SOMETHING OLD: ‘Fire’ – Lethal Bizzle

Featuring a sample of ‘It’s A Shame’ with a little addition of extra drums and thicker bassline makes this track instantly one for summer driving.
Known as being a reliable addition to any live festival, I caught him for the first time at last year’s Boardmasters in Newquay and was blown away by his enthusiasm and getting the crowd in the palm of his hand from the first beat.

Many of his songs have a serious message but with lighter tones, sometimes actually humorous lyrics makes Lethal a refreshing change to many other artists within this British genre. ‘Fire’ follows a similar vein with the addition of a chorus everyone knows and can sing along to.

The best part of any rapper’s game is how easy they make their rhymes, and you can’t argue with Lethal’s loyal fanbase.

From the album ‘Against All Oddz‘ (2005) / @LethalBizzle

SOMETHING NEW: ‘Mama I’m Gonna Sing’ – EJ

There aren’t many songs that simply kick ass with just a vocal and drum. In fact, I can’t think of any in particular right now – except this downright incredible 1 minute 57 second track by EJ.

A husky voice dripping with soul with shades of Tracy Chapman perhaps, it breaks my heart along with my ears feeling cheated that this isn’t longer. It teases you to the point where you feel obliged to put the track on repeat at least 4 times to make it sound like the entirety of a song.

The drum beat is cheerleader-esque, much like the rousing and driving hypnotism of Beyonce’s ‘Run The World (Girls)’, whirling and tapping with hand claps and finger clicks – just try to resist shaking something along.

The relentless march beat stomps along with the lyrics, almost a protest song, telling her reluctant mother that she wants to sing when asked what she wants to be.  Even with this mere appetiser of EJ’s sound, Mama should be as excited as the rest of us to hear what else EJ has in store.

Single released 11^th March / @EJDATSINGS @ejupdates