Category: Rap

Miss Red – K.O.

Weighing in at…I have no idea, actually, but she can’t be more than a featherweight, Miss Red has unloaded an album worthy of its title – K.O.

I described Miss Red’s music to a coworker as “Jamaican dancehall by way of Israel and Germany.”  He claimed not to understand it, but his head was bobbing and his hips were moving before he realized what was happening.

Collaborating once more with beat master the Bug, Miss Red throws out “Shock Out” like a quick jab testing her opponent’s guard.  When it lands at the 43-second mark, it about splits your nose open.  Red’s rapping is fast, smooth, sexy, and dangerous.  Bug’s beats are like a growling, prowling bear emerging from its den ready to devour anything in its path.  “Give me the money and pass me the mic,” Red sings on “One Shot Killer.”  “One move wrong and you’re gonna see me bite,” she warns / tempts before her vocals take on a smoky quality that is difficult to describe but wonderful to hear.

She bobs, weaves, and shuffle steps with amazing speed on “Money Machine.”  I don’t think she’s keeping up with the Bug’s thumping beats so much as they’re keeping up with her.  “Alarm” is a short banger, almost like a blitz of punches that disappears as quickly as it begins, like a set-up for a stronger blow.  That stronger blow is “War” – a dub mind-trip that feels as punch-drunk as it sounds.  “Come Again” has Red claiming her heavyweight (in terms of skill) title from people who can’t match her game.  The synth-bass on it is some of the biggest on the record, too.  “Big” has her letting everyone know she’s far bigger than her size would have you believe.  She might be small, but Miss Red is a giant throwing lighting bolts from thunderclouds once she grabs the mic.

“Clouds” is another trippy dub track, and the electronic beats on “Dust” bubble into a wicked brew.  “Dagga” is the first single off K.O., and it’s a good choice.  It highlights Red’s vocal chops and the Bug’s wicked beats well.  As good as that is, however, “Slay,” is downright jaw-dropping.  It’s an instant floor-filler and one of the hottest club tracks of 2018.  I can’t wait to hear this live.  Red brings a kinky swagger to her lyrics (more than usual) and the Bug’s beats and breakdowns almost aren’t fair to practicing DJ’s like yours truly.  The haunting “Memorial Day” belongs in a modern-day giallo film.  Red opts for more singing than rhyming, and the Bug’s beats crackle like a bowl of your favorite cereal.  The title track closes the album, and it’s a quick fadeout with Miss Red mostly chanting, “K.O.” throughout it.  It’s like having your bell rung and seeing the lights go out as you fall to the mat in blissful stupor.

Miss Red is a fierce opponent.  I wouldn’t want to face her in a rap battle, let alone in a street fight.  She’d probably seduce you with her agile vocals and then break at least one limb while your guard was down.  Still, you’d have a great story to tell afterwards.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Danny Brown – Atrocity Exhibition (2016)

Detroit rapper Danny Brown wasn’t on my radar until I saw him listed on the 2017 Pitchfork Music Festival lineup.  I went online to research him and hear some of his stuff, and I was intrigued by his voice (sort of a high-pitched, nasally punk rock vocal) and flow and stunned by his brutal honesty about himself, his addictions, his neighborhood, fandom, and the music industry.

Starting with “Downward Spiral” (the title of which essentially describes Brown’s journey throughout the record), the album opens with warped beats that somehow mix dub, psychedelia, and industrial doom.  Brown openly discusses how his drug use keeps him from getting an erection during a threesome, nearly burning down his house after falling asleep with a lit cigarette in his hand, and how “Your worst nightmare for me is a normal dream.”  “Tell Me What I Don’t Know” builds like a Bloc Party track with its electronic beats and dancehall whistles as Brown laments (in a deeper vocal range, no less) how drug dealing is a “Never ending race, chasing cash.  One lane going wrong way ’til I crash.” and “Shit is like a cycle.  You get out, I go in, this is not the life for us.”

Brown lets us know that fame isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be on “Rolling Stone” (“Bought a nightmare, sold a dream.  Happiness went upstream.  Blame myself, I had no control.  Now I’m living with no soul.”  “Really Doe” is a who’s-who of modern day rap stars with Earl Sweatshirt, Kendrick Lamar, and Ab-Soul all contributing verses.  “Lost” details how Brown has gone from dealing cocaine just to get by to now using it for fun after being famous enough to afford it.

