Best New Music: DEELA Taps Flo Milli For A Befitting Remix to “Take It Up”
from TikTok to the studio
These days, artists are finding success quick and fast through virality on social media. Gone are the days where industry gatekeepers determine who’s worth listening to, now the audience is taking some of that power with platforms such as TikTok and more, becoming instrumental in catapulting artists into greater success.
One perfect example is Nigerian-born, UK-based rapper, DEELA who’s been bubbling on our radar for quite some time. Since her appearance in Fresh Meat (now known as uNder) back in August 2021, the rising star has been fine-tuning her catchy bars which are armed with a youthful outlook on life and an unfiltered sense of confidence. The budding rapper has continued to carve a space for herself in the current zeitgeist of powerful female emcees unabashedly putting themselves on and inverting the male gaze to their benefit.
Two years later, so much has changed in DEELA’s world and we’re all the better for it. She’s been building up an impressive catalogue of feel-good flexes where she chops it up to the men and naysayers that deserve a mouthful. Her sophomore EP ‘DONE DEEL,’ is perhaps the most comprehensive introduction to DEELA’s talents, one that feels like each track is a burst of her personality. DEELA once shared that ‘DONE DEEL’ took significant inspiration from Flo Milli’s ‘Ho, Why Is You Here?’ “I guess that also speaks for itself. Flo Milli and I should be on a song soon,” she told the NATIVE at the time.
View this post on Instagram
(@deelagram)On “Take It Up,” DEELA opens the track with brazenly honest bars as she adopts the tone of someone fed up with all the BS from a former love interest. “Take it up with another hoe who cares you fucked up because I’m heavy on grind/If I weren’t so turnt up right now might spaz but you even ain’t worth my time,” she commands on the track’s intro. Switching from her laidback and collected delivery in the verses to a higher pitch in the hook and pre-chorus, it feels almost like DEELA is symbolising the freedom she feels through her melodies.
In today’s world of modern-day dating and relationships, it’s very difficult to find partners that are willing to speak the same love language, leading to an endless string of heartbreaks and situationships. It’s common to see women compromising on what they want and settling for less but DEELA is reinforcing that there’s power in shutting things off quickly and focusing inwards on stacking your paper and learning your craft.
DEELA adopts a laser precision flow as she digs into this frustrating experience and finds relief through her pen. In a similar tune as female emcees before her, DEELA reaffirms her self worth. She reminds herself that she’s still that girl despite the treatment she once endured with catchy bars like “Price ain’t cheap, so stack up your coin like you need a new home.”
It’s not hard to see why American rapper, Flo Milli took an instant liking to the no-holds barred track. Flo Milli found DEELA’s track through her For You page on TikTok where she instantly reached out to the Nigerian rapper and commended her sharp, clear raps. As fate would have it, the pair soon linked up on the remix to the track which further expands the song’s reach to a wider audience.
Flo Milli’s catalogue is littered with tracks that mirror the energy dishes on DEELA’s “Take It Up.” Think tracks such as 2019’s “In The Party” and 2020’s “Like That B*tch” where she fires off menacing bars around her competitors and her naysayers. It’s this same charisma that Flo Milli brings to DEELA’s world, matching the rapper’s don’t-care attitude and trading bars about sticking men to the curb. She smoothly complements DEELA’s deeper vocals with a light and airy verse “He fishing for love I ain’t taking the bait/I thought a broke boy said I won’t be shit, look at the tables I still got rich.”
Flo Milli’s success has been one of the most captivating to witness over the past few years. For any fans of the young American rapper who broke out just before the pandemic year, her dizzying flows and a sex-positive fearlessness has deservedly resulted in a legion of fans. At this crucial moment in her career, it’s endearing to watch her take an interest in the Nigerian rapper and boost her song to greater heights.
It’s only forward for DEELA at this stage, given that it is one of the most exciting times to be an emerging artist. Although she has kept his releases precious but powerful, she is gracefully confirming herself as an artist in a constant state of evolution, hungry for more bars and ready to top her best effort. We’re definitely ready for whatever she serves up next.
Listen to “Take It Up(Remix)” below.
