Best of 2019: Top Singles & EPs of the Year
Alongside great album releases, there have been some smash singles and extended play’s that should earn a spot on your favourite playlist. Here are our top picks of 2019.
Tramell Mugarura’s Picks
Ella Frank - Sorrows into silk
2019 saw the comeback of London’s Jazz sweetheart Ella Frank with her stunning debut EP ‘Sorrows Into Silk’. Following on from fan favourites ‘Sugar’, ‘Blue Jay’ and ‘Homie Lover Best Friend’, this full-length project showcases Ella’s talent of capturing depth of emotion through the medium of modern Jazz and Soul. Another first for Ella Frank this year was her highly-anticipated headline show - Grow Hackney was filled wall-to-wall with adoring fans, proving the artists brief sabbatical had no effect on her cult following. ‘Sorrows Into Silk’ was released on my birthday and was honestly the best present ever!
CLBRKS & dylantheinfamous - Igloo.
I’ve said this before and will say it again - CLBRKS has one of my favourite deliveries in Rap today. When he touches the mic, the words flow out so effortlessly in a lazy backbeat fashion, paired with dylantheinfamous’ low fidelity sound. The EP clocks in at just under 10 minutes so take this in a few times to hear the talent that is CLBRKS.
Dami sule - this love I HAve
If you’ve been following our movements this year you would know that we are huge fans of Manchester’s Dami Sule - pushing his music from all angles! ‘This Love I Have’ EP had to be my project of the summer - it had the perfect combination of uptempo grooves, catchy hooks and quirky vocals. This will be on repeat for many summers to come.
Alfred Afari’s Picks
AJ Tracey - Ladbroke Grove
This song is such a banger! It was really the flagship song of the new UKG movement. It was also such a big song for AJ as someone who came up through sets and now dominating the charts. We love to see it!
K-Trap - Big Mood
This song was a big game changer for K-Trap as he revealed his face on the music video. Going into this new chapter with some of our favourite masked artists now revealing themselves, it's interesting to see of this will affect their content. However, with K-Trap it clearly hasn't had any affect on his content whatsoever.
Darkoo ft One Acen - Gangsta
This song showcases that big shift into Afrobeats. At only 18, Darkoo has really taken the scene by storm with her new banger. It's so much fun and I love that she lives her truth through the videos she posts online allowing other people to really be themselves. I literally can't help but skank when this comes on.
Headie One - Both
‘Both’ was really everything a fan of UK rap could ever want. Headie holds nothing back when talking about balancing his road life with his new found fame in music. The video is a visual masterpiece that is definitely worth checking out. The use of the sample of Ultra Nates 'Free' was amazing and really as UK as it gets.
kosher’s Picks
JURDAN BRYANT - WORDS FOR THOMAS
Spillage Village Records, home to artists like J.I.D and Earthgang, can do no wrong. Thanks to the constant re-emergence of Jurdan Bryant’s Instagram posts on the explore page and the Soundcloud algorithm, I found out about his record ‘Outside’. It was not the record that caught my attention at first, it was the visuals. After Bryant released visuals for ‘Words for Thomas’, I quickly learned how he is on a guaranteed journey to master a perfect marriage between music and film.
AARON MAY - LET GO
At only 17 years old, Houston rapper Aaron May will managed to sneak his way into your weed smoking music. His record ‘Let Go’ was the gateway into checking out what he's all about which led me to album ‘Chase’. ‘Chase’ strays away from the Houston sound. May's laid back sound on the album finds the artist rapping about the things worth chasing and letting go as he grows.
RAAHIEM - PEAK (FED UP)
After a two-year hiatus, Brampton singer Raahiem returned with single ‘Peak (Fed Up)’. ‘Peak’ caught the attention of Beats Radio and Ebro Darden; the single has since accumulated over half a million streams. His previous album ‘Fear of the Unknown’, had earned the likes of Vice and The Fader.
JOEL - Grunge Gospel: Side A
After returning with his popular single, ‘Vent’, Joel released his project ‘Grunge Gospel: Side A’. Joel shares a journey of struggle, persistence, and being determined to become great despite whatever goes wrong.
