Best of April 2020 Playlist With everyone settling into a steady routine during lockdown, artists have taken the opportunity to release music in abundance. Coined as the one of the best times to digest new projects , quarantine has birthed gems from up and coming talents, all the way to the more established acts we've followed for years. The common theme running throughout April is quality. Artists seem to be focussing on their craft a lot more, honing and sharpening their skills during this period of isolation. The proof is in the pudding, and this playlist is the sample table at Costco's that puts the best bits on display. Megan Thee Stallion - Savage Remix (Ft. Beyoncé) When a remix is dropped on Beyoncé's internet, and Beyoncé is the feature, then there is only one way to open the playlist. The music juggernaut partnered up with her fellow Houston hottie on the song that's taking TikTok by storm. Jords - Rose Tinted Glasses (Ft. Jaz Karis) The South London rapper gave his fans a perfectly planned surprise with the short film, Almost An Adult , as promo for his upcoming album. The singles gave a strong sense of what's to come but one track stood out with a sultry vibe and lyrics that make you want to call your qurantine bae. Kiana Ledé - Forfeit (Ft. Lucky Daye) KIKI might be an album that flew under the radar but we know a solid body of work when we see one. Forfeit is the perfect example of what you can expect from Kiana, with a blend of Neosoul and New School RnB- topped off with a fitting verse from Lucky Daye. Previous Item Next Item With everyone settling into a steady routine during lockdown, artists have taken the opportunity to release music in abundance. Coined as...

In Conversation With: Cracker Mallo Not long before the release of his new EP, A Friendly Introduction to Saund , I sat down with Lagos producer and artist Cracker Mallo to talk about his “Saund”, journey into music, and collaborations. Over the past couple of years Mallo’s flavoursome beats have been graced by the likes of Mayorkun, Fireboy DML & Tiwa Savage. Now he’s ready to introduce the world to his sound and position himself as an independent artist. As the project title, I felt it was important to understand what Saund actually is – Saund with an A, not an O. “Saund is futuristic, I can’t explain it…it’s something that doesn’t really exist right now…I was in the studio with a friend playing about and the name just came up, it’s just a vibe” Cracker’s sound may be from the future, but I was interested in what he’s listening to now. “My favourite song right now is Watermelon Sugar, and then Wizkid’s latest release – I’m a Wizkid fan … ” – Wizkid is on Cracker’s list of artists he’d love to work with & that’s something I can definitely hear. “…I’ve also been listening to Khalid, Oxlade, Fireboy and different things.” Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Cracker Mallo’s primary musical inspirations are close to home. His father was a jazz enthusiast who played records all around the house. Initially, Cracker got into music as a DJ, playing at friends’ parties, then he fell into production. “I had a friend Mojazzy, he’s a producer that I looked to…and then I used to listen to Sarz a lot, you know Sarz is like one of the hardest Nigerian producers…I’d also listen to Juls…”. Slightly further afield, Cracker also looked to producers such as Timbaland and Kanye West, “I watched them to understand how beats were put together”. This range explains Cracker’s ability to produce beats across a number of genres with Afrobeats at the core. The bulk of his releases have been afro-fusion; however most recently his Tiwa Savage track, Dangerous Love, is clearly heavily influenced by RnB. “I have a lot of songs that don’t even sound African, they’re like rap or trap or hip hop, and r&b...most things that I’ve heard before I can just replicate…”. Although he has production credits on a number of projects, A Friendly Introduction to Saund is Cracker Mallo’s first EP. The 5-track project features collaborations from DJ Enimoney, DJ Neptune, Olamide, and long-time collaborator Fireboy DML. I asked how it all came into play and Cracker revealed that the songs weren’t even made with an EP in mind; “The only ones I created specifically for a project were Do Better and The Hardest .”. Cracker continued, “I was creating music at different times, so one day I felt like making house music or another day I’ll feel like I wanna make something slow, so it just depended on what’s going on around me or what I was feeling or who I was creating with.”. This definitely took me by surprise, as the opening track felt constructed to be the introduction to a solo afro-house-fusion project with no vocal collaborations, just vibes. This vibe was almost confirmed in the second track (my favourite) The Hardest, Cracker spoke a bit about the track and expressed: “This EP was supposed to be me collaborating with DJs and like, house producers so I tried to make a beat that could blow into a song on its own that people would gravitate to” – it all began to make sense. Some artists have a track on their project that’s super close to them; others treat them like their kids – no favourites. When I asked about his favourite track, Cracker was proud to say Do Better was his favourite on the EP – “Hard to pick but I have to say Do Better ; that’s the only one that’s just me and I did the vocals.”. I didn’t have him down as a vocalist, but Cracker made mention that neither did he at first – “…later on I started singing because I was hanging with singers, they made me want to sing too. I tried and recorded it one day and was like: dope, wow, I actually can?”. As a producer, Cracker Mallo has worked on numerous collaborative tracks, I was curious to know if or how his creative process changes when other artists are involved. Cracker confessed, “At times I have the vibe and I like, get it in my head like, yeah I know what I want already and how to make it happen. Most times I have to think first, it depends, sometimes miracles can just happen”. When other artists are added to the equation it’s a real collaborative effort, “I’m open to what artists want to make, I just have to try and understand the direction they’re going in and what they want to portray with the song.” This synergic process is what has aided Cracker Mallo in producing seamless tracks, such as Fireboy DML’s 2019 breakout tune Jealous . The song came about after both of their individual sessions with other artists fell through “we almost didn’t have the session…when we got there, I started making the beat and he just wrote to the beat there”. By my understanding, and looking at Cracker Mallo’s numerous influences, Saund is a mixture of so many things you can’t quite name it yet; it’s got to be from the future. A Friendly Introduction To Saund is a fitting title for the project that guides you through Mallo’s mind in musical form. A Friendly Introduction to Saund is available on all streaming platforms now! Previous Item Next Item Not long before the release of his new EP, A Friendly Introduction to Saund, I sat down with Lagos producer and artist Cracker Mallo to...

