‘DIAMONDS & FREAKS’ drops June 9.
KIRBY
Black Thought And El Michels Affair Paid Homage To The ‘Glorious Game’ With Kirby On ‘Fallon’
Earlier this month, Black Thought And El Michels Affair shared their collaborative album, Glorius Game, which features Black Thought rapping over music produced and played by the lattermost band. Last night (April 26), the supergroup made an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon and performed the album’s title track.
During the performance, Black Thought & El Michels Affair were joined by singer Kirby, as Black Thought rapped over the band’s jazzy, soulful instrumentals.
“My mind is hard to explain / Call y’all all aboard for this train / I float like a nautilus, mane / Damn, I love this glorious game,” raps Black Thought over a pre-chorus.
Kirby’s soft vocals gave the song a sparkling touch, as she sang “Ooh, these are the glory days / If, and they did it, baby / Back in the day, baby / I swear, these are the glory days.”
With more than three decades in the game, Black Thought has garnered an impressive resume as a member of The Roots, as a solo act, and as a collaborator. But in a recent interview with The Fader, he revealed that he still has a lot he wants to do.
“Most of the things I do I’d be doing whether there was compensation involved or not,” he said. “I’m a creative, an artist. This is what I’ve always been. The medium is ever-evolving. The disciplines cross. I work in different spaces, different fields, but it’s all as a creative and a storyteller, using whatever tools I have at that particular moment to tell the same story.”
You can watch the performance of “Glorious Game” above.
Childish Gambino Returns On “Sticky” With KIRBY From “Swarm” Soundtrack EP
It’s been out for less than 24 hours, but already, Donald Glover’s Swarm series is the talk of the internet. All seven episodes are currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, and have earned both an 80% audience and critics score so far on Rotten Tomatoes. Viewers obviously can’t stop reacting to the wild sex scene between Chloe Bailey and Damson Idris in the first episode, but the show’s soundtrack is gaining plenty of attention in its own right as well.
Those who have already watched Swarm know it centres around a young woman with a serious obsession for Ni’jah, her favourite pop star. It reflects some of the lengths stans currently go to for artists like Nicki Minaj and Cardi B online, though our lead character, Dre (played by Dominique Fishback) takes things further than most people would ever dare. The singer’s presence is notably similar to Beyoncé’s, though she’s actually voiced by independent artist KIRBY.
KIRBY and Childish Gambino Bring Ni’jah to Life with “Sticky”
Before working on Swarm, the Memphis-born songwriter worked with stars like Jennifer Lopez, Timbaland, and Brandy. She helped write “FourFiveSeconds” by Rihanna, Kanye West, and Paul McCartney, as well as Queen B’s “Die with You.” Her first solo album, titled Sis, arrived in February 2020 and had two tracks featured on the fourth season of Issa Rae’s Insecure.
KIRBY’s name was kept relatively quiet within the industry before, but after this new project, she’s certainly going to be high in demand. It remains unclear if we’ll see Glover’s new TV series return for a second season, though fans are already expressing their desire to hear more from him and the rising female star. Other songs emerging as favourites on their new EP so far are “Something Like That” and “Agatha.”
Stream Childish Gambino and KIRBY’s “Sticky” on YouTube above. Afterward, read more about Swarm‘s infectious soundtrack here. Make sure to check back later this weekend for more release recommendations on our R&B Season playlist update.
Quotable Lyrics:
Out in my country, you’re on your own
Porch and the palm trees, you’re all alone
Sunlight is watching, so watch your back (Your back)
Don’t look back
I’ll come and find you, stay on track
[Via]
Childish Gambino And Ni’jah Share The Eerie ‘Sticky’ From The Hyped-Up Show ‘Swarm’s Soundtrack EP
Actor and producer Donald Glover tried his best to walk away from his music persona Childish Gambino, but there’s still work to be done. The triple threat hinted that a new project was on the way during his appearance on Kimmel, but fans were in for a treat that new music was just the tip of the creative iceberg. In addition to the new music, Gambino released a new Amazon Prime Video series, Swarm, starring Chlöe and Dominique Fishback.
As with any great film or series, an original soundtrack is necessary, and Gambino released a full EP to accompany Swarm.
Childish Gambino and KIRBY lend their voices to singer Ni’Jah’s track “Sticky,” which serves as the lead single from the soundtrack. Heard in the series trailer, “Sticky” immaculately lays out the plot of a woman sick obsession with a pop star. Co-produced by Dylan Wiggins and Michael Uzowuru, the song is eerie in all of the same ways the series is.
The second verse of the song drives home the level of discomfort Cambino wants you to feel as you dive into this piece, as he and KIRBY sings, “I got a gun, I got the strap, I got the door locked / I gotta run, they in the back, “Hello” and the door knock / Lock on the car ‘Beep, beep’ / Blood on the bar, leak, leak / Cops finna come, sweet, sweet / Hoe, I look good, tweet, tweet / Hope I don’t get no blood on top of my weave / Ain’t got no beatin’, they ain’t no apostrophes /And I got my mask on (Hey) / Still twerk *ss to sad songs / Gotta keep the joy alive.”
