MFMM February 2019
Sorry that this is very late, but in my defense there is no reason for February to be so much shorter than every other month. As usual, a Spotify playlist with all of the month’s songs is attached at the end of the article.
Brown Sugar — IDER
“Brown Sugar” was my first time hearing British pop duo IDER, and I’m honestly embarrassed it took this long. Since their 2016 debut, the duo has consistently put out cutting edge electro-pop with a heavy R&B influence. This track might be their best yet.
Lily Somerville and Megan Markwick deliver listeners an uplifting anthem about self-love and confidence on this new cut. The duo’s voices meld perfectly when they sing “‘Member when you made me feel less? / I’d be feeling kind of anxious every time I’d undress, but I / I don’t really worry ‘bout it now.”
On “Brown Sugar,” IDER turn that self-confidence into sexual empowerment. “We once heard that a great song is one you either want to dance to, cry to or have sex to. This is the last,” the duo explained.
The production from Rodaidh McDonald, who has also worked with The xx, Sampha, and King Krule, takes the track to the next level. The soaring synth leads in the chorus are angelic, and the mixing of Somerville and Marwick’s vocals for the melody make the track’s sound that much more full.
Crazy — Q Da Fool & Kenny Beats
DMV rapper Q Da Fool has been on the come up since signing to Roc Nation about nine months ago and his new project Bad Influence produced by the prolific Kenny Beats has raised his profile even further.
On “Crazy,” Q drops some pretty standard bars about money, girls, and crime but makes it different by having the specter of prison present on every line.
He talks about his experience in the prison system as a personal motivator when he raps, “I done been cuffed up inside that jail, I ain’t goin’ back / I know they wan’ me fail but I prevail, I go and get them racks.”
In an interview with Billboard, Q explained that after being put in juvenile detention for an attempted murder charge at 15 and then going to jail as an 18-year-old he “felt it.”
“You don’t wanna live your life in jail, nobody do. But for a lot of people it be too late before they “get” it,” he said. Like, they’ll do something and go in there, then everybody wants to change their life – but at that point, it’s over.”
Every decision he talks about on the track is influenced by the threat of imprisonment and affected by the reality of that danger.
Q’s delivery is remarkably smooth and consistent on “Crazy.” Although the rhyme scheme is fairly basic, Q manages to keep it from sounding repetitive.
Kenny Beats, who’s career spans from sending beats to rappers unprompted to being EDM artist to being a rap production virtuoso, plays a big part in keeping the song interesting. The breaks are perfectly placed, the drums are bouncy, and the guitar and flute melodies give the track a unique sound.
Creeps Creeps — Yung Lean
Swedish artist Jonatan Leandoer Håstad is back rapping under his pseudonym Yung Lean after dropping an art-rock project earlier this month as jonatanleandoer127 (yes, his last name is Leandoer). On “Creeps Creeps,” Lean is back to his signature dark, atmospheric sound.
Working on Dying handles the production on this track and creates a great ambience for Lean to enter. The track’s gloomy, pulsing chord progression sits on top of a deconstructed drum line that keeps the pace.
Lean raps struggling to have space to himself as his fame grows. He talks about going to graveyards with his girl instead of raves to avoid being seen, not being able to go out to eat without stalkers, and having to deal with overzealous fans who invade his space during shows, rapping “I see corpses from the ground, hoppin’ on the stage.”
The constant attention also contributes to mental health issues: Lean talks about PTSD affecting his sleep and getting manic symptoms when leaving his neighborhood.
Lean’s somber lyricism and delivery, combined with equally somber production, makes for a track that should preview a big year for the artist.
Flat Tummy Tea — Freddie Gibbs & Madlib
The duo that delivered us the underground classic Piñata in 2014 is finally back, dropping “Flat Tummy Tea” as a preview of their upcoming project Bandana. The rapper-producer combo of Freddie Gibbs and Madlib are accomplished in their own right, but bring the best out of each other when together (note: this is only true for Madlib this decade).
The track is instrumentally separated into two halves with a hard beat switch in the middle.
The first half is powered by Madlib’s grimy production and Gibbs’s aggressive bars. Right off the bat, the Indiana rapper drops a grim reference to Joseph Jackson’s alleged abuse of his sons Jermaine and Michael. He then seamlessly transitions into criticizing the slave trade and its capitalist impetus when he raps “Crackers came to Africa / Ravaged ruffle they rummage me / America was the name of they fucking company.”
Gibbs also drop some impressively fast triplets before the chorus, flexing his impressive delivery skills.
