Lakeyah drops her first solo release of 2023, ‘Want Em Hood.’ The fresh track is a fearless rework of Gorilla Zoe’s 2007 hit record ‘Hood N‘ and combines pearl-clutching rhymes with brazen confidence. ‘Want Em Hood’ hinges on a head-nodding and nostalgic sample as Lakeyah locks into a fierce flow. Rich with sparse trap production and her signature brand of braggadocious rap, the self-described “Female Goat” instantly envelopes the listener with a sharp cadence. Behind the track, Lakeyah explains: “‘Hood N’ is one of my favorite tracks that was leading the early 2000s. That was my favorite era of music and I wanted to exude that fun, feel-good but braggadocious vibe. ‘Want Em Hood’ is perfect for the summer and it’s empowering for my guys and girls. We love ’em from the hood!” The visual directed by Diesel Filmz (Latto, Lil Baby, Lil Durk), perfectly captures a summer’s fun. Complete with a surprise cameo from Maiya The Don, Flo Milli, and Skilla Baby to name a few, Lakeyah hits the court by day and parties by night, bringing her concept to life and affirming her It-girl status.
Tkay Maidza is back with a new single, ‘Silent Assassin,’ which was produced by Flume. It’s the Australian musician’s first song since last year’s ‘Nights In December,’ which came after the official conclusion of Maidza’s years-long Last Year Was Weird EP project. “I like to move in silence, but this song is a reminder that people shouldn’t count me out or underestimate my abilities; they should be afraid when I’m quiet as I come back more evolved,” she said in a statement. “I’ve always wanted to work with Flume and was immediately ecstatic when he played the instrumental for this; I wanted to channel Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliot.” [via Stereogum]
Alabama rapper Chika has announced her debut full-length, SAMSON: The album, out July 28 via Warner Records. As a preview, she’s shared the powerful new single ‘DEMIGOD.’ On ‘DEMIGOD,’ Chika uses a melodic flow while describing how her well-documented mental health issues can benefit her artistry: “I love when I’m manic/ Try not to panic/ Walls of my head are all quilted and padded/ Words in my brain get translated through static.” [via Consequence]
Gaining buzz as an artist to watch this year, Brooklyn rapper BreezyLYN shares her infectious new single ‘KEEP WISHING’ featuring 2Rare. On the energetic track, a bright piano loop glows through a pulsating beat as the production interpolates the R&B staple ‘One Wish’ by Ray J. BreezyLYN leans into this sonic backdrop with a charismatic flow before delivering the dynamic mantra-like hook, “If he had one wish, he’ll wish for a bitch like me.” Plus, Philadelphia phenomenon 2Rare pulls up with a showstopping cameo of his own. About the track, BreezyLYN commented, “I was very hands-on with the making of ‘KEEP WISHING’ and worked closely with the producer to get the vibes right. We were in the studio creating the beat, and I instantly knew I had to get 2Rare on it. We didn’t know each other so I DM’ed him the snippet I posted and said, ‘I need you on this, we’d kill it.’ Finally, my label partner 100k Track was able to connect us on FaceTime, and from there, it’s been locked in. I also spoke with Ray J on FaceTime who gave me his support. The positive energy for this collab makes me so excited for everyone to hear it.” [via Hip Hop Since 1987]
