It’s been an important week in Hip-Hop!
February 11th, 2021 marked the 24 year anniversary of Erykah Badu‘s debut LP “Baduizm” which includes co-writing and co-producing from the renowned Hip-Hop group, The Roots.
As of today we have seen new releases from Ottawa’s very own Mischa with “Cruise Control“, Polaris prize winner Haviah Mighty with “Obeah” and a long awaited collaboration from Jay-Z and Nipsey Hussle entitled “What It Feels Like“.
Now, when it comes to powerful punchlines and creative metaphors, Mischa has quickly become an artist to keep an eye and an ear out for. Within the last few years she introduced a uniquely distinct sound, especially with her EP “Alpha Barbie” and one thing that really stands out is the confidence and swagger within her delivery. Moving into 2021, “Cruise Control” is a must-hear as it is 2 minutes and 41 seconds of pure thought-provoking metaphoric lyricism that will make you want to hit that play button again.
Another new release to take in is “Obeah” from Haviah Mighty. Not only is this latest track accompanied by some epic visuals, but its sound has furthered her imprint in Canadian Hip-Hop and puts a focus on the challenges that artist face from false friends to their “haters”. Upon the release of her new single, Haviah Mighty took to Instagram and shared with fans: “My dukes taught me very early on, to ‘watch the company you keep’ but I really felt that over the past 3 years. Lost a lot of ‘friends’. Peeped a lot of funny energy. Cared way too much, what other people think. It’s wild how little I care now. Once you know the capabilities of man, you can’t put anything past anyone. And negativity often comes in the form of a person. Protect your biggest asset – you”. Needless to say “Obeah” is hands down one of the top releases of 2021 so far and it’s definitely worth watching and hearing.
Wrapping up our Hip-Hop News for this week, let’s shift our focus to a highly anticipated release from Jay-Z and Nipsey Hussle entitled “What It Feels Like“. We first had a preview of this new track in the trailer for the film “Judas & The Black Messiah” and since then it has left fans craving to hear more. “What It Feels Like” has now been released and is part of the film’s official soundtrack. The lyrics tell the story of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton’s assassination by the FBI, but kicking off the track we also hear Nipsey start with a verse about survival in the rap game, a sad reality seeing that he was killed in 2019 near his clothing store in Los Angeles, California, USA. Overall this track has a level of consciousness and truth that many need to hear in 2021.