Tiwa Savage: 49-99 Nigeria-born Tiwa Savage offers a poignant single about the plight of citizens from her home country in “49-99.” The title references Fela Kuti’s 1978 song “Shuffering and Shmiling,” which addresses the lack of resources in underserved communities—especially with the line “49 sitting, 99 standing” about riding the bus. In contrast, Savage’s tune is about coming up, garnering the notoriety and means to …
To accompany the new song “Temple of Sorrow,” by M83 (aka French musician Anthony Gonzalez), a nine-minute film—part one of three, written and directed by Bertrand Mandico—takes viewers along the Nirvana Queen’s wild and mystical quest for autonomy. Mandico’s three-part story Extazus is inspired by music from Gonzalez’s upcoming instrumental album DSVII (set for release 20 September) and certainly reflects some of his inspirations: ’80s-era soundtracks from …
Rapsody: Ibtihaj Named for Ibtihaj Muhammad (the first American to wear a hijab when competing for the USA in the Olympics), new single “Ibtihaj,” from North Carolina rapper Rapsody, heavily samples GZA’s “Liquid Swords” and also features the Wu Tang member. Unlike the 1995 track, this release includes the immediately recognizable vocals of D’Angelo. The infectious groove will appear on Rapsody’s upcoming album EVE, which …
