Happy Monday! Along with your morning coffee, enjoy a fresh-baked batch of the finest tracks in emerging R&B/hip-hop this week. From head-bouncing Atlanta trap to smooth R&B love songs, our list will have you well-prepared for the next seven days.
This week, listen to the sounds of Little Simz, IDK, Savannah Ré and more. Don’t forget to share the wealth with our Spotify playlist, linked below.
Charlotte Day Wilson, “Keep Moving”
In preparation for her upcoming album, ALPHA, Charlotte Day Wilson released her second single of the spring, “Keep Moving.” Coupled with an equally potent visual, the single centers love from a distance with parallels to life at large, Wilson singing, “Sometimes, I need something that’s so far from me/ But if it’s not meant to be/ I gotta keep moving.” The visual artfully spotlights underrepresented love stories, while Wilson cruises under pink and blue moonlit skies.
Jequcory Davis & Perrier Rosewood, “05 Fubu”
Detroit’s Jequcory Davis recruited some of the city’s finest for his compilation project, Phil Jackson. On “05 Fubu,” producer DJ Koost brings summer energy with bright chords and LA-esque basslines and percussion. All the while, Perrier Rosewood delivers quotable lines (“She was after the Bagdad like Bin Laden”) mixed in with a melodic chorus.
Savannah Ré, “24hrs”
In a declaration of never-ending love, Savannah Ré makes it clear through her vulnerable lyricism and soothing performance that 24 hours just aren’t enough with that special someone. With a pillow of layered, ethereal harmonies backing her lead vocal and a 3/4 time, true R&B instrumental, “24hrs” has us all longing for summer love.
Little Simz, “Rollin Stone”
After a 13 second melodic intro, “Rollin Stone” switches up to a hard-hitting, percussion-driven instrumental bed for Simz’s confrontational rhymes (“I can’t vouch for a man that ain’t got the talent and business combo/ It’s all a sport, flow and archery, don’t get hit with the crossbow”). Halfway through, Simz softens her approach, offering an 808-heavy switch up, slowing, sweetening and simplifying her flow, the U.K. hip-hop mainstay declaring, “Bad b–ch, said that she wanna know what’s underneath/ I could show you things in private, know I hate to cause a scene.”
Lil Gotit ft. Lil Keed and Yak Gotti, “Get N Dere Gang”
Atlanta’s Lil Gotit enlists the help of YSL up-and-comers Lil Keed, and Yak Gotti — the former Gotit’s younger brother–on “Get N Dere Gang,” a true trap, 808-drenched track from his album, Top Chef Gotit. The song is the perfect soundtrack for careless fun, the visual showing the trio alongside Young Thug and Gunna, visibly co-signing the artists and singing along with their lyrics.
EST Gee, “Bigger Than Life or Death”
EST Gee is the same person he was prior to his fame. Signed to Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group, the Louisville rapper prides himself on self-discipline to keep it this way. On “Bigger Than Life or Death,” he raps about his life’s luxuries, but ends with a message: “Keep that s–t internet man, ‘cause n—-s don’t wanna bump for real in the street/ Know we really out here man, we the reason s–t the way it is/ Man it’ll never be the same, bigger than life or death.”
Remble, “Touchable”
L.A. artist Remble has only been rapping for a couple of years, but it doesn’t seem like it. On his new single “Touchable,” he raps with ease — to the point where it sounds like he’s just talking over the beat. The emerging rapper recently joined Stinc Team, an L.A.-based rap group led by Drakeo the Ruler. With this guidance, Remble should prove to be a West Coast force to be reckoned with in the near future.
IDK, “Peloton”
On “Peloton,” IDK raps and sings about a girl he is longing for. “She call a n—a Peloton, say she wanna ride the bike/ She make a n—a ego go high tonight/ I hope I don’t have to tell a lie tonight, so we can lie tonight,” he sings. The song is the Maryland singer’s second single off of his forthcoming album USEE4YOURSELF.
Tkay Maidza, “Cashmere”
Zimbabwean-Australian artist Tkay Maidza is one with nature in the video for her new single “Cashmere.” The song is warm as its title suggests, and the video finds the rapper/singer embedded in a floral meadow, driving a vintage pickup truck full of flowers through a pink sky.
Rema, “Soundgasm”
Nigerian artist Rema released “Soundgasm” just in time for summer. The sexually-charged “Afrorave tune” (as he calls it) fits the vibe of a rooftop day party. Hopefully, that can be put to the test this summer.
