Way Up North EP – Marv OTM & Malik Bawa
Producer and founding member of 44dbcollective, Malik Bawa teams up with Apex Village member, Marv OTM to deliver a bass-heavy trap tape, Way Up North EP. The 5-track project sees the pair serving up a whirlwind of action-packed, head-bopping cuts while enlisting fellow rappers like Lörd Isaac, Zilla Oaks and AYLØ to lend a helping hand. Malik Bawa creates a delectable selection of sounds filled with scatting drums, percussion strings and looped flute samples which serve as the perfect backdrop for Marv’s melodic cadence and croons.
Stream Way Up North EP below.
For The Sake of It EP – Frease & Shayo Davids
For their first collaboration together, rappers Frease and Shayo Davids offer up a joint tape, For the Sake of It. The four-track EP finds the duo spitting reflective lyrics on the tussling life of an average Nigerian youth in the industry. While the pair each pull their own weight, the undeniable standout is Shayo Davids, whose idiosyncratic vocal manipulations – highly reminiscent of Young Thug – lend the project the extra oomph needed, providing a nicely dense listen. On the project opener, ‘Window’, Davids is ravenous and ready. ‘Cos dem no gree make we dey pass the front door/So we pass window/Straight to the top floor’, he croons, highlighting the hurdles of gatekeeping he had to overcome to get to where he’s at.
Stream the EP below.
‘Darling’ – dndSection ft. Chrystel
For his second release of the year, dndSection taps in sultry songstress, Chrysler for a melodic, hip-swaying duet, ‘Darling’. Earlier in the year, we saw the Atlanta based rapper reveal his more savage side on the cutthroat number, ‘Besties’. ‘Darling’, however, sees him do a total 180 and embrace all the feels as he renders a love-struck serenade for his love interest. ‘Tell me what you want girl/And I’ll come through/Tell me what you want girl/Cos I want you’, he croons, letting her know he’s all in.
Stream ‘Darling’ below.
Lady Donli featuring Darkovibes
The eccentric artist is back again with her first single, Wonda Wonda since her debut album (Enjoy Your Life) in 2019. For this one, she teams up with Ghanian born singer/songwriter Darkovibes as he adds his distinct fusion of hip-hop and highlife. Not more than a month ago we were graced with the singers feature on the highly anticipated album by Nigerian trio DRB. Wonda Wonda exudes a new level of comfort and joy in the sound which is just what we all needed in quarantine.
Stream ‘Wonda Wonda’ below.
Lost Files EP – Yinoluu
For his first project of the year, Producer Yinoluu teams up with a number of our favorites to create an exceptional soft collection of work. The six track EP is served with the voices of Mafeni, Amaarae, PsychoYP, AYLØ, AY, BARLEYONTHEHOOK who all give us mellow yet equally electric and catchy sounds and finishes off with a more upbeat number from Rema Baggings on the song ‘Cuckoo’. This is the producers third project collective and we surely can’t get enough of it.
Stream ‘Lost Files’ below.