Happy Sunday everyone! I hope everyone has had a productive week and a relaxing weekend! The weather is definitely getting colder and gloomier now so it’s the perfect time to bring out the winter vibes playlist. This is the kind of weather I usually listen to even more R&B, slow jams, softer music in general. As always, I’ve created a playlist reflecting this season and will be adding more and more music as the days go on. Here are some of the songs I’ve added to the playlist recently.
Pardison Fontaine – By Myself
This is one of my favourite Pardison Fontaine songs! Before being known as Meg Thee Stallion’s boyfriend, Pardi already established himself as a successful writer and artist. If you haven’t heard his music before, I suggest starting with this song and working your way backwards! He’s very talented.
Yung Bleu Ft. Kehlani – Beautiful Lies
I can never seem to get tired of this song! Such a beautiful combination of voices! Kehlani never misses on features and Yung Bleu just has the perfect voice for songs.
Drake Ft. Lil Durk & Giveon – In the Bible
I feel CLB was one of those albums that you had to sit on. My feelings on the album now to when it first came out have changed dramatically! I really think a lot of the songs on the album have massive replay value, even more so than on his previous album. This particular song is one of my favourites on the album and for me, I liked the range of Drake’s voice on this. You hear rapping Drake, deep sounding Drake and high notes Drake. Durk and Giveon made the perfect pairing on this song however, Durk’s verse was extremely disappointing.
Young Thug Ft. Future & Bslime – Peepin out the Window
Thug and Future always make bangers and this song is no different. Perfect song for the playlist!
Ladipoe Ft. Fireboy DML – Running
Ladipoe is one of my favourite artists at the moment! He has a very unique sound. This song is one of my favourites from the EP.
Kanye West Ft. Jay – Z – Jail
You already know any song featuring Hov will be on one of my playlists. I like the slow-paced feel of this song and how Hov switches his flow to accommodate the laid back theme. It’s also great to hear Kanye and Hov on music again. Hopefully, as Jay Z says, it is the “return of the throne” and we will hear more music from the pair.
Have a listen to the ‘Winter Warmers” playlist below:
Hey Everyone! Day 100000000 of quarantine, I hope you’re all doing well and keeping safe while following your government’s guidelines! Today’s post is dedicated to all the music I’ve been listening to and loving in the past 2 weeks! Some are from established artists and some from upcoming. Please give them all a try, there should be a song here for you!
I’ve got a few ideas for the blog that should be coming into effect within the next couple months so pleas stay tuned! If you enjoy the site, please share and pass on to friends. I’m grateful for all of you!
My top playlists picks:
Promise – Gara (2020) – Produced by Randsombeatz
I stumbled upon this guy and since then I have been addicted to his music! If you are an afrobeat fan, this is the perfect song for you, Even if you’re not, have a listen. The song is from a British Nigerian artist that goes by the name of ‘Promise’ hailing from London. His music is usually a fusion of afrobeats, dancehall and UK rap. Usually when I hear a British artist that does afrobeats, I sometimes get disappointed because on occasion I feel the actual African essence is sometimes missing from their sound. This is definitely not the case for Promise. His music hits the spot in terms of that special authentic African sound. I was more disappointed that he only had 3 songs for me to listen to! Hopefully this is the beginning of a long career for him! I will be first in line waiting to hear more great music from him. (Check out his song ‘Promise‘ too, another one of my favourites)
Chris Brown x Young Thug – Go Crazy (2020) – Produced by KanielTheOne
Chris Brown and Young Thug recently released their joint album called ‘Slime & B’. I was pleasantly surprised with this tape, I feel their voices blended really well throughout and I think they both were able to showcase their individual talents too. This particular song stood out to me as a summer track and has now even been made into a dance challenge! The beat is a perfect pick me up and I can see this being a big song this summer.
Young Thug x Future – Help Me Breathe (2020)
This outro from Chris Brown and Young Thug’s joint album happens to be my second favourite on the tape. This time it features Young Thug collaborating with the toxic king himself, Future. We already know that Thug and Future make good music together based on their joint tape released in 2017. Personally one of my favourite joint songs from them was from Thug’s album ‘Beautiful Thugger Girls’, the song being “Relationship”. With this song “Help Me Breathe”, I feel it is actually quite a sweet one. Both of them talk about the importance of their partners in question indicating that they are giving them life. Check it out below;
Shana – Crush on You (2020) – Produced by Jiffthegeneral
Moving to an RnB theme, this is a new song from a new artist! This debut song is from London RnB singer Shana. With this being her first single I am hoping we hear much more from her in the future. I’m pretty sure this song will have you singing “I’ve got a crush on you” over and over and doing some kind of shuffle. I like the freshness that I get from this song, no gimmicks, just pure good vibes and excellent production. The female (even male) Rnb scene in London isn’t as big as it can be and it’s refreshing to hear more and more newcomers. Have a listen to the song below and enjoy:
Kehlani Ft Jhené Aiko – Change Your Life (2020)
Following on from the RnB theme, I had a listen to Kehlani’s new tape this week and this song for me was one of my stand outs. Jhené and Kehlani on the same song makes complete sense, both queens have the perfect sensual voices to blend with each other. I love Jhené’s verse in the second verse as she sings to the person in question hyping them up while also pointing out that they would be even better together. In verse 3, Kehlani lays it all on the table and when I first heard this verse I replayed it multiple times. “Used-to-be models, IG honeys all shaped like bottles but now you seein’ that it’s more than body, face, and smile. You see me, and you look beyond it, you feel inspired…”. So beautiful. Check it out below;
CE – Who Am I? (2020) – Produced by DCQBEATZ
Another one from CE! I’m a fan of this track for sure, it has a nice vibe to it, the beat is great too. CE raps less on this particular track and lets his singing do all the talking! This will have you singing “Everytime you find me, you try to remind me of who I am” like it’s been doing to me! The artwork is great too! Have a listen below:
Russ Ft Ty Dolla $ign – 3AM (2020)
If you haven’t checked it out already, I have a Russ album review out https://musicandlifeblog.com/2020/02/18/album-review-russ-shake-the-snow-globe/ . Russ has now brought out a deluxe version of the album including this new song featuring Ty Dolla $ign. He teased the song earlier this week and I had a feeling it was going to be a good one. Ty Dolla on any song is always a joy to listen to and you will not be disappointed with this track. Ty’s verse is such a pleasure to hear, the harmonies and rifts as perfect as always. I’m gonna have to dive into the extra tracks Russ has blessed us with but for now, have a listen to this song below;
Some other songs I’ve loved:
Joyner Lucas Ft Will Smith – WillRemix (2020) – Will killed his verse with that old school flow, his verse content was solid and he was speaking facts! Always great when idols jump on the tracks about them.
French Tha Kid – Dream (2020) – Produced by KP Beatz – I recently came across this guy and he’s pretty good. I like the flow switch up on this song. I think he’s got an exciting upcoming career in the works.
DaBaby Ft. Roddy Rich – ROCKSTAR (2020) – I’ve had this song on repeat, definitely my favourite from the album. Da Baby shows himself in a different light here for me, his rapping is solid. Beat is crazy too!
Hey all, Happy Sunday! I know Sundays for most are quite relaxing or religious and laid back. I have compiled a list of a few songs I’m playing at the moment that have that chilled back vibe. Remember to check out my Spotify playlist on the top of the page! Have a listen below and next week I will be back with more content for you.
Kehlani Ft. Ty Dolla $ign – Nights Like This (2019)
Fun fact: Kehlani was actually the reason I started writing about songs. Originally I started writing as a therapy for me to express my thoughts and problems and it was all due to hearing one of her songs. She has the ability to sing a song and get you invested to the point you start seeing the similarities in your own life. I’ve already talked about my love for Ty Dolla in features and this song is no different. The pair in this song are perfect. This song plays on the idea of deceit and dishonesty as she sings; “You gon’ say you want me, then go switch it up, just gon’ play with my emotions” implying that she’s been messed about. You can feel the pain she feels in this song; “Feel like it’s too hard to fall in love again”, the experience has even made her wary of trying again. Overall, this is one of my favourite Kehlani songs. Have a listen below.
Eric Bellinger Ft. Chris Brown & OG Parker – Type A Way (2019)
This song is taken from Eric’ new 32 song EP titled ‘The Rebirth 2′. I’ve been a fan of Eric Bellinger for a while, he’s a great songwriter and has some great songs. He has a unique catchphrase “This gon’ be your favorite song” which I love hearing at the beginning of a song. OG Parker is a producer and sometimes I feel like producers don’t get enough credit so shout out to him has the production for this song is on point. Chris Brown and Eric fuse so well in this song that sometimes it is hard to even know who was singing. They have similar talents where they can hit high notes and low notes in the same breath. I like the fact that the song is quite mixed in terms of both of them singing. A featured song is mostly just a little piece of the featured artist but this is more a collaborative effort. Have a listen below:
Hypo Ft. Yxng Bane & Asco – First Night (2019)
This is a UK feature and boy is it catchy! The song reminds me exactly of Usher’s song “I Don’t Mind” (2014) where he states that if a woman chooses to be a pole dancer it doesn’t mean she is “loose” which is the stereotype associated with that profession. Similarly to Usher’s song Hypo, Yxng Bane & Asco sing about the same premise and even argue that sleeping with a man on a first night does not mean the guy will not “wife” her. The UK guys make a good group and I’m sure you’ll be singing the chorus repeatedly after a few listens. Have a listen to the song below as well as Usher’s song that possible served as inspiration for them.
