｡❁ New Single Release ❁ : RUBII “Jealousy”
｡❁ New Single Release ❁ : RUBII “Jealousy” ‘Jealousy’ is the latest and first single from Birmingham-born artist RUBII since the release of her ‘Olive Green’ EP last year. 04.03.24 Words by Gabi Machen This new song offers a laid-back yet vibrant beat overlayed with delicate keys and relaxed vocals, blending old-school hip-hop, jazz and R&B influences to create her signature sound. Rubii’s music creates a perfectly chilled vibe you can tap into no matter your mood, its mellow rhythms and smooth vocals provide a soothing soundtrack to daily life. Showcasing her conversational lyricism with an air of unbothered, Rubii lays out her experience of career jealousy interfering with a romantic connection. Though wise to the competitiveness coming from other musicians, she recites ‘I’ve been told differences but I think that it’s jealousy’. This single gives insight into the themes that her upcoming EP will explore, with a strong focus on self-empowerment you can expect to hear more honesty from Rubii. Alongside an EP in the works, Rubii recently supported the Wasia Project on their UK tour and is embarking on her first headline tour in April. Rubii’s success to date has paved the way for her to increasingly bring her creative vision to light, demonstrate her artistry and affirm her imprint in the alternative R&B space. If you are a fan of ENNY and JGrrey, you will want to keep RUBII firmly on your radar!
IN CONVERSATION – Meduulla
IN CONVERSATION – Meduulla discussing her debut EP ‘Oblongata’ Meduulla discusses her debut EP Oblongata, making connections through music and her love of language 05.01.24 Words by Paul Bacon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G49ttieW6vE Oblongata is Meduulla’s 8 track EP released late in 2023. First and foremost, and to put it simply, it’s an amazing listen. Meduulla combines her smooth Mancunian voice with a versatile, unpredictable flow that toys with words whilst simultaneously controlling the beat. Although it seems like a contradiction, Meduulla’s sound is both chilled and intense, somehow relaxed but with moments of defiant observation. The tracks blend nostalgia with modernity, taking you back to the Hip Hop golden era, evoking the vibes of Arrested Development and the Pharcyde, before catapulting you back to contemporary Manchester. Oblongata is Meduulla’s debut EP, “I wanted to allow people to get to know me deeper and give them different flavours of myself through my music and my style,” she says. The release is the culmination of a long running process, “Some of the tracks have been around since 2021, so I feel like I’ve been sitting with it for quite a while. It’s very easy to become detached from your project once you’ve made it, but I’m glad I gave it my attention because it’s still very new to everyone else.” “How do I know where my limbs reside? Living two lives tryna synchronise, Don’t get me wrong I’m a simple guy. Tryna find peace in a simple life.” Meduulla – Limbo Part of what makes Meduulla such a special artist is her ability to interweave insightful observations into her music. Often, such as in her track Limbo, these are reflections on identity, “I was born in Zimbabwe and moved to Manchester when I was three years old. So I feel like I grew up with two very different cultures, however they do have a strong historic connection due to colonialism,” she explains. “So growing up that was quite conflicting because basically, my family has seen this like the land of opportunity, the land of dreams, but now I’m here. I’ve grown up with not much context of where I’ve come from, and I feel kind of alienated sometimes.” Despite emotions of isolation, Meduulla has actually found belonging via these feelings, “I make music that’s for people that are a bit off the curve, people that might see themselves as outside. But then I embrace that and connect with other people.” For Meduulla, viewing difference as a form of connection makes perfect sense, “Embracing the fact that I’m not the same as other people has been my superpower and informed a lot of the music that I make.” “Yeah, times like this, Got me thinking how a concept like time exists, Its our planet so we got the power, Every minute of the day we spend, its all (h)ours” Meduulla – Night Trip View this post on Instagram A post shared by Meduulla bby (@meduulla) Meduulla prides herself on following in Hip Hop’s rich tradition of manipulating language for maximum impact, “I love wordplay. I think it’s sick. I think it’s dope how words are the way we understand what people are thinking in their heads.” It’s such an inherent aspect of her craft that its shaped not only her work, but even her name, “I called myself ‘Meduulla’ because I want to be able to give people different perspectives in their minds, that’s how I write. I might think, okay the way I’m saying this means