Black Girls Can Be Pop Stars Since being put together by Simon Cowell in the second season of X factor USA, I’ve been a massive fan of Fifth Harmony; not because I believed they were the best thing to ever happen but because I believed they were the best thing to ever happen. During the season former member Camila Cabello was quickly made the star of the group mainly because her voice was apparently the most unique (laughs in Dinah Jane & Lauren), which left the rest of the group very little wiggle room to showcase their talents as their careers took off. So much so that Dinah herself has admitted to being vocally left off of two of their hit singles entirely because her voice wasn’t considered ‘pop’ enough? Anyways needless to say that although I was and always will be a ride or die fan for those girls, I couldn’t help but be a little relieved when they disbanded because finally, they could each get their chance to shine. Especially Normani. Being the only black girl left her subject to a ridiculous amount of racist cyberbullying her time in the group. But even in all of this, it was clear to most people who knew of them how much of a star she was. She always (and I mean always) out danced and quite frankly out performed her band mates during their live shows and there was just something about her that screamed ‘it girl’ to me that I could never quite put my finger on. Her solo career began with a duet with Khalid that did amazingly on the charts which brought a lot of attention her way. She then followed this with a series of collaborations with huge industry names like Calvin Harris, Wizkid (you guys slept on checklist, this song is a banger), Sam Smith & 6LACK that although were all very good songs in my opinion, never really quite grabbed the attention of the masses the way Love Lies did & this had me worried. Then the music video for ‘Motivation’ dropped and I quickly realised that I had no reason to be concerned about her future in the industry. The song is a nostalgic pop & rnb blend that co-writer Ariana Grande is very well known for and the music video to put it simply is sensational. Drawing inspiration from the early 2000s pop & rnb queens Beyoncé, Ciara, Britney & many more while Normani dances the shitttttt out the choreography, all I could do is watch in awe. For the first time in so long, I was watching an actual music video. The ones that had the masses sitting in front of MTV and 106 & Park for hours just so we could learn the choreography to show our friends at school. I’m talking Missy Elliot level of music video entertainment, from start to finish and it’s such a relief to see a rising star genuinely put in effort into making her video interesting to look at. The only thing that could have made it any better is if Hype Williams himself directed it but Dave Meyers is a very close second for directorial expertise so I’m not mad at all. We get a twerk on the fence, a basketball bounced off her booty, three outfit changes, a dance in the rain AND shirtless men? I almost fainted. It’s catchy, sexy, fun and apparently this is an issue. You see the thing is people seem to have a problem with new school dark skin black women doing music outside of the typical ‘I’m burning sage to align my chakra’ neo-soul or the heart wrenching vocal gymnastics r&b. And if they’re doing neither of these things, then they obviously have to be a rapper. Don’t get me wrong I love Ari Lennox, Summer Walker and Megan Thee Stallion as much as all of you trust me. But Normani doesn’t have to be any of that. If we’re being honest, apart from Kelly Rowland’s small pop era, Kandi’s cute but short moment and Alexandra Burke’s 10 seconds, dark skin black women don’t get to be singing dancing pop singers without being looked down on by their own community. It has been an entire minute since I’ve seen a music video and song like this one with someone like Normani as the star. Black women don’t always have to sing deep vocal renditions about the newest way a man has done them wrong. They can just sing. The few that have been afforded the room to do so recently have been of a specific complexion & of course we should support them all the same but Normani isn’t ambiguous in the way the media seems to find just about palatable. She is black, she is extremely talented and she’s the world’s next big pop star. Get used to it. Previous Item Next Item Since being put together by Simon Cowell in the second season of X factor USA, I’ve been a massive fan of Fifth Harmony; not because I...

In Conversation With: BINA The Floor had the pleasure of virtually catching up with the multifaceted BINA. We talk about her recent releases: Boundaries and Dark Cloud (with accompanying self-directed visuals. She also generously opens up about her musical upbringing and inspirations, her spiritual connect to her art, as well as future aspirations for her musical journey. "I'm just trying to balance the new amount of time I have now that work is back on," BINA remarks on the phone, before she resumes getting ready to leave her house for work. Like most of us, the singer/songwriter found her self with quite a bit of time on her hands when lockdown was mandated and she chose to spend hers "being creative," in quite a number of ways. "I wrote a lot of music, a lot of songs. I practiced guitar because I recently started playing. I was also painting and drawing and stuff because I like visual arts as much as music. And then I directed a music video for my song that came out during the beginning of lockdown called Boundaries." Is Dark Cloud going to have the same RnB, Soul and Jazz influences too? "Yeah it's influenced by those things but I would say that it is a bit more alternative in its sound. I would not say it is solidly within the boundaries of RnB. I’m really excited for people to hear it and see how they would resonate with the song and maybe where they would place it." That’s interesting. I feel like a lot of artists are keen on making it clear what genre their music fits in or denying genres altogether; it's interesting to hear you give listeners that sort of freedom to categorize your music. "Yeah I really think music is a universal language so obviously people are going to interpret it in different ways. But overall, I’m aware that my influences are Jazz and r&b and a bit of hip hop as well in terms of like production anyway. But I would be interested to see what people have to say- I feel like genres can be a bit restrictive but I don't necessarily think they are a bad thing. Although it is present in her music, BINA tells me that she did not listen to a lot of Jazz when she was younger- unless you generously slip Kenny G into that category. Growing up, it was Neo-Soul that graced her household owing to her mum’s taste in music. She mentions that the sounds of Amy Winehouse as well as her biggest inspiration: Erykah Badu were a household staple. It's only when she got older when she added the likes of Ella Fitzegarld and Billie Holiday into her musical rotation. What about Jazz musicians in the UK? I find the scene particularly interesting because it feels old and up and coming at the same time. I listen to a lot of UK artists but I wouldn't say that any of them are solidly within the Jazz category because the thing I find really interesting about artists from the UK, especially black artists, is they really cross different boundaries with music. In terms of what would count as UK Jazz I suppose I listen to Amy Winehouse. I wouldn't call the rest Jazz although they are very Jazz influenced. I listen to Ego Ella May a lot, IMDDB as well who is like jazz meets trap meets RnB meets so many different things. It's interesting to see how the genres intersect. And I guess not being purely in the Jazz category lets artists carve out their own lane and incorporate more of themselves in their music. Exactly, I really feel like I have been able to create my own sound for myself and I continue to do so, partly down to the fact that I listen to very genre bending music anyway. Also, listening to purely Neo-Soul or Jazz growing up, made me understand the foundations of what it is to make music and I can take it from there. What got you into making music? My dad is quite musical, he never did music as a career but he was always making music at home and so I feel like I got my creative side from him. And when I got into my teens I started taking it seriously because I found it to be an outlet for a lot of the things that were going on in my life and how I was feeling about them. I grew up in foster care as well, so a lot about music has been therapeutic to me. So that’s how I started off writing but I’d always been interested in making music from very young. I didn't really get into production until maybe the past year and a half. When I made my EP ( Humble Abode ) I was messing about with soundscapes but then when I started playing the guitar, I also started playing with production. That’s as recent as like six months ago. But in terms of how long I’ve been doing music properly, it's been about two years. What do you mean by properly? So I first released something two years ago, but I had been recording from home like a year before that. And the first time I was like ‘cool, I’m doing this,’ was when I put out Summer Breeze, in like the summer of 2018. Is that distinction significant for you? Is that when you wore the title musician, once you put something out? I think I started calling myself a musician once I started performing which was a little bit before that, but I only started going by BINA about two years ago. When I decided I was going to put out music, that's when I was like, cool I'm BINA now. So that started around that time of Summer Breeze . I suppose you could say that's when I felt I could call myself a musician, when I actually had music out. What to do you envision for the future of your music career? I'm trying to make my music reach so many different parts of the world, but first and foremost I'm trying to use music as a healing process for myself and other people. It's so heartwarming to hear when people message me randomly telling me that they listened to my music when they were going through something and that "it really helped me through some shit," you know. I'm trying to make people feel stuff when they listen to my music. And also just like being able to tour with artists that I really love and admire and do headline shows and stuff like that. Just be able to share my art with people all over the world. That's really cool, and really important. You sound very grounded. Yeah, I definitely believe what I'm doing is cool but I also believe that it doesn't just come from me. I really feel like there is something greater at work. Can you tell me more about that? Yeah, so I feel like my gift was given to me by God, the Universe or whatever you want to call it but like something has been given to me to use as a tool for myself and for other people. I feel like my gift is to use my music to make people feel fulfilled or uplifted or help them escape some shit. Is there anything you dread about growing as an artist? Mh, I haven't really thought about that. Yeah, maybe let me rephrase the question so it's less pessimistic. It's not even that it's pessimistic but it just hasn't come to mind. Like I can't even conceive of anything that I'm scared of because I haven't gotten to that point yet. But I'm just trying to build momentum at this moment in time so I'm not really scared of anything so much as I'm just trying to focus on just moving forward. I find that a lot of artists that think of their craft as a form of catharsis tend to collaborate with people close to them? No, I feel like my scope of collaboration is quite wide. For instance the producer for Dark Cloud is in America and I actually really like collaborating with people from all over the world. And I think sometimes when I say my music is cathartic people think that it's just a small small thing I'm only trying to do for me, but like I still enjoy making it to show to other people. I just think the roots of where it started was for me to use as an outlet, and I still use it that way, but I collaborate with different people. In London, outside of London, in the UK, outside of the UK. Do you have dream collaborations? Yes I would love to collaborate with Erykah Badu. There's a couple of UK artists like Ego Ella May, Lianne La Havas. A tune with Kendrick would bang. And a few more. Previous Item Next Item The Floor had the pleasure of virtually catching up with the multifaceted BINA. We talk about her recent releases: Boundaries and Dark...

It's The Little Things That May Destroy You So I lied and said I wasn’t going to write this article last week because episode 10 quite frankly left me speechless. After the words “I need a hug” left Kwame’s (Paapa Essiedu) mouth, I knew I was witnessing something truly remarkable happen in the craft I love so dearly. The heart-wrenching look in Arabella’s mother’s eyes during the last few seconds of the episode filled with pain, discomfort and exhaustion as a response to finding out about her daughter’s assault juxtaposed against the obliviousness of her father and brother was a gentle reminder of the burden women carry while men eat; I was moved to the point of feeling completely hopeless in the face of the brilliance I was witnessing. There have been very few instances in film and television that I can recall feeling a true shift in the depth and precision used to approach black storytelling. ‘ Moonlight’ by Barry Jenkins is a film that spurred my decision to pick up my camera for the first time. Janelle Monae’s Dirty Computer , Regina King’s performance in Watchmen and When They See Us by Ava DuVernay, amongst others- all paint the weight of the black existence in such immersive colour that your eyes have to open a little bit wider just to see. The same thing goes for what Michaela Coel (star, writer and creator) has done in I May Destroy You, which is far too vast in its impact to be narrowly described as a show about consent. Around the core of a heavily unaddressed subject lies much smaller stories that deeply reflect the black British experience with an unfounded meticulousness and it does so without excluding all black people. We watch Terry (played beautifully by Weruche Opia), in all her loud confidence and self-assurance, cower in the face of almost all her auditions and tremble from the shock that overcomes her after learning she actually landed a job. The disbelief in that moment perfectly encapsulates the silent battles we’ve watched Terry struggle against with little to no support. As she tries to quietly fight the guilt she feels for telling a friend it was okay to leave Arabella on the night of her assault, you can’t help but wonder who was looking after her. Terry is the first to realise that Arabella was assaulted as she listens to her dismiss the flashbacks she’d been having as her mind was playing tricks on her. As soon as she’d connected the dots Terry doesn’t miss a beat with beginning to look after Arabella; declining Biagio’s (Marouane Zotti) calls, tying her headscarf and tucking her into bed without forcing her into the realisation before she was ready. Neither Kwame or Arabella notice her crippling anxiety regarding her career and as the story progresses, it becomes very apparent that Terry is the glue in this beautiful trio. Weruche delivers the character with a fearlessness and charisma that is so lovable and even though she was wrong for what she did, her efforts to make it right are heart-rending to say the least. As Arabella expresses her forgiveness in episode 10, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief because this was never Terry’s fault. The blame for what happened to Arabella lies on the assailant alone. During a date with Kai, a gorgeous trans man who Terry flirted with as she waited for her table, she retells the story of her threesome, to which Kai points out that it seems like the two men knew each other and tricked her into thinking they were strangers. Truth is, Terry already knew this and was simply not ready to process the discomfort that comes with realising you’ve been manipulated. Looking at this two-dimensionally she had consented to sex with both men, however the circumstances under which her consent took place were a false; an invisible boundary. Michaela Coel throughout this show explores all the different boundaries that can be crossed both explicitly and implicitly, brazenly confronting that ‘grey area’ both assaulters and law enforcement usually employ to have survivors questioning whether or not they have a right to feel violated. The same went for Kwame who was assaulted after having consensual sex with a man he willingly met up with. Although he was immediately and visibly shaken by the incident, this ‘grey area’ shows up again when he attempts to report it and is introduced to the egregious incapability of an inept justice system (abolish it). Not only this, Kwame casually tells the story of how he lost his virginity as a child in a random car on his way home from school by two men who didn’t bother to identify themselves. This revealed another supposed ‘grey area’ where age is concerned, that for some deeply woven patriarchal reason doesn’t seem so well understood when the child in question is male and black. During the finale Arabella accidentally meets up with Zain, a colleague who 'stealthed' her: removing the condom during sex without her knowledge. She finds out that the publishing company they both work for still went on to publish his book under an alias despite her coming forward and all she could really spare was a dry chuckle. Because of course. The particular irony in the matter is that Suzy Henny, the head of her publishing house, is in fact a black woman, one Arabella assumed she could level with on a personal level because of their shared blackness. However, every time she asked Suzy for help, her elevator rides down from her office always found her in a worse situation than she was previously in. Zain stands a few meters away from her on the pavement, far enough for them to slightly raise their voices to speak. He doesn’t come any closer until she gestures him in and then he doesn’t sit until she says so because like she tells him, she isn’t afraid. The deliberate nature that goes into making such a small blocking decision is the reason I’m writing this article. It becomes apparent to me that after 190+ drafts, Michaela Coel might have written one of the most perfect screenplays I’ve had the pleasure of watching. Small but incredibly powerful statements are littered within the seams of this script, like the fight going on behind Arabella & Terry’s conversation in secondary school during episode 6. Her housemate Ben’s consistent but silent displays of support which Arabella takes for granted; like covering rent without question, breaking into Biagio’s house and not realising that her presence, no matter how justified her actions felt, had crossed the line. Leaving it up to the audience to decide whether or not Theo (Harriet Webb) is being truthful about her experiences in the support group or does lying about raped in her past discredit her completely? Did she even really lie? Or the painful irony in the woman on the bus saying to her that “boys will be boys” as she holds the bloodied body of her rapist during the first imagined version of reality that played out in the finale. All these minute decisions Michaela makes throughout the show colours the lines of each episode with an incredible amount of familiarity creating a viewing experience that resembles self-discovery. As the aftermath of her assault unfolds, we are constantly reminded through Arabella’s blind stumbling towards recovery that trauma doesn’t have a face. It looks like sitting awkwardly in a therapy session because you genuinely don’t have the words. It looks like crossing boundaries yourself by lying to strangers for sex just to try and take back control. It looks like asking your broke friend to buy you a plane ticket to see a man who has made it clear he wants nothing to do with you. Trauma looks like leaving the police station in the middle of giving your statement or not going to the police at all. It looks like laughing it off because your brain simply can’t process another assault so quickly after the first. It looks like being able to recall specific details or not remembering in the first place. The way our brain chooses to rewire and cope with trauma is just as complex as the way we choose to move on. As so chillingly depicted in the finale, be it exerting your revenge or choosing to forgive, every response is valid because it’s your own. In one of the beautifully shot final scenes, Arabella tells her rapist to ‘go’ in the third and final version of her encounter with him and he gets up and leaves along with the bloodied version of him she had hidden under her bed in the first sequence. Michaela doesn’t spoon feed us once in this entire show as we are left once again to come to our own conclusions as to what really happened. Whether or not Arabella even remembers the assault properly is not even clear and for all we know what looked like a memory could have just been her figuring out how to end her book. Either way it’s irrelevant now because she’s written her ending, both literally in her independently published book titled January 22nd (the original name of the show & date of the assault) and figuratively. And as Arabella exhales, smiles and runs across the beach in the final frames you know that whatever happened, she’s decided it’s over. Previous Item Next Item So I lied and said I wasn’t going to write this article last week because episode 10 quite frankly left me speechless. After the words “I...

Celebrating Juls @ The Lower Third On a Monday night I headed down to The Lower Third, a shiny new venue off Oxford Street, to celebrate Juls - DJ, producer and musician extraordinaire. With it being a year since the release of his last album, Sounds of My World, Juls called on his fans, family and industry peers to celebrate both his extensive catalogue and birthday. The ‘Boiler Room’ style set up created an intimacy to the show, breaking the fourth wall so to speak. MC Tinyman encouraged the crowd to get involved because in as much as it was Juls’ show, it was a show for us too. The atmosphere could only be described as the girl dancing in Kaytranda’s Boiler Room video - a strong contrast to the gloom and doom that usually comes with Mondays. We’re both friends and fans of Juls at The Floor Mag, having featured him on #NSSuperAlbum, our show on No Signal Radio. Hosted by our creative director Paula, together she and Juls created a Super Album for Wizkid , by choosing the best two songs from each one of their projects. In turn, we also held the focus on Juls’ work, with Paula and another guest picking apart Juls’ projects to create a Super Album. From the moment Juls’ set kicked off with bass-heavy ‘Normal’ ft. Kojey Radical, the whole room was almost hypnotised for nearly two hours. The audience was led through a melodic journey of sounds, time travelling through Juls’ most notable early releases like ‘Feel Alright’, to him exclusively debuting new music. It was a beautiful evening celebrating Juls as a person and as an incredible artist. Check out Sounds of Our World Deluxe now and catch Juls at his next show in Brighton on 25 November . Previous Item Next Item Juls curated a special evening at new Oxford St location, The Lower Third for fans and family to celebrate work so far and all the things to

