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artist name: SiR

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sir, isaiah rashad karma

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release date: 22ND MARCH 2024

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album title: HEAVY

words by: Owen aka @o1___mighty (on all social platforms)

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THE MIGHTY CORNER #1 2024 has been a very… intriguing year so far, to say the least. Eclipses, a num ber of tragic deaths, the downfall of a rich billionaire, and a number of hiphop feuds (some spicy, some corny) as I write this, we’ve been fed with a lot of great music to get us through this year so far, as chaotic as it might be. Hiphop, R&B, alternative/rock, pop, it’s been a bit of a blast this first quarter, and there’s so much more to come in these next 8 months. Here are some of the projects so far that have caught my attention though…

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SiR’s fourth album HEAVY culminates SiR’s life a little bit deeper than the context of arguments and the almost five years of material, stem - before, including his struggles with latter having the awareness that ming from some of the struggles he celebrity, love/infidelity, and his the girl might deserve a better dealt with in the lengthy period af - previous alcohol/drug addictions, person than him. Anderson .Paak ter his highly-acclaimed third album which all come down to him trying to delivers a strong performance on Chasing Summer. Originally announced change for the better. the standout “Poetry in Motion”, in late 2022 after the release of 3 which was basically .Paak’s own While it’s not as toxic lyrically as song. And “Ricky’s Song” was a singles, the album was put on hold for the entirety of 2023, until the some of the songs on Chasing Suummer, very heartfelt highlight, giving the strong level of quality we love advice to his nephew on how to Top Dawg singer returned with the song “No Evil” at the start of this SiR for is still intact. The title navigate through life. HEAVY once year. The album finally arrived in track is almost a cry for help over again continues my agenda tosuch a relaxing backdrop. “Tryin’ March, just three weeks after his wards SiR having one of the most labelmate ScHoolboy Q released his My Hardest” and the Ab-Soul-assist - consistent discographies in R&B highly anticipated sixth album Blue ed “I’m Not Perfect” deal with the right now. similar theme of trying to make a Lips, and it was worth the wait!

HEAVY delves into certain aspects of relationship work, the former using

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genius album title: GAMMA

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release date: 16TH FEB 2024

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When I first discovered Sonny Miles through his appearance on Reuben Vin cent’s “Look What You Did” and his mu sic video appearance on BeMyFiasco’s “Between the Lines”, I came across a mixtape of his on Bandcamp called Gam ma, an earlier- but completely different version of what his debut album of the same name would end up being. It was a project weirdly not on streaming at the time, and some of the songs ended up being slightly reworked for later pro jects (including Catallabs, which has since been removed off streaming, as of this writing).

Throughout the album, Sonny knows how to utilise his soulful Southern voice over some smooth backdrops, even when he sometimes gets into a rap-singy approach on some of the songs (“Drop”, “Can’t Swipe Away”). “Run Around” features a sped up sample loop which Sonny works into a bit of a nice late night jam. “Over & Over” was one of my favour- Gamma is an album that is not to be ite songs from 2023, and sounds even slept on, you can hear all the hard better within the context of the alwork put into this! bum. The bass on that song is still so

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album title: Act Like / In the Sky

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In 2023, one of my favourite artists Black Milk finally released his eighth album Everybody Good?, three years after the pandemic initially delayed its planned 2020 release. It was an album that saw the Detroit rapper/producer experiment slightly more with melody and autotune, which finalised into a bit of a hit-or-miss result (When it did succeed though, it REALLY did…

“Feelings Don’t Feel” is an example).

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Six months later, as Black started to prepare for his European tour (which I had the pleasure of attending… one of my favourite concerts so far this year), he came through with a surprise 2-pack of new music for the fans. Now,

GOOD!! “Pour It Up”, originally re leased as a solo song as part of the “Everything” maxi-single in 2023, now features a guest appearance from Kelly Moonstone, who amplifies the song even further into a fully-real ised duet than what initially sound ed like a solo interlude. “Kwiet” ended up being a song I appreciated more, with its remarkable Tweet sam ple chop from Brydecisive, and as a bonus track for the album, actually concludes it so well!

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artist name: After the release of a few maxi-sin Lorem ipsum dolor sit gles during 2023, Sonny finally came Sonny Miles

through with Gamma - the debut album in February, which showcases the insane five-year growth from the North Carolina-based musician, making some of the best music of his rising career so far.

this barely counts as a project, especially not a full-length one like the rest on this list, but both songs on this have been getting me through the first quarter of the year, most especially “In the Sky” - the production on that song, specifically the drums, are insane!

