Who is ZZ Ward? That's the first question I asked myself when I came across "Cryin' Wolf", the Kendrick Lamar-assisted premiere from the good folks over at Complex. From start to finish, this is a JAM. After a little digging, I learned that the soul singer released her Eleven Roses mixtape last February, putting her own spin on records by Tyler, the Creator, Childish Gambino, Freddie Gibbs, and Lamar himself. ZZ Ward must be doing something right, since both Freddie and K. Dot both graced her with features on her forthcoming album Til the Casket Drops. Clearly influenced by hip-hop, she's also worked with Pete Rock and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest.
"Cryin' Wolf" is a beautiful, bluesy record that shows off Ward's melodic vocals. Add in Kendrick's excellent verse and it just hints back to why she used his record on her Eleven Roses project in the first place. Don't sleep!
Til the Casket Drops is out on October 16th, and is now available for preorder on iTunes.
