Youthquake TGIF Mixtape #4
TGIF Content Inside: Ray Blk "M.I.A.," Nicki Nicole "Me Has Dejado," Omar Apollo "Go Away," A Pop Culture Moment in Time, The Style Files, and Time Warp's back!
First in our TGIF lineup is New Music Friday— set in homage to my love of mixtapes; here’s a digital collection of new music you should listen to, like this weekend’s soundtrack. Get into it below.
🎧 RAY BLK M.I.A. Feat. Kaash Paige
It’s the double good news for me as Nigerian R&B singer Ray Blk announces her highly anticipated debut studio album ACCESS DENIED, set for release on September 17th via Island Records. Along with the debut is a new single, M.I.A., featuring Def Jam artist Kaash Paige.
Instantly transported back to Diosa Ashanti’s Foolish (by proxy also Biggie Small’s One More Chance and DeBarge’s Stay with Me) and Brandy’s glitchy What About Us?, M.I.A. is a time warp and vocal beauty. Listen to M.I.A. via your preferred streaming site here.
“MIA is my summer anthem as we’re released from lockdown,” Ray explains on the inspiration behind the track. “It’s just about escaping or being with someone who feels like an escape, like you’re on holiday and just at peace, away from the noise. After being in lockdown for so long and being overwhelmed or feeling low, I’m ready to be out with the people I love the most in our element with this playing in the background as the soundtrack to our summer.”
📺 Nicki Nicole Me Has Dejado Feat. DELAOSSA
Young Argentine artist Nicki Nicole is musical dynamite. Enlisting Spanish rapper DELAOSSAon her new single, Me Has Dejado (which translates to ‘you’ve left me’), Nicki Nicole co-penned the song with Mauro De Tommaso and Evlay and co-produced the track with Delaossa and Kiddo. Resulting in a slow-simmering R&B vibe as her powerhouse vocals enchant like a siren.
Directed by Guillermo Centenera and filmed in Madrid, the video sees Nicki Nicole presenting the downfall of her on-screen relationship with track collaborator DELAOSSA; watch below.
“Dani is someone that I admire very much. I have been a big fan of his since before I started making music. It is incredible to have my idol become my friend,” Nicki shares. “We made this song two years ago and my hope was to record it together in the studio, but due to the pandemic, we had to finish it separately. Luckily we were able to record the video together here in Spain. The great thing about this song is that it has my essence and his 100%.”
Already evoking Argentina’s exploding musical urban scene Nicki Nicole is also about that life; she regularly challenges gender stereotypes along the way. Nicki Nicole’s recent feature in Vogue’s ‘These Are The Women And Non-Binary Musicians Challenging Gender Stereotypes and Machismo in Argentina’ is a fantastic read.
📺 Japanese Breakfast Paprika
Japanese Breakfast performed her stellar opening track, Paprika, from her new album, Jubilee, on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Her performance, much like her album, is fully conceptualized and scintillating as it’s a standout for 2021.
In the years leading up to Jubilee, Zauner also took theory lessons and studied piano in earnest for the first time, in an effort to improve her range as a songwriter: “I’ve never wanted to rest on any laurels. I wanted to push it as far as it could go, inviting more people in and pushing myself as a composer, a producer, and arranger.”
Most recently, Zauner's New York Times Best Selling memoir, Crying In H Mart (out now via Knopf), is set to be adapted for film by MGM's Orion Pictures.
📺 Omar Apollo Go Away
Following the news of his tour announcement, Omar Apollo now shares a new song and accompanying video for Go Away.
Go Away is soothingly bewitching in just under four minutes and then hits you like a crashing ocean wave as an introduction into his next era. Apollo continues to cultivate his musical evolution as a songwriter. The song is the first taste of new music from him following his last album, the lustrous Apolonio.
📺 John-Robert Move It To The Side (Alice Longyu Gao Remix)
John-Robert releases a brand new remix to the stand-out track Move It To The Side by Alice Longyu Gao via Warner Records. Originally released earlier on John-Robert’s EP, Healthy Baby Boy Pt 1, Alice’s rendition is a funhouse for club kids.
Fully inverting and distorting the wistful original, as only Alice does— Softboy Dancing In the Klurb Flip amplifies the nostalgia pangs of messy club nights. Watch the visualizer below.
About the remix, John-Robert says, “As a musician, it’s inspiring when you subconsciously have a formula for your writing process and then an artist comes along and breaks every one of those rules in a fresh and exciting way. I admire Alice because she’s a smart, self-assured badass, unapologetic with her production, lyrics, visuals, thoughts, and art. I’m eternally grateful that she has blessed me with this version of ‘Move It To The Side.’”
Over the three-day weekend, I was reminded of the pop culture milieu of 2010 with the shamefully guilty pleasure trainwreck of a show on MTV, the Jersey Shore.
Having one— or four too many edibles, so I binge-watched the OG’ show. I was also reminded of the time America’s favorite “Guidos and Guidettes” were on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and parodied Twilight.
Re-gifting the world, watch The Jersey Shore Saga: Friggin’ Twilight below. While I’ve never watched the original, I can say I’m not sure I even need to see it since this exists. Like Bong Joon Ho said, to me that, is cinema.
My forever Diosa is heavy on my mind, so I’m bringing back an old favorite, The Style Files; here’s one of my favorite Y2K looks from Britney Spears.
Hopefully, I’ll revisit my love letter edition of Youthquake to Brit Brit and be posting soon. There was no disrespect to the pop icons before her, but Britney seismically changed youth culture and the pop game; Britney Spears is quite literally popular culture.
It’s been a while since we did the Time Warp, so bring your knees in tight and pelvic thrust because it’s back. (📢 = director’s commentary).
Here’s what happened on this day, July 9th:
The 1937 Fox vault fire destroyed the silent film archives of Fox Film Corporation.
HBD America’s sweetheart, Tom Hanks.
Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans exhibition opened at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles in 1962.
The # 1 Hit in 1966: Frank Sinatra Strangers In The Night.
HBD to my favorite ghost in his blue era, Jack White.
Donkey Kong, created by Nintendo, was released; it also features the debut of Mario in 1981.
Tron debuted in theaters in 1982.
The # 1 Hit in 1983: Irene Cara Flashdance (What a Feeling).
American Pie debuted in theaters in 1999.
📢 permanently scarring my adolescence with pie.Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was released in theaters in 2003.
📢 I still have my movie stub for this film— At what point did Jack Sparrow come to life?Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy was released in theaters.
📢 Straight men never let us forget Ron Burgundy or any other Will Ferrell character exists.Despicable Me and The Kids Are All Right debuted in theaters in 2010.
#1 Hit in 2011: Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer Give Me Everything
This weekend Sam is busy working on exciting new features and album reviews. Meanwhile, I’ll be busy binge-watching some new shows to review; Paul Rudd may be involved. That’s never a bad thing.
If you need us, find us online. 💘
Thank you for being part of the Youthquake community; we’d love to hear your honest feedback HERE. ✨