Coded Language: How Dialect Intersects Music It’s easy to forget London is a multicultural bubble. Big cities across the UK can be described as melting pots of all ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds. As the host for the night, Kieran Yates, boldly stated- the coming together of cultures is partly due to the social housing schemes from the late 50s onwards. As a result, densely populated areas became, what I like to call “seasoned”. So, what has multiculturalism got to do with music? The answer is everything. In recent years people have run towards cultural identity rather than shying away from it, musicians included. Artists have embraced their heritage to the point where it is no longer seen as a hindrance and in turn, expressed through their work. We hear Yoruba, Twi, Arabic and other prominent languages in songs that top the charts and it needs to be properly acknowledged. That is why Coded Language as an event was crucially important. Coded Language was held as part of Red Bull Music Festival in hopes to discuss how certain forms of speech (slang) has seeped into everyday life and consequently into the music we listen to. It was fitting and extremely apt that it was curated in the British Library, as talents like Wretch 32, AM (AM X Skengdo) and Bridget Minamore explored why Rap, Trap and Drill aren’t being archived in the same way other genres are. After little deliberation and jokes that held a lot of truth, it was clear that the artistry is being overlooked. AM was quick to speak about how violence isn’t the focus of Drill music but is the main takeaway from the mainstream audience. It was better explained when we spoke to Bridget about it, in more detail. The night wasn't completely filled with scrutiny. There were copious amounts of positivity concerning how slang promotes the merging and amalgamation of worlds. Many words rooted in our coded speech derive from different languages, even if they may not be directly related to us. So, when you hear a Gambian artist like J Hus using Twi nouns like bonda and bonsam in Did You See , it doesn't come as a shock. If anything, it encourages his fans and avid listeners to take their curiosity a step further and research into the countries the languages origniate from. Another example that was brought up by Kieran and Steel Banglez (a track he also produced) was Mist's Karlas Back . Karla is a play on words from 'kaala' in Sanskrit, but borrowed by both Hindi and Tamil as everyday slang - referring to black people. It's reflective of Mist's upbringing in a predominantly Asian Community in Birmingham. These are facts I would have no idea about if I hadn't heard the song, and I'm sure it's the same for others that listen to Mist. Recognising colloquialisms and idioms in pop- ular music is also important as part of the diaspora. Something that stood out was Wretch's story about when he referred to himself as British when someone asked where he was from at the age of 13. When he got home his mum scolded him and he went on to say to the audience, "It's not about where you are, it's about where you come from." The contrast between growing up African, Caribbean and Asian in the 90s, as opposed to now, is that there is more representation within the British music industry. Those in my generation came to the conclusion of dual identity at later stages in life, whereas young children are already aware that their individuality is not one-dimensional. And music has a significant role to play in that. With that being said, this so-called representation is a recent happening and is still not at proportionate levels: both in quantity and recognition. Whether Drill, Trap and Rap will reach the heights other genres have is another question, and frankly besides the point. Instead of fixating on clickbait headlines and the stigma surrounding these musical styles, we should continue to focus on the positive impact it already has in its infancy of success. Coded Language was part of Red Bull Music Festival which runs until 14 September 2019. For tickets and event details, head to redbull.com/london . Previous Item Next Item It’s easy to forget London is a multicultural bubble. Big cities across the UK can be described as melting pots of all ethnicities and...

This Week In Theatre: Shifters and The Big Life Between Windrush dreamers and two ill-timed lovers, this week’s theatre trips were touching, funny and romantic. Shifters - Bush Theatre ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Starring Heather Agyepong (School Girls, The Power) and Tosin Cole (Doctor Who, One Love) Shifters tackles the old-age trope of ‘right person, wrong time’ through the lens of Des and Dre. With dream lighting which carefully reflects the moods of both characters, Benedict Lombe’s debut play examines the epics of young love in a concise one-hour 40-minute run. Heather and Tosin have stunning chemistry, seamlessly carrying this weighty two-hander through humour and passionate monologues. They soften one another, challenge each other and in their youth, perform a dance akin to peacocking; their early love blossoming on stage. Lombe’s writing is intimate in the romantic moments, playful in the humorous scenes and left audience members gasping with each revelation Des and Dre peel back about one another. It looks into their backgrounds and cultural differences with care, highlighting their differences and similarities. Des is British Congolese, the daughter of a middle-class neurologist whereas Dre is British Nigerian, living with his Grandma. She has dreams of becoming an artist, his dream, to be a restaurateur. Both experience trauma; Heather and Tosin hold each other up seamlessly in these moments, delivering emotive, rousing dialogue the way only lovers can. Des and Dre are laid bare through Alex Berry’s staging which was stripped back and lends itself easily to any one of the scenes our couple find themselves in. There’s no ‘real’ set, instead, the sum of their relationship can be confined to a few boxes, which serves as storage for props alongside seating for the more intimate conversations. It could have been easy to get lost in the back and forth of Shifters ageing and de-ageing process, but it’s surprisingly easy to keep up with. With every age shift you can see Tosin and Heather leaning into the emotions that come with the new storylines. Shifters is ultimately for fans of long-lost loves, what-could-have-been and spinning the block. Shifters runs at Bush Theatre till 30 March . The Big Life - Stratford East ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Originating out of Jamaica and inspired by Louisiana Rhythm and Blues, Ska music has always had significance in the UK music scene. Giving a voice to this sound as well as Caribbeans of the Commonwealth, The Big Life is a revival 20 years in the making, inspired by Shakespeare’s Love's Labour's Lost. Starring Nathanael Campbell, Khalid Daley, Karl Queensborough and Ashley Samuels as Bennie, Dennis, Lennie and Ferdy these men are taking London in their stride. Their counterparts show up the form of Sybil, Mary, Zulikela and Kathy (Gabrielle Brooks, Leanne Henlon, Rachel John and Juliet Agnes), four no nonsense women who won’t be so easily charmed. The Big Life gives life to even larger on stage personalities with each cast member tackling their individual songs with amazing vocals. The group numbers are humorous and every cast member has an innate sense of when to hold back and pull no punches during their performances. Infusing further humour into the play is Eastenders’ actress Tameka Empson, who plays fourth-wall breaker, Mrs Aphrodite. Empson also serves as the play’s writer alongside lyricist Paul Sirett. Empson’s character is full of appreciation for the Windrush Generation, a passionate line is expelled about the ongoing fight for compensation but she never keeps the mood somber for long, with joyful audience participation theatres like Stratford East are synonymous for. Despite the racism and intolerance faced by our eight leads, they still overcome with grace and dignity at each turn. Through job refusals and familial deaths, they highlight just how strong members of the Commonwealth had to be when coming to the ‘motherland’. Well-paced and loads of fun, The Big Life is worth catching before the end of its run on 30 March. It’s proof that twenty years on, the conversations surrounding those who contributed so much to this country are just as relevant. The Big Life runs at Stratford East till 30 March. Previous Item Next Item This Week In Theatre we're reviewing the revival of 20-year-old, The Big Life as well as the debut play Shifters.

8 Mangas That Outdid Their Animes If you look closely, you can find an anime epiphany on Frank Ocean’s Sweet Life opening lyrics, “ the best song wasn’t the single.” Meaning: popularity isn’t always the best thing on offer, despite how it’s presented. The single might be the focal point of the album or project as a standalone release but not necessarily the true ‘star’ of the show. Now, the normal thing to do would be to dive deeper into what that means for music, or maybe even apply this analysis to romantic relationships, but what happens when you look at anime through the lens of Sweet Life 's opening lyrics? Although manga is a worldwide phenomenon, it's the large scale anime rollouts that bring in money and shape fanbases- they're the singles of the production. Without taking away from distinct animation styles and the art of voice acting, there are countless anime interpretations that may be perceived as the ‘single’ but are definitely not the best as far as their manga counterparts are concerned. Was this what Frank had in mind when he gave us Channel Orange ? Absolutely not, but here is a cocktail of anime productions that pale in comparison to their mangas. 1. The Promised Neverland If this anime was judged on Season 1 alone, it wouldn’t be anywhere near this list. The Promised Neverland (or Yakusoku no Neverland ) is a standout amongst Shonen anime and manga. Praised for its originality, plot twists and suspense, it was deemed a best selling manga in 2020 and an even bigger success on TV screens in the 2010 decade. The problem comes in the form of Season 2. Instead of sticking to the well laid out script created by authors Kaiu Shirai and Toyisha Ono, CloverWorks Studios and its affiliates chose to take another path- ultimately shortening the timeline and removing key parts to the story. Their biggest downfall was leaving out the most important arc as well as the most interesting: The Goldy Pond Battle Arc. In order to get the full picture of the intricate story, it’s best to indulge in the manga. 2. Death Note Before I’m tracked down and put in a Twitter thread, there’s a very good reason for this classic making an appearance. Almost everything in the manga is properly and accurately portrayed in the anime. However, the manga fills the void that many people complain about when it comes to Death Note - the ending. Without giving away the original manga ending, it is a more cohesive and appropriate finale to the intellectual saga in comparison to the anime. Endings of shows usually help mould the overall opinion towards them and the anime version fell flat and gave off an anticlimactic aura. It was still entertaining, with viewers enjoying symbolism in the art style and the grey area between right and wrong but it didn’t feel like an ending, it’s almost as if something was missing. The manga offers a darker and more sinister alternative ending that better fits the view of morality that gets more complicated as the show continues. 3. Soul Eater The short answer for Atsushi Okubo’s Soul Eater , is that the anime simply deserved better. The 51-episode adaptation from the manga garnered a lot of support, and rightly so. It was well received for its iconic characters like main character Maka Albarn, alongside Black Star and its distinctive style (that would later be seen in productions such as Fire Force ). In a bid to fit an elaborate and complex plot into a set number of episodes, character development for integral people such as Death the Kid and Crona were overlooked. Other corners were cut including entire arcs, watering down what could have been an ever bigger fan favourite. That isn’t to say the anime got everything wrong. In fact, to uphold the integrity of the original story, certain characters, themes and events had to be identical to the manga and these are the parts that allow it to be revered still to this day. 4. Tokyo Ghoul It’s sad to anticipate certain manga adaptations only for the anime to fail miserably. A slight exaggeration? Perhaps, but everyone and their manga-reading mother had high hopes for what Pierrot Studios would with such a dark and twisted tale. I’m not opposed to narrative deviations and changes but it is a thin line to walk, and the line only gets thinner when more changes are made. Tokyo Ghoul is a prime example. The biggest change comes as a complete juxtaposition from the original chapters. The anime sees the ‘protagonist’, Kaneki Ken, joining Ghoul terrorist organisation, Aogiri Tree rather than shunning and opposing them. The choice to have him join the group fundamentally changes his character development and the story that follows. 5. Deadman Wonderland A moment of silence for Deadman Wonderland. If the anime was given the chance to finish, it would be a notable name amongst others of its time like Beezlebub and Hunter x Hunter (2011) . From the first episode, viewers are left with more questions than answers but not in an intriguing way. The plot holes that aren’t filled adequately work more as a deterrent from an otherwise intriguing premise. The glaring difference between the manga and anime is laughable. This manga comes with a heavy recommendation from those that read it, myself included. 6. Akame Ga Kill Labelling Akame Ga Kill as a fan favourite is an understatement. The contrast of an innocent and childlike artform to the gory and action-filled plotline is welcomed in most anime circles. Likened to Game of Thrones due to its ‘anyone can get it’ storytelling, it is no surprise that it has become a modern-day classic but the variations from the anime and manga have fans split over which one is the superior version. Again, missing arcs like Wild Hunt are partly to blame with settings and world building feeling shallow despite how vital it is to the characters’ overall mission. The constant time skips make it hard to gauge power progression and levels. As a result, it’s easy for the anime not to hold the attention of the manga fans and even first-time watchers. 7. One Piece The fact that one of the greatest animes of all time is on the list is testament to the detail enclosed in manga chapters. In this case, the best song is the single as well as everything else on the project. The anime follows the manga very closely to the degree where still shots from the anime look identical to incidents in the manga. The divergence lies in how much control the author has over the anime development. Although Eiichiro Oda is very much involved in the anime’s progression, the sheer dominance and command he has over the manga is mind-blowing. Nothing in the manga is by chance or left to likelihoods or possibilities. Everything is calculated to perfection and seeing it unfold in the manga is incomparable to watching the events on the screen. Oda is a master at world building and transporting the reader into the domain that he created. By combining his love for foreshadowing and thoroughly setting the scene, the manga becomes too good not to read. 8. Yu-Gi-Oh! It’s always fun to throw in a curveball. Yu-Gi-Oh! Is often grouped with the anime that shaped many childhoods like Pokemon , Digimon and Cardcaptors . The interesting twist is that those anime are arguably adapted for children to watch. When their premise and scenarios are further analysed, surprise surprise, a lot of these shows aren’t for children at all. And that definitely includes Yu-Gi-Oh! When you look past the card game marketing ploys, the typical Shonen adventure that viewers have become used to and the filler arcs, it is an eerie and messed up tale. The dialogue and artwork is far more disturbing than Nickelodeon leads on because torture and inflicting pain is a big part of what makes the duels captivating. This is one to read at your own peril if you are a little worried about ruining your childhood. Previous Item Next Item If you look closely, you can find an anime epiphany on Frank Ocean’s Sweet Life opening lyrics, “the best song wasn’t the single.”...

