Kelela – ‘Raven’ (Stream)

As seen on Apple Music:

The nearly six-year period Kelela Mizanekristos took between 2017’s Take Me Apart and 2023’s Raven wasn’t just a break; it was a reckoning. Like a lot of Black Americans, she’d watched the protests following George Floyd’s murder with outrage and cautious curiosity as to whether the winds of social change might actually shift. She read, she watched, she researched; she digested the pressures of creative perfectionism and tireless productivity not as correlatives of an artistic mind but of capitalism and white supremacy, whose consecration of the risk-free bottom line suddenly felt like the arbitrary and invasive force it is. And suddenly, she realized she wasn’t alone. “Internally, I’ve always wished the world would change around me,” Kelela tells Apple Music. “I felt during the uprising and the [protests of the early 2020s] that there’s been an external shift. We all have more permission to say, ‘I don’t like that.’” Executive-produced by longtime collaborator Asmara (Asma Maroof of Nguzunguzu), 2023’s Raven is both an extension of her earlier work and an expansion of it. The hybrids of progressive dance and ’90s-style R&B that made Take Me Apart and Cut 4 Me compelling are still there (“Contact,” “Missed Call,” both co-produced by LSDXOXO and Bambii), as is her gift for making the ethereal feel embodied and deeply physical (“Enough for Love”). And for all her respect for the modalities of Black American pop music, you can hear the musical curiosity and experiential outliers—as someone who grew up singing jazz standards and played in a punk band—that led her to stretch the paradigms of it, too. But the album’s heart lies in songs like “Holier” and “Raven,” whose narratives of redemption and self-sufficiency jump the track from personal reflections to metaphors for the struggle with patriarchy and racism more broadly. “I’ve been pretty comfortable to talk about the nitty-gritty of relationships,” she says. “But this album contains a few songs that are overtly political, that feel more literally like no, you will not.” Oppression comes in many forms, but they all work the same way; Raven “imagines a flight out.”

Kelela – “Enough For Love”

RAVEN drops this Friday (Feb. 7). You can also check out upcoming tour dates — which includes a 9:30 Club stop — below.

Kelela’s RAVE:N Tour 2023
Mar 16 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
Mar 17 – New York, NY – Webster Hall
Mar 18 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
Mar 23 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
Mar 24 – Toronto, ON – The Opera House
Apr 01 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda
Apr 07 – London, UK – Outernet
Apr 08 – Paris, FR – Le Trianon
Apr 11 – Berlin, DE – Huxleys

Dave James, Foggieraw & Ari Lennox – “TGI Fridays”

Oh, this is cold., Hometown heroes Dave James, Foggieraw, and Ari Lennox link for a soulful offering. In true Foggieraw fashion, you can enjoy a short clip that accompanies the single below.

Rae Shine – “I Like That”

For those not familiar, check out the bio provided by RAW Artists:

Rae Shine®, A rising diva in the “Female Emcees” subgenre of the ever-burgeoning Rap & Hip-Hop phenomenon is making waves in the DMV and beyond. She is very active in her community and believes strongly in giving back. She has performed & spoken at many elementary, middle, high schools and colleges educating them about art, music & her experiences in the entertainment industry. Lucky 7 Music Group, Rae Shine as the C.O.O & a couple other Community Organizations recently hosted a Charity Basketball Event called Hoops for Hope. This Event was organized for families to enjoy a few basketball games and bring donation items for the local homeless. It was a great success, they donated to 3 organizations for the Holidays. Rae Shine also believes strongly in Women Empowerment and has performed at many Events designed to Elevate Women Entrepreneurs, including an Event with NJS Consulting Firm at the MGM National Harbor Grand Ballroom. Another challenge that women face in the Entertainment Industry is body confidence. Rae Shine was interviewed about losing a friend to a botched enhancement surgery with Jody Fleicher on NBC, Channel 4. Rae Shine is no stranger to the stage she has opened for Mobb Deep, Inspectah Deck of the legendary Wu-tang, the Iconic 2 Chainz, Young Thug, The Game, The Boss, Rick Ross, & The Hip Hop Legends, DMX & The Lox! Released 11/13/18 is Rae Shine’s latest Mixtape “Purple Harley” which is available on spinrilla, spotify, itunes, tidal, googleplay and itunes! For more information about this talented and strikingly beautiful Rap princess visit www.RaeShine.com.