April’s final version of the Breaks features new sounds from Ras Nebyu, new visuals from Uno Hype and Ace Cosgrove, and DJ Kidd Marvel‘s Broccoli City Festival mix.
Ras Nebyu’s Tale of Forbidden Love
Ras Nebyu, who will perform at Broccoli City Festival tomorrow, has created a rhythmic ode to the love triangle titled “No Love.” Over Casito Del Fresco’s slow-burning production, Nebyu alters between slow singing and double-time rhymes about being a woman’s other man: “Whoever your knight is walking around in shining armor ain’t me/Girl it’s obvious we can’t be.”
On the second verse, he sounds less cold-blooded and more wounded: “You loved me when I wasn’t shit, and I felt I wasn’t good enough for you/Years later I’m feeling guilty, ‘cause it’s me, I’m the one who destroyed you.” Credit Nebyu and Casito Del Fresco for making a song about messy, dysfunctional relationships and infidelity sound soulful.
Uno Hype and Ace Cosgrove Play Tag Team
Maryland rapper Uno Hype released a brief video for “Long Kiss of Death,” his dismal collaboration with fellow Maryland MC Ace Cosgrove. The haunted piano keys and slow drag come courtesy of producer of Ghost Hardaway, the perfect compliment to Uno Hype’s raspy vocals: “Runnin’ over competition/I know you feel the distance/From point A to point B, another name in the system/As his body stiffens from the gavel/But ain’t the half the battle if his folks comin’ at you/Choke your throat from the rope/Your ankles get unshackled.” Meanwhile, director Criminal Priest’s black-and-white visuals complete the song’s overall feeling of desolation. “Long Kiss of Death” will be including on Uno Hype and Ghost Hardaway’s upcoming collaborative effort, White Noise.
Broccoli City Festival Preparation
Speaking of Broccoli City Festival, the best way to get prepared for the musical experience is with DJ Kidd Marvel’s “BCFest Mix.” Running a little more than an hour, it features music from Drake, GoldLink, Musiq Soulchild, Kendrick Lamar, Erykah Badu, and more.
Photo by James Davis Wilson