Junia-T ft. elijah dax - ooowee
Mostly known for being Jessie Reyes' DJ, Junia-T has been releasing quality music and singles that have gone on to be featured on TV shows and debut on popular radio stations. With his anticipated album ‘Studio Monk’ dropping soon, the bass heavy and bouncy ‘OOOWEE’ featuring Elijah Dax is the second single following ‘Finally’.
Dana vaughns - ROUGH RIDER
Dana Vaughns has been on a journey to establish himself as a solo act since breaking away from boy band IM5. Since the release of ‘Rough Rider’, Vaughns has gone on to independently release his six track debut album ‘Familiar Strangers’.
MOH FLOW - DO ENOUGH
After Spotify flew out HRMNY artist, Moh Flow to Toronto to collaborate with Pusha T for a campaign, Moh was picked up by Beats Radio and Ebro Darden on his run of releasing singles. After recently signing to Sony Middle East, Moh is in the process of releasing his album in the form of singles each month.
MorMor - Some Place Else
Toronto artist MorMor has carved a lane of his own. I came across MorMor when his EP ‘Some Place Else’ first released. Its minimalistic qualities caught my attention. The melancholy project takes us down a road of MorMor singing about loneliness and trying to get by while being lonely.
NARCY - THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS
Montreal based rapper Narcy has always been one to highlight important issues around the Arab diaspora and political unrest in the middle east region. Shortly after releasing his ‘Spacetime’ album this year, he released ‘Thoughts and Prayers’; a single produced by Thanks Joey and El Bles that highlights hypocrisy on the internet and the age of digital mass consumption.
FRIYIE - OVECHKIN
Known for his ‘Money Team’ soundtrack that was performed during the Floyd Mayweather and Connor McGregor to the ring on his boxing matches, Toronto artist Friyie pays tribute to Stanley Cup champion Alex Ovechkin.
SERIOUS KLEIN - LIL CAPO
Serious Klein has broken down moshpit music down to a science. I had first seen him perform ‘Party With the Squad’ in Dubai and it caught my attention; the damn beat drop. When I went back to listen to his discography, he spoke beyond the hype of just moshpit music on his album ‘You Should've Known’. He is now back and active with his latest single ‘Lil Capo’.
Little Simz - Venom
"They would never wanna admit I'm the best here from the mere fact that I've got ovaries". Little Simz is one of the most underrated rappers that is often not included in the conversation. Her latest album, ‘GREY Area’, features the UK artist not missing a single beat. Little Simz has also been on Colors to perform ‘Venom’; arguably one of the best beat drops this year. Quote me.
SEAN LEON - SORRY!
After writing multiple records on the recent Kanye West album, ‘Jesus is King’, and working on the latest Daniel Caesar album, ‘Case Study 01’, Sean Leon released the highly anticipated single, ‘Sorry!’. I remember watching Leon create this record on Instagram Live a while back, and I must say, what perfect timing to release this record now more than ever after he has manifested a lot since the making of it.
ZENDEN LAVON - HONEY BOURBON
18 year old Los Angeles rapper, Zenden Lavon, already has multiple projects under his belt. While this artist seems to be putting in his 10,000 hours, he opened up for Nas at Dubai’s SoleDXB late last year. His record ‘Honey Bourbon’ gives listeners a well rounded idea on who he is as an artist, the jazzy sound he is working on, and the importance of content in his music.
ANDERS - BOSSY
Juno nominated anders is another artist highlighting the “Toronto Sound”. After his debut project ‘669’, the artist quickly gained the city’s support. By arranging a release party for every music video and selling out his first show at the Phoenix, anders gave us all a reason to support.
emily fortune’s Picks
Sasha Keable - MAN
South London’s Sasha Keable burst back onto the scene with her soul-soaked vocals and ability to write in an upfront, yet laid-back style. The four-track project, ‘MAN’, which dropped at the end of April, boasted tracks such as the pitch-perfect, emotionally-charged, ‘Treat Me Like I’m All Yours’ to the tongue-in-cheek, ‘Mr Always Impatient’, showing off both her vocal and story-telling capabilities.
BINA. - Humble Abode
Opening with Maya Angelou’s line, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, South London songstress BINA. brought an experimental touch to her R&B sound. Her intensely, soulful and distinctive voice combined with her incredible songwriting ability made this a stand-out debut project. Including multiple features from 237 Leader KISH! on tracks, ‘Caged Bird’ and her ‘Summer Breeze’ remix she created this wonderfully detailed debut.