THE CUTS
THE CUTS brings you a short, unbiased review of music and videos from artistes in Ghana and around Africa each week. Once it is dope, it will be featured here
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DEX KWASI- AKATA YESU
Dex Kwasi couldn’t have chosen a better moment to release his album. After many years of being in the rap game, it is now that many Ghanaian music fans are waking up to him courtesy his recent ‘visibility’- his singles, videos and features. Listening to his project titled Akata Yesu, one clearly note why Dex Kwasi proclaims himself the ‘afro trap god’. The album is a heavy blend of trap and afrobeat influence as evident in the opening song #AkansInItaly. Boasting 13 tracks, Akata Yesu spans themes of love and debauchery, with standout tracks such as Bass, Ghost, Avenor, Benzo and You Mome feat Sarkodie. Note: Don’t judge the tape by the album cover for you may miss out on dopeness. The artwork of Akata Yesu looks too old school for a tape with modern and bouncy trap feel.
EDWIN D: Experiment 001-10202016
In the tweet accompanying the link, EDWVN wrote ‘played around and made something’. What he made was this beat which he called Experiment 001-10202016. Like most of his beats, he kept it minimalistic, the momentum building at a steady-pace before the melodies and sounds came together in a crescendo. On Experiment 001-10202016, an EDWVN hum is heard, followed by a soft percussion and a distant kick before the searing trappy 808’s came crashing in to complete the 1-minute-and-55 second ‘experiment’. What intrigues me about EDWVN is the fact that, he’s stuck to creating ‘off-beat’ music; the trappings of following the ‘in thing’ not an objective
TINUKE- H.E.R MIXTAPE
Her twitter bio reads ‘Young Rap Goddess’. That claim is not a boast. On her new tape H.E.R (Having Extreme Rage), Tinuke Noah comes across as an unapologetic loudmouth, fearless, angry, and daring rapper. It’s very unusual to come across a female MC in this part of world sounding so ‘street’, throwing in the curse words in almost every line in her flow. Tinuke on H.E.R boast about her skill set and why she is here for the long haul: I’m something special… I’m one of a kind/ I’ll never mind what they choose to say/ cos I choose to stay. Tinuke is not all about hardcore flows. On the piano led Something’s Missing, she exposes her girly side. H.E.R mostly carries hard hitting hip hop and trap beats with Walk Right In carrying a house vibe. Tinuke’s ability to switch her flows up- from mid-tempo to fast pace is impressive.
https://soundcloud.com/tinukenoah/sets/h-e-r-mixtape