“Ain’t It Funny” was one of the wildest singles of 2016.  In it, Brown raps about how drugs have screwed up his life, the Devil is always whispering in his ear, and how many of his fans love him for having such a screwed up life and secretly hope he never kicks the addictions that he wishes he could ditch.  “Golddust” continues this theme (and even brings in some rock guitar) as Brown raps, “Myself I don’t know no more.  Numbing up with drugs to suppress these feelings, praying to the heavens, letting these devils get the best of me.” and “Got to the point ain’t gotta buy drugs.  Niggas just give ’em to me.  Yeah, they think they showing love, and that’s what’s up.  Kinda fucked up.  Now I do it way more than I used to.”  “White Lines” has Brown confronting the real possibility that he’s going to die of a drug overdose any day now.  The beats on it stumble around like a drunk and the weird synths reflect his state of mind.  “Pneumonia” is a thick bass track about partying in New Orleans, getting laid, and getting high (in no particular order).

Brown keeps partying with “Dance in the Water,” in which he gives directions for a twerking contest.  It has the most danceable beats on the record and proves that Brown can write a floor-filler club banger if he wants.  Kelela sings in the hook on “From the Ground” while he raps in his mellow low tones about how far he’s come from writing his rhymes on a paper bag to now touring the world.  “When It Rain” is one of Brown’s biggest hits off the album, and he’s downright dangerous on it.  He raps about the dangerous of inner city living in Detroit, being lucky to be alive, and drawing a line in the sand to challenge lesser MCs.  That being said, “Today” has Brown admitting that he knows he can die any time from either his drug use or violence in his hometown.

If you’re not sure what “Get Hi” is about, then you haven’t been paying attention to the rest of the album.  Brown openly admits how much he loves weed and uses it to eliminate the stress of money problems, girlfriend problems, landlord problems, or any other problem, really (although the hidden message is how Brown’s love of the herb only contributes more to how screwed up his life is).  The addition of Cypress Hill‘s B-Real on the chorus is a nice touch.  The album ends on an up note with “Hell for It,” with Brown rapping about how hard he worked to get where he is (“I was hustling, scraping up, and saving just to catch a twelve-hour bus to NY, sleeping on the floor in studios asking God ‘Why?'”) and how he won’t give up despite knowing that fame might kill him.

I don’t want you to read this and think I condone drug use or dealing drugs.  I don’t.  I do, however, condone honesty and truth.  Danny Brown delivers both with unflinching detail on Atrocity Exhibition.  Truth is often missing from music in return for a fast buck and a one-hit wonder.  Thankfully, we have artists like Brown to keep us real.

Keep your mind open.

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Pitchfork Music Festival artist spotlight: Tierra Whack

Replacing Earl SweatshirtPitchfork Music Festival , who has cancelled his upcoming performance at Chicago’s (possibly due to recent depression issues over the death of his father, some sources say), Tierra Whack is a welcome addition with her experimental hip hop and visual artistry.  She has a lovely voice, fine mic skills, and a neat aesthetic that combines hip hop culture with 80’s retro, glam, and soul.

Keep your mind open.

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Pitchfork Music Festival artist spotlight: Open Mike Eagle

Hometown artist Open Mike Eagle will be working the Blue Stage on July 20th at this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago.  Mr. Eagle has a good blend of electronic beats and a smooth flow that discusses issues serious to him, his hometown, and the world in general.  I haven’t heard much of his material, but I do like the few things I have heard.  It should be an interesting set.

Keep your mind open.

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The Young Mothers – Morose

Blending members from Chicago, NYC, Texas, and Scandinavia, the Young Mothers have created Morose – a wild mix of hip-hop, jazz, and house music that hasn’t been heard since the likes of Digable Planets and Jurassic 5.

Starting with “Attica Black,” the sweet drum groove by Frank Rosaly leads into a sharp rap and downright fierce trumpet jam by Jawaad Taylor and wild saxophone by Jason Jackson that sounds like something off a rare Captain Beefheart record.  Jackson’s sax is soulful and then sad and then angry on “Black Tar Caviar.”  The track turns into a funky, crazy one in the second half, sounding not unlike a Faith No More tune.  Jackson’s sax bubbles alongside Jonathan Horne‘s guitar and Stefan Gonzalez‘s vibraphone on the instrumental “Bodiless Arms.”

