Gaidaa — Falling Higher: Our top pick for the week — possibly the entire month. We can’t get enough of Gaidaa’s lofty vocal runs and tight, sticky hooks. The bass line is so suave it might as well show up on your doorstep in a three-piece suit. The Sudanese-Dutch artist also dropped a pixel art lyric video in the style of an old school 8-bit game, which will blow your mind.
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AKA Keyz — Seven: AKA Keyz’s latest release is an addictive, pared-back production, holding a combination of Keyz’s melodic rapping and fast-spitting bars. His message is resilient but grounded in reality: ‘It’s the darkest before the dawn, it’s always harder before you celebrate better days,’ sings Keyz, at a time when hope has never been more in demand.
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The Love Mods (ft. Fafa) — Feels Like Home: Fafa’s smoky delivery on opening lines like, ‘Hear me out, hear me out,’ will hook you. A familiar formula follows: a breezy dance production, courtesy of The Love Mods, paired with hypnotic vocals, courtesy of Fafa. Overall, a laid-back offering fit for summertime from the Emirati-Honduran singer, who last year won the Yasalam Emerging Talent Competition.
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Ghaliaa — Nas: The controlled push and pull of Ghaliaa’s vocals fuel this serene piano-driven track (sung in Arabic), backed by the delicate releases of an accordion that lend it a traditional flare. The music video sees the UAE-based Syrian singer-songwriter sitting in a coffee shop and watching a sweet courtship unfold outside, between a chauffeur and a waitress.
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Michele — Lost Time: Michele has been dropping each ‘chapter’ of her upcoming EP with corresponding music videos on Instagram and YouTube; the visuals are comprised of emotive, abstract anime clips, overlaid with different hues. ‘Lost Time’ is the UAE-based Lebanese artist’s latest drop, introduced with the crash of waves as Michele’s sophisticated vocals pull us into the steady tide of a faltering relationship.
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Freek — Mush Fathi: Freek is back with another banger begging you to stop wasting his time. ‘Mush Fathi’ — loosely translating to ‘I’m busy’ — is instantly relatable to anyone who keeps their phone in a permanent state of ‘do not disturb’. The UAE-based Somali rapper has built a fan base out of these frosty tracks (‘Khasi’, ‘Wala Kilma’) and this one is just as catchy as its predecessors.
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Menon (ft. Blvxb) — Shogun: Menon and Blvxb’s hard-hitting battle track (a mix of English and Arabic) is underlaid with Japanese influence, as ‘shogun’ historically refers to de facto Japanese rulers, while Menon is stylised on the single cover holding a katana. We get fighting words from the Sri Lankan-Filipino rapper, who spits: ‘Lately I ain’t been [expletive] with a lot of dudes, because they’ve been trying to get it before they pay they dues. How you in the club every night when you ain’t never do a damn thing in your life?’
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KC Hamada — You Ugly: KC Hamada’s gritty, combative style and distinctly gruff delivery shine yet again on ‘You Ugly’. Despite the name, it’s far from mean-spirited, as Hamada declares: ‘Really, I could never hate you.’ The UAE-based Iraqi-Iranian rapper bends the finger of blame and shame back in on itself, exposing its destructive hypocrisy with bars like: ‘Everybody’s got a bone to pick except for their closets.’
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Rai Han — Drowning: ‘Drowning’ is a slow unfolding, sultry release from up-and-coming UAE-based R‘n’B singer Rai Han, from India. The melodic, steady beat — produced by Vasi and Abdulla Almeawali — builds itself into a lulling balm and forms the molten backbone of the track, while Rai Han’s modulated vocal delivery offers a smooth listening experience.
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