Da Exiles are made up of cousins, Harb Salaam and Mo Striker, both of whom have a life story worth sharing, and the musical ability to share it in the slickest, most succinct way possible. As the beat kicks in, Mo Striker makes himself known with a Wretch 32-like flow that has you hooked into the story of his old life and his current life, with self-belief and God being at the forefront of that better path. A brilliant story that isn’t heard all that often, it leaves you on the edge of your seat. Next, comes in Harb Salaam, who brings his own story that isn’t too dissimilar to Striker’s. Salaam, however, comes in with a much more US-influenced style, laying down rhymes that have the perfect balance between the beat and Striker’s verses. With two stories as unique and inspiring as theirs, ‘Never Stop Believing’ is a single that is hard to ignore.

With a message on finding a better path and making a better life for yourself, the duo aim to inspire the youth with their music, allowing people who are stuck in a life to find a way out. As well as a fantastic message and aim in their music, it’s delivered with undeniable ability that itself demands to be heard. Coming out on February 24^th, you cannot miss this!

Da Exiles’ Instagram

Da Exiles’ TikTok

Da Exiles’ YouTube

The post ‘Never Stop Believing’, from South-London Duo, Da Exiles appeared first on No.1 Music Blog.

Jay Z Quotes:

“If you’re havin’ girl problems I feel bad for you son / I got 99 problems but a b***h ain’t one.”*

Jay-Z’s major influences:

Marvin Gaye (1957-1984)  – Jay-Z grew up listening to soul legends such as Gaye. Listen to the shimmering, soul-funk of Jay-Z’s The Blueprint to hear echoes of Gaye’s ambitious sprawling ballad-style.

Donny Hathaway (1945-1979) – On classic Hathaway soul tracks such as “The Ghetto” precursor’s of Jay-Z’s smooth grooves abound.

Notorious B.I.G. (1972-1997) – B.I.G.’s explicit gangsta-rap held a large sway over Jay-Z’s earlier harder-edged street style.

De La Soul (formed 1978) – Jay-Z’s eclectic tastes and wide scope owe much to the ground-breaking hip-hop trio. Listen to the jazzy vibe of Jay-Z’s “Marcy Me” alongside De La Soul’s “Eye Know.”

Puff Daddy (b 1969) – Puff Daddy’s lush, relatively more accessible style guided Jay-Z toward a slicker, radio-friendly and melodic approach.

Nas (b 1973) – “I had the Illmatic on bootleg, the s**t was so ahead, thought we was all dead,” sings Jay-Z on 2009’s “A Star Is Born” – an explicit reference to the classic Nas album.

Diana Ross (b 1944) – According to Jay Z, seeing Ross perform live at central park ranks as one of the greatest moments of his life. Jay Z name-checked Ross in his song “Intro/A Million and One Questions/Rhyme No More.”

Jay-Z Photo by Joella Marano Creative Commons 4.0

The post The Musical Influences Of: Jay-Z appeared first on No.1 Music Blog.

J Carlyle’s new single ‘Intruder Alert’, released February 5th, has already accumulated huge amounts of praise from listeners and critics alike, with BBC Introducing dubbing the track an “Absolute Banger”!

J has been involved in the musical scene since the young age of 15, when he started writing his own songs in-line with a few of the different genres he enjoyed. The influences of these genres have stuck with J as he has begun to release his own music – dancehall, R&B and grime to name a few! Incorporating these styles into his own creations has lead to J feeling as though he’s finally found his place within music, releasing tracks that he was born to make and put out into the world.

However, the influences of genres he grew up around aren’t the only thing that can be clearly heard through his music. J has such a positive outlook on life that he’s now bringing to his music as his tracks ooze positive vibes and feel-good tempos, something that is influenced from his everyday life and career paths. Over the course of 10 years J worked within a mental health institution in the East Midlands, and since then he’s been a huge advocate for mental health, which is something he’s incorporated into his music. His previous encounters and experiences prompted him to make change within the community, helping others to use music as an escape and release from their struggles.

“I myself have suffered with mental health issues also. This journey prompted me to work with Channel 4 and local council to create a music programme for the youth.” – J Carlyle.

Showcasing the positive, feel-good music he can produce, ‘Intruder Alert’ offers a catchy chorus and upbeat tempo that you can’t help but want to dance to. That beat, paired with relatable lyrics touching up on struggles with the current age of social media, finds you listening to the track on repeat all day and never getting bored – which is something that’s quite rare!

You can listen to his track here.

Follow J Carlyle on..

Twitter

Instagram

Soundcloud

Spotify

Youtube

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The post J Carlyle releases highly-praised single ‘Intruder Alert’ appeared first on No.1 Music Blog.

You may be wondering what makes SFZ stand out from the huge numbers of amazing upcoming rappers dominating the UK music scene. Well, you may be surprised to know that before discovering his talent for writing earworm rap, he was a classical pianist. With no reason to keep his passions separate, SFZ has developed a unique sound, setting his rap to stunning piano and soft, low-fi beats that create the ultimate chilled out atmosphere in his completely self recorded and produced single.

The single is accompanied by a stripped back music video, putting the focus on SFZ’s raw talent and emotion which you can watch below:

SFZ’s personal lyrics cover topics that are important to him, such as his experiences battling depression and with drug and alcohol abuse throughout his adult life; you can feel the passion in his music, which he uses as a form of therapy.

Now, the rap prodigy aims to use his music to help himself heal and to help others by sharing his positive and relatable messages.

“We should be role models for ourselves and for those around us, to be kind and to love.”

SFZ

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SFZISPOOR/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sfzispoor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sfzispoor/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/29xo8oUT7ldPP2j5ZJUCHB?si=dgs-fi7_S12kdf3Sm4G_RA
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJDSIk7piolTQjlMAwE86pQ

Check out the latest episode of The Quite Great Radio Show

Episode 3 of ‘Just Checking In’ is now out – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pNt2GF_LcA&t=197s

The post SFZ uses classical piano sample to flow in emotive new single ‘Elevate’ appeared first on No.1 Music Blog.