Usher’s original
Hypo version.
Pia Mia – Ocean Drive (2017)
Pia is most famous for her song “Do it Again” with Tyga and Chris Brown but I’m surprised this song from her wasn’t more of a hit. I like how the tone of the song changes and the sound gets more upbeat throughout the song especially during the chorus. This song will be best to listen to with a speaker that has a great Base or with both headphones in at the loudest volume. If you close your eyes, in pretty sure you can picture yourself on a beach somewhere, I certainly can!
Angel – Thug Juice (2018)
UK singer Angel has just signed with a major record label which is great. He is so talented and has such a distinctive voice so I’m glad he’s getting the recognition he deserves. This song fits in with the theme of this post. If you want a song to chill to and just bop your head slowly, this is the perfect song. Have a listen below.
The highly anticipated debut album from woman of the moment Cardi B is finally out!!! Her debut song ‘Bodak Yellow’ was arguably one of the hits of 2017. The song allowed the world to see Cardi B in a different light, a legitimate artist, rather than just a character on the TV show “Love and Hip Hop’. This album is one of the best debut rap albums I have heard in a while. The production on each song is incredible and you can tell some real thought and effort when into the making of this album. I will focus on specific songs in due course and I always believe albums should take time to marinate in your ears for at least a week before you can choose the real hits. However, on first listen these are my quick opinions.
Get up 10 (Intro) . This is such a great introduction to the album and reminds me of the infamous introduction on Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nighmares’ album. Favourite line: “I was covered in dollars, now I’m drippin’ in jewels”, pretty much sums up Cardi as a whole.
Drip Ft. Migos. Typical Migos song meaning very hyped and very catchy, Cardi’s verse was good. Only issue is that Cardi was drowned out on her own song. Migos definitely overtook it. Favourite line would have to be every adlib when “Ice” is mentioned.
Bickenhead. Pure rap. This song really demonstrates Cardi’s rap ability. The song will definitely have you bopping your head. Favourite line: “I’ma flex like a ‘roid, I’m a ten, she a ‘droid”
Bodak Yellow. Classic. The song that started it all and it is yet to get old. Favourite line: “These expensive, these is red bottoms, these is bloody shoes”….classic!
Be Careful. This song was released a few days earlier and while many were not expected this direction from Cardi, I welcome the refreshment. Only wish is that a singer such as Dej Loaf was the one singing the chorus. It is nice to see Cardi in a more vulnerable light though and it reminds us that she is human and can be be versatile. Favourite lines: “Thinkin’ I’m flawed because you inconsistent… It’s gon’ hurt me to hate you, but lovin’ you’s worse”.
Best Life Ft. Chance the Rapper. One of my favourites on the album. I love the sentiment behind it. Chance as usual adds his own unique signature to it. Favourite line: “I made a couple M’s with my best friends, turned all my L’s into lessons”
I like it Ft. Bad Bunny & J Balvin . If you are a fan of Reggaeton or latina music, this song will definitely win your hearts. You cannot listen to this song without feeling like you want to salsa or cha-cha! Favourite line: Oh he’s so handsome, what’s his name”. Full review coming soon.
Ring Ft. Kehlani. This song is enough to get anyone in their feels. Kehlani’s beautiful voice provides the song with a R&B feel. Favourite line: “You gon’ be sick to your, stomach” (more the tone change at that part but will provide a more detailed review in due course)
Money Bag. Possibly my least favourite on the album because the song sounds extremely similar to ‘Bodak Yellow’ in terms of the flow. This song does have one of my favourite lines though; “I said “Bae, it’s a snack,” he said it’s a entrée”. Haha
Bartier Cardi Ft. 21 Savage. This song was released as the second single on this album (after Bodak Yellow). The flow on this demonstrates her ability and I believe 21 Savage compliments the vibe of this song so well. Favourite line: “I like hot sauce on my chicken”
She Bad Ft. YG. I almost didn’t even recognise YG on this song! He sounds very different but I do like this song. Favourite line: “I could buy designer but this Fashion Nova fit”
I Do Ft. SZA. A very fitting end to the album andI can’t think of anyone else who would do this song justice other than SZA. Favourite line: “My little 15 minutes lasted long as hell, huh”
