THE CUTS: EP 02 Vol. 7
THE CUTS is your weekly round-up of songs and videos that has caught our attention and think you must hear or see. The music featured aren’t genre specific. THE CUTS is delivered every FRIDAY
LXXXVII (Ghost Made) It feat Ansah Live – Entirely Sho’
The internet keeps handing us talents which we’d otherwise not even get to know. One of them is producer LXXXVII. Highly regarded by his fellow peers, LXXXVII, as he’s sometimes called, is a fast rising producer making waves thanks to a string of surreal releases. His recent release, ”Entirely Sho’’, an electronic trap and bass is the third song he has released to great reception. The 26 year old producer’s unusual experimental trap sound has captured the attention of some West African acts including Sarkodie, EL, Ice Prince, J-Town, Efya and Dee Money. With its heavy, gritty trap synths, fiery percussion, sickening drop that could potentially rip apart your speakers (or cochlea) and a soulful vibe, ‘Entirely Sho’ is nothing short of fire. And drafting the amazing Ansah Life on the song was a class act.
https://soundcloud.com/lxxxviiimusic/entirely-sho-feat-ansahlive
Shanika Maria: Childish Games
Shanika Maria’s soft and enchanting voice has a healing power. Her singing is akin to watching a soft breeze over the hair of a lady. That’s the feeling you get when listening to ‘Childish Game’, her new single. A guitar driven ballad about the difficulties of relationships, Shanika, the Ontario based soul singer dissect the strain in her relationship: ‘I keep pushing but, you keep pushing me back/ we keep on trying but..’ Her calm voice betrayed no pain. The sentiments were conveyed by her words in an elegant manner: ”Stop, don’t think I’m happy/ Just cos I can play the game”. One name that came to mind listening to Shanika is Andreya Triana – another artiste whose whispery singing is reminiscent of a floating object. ‘Childish Game isn’t all gloomy. Towards the end, Shanika urges her partner to fix it for the sake of the kids: ‘’And the babies say they need us to be strong, to hold on’’
Fre-D – Wahala
Fresh off dropping his ‘Don’t Forget To Pray (Freestyle)’, Fre-D (Fred Chijindu Inaks Onianwa) returns with “Wahala” produced by Le Prezident. Together, the duo have conceptualized, what they call ‘Afro-soul-trap’; mixing African elements with soul and trap music. The track title “Wahala” translates to ‘problems’ in pidgin and the track tells a story of how a lady’s penchant for the finer things puts her admirer in trouble. Fre-D uses word play and soul melodies to paint a picture of a young, braggadocios suitor who bites off more than he can chew in courting this lady. Lines like “No mercy, no mercy, tryna ball when you’re not Messi/No pennies, no panties, guess we’re kettle and pot belly” depict the story from his perspective.
Mark Ansari – Baby Yo
Mark Ansari’s visuals for Baby Yo, a song he released about a month ago follows the template of most love inspired videos- a display of affection towards each other. From sitting on a yacht to dropping in on her at the restaurant she waiters, the visuals are sharp. The switch from black and white from the beginning of the video to the coloured second half is impressive.
Alorhson feat Amma Kumi– Hang Out With You
https://soundcloud.com/alorhson/alorhson-ft-amma-kumi-hangout-with-you
Alorhson hasn’t been in the music game for that long, though he has the talent to rise to the top if he works on his art. Prior to releasing Hang Out With You, Alorhson released ‘On Fleek’ and ‘Focus’. This is how he describes this Amma Kumi assisted Hang Out With You: ‘is about telling that special someone, that partner, that crush that you want to spend some time with him/her and stating reasons why you would like to spend such lovely time with him/her and not leaving out how that person makes you feel when you spend time with him/her and also assuring him/her an awesome time. It’s something personal anyone can relate to’’.
Aye!!!