Once again we are greeted with the exploits of a rapper who needs no introduction. Nolay has endured years in the game and still comes out top, synonymous with the battle-esque crows of an artist comfortable in her skin and changing for no one. But this time, our prime mover further turns up the heat. Bouncing back following her last single ‘Stunning‘, Nolay commits to the scent of victory once more by inciting the industry to panic over an array of venomous wordplay intrinsic to the artist, and recognisable to anyone who knows her. Each bar and verse is laced with an intoxicating cable of expertise rarely seen in the game anymore, where Nolay punches holes into beats inspired by Braveheats’ Oochie Wally: “posing in your pictures with some prop money, a broke joke I can’t even get you robbed honey.” These are the verbalisations of confidence in what she is capable of, and this single is but another example of why she is one of the best rappers to grace not only the UK but music itself. [via Stanis Island]
It’s the beginning of a new era for JT of City Girls. After sharing her solo single ‘No Bars,’ she’s already garnered much buzzy for her quick-witted punchlines and fiery flows. Now, she has shared the video for her viral new track. In the video, she is seen dancing behind blue bars, rocking matching hair and a hoodie. This is juxtaposed with clips of JT partying and meeting fans across London and Paris, emphasizing the she and City Girls have become a worldwide sensation. In a statement accompanying the song’s release this past week, JT said she hopes the song is the beginning of a new chapter in her artistry, and leads to more people taking her seriously in hip-hop. “I hope this freestyle finds you in a great place and is a start of the respect I deserve in music,” she said. “I love music! I love my voice! I love poppin my sh*t.” [via Uproxx]
JT isn’t the only female rapper to catch our attention this weekend – BIA is also holding it down with her latest single, ‘Raised Me.’ She has put her own spin on Petey Pablo’s ‘Raise Up’ flow, reminding us that she’s a force to be reckoned with amid her contemporaries. “Not for nothin’, I got motion, my traction never lackin’ / Say my name, say my name, more Ls, it never happened,” BIA effortlessly flows on her first verse. Later on she begins the chorus with, “Money on my mind and my mind on my money and thе business that pays me / I’m movin’ dangerous, tryna make it home safely.” [via HNHH]
Haviah Mighty is back with a new single, ‘Huh,’ a dancey, breakup track which places the Canadian rapper’s knack for emotional expression at the center of a ready-for-the-club beat. Taking stylistic cues from dancehall, ‘Huh’ balances Haviah’s hard-hitting flow with moments of bubbling, rhythmic goodness. As the lyrics “It’s a shame you let me down/ the way you did” shine through glitched-out vocal processing, the underlying pulse of the backbeat chugs on, creating a symbolic tension of sorts. “‘Huh’ is a tale of disappointment following the narration of a desperate lover who is losing the love of their life, and vowing to change to reverse it all,” Haviah explained in a press statement. “Desperate to go back to how it was, they’re taking responsibility for the incompatibility, and suffering a mind/body separation of sorts where their mind is wrapped up in the traumatic loss, unable to escape, but their body is free and has been let loose. They are living in two spaces, two worlds, and trying to return to perceived ‘stability,’ where ironically, what they want to return to, is the most unstable thing in their life.” [via Consequence]
