Welcome back to another edition of Saturday Spotlight. Each week we review submissions from all over the globe, picking the best out of the batch to highlight at the end of the week. If you’re an aspiring rapper, a producer wanting to create a buzz, or a singer looking to expose their talent, Saturday Spotlight is dedicated to discovering the next star. This week, we received over 50 submissions, below are the two picks!
Whether it’s your latest single or a new beat you made, all upcoming artists can submit music to us for Saturday Spotlight on this link.
Ta’East
LA’s Ta’East is proving he’s a force to be reckoned with, with every release. After being named a Rapper to Watch by Complex a few years ