“…I know we ain’t on the same page no more. And that’s a shame that we ain’t, when we used to be so close. Yes, I’m down and I’m drownin’ in my sorrows”
When I first listened to Bryson Tiller’s third studio album A N N I V E R S A R Y, “Sorrows” immediately jumped out at me. The way Bryson effortlessly floats on top of the booming 808s creates a hypnotic sonic space that sucks the listener in. So, when I found out he created visuals to go along with “Sorrows” I was ecstatic.
The video is not the typical visual you would expect for a song like “Sorrows”. Bryson Tiller gives us poignant, post-apocalyptic imagery. Directed by Kid Studio, the video channels the surrealism of Salvador Dalí. There is one particular scene that evokes the spirit of Dalí’s classic painting The Persistence of Memory. One of the hallmark characteristics of surrealist work is the juxtaposition of irrational images in order to activate the unconscious mind through the imagery. At first glance, the video is extremely abstract and does not make sense. After watching and digesting it a few times, you can see how the recurring theme of clocks and hourglasses illustrates time running out for Bryson Tiller and his love interest and/or him wanting to go back in time. The Mad Max-esque, post-apocalyptic feel of the video represents the end of the world Bryson created with his love interest. There is a lot to dissect in the visual for “Sorrows” which is great for rewatching. I feel as though through this video, Bryson has demonstrated another one of his evolutions. Check out the video for “Sorrows” below:
There have been a lot of music releases this summer. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the constant influx of new albums. One release that has stood out to me is Seeds of Matthew, an EP by Tha Massaquoi. Hailing from the DMV, Tha Massaquoi is made up of brothers Matthew and Abrahim Massaquoi. Their music can be described as a mesmerizing blend of hip-hop, punk rock, R&B, and pop. Their unique sound is a refreshing addition to the current landscape of music. Tha Massaquoi doesn’t exist in a vacuum. They are a part of the collective The Lyons Den, which is a group of artists, producers, and promoters in the DMV who are pushing the culture forward.
Seeds of Matthew EP Cover
Seeds of Matthew is loosely based on Matt and Abe’s father, who is pictured on the cover of the EP along with their mom. Their father also provides narration on the album which creates a grounding force for the project. What I love about the project is that it flows sequentially. Each track builds upon each other, one song referencing the next and/or previous song. For example, midway through “ARE YOU OKAY!!!!”, their father can be heard talking about the wrestling that their watching on TV – asking if they’re still watching wrestling at their big age. Then the next track is entitled “Undertaka” in reference to the legendary wrestler The Undertaker. This song is especially clever because the hook is, “Why it always feel I’m in a chokeslam?” which is again, a reference to the infamous maneuver in wrestling. Their commitment to the theme is unmovable.
While the whole EP is stellar, a few tracks are particularly near and dear to me. My absolute favorite song from Seeds of Matthew is “ARE YOU OKAY!!!!”. It’s a very in-your-face song. It bursts into your orbit with its synchronous drum and guitar hits. This track flexes Tha Massaquoi’s ability to effortlessly float into punk rock. The other group of songs I’d like to highlight are “Platonic”, “Limbo”, and “F.M.P”. These three songs are a package deal. This is another case in which, as I mentioned earlier, each track builds upon each other. This trilogy tells a love story. “Platonic” is about having secret feelings for a friend and debating about whether or not to take the friendship to the next level. The next song “Limbo” discusses the internal struggle of being in the in between stage of not being just friends but not truly being together and eventually terminating the situationship. Lastly, in “F.M.P” we hear Tha Massaquoi lamenting the loss of love but being too prideful to admit that they miss them. The sequencing and storytelling of these three songs is immaculate – an excellent way to round out the EP.
Seeds of Matthew closes out with “On Movas (Outro)”. Tha Massaquoi has teased on social media that their next project will be entitled “Regina’s Kids”. Could this outro be an allusion to their next album? Possibly, or maybe I’m reaching. Regardless, Seeds of Matthew was a very enjoyable project to listen to. It’s astounding that this was Tha Massaquoi’s debut EP because it feels like they’ve been creating projects for years. I can’t wait to see what new music they put out in the future.
Singer-songwriter Micah has dropped visuals for his latest single “IDontKnow”. Drawing inspiration from Bryson Tiller and Drake, Micah delivers suave melodies over a laidback instrumental reaffirming his love and loyalty for his special lady. Shot, directed, and edited by Alim Kamara & Joseph Woldemariam, the music video presents the song’s lyrics in a unique way. Check it out below:
PG county rapper and swag lord Foggieraw sat down with Real Mumbo fresh off the B.L.I.S.S. Tour. He talked about what he learned from his first tour. We played Underrated or Underrated, discussed the Fogiato Sport controversy, and he shared what we can expect from him in 2020. Check out the interview below:
PG county rapper and swag lord Foggieraw sat down with Real Mumbo fresh off the B.L.I.S.S. Tour. He talked about what he learned from his first tour. We played Underrated or Underrated, discussed the Fogiato Sport controversy, and he shared what we can expect from him in 2020. Check out the interview below:
There are few better ways to kick off Black History Month than to go see Rapsody, a walking, breathing celebration of Black women, perform live. As concert attendees poured into the venue, “U.N.I.T.Y.” by Queen Latifah boomed from the speakers. That song perfectly captured the spirit of the night.
