In this week’s edition of 5 for Friday we cast a handful of artists bringing forth incredible sounds. Tora drops her debut EP project which houses a bunch of refreshing sounds you ought to hear on ‘Cavalier’, and Vinch dips into current affairs and speaks up on an important subject matter on his latest drop ‘Black’. There’s still plenty of good music to enjoy out there, but it’s only right you start with some of the nice selections below.
Rema – Alien
The man on the moon, Kid Cudi, kicked down industrial gates in the wake of his journey, and, in hindsight, brought about a horde of musical anarchists. Rema hops on Hov’s ‘Dead President’ and gives the old production a new lease on life.
The punch drunk rapper glides from a drowsy state into a sober reality in the opening sequence. Over a carousel of piano keys sidelined by hi-hats firing away like an AK47 in the desert, where Rema finally admits that he’s caught feelings for a thot. From there on, he shreds the score with his sung-rap delivery and cranks it up to babyish tones as he revels in his alien status. Once the re-worked production fluctuates Rema strikes a sweet-spot where notes swivel together in a colourful pattern with hollow shrieks traversing the climax of his enlivened sound.
Vinch – Black
The world may be in disarray, but on this defiant operation Vinch alleviates the plight of many Black people on the aptly titled ‘Black’. Music and politics co-exist in this radiant production where the outspoken rapper notes his thoughts on audio.
Smooth, groovy melodies trace along the rapper’s poetic words and in spite of the challenges, he calmly states: “still here, we still here.” All in one take he pours out a mouthful on the frustration faced by youth; fears inflicted through trauma and Black faces kissing gravel under crushing weight. With assistance from Noden on this co-production, the bass guitar strokes your ears with stirring grooves and sentimental chords on which Vinch delivers his truth. ‘Black’ is a rallying outcry for Black people to never back down and to remain confident in their blackness.
Kwaku Asante – Dust
In a bid to return to normality, Kwaku Asante’s taste of heartbreak takes us to church and emits a heartfelt vibe. On his newly released track, ‘Dust’, he provides a breath of fresh air and dives deep into a rich production.
The current influx of upcoming British singers occupying R&B are, for the most part, pushing an abstract sound. Left-field artists are the new normal and while they are rightfully rewriting the script, Kwaku is right bang in the sweet spot. On ‘Dust’ he reins down his raw, tenor vocals over a string-led production playing a dreamy melody. Mellow drums complement the smooth atmosphere cultivated on the Lester Duval production, and sweet harmonies transmit deep felt pain. Kwaku Asante’s ‘Dust’ is a touching ode to what was lost, but the orchestration of sounds are soulful to the point where it’s palpable.
Jonesy – Acting
Jonesy enters into the 2020 rap canon with a collection of songs released on his mini-project One Two Flexing Vol. 1. He carries the torch for Alqae on ‘Acting’ and posts up cold rhymes and vivid pictures on this solo outing.
It is all good business as usual for the smooth wordsmith whose subtle delivery exhibits his cool charisma on the mic. The suspenseful production is a toned down affair, but his ambitions remain sky high between ringing piano keys and seasonal drums booming on cue. The pen flows profusely on ‘Acting’ which finds the rapper drawing up clever lines from the starting line. “I’m, like, looking like a sunflower when I go shopping bare yellow bags when I’m shopping,” he raps, amongst sport references and aspirations waiting to unfold.
Tora – Pisonia Prologue & Escape Room
Tora moves onwards with her unique sound and welcomes the arrival of her debut 5-track EP – ‘Cavalier’. It’s a progressive sonic bustling with mental pictures and feelings vocalised over extravagant productions.
It would do no justice to the songstress to pin her sonic to one genre, and ‘Pisonia Prologue’ is a warm welcome to her soulful aesthetic worn over Courage’s abstract production. Piano keys lined up against lo-fi frequencies and distant sirens that welcome Tora’s raw notes which expand into sharp notes uttered with sincerity. Tora’s ‘Pisonia Prologue’ is a call to action for the passive to bring about their own liberation. ‘Cavalier’ also comes alongside a brand-new video for closing track ‘Escape Room’.