“Act Like” features a hook, as well as production from Brandon Myster, who initially appeared on the Everybody Good? cut “Let Me Know”, and while I like both songs, I definitely feel the chemistry between both Black and Brandon succeeds more here, with a stronger hook and a simplistic but electrifying instrumental. It doesn’t do too much and not too

little, making for a great contrast towards the more striking musicality of the latter track.

release date: 30TH JAN 2024

Overall, a nice 2-pack that works as a way to bridge the gap between his recent album and whatever more there might be to come from Black Milk…

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artist name: Black Milk

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artist/s: Schoolboy q

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blue lips

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news date: april 30, 2024

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release date: 1ST MARCH 2024

I just want to start this off by saying people around him over a beautiful Mario that so far this year, “THank God 4 Me” Luciano/Lauren Santi-assisted composihas been one of my most played songs of tion. the year. It’s a song that was really worth the wait after it was initial“Love Birds” is a bit of a chaotic ly premiered during TDE producer Kal track, frequently switching from a loveBanx’s Boiler Room set in August 2023, ly Thee Sacred Souls sample to a more and it was exciting to officially hear ominous experimental soundscape for Q it 7 months later. Now, for the rest of and rapper/producer Devin Malik to get the album: their verses off. “Foux” concludes the Druggys wit H*es series on a high note, sonically having the most energy out of BLUE LIPS is another solid body of work the four songs, but lyrically making it in ScHoolboy Q’s mostly-consistent cat- clear that both Q & Ab-Soul aren’t exalog, coming almost five years after actly the same drug-inducing rappers his last album CrasH Talk kinda divided that they were on the first instalment some fans (myself included). From the thirteen years ago. one-month rollout down to the recent interviews he’s had in promoting this The lead single “Yeern 101” features a album, you can tell there was a lot of striking soundscape from Cardo, that care and intention put into this alknows how to build itself up as Q runs bum and almost every track on it, even through the beat. It’s kinda short but the ones where I might’ve been a litstriking enough! tle critical of the creative choices (justice for Rico Nasty’s full verse on “Pop”).

While Q, at the moment, personally ranks this as his best work, I personally The album is reckless with its blend still feel it isn’t his best even comof experimental and adventurous propared to his past work. However, BLUE duction, as well as some slightly unLIPS still remains a pretty strong eforthodox flows, sprinkled with a few fort, and one of the best albums so far reflecting moments on where Q is at the this year, that features Q at a healthmoment. And when it succeeds, it stands ier, better and more aware state than out very well! “Blueslides” sees Q vent ever. about mental health and helping the

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album title: BLUE LIPS

artist name: ScHoolboy Q

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genius album title: PARADIGM SHIFT project/ album reviews

release date: 12TH APRIL 2024

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While I don’t like to blatantly compare Overall, PARADIGM SHIFT is a nice This last year, I’ve grown to apprelittle project that pushes Sebasnewer artists to their older counterciate Sebastian Mikael’s music more, most specifically the deluxe edition of parts, his style at times is definitely tian’s sound even further than his PHILEO EP, which caught my ear much reminiscent of D’Angelo and Bilal, and before. Whatever more there is to come from him in the next year or “Nothing Compares” shows that wonderbetter than the original EP in 2022. fully. A smooth record with stellar in- so, I’m ready!

In April, he returned with a new short strumentation from his band Theophonixx, it’s a song that reminds me of certain but sweet EP- PARADIGM SHIFT, and it’s elements from Black Messiah and 1st Born once again another gem in his ever-growing catalogue, showing more pro- Second. gression as an artist in just 11 minThe hook is such an earworm, and by the utes than ever before. Sebastian’s sound fits right in with the modern day time Emmavie comes in with her verse, it scene of neo soul, alongside contempo- only amplifies the song further! “Yesraries such as Emmavie (who appears on terday” is another mellow cut, with Thethe standout “Nothing Compares”), Flwr ophonixx delivering once again with the Chyld, Grimm Lynn, India Shawn and Ama- jazzier instrumentation, and Sebastian’s voice sounding so smooth over it. ria.

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artist name: Sebastian Mikael

Now... what else am i looking forward to this year?

features videos

NxWorries - Why Lawd?

Hiatus Kaiyote - Love Heart Cheat Code

JID & Metro Boomin JIDTRO*

The arrival of a sophomore album from the dynamic duo of Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge has been long overdue, since at least 2019/2020. Almost 5 years later, we are finally getting closer to its release on June 14 (or June 7, if you’re getting the physicals). So far, the singles (while being very spread apart) have been very good and the tracklist has even promised us features from Thundercat, Earl Sweatshirt and Snoop Dogg, which has fueled my excitement even more..

The Australian future soul band is preparing to release their highly-anticipated album this June (just like NxWorries), and their current two singles so far have set the mood for the album so well. Hiatus has been one of my favourite acts to listen to, with such a consistent discography over the last decade, and this seems like it’s gonna be another one for the books!

As producer Metro Boomin is currently having success with the 2-album run he did with Future, I have not forgotten about his upcoming joint album with Atlanta rapper JID, which I’m still praying for to come this year, hopefully with the other music JID has promised on top of that.

Saba & No I.D. - From the Private Collection of Saba & No I.D.

The Chicago rapper-producer pairing have been hard at work on their collaborative project since the completion of Saba’s previous album Few Good Things, to the point where they had to scrap the original version they intended to release last Summer in favour of a possibly more realised version. Their new lead single “head.rap” is an amazing song about personal experiences with black hair (most specifically Saba’s dreads) and has set the tone for an even better project than what was promised last year.