heart, as Hunnah pours out her “unvoiced desires.” The instrumental features a bold bass line, snappy drum pattern and a slow-and-sexy feel, thanks to heavy reverb and ethereal harmonies.
Melanie Charles & Marlena Shaw, “Woman Of The Ghetto (Reimagined)”
Breathing new life into a 1960s anthem for empowerment, Melanie Charles delivers a charged performance of Marlena Shaw’s “Woman of the Ghetto.” The track comes ahead of Charles’ album, Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, which contains renditions of songs by vocal powerhouses Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Abbey Lincoln and Dinah Washington, most of which were also early activists.
A$AP TyY, “100 Rounds”
A$AP Mob’s resident biker is back with a gritty summer single, “100 Rounds.” The track feels true to the A$AP sound, featuring deep, dark 808s, reverberating ad libs and grunt-filled rhymes. In the visualizer, TyY confidently pulls dangerous stunts atop his bike through the streets of his native Harlem, surrounded by his crew.
Lute feat. DEVN, “Myself “
For his new record “Myself,” Lute valiantly speaks on his uphill battles against pain and anxiety. The Dreamville rapper bares it all, as his tooth-and-nail mentality makes him the preeminent underdog deserving of a win. –CARL LAMARRE
Otis Kane, “Only You”
Call him crazy, but Otis Kane knows exactly what (and who) his destiny is on his newest track. “Only You,” which comes right on the heels of the L.A. artist/producer’s June album Purple BLUE, is pushed forward by Kane’s charismatic vocals and tinged with a slightly ominous guitar refrain.
Rosemarie, “Catch 22”
“Catch 22” arrives alongside nine new tracks as part of Rosemarie’s new album Sinnergy, and finds the frustrated singer giving up on a relationship that’s going nowhere. “Up, down, why you gotta make me choose,” she rants over sparse, idyllic chimes. “Left, right, doesn’t matter what I do/ Me, you, that’s a catch 22/ You lose, you lose.”
Jean Deaux, “STREETS”
The latest track from Chicago artist Jean Deaux is a wonderfully chill song, maintaining an easy-going sound that cleverly offsets its lyric’s anxiety-inducing topics like detachment and losing touch with reality. “The streets calling my name,” she sings over hypnotic self harmonies. “If you want to know it’s real, touch it and see how it feel.”
Shaolinn, “Vivian”
Shaolinn’s new song almost sounds like it shouldn’t be categorized as an R&B song — almost. She spends a good chunk of “Vivian” leaning into a sunny California pop sound before snapping into pointed syncopation and a dreamy bass/guitar combo, making her a rising R&B artist who isn’t afraid to be inventive.
Declaime, Dudley Perkins, Mereba, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Ayun Bassa & Braxton Cook, “Eyes Wide Shut”
A mega-collaboration between a mouthful of today’s rising R&B artists, “Eyes Wide Shut” examines the consequences of staying willfully ignorant to corruption and prejudice. “Eyes wide open and still can’t see,” Declaime raps over a smooth horn section. “Now the thought’s on your mind/ ‘Why was I so blind?’”
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