Listen to the full track above and the full EP below. Swarm premieres today (March 17) on Prime Video.
Listen to the ‘Swarm’ EP Featuring Childish Gambino
Childish Gambino Used His Latest ‘Swarm’ Teaser To Preview New Music, A Ni’Jah And Kirby Collab Called ‘Sticky’
Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover, dropped the first glimpse of his new feature on “Sticky,” through the trailer for the upcoming Amazon Prime series, Swarm. The track is a collaboration with Kirby and Ni’Jah and gives off a spooky and psychedelic feel — fitting for the tone of the show.
“Sticky-icky / Somebody’s watching, so watch your back / Don’t look back, look at the mess you’ve made,” the song’s clip says.
Glover, who created the series alongside Janine Nabers, based the premise around a woman who is obsessed with a pop star. It stars Dominique Fishback, Chlöe Bailey, and Damson Idris.
“We just thought it’d be fun to make a post-truth Piano Teacher mixed with The King Of Comedy,” he told Vanity Fair earlier this year, naming films that influenced the project. “Me and my brother Stephen were talking about finding someone like Isabelle Huppert, as far as risk-takers in performances.”
“A lot of people did it out of the kindness of their hearts and they did a really great job,” Glover added. “Dom, Damson, Chloe. I was really blown away at how hard they worked on the tone, ’cause it’s a strange one.”
Check out the Swarm trailer — which features Ni’Jah, Kirby, and Childish Gambino’s “Sticky” — above.
Black Thought & El Michels Affair Share Title Track For ‘Glorious Game’ Project, Featuring KIRBY
The pair will release their joint LP in April 2023.
A Song From A 26-Year-Old ‘Kirby’ Game Is Now The First Nintendo Track To Ever Win A Grammy
Every year, there are always at least a couple Grammy nominations that stick out. This year, one of those was in the Best Arrangement, Instrumental Or A Cappella category: Nominated was an arrangement of “Meta Knight’s Revenge,” a song from the 1996 Super Nintendo game Kirby Super Star, as arranged by Charlie Rosen and Jake Silverman and performed by The 8-Bit Big Band featuring Button Masher (Silverman’s performing name).
Video game songs aren’t nominated that often so what happened last night was big: “Meta Knight’s Revenge” (which appears on The 8-Bit Big Band’s 2021 album Backwards Compatible) actually won the award.
This is a huge moment in Nintendo history and in video game history more broadly; Eurogamer notes this is only the second time a song originally from a video game has taken home a Grammy, following Christopher Tin’s 2010 win for Best Instrumental Arrangement With Vocalist(s), for a song composed for Civilization 4. Previously, Journey composer Austin Wintory got a nomination in the Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media category in 2013 but didn’t win.
So, that means this Kirby win is the first time a song from a Nintendo game has ever won a Grammy. This news arrives with especially good timing, as it quickly follows the March 25 release of the latest Kirby game, Kirby And The Forgotten Land for Nintendo Switch.
Rosen shared an excited reaction on the social media pages for The 8-Bit Big Band, posting a photo of himself and Silverman with their trophies and writing, “HOLY SH*T WE WON THE GRAMMY!!LONG LIVE VIDEO GAME MUSIC!! Thank you to everybody who’s ever listened to [The 8-Bit Big Band], the 100s of artists who have contributed their time/talent/musicianship, and of course HUGE thanks to my co-arranger on Meta Knights Revenge the one and only [Jake Silverman] !! MUCH LOVE, [Charlie Rosen].”
Rosen also posted this pretty terrific Kirby graphic a few days ago:
Watch The 8-Bit Big Band and Button Masher perform “Meta Knight’s Revenge” above. Also check out where Kirby Super Star (and another SNES Kirby game) ranks on our list of the 100 best Super Nintendo games (according to over 200,000 players) here.
The Most Stylish Album Covers Of 2021
We’ve all been told not to judge a book by its cover, and while the same thought can be applied to album covers, the rule becomes a bit harder to follow in this scenario. An album’s artwork is the first thing that grabs our attention — negatively or positively — before we can press play on it. Oftentimes, the cover art is used to promote a body of work before its official release which then opens the flood gates for fans to judge its appearance and rate how good the album may or may not be.
For better or for worse, there have been a number of memorable album covers in 2021. There’s Drake’s pregnant woman-emoji-laden cover for Certified Lover Boy that was considered a troll until he went out his way to confirm it. Ye kept things simple with a black square for Donda while Lil Nas X’s artwork for Montero finds him nude and suspended in the air. Yung Bleu appears as an astronaut in his Moon Boy cover and Lorde’s own for Solar Power was a bit… cheeky, wouldn’t you say?
