International Hip Hop, R&B & More • Page 4

Florian Schneider: the enigma whose codes broke open pop music

Kraftwerk’s influence on early Hip Hop is now often forgotten but was nevertheless substantial. R.I.P.

 

I haven't felt like doing a lot of digging this year (I wonder why ), but after the 2019 song OMAE, the R&B singer Sara-J out of Japan has become one of my artists to watch. She has put out some great songs this year too.

 

Not hip hop or RnB, but i'm having a bit of a Serge Gainsbourg sesh at the moment. Great stuff.

 

Lary, who put out one of my favorite albums of the 2010s a few years ago, is back.

 

Spain braces for fifth nigth of protest over arrest of Pablo Hasél

He’s a rapper. These protests are happening on a massive scale.

 

I haven't kept this thread alive last year because I really wasn't in the mood to dig for a lot of new music. Lately it has come back though, so here is a more substantial update for you. I will make a playlist soon to which I will keep adding stuff throughout the year.

Let's start with an album that came out late last year and was rereleased this year, by the Dutch drill group Qlas & Blacka. These guys are so huge that I literally wasn't able to go on a walk through my neighbourhood the last few months without hearing a song from this album coming out of car windows, bedroom windows or bluetooth speakers. Being a drill group an all, they're also being blamed for violence among teenagers by the police, the media and so on. Of course that only made them more popular. Anyway, it's a really good album. It's not just all drill all the time either (as you will soon hear).

Then there's the new album by Celo & Abdi, a by now veteran German rap duo that makes, as they put, guys that drive rental cars from Frankfurt to Amsterdam, if you know what they mean. They're known for being very multilingual and using a crazy amount of slang.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMc1LrIwCJI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CFk55R9KP4

Here's a new Japanese rap song Iike:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Dv48o6GWXE

A new Booba (French rap legend) song I like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqsuLmkDeI8

A rap song that is in Turkish, German and Dutch, by a Turkish-Dutch and a Turkish-German rapper:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWkdY0NEWKI

The new Lary single:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-3gFtlBLS8

A new Rola single:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L81LhxiSyus

Some other R&B songs (Dutch, Japanese, German):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsipI4ymyKg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AQ9LiRtoc4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en6H2sJVxDE

 

I just found this Swedish R&B artist today and I'm totally vibin'

 

This one from last year is a great UK Garage-inspired song from the German R&B hope LAYLA. We need more of that sound, from any country.

 

Farhot, a successful producer that was born in Afghanistan but grew up in Germany, released a new (mostly instrumental) album, built around samples from Afghani music and other media. I highly recommend it.

 

check out clave from hong kong, some neo-soul and japanese inspired good stuff

 

I’m not saying that a German and Arabic song that is heavily inspired by Shaggy’s ‘Angel’ is my favorite song of the year, but I’m also not not saying it

 

This is hard

 

Kay Shagao finally released her debut EP and, no surprise, it slaps. The first track reatures Rola!

 

I highly recommend this one. Amazing production.

 

I highly recommend this one. Ele A is a Ticino (the Italian part of Switzerland) rapper that is making big waves in Italy and Switzerland. Her sound is often golden era-ish, but in a fresh, modern way. There’s also some UK garage there.

https://spotify.link/0VJojNhZxDb

Il globo è tuo!