Anything but SZA JACQUI SWNEY After taking a few weeks off, I’m back to hog the AUX. I hope it was refreshing to get a glimpse of what other, potentially more intellectual, Nexus enthusiasts have to offer. I’ll admit, it was a struggle for me to fight the initial urge to make an entire playlist dedicated to SZA. However, in the past sixish weeks, I’ve managed to rinse a few new albums, and so I present to a few tracks off a playlist I like to call, “Anything but SZA”. Enjoy. 1. ‘HOTTIE’ BY BROCKHAMPTON: In a magnificent twist of fate, it has recently been announced that BROCKHAMPTON is stopping in New Zealand to blow our minds. I’m too poor to afford the tickets myself, but I’ll do my best to prepare y’all for the absolute hype that is to come. This self-proclaimed boyband has a discography bigger than my future, but ‘HOTTIE’ has recently jumped to the top of my radar. It’s fun and upbeat, and that’s all I’ve been needing to keep me listening these days. It’s got a kind of signature BROCKHAMPTON feel about it, but it’s unique enough that I didn’t immediately recognise it was their work. Other standout tracks from theses boys include ‘BEN CARSON’, ‘TOKYO’, and of course, ‘SWEET’ (which I’ve talked about before). 2. ‘ALL MINE’ BY KANYE WEST: Despite Kanye’s recent borderline psychotic breakdowns, there is no denying that he can produce a fantastic album. If you haven’t listened to his latest album, Ye (not to be 16
mispronounced as “Yee”) then I highly suggest you do. This song is made complete with epic lyrics. Kanye sings, “I love yo titties ‘cause they prove I can focus two things at once”; proving that his male attention span is nothing short of average. But still, this song is a banger and so is the rest of the album. 3. ‘1985’ BY J.COLE: The strength of J. Cole’s music lies in the absolute lyrical rawness of it. His most recent album KOD is delicious, and I couldn’t name a single song that I don’t like. The whole album is a story, addressing internal and external problems. He sings about things like addiction, growing up in the hood, temptation, and his inability to commit to a woman he loves. The song ‘1985’ provides commentary as well as provides advice to new rappers. He manages to come off as both critical and relatable, not hesitating to mention his own flaws in the process of pointing out someone else’s.