Chaos reigns on “Untitled #1,” which sounds like a drunk jazz band in a car wreck with a truck hauling a bunch of Theremins.  I mean this in the best possible way.  I actually wish it lasted longer, but “Jazz Oppression” is a fun follow-up and is probably one of the few songs that can induce a mosh pit at a jazz show.  The title track is something as dirty and funky as a Jon Spencer Blues Explosion record, and Gonzalez’s vibraphone work on it is outstanding.

“Osaka” is another bizarre instrumental, but it’s tame when compared to “Untitled #2.”  Remember that drunk jazz band in the car crash?  Well now they’re fighting an army of killer robots.  Again, I mean this in the best of compliments.  “Shanghai” gets back to the band’s love of rap, but still drenches it in distortion, reverb, and sonic oddities.

It’s hard to describe Morose.  The album’s title is also a bit of a mystery.  The psychedelic jazz freak-outs on it are anything but morose.  It’s an album that will get your blood pumping and freak you out a bit.  It’s dangerous, and we always need dangerous music.

Keep your mind open.

[I’ll be morose if you don’t subscribe.]

The Young Mothers unveil crazy new single – “Jazz Oppression.”

The Young Mothers share “Jazz Oppression” track from forthcoming album Morose

 Avant Jazz/Hip-Hop/Punk Rock hybrid featuring ex-MF Doom, Nenah Cherry, ex-White Denim, Shape of Broad Minds, Free Radicals members
Hear & share “Jazz Oppression” (Soundcloud)(Austin Chronicle)

“A sound that blends free jazz and hip-hop, seeing no distance between them… Latin fuses with African fuses with European and on and on until there is no distinction. This uncompromising group of players delivers an unforgettable listening experience that listeners will doubtless be parsing for some time to come.” — PopMatters
“One of the most interesting and original acts in Texas — perhaps the entire planet,” — Austin Chronicle
Austin, TX musical iconoclasts The Young Mothers share a new track from their forthcoming sophomore album today in an interview with Austin Chronicle. Hear and share “Jazz Oppression” HERE. (Direct Soundcloud.)
 
PopMatters recently premiered album opener “Attica Black” HERE. (Direct Soundcloud.)
The band is currently in Europe wrapping up a summer tour before heading to Canada for a couple of shows. See current dates below.
Self Sabotage Records proudly presents Morose, the anticipated follow up by The Young Mothers, a juggernaut of a collective formed in 2012 and featuring a super group of heavy-hitters who have helped steer the direction of creative music in New York, Chicago, Texas, and Scandinavia.
Norwegian bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (The Thing; Free Fall; Atomic) moved to Austin, Texas in 2009. He’d experimented with stateside living for a few years in Chicago before that, but the city of barbecue, food trucks, and outlaw country music has become his home base. Texas has a deep creative music history, but most Texas improvisers found their notoriety elsewhere, seeking to escape segregation and poverty for a chance to ‘starve a little better’ on the coasts. However, the Texas of 2018 is not the Texas of 1958 and the groundwork for this potent convergence was laid around a decade ago in Houston when Ingebrigt met and linked up with trumpeter/rapper Jawwaad Taylor (Shape Of Broad Minds, MF Doom), and what became a transliteration of his Chicago Sextet into a scrappy Lone Star variant called The Young Mothers has