[RH First Glance] Eryn Allen Kane: "Hollow"
If you've been really paying attention to RubyHornet and the Midwest music scene, you may have heard of Eryn Allen Kane. If not, you'll most definitely remember her once you have. The 23 year old singer/songwriter has spent the past year quietly working on her debut project in the annals of Chicago's Fox & The Mule studios. With the project nearly ready and slated for a Spring release, Kane and co. decided to release this video for "Hollow", a vocal avant-garde piece, inspired by expressionist paintings and shot by the talented Austin Vesely. According to Kane, the piece came together naturally; "Robbie Mueller and I were just messing around but I eventually came up with a solid melody using original lyrics, as well as lyrics from two of my favorite jazz songs," said Kane. "I went home, played it back and recorded the melody into my computer. I don't know how to play the guitar so I just sang the guitar riffs. Then I vocally arranged the rest of the back vocals to make it sound like a full song. One night we decided to record it at the studio and it ended up sounding pretty cool so we figured we'd put it out as some what of a teaser for the rest of my project and not a single." Teaser indeed, the track and accompanying video certainly create suspense heading into Kane's full project, which according to her will share a minimalist approach with "Hollow" but with more variety and instrumentation.
This is not Vesely and Kane's first time working together either, having previously collaborated on the Vesely-directed short film "Sex Tape Day" that garnered over 15,000 views in a week and made it to the front page of Funny Or Die. The idea for "Hollow" came from a video in which actors are painted to resemble expressionist artworks. "We picked up some paint, headed back to his house, listened to led zeppelin and shot a video," explained Kane. "We both knew exactly what we wanted which made this pretty easy. We make a good team. He's the man." Check out the video below for yourself and keep it locked to Ruby Hornet for the latest from Eryn Allen Kane.
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[Video] SZA: "Ice Moon"
SZA is TDE's latest and lone female member, and with good reason. The beautiful and talented St. Louis product has shown and proved why she deserved a cosign from the hottest team in hip-hop today. With her latest video for her single "Ice Moon" off her upcoming S EP, SZA shows what a day in the park would be like, if spent with the talented singer. Also, check out the video below of SZA performing her song "Aftermath" live.
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Sampha: "Happens"
One half of SBTRKT, the thick-voiced Sampha is back with both a new track and visual today via Young Turks. His latest, "Happens" is side two of his dual-sided Too Much/Happens AA-single, featuring the previously released "Too Much", out today on iTunes. Check out the video below and expect plenty more coming from Sampha soon.
Pre-order Too Much/Happens on vinyl here.
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Jean Deaux: "Grape Soda"
Jean Deaux felt rather inspired yesterday. The Chicago emcee crafted a new song, recorded it, shot the cover and released it in the span of 24 hours. "Grape Soda" is a remake of Vic Mensa's popular "Orange Soda" track, but with a unique spin from Jean's vision and production by Tim Suby. Check it out below and make sure you cop a ticket for her show with Mensa on December 7th.
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Na$im Williams: "Bad/Heart" (feat. C. Rich)
Last month, we introduced you to a severely underrated R&B singer from Chicago, C. Rich. I'm not one for R&B, but his Certified Organic had me reaching out for the closest girl to share my soul's deepest secrets. In all seriousness, self-written songs like "Blue Dream" help the singer join the likes of Chris LeSage and Lili K. as some of my favorite natural singers in Chicago right now.
Meanwhile, Treated Crew producer Na$im Williams has been building his name up in the Chicago hip hop scene with production for the likes of Chandler London, ProbCause, Vic Spencer, fellow Treated Crew members Gzus Piece and Mic Terror, and more, collected on his summer mixtape, Na$im World Order: Black & White. Not one to simply rest on his laurels, the producer has made his first step into the R&B world.
"Bad/Heart" represents a softer side to Na$im's typical production matched perfectly with C. Rich's subdued vocals. As if the story of a broken relationship wouldn't already give you chills, the haunting echoed voices in the background will give you goosebumps, perfect for a chilly November day. You can buy C. Rich's Certified Organic on iTunes here, as well as downloading Na$im's most recent drop, The Symbiote, here. Of course, be sure to check out "Bad/Heart" below.
Emeli Sandé:“My Kind of Love Remix” (feat. Ab-Soul)
TDE likes itself some female vocalists. It seems like their features are always on point and the dudes at the Black Hippy crew always have use for a sultry crooner to make a track that much hotter. Today, Emeli Sandé comes to us with her latest, a remix of "My Kind of Love," from her 2012 release, Version of Events featuring the one and only Ab-Soul, who himself has gotten a leg up over the past year. Check out the track below:
[Video] Janelle Monae: "Prime Time" (Feat. Miguel)
Janelle Monae and Miguel made a splash with their song, "Prime Time" off of Monae's latest album, Electric Lady. The pair released the visual for the album, a highly conceptual video that is a continuation on a common theme throughout her most recent release. Read the statement below along with the video itself.
"PrimeTime is a love story based on the early adventures of Cindi Mayweather (Janelle Monáe) and her first love Joey Vice (Miguel.) The Emotion Picture gives a glimpse at Cindi's humble beginnings as a "cyber-server" at the Electric Sheep nightclub, a syn bar serving high-class "show droids" to the rich and lonely in a dangerous section of Metropolis known as Slop City. Incidentally, the innovative cybersoul music played at the club directly impacted Cindi, and she began singing and performing her own innovative compositions a short time after quitting this assignment. In addition, Cindi became determined to change the public perception of what an electric lady could be, dream and aspire to after working in the dismal conditions at the club." -via Pitchfork
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R. Kelly: "Cookie"
R. Kelly has never been shy about being sexual. After all, he famously released "Ignition Remix" during a sexual assault trial, complete with the line "Let me stick my key in your ignition" much to his attorney's misgivings. Anyway, the Pied Piper is back with yet another single off his upcoming album, Black Panties due out November 11 and, once again, he's not holding anything back. Check out "Cookie" courtesy of Audiomack below.