Madlib switches to a more stripped back beat halfway through “Flat Tummy Tea,” which is matched by Gibbs taking a slower, more reflective approach. He discusses the failure of the Obama administration to tackle the racist nature of marijuana incarceration when he raps “Obama can’t make the law retroactive, what the fuck happened?” He mentions Congress providing roadblocks to criminal justice reform, then laments that the best the system can do is a pardon “if you lucky.”
The inability of traditional politics to fix racist legal systems leaves Gibbs sure that he’s doomed to be in jail, addicted to medications.
Gibbs also finds the time to call out Spike Lee for how he depicted Malcom X in the 1992 biographical film he directed and drop a killer punchline, “Took the sword and knocked white Jesus off of that white horse.”
Guns — Quelle Chris
Detroit-raised, Brooklyn-based rapper and producer Quelle Chris announced his next full length project, Guns, earlier this month accompanied by this single of the same name. The underground rap legend has been on a streak of fantastic albums, releasing Being You Is Great, I Should Be You More Often in 2017 and Everything’s Fine, a collaboration with his fiancé Jean Grae, in 2018.
Chris’s production on this track is phenomenal. A mesmerizing piano loop floats over the track’s complex drum rhythm that almost feels offbeat at times. The layered vocals in the chorus add an ethereal feel to Chris’s recurring “I be in your city / Coming to a city near you.”
The content of “Guns” is what really makes it special though. On this track, Chris explores society’s numbness to guns and how they became a part of our cultural fabric. He explains how pervasive guns can be in someone’s early life, like the child who learns how to shoot from an uncle at a card game or the kid who can shoot before he can spell his last name. The chorus’s light, repetitive delivery instills a sense of inevitability about the guns spreading to communities.
Chris also draws a dark link between guns and patriotism when he raps “Kelly lit her school up like it’s 4th of July / Where she from them 22s more patriotic than pie.”
Chris later describes the simple logic and fear motivating the spread of guns when he explains “Ain’t no cracking that code, ain’t no safety on locks / Might as well get you one / Procrastinating will get you popped.”
His ability to tack such complex issues while also putting together an enjoyable song is pretty special.
Leaning On Myself — Anna of the North
Norwegian singer-songwriter Anna Lotterud, a.k.a. Anna of the North, has carved a niche for herself as simultaneously one of the most comforting and creative voices in electro-pop. Lotterud’s stock has risen significantly since her 2017 debut album Lovers after features on projects from Tyler, The Creator, Rejjie Snow, and Honne. Based on the lead single for her upcoming project, listeners should expect to see much more of Lotterud this year.
Sticking with the self-love theme this month, “Leaning On Myself” is an absolutely gorgeous reflection on finding strength from within. Although the lyrics themselves are not too complex, the emotional presentation and no-no-nonsense songwriting convey a powerful message.
Lotterud’s new radical self-love comes from what the artist called “one big break down.”
“I had to cut some people out of my life, people I loved but I knew weren’t really good for me,” she said in a statement accompanying the song. “It was tough.”
Lotterud discusses the difficulties inherent to the process of moving on from people and experiences, when she sings “Felt like all I need is how I had it before /
Thought that I’d feel free, but the freedom comes slow.”
The light synth track backs Lotterud’s silky smooth delivery perfectly, lending structure to her dreamy vocals. In particular, the instrumental breaks separating the chorus and verses stand out for the glitzy synth and drum interlude which keep the track from feeling overly uniform.
“Leaning On Myself” portrays a Lotterud who has genuinely improved her life by learning to create her own value, no matter how long it took for her to get over the challenges of change.
Now That I Found You — Carly Rae Jepsen
Carly Rae Jepsen is back with another bubbly pop hit about falling in love. The nice thing about the Canadian singer’s music is that you can use that sentence to describe almost every song by her, and “Now That I Found You” is no exception.
This new track is about getting past the honeymoon stage of a relationship and still being deeply in love. “How did we get this far?” Jepsen wonders, “It came without a warning.”
Now that she’s confident in her relationship, Jepsen wants to enjoy life and share her joy with the world.
“’Now That I Found You’ is about the high you get when a new love starts to change your life,” she explained in a press release. “It’s like the rush, rush, rush is better than any drug.”
The effervescent lyrics are backed by synth-heavy production that almost feels ripped right out of an 80s dance track. Like most of Jepsen’s music, this new song will lift your spirits and get you in the mood to celebrate.
Only Child — Tierra Whack
Tierra Whack is releasing songs longer than a minute again, time to celebrate!