Featured Image Credits/The NATIVE
NATIVE PREMIERE: Rigo Kamp Runs Ahead Of The Pack With The Visuals For “Marathon”
Rigo Kamp’s Marathon video is an intimate Afro-juju revival that pays homage to Sir Shina Peters and stamps...
Last Friday, Rigo Kamp, a NATIVE uNder alum and one of the architects of an equal parts nostalgic and refreshing sound released his self-titled debut EP, delivering a propulsive fusion of Alte, R&B, Funk, and Soul-infused rhythms.
Featuring previously released singles “Morning Sun” and “Summer”, the six-track eponymous EP executively produced by Odunsi The Engine sees Rigo lean heavily into his element as a sonic alchemist, jumping from silky falsettos to gritty grooves without losing an ounce of cohesion, and ultimately stamping the Abuja-born, Lagos-based singer-songwriter as a mad scientist of sound.
Just last November, Apple Music named Rigo Kamp as its Up Next artist, an acknowledgment that underscored his potential and confirmed what the tastemakers and underground scene already knew. Weeks later, he delivered an exhilarating live set for Spotify Fresh Finds in Lagos, proving he’s just as compelling live as he is in the studio.
On “Marathon”, the refreshing opener to the Rigo Kamp EP, Rigo borrows the bounce and swagger of Afro-Juju legend, Sir Shina Peters’ golden-era, fusing nostalgia with re-imagination to birth a vintage performance that feels like a private party for two, where it’s just Rigo, and you.
Get an exclusive first look at the video for Marathon here:
Listen to the Rigo Kamp EP:
Keep reading...
Best New Music: Blinky Bill mines inspiration from the old on the rap banger, “Boss”
A standout off his new album, 'We Cut Keys
Blinky Bill is a savant of the avant. Since the late 2000s, the Kenyan artist and producer has gained a rep for being authentic, creating with very little reverence for norms or trends. As a foundational tone-setter for the eventual arrival of Nu Nairobi, a loose community of artists who champion expression that’s alternate to the mainstream, Blinky’s bonafides are sealed, especially buoyed by a formidable solo catalogue since the much beloved, seminal group, Just A Band, dispersed—and reassembled in 2022.
In late January, Blinky Bill released ‘We Cut Keys 2’, his first project release in over five years and the sequel to his debut project, ‘We Cut Keys While You Wait’. The new album is a semi-sprawling 16-song set where Blinky jams in a truckload of viscerally exciting music ideas, roaming across jazzy keys, pounding electronic bass, funky guitar riffs, and traditionally-inspired rhythms. As with all of his albums, there are lyrical moments driven by profundity, fitting for an artist who’s adept at exploring personal concern with an accessible, everyman’s rapper finesse.
At that, what really elevates ‘We Cut Keys 2’ is that it feels like the most fun album Blinky Bill has made till date. As exciting as the genre-blurring swings on his previous two projects were, there’s a lot more assuredness to the music here, even when his inspiration ventures further than anything he’s done before. Lodged in the lower middle part of the album is “Boss,” a rollicking banger that repurposes the rustic groove of traditional Luo music. The result is a swaggering rap banger with a distinctly Kenyan and East African core.
The first thing that meets listeners’ ears on “Boss” are thick low end drums, all pounding bass and no snare, accented by handclaps and what sounds like a glinting triangle sample. It doesn’t take long for the song to get fuller, with the addition of local drums and a central Benga guitar riff. It’s a musical carnival, where the old informs the new, where the urban is rooted in the pure charm of heritage. Even though the ethos is very familiar in current Afropop, it’s nothing like I’ve ever heard, and that will probably be the same for many listeners.
View this post on Instagram
Blinky Bill doesn’t complicate things with his raps, “Boss” is a celebration of self and declaration of reverence of the culture and music that came before him. “They need to know I’m a champion,” Blinky coolly asserts in a sing-rap cadence, segueing into a hook that repeats the song’s title with an infectious stomp. As for reverence, it’s in the performance as much as it is in the music. Amongst one of the more thoughtful guests, early 2000s Kenyan rap icon Maji Maji, of the seminal duo GidiGidi MajiMaji, delivers an energetic verse, with his grizzled chants floating over a section of the arrangement stripped of the pounding.