formed a group identity all its own and now has a second album under the belt (their first, A Mothers’ Work Is Never Done was self-released in 2014). Instrumentally The Young Mothers has some similarity with its Windy City relative – in addition to sharing drummer Frank Rosaly and Flaten, the vibraphone chair is held down by percussionist & diabolical vocalist Stefan González (Yells At Eels, Akkolyte), and Jason Jackson (Alvin Fielder, Pauline Oliveros, William Parker) on tenor and barry is their saxophone firebrand. Furthermore, the group features guitarist Jonathan Horne (Plutonium Farmers, ex-White Denim) and prolific wordsmith and improviser JAWWAAD on trumpet, electronics, and rhymes, and it is here that structural similarities between the Young Mothers and Flaten’s other folksy-modal projects end.
The Young Mothers was named after a Houston community project for teen mothers (Project Row Houses) that Flaten’s then-partner had been a part of, and while it may strike one as an odd moniker for a group that melds free improvisation, Tejano-inspired horn lines, the long unfurling electricity of surf rock, tough word-science and crust metal vocals, but relocating to a then-unfamiliar locale and birthing/raising a melange of sonic approaches into a working ensemble is not insignificant, if not quite actual motherhood. (On a side note; another strong connection to the Project Row Houses is the Houstonian artist and legendary sculptor Jesse Lott who made the beautiful album art!) Anyways, while they may have exhibited a homespun ricketiness in the beginning, through touring nationwide and after several festival performances and tours in Europe they’ve honed their sound into something truly their own, and one that’s not insignificantly comparable to historical melds in Scandinavian-American-World Music – the work of Don Cherry, Maffy Falay’s Sevda, and more recent efforts from Two Bands and a Legend and The Cherry Thing successfully merge varied strains of contemporary music with creative improvisation. Flaten’s round, deep tone and precise attack certainly act as an anchor, a fulcrum for sculpted vibraphone resonance, the dry breaks and shimmering floes of Rosaly’s kit, all of which stoke Horne’s flinty guitar and the throaty exhortations of brass and verbal declaration. Check “Black Tar Caviar” for some of the most unruly combinations of threads on this disc; from dual cymbal and tuned gong tempi supporting Jackson’s Gato Barbieri-like burrs, the palette of accents gradually increases until feedback-laden scorch signals a second movement, raps and death howls in tandem against a Cherry-like folk theme and sludgy electric bass grooves/strangled flourishes. It’s a fine microcosm of ten of what The Young Mothers are up to.
And as Håker Flaten tells us; “a lot has changed since I initiated this band in 2012, it has grown into its own thing with a truly collective spirit. I created a monster and its time to let go” – luckily for all of us, this band has stretched its legs further than the Houston/Austin/Dallas triangle and we at Self Sabotage Records are ready to help them to hopefully reach out much further with an album we believe is remarkable! We hope you feel the same.
Morose will be available on LP, CD and download on June 22, 2018 out via Self Sabotage Records (Pre-order at Big Cartel-Self Sabotage).
THE YOUNG MOTHERS TOUR:
06/12 Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rosa
06/13 Hamilton, ON @ Something Else Festival