Following her 2018 critically-acclaimed project Whack World, the Philadelphia rapper and singer is back with “Only Child.” As an only child myself, I initially thought this track was an attack on my character before realizing that it’s actually a devastating diss of Whack’s ex.
Her ex, who is as selfish and self-centered as only children (allegedly) are, gets bombarded by some pretty devastating lines like “Spiteful and malicious, hope that other chick got syphilis” and “Money over dick, you should stop breathin’.”
However, it becomes clear in the chorus that Whack’s feeling toward her ex are more complex than simple hate when she sings, “Darlin’, darlin’, I’ve been prayin’ for you, for you.”
She also expresses empathy for their attitude, acknowledging that the ex’s upbringing is out of their control. Now that she has more than a minute to discuss an issue, Whack is able to artfully tackle this one from different emotional angles.
The clean transitions on “Only Child” between Whack’s buttery singing and tight flows showcase the rising star’s musical versatility. Her delivery lulls listeners before springing complex lyricism and exciting production on them. Expect great things to come from Whack this year.
Painkiller Paradise — Lou The Human
Staten Island-based Lou The Human can rap. On “Painkiller Paradise,” the titular single for his upcoming sophomore album, he proves that fact beyond any doubt.
Lou’s raw delivery ups the intensity on a track that’s already supercharged by his fantastic grimy production. Lou modulates between almost and loudly shouting as he doles out bars about addiction and depression.
He tackles a particularly challenging issue when he raps “I’ve been tryna get my mind right / Life gave me lemons now I’m all up in the limelight.” Lou haspublicly shared his struggle with decoupling his declining mental health from his growing musical success. It’s a feeling that many other popular artists, like Kanye West, have expressed, and deserves more conversation.
In between the difficult questions Lou brings up, he drops a ton of clever word play and energy that is sure to get you some new maxes at the gym. Painkiller Paradise is an album worth watching out for this year.
Voicemail — Poppy
I didn’t think Poppy could get any more terrifying, but here we are.
The Youtuber, singer, songwriter, and child of the internet is one of the most intriguing figures in modern music. Poppy has been posting unsettling, cryptic videos on Youtube since 2014 and releasing music since 2016. While the artist’s debut project Bubble Bath was mostly light-hearted pop about money and love, Poppy’s music has taken a decidedly more sinister and substantive turn since.
Poppy has credited Gary Numan, a pioneer of modern electronic music, for inspiring the turn the artist has taken toward a darker industrial-pop sound, an influence which can be heard clearly on 2018’s Am I Girl? and this new track.
On “Voicemail,” a thumping bass line and robotic, metal-inspired synth loops combine to create a frantic beat that backs Poppy’s creepy lyrics.
Seconds into the track, Poppy shares that “There’s blood on my necklace / And blood on my clothes” and laments several times that “I’m on my own.” Not only is Poppy alone, but people keep running away from the artist like “it’s all that [they] know.”
The song is accompanied by an equally chilling music video, which is worth checking out if you’re not in a dark place or easily scared.
Wish You Were Here — Skepta
Possibly the biggest rap beef of the year in unraveling right across the pond and not enough people are talking about it. Grime giants Skepta and Wiley, both members of the Boy Better Know collective, have been in a cold war for months.
Wiley, the “godfather of grime,” initially called out Skepta in October of last year for collaborating with Dizzee Rascal. Dizzee and Wiley have been beefing since Dizzee was stabbed in 2003 and blamed Wiley for the attack.
Wiley dropped “Flip The Table” soon after calling Skepta and Dizzee out on IG live. On that track Wiley called Dizzee “the boy in the corner, the grime scene quitter” and called Skepta a pagan (big diss in the UK) and accused him of stealing Big H’s flow.
The conflict seemed to have cooled down when Skepta attended the Wiley’s birthday party in January, but then “Wish You Were Here” dropped.
On this new track Skepta absolutely eviscerates Wiley over a classic grime rhythm. Here are the highlight disses Skepta deals:
Wiley won’t address their beef: “Came to squash beef but you weren’t there / Came to your party, you weren’t there / Came to your house but you weren’t there” (Wiley was stuck in immigration during his birthday).
Wiley is ungrateful for the help Skepta’s given him: “Produced my own beats, I think of my own lyrics / Could have kept it all to myself but I split it”
Wiley is all talk, no walk: “All the chit chatter get a ni**a nowhere / Diss big smoke, now you’re gettin’ nightmares”
Even though they’ve been friends for 15 years, Skepta has no time for Wiley: “Old school beef, no, I ain’t got time / Old school friends, no, I ain’t got time”
Wiley’s going to take some time to come up with a response to this one.
Spotify playlist: