Another Tuesday means another day lined up with tracks to kick back to. This week’s edition includes some French R&B courtesy of Monsier Nov, old school hip-hop from Pete Rock & CL Smooth, a new track from Kingdom, and more.
By Tira Lee
Who would’ve thought that a Ray Kurzweil vocal sample would go along so well with the rest of this explorative track? 18-year old samsin from Ohio definitely has his ears perked up for new ways to elevate his soundscape. The track segues into a pattern of thrumming beats with an addictive rhythm before slowing down again, like a journey well-traveled.
What’s sexier than a French guy? A French guy serving up R&B realness reminiscent of Musiq Soulchild. Monsieur Nov stems from East Asian roots but his suave neo-soulesque vocal style can easily put him on charts across America. You don’t even need to understand him to feel the love.
If you’ve ever played the video game NBA Street V2, you’d be familiar with this track. “T.R.O.Y” is the lead single off Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s 1992 album, Mecca and the Soul Brother. Inspired by the death of Troy Dixon (known as Trouble T-Roy), who was the duo’s close friend, the track takes listeners on a trip back to the 90s as soon as the jazz basslines and sax samples are piped in. This track has touched the hearts of many, including that of Andre3000’s – proof that you don’t need to go crazy with the synths and 808s to create a memorable beat.
If there ever was a need to name a genre Gentle Grime, this would be the representative track for sure. With a twinkling backdrop, the London grime MC opts for a more melodic, R&B sound that’s definitely more for the ladies than his usual listenership. For a self-produced track, Novelist performs extremely well on both production and rapping fronts.
In view of the release of his debut next year, Kingdom has dropped a few tracks to hype up the crowd prior. Syd tha Kid (from The Internet) lends her vocal chords to this particular track, which is a sharp mix of dance and pop, with jittery beats and bubbling snares in between that plays a perfect opposite to Syd’s smooth vocals.