J Cole's 'IQ is average', Cubgod is going to 'save the world' and Belle Delphine is 'back'...
THE BEST:
'Snow on the Bluff' - J Cole
The negative response to this track on Twitter led me to
believe that Cole had said something stupidly outrageous like ‘bLaCk lIvEs dOn’T
mAtTeR!’ or ‘nOnAmE is A WhOre!!!’, but that clearly isn’t the case. The issue with this track is a little bit more complex and I get why it could come across
as an unnecessary attack on Noname. Personally, I think it shows an endearing confessional
side to Cole, and that people are missing the moral at the end ‘maybe cause
deep down I know I ain’t doing enough’. Cole’s flow is also insane and the
singing at the end is gorgeous (that is J Cole singing, right?).
‘Lockdown’ - Anderson Paak ft. Jay Rock
Another BLM-themed track – ‘Lockdown’ sees versatile
singer-rapper recounting his experience of the riots over a smooth funky
instrumental. In fact, it’s the smoothest and funkiest protest song I’ve ever
heard (why should protest songs be loud and angry?). Jay Rock provides a slick
a cappela verse towards the end, while various other musicians make a visual
appearance in the video (many of which I didn’t recognise because they’re all
masked up).
‘Out of Control’ – KOYO
Leeds rock band, KOYO – who I featured a couple weeks ago on the blog – have dropped their new album, You Said It, today. ‘Out of
Control’ is the latest single from the album. It features dreamy vocals over layers
of energetic Foo-Fighters-esque guitars (complete with lots of sharp dramatic
pauses). The video meanwhile contains bizarre black-and-white footage of a dude
piloting what looks like a flying saucer. I’m not sure what it has to do with
the song, but I’m digging it.
‘Save the World’ – Cubgod
It’s okay everyone. LA experimental hip hop artist Cubgod is
here to save the world. This dude’s ego is almost as big as mine, but right now
the world is a mess and we need more people with this gun-ho imma-save-the-world
attitude. Beneath the message, the track itself is really fun – I’m loving the
wobbling synths and his playful delivery reminds me of Childish Gambino.
‘The New Weird’ – Robin Moss
This jaunty psychedelic pop-rock track feels both retro and
fresh at the same time. The minor key piano riff contrasted with the bouncy
major key verses give it a cool bittersweet feel. The LA artist has an album out
on the 7th July titled SALT.
THE WORST:
‘I’M BACK’ – Belle Delphine
I know very little about Belle Delphine except for the fact
that apparently SHE’S BACK (from where???) and that she’s definitely not a
rapper. Everything from the squeaky voice to the 6IX9INE beat seem like
deliberate attempts to be as annoying as possible. The video ain’t even that
hot and looks like it was done on a low budget.