Playlist Highlights - Myra, Lex Leosis, Daisha McBride & Ncognita!
7/6/20
Happy post-holiday weekend (if you celebrate it)! Below please find the latest playlist for the week and a deeper look into some highlights from Myra, Lex Leosis, Daisha McBride, & Ncognita!
Playlist Highlights : From Norway to Canada & Then Some
“Hundre” - Myra
Lykke Li, Tove Lo, Icona Pop, ROBYN for gosh sakes… Scandinavia has incontestably been one of the leading regions on our planet to produce global, mega-pop princesses over the past couple decades, but unbeknownst to many, the region also has quite the thriving hiphop community. Cue in Nordic rapper Myra—born Regina Tucker—who is one of a few women in Norwegian hip hop currently making a name for herself. Growing up in Bergen, a small city of 250,000 people on Norway’s southwestern coast, Myra was inspired to get into hip hop by the early mixtapes of Nicki Minaj and ever since has become known in her country for an innately talented flow and bubblegum electro-pop beats. Her latest single, “Hundre”, does not deviate, kicking right off with a spastic synth and repetitive springy guitar riff, all while Myra raps seamlessly between Norwegian and English. It’s a breezy and beachy track—released just in time for the height of the summer season.
“Pull Up” - Lex Leosis
Toronto-based rapper Lex Leosis is really stepping loudly into her newfound solo career, having already put out a great album earlier this year, called Mythologies, and now dropping her latest energetic single (which was cut from the album), “PULL UP” this past week. Leosis was formerly in an all female rap super-group called The Sorority, along with fellow great femcees Haviah Mighty, pHoenix Pagliacci, & Keysha Freshh (Their tribute to the iconic “Ladies’ Night” is a must see). Sadly, the trio (we really need more female rap groups!) has split up and each member is now pursuing a solo career, Leosis included. The thumping “PULL UP” really shows off Leosis’ gruff MC Lyte-esque rap voice, as well as her brassy and bold lyricism and personality. According to Leosis in a statement, “"The song was inspired by a far away bae during the quarantine...I realized with the COVID-19 lockdown, that a lot of people aren't able to see their partners, so a lot of people can level with that feeling: video chatting, sending pics and wishing someone could PULL UP!" Alas, something I am sure many listeners will be able to relate to.
“Ballgame” - Daisha McBride
5 seconds into Daisha McBride’s track “Ballgame” and I can’t help but think of some of the uniquely amazing tracks by fellow femcee Tierra Whack (think “Fruit Salad” or “Unemployed”). There’s just something so intriguing and satisfying about the combination of uptempo mumble-rap with quick but simple beats (in this case, the anxious scurrying of keyboard notes). The track is a highlight off McBride’s recently released EP, Yafeelme, which with it’s cheerful pool scene cover was definitely meant to soundtrack the summer. McBride, who is only 24 and who hails from Knoxville, Tennessee got into hiphop via a Twitter accident. While McBride was a freshman in college, Twitter had just released its 20-30 second video feature, and a friend of hers posted a clip for fun of Daisha rapping. The next morning, McBride woke up to viral fame with 20K new followers to her name, after the clip was passed around Instagram, Facebook, and even WorldStarHiphop. Since then, she has been steadily releasing music and growing her audience, and “Ballgame” definitely shows off McBrides’ rap versatility and creativity, as well as her knack for a rapid fire flow.
“Clap Clap” - Ncognita
Ncognita is brand new to the scene, and “Clap Clap” marks her glorious, ear-catching debut. The LA-based rapper’s premiere song gallops right out of the gate with a booming drumline and bass, and of course, a fierce clapping beat. Not to mention the rapper’s first raspy bar is spit with intense ferocity and happens to include great lyrics too. The rest of the song definitely continues to display Ncgonita’s confidence and swag, and with it the rapper makes a declarative statement that this young talent is here to make her mark in the hip hop scene. “Clap Clap” totally gives me major “Pass That Dutch” Missy Elliott vibes, and as a lover of that classic track I’m certainly not going to complain. In addition, Nocognita also just released her second single this past weekend, the funkier “Hallucinogen (Trippin’)”, which is also chock full of Missy-inspo sounds. With a two for two track record, I can’t wait to see what Ncognita puts out next, and look forward to her getting the recognition she deserves.