Artist: The Young Mothers
Album: Morose
Record Label: Self Sabotage Records
Release Date: June 22nd, 2018
01. Attica Black
02. Black Tar Caviar
03. Bodiless Arms
04. Francisco
05. Untitled #1
06. Jazz Oppression
07. Morose
08. Osaka
09. Untitled #2
10. Shanghai
On the Web:
Keep your mind open.
[Don’t forget to subscribe before you split.]

The Young Mothers release “Attica Black” from upcoming album due June 22nd.

The Young Mothers share first track from forthcoming album Morose

 Avant Jazz/Hip-Hop/Punk Rock hybrid featuring ex-MF Doom, Nenah Cherry, ex-White Denim, Shape of Broad Minds, Free Radicals members
Hear & share “Attica Black” (Soundcloud) (PopMatters)

“A sound that blends free jazz and hip-hop, seeing no distance between them… Latin fuses with African fuses with European and on and on until there is no distinction. This uncompromising group of players delivers an unforgettable listening experience that listeners will doubtless be parsing for some time to come.” — PopMatters
Austin, TX iconoclasts The Young Mothers share the first track from their forthcoming sophomore album today via PopMatters. Hear and share “Attica Black” HERE. (Direct Soundcloud.)
The band just wrapped up a handful of Texas dates and will head over to Europe for a summer tour. See current dates below.
Self Sabotage Records proudly presents Morose, the anticipated follow up by The Young Mothers, a juggernaut of a collective formed in 2012 and featuring a super group of heavy-hitters who have helped steer the direction of creative music in New York, Chicago, Texas, and Scandinavia.
Norwegian bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (The Thing; Free Fall; Atomic) moved to Austin, Texas in 2009. He’d experimented with stateside living for a few years in Chicago before that, but the city of barbecue, food trucks, and outlaw country music has become his home base. Texas has a deep creative music history, but most Texas improvisers found their notoriety elsewhere, seeking to escape segregation and poverty for a chance to ‘starve a little better’ on the coasts. However, the Texas of 2018 is not the Texas of 1958 and the groundwork for this potent convergence was laid around a decade ago in Houston when Ingebrigt met and linked up with trumpeter/rapper Jawwaad Taylor (Shape Of Broad Minds, MF Doom), and what became a transliteration of his Chicago Sextet into a scrappy Lone Star variant called The Young Mothers has formed a group identity all its own and now has a second album under the belt (their first, A Mothers’ Work Is Never Done was self-released in 2014). Instrumentally The Young Mothers has some similarity with its Windy City relative – in addition to sharing drummer Frank Rosaly and Flaten, the vibraphone chair is held down by percussionist & diabolical vocalist Stefan González (Yells At Eels, Akkolyte), and Jason Jackson (Alvin Fielder, Pauline Oliveros, William Parker) on tenor and barry is their saxophone firebrand. Furthermore, the group features guitarist Jonathan Horne (Plutonium Farmers, ex-White Denim) and prolific wordsmith and improviser JAWWAAD on trumpet, electronics, and rhymes, and it is here that structural similarities between the Young Mothers and Flaten’s other folksy-modal projects end.
The Young Mothers was named after a Houston community project for teen mothers (Project Row Houses) that Flaten’s then-partner had been a part of, and while it may strike one as an odd moniker for a group that melds free improvisation, Tejano-inspired horn lines, the long unfurling electricity of surf rock, tough word-science and crust metal vocals, but relocating to a then-unfamiliar locale and birthing/raising a melange of sonic approaches into a working ensemble is not insignificant, if not quite actual motherhood. (On a side note; another strong connection to the Project Row Houses is the Houstonian artist and legendary sculptor Jesse Lott who made the beautiful album art!) Anyways, while they may have exhibited a homespun ricketiness in the beginning, through touring nationwide and after several festival performances and tours in Europe they’ve honed their sound into something truly their own, and one that’s not insignificantly comparable to historical melds in Scandinavian-American-World Music – the work of Don Cherry, Maffy Falay’s Sevda, and more recent efforts from Two Bands and a Legend and The Cherry Thing successfully merge varied strains of contemporary music with creative improvisation. Flaten’s round, deep tone and precise attack certainly act as an anchor, a fulcrum for sculpted vibraphone resonance, the dry breaks and shimmering floes of Rosaly’s kit, all of which stoke Horne’s flinty guitar and the throaty exhortations of brass and verbal declaration. Check “Black Tar Caviar” for some of the most unruly combinations of threads on this disc; from dual cymbal and tuned gong tempi supporting Jackson’s Gato Barbieri-like burrs, the palette of accents gradually increases until feedback-laden scorch signals a second movement, raps and death howls in tandem against a Cherry-like folk theme and sludgy electric bass grooves/strangled flourishes. It’s a fine microcosm of ten of what The Young Mothers are up to.
And as Håker Flaten tells us; “a lot has changed since I initiated this band in 2012, it has grown into its own thing with a truly collective spirit. I created a monster and its time to let go” – luckily for all of us, this band has stretched its legs further than the Houston/Austin/Dallas triangle and we at Self Sabotage Records are ready to help them to hopefully reach out much further with an album we believe is remarkable! We hope you feel the same.
Morose will be available on LP, CD and download on June 22, 2018 out via Self Sabotage Records (Pre-order at Big Cartel-Self Sabotage).
THE YOUNG MOTHERS TOUR:
05/30 Poitiers, FR @ Jazz & Poitiers
05/31 Oslo, NO @ Blå
06/02 Bergen, NO @ Verftet/Nattjazz
06/05 Barcelona, ES @ Sala Artte
06/06 Huesca, Spain @ TBD
06/07 Trieste, IT @ Dobialab
06/08 Novara, IT @ Novara Jazz
06/09 Novara, IT @ Novara Jazz
06/10 Novara, IT @ Novara Jazz
06/12 Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rosa
06/13 Hamilton, ON @ Something Else Festival

Artist: The Young Mothers
Album: Morose
Record Label: Self Sabotage Records
Release Date: June 22nd, 2018
01. Attica Black
02. Black Tar Caviar
03. Bodiless Arms
04. Francisco
05. Untitled #1
06. Jazz Oppression
07. Morose
08. Osaka
09. Untitled #2
10. Shanghai
On the Web:
Keep your mind open.
[Don’t forget to subscribe.]

