Today, GRAMMY® Award-nominated, critically acclaimed singer and songwriter Gallant shares his new single “Crimes.” Get it HERE via Mind of a Genius / Warner Records.
Zane Lowe exclusively premiered the Stint-produced song as his latest “World Record” on Apple Music’s Beats 1. Lowe praised Gallant for “deliberately finding his voice” and “trying new things” while describing “Crimes” as “soulful” and “pure.”
“Crimes” spotlights the nuances of Gallant’s signature soulful alternative R&B style with cinematic production and another show-stopping vocal performance. It arrives on the heels of “Sharpest Edges.” The music video for the latter recently premiered on VMan. The song also attracted widespread acclaim from Billboard to Complex and
Consequence of Sound. The New York Times wrote, “The pleasurable payoff is in the music, harking back to the 1980s era of Michael Jackson’s vocal harmonies and Prince’s synthesizers, all sweet, glassy smoothness.” Gallant joins Chance the Rapper, Estelle, James Fauntleroy and more as a musical contributor to Steven Universe The Movie—the musical version of the Cartoon Network show due in the fall.
Later this year, Gallant returns with the follow-up album to 2016’s universally acclaimed full-length debut, Ology.
Raheem DeVaughn – ‘The Love Reunion’ (Stream)
Don’t know how we missed this, but hometown R&B legend Raheem DeVaughn is back with some new heat in the form of The Love Reunion, which you can check out below.
Kelela Drops New Mix ‘AQUAPHORIA’
Originally revealed during a recent Warp Records 30-year celebration on NTS Radio, DMV’s own Kelela contributed with her own hour long mix, which sees her singing over tracks by Aphex Twin, Oneohtrix Point Never, Visible Cloaks and more. Check it out below.
Brent Faiyaz – “Trust” (Video)
Maryland artist Brent Faiyaz delivers a new visual for “Trust,” which is taken from his latest EP Lost.
Ari Lennox, Ty Dolla $ign, Omen & Dreezy – “Got Me” (& More)
Dreamville recently liberated a couple of new singles presumed to be taken from the forthcoming compilation Revenge of the Dreamers 3 — and one of them features none other than D.C.’s own Ari Lennox.
Check out the Shea Butter Baby alongside Ty Dolla $ign, Omen and Dreezy on the track “Got Me”; you can also enjoy another cut titled “Down Bad,” which features J. Cole, J.I.D, Bas, EarthGang and Young Nudy.
Ari Lennox – ‘Shea Butter Baby’ (Stream)
Featuring assistance from Dreamville members J.I.D and J. Cole. Definitely keeping this in rotation for a while.
Ari Lennox – “Up Late”
Before Shea Butter Baby drops May 7th, D.C.’s own Ari Lennox delivers a sexy new tune to hold things over. Check out “Up Late” below.
Salaam Remi & Gallant – “Roll The Dice”
Legendary producer Salaam Remi connects with DMV’s Gallant for the dope cut “Roll The Dice.”
Judah – ‘Searching For Mr. West’ (Stream)
Legendary D.C. producer Judah is back with a new conceptual piece titled Searching for Mr. West, a nod to the G.O.O.D. Music head honcho that sees assistance from Elledk, Aleem Bilal, RaTheMC, Uptown Tone and more. Stream below.
Tank – “Dirty”
Tank returns with a new single titled “Dirty” (exactly the vibe you think it is, ladies). Check it out above.
Ari Lennox – “Pedigree” & “No One”; J. Cole-Assisted “Shea Butter Baby” (Lyric Video)
We need that new Ari Lennox album! In the meantime, the DC songstress delivers more new singles, as well as a lyric visual for her latest collab with J. Cole, “Shea Butter Baby,” taken from the new film Creed II.
Ari Lennox – “40 Shades of Choke” & “Grampa”
Dreamville is killing it right now, and Ari Lennox is one of the reasons why. Following “Whipped Cream,” the beautiful and incredibly-talented DC songstress drops off two new songs, which you can stream below.