The show started promptly at 8 PM and right out the gate, Capitol Heights rapper Odd Mojo got off thought-provoking bars acapella. “AYE FILLMORE BOUNCE”, she instructed the audience as she brought the spoken-word-like track “Worry 2 Much” from her album Channel Yo Mojo to life with an instrumental. Rocking unhooked overalls, combat boots, and a bandana over her braids, Odd Mojo gives heavy 90s vibes. There are two sides to her, though. Her songs “Sticky Notes” and “Make a Way” are nostalgic and they gave her room to flex her lyrical prowess. Other songs she performed, such as her latest single “Sunday, Monday” and “I Was Workin” along with rapper Just Keyz, show her fun, energetic side.
After Odd Mojo warmed everyone up, North Carolina-born R&B singer Heather Victoria took the stage. Heather Victoria is a welcome breath of fresh air in the current climate of contemporary R&B, where it gets hard to differentiate the singers from one another. She is also Rapsody’s labelmate on Jamla Records, and independent record label founded by 9th Wonder. Her soulful, sultry voice provided a relaxing atmosphere as she sang “Never Felt”, “Japan”, “Sunbeams”—a song that features legendary DMV singer Raheem DeVaughn.
Then, Southeast D.C. rapper Sa-Roc blessed us with sound. “Y’all ready to rock tonight?,” she asked as she walked back and forth, saging the stage. Sa-Roc has gorgeous, long, blonde locs and looks about 5’0”, but don’t let her appearance fool you. She raps with an intensity and precision that is as powerful as the blaze of a thousand suns. Sa-Roc captured hearts as she performed uplifting tracks such as “Goddess Gang”, “Forever”, and “MetaMorpheus”. In between songs, Sa-Roc expounded on the cultural significance of Black women and stressed the importance of supporting one another.
“[Black women have] always been the glue of our families, protecting, nurturing and providing. We’ve always been the movers and shakers, the leaders of movements and pushers of culture. So, it’s only right that we celebrate Black women today and henceforth, right?,” she stated.
After breathtaking performances from all the openers, Rapsody finally appeared for her set. She casually strolled out and started spitting “Nina”, the opening track on her last album Eve. Each song on Eve is named after an influential Black woman, which added another layer to the evening which was already a celebration of Black women in and of itself. The most striking aspect of Rapsody’s set is that she doesn’t use sex appeal to distract you from her music. It’s literally just you and her bars. As Rapsody performed songs from the album including “Cleo”, “Whoopi”, “Aaliyah”, and “Sojourner”, the magnitude of the night sank in. Here we have, Rapsody, a Black woman who is killing it in the rap game, putting on, providing a platform, and a safe space for other Black women right before our very eyes. A lot of people shout “WE LOVE BLACK WOMEN”, but do very little in real life to prove that. Rapsody demonstrated just how easy it is to properly lift up Black women. As Sa-Roc said, “It’s only right that we celebrate Black women today and henceforth, right?” Check out photos from the mesmerizing night below:
Everyone knows the only way to spend New Year’s Day in the DMV is to go to the annual Wale & Friends show. So, it was to no surprise that the 10th annual Wale & Friends sold out.
The beauty of the Wale & Friends show is in the “& friends.” Wale has always looked out and provided a platform for fellow artists in the DC metropolitan area. It’s astounding to even bear witness to such unity of raw talent in one area. The night began with Flex Kartel, who also brought out Adé (formerly Phil Adé) to amp the crowd up. Next, Beau Young Prince lit up the stage, performing hits including “Kill Moe” and “True Blues”. Then, Big Flock had the Fillmore jumping, as audience members sang along to his classic verse on “Too Much Remix”.
After much anticipation, Wale blessed the stage. He immediately cranked hit after hit. From “Bait” to “Poledancer”, from “Clappers” to “Pretty Girls”, the audience sang their hearts out along with Wale. Tonight’s show also doubled as a stop on Wale’s Wow…That’s Crazy Tour. So, the crowd was also treated to songs from his latest album, such as “BGM”, “50 in Da Safe’”, and “Sue Me.” Wale even brought out fellow DMV artist Mannywellz to perform their song “Love & Loyalty”
The new music from Wow… That’s Crazy fit seamlessly in his set in between his older songs, woven like a beautiful tapestry representing the span of his career. At the peak of your enjoyment, right when you realize just how impressive Wale’s discography is, he announced that this would be his last Wale & Friends at the Fillmore Silver Spring. At first, that sounded like terrible news. However, Wale further explained that he’s just outgrown The Fillmore and, in the interest of his growth, he needs to be in bigger venues. Honestly, he’s absolutely right. There is no reason Wale – with all of the success he has reached and a catalogue overflowing with hits – should not be performing in arenas and stadiums, especially at home. So, while I was saddened by the news that Wale would no longer be performing at the Fillmore, I was also proud to see a hometown hero grow in his music journey. Wale & Friends at The Fillmore was truly an era. Experience the 10th Annual Wale & Friends through the pictures below:
Each month, R&B princess/supernova Alex Vaughn hosts AV Sessions, a showcase that features different artists of the DMV. AV Sessions is one of the few events you can go to knowing, without a shadow of doubt, that you will get quality music.
The night began with the customary Open Mic portion. Artists in the audience are given the opportunity to perform one song. The crowd was delighted with riveting performances from guitarist/producer John Tyler and rapper Lucas Nomad, as well as collaboration between singer/songerwriters Cheakity and Cramer.
After the Open Mic concluded, Maryland rapper Kassim hopped on stage and hyped everyone up with his song “Growth”. The most remarkable part about Kassim’s live shows is that he’s able to maintain high energy the entire time. Even when he slowed the tempo down to perform his classics such as “Camry” and “Imagination…”, he still managed to draw the crowd in with his passionate delivery.
Next, Baltimore soulstress MovaKween captured everyone’s hearts. Rocking silver thigh high boots and a blouse that looked like it was made from pure star dust, it was clear why she’s known as a galactic goddess. After singing hypnotizing renditions of her songs “Tired” & “All You Need”, MovaKween wrapped up her set by having the audience say with her, “I GOT WHAT I NEED.” The affirmation was the cherry on top of a spiritually-nourishing performance.
Coming off the heels of the release of their EP Jade, production duo FootsXColes brought the grooviness of their project to life. With the help of Zaamwé and Matt McGhee, FootsXColes performed fan-favorites from Jade including “Unsteady” and “Last Shot”. A fun fact about FootsXColes is that they are the jammingest band in the land. With that being said, they also backed up Matt McGhee as he previewed “Drifting”, a song that will be on his upcoming album.
Then, it was time for the lady of the hour to take the stage. With FootsXColes as her band, Alex Vaughn opened up with the power anthem “Gotta Have It”. In between serenading the audience with her song “Needs” and belting out “Mondaze”, Alex won everyone over with her undeniable charisma. “I hate working a 9-5 – I am a STAR!”, she proclaimed, to which the audience agreed. This AV Sessions was special in that it doubled as a charity event. Attendees were asked to bring a toy that was to be donated to a child who is less fortunate. Finally, Alex treated us all with a beautiful cover of “This Christmas”, which truly captured the holiday spirit.
AV Sessions is really a beautiful event to witness. Seeing all the artists of the area come together and just jam together, is an experience you don’t want to miss. Check out photos from AV Sessions below:
Enginerproducerrapper Matt McGhee stopped by Real Mumbo studios to disucuss Maybe, his latest EP. We played This or That and he talked about navigating the music industry as an introvert. He even shared details on his upcoming album! Check out the interview below:
When we were finally let inside, we walked into an awe-inspiring venue. With patio lights lining the ceiling, rows of couches were arced up around the performance area. The food and drinks available gave the entire experience that extra razzle dazzle.
The evening’s hosts, B.R.E The Icon and Odd Mojo, let us know that today was more than the 4th annual Inner Circle – it was O-Slice’s birthday! After an impressive open mic session featuring Just Keys and Nate Joël, O-Slice made her grand entrance. She floated down the stairs to the front of the room in an eye-catching, orange jumpsuit as “Hot in Herre” by Nelly played as her theme music. After a few words of welcome, the show began.
Up first was BasicTheBassist. He wowed the audience with songs including “Will You Still”, in which he demonstrated his lyrical agility and prowess on the bass guitar. Next, soul artist Cramer serenaded us all with her gentle, angelic voice. Sporting pink hair, Cramer was like our fairy godmother singing lullabies. Then, engineerproducerrapper Matt McGhee enraptured the audience along with FootsXColes as his live band. In between performing fan-favorites such as “Sneak Me In” and “LADY LUCK”, Matt announced that he’s dropping a new album next month – not to be confused with his EP Maybe that he released earlier this month. Next, Rocket Z took the stage. Her fierce attitude and powerful, yet unimposing, alto voice filled up the room and commanded everyone’s attention. Kassim began his set with a touching story about how he’s known O-Slice since he was 12 years old. He warmed the audience all the way up with a high-energy performance of “Kenny Powers”.
And then it was finally time for O-Slice.
“I need to feel y’all,” O-Slice began. “I need to feel y’all because I lost my contact jumping around during “Kenny Powers”. So, I can’t really see right now.” Visual impairment could not hold her back, though. She casually flexed the range of her talent – effortlessly going from turn up anthems to more thoughtful songs about the plight of Black people. We were even treated to unreleased music – a track that also features Kassim. O-Slice wrapped up the evening with “Two Hands”, a song that prompts you to appreciate your blessings. The overwhelming amount of love in that room was a beautiful experience. The event definitely lived up to its promise of “Talented artists. It’s just that simple.” The night left you planning in your head to be at the next Inner Circle. To see O-Slice’s growth as an artist up to this point made you excited for where she’s headed next. O-Slice is a Supernova and we were lucky to be in her stardust that night. Check out pictures from The Inner Circle 4 below:
