Life Listens: New music from Kendrick Lamar, Little Simz, Yung Raja and NCT Dream

SINGAPORE – In this weekly column, The Straits Times curates the most buzz-worthy music you need to know about now.

Ace Album: Little Simz – No Thank You

Award-winning British rapper Little Simz sprang a surprise when she dropped her latest and fifth album No Thank You without any warning in the second week of December.

It is also not a common move to release an album so late into the year, when many publications have already tallied their year-end “best of” lists.

But going against the grain is a strategy that is on brand for Little Simz, who won

Best New Artist at the Brit Awards in February.

No Thank You also comes two months after she picked up one of Britain’s most prestigious music awards, the Mercury Prize, for her 2021 album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert.

Here, her assertive verses are enhanced by the lush production by frequent collaborator Inflo, who expertly fuses hip-hop beats with orchestral instrumentation, gospel arrangements and soul-funk flourishes.

She delves into heavy issues such as generational trauma, mental health and the exploitation of artistes by bad actors in the entertainment industry in a vivid storytelling style that cements her position as one of Britain’s most exemplary rappers. - Eddino Abdul Hadi

Must-see MV: Kendrick Lamar – Count Me Out

For his latest music video, acclaimed American rapper Kendrick Lamar roped in another feted star, English actress Helen Mirren, to play his therapist.

The song is taken from Lamar’s fifth album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, which is in the running for Album of the Year and Best Rap Album at the 2023 Grammy Awards.

Like the other music videos from the album, Pulitzer Prize-winning Lamar co-directed Count Me Out with film-maker Dave Free. The 3½-minute video is marked by stunning cinematography, especially in its use of colours.

It opens with Lamar going through a therapy session with Oscar, Emmy and Tony winner Mirren. The black-and-white scene then gives way to other scenes in colour, including a striking one in a desert where the rapper is dressed in red on top of a hill while the crowd below is clad in white.

The visuals address various themes, from the burdens of fame and success to family. In one scene, Lamar is forcing a smile during a toast with former Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey and venture capitalist Vivi Nevo, while others feature his long-time partner Whitney Alford. - Eddino Abdul Hadi

Singapore Scene: Yung Raja – Favourite

Yung Raja has done a lot of projects this year. These include collaborations with acts such as Indonesian rapper Ramengvrl, putting out his own bling with private jewellers The Jewel Box and even curating a hotel experience at Holiday Inn Singapore Little India.

With 2022 coming to a close, he has finally released his own solo music.

Favourite is the first single this year from the Singaporean rapper, who is one of the home-grown artistes performing at the upcoming Let’s Celebrate 2023 New Year countdown party at The Promontory@Marina Bay.

Produced by fellow Singaporean hip-hop artiste Alyph, who is making waves himself with viral hit Swipe, Favourite is a brilliant bilingual tune with verses in English and Tamil.

Yung Raja’s cool delivery is balanced with a writhing bass line and commanding beats. Favourite is the type of song that can rock both a club dance floor and festival crowd. - Eddino Abdul Hadi

Stream This Song: Faithless – Insomnia

The dance music world lost a towering figure when Maxi Jazz, singer and lyricist for British electronic act Faithless, d

ied in his sleep at the age of 65 last Saturday.

No other details are available about his death, which was announced on the group’s social media pages.

Faithless were perhaps best known for songs such as Insomnia, driven by a persistent house beat and Jazz’s hypnotic vocals. It is one of the singles from Reverence, their 1996 debut album, which also comprises producer and DJs Rollo and Sister Bliss.

A staple of 1990s electronica, the song was voted by readers of dance music magazine Mixmag back in 2013 as one of the greatest dance records of all time.

With his deep voice and imposing stature, Jazz had the ability to command Faithless’ growing audience as the group went from playing clubs to headlining arenas and festivals. - Eddino Abdul Hadi

Chart Champ: NCT Dream – Candy

K-pop group NCT Dream, a sub-unit of NCT, have become only the third boy band this year to top the South Korean music charts Melon 100, following BigBang’s Still Life and BTS’ Yet To Come.

The song that achieved the feat is Candy, the title track from the septet’s winter album – which itself has also given them their highest first-week sales yet, selling close to 1.6 million copies in its first week.

It breaks the group’s previous record this year, when their studio album Glitch Mode sold more than 1.4 million copies.

This makes NCT Dream the only artistes to have three million-seller albums in 2022 according to South Korea’s Hanteo charts, since they also released Glitch Mode and another album Beatbox this year.

Candy is not a new song though. It is a cover of veteran K-pop boy band H.O.T.’s breakout hit first released in 1996, making it a nostalgic blast from the past. While the bubblegum pop melodies have largely been kept intact, NCT Dream’s version feels more modern in its arrangement, with a more intense rap verse than the original.

The album also comes with tracks like Graduation – a slower number that feels like NCT Dream’s ode to their career thus far – as well as the synth pop-infused Tangerine Love (Favourite), which has those catchy, retro vibes that are particularly trendy in K-pop right now. – Jan Lee