Slowthai

Slowthai And Mura Masa Reconvene On The Thumping New Song ‘Up All Week’

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Today is a relatively busy New Music Friday, with Mura Masa’s new album Demon Time among the more exciting releases. One of the fresh songs available now that the album’s out sees Masa reuniting with a regular collaborator, as he’s joined by Slowthai on “Up All Week.”

On the two-minute track, Slowthai deals with themes of complacency, media consumption, and consumerism, all over a thumping electronic instrumental. He says on the hook, “Just can’t get no sleep / Faithless stage, just don’t believe / We stay up all week.”

Fans know the this new song is just the latest example of the two hopping on a track together. In 2019, the pair had a song called “Doorman” on Slowthai’s debut album, Nothing Great About Britain. Months later, in early 2020, the two teamed up for the song “Deal Wiv It,” from Mura Masa’s second album, RYC.

Masa also played a part in Slowthai’s biggest moment in American mainstream pop culture: The two performed “Deal Wiv It” on The Tonight Show in 2020 and Slowthai put on an energetic display, making use of the whole studio and even standing on Jimmy Fallon’s desk to look him right in the eyes.

Check out “Up All Week” above.

The Best New Music This Week: Lil Baby, Yeat, Ari Lennox, and More

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Image via Complex Original

  • Lil Baby, “Detox” 


  • Yeat, “Talk”


  • Ari Lennox & Summer Walker, “Queen Space”


  • Pi’erre Bourne f/ Young Nudy, “Moving Too Fast” 


  • Freddie Gibbs f/ Moneybagg Yo, “Too Much”


  • EST Gee, “Hell”


  • DJ Drama & Jeezy, “I Ain’t Gone Hold Ya”


  • Smino, “24-8”


  • Quando Rondo & NBA YoungBoy, “Give Me A Sign”


  • Kenny Beats f/ slowthai, “Family Tree” 

The Best and Worst Parts of Osheaga 2022

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Image via Getty/Mark Horton
  • Image via Getty/Mark Horton

    Dua Lipa gave the best performance

  • Slowthai’s fashion choice hit a sour note

  • Image via Pat Beaudry

    Burna Boy turned up the energy

  • Image via Susan Moss

    Fans took the W

Slowthai Explains And Apologizes For The Swastika Shirt He Wore On Stage At Osheaga Festival

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Slowthai We Love Green Festival 2022
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Slowthai found himself in a bit of a controversy over the weekend: While performing at Montreal’s Osheaga Festival, he wore a shirt with a giant swastika logo the front. While it had the word “destroy” on top, indicating his disdain for the Nazism and neo-Nazism the symbol has come to represent, seeing the symbol that prominently still rubbed some the wrong way.

So now, apologies have been made. The first came from Osheaga organizers, who tweeted yesterday, “A performer appeared on stage Saturday wearing a controversial t-shirt displaying a swastika that caused confusion. The t-shirt denounces the regime. We sincerely apologize to anyone who may have misinterpreted this message and felt hurt.”

Slowthai then followed that up with his own apology, writing, “I’m sorry to anyone who is offended by me wearing an anti-fascist/anti-regime t-shirt and the use of the symbol it represents. I want you to know I stand firmly against antisemitism and fascism of any kind, something the t-shirt was meant to illustrate with the word ‘destroy’ above the symbol.”

Slowthai has maintained a relatively low profile this year in terms of new music, as he’s been busy performing, like on the North American tour he had in April. He did pop up on Denzel Curry’s new album, though.

Denzel Curry Shares The Release Date And Tracklist For ‘Melt My Eyez, See Your Future’

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After teasing his new album Melt My Eyez, See Your Future with a Spaghetti Western-themed trailer, the space Western-styled video for “Walkin,” and the samurai flick homage “Zatoichi,” Denzel Curry has finally revealed the album’s anticipated release date. Set for release March 25, Melt My Eyez, See Your Future will feature appearances from 454, 6lack, Bridget Perez, Jasiah, JID, Rico Nasty, Robert Glasper, Saul Williams, Slowthai, and T-Pain. The album’s production team includes Cardo, DJ Khalil, Dot Da Genius, Jpegmafia, Kal Banx, Karriem Riggins, Kenny Beats, and Thundercat.

In a press release announcing the album’s release date, Curry detailed the album’s production process and aesthetics. “I like traditional hip hop, I like drum and bass, I like trap, I like poetry, so a lot of that is going to be interwoven in this album including jazz and a lot of genres that I came up on as a kid and just being in my parents’ house,” he said. “This album is made up of everything that I couldn’t give you on TA13OO or Imperial because I was going through depression anger issues.”

To promote the album, Curry is set to launch a world tour beginning in Denver, Colorado on April 1 and ending the month in Glasgow, United Kingdom. After a month-long swing through Europe, he’ll return to the US just in time for Governor’s Ball in New York, then complete the second leg of his US tour, wrapping up July 1 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Melt My Eyez, See Your Future is due 3/25 on Loma Vista Recordings. You can pre-save it here.

Best New Music This Week: Kanye West, Conway the Machine, EarthGang, & More

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Complex Original

  • Kanye West f/ Baby Keem & Migos, “We Did It Kid”


  • Conway the Machine f/ Wallo267, “Stressed” 


  • EarthGang, JID, & J. Cole, “WATERBOYZ” 


  • Doja Cat & Tyga, “Freaky Deaky”


  • Kehlani, “Little Story” 


  • Flo Milli, “PBC” 


  • Denzel Curry f/ slowthai, “Zatoichi” 


  • Kodak Black, “I Wish” 

Denzel Curry Learns Martial Arts From A Blind Master In His ‘Zatoichi’ Video With Slowthai

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When I was in high school 20-something years ago, I would get up early every Saturday to watch Zatoichi movies on cable. One of Japan’s longest-running film series (seriously, think the Marvel movies but solely about the adventures of a blind samurai in 1830s and ’40s Japan), the movies were the equivalent of Saturday morning cartoons for me, but for the longest time, I felt totally alone in my love for them (I know I wasn’t — The Boondocks even referenced Zatoichi in the episode introducing Grandad’s feud with Colonel Stinkmeaner) but now, it looks like I have something in common with Florida rapper Denzel Curry.

Today, Curry, who has been promoting his upcoming album Melt My Eyez, See Your Future, dropped off the video for the album’s latest single, titled — you guessed it — “Zatoichi.” Apparently, he was also a big fan of the visually impaired swordsman, who he references in both the lyrics (“I’m Zatoichi, leading the blind,” he raps over an ambient drum&bass beat) and the video, which finds him training in the martial arts against a blind teacher on the banks of a sheltered, river in a verdant landscape. The song also features UK rapper Slowthai, who drops in to offer a spirited chorus.

Denzel’s Melt My Eyez campaign has so far also included references to space opera in the video for “Walkin” and Spaghetti Westerns in the trailer. He’s letting his movie geek flag fly in the build-up to the album’s release and I, for one, am truly enjoying it as a fellow cinephile.

Watch Denzel Curry’s “Zatoichi” video above.

One Great Song From Great Hip-Hop Albums in Recent Memory

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Tracks from Tyler, The Creator, Slowthai, Baby Tate, Rod Wave, Conway The Machine, J. Cole and more. Continue reading…