Flow’s Four Corners is a concept series focused on highlighting the four most impactful releases of the week through the eyes of Flow the Exec. With the world of curation feeling very much like wash, rinse, and repeat, I felt compelled to offer something that went deeper into the music. The more curators and curation become commodified, the more necessary a distinguished platform that can offer as much value to the artists as it does to the consumer becomes. Without further ado, here is Flow’s Four Corners Volume 2.
Rexx Life Raj is arguably one of the Bay Area’s greatest gifts to music. He consistently drops quality project after quality project, and “Cleanse” is a clear pre-cursor that ‘California Poppy 3’ is going to further that legacy. With all the catastrophic events that continue to plague the world, we all can use a cleanse in this moment. So, this record is right on time!
Kyle Betty and Reecebeats put their foot in the production, which explains why the chemistry feels so seamless on this song. Kyle Betty regularly produces for Rexx and is behind “Never Had Sh*t / Feels” – one of my favorite records from the fourth quarter of 2017. The choir bringing the song to a close makes you feel like you’re ascending to the pearly gates, so big shout out to whoever had that bright idea. It gave add a fullness to the experience I couldn’t even imagine hearing the song without at this point. If you are looking to add some high vibrations to your day or you just want to catch a vibe to a bop, press play on this and you won’t be disappointed!
Favorite line: “Sometimes it be cleansing when the rain fall” – Rexx Life Raj
The fact Jorja Smith has a song that is Paramore-esque is probably the most unexpected musical gift in recent music history. Go listen to “crushcrushcrush” by Paramore if you don’t believe me. Now, I’m wondering would it be asking too much for Paramore to hop on the remix?
Nevertheless, this acoustic-driven song provides the perfect background for Ms. Smith’s vocals to flourish no different than they would when she’s singing a ballad. Still, I think it’s safe to say we’ve never heard her sound like this before. Hopefully Jorja gives us some more records up this alley because it will surely expand her audience a great deal.
Looking to leave your bad juju in the past? Then, break the bad ties and allow “GO GO GO” to be your theme song.
Favorite line: “One more night til I let you down, I let you down, you gotta go” – Jorja Smith
The Joy landed on my radar with their ‘Hammarsdale’ project and the group is quite literally bring joy to my ears. Their 6-song project hit the bullseye mark for me because it is original, fresh, and well-rounded. With the rise of star-studded musicians bursting from the continent of Africa left and right, The Joy signifies the motherland has no plans of slowing their pace any time soon.
The vocal performance between the group’s members is worth writing home about as they show out just as much over a beat as they do on their acapellas. Much of the production on this project was handled by Two Inch Punch, who has produced for the likes of Sam Smith, Ty Dolla $ign, Tory Lanez, and Kali Uchis to name a few. With Amapiano currently being popularized all across the globe, these talented young men are an indication that South Africa has even more to offer the world on a musical level.
I’m going on record to say this project has no skips. I won’t be surprised if we start to see The Joy collaborating with household names in the United Stated and beyond in the near future. The future is bright for this group and I feel extremely honored to play a role in introducing them and their music to my audience. To everyone who presses play on this project, you’re welcome in advance.
Favorite song: “Heartbreaker”/“Mashaya Kancane”
It’s been two years since Snoh Aalegra’s ‘TEMPORARY HIGHS IN THE VIOLET SKIES’ was released and it looks like we might be due for a new project before the year is up. “Sweet Tea” is her second release in less than two weeks, and this time she’s reunited with the incomparable No I.D., who was an executive producer on her last album.
For all the love bugs out there who felt neglected as the onslaught of ratchet, uptempo summer bangers rang off in an attempt to be named song of the summer, Snoh’s new record is nothing short of an audio hug leading into the fourth quarter just in time for the colder weather ahead of us. While she’s made it clear that “there’s only one Queen Sade Adu,” this song is sure to keep the comparison train rolling. Comparisons aside, it’s clear Snoh Aalegra has carved out a lane of her own and we need to cherish her for who she is and what she brings to the world of music no matter what.
Favorite line: “And I don’t know what this is, but you’re magic” – Snoh Aalegra
Listen to the playlist here or below.