Rounding out the song are the yelped adlibs by another Kenyan music legend Melkizedo, making the union of old and new feel even fuller. On an album with over a dozen guests, including American rapper Goldlink and British-Ghanaian artist Fuse ODG, Blinky Bill hits a novel, incredibly rewarding note with “Boss.”
ICYMI: “SHRAP OVER THE REST”: THE RISE OF A KENYAN GENRE FOR THE YOUTH, BY THE YOUTH
Keep reading...
Best New Music: Lojay and Olamide are a captivating pairing on new single, “Arizona”
a masterstroke in
Since his dazzling breakthrough with revered Nigerian DJ-producer, Sarz, on their collaborative EP, ‘LV N ATTN,’ Lojay has rightfully earned the ears of many listeners by carving out his own space in Afropop complete with a charismatic personality, emotion-laden songwriting and back to back hits. The 5-track offering evidently primed him for greatness and has sustained the artist since then as he proves he’s worth more than his salt.
Earlier this year, the singer served up his sophomore effort, ‘GANGSTER ROMANTIC’ which more than proves his solo capabilities as a performer. What makes ‘GANGSTER ROMANTIC’ an easy listen is the faultless sequencing that accentuates Lojay’s emotions throughout the project, from playboy to loverboy, and from self-assured to hesitant. Although his career is still nascent, Lojay has worked with some of the best hands in the music business and, with his ability to make great music, the signs portend good tidings for his future.
View this post on Instagram
On the other side of the coin, Nigerian rap legend, Olamide continues to leave an indelible mark on Nigeria’s music history with a series of timeless hits and the mentorship of prized signees via his record label, YBNL. The release of his latest and according to him, last album, ‘Unruly,’ crystallised Olamide’s status as the leading street-pop artist of our generation, eclipsing all leftover doubt.
And if it is truly the last we hear of Olamide in album mode, as he chooses to focus on expanding and reaping the benefits of the powerhouse that is YBNL, he is well within his rights. A few weeks ago, his star signee, Asake pushed the boundaries of his success a step further after snagging a Grammy nomination for “Amapiano” under the Best African Music Performance category. As Olamide joins Lojay for an intoxicating delivery on “Arizona,” it is evident that he is currently on flight mode, breezing through with potential hits like the superstar he is.
From the opening seconds of “Arizona,” it is clear that we’re in for a good time. The track opens with signature log drum-shakers combination that portends the song’s irresistible and dance-ready quality. With this solid sonic foundation, Lojay and his guest star, Baddo lay down poignant and intimate verses that find them in loverboy anguish. Lojay’s lush chords alongside Olamide’s sonorous bars come into the picture, making for an instant recipe for success.
The track leads in with a heart-thumping mid-tempo beat, credited to P.Prime, only to be accompanied shortly after by echoey chords fading in and out of the track. Lojay’s croons take over as he sings, “What’s your lucky number baby, give me update,” immediately alerting us that we have another love-themed track on our hands. He takes on the narrative approach to detail an interaction with his love interest, where he beckons her to commit and follow him to various parts of the world.
Olamide slips in immediately after, raining praises on her physical appearance while explaining how crazy she makes him feel, “Nobody got this type of ukwu, omo buruku/You make a nigga coocoo.” As opposed to clearly expressing in words in a similar way to Lojay, he takes the onomatopoeic approach, creating melodies by repeating similar sounding words. It wouldn’t be Olamide without a comedic and memorable one-liner. So when he wraps up his verse saying “Agege bread no dey get label” it reiterates his witty penmanship many listeners have grown to love. His razor sharp flow, matched with the track’s smooth progressions and ‘Piano log drums in the background allow for his verse to carry tension of its own, forging “Arizona” as one of the catchiest feel-good numbers in recent months.
With a pairing as promising as this, coupled with the synergy the pair were able to display, it is safe to conclude that Lojay has added another string to his ever-growing catalogue. His efforts are a clear indication of his desire for growth and global visibility, achieved by his consistency all bound together by his admirably raw approach to relaying his lived experiences.
Listen to “Arizona” here.
Featured image credits/
ICYMI- REVIEW: LOJAY’S GANGSTER ROMANTIC
Keep reading...