Brent Faiyaz – ‘Lost’ (EP)
Following Sonder Son, Brent Faiyaz returns with a dope new EP titled Lost.
Amerie Drops Double EP ‘4AM Mulholland’ / ‘After 4AM’
Ah, Amerie. Like Mya, the hometown songstress has remaining timeless in beauty and talent…and now she returns with a new double EP titled 4AM Mulholland / After 4AM, her first drop since 2016’s Drive (2009’s In Love In War is her last album).
Said Amerie to Billboard about the double release:
You recorded these projects while pregnant.
Everything on the album was recorded from when I didn’t know I was pregnant to eight, nine months [along]. “Not a Love Song” and “The Wall” were around then. I was doing little sexy rolls on those tracks. [Laughs] I record, engineer and do my own vocals and rough mixes. It was really creatively freeing.
How did the idea of a double album come about in 4AM Mulholland and After 4AM?
I love my projects to be very sonically cohesive. As I was recording, I wasn’t trying to limit myself in any way, I was feeling very, very creative — I had just came off of writing a new story and I wanted to go full-out into the recording process. I didn’t want the album to be a smorgasbord of sound, it needs to have a vibe and that’s why there’s two projects.
I’m hearing a lot of darker and moodier vibes from you on this project.
The funny thing to me, I’ve always felt like my music is dark — even when no one else thinks that. Like with “Why Don’t We Fall in Love,” I got on the video with the director and he’s like, “OK, I’m thinking summertime, you on a beach,” and I go, “OK, this is cool, but actually my initial thought was black, red and a highway.” No one else seems to feel that.
Stream below.
Check Out Ari Lennox’s “Whipped Cream” Acoustic Video
“‘Whipped Cream’ is my little baby that expresses how I feel about an ex that I’m still not over. He’s the same n***a that I talked about in PHO,” says Ari.
“Whipped Cream” is the latest release from the Washington D.C. native who dropped her debut EP, PHO, in late 2016. PHO showcased Lennox’s immense talent while highlighting her position as the only female and sole vocalist of her crew. The young talent has described her music as “modern, relaxed, turned up soul… reminiscent of the beautiful music from the ‘70s” while labeling her voice, “imperfect, but pretty.”
Ari Lennox & Dave James – 2:00am
Producer Dave James connects with Ari Lennox for this soulful cut (with Larry Mack on the horns).
Ari Lennox – “Whipped Cream”
Dreamville’s Ari Lennox is back with a dope new single titled “Whipped Cream,” produced by Elite:
“‘Whipped Cream’ is my little baby that expresses how I feel about an ex that I’m still not over. He’s the same n***a that I talked about in PHO.”
Mike Gaddis Feat. Mark Mizzle – “Pick Up Your Phone”
You know what would be dope? A full-length project from these two, given they might be two of the most versatile artists from the city right now. Check out Mike Gaddis and Mark Mizzle’s “Pick Up The Phone,” which is strictly for the ladies.
Logic “44 More”
Maryland star Logic is back with “44 More” bars, a continuation of “44 Bars” from 2016’s Bobby Tarantino.
Ari Lennox Connects with EarthGang on “Nothing But The Best”
D.C.’s own Ari Lennox joins her Dreamville labelmates on their new single “Nothing But The Best,” taken from Royalty (out February 23rd).
Tank Feat. Trey Songz & Ty Dolla $ign – “When We (Remix)
For Valentine’s Day, Tank reached back to his last hit single for a dope upgrade featuring VA’s Trey Songz and Cali’s Ty$.
Kevin Ross – Christmas Time Is Here
Before the premieres (premiered?) on Love & Hip-Hop, Kevin Ross liberated his holiday-themed cut “Christmas Time Is Here”. Stream below, along with — if you missed it — Ross’ latest visual for “Prototype” (from Drive).