With that being said, 2021 also gave us album covers with artists showing off their best looks. It’s always great to receive a quality collection of music that’s wrapped in a well-captured portrait of the artist. Without further ado, here are the ten most stylish album covers of 2021.
Ayra Starr — 19 & Dangerous
Afropop singer Ayra Starr dropped off 19 & Dangerous, her sophomore project and second release of the year. The project delivers a tale of growth that arrives as the singer prepares to exit the teenager status for adulthood. For its cover, Starr sits on a blue bag dressed in what appears to be red stain pants and golden elbow-length gloves. She’s also surrounded by deep green walls to complete the truly colorful cover.
CKay — Boyfriend
Keeping things in the afrobeats world, Ckay delivered another sharp cover art with his Boyfriend EP. He released the project at the top of the year and it’s masked with a purple hue that is complemented by the car Ckay leans on, the night sky and flowers behind him, the scarf and fingernails on the arm of a woman that’s wrapped around him. Altogether, it makes for a sharp cover that captures the Ckay’s sensitive side along with the seven songs that appear on the EP.
Doja Cat — Planet Her
There has yet to be a moment too big for Doja Cat to handle. So even when the pressure for her to surpass expectations with her third album Planet Her continued to rise, Doja stepped up to bat and hit a home run. The artwork for the album helped listeners envision the weirdo spectacle that she presented on the project. She lays on what appears to be a glittery body of land which neon shades of glitter covering her body from head to toe. Might I mention that the album is also one of the best releases in 2021? Long story short, Doja came through from top to bottom.
Kirby — Sis. He Wasn’t The One
At the beginning of 2020, Memphis singer Kirby arrived with her debut project Sis. Nearly two years later, she returned with its sequel Sis. He Wasn’t The One in what also sports a very underrated cover. Kirby lays beside a man with her light brown hair tied up while wearing a red top that compliments the flowery blanket she lays on and the room she’s in. If you’re looking for a body of work that vents one’s struggles with love while expounding on a man’s failure to be a solid partner, Sis. He Wasn’t The One delivers that with an aesthetically pleasing cover to look at.
Little Simz — Sometimes I Might Be Introverted
Little Simz’s Sometimes I Might Be Introverted is truly a beautiful body of work. It’s one of those rare projects where everything from the lyrics, the production, the sequencing, and more fall into the place so exquisitely. Its artwork is another notable point The London rapper sits nervously in a wooden chair while rocking a yellow and black checkered suit as his hair is tied up to a high altitude. The mustard yellow backdrop also pairs well with Little Simz’s look in what comes together as an eye-pleasing cover.
Masego — Studying Abroad: Extended Stay
Masego ended 2020 with Studying Abroad, his first project since his pristine 2018 debut album Lady Lady. Studying Abroad received the deluxe treatment back in May as five more songs were added to the project to accompany highlights like “Mystery Lady” and “Silver Tongue Devil. The deluxe reissue also granted us a new cover that presented the already-stylish Masego in a salmon suit as he posed longing into the camera which captures nature’s beauty behind him.
Serpentwithfeet — Deacon
Serpentwithfeet began the spring season this year with his Deacon project. It’s a release that was filled with music he described as “a lot softer, a lot more gentle than my previous work,” “something that felt very sensuous,” and “something that felt calm and restrained.” This tender approach comes alive on the project’s cover art as it presents Serpentwithfeet in a white button-up top and gold accessories on his fingers, neck, ears, and hair. He also holds another man in his arms who sports a similar white top as they both stand amid a hazy desert.
Symphani Soto — Under The Sun
South Florida’s Symphani Soto earned herself a nice career boost with her June project Under The Sun. Its 11 tracks make for a body of work ideal for an afternoon drive or warm evening at the beach. Soto appears relaxed and free throughout the project and if you need a visual for that, it’s available on the project’s cover art. The singer stands tall and free in a detailed and intricate bright orange dress as the slightly cloudy sky behind her helps to enhance her features and make her stand out.
Umi — Introspection Reimagined
Umi breathed new life into her 2020 album Introspection and re-released it with a new dose of vibrancy and lucidity through eight songs. It also comes with a beautiful cover that sees Umi in an elaborate white gown. Captured from an aerial view, Umi stares closely into a mirror with her arms almost stretched fully apart over a rich red backdrop.
VanJess — Homegrown
Nearly three years after their career-solidifying debut album Silk Canvas, VanJess returned with their Homegrown EP. Music aside, the project was presented with a flawless cover that captured the beauty of Ivana and Jess. Seated at a gold table and on golden chairs, VanJess stuns with clothing that ranges from cheetah print, bright red, shimmery gold, and lavish accessories. Oh, and the music on the project and its eventual deluxe edition are great too!
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.