this, but what else could it mean? You can find multiple meanings in absolutely everything.” This is fundamental when it comes to her word play and the choice and power of words she uses. But Meduulla being Meduulla, she goes a step further, “I’m blessed that I speak three languages, French, Shona and English, so if I can’t find an alternative meaning in English, I’m able to find it in a different language.” And that combination of linguistic capability, musicality and a background in poetry, means that Meduulla’s writing can hit you in many different ways on many different levels, “That’s the beauty of language, because everything is connected or you can make it connected which gives me different ways of thinking, literally just a spiral of talking to myself on paper. I’m trying to find a way to say the things that I feel about the world.” Although Meduulla’s art is distinctive, it evokes reminiscence for some of Hip Hop’s greats and her work is influenced by an eclectic selection of music, “Growing up, my older cousins used to listen to a lot of DMX, I loved his unique voice, and that peaked my interest into Hip Hop. As I got older, I found my own vibes, I was drawn to Kendrick Lamar, then J Cole and Chance the Rapper.” When you listen to Oblongata, this affection for clever lyricists who can also make popular bangers makes a lot of sense. And much like many Hip Hop fans of her age, she discovered a lot her musical tastes in reverse chronology, “Later I went back and started listening to stuff that was before my time, like A Tribe Called Quest, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu. I just love innovative minds.” “What’s that thing about the horse? You can take it to the river but to drink you can’t force. I’m tryna do me, that’s the message I endorse, And the fit is looking clean, you know I got the sauce.” Meduulla – Mish Muulla https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRu_KnpXNzI Its well documented that the music business can be a challenging space for female artists, and perhaps that is even more prevalent within the sphere of Hip Hop. A few years ago, Meduulla experienced barriers when she participated in the BBC’s Rap Game UK, “It was quite clear that to be praised, or do well, you had to have either a hyper-feminine persona or be hyper-masculine. I feel like there wasn’t room for an artist
IN CONVERSATION – L Dot ‘Hoodie SZN’
Photo Credit: Christopher Miller (Instagram: @cam_7th) IN CONVERSATION – L Dot ‘Hoodie SZN’ Hoodie SZN is Tottenham rapper L Dot’s new project, which is being released one track at a time, every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday throughout December. It’s a unique piece of work, covering an incredibly personal range of topics and showcasing her exhilarating talent and versatility. 14.12.23 Words by Paul Bacon Here’s a few problems pulling me down like gravity, 90% of people love my personality, And success comes naturally, So now the 10% are mad at me. L Dot – Capricorn Problems Photo Credit: Christopher Miller (Instagram: @cam_7th) Within about 30 seconds of meeting L Dot, it becomes clear why she’s so easy to like. Her infectious aura is hard to quantify or explain, “I’m used to being the loud person in the room, the animated person and people gravitate towards this energy that I’m giving off,” she says. When we talk, she’s wearing a black hoody, fittingly emblazoned with her Hoodie SZN logo, the hood up over her head and pulled down to just above her eyebrows. I can probably see about two thirds of her face, and most of that is covered by her smile. So what’s with that other 10% of people? “Sometimes when you are accepted by the masses you get this cold energy from a minority group of people,” she explains, “As I’ve got older, I’m less offended by that, but when I was young it was harder to understand.” As I speak to L Dot, she is in the midst of Hoodie SZN, her most ambitious project to date. “Throughout the month of December, I’m releasing high quality new music every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, all with visuals” she outlines. That’s thirteen tracks dropping across thirty-one days during the twelfth month of twenty twenty-three. Clearly L Dot isn’t using this holiday season to rest, “I want to be able to show people how versatile I am and give them loads of different things but in a way that’s still a cohesive package.” That is exactly what L Dot has achieved with Hoodie SZN, somehow blending a diverse collection of beats, flows and concepts which illustrate her lyrical dexterity, vocal agility and an ability to change mood as quickly as she can change rhythm and genre. From boom bap era sounds, to high tempo grime and reflective R&B, Hoodie SZN has it all, accompanied by slickly produced social media videos. L Dot hails from Tottenham, North London. When it comes to musical heritage, few places can compete with Tottenham’s roster of revered residents; from global superstar Adele to soul singer Lemar, grime legends such as Skepta, JME, Wretch 32 and Chip, and drill icons like Abra Cadabra and Headie One. L Dot says growing up in a place so steeped in musical prestige, particularly with regards to rappers, has had a big impact on her craft, “To have these people to be able to say cool, you look like me and you’re from where I’m from, it makes it seem feasible, doable, attainable, achievable.” L Dot has been immersed in music all her life. She grew up in a musical family, and then spent her school lunchtimes making use of the music department’s studio. She learnt how to use the equipment and recorded songs with her friends, whilst their peers were kicking ball and gossiping in the lunch hall. “We’d be begging the music teacher to let us in the studio for free, we were just broke secondary school kids!” she remembers. Amongst those lunchtime lyricists were Drifty and Chinny, two of L Dot’s long-term friends and collaborators, with whom she combines to form their trio F2D, “Myself and Chinny have always had a little to and fro where if he’s written a verse I’ll be like I need to rewrite mine, then he wants to add a little more pizzazz to his, so we always had that kind of battle of lyricism,” and what about Drifty? “He’s also lethal with the lyrics but he brings a different type of flavour and energy. When you put all that together, it’s a really cool package.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSNwNdQmsMg Period. Back hurting. Crap mood lurking. Whole womb shredding and they still want me working. L Dot – WomanHood Undeniably, one of the standout tracks on Hoodie SZN is ‘WomanHood’. Initially the beat conjures nostalgia of 2Pac’s ‘Do for love’, but that’s where the familiar feelings end, because this is song like nothing you’ve heard before. To put it simply, it’s about periods. “I want to make things relatable but also unique, and I just thought no one’s rapping about this!” says L Dot explaining her thought process. “We’re going through this every month. We even have female rappers going through this every month and nobody is putting it to a beat.” Using rap to describe the challenges of womanhood is bold, especially considering the particularly paradoxical position women in Hip Hop have often occupied. “For a long time, a female rapper might get to be ‘the one’, maybe there might be two, but you certainly couldn’t pick your top ten. That’s just the way it was,” explains L Dot. Female emcees have actually always been there, from originators like Sha-Rock and Roxanne Shante, through to the 80s with MC Lyte and Queen Latifah, to Lil’ Kim and Lauryn Hill in the 90s, before the likes of Missy Elliott started to become household names. “Now it’s not only Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, there’s so many others like Lola Brooks, Sexy Red and then in the UK we have people like Little Sims, great pen. Women are taking over rap, it’s our time to shine”. This is exciting, particularly in a music landscape shadowed in controversy surrounding gender inequality. Since 2000, only 4 female artists have headlined Glastonbury (one being L Dot’s fellow Tottenham-ite Adele), and other festivals having been criticised for similarly poor track records. But L Dot feels now is a good
NEW ALBUM FEATURE – SOFY ‘Chaos & Commotion’
Photo By Moja (@Moja.wtf) NEW ALBUM FEATURE – SOFY ‘Chaos & Commotion’ 27.10.23 Words by Scott Rudd An electrifying debut revelling in love, anxiety, heartbreak and Richard Curtis from one of Britain’s most exciting up-and-coming artists Debut projects, whether in music, film, television, books, and so forth, often leave the audience wanting more. This is usually due to the quality and content of the project, and it’s not a devastating or detrimental experience for an artist. However, SOFY’s debut mixtape, ‘Chaos and Commotion’ (Chess Club Records), manages to surpass these early-stage challenges and delivers one of the most impressive and exhilarating debuts I’ve encountered from a UK artist in a long time. She seamlessly blends indie, hip-hop, pop, and noise, making it seem as though she’s a seasoned veteran in the industry, although I’m certain she will become one in due time. Clocking in at a pleasant, albeit all too fleeting, 29 minutes, the 9 tracks on ‘Chaos & Commotion’ confidently showcase a unique and stylish approach to pop music that I wasn’t aware I needed until now. It’s quintessentially British and unapologetically so. The album kicks off with a rather raucous track, ‘Yoyo,’ in which SOFY passionately expresses her feelings of being toyed with. Her vocals are modulated, giving them a 90s Lo-Fi rock record feel, reminiscent of Blur’s self-titled project. At times, it can be a challenge to discern her lyrics amid the wall of noise generated by the guitars, drums, and DJ spins. Following ‘Yoyo,’ ‘Ashley Cole Type Beat,’ which I previously covered upon its release (you can read my coverage here: link), maintains the high energy but in a more polished and rapid style. ‘Socks’ slows down the tempo a bit, but it’s a welcomed change. It’s a heartfelt love song that fearlessly embraces the romanticized aspects of Britain. SOFY compares her life to a Richard Curtis movie, brimming with optimism, which is a breath of fresh air, especially in the midst of the challenging times we’re living in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkx4bdbHXc4 ‘Timothée Chalamet’ is a steamy track that explores the passionate embrace of a lover. It features what I believe to be SOFY’s best performance on the album. By this point in the project, it becomes evident that her talent for writing hooks and choruses is undeniable. Each and every song on this project boasts hooks that have the potential to bring the house down when she embarks on her upcoming tour in the coming months. ‘Breathing Exercises’ is a poignant exploration of anxiety, with SOFY at her most observant, both for the better and worse for the artist. Sonically, this track falls somewhere between calm surf rock and upbeat chamber pop, creating an exceptionally well-balanced composition. On the other hand, ‘No Drama’ takes a complete 180-degree turn from the previous song, with SOFY’s vocals gliding effortlessly over a sumptuous beat. If any traces of anxiety lingered from ‘Breathing Exercises,’ ‘No Drama’ eradicates them completely. The influence of modernized rocksteady and ska takes center stage on ‘Wet Paint,’ a tale of admiration and temptation. It explores the notion of giving in to that glimmer of hope, even when you know it’s the wrong time and place—a pipe dream about love. ‘He’s Not You’ is an anthemic ballad that practically begs for an encore, with its intense build-up leading to a beautifully executed climax. The album concludes with ‘Supermarket,’ which wraps things up nicely, despite its moody and regretful content. What stands out most is SOFY’s ability to handle themes like heartbreak and loss in a way that doesn’t come across as cringeworthy, a pitfall that many artists in a similar vein often stumble into. There’s really nothing to complain about here, except for the desire to hear more from this exciting new talent in a genre that’s already quite crowded. With her witty songwriting and keen ear for production choices, SOFY appears to be forging her unique path in the music world, and I’m eagerly following her every step of the way. Chaos & Commotion will be released on 27th October via Chess Club Records https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJcOqVDHADU You Might Also Like Greater London, Hip-Hop, Indie, Leicester, New Releases, SOFY
NEW SINGLE RELEASE – COURTNEY ‘Early Morn’ ft. YB Fordy
NEW SINGLE RELEASE – COURTNEY ‘Early Morn’ ft. YB Fordy 27.09.23 Words by Catherine Gannon COURTNEY sandwiches finesse, tight vocals, and apt lyrics in Early Mornto create a modern R&B BLT for listeners to sink their teeth into. The up-and-coming Nottingham singer has already proved her potential, performing earlier this year on the BBC Introducing East Midlands line-up. She is certainly one to watch not only on the Nottingham scene but internationally as well. Courtney uses sleek vocals and a stripped-back texture to give Early Morn its ‘new old school’spin, as described by the singer herself. The song was produced by @80pandchewsday_ and features @ybfordy. Early Mornevokes the attitude and sass prevalent in modern R&B hits such as FLO and Missy Elliot’s Fly Girl,but with much more intimacy and nuance, its more minimalistic instrumental backing allowing Courtney’s fluid and super tight vocal riffs to take centre stage—something characteristic of her previous musical output. Early Morn immerses us in a sound world of offbeat bass, irresistible harmonies, and polished vocal riffs. The upper harmonies from the backing vocals over the chorus give a lightening to the track, with a nice contrast from Courtney in the second verse with a warmer, lower vocal register. The lyrics are sassy and seductive. The opening has an impressive downward vocal riff with ‘Hi, nice to meet you/yeah, I’m here with my girls/just a couple of divas’, while the texture fills out more during the chorus:‘so get free, babe/go and dance with me/feel it/we step into the early morn.’ Early Morn is no doubt a track that will provide listeners with a mood boost or serve as the perfect backdrop for getting ready for a night out. Courtney’s style captures everything good about modern R&B while injecting it with masterful vocals,satisfying harmonies, and an artfully understated instrumental backdrop. Early Morn is sure to have fans listening on repeat. https://youtu.be/fxN3dzwopZ0 You Might Also Like COURTNEY, Hip-Hop, New Discovery, New Releases, Nottingham, RnB, Single