Hits of the Week – Featuring Downtown Kayoto, Songer and more
Future and Metro Boomin ft. Kendrick Lamar – ‘Like That’
Hip-hop is well and truly back. No more sneak disses, no more walking on eggshells, Kendrick Lamar came for the throne with the hunger and intensity fans have been clamouring for for years. “Motherfuck the big three, n****, it’s just big me,” he rapped through a zany vocal inflection, taking aim at the so-called other members of the “big three”, Drake and J. Cole. Sure, it’s Lamar who undoubtedly steals the show with his scathing shots and deranged delivery, but Metro Boomin’s southern Three Six Mafia (and utilising a killer sample of Eazy E’s ‘Eazy-Duz-It’) inspired production provides the ideal backdrop for the Compton rhymer to let loose. Simultaneously, Future’s intro verse and woozy, syrupy hook tie the track together nicely, allowing for a moment to ready yourself for Lamar’s oncoming onslaught.
Downtown Kayoto – ‘Came Thru’
Zimbabwe-born, Hull-based musician Downtown Kayoto has just released his R&B-infused single ‘Came Thru’, in which the musician brings a sense of noughties nostalgia into the modern musical context. And after hearing the bombastic, steamy production, you’ll be unsurprised to learn that two of Kayoto’s biggest inspirations come in the form of Timbaland and The Neptunes. As ear-catching as the beat is, it’s a testament to Kayoto’s commanding and growing vocal presence that the singer still manages to find those perfect pockets allowing his voice to truly take centre stage. Meanwhile, the track’s accompanying music video more than matches the energy thanks to direction from Joe Howat and Shanise Liang.
Songer – ‘Wide Awake’
Reading spitter Songer, who was previously featured in our Hungry showcase, is back with another heater. Continuing to solidify himself as one of the UK’s most versatile rappers, Songer has revealed ‘Wide Awake’, a high-octane anthem drenched in punchy 808s taken from his upcoming project The Price of Therapy. Throughout the track, Songer touches on escapism, introspection, and the dichotomy between external socialising and internal struggles of the mind, through his typically visceral and vulnerable lyricism.
Skaiwater ft. Lil Nas X and 9lives – ‘light!’
Skaiwater and Lil Nas X have a longstanding friendship, dating back to 2018 when the British rapper featured on an early song by the ‘Old Town Road’ singer. Now, the tables have turned, with Lil Nas X featuring on a new Skaiwater song, complete with an extremely Y2K music video. the song itself is a perfectly catchy “fuck my ex” (which Lil Nas X repeats during his verse) type of anthem. Sorry to Lil Nas X for whoever hurt his feelings — he raps about someone “cheating on [his] ass with a cornball” — but hey, at least it all resulted in a banger. It’s a glitzy, confidence-oozing track that’ll most likely leave Lil Nas X and Skaiwater’s exes wishing they’d never left.
Seafood Sam – ‘Pearly Gates Playlist’
Oftentimes when artists try to pull off a nonchalant, laid-back flow, It can come across as lazy, and uninspired. Seafood Sam, however, manages to make it seem effortlessly cool on his latest release, ‘Pearly Gates Playlist’. Sam’s delivery should come as no surprise, though, he is from the West Coast (Long Beach to be specific), a location synonymous with relaxed and butter-smooth flows. Lush strings can be heard throughout the intricately detailed production, which also features angelic pads seemingly pulled straight from a Philly soul classic.
