Pictured L-R: Ntu (Carolyn Jae Sterner), keiyaA (Rahim Fortune), Pink Siifu (Cinque Mubarak)
Each week, The FADER staff rounds up the songs we can't get enough of. Here they are, in no particular order.
"A Mile, a Way" — keiyaA
From front to back, keiyaA's debut album Forever, Ya Girl (which dropped back in March) is a fully-formed journey everyone should embark on. On "A Mile, a Way," the Chicago-born artist sharpens her focus amid swaths of gyrating synths.
"Break Tha Mold" — Tha God Fahim and Gabe
Already four projects deep into 2020, Atlanta's Tha God Fahim is anything if not prolific. His latest one-off, a collaboration with producer Gabe, is a regal declaration of autonomy.
"Gaslight" — Ntu
"Gaslight," which appears on the debut project of R&B abstractionist Ntu, is sparse and carnal. As soon as you think it's going to go one way, it warps into something else. The effect is as intoxicating as it is disorienting.
"Premium Goods" — Rodney Chrome
Rodney Chrome’s got expensive taste, and he knows how to work with it. His newest single effortlessly matches boisterous bars with a pixelated beat and uncompromising flair.
"I Know" — Alex Mali
The latest track from rising Brooklyn talent Alex Mali is bright and resilient: "I refuse to let adversity have it all, so I'm gonna keep on climbing even when I do fall." Bump this and stir yourself a drink.
"Mood Swings" — Miles Chancellor
On Miles Chancellor's new project Spook! : ACT I, the rising Philadelphia experimentalist delivers back-to-back murky, spaced-out miniatures. We're partial to the groove he works up on "Mood Swings."
"Shakti (feat. UNIIQU3) (Remix)" — Ase Manual
Jersey just doesn't let up. When two of the club's finest — Ase Manual and UNIIQU3 — are on the same track, you already know the outcome is about to be relentlessly sweat inducing.
"Blame It On Mohammad" — The Muslims
Durham queer punk outfit The Muslims aren’t here to mince words. “Blame It On Mohammad” kicks off the arsenal of ferocious battle cries that is their newest album, Gentrified Chicken, and yeah, it absolutely rips.
"we need mo color." — Pink Siifu
On his essential new album NEGRO, Pink Siifu takes aim at the police state with punk fury and meditative wisdom. "we need mo color." offers an ambient breather ahead of such tracks as "run pig run." and "ameriKKKa, try no pork."
"Moonshine" — James Tillman
Out of the rubble and despair, what remains? "Things may come and things may go, but not my love." James Tillman is on to something.