Ms Banks has shared her new EP Bank Statement in full. The multi-faceted UK rapper is one of the best in the game, someone whose deep system heritage is matched to a highly personal approach to music. Bank Statement is a rounded return, with Ms Banks moving from fan favourites ‘Bounce’ and ‘Favourite Girl’ to something a little deeper, too. It’s a fiery UK rap offering, with Ms Banks once more leading from the front. Asserting her worth in titanic style, the EP is out now, with ‘Favourite Girl’ gaining a slick Teezey C directed video. Ms Banks comments… “A bank statement is necessary to prove a multitude of things, proof of address, proof of income, proof of name etc. My Bank Statement proves that women are multifaceted, we can be soft, we can be vulnerable but also a boss and tough. My Bank statement proves I am versatile and I can make bangers whilst killing any beat I jump on…” [via Clash]
Last time we got a Megan Thee Stallion single, it was ‘Sweetest Pie’ with Dua Lipa. But more music is on the way — last month, the Houston rapper told Rolling Stone how she was working on her forthcoming sophomore album — the follow-up to 2020’s Good News — which she hopes to have out this summer. That brings us up to now, where Megan shared a new collab with Future called ‘Pressurelicious.’ Sharing the track artwork on Instagram, she captioned: “Hot Girls Up 10000000000000 points.” Opening up a bit more about the mood of her new album, Megan told Rolling Stone: “I want to take you through so many different emotions. At first you was twerking, now you might be crying.” Of working with Future, she said: “He just so fucking ratchet! He is unapologetically himself. I appreciate that about anybody who gets up and has to do anything in the public eye. Anybody who has to read about their life online every day and deal with so many energies and can put it out into their music and do it gracefully, I feel like you deserve your flowers.” [via Stereogum]
Flohio will release debut album Out Of Heart on October 7. The rapper is one of the most tipped artists in the country, with her natural ability on the mic matched to an impeccable ear for production. She’s made fans wait for a debut album, releasing a steady string of projects while finessing her skills. Now she’s ready to move. Out Of Heart taps into her roots, with Flohio exemplifying natural talent, and precious youth. She comments… “I grew up around the time of games like Playstations and Nintendos; I’m bringing back the nostalgia of me in my living room playing games with my friends at age 10. Game soundtracks like Final Fantasy and Super Mario. I wanted [Out of Heart] to speak to my inner child and where it all started while bringing me back to now and who I am today.” New single ‘SPF’ is produced by SPEECH, a bold return with its punchy percussion underpinning a stellar performance from Flohio. [via Clash]
Coming through with visuals for her new drop titled ‘Black Glamour’ is Cardiff rhymer Deyah. Reconnecting with producer Otis Saint Carter, Deyah delivers another hard-hitting cut where she creates some powerful imagery with her lyrics which are delivered with clarity. ‘Black Glamour’ is the title track from Deyah’s upcoming mixtape which is due for release in August. The track and its intense visuals follow on from ‘Suffa’ which is also expected to feature on the project. [via GRM Daily]
Sampa The Great has shared new single ‘Bona’. An artist whose work thrives on complexity, incoming album As Above, So Below finds Sampa The Great adding fresh laters to her music. New single ‘Bona’ is a case in point. Leaning on the power and vitality of her youth in Botswana, she contrasts this with cutting edge sounds from the southern half of the African continent. So, expect the production palette – helmed by Zambian figure Mag44, alongside Sampa herself – to fuse kwaito and amapiano into a hip-hop sequence. The relentless lyrical flow finds Sampa The Great speaking her truth, seeking to platform communities not normally placed in the spotlight. Capturing the “swag of Botswana youth” this new single is a riveting, unrelenting statement. She says…”‘Bona’ is a chance for me to shine light on other elements of music that I was influenced by when growing up, outside of Zambian music. I want to bring a Southern African anthem to the mix and DJ desks, and show that not all music coming out of Africa is Afrobeats.” [via Clash]