September Book Shelf Zadie Smith - The Fraud The author of highly acclaimed ‘White Teeth’ returns with a brand new novel, The Fraud. The Fraud is Smith’s first historical novel, telling the story of Kilburn in 1873. Scottish housekeeper Mrs Eliza Touchet is captivated by The 'Tichborne Trial', as is all of England who are at odds over whether the defendant is who he claims to be - or an imposter. Mrs Touchet is a woman of many interests: literature, justice, abolitionism, class, her novelist cousin and his wives, this life and the next. But she is also sceptical. She suspects England of being a land of façades, in which nothing is quite what it seems. Andrew Bogle meanwhile finds himself the star witness, his future depending on telling the right story. Growing up enslaved on the Hope Plantation, Jamaica, he knows every lump of sugar comes at a human cost. That the rich deceive the poor. And that people are more easily manipulated than they realise. Purchase here Kelechi Okafor - Edge of Here Edge of Here marks Okafor’s debut collection, which tackles contemporary womanhood. Okafor combines the ancient and the ultramodern to explore tales of contemporary Black womanhood, asking questions about the way we live now and offering a glimpse into our near future. Uplifting, thought-provoking, sometimes chilling, these are tales rooted in the recognisable, but not limited by the boundaries of our current reality-where truth can meet imagination and spirituality in unexpected ways. Purchase here Aleema Omotoni - Everyone's Thinking It Within the walls of Wodebury Hall, reputation is everything. But aspiring photographer Iyanu is more comfortable observing things safely from behind her camera. For Iyanu’s estranged cousin Kitan, life seems perfect. But as a Nigerian girl in a school as white and insular as Wodebury, Kitan struggles with the personal sacrifices needed to keep her place – and the protection she gets – within the exclusive popular crowd. Then, photos from Iyanu’s camera are stolen and splashed across the school – each with a juicy secret written on it. With everyone’s dirty laundry suddenly out in the open, the school explodes in chaos, and the whispers accusing Iyanu of being the one behind it all start to feel like déjà vu. Each girl is desperate to unravel the mystery of who stole the photos and why. But exposing the truth will change them all forever. Purchase here Okwiri Oduor - Things They Lost Set in the fictional Kenyan town of Mapeli, Things They Lost tells the story of four generations of women, each haunted by the mysterious curse that hangs over the Brown family. At the heart of the novel is Ayosa Ataraxis Brown, twelve years old and the loneliest girl in the world. Purchase here Elvin Mensah - Small Joys Harley is a young queer Black man struggling to find his way in mid-noughties Britain. Returning home to Dartford, having just dropped out of an undergraduate course in music journalism, he is wracked by feelings of failure and inadequacy. Standing in the local woods one day, on the verge of doing something drastic and irreversible, his hand is stayed by a stranger: a tall husky guy who emerges from the bushes holding a pair of binoculars. Muddy is an ebullient Mancunian whose lust for his own life makes others feel better by association. A keen birdwatcher, rugby fanatic and Oasis obsessive, he quickly becomes a devoted and loyal friend to Harley who finds his enthusiasm infectious and his dimples irresistible. In no time at all, they become inseparable. Harley starts to think that life may be worth living after all, while Muddy discovers things about himself that the lads down the rugby club may struggle to understand. But when figures from the past threaten to plunge Harley back into the depths of depression, his only hope of survival is Muddy and the small joys they create together. Purchase here Tomi Oyemakinde - The Changing Man When Ife joins Nithercott School through its prestigious Urban Achievers Program, she knows immediately that she doesn't fit. Wandering its echoing halls, she must fend off cruel taunts from the students and condescending attitudes from the teachers. When she finds herself thrown into detention for the foreseeable future, she strikes up an unlikely alliance with Ben, a troublemaker with an annoyingly cute smile. They've both got reasons to want to get out of Nithercott - Ben's brother is missing, and no one seems to be bothering to find him. Purchase here Rachel Runya Katz - Thank You for Sharing The last time Daniel Rosenberg and Liyah Cohen-Jackson spoke to each other was as teenagers, sharing a first kiss. But when the path of young love didn’t run smooth, and Liyah found her heart bruised by Daniel, they parted ways forever… until they are seated together on an aeroplane fourteen years later, butting heads just as badly but consoling themselves that at least they will never have to see each other again. Purchase here Arusa Qureshi - Flip the Script Flip The Script explores many of the phenomenal women who have paved the way in UK hip hop both at the forefront and behind the scenes, through interviews, research and Qureshi's lifelong love of the form. From the influence of the genre's beginnings in the Bronx to formation of distinctive regional scenes across the country, the barriers women faced to the magazines and club nights that fostered thriving hip hop communities, readers get to know the women who led the charge in one of the country's most innovative and exciting music scenes, and those picking up the torch today. This is a love letter to UK hip hop, and to the women changing the game. Purchase here Previous Item Next Item From new Zadie Smith to Kelechi Okafor's debut collection. The Floor Mag's September Book Shelf is here.

