Song Review - M.O.B.

M.O.B.

by Tkay Maidza

I never look back, bet they all do that

I'm timing the day that I reach what I'm climbing.

This songs about cash? But I'm not 'bout the money.

I do it cause I don't feel like feeling funny. 

Tkay x Slay = Yay. 

That just about sums up the return of one of our absolute favourite acts with the banging new single 'M.O.B', another preview of Tkay Maidza's upcoming debut album. If you treated yourself to Maidza's Switch Tape Mixtape last year, you'd have been teased with the goodness of what the full track would bring and oh does it bring the goodness. You'll get pretty early on what M.O.B. stands for, but that's just to grab your attention. The track is really a statement about Maidza's achievements through working hard to get herself ahead, while continually pushing herself to higher levels. And hey, the lady has proven over the past 12 months that she's just going to keep on getting better and better. We're all for Maidza sticking with a hard working attitude, because it means we'll keep on getting these ready made for the d-floor jams.

'M.O.B.' picks up right where 'Switch Lanes' left off. We get to hear Maidza's talents as a vocalist as well as marvel at her fast and furious skills as a rapper. The music is what I imagine would be the result of a battle between a contemporary techno DJ and whoever helped out No Doubt during that random dancehall 'Hey Baby' stage they went through. So what I'm saying is, it's spectacular and perfectly suited to Australia's fastest rising dynamo. As always, it's best to leave the rapping to the actual rap superstar, but we the people do get to singalong for the chorus and I'm sure we'll be hearing a whole lot of music fans yelling, "money over bitches" around town real soon. Maybe we'll even get to hear it next 'Straya Day, when Tkay storms back into the Hottest 100. Something to look forward to, yes? 

Matt Bond gives 'M.O.B.' four Missy Elliott heads out of five...

Song Review - U-Huh

U-Huh

by Tkay Maidza (single out now)

Chitty bang-bang, chitty bang-bang... Tkay Maidza is undeniably the new Queen of Cool, following up last year's 'Brontosaurus' with the insanely infectious new tune 'U-Huh'. This is in no way a slow burner. One listen is all it takes to have you cursing those haters and making poor attempts to spit out these rhymes with expert execution like superstar in the making, Maidza. The lady is clearly already a master of the rap craft, leaving many of her local contemporaries in the dust. The Azealia Banks comparisons are going to be a thing, but you've got to believe Tkay's going to be a more permanent fixture in the industry and she's definitely pulling off more of an M.I.A swag on 'U-Huh' with the help of Elk's production skills. 

Comparisons suck though and really, there's no need for them here. Maidza is paving her own way and the sounds she's creating are very much her own. 'U-Huh' is electronic, it's rap, it's hip hop, it's oh-so-poppy and it's totally brilliant, fresh and unique. It's so many things, but the most important 'thing' is that it's fun and will make you want to dance as you listen to it over and over again. How you would not be able to dance to this, I couldn't tell you. I heard it on my laptop for the first time and was dancing in my living room. I heard it in the car and was.... being very safe and driving appropriately... while dancing! I want to hear this out at 'ze clubs' because I think when it gets to the chitty bang-bang segments people will come up with some really creative moves. Anyway... you will want to dance. You will dance! 

This is your new jam, this is the real sound of Australian hip hop in 2014 and this is the next big thing right here. To think this is still just the start of Tkay Maidza's music journey is crazy. I'm going to be loving 'U-Huh' for a long, long time, but I can't wait to hear what she's going to come up with next. 

Matt Bond gives 'U-Huh' five Jay-Z heads out of five...   

Song Review - Tyson

Tyson

by Remi

Album: Raw X Infinity (6 June, 2014)

I'm not going to lie. Combining 'Australian' with either 'hip hop' or 'rap' has generally been enough to make me feel a little... unsettled. You've been a big fan for the past ten years? Good for you. Different strokes for different folks and all that jazz. I've only started to change my tune over the past year or so with the emergence of a new wave of local hip hop stars in the making. I'm talking about Canberra's Citizen Kay, Sydney's Chance Waters, Adelaide's Tkay Maidza and, of course, Melbourne's Remi Kolawole. There's finally a real feeling that Australia is home to some heavyweight hip hop acts that can compete on the world stage. Nothing is more evident of this than Remi's banging new track 'Tyson' which previews the upcoming album, Raw X Infinity. 

With all the swagger and bravado of the titular 'Baddest Man on the Planet', Remi makes four minutes fly by with grand proclamations and comparisons to Iron Mike. Circa 88 to be precise. The lyrics are delivered with a confidence that will place you firmly in Kolawole's corner. You'll be thinking Kanye, not 360 and is there actually anyone alive that would say that's a bad thing? The landscape has never looked better for fans of 'Aussie Hip Hop' and Remi Kolawole is getting in early and staking a claim for the crown. If the rest of Raw X Infinity can keep the momentum of 'Tyson' flowing, we might as well just hand over some blinged up headgear now. For what is a crown, but a headgear with some bling on it? Ok, I'll stop now.

Matt Bond gives 'Tyson' four Missy Elliott heads out of five...