Bella And Ycee Are Surprisingly Good Singers On “Radio”
Confirming what we already knew about rap music in the 21st century
Confirming what we already knew about rap music in the 21st century
Bella Alubo released her first EP, Bella The EP, last year, but didn’t get the credit or publicity she deserved for successfully fusing hip-hop and pop. Realizing the potential of a rapper who can dabble in sung-rap, especially in this era where genre fusion is encouraged, Tinny Entertainment quickly signed her and have released her debut single, “Radio” featuring the label’s biggest artist, Ycee.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTn9_WblH8o/?taken-by=bellaalubo
Both artists have shown the ability to drop traditional rap bars and hit melodious notes on previous singles. However, in “Radio” they settle for the latter on the Afropop beat produced by Syn X. Their synergy is tested by the mid-tempo synth piano baseline that’s as catchy as every radio hit song since Mr Eazi’s “Skin Tight”. Lately, the media seems to make concessions for rappers who choose to sing their own choruses instead of outsourcing to RnB artists to make their songs more radio friendly. Since Drake found mainstream success by mixing pop with hip-hop, the fear of critics calling singing rappers soft became baseless.
Tinny Entertainment are either trying to make the most of their new signee by encouraging her to try out the more commercial Afropop genre, or are letting Bella choose what genre to explore despite the fact that she was signed as a rapper. What is obvious though, is that Tinny Entertainment have scored a definite radio hit with Bella’s “Radio”. Her singing voice is heavily autotuned, but it takes nothing away from her melodies and lyrics.
You can be sure that “Radio” will make it’s way onto radio stations’ playlists, riding on the attention Ycee has been enjoying recently. Plus, Bella is surprisingly brilliant at singing too. Her next project just got elevated to the list of projects to look out for.
Listen to Bella’s “Radio” featuring Ycee below.
https://soundcloud.com/bellaalubo/radio-ft-ycee-prod-syn-x
Featured Image Credits: Instagram/bellaalubo