MUSIC FRIDAY - WONDER, Slowthai, Central Cee, Headie One and Rochelle Jordan
WONDER Feat. Kasien – We Out
Emerging East London rapper WONDER is kickstarting his 2021 off the back of his previous single ‘Vanilla Sky’ which dropped in July. This time around he brings Kasien into the fold for ‘We Out’, a high energy offering that allows both artists to flex with inspired production by Kelvin Krash. Over sparse hi-hats and thumping 808’s, WONDER is fully in his element as he finds the right pockets to express himself on a cut that will make listeners yearn for the government to let us out. Until then though, we have the music to see us through.
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Slowthai Feat. Skepta – CANCELLED
A while before his sophomore album TYRON was scheduled to drop, Slowthai previewed a then unnamed collaboration with UK titan Skepta. Even though naysayers were not impressed due to his antics at the 2020 NME Awards, Slowthai’s nerve can never be questioned as he releases ‘CANCELLED’, a huge middle finger to his detractors and the ever-present cancel culture on social media. On a joint-production by Kwes Darko, SAMO and Kelvin Krash, the Northampton spitter and Meridian Walk veteran trade bars that parallel with the mutual sentiment of rebuking the cancelled label.
This marks their second collaboration following ‘Inglorious’ on Slowthai’s seminal debut Nothing Great About Britain. Following a homage to that iconic Budweiser advert in the intro, direction from THE REST depicts slowthai as an axe murderer, while Skepta eerily resembles Candyman under the moonlight. If Slowthai is anything, it’s consistent with the quality of his visuals.
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Central Cee – Commitment Issues
West London rapper Central Cee declares that he has ‘Commitment Issues’ in his latest drop but if he has shown us anything in recent times, it’s that he doesn’t have commitment issues with consistency as he drops banger after banger. On the eve of Valentines Day, Central Cee doesn’t drop your typical girl song as he describes the arguments, the side chicks and bando trips. With production being served up by Mokuba, Cee’s tempo sits in a comfortable hybrid of rap and drill as his relatable lyrics take us away from his grind. The Teeeezy C direction on the visuals has the young rapper on shopping trips with his bae, having a money fight as we see the highs and lows of Cee’s relationship. With his upcoming mixtape Wild West scheduled to drop on Match 14th, expect much more to come from the ever-consistent Central Cee.
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Headie One Feat. Burna Boy – Siberia
Off the back of a mammoth 2020 for the elite driller, Headie One does not let his foot up off the gas as he kickstarts his 2021 with the deluxe edition of his debut album Edna. Clocking in at just eight tracks long, an early standout is his collaboration with one of Nigeria’s brightest stars in Burna Boy. ‘Siberia’ comes with inspired production by Aod and The Elements – the guitar riffs and mid-tempo is reminiscent of a Gunna song. Nevertheless, Headie’s fluid nature and multiple flows allow him to exist comfortably on this tempo.
Burna’s international prowess is clear to see as he delves into a new rapping flow, almost sounding like an American yet holds his own comfortably with the North London rapper. Filmed on location in Siberia, Russia by KC Locke, the visuals places Headie in the snow as he continues to display range in his raps and sound.
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Rochelle Jordan – All Along
London-born, LA based songstress Rochelle Jordan is gearing up to make her long awaited return to music with her latest single ‘All Along’. Only her second music release following last year’s ‘Fill Me In’ and by the sounds of her lush vocals over dance-inspired production from KLSH and Machinedrum, this one feels like an ode to the clubs that we all miss so much. Uptempo and vibrant, the synths are complementary to Rochelle’s feathery voice, as she speaks powerful self-love affirmations to herself. With her highly anticipated fourth album coming almost seven years since the outstanding 1021, we at NuPrint are very much hotly anticipating all that Rochelle has to offer in 2021.
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