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JoeJas’ bold new track conveys flair and originality with its distinctive and artistic cloud-rap style.Once again, JoeJas is bringing a fresh sound to the hip-hop genre.
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‘WTF’ is JoeJas’ first single release since his 2022 album, ‘Gaps & Normads’. This track, despite being equally as experimental, feels more authoritative with fresh dynamic lyrics to match.
JoeJas described the new song as “a scream for all the people doing things their own way, wanting to make it work no matter what”.
The track begins with a striking beat that immediately grabs the listeners attention with harsh drums and strong vocals. JoeJas used instrumental inspiration from early 2000’s R&B groove from artists such as The Neptunes and Timberland with an imaginative Tyler the Creator-like flow.
The multi-talented artist not only rapped this song, but he also produced it along with shooting and editing the music video, adding his own distinct and colourful videography style.
‘WTF’ is one of those songs that makes you want to grab your friends and simply just jump. It’s a song that without doubt requires full volume if played on the aux.
The record has already impressed fans, as well as getting praised by perhaps the internet’s toughest music critic, Anothony Fantano himself! The infamous reviewer said: “It’s got this very wild eccentric, early 2000’s, odd future-esque kind of vibe to it but not so edgy that it makes you wince. I’ve been liking it quite a bit. Solid single all round.” From the man who called Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy “overrated” and “super weak” – that is quite the statement.
So, make sure you check it out if you haven’t already!
The one-man-indie-band that goes by the name of ‘The O.O’, delivers a beautifully written, upbeat and well-produced record.
With this charismatic acoustic song, the indie singer-songwriter from the Isle of Wight takes you straight to the seaside on a summer’s day, toes in the sand and guitar in hand. The O.O also known as Ollie, channels his inner Luke Pritchard with his vocals and melody reminding me of The Kooks’ old material.
The song titled, Sometimes, follows the artists pursuit of a new co-worker that he felt an instant connection with. Despite her having a boyfriend, the two of them would share occasional moments and often catch each other’s eye, leaving the artist hopeful yet confused.
The 4-minute track explodes with colour as Ollie’s soothing raw vocals take centre stage commanding the listener to join him on the heartfelt musical journey. The authentic and unpolished style is inspired by the iconic British indie bands of the 2000s such as the Arctic Monkeys, the Fratellis and the Libertines. The young singer loved the truth in their early albums, he added: “They were just making music that they loved and having a great time without worrying about what anyone thought”.
Interestingly, it was his challenging early school years that led The O.O to fall in love with music, as he was often removed from lessons for ‘disruptive behaviour’; instead, his headteacher taught him how to play instruments, lighting the spark to his passion for music.
The talented solo artist wrote and recorded the song using his home studio equipment, he shared: “It’s very simple and basic really, but for me if I overcomplicate it, the songs end up getting messy, whereas when I keep it simple I end up getting the sounds I want for my music”.
The O.O has big plans for this year, hoping to release some more singles including creative music videos as well as a new album. In the next few years, he wants to be gigging as much as he can, he said: “I just have such a passion for music and want to keep creating and sharing with everyone!”
So if you haven’t already, give it a listen, comment your thoughts and please share any other underrated UK artists!
This 10-minute-long spoken word song comments on the challenges of being a music artist in the modern world. It’s relatable, passionate and witty – but make sure you listen to the end!
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26-year-old Jamie Felton from Oxford wrote this unconventional long form rap to highlight the difficulties of navigating the music industry. The eerie chord changes, hard-hitting lyrics and intense delivery help create the persona of a beyond frustrated musician.
The scenarios Jamie refers to in the song are all too familiar for wannabe or emerging artists. For example, being told “it’s not what you know it’s who you know”, the difficulty of trying to sell tickets to a show when they can see you in the local pub for free and of course, the dreaded “Sing Wonderwall”!
The character that Jamie presents in the song seems to be yearning for the past and simpler times, in terms of being an artist and the way that music is consumed. For instance he references the need for a big social media presence, having to fit into pop culture and the requirement to constantly try new things in order to stand out.
“Every single writer, performer and ‘tryer’ of music will be able to relate to this monologue of honesty, rejection and self-deprecation, representing the daily grind required to sound the tiniest of drops in the musical pond that is the entertainment business”
– Jamie Felton
However, when you get to the end of the song, you realise the brutal assessment of how modern society has brainwashed the artform of music is actually not what Jamie really feels at all! He explains that the song up to that point was a parody and he was portraying a fictional character of a snobby and bitter musician. The lyric that perfectly captures the overall message of the song is “If it sounds good, it is good, so leave off with the technical derision”.
The new track is short but very sweet with rich vocals being paired with smooth sound production to create a high-quality rap tune.
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For this record, the South-west London based rapper and songwriter Mxlode (pronounced ‘Melody’) collaborated with Teeqro, his life-long friend, fellow artist and producer. The duo’s vocals compliment each other well to create a more complex sound.
The lyrics of ‘War and Dior’ reflect Mxlode‘s dreams as an artist as he manifests a successful future “see I never did a show but when I blow I’ll tour arenas with millions”. The chorus also highlights the hate Mxlode received about his music in the early stages. He goes on to suggests that some of those around him switched up after his music career began taking off.
Due to the eclectic mix of sub-genres on this track, there are a number of artists that come to mind who I think will have influenced Mxlode‘s music style. Personally, I hear similarities with UK rap trio D-Block Europe as well as America’s 6LACK. This was echoed by Mxlode himself as he said he looked up to a wide range of artists including Akon, XXXTentacion as well as the king of pop – Michael Jackson.
Mxlode kindly allowed me to listen to the unreleased EP that will be out later this year and it’s definitely a project to get excited about! It’s multi-layered, honest, strongly-produced and flows cohesively, so be ready for the release!
“This EP is 100% my best work yet. It’s the most honest I’ve been about my experiences. I really leaned into a strength of mine which is my vulnerability on this project and I hope it’s able to resonate with people the same way it does when I listen to it”
– Mxlode
Let me know what you think of the tune and please suggest other similar underrated artists in the comments below!