In Conversation With: MORGAN From being signed to Rudimental’s label to collaborating with the likes of Digga D and Kaisen, there is no stopping MORGAN who is clearly destined to be a worldwide superstar. But it’s her addictive track ADCT that really got people’s attention as it recently resurfaced online and went viral on TikTok. The track earned MORGAN over 3 million streams on Spotify. The singer-songwriter has also been releasing mash-up freestyles on Instagram for a while now, which have garnered global attention even from the likes of rapper, Drake. Taking a trip down memory lane, MORGAN explained she always wanted to become a musician from as early as her primary school days, "I knew I was destined for stardom, I was applying for talent competition when I was 8 years old, when I got a little bit older I would often DM my favourite artists." When MORGAN was in her teens, she sang in her church choir along with studying GCSE Music. While she continued to grow as a person, MORGAN began to find her style and started to write poetry which would later turn into song lyrics, "I love how melodic poetry is and it’s amazing how you can translate those words into song lyrics." However, it’s MORGAN’s musical household that really amplified her love for music as both parents were equally as passionate, "I grew up with a home studio, so music was a constant in my house, my Dad who is Jamaican would often play artists like Buju Banton, Janet Kay and Tippa Irie. I have also tried to represent my Jamaican roots through my own music." Apart from Reggae music, MORGAN’S Mum and Dad would also play a variety of sounds from UK Garage to more soulful sounds like Angie Stone, Earth, Wind & Fire and Michael Jackson, "I appreciate all artists and genres no matter the sound." Nevertheless, it was in 2005 where Popstar and entrepreneur, Rihanna released her debut album Music of the Sun , this is where MORGAN began to explore her own taste in, "my Dad used to buy all of Rihanna’s albums, I was heavily inspired by her work and when she became an entrepreneur it honestly blew my mind." Fast forward to the current day and MORGAN has been nothing but consistent when it comes to her music, describing herself as a multi-talented artist who doesn’t like to restrict herself to any genre, "I want to be the first Black female Pop artist to conquer the world, music is about making things work and in the new year I plan to be very experimental, not one song will sound the same." The past two years for Morgan have been a whirlwind of a journey. It was her addictive track ADCT that resurfaced last year, after three years of its original release, it instantly struck MORGAN to stardom with over 3 million views. "My friend sent me a snap saying my song is going crazy online, I genuinely thought it was one of my latest tracks, I was pretty surprised when I realised it was ADCT as it was released on Soundcloud in 2018, so immediately I decided to rerelease it". If you're unfamiliar with MORGAN’S melodic track ADCT , then you will most definitely be familiar with the single Be the One, which she features on alongside Rudimental, Tike and Digga D. Originally Be the One was an Afrobeats track, however, Rudimental’s Kezzy implanted the Garage remix and thought it needed a rapper’s touch with no other than, rapper Digga D. Being signed to Rudimental’s label meant that collaborating with them would feel so much more natural, "I prefer authentic/organic connections when it comes to collabs." However, the initial link up between MORGAN and Rudimental happened a few years back when she went on tour with them. In the future MORGAN is keen to collaborate with a variety of artists no matter the genre, if she could join forces with any artist male artist right now it would be 6LACK, "He’s hard, he’s my favourite male artist, his voice is out of this world." MORGAN also insisted she is eager to enforce the idea of female empowerment back into the music industry and would love to work with the ever-growing female artists coming out of the UK, "I’d love to work with more female artists, especially Kali Claire, Shaybo, Jorja Smith, Enny, these girls have been killing it!" So, what’s next for MORGAN, you may ask? With so much talent and skill, it is clear MORGAN is about to have a phenomenal year. "Expect lots of projects, festivals, headline shows." The singer-songwriter also has plans to connect with her fans on a deeper level whether that’s at a pop-up or an open mic event. Listen to MORGAN's latest single - You're Worth It Previous Item Next Item From being signed to Rudimental’s label to collaborating with the likes of Digga D and Kaisen, there is no stopping MORGAN who is clearly...

Pop Smoke Album Review: Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon On Friday 3rd July, the eagerly anticipated posthumous debut album from the New York Hip-Hop & Drill artist Pop Smoke was released. Brooklyn-born Bashar Barakah Jackson tragically died in a home invasion on February 19th, 2020, just as his rise to stardom was beginning to accelerate. Apt, then, that his debut is titled ‘Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon’ . Pop is not the first artist to have an album released posthumously; from some of music’s biggest names such as John Lennon’s ‘Milk And Honey’ to rap royalty in Tupac’s, ‘The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory’ and the beloved Mac Miller’s ‘Circles’ , releasing material that artists were working on before an untimely passing is not a new practice. In Pop Smoke’s case, the tragedy of his death is heightened by this release, as it encompasses the braggadocious nature and distinctive delivery of an artist who held the insurmountable promise of becoming a pioneer in the drill genre in Brooklyn, New York. A cursory read of the tracklist immediately highlights the length of the album. With 18 tracks (not including the bonus addition of the smash hit ‘Dior’ from ‘Meet the Woo’), it is certainly a substantial debut offering. A distinctive flow matched with Pop’s ability to flourish on drill beats means an album of this length runs the risk of a lack of distinctiveness between the tracks, but to Pop’s credit this is completely avoided. The powerful intro ‘Bad Bitch from Tokyo’, is a fiery offering that runs seamlessly into the equally fierce ‘Aim for the Moon’, featuring the most prolific of the Migos, Quavo. An extremely strong opening run of tracks is characterised by Pop’s signature aggression, with lines such as... “I ain’t with the talk or discussion/I know some n***** that’ll shoot you for nothing” on ‘44 BullDog’ setting the tone. Credit must go to the producers who maximise the heavy kicks and hi-hats that Smoke flourishes so well over putting him in the best position to display his range in delivery. Pop is more than just a rapper, however, and he flexes his singing chops on tracks such as ‘Yea Yea’ , utterly relaxed over lighter instrumentals and singing more the tender lyrics, “Everything's signed, it's sealed/Baby girl, let me know if your love is real” ; Smoke is that rare mix of an artist comfortable in his thuggery and confident in his desirability. Focus must also be drawn to the numerous features on this project. Some of the most popular voices in the scene including Quavo (3x), new superstars DaBaby, Lil Baby and Roddy Rich, veteran stars such as Future and Smoke’s mentor 50 Cent (co-producer of the album) can be found on this project. Not only does this speak to how highly Pop Smoke was regarded by some of the biggest artists in the scene, it underlines the versatility of his flows as he is able to collaborate with such a range of voices. There are particular standout tracks which highlight this; Pop dovetails magnificently with Swae Lee on ‘Creature’ as they exchange bars and mimic each other’s’ flows. There are, however, criticisms to be made even within a body of work that stands this strong. As mentioned, Quavo appears on the album three times and although his prowess is not in question, his experience in leading a track threatens to overpower Pop on songs such as ‘West Coast Shit’ . Yet, this potential pitfall (especially given the limited nature of Pop’s vocals available) is balanced out and some truly special moments are found such as the beautiful verse entirely in Spanish from Colombian reggaeton artist KAROL G on ‘Enjoy Yourself’ . Pop Smoke was sometimes described as the second coming of 50 Cent and being one of the biggest artists to ever come out of New York this comparison could easily have served at a threat to the way Pop’s music was consumed. But on this album’s evidence, this metaphor is far from hyperbole. The album is crowned with the stellar track ‘Got It on Me’ , a sample and interpolation of 50’s 2003 mega-track ‘Many Men’. As well as being an incredible way to close the album, it is undisputed proof that the comparisons were anything but exaggerated and Pop was destined for the very top of the game. This album is a celebration of Pop Smoke’s immeasurable talent and marketability, a true superstar in all senses. In Smoke’s own words in ‘Tunnel Vision (Outro)’ , “I’m a force to be reckoned, I'm God's perfection/Look, God gave me a lot in some months, but it could go in a second.” Gone too quickly and too soon though he was, Pop Smoke has left us with an undeniable example of his star quality. R.I.P. Woo. Previous Item Next Item On Friday 3rd July, the eagerly anticipated posthumous debut album from the New York Hip-Hop & Drill artist Pop Smoke was released....