There are some of us dedicated to rummaging the inner regions of the web in search for that good alternative urban music, and serving it directly to music lovers.
This initiative is what we call "The Slice" at EARMILK. Every fortnight we share with you 10 ear-grabbing songs from genres ranging from hip-hop, grime, soul ,afrobeat/pop and dancehall. So let us do the digging for you while you sit back, relax to some brilliantly crafted music from around the globe.
1. Rome Streetz " The Policy"
Setting things off is BK emcee Rome Streetz who takes us into the gritty streets of his hometown on his record titled "The Policy". The rapper details the mentality of an individual trying to rise up in the ranks making money on his own terms over a dark soundscape provided by producer Sadhugold. The colorful but dark-ish visual (shot by Trizzy Barnes) brings the listener closer to the action where street-enomics take prevalence over everything else. Nothing but pure raw rhymes and grime here. "The Policy" is taken from his latest LP The Streetz Keep Calling Me. Get the audio here
2. King Green " Kaepernick"
King Green, Leader of the alternative hip-hop group RDGLDGRN goes solo on his debut single/video titled " Kaepernick". Over a bouncy trap-ish soundscape, King Green takes some time out to talk about several topics ranging from entertainment to politics. Not the one to throw stones and hide his hands, he takes some shots at Trump, Kevin Spacey and makes catchy references to Black Panther, Goodie Mob and a whole bunch of other individuals. The visual is particularly entertaining as Green himself takes things a step further tying each witty lyric to humorous clips and images to create a more engaging lyric video.
3.Benjamin Brown and Huey Blue " Last Smoke of the Night"
We switch things up with this retro-tinged jam from the duo of Benjamin Brown and Huey Blue. The record titled "Last Smoke of the Night" is an offbeat and highly hilarious recount of far too many successive nights out with no cigar. The record is funky, catchy and shows what these cats can achieve when they stray from the norm and push the limits to the max. " Last Smoke of the Night" is from their upcoming EP Forest Fires which they say has the vibrations of hip-hop and neo-soul are synthesized in the nexus of a 70s folk-rock conscience and a New York state of mind.
4 DickImp "The Black Caesar"
The multi-talented Ukranian producer who goes by the rather quirky moniker DickImp delivers a brilliant gem in the form of this instrumental he calls "The Black Caesar". He crafts a natural groove, cascaded by smooth dreamy horns, lush keys which when put together takes the listener to a time before now. DickImp states that the record aims to lead the listener into a dark and romantic atmosphere, similar to the soundtrack of early 50s monochrome captured LA night with its jazzy noir movie vibe.
5 Tonia 'Lift You Up EP '
New York-based by way of Detroit singer/songwriter Tonia drops her newest EP Lift you up. The project is a 4 track body of work and showcases Tonia's earlier guitar compositions reworked by Detroit producers such as Ryan Anderson at RJA Music (production, mixing and mastering), Jupyter (production, Lift You Up single) and Jharid Collins (vocal arrangement, "Lift You Up" single).
The project is varied, rousing and energetic. kicking off with the upbeat title track "Lift you up" she opens the floodgates for her soul-drenched vocal style and poignant songwriting. The follow-up tracks "Break Everything" and "Sad Song" takes it down a notch with its love-lorn themes and heart-wrenching vibes. The finale "Home" wraps the EP up on a brighter note with its mid-tempo cinematic arrangement and hopeful lyrics. Need we say more, check it out and don't skip a single song.
6 Zennan & Gerastic "Blossoms" (feat. Sebara)
The trio of Zennan, Gerastic, and Sebara team up for this new trippy record titled "Blossoms". The multi-genre infused record combines hip-hop, r&b,future-bass with a lot of chill vibes. Produced by Gerastic and Zennan while vocal performances by Sebara and Zennan take center stage. The duet showcases their similar vocal styles with Sebara setting the tone with her silky, angelic melodies and Zennan complimenting the track with his unique delivery. A pretty fresh duet about "…the feeling of first falling in love, being unsure of who should make a move or how much you should show your feelings". "Blossoms" is a one-off single from 21 year old San Diego, California based producer/singer Zennan.
7. LO "Say You Wanna"
Not much do I know of this low-key singer who goes by the moniker LO (see what I did there?) but her new record "Say You Wanna", caught me from the blindside. She delivers a laid-back, sultry performance that also exudes neo-soul type vibes. The soundscape is quite alluring with its ethereal and very nostalgic arrangement allowing her to explore heartbreak through deep, soulful lyrics, accompanied by raw, classic vocals. Surprisingly "Say You Wanna"' is Lo's debut single.
8 Imani Wj Wright "No Fair."
Young and upcoming act Imanj Wj Wright delivers a brilliant performance on his new record titled "No fair". The record is built on an emotion-drenched guitar riff laced with a minimalistic bassline to match which allows the singer to really showcase his vocal range on the song. The lovelorn song may be short but it sure packs an emotional punch to the gut with his rousing performance. This kid definitely got it
9 Lack Of Afro "Back To The Day" feat. Elliott Cole
Lack of Afro is the moniker of multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer Adam Gibbons who takes us back to the good old days (like I would know) on this new record titled "Back to the day". He summons the Motown spirit and crafts a summer sizzler chock full of smooth melodies, undeniable musicianship and most importantly – vibe by the bucket load. The song is so infectious and vintage you won't believe it was made this year as he delivers a performance akin to The Jackson 5, and Earth Wind & Fire.
Providing a dynamite vocal is regular collaborator Elliott Cole. Not just the voice of the track, he also plays guitars and bass, whilst ably backed up by some stellar musicians including George Cooper (Haggis Horns) on keys, Rory Simmons (Blur, Jamie Cullum) on trumpet, string and horn arrangements and Harry Harding (Yola Carter) holding down the backbeat on drums. "Back to the day" is off his new album ‘Jack Of All Trades’, released on LOA Records in May 2018 and supported by a live band UK tour in May & throughout various festivals throughout the summer.
10 MC Paul Barman "Antennas" Feat. Masta Ace
MC Paul Barman teams up with Masta Ace on this uber experimental hip-hop track titled "Antennas". The Memory Man produced song pairs the 2 emcees for an awesome unorthodox lyrical tandem. No fancy hooks were used here and to be honest there isn't need for one as they both pack enough verbal arsenal for the assault. The song is taken from MC Paul Barman's album "(((echo chamber)))" which will be out May 18th via Mello Music Group.
