Ash Shakur: Never Alone

London-based Ash Shakur shares a properly uplifting message in his new track “Never Alone,” which is impeccably produced by Scf Beats. The glittery song is intended for listeners who feel isolated and lonely, “When it feels like everything is over / You’re a soldier / I’m here / Here’s my shoulder,” he raps. With a breezy electronic sound, there are elements of R&B which offer …

Terrace Martin Presents The Pollyseeds: Mama D/Leimert Park

From the lush record Sounds of Crenshaw Vol. 1, by Terrace Martin’s supergroup The Pollyseeds, comes “Mama D/Leimert Park“—on which Martin (who produced Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly) plays all the instruments, as well as the vocoder-aided vocals. The song is current while feeling a little like a throwback, thanks in part to that hi-hat. With Rose Gold and Chachi, Robert Glasper and Kamasi …

2 Live Crew: Banned in the USA

Fresh Kid Ice aka Chris Wong Won of hardcore rap outfit 2 Live Crew has passed away. The Miami-based group drew plenty of controversy for their wild, sexually explicit lyrics—many of which were remarkably misogynistic—but this also made them poster children for freedom of speech. (Their most successful record 1989’s As Nasty As They Wanna Be was the first to be classified as legally obscene.) …