"I've seen the future and it's over."
I am always on the prowl for some good music. I enjoy listening to almost every genre, and my taste is pretty eclectic; but I can get bored very easily. If a song doesn't continuously make me feel as if it's the first time that I'm listening to it, I can be guilty of losing interest.
I get so excited when I find music that not only grasps my attention, but also keeps it. I live for these discoveries.
One of my latest finds was the enigmatic work of Kelela. It was ironic how I found it, because I was just browsing through Instagram. Specifically, Kesh's instagram. It was a little video of her modeling her clothes, from her line at American Apparel. But while I was watching the video I was like "Oh my God, what song is that ?!" I immediately went to the comments section, to ask her what song it was and low and behold the answer was right there. Bankhead by Kingdom ft. Kelela. As soon as I saw it, I opened up Youtube and literally played that song for three days straight.
However, that was in mid-August of this year and I had no clue that Kelela was going to be releasing a mixtape at all. I was content with my daily replays of Bankhead, and was pleasantly surprised when I found an entire discography when I typed her name into Spotify ( which is a great app by the way.)
CUT 4 ME, released on October 1st, is a heavy hitter. The production list is impeccable, from working with her labelmates Kingdom and Nguzunguzu to Girl Unit and Jam City. It is her debut mixtape but, has transcended past many albums that I have heard this year. She has this sultry futuristic sound, a rhythmic emo tone that reminded me of Aaliyah, a little Prince and Lisa Stansfield.
The approach of her lyricism and vocals, is revolutionary. There is a raw allure to her sound, that exudes through each track. One of my favorite songs from the mixtape has to be "Something Else".
It brought about almost a haunting nature. A whisper or a firm reminder to a distant lover per se, about the lucid games, that she will no longer stand for. " When I remember you, I will remember what it means to carry on." I think everyone can relate to a situation such as this.
I can genuinely say that I am impressed. I didn't expect CUT 4 ME at all, and the fact that I have yet to get bored, let alone go a day without listening to it, says a lot. This mixtape is timeless and is going to set the bar for many artists. I won't be surprised if I hear some imitations from mainstream artists in the future. But heralding from Kelela herself, she has seen the future, and "it's over". I can't say that I disagree either. RIP to the competition.
blakekathryn
ellievsbear
janainaart
vaporwave
discoholicmusic
gummygunk
theartofmadeline
jacobvanloon