Rewind Review: Miss Red – Murder (2016)

I was listening to BBC 6 Music (arguably the best radio station on the planet) last week when I heard a fiery MC with wicked flow, an accent I couldn’t place, and a killer dub/dancehall beat behind her.  I immediately opened my Shazam app and discovered I was listening to Tel Aviv’s Miss Red, teamed up with Kevin “The Bug” Martin.  I searched for more than the track I was hearing, and I found her mixtape – Murder.

Martin provides the weird 16-bit video game-like beats to open the mixtape with “Mad,” and Miss Red is chanting and singing right away with no fear whatsoever as Martin’s beats expand to near-madness levels, almost drowning out Miss Red’s voice.  The title track follows, and it’s a stunner.  If it doesn’t hook you right away, something is wrong with you.  Seriously, get to a doctor, because Red’s squeaky reggae-loving flow is arousing (i.e., “Everywhere I go, the cool get hotter.”).

“No Guns” starts off with horror movie synths before unleashing beats thicker than Leatherface.  The contrast with Red’s reverb-layered rapping is lovely and shocking at the same time.  Martin takes his beats and synths straight into industrial territory on “What Would You Like” while Red sings about sex hot enough to match Martin’s beats.

“Rollercoaster” builds like the machine of its title creeping up the first hill toward a possibly terrifying plunge, but it leaves you stuck at the top in time for “Ganja Man” to come along and either relax you while you’re at the top of the hill or make you more paranoid.  I’m not sure which.  Martin’s beats are a bit “bad trip,” but Red’s vocals are like a scalp massage.  “Sugar” might be about drugs or, to be frank, the taste of Red’s…kisses.  Yeah, let’s go with that.  One thing’s for certain, I’ll go with Martin’s beats all day long on this track.  They’re thick as sorghum and slippery as butter cream icing.

“Lean Back” starts with an air raid siren that morphs into Red’s hypnotizing vocals as she encourages us to relax, listen to good music, and put aside our differences.  Don’t worry, she doesn’t suggest we give up partying or standing up against the Man, because the next song is called “Trash It.”  Martin’s beats sound like distorted rubber bands and Red’s rhymes grow like the She-Hulk.  “Fever” begins with a shimmering harp notes until Martin’s Donkey Kong-stomp beats unload on you.  Red’s vocals swirl around you like smoky ghosts.

Martin keeps surprising you with his loud bursts of synths and beats on “Pull It Up” while Red squeaks, chants, and rhymes in praise of her selector (That’s a Jamaican term for DJ, in case you didn’t know).  Microphone feedback is used as percussion in “Leggo,” and Red stage whispers her creepiest vocals on the album.

The opening of “1 Dog Shot” sounds like a particularly grating alarm clock.  Trust me, you’ll appreciate the wake-up call because Red bursts into the track like she’s crashing through a window on a rope while firing an Uzi.  The beginning of the last track, “Come Down,” almost sounds like a dog barking in a far-off room, and I’m sure that’s no coincidence.  Martin’s beats sound like a pressure cooker ticking off steam and Red hopes that someone will come down and pick her up, perhaps from her blues, perhaps from this plane of existence, or perhaps from the local club for a nightcap.  It fades out quick, so it seems she got her wish.

Murder is hard to describe because it sounds like dancehall, but it also sounds like industrial madness, dubstep trip-outs, and psychedelic dream wave.  In other words, it sounds like something you need to hear right now.  Miss Red’s first album, K.O., is out this July and is already high on my list as something I need to snag as soon as it’s available.

As if Murder wasn’t good enough, Miss Red offers it for free download through her website and her Bandcamp page.  You can’t miss.

Keep your mind open.

 

Ric Wilson releases new single from “Banba” EP due May 18th.

Ric Wilson Shares “Sinner” (feat. Kweku Collins, Nick Kosma & Rane Raps)
https://soundcloud.com/ricwilsonisme/sinner-feat-kweku-collins-rane-raps-nick-kosma/

New EP, BANBA, Out May 18th on Innovative Leisure
(photo credit: Michael Salisbury)

“Ric Wilson Turns a Crisis of Conscious Into Charming Funk-Rap” — Pitchfork, on “Split”

“With his witty wordplay laid over soulful instrumentals, Wilson produces some of the most exciting new music to come out of Chicago.” — Chicago Tribune’s Red Eye

“If you’ve yet to experience the jubilance of Ric Wilson, jump back and get familiar with one of our favorite young guns in the game.” — Okayplayer
Chicago’s own Ric Wilson is set to release his new EP, BANBA, on May 18th via Innovative Leisure. Today, he’s pleased to share the project’s newest single, “Sinner” (feat. Kweku Collins, Nick Kosma & Rane Raps), which premiered earlier this morning via Complex.

“No one’s perfect. We’re all a shit show, trying to be better people everyday,” says Ric. “This song is about trying to get there.

Me and Kweku have been friends for years and have always been talking about doing a song together, I finally reached out and sent a track that I thought made sense. That’s usually how stuff goes in Chicago.”

A 22 year-old community activist and artist based on the Southside of Chicago, Ric got his start with the legendary YCA (Young Chicago Authors), the Chicago-based storytelling and poetry organization which helped launch the likes of Saba, Jamila Woods, Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, Mick Jenkins, Noname, and many others. BANBA is Wilson’s first release since 2017’s acclaimed Negrow Disco EP (stream here).

For those in the Chicago area, Ric will celebrate BANBA with a special EP release show at Lincoln Hall on Sat. June 2nd. Tickets are on-sale now.

Listen to “Sinner” (feat. Kweku Collins, Nick Kosma & Rane Raps) — 
https://soundcloud.com/ricwilsonisme/sinner-feat-kweku-collins-rane-raps-nick-kosma/

Listen to “Split” (feat. Sen Morimoto) — 
https://soundcloud.com/ricwilsonisme/split-feat-sen-morimoto-prod-hirsh-2/s-FcagV

Pre-order BANBA — 
http://smarturl.it/ricwilson_BANBA

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]

If you’ve ever fretted over staying in a relationship, Ric Wilson has written a song for you- “Split”

Ric Wilson Announces New EP, BANBA, Out May 18th on Innovative Leisure

Listen To “Split” (feat. Sen Morimoto)
https://soundcloud.com/ricwilsonisme/split-feat-sen-morimoto-prod-hirsh-2/s-FcagV

(BANBA EP cover art)

“…his work is grounded in political awareness and confident poetics. Yet more than anything, he seems interested in conveying his own personality through his music—both as a recording artist and as an entertainer.” — Noisey

“If you’ve yet to experience the jubilance of Ric Wilson, jump back and get familiar with one of our favorite young guns in the game. — Okayplayer

“He may be just old enough to drink, but it feels like he’s been making music for decades.” — Mass Appeal

“With his witty wordplay laid over soulful instrumentals, Wilson produces some of the most exciting new music to come out of Chicago.” — Chicago Tribune’s Red Eye
Chicago’s own nouveau disco-rap superstar, Ric Wilson, is pleased to announce his new EP, BANBA, out May 18th on Innovative Leisure. A 22 year-old community activist and artist based on the Southside of Chicago, Ric got his start with the legendary YCA (Young Chicago Authors), the Chicago-based storytelling and poetry organization which helped launch the likes of Saba, Jamila Woods, Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, Mick Jenkins, Noname, and many others. The EP’s first single, “Split,” premiered earlier this morning via Noisey.

“I wrote ‘Split’ in the middle of a relationship that was going south,” says Ric. “The song is about how sometimes the best decisions you’ll make in life are the ugliest and hardest, but the healthiest for you.”

BANBA is Wilson’s first release since 2017’s acclaimed Negrow Disco EP (stream here). “When I dropped out of college to do music, I caught myself trying to explain the music I do in a different light than what it really was because I was scared of other people’s perception of my ‘rap music,’ Ric says. “I feel like people don’t appreciate rap as an actual art form, which is insane because there’s an art to rhyming, every beat is a colorful canvas and every lyric and rhyme is a stroke of mine.”

As for the EP’s cover, it’s “an ode to Basiqaut and Hebru Brantley who are my favorite visual artists,” says Ric. I want people to feel like they’re in a Basiqaut and Brantley-inspired painting when they’re listening to this EP.”

Listen to Ric Wilson’s “Split” (feat. Sen Morimoto) — 
https://soundcloud.com/ricwilsonisme/split-feat-sen-morimoto-prod-hirsh-2/s-FcagV

Pre-order BANBA —
https://ricwilson.bandcamp.com/album/banba

Download hi-res images & album art — http://pitchperfectpr.com/ric-wilson/

(“Split” single cover art)

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