Manchester queen IAMDDB continues her gold run with a new joint, Drippy. Heralded as the lead single from an upcoming EP, Flightmode Vol. 4, the track is produced by Burgaboy, who taps into that trap-soul vibe that IAMDDB has been embracing since her Hoodrich project was released last year. More news on the EP soon.
Something a little bit different from the Rhymesayers camp this time, as they recently released the new video from vocalist, Nikki Jean. Nikki first came to my attention as part of Philadelphia-based band, Nouveau Riche, alongside Roots affiliate, Dice Raw.
Since then she has returned as a solo artist and People & Planes is her first song on RSE, since signing to the label at the end of last year – hopefully meaning a full-length is going to follow soon. Her vocals are always smooth, but with a haunting edge to them, which is used to great effect on this track, as Nikki literally falls apart while viewing images of war, murder and other atrocities on-screen. The track is produced by Nikki, Michael “Double-0” Aguilar and Sean Kantrowitz. It’s available to stream & buy from all the usual spots.
Back in 1998 it’s fair to say that The Soulquarians were a pretty formidable musical force. Featuring some of the most admired artists in the industry, including Questlove, D’Angelo, Erykah Badu and Bilal, the collective were responsible for the production of some of the finest albums of the era.
Things Fall Apart, Like Water For Chocolate and Voodoo were just some of the titles that they played a part in and although they fell relatively silent as a collective in around 2003, their legacy and individual talents still thrive today. Pitchfork recently put together this short film in honour of The Soulquarians, with some excellent animation from Concrete Jungle creator, Steven Cartoccio, and music from the Backwoodz Studioz favourite, Willie Green.
Powerful new song from Rag N Bone Man as he continues his rise to commercial success. Human has been getting a lot of much deserved hype since its release last week, helped along by a great video too. The song is available to buy now via iTunes.
New project from Ven and Adam Black, as they celebrate women everywhere on the Nightcaps EP. Adam Black provides the vocals, with Ven dropping bars over a selection of beats, resulting in six solid tracks. I don’t much info on the artists themselves, but look forward to hearing more from them in the future.
Beautiful neo soul bliss from Bristol vocalist Eva Lazarus, as she records a live performance of her Amsterdam track. The video was made by BD Film.
Sublime sounds here, as a new video surfaces from the excellent Robert Glasper project, Everything Is Beautiful. The album’s aim was to take on the music of Miles Davis and breathe new and contemporary life into it, with the help of artists like Bilal, Illa J, Laura Mvula and the neo-soul goddess, Erykah Badu. Ms. Badu is the main feature on the new video, as she brings her sultry vocals to a reinterpretation of the 1974 classic, Maiysha (So Long).
Knox Brown – the Birmingham resident and brains behind a string of hits for the likes of Beyonce, Jay Z, Mary J Blige and Aloe Blacc – just released this new track with Anderson .Paak. No Slaves is taken from Knox’s Searching EP, which is due out in August. Pre-orders are available here.
The first video from Children of Zeus debuted on Complex yesterday and it is a beauty. Check out Still Standing and then go cop the single over at Bandcamp.
Great new track from New York singer Roxiny, as she hooks up with producer Cake Kills, for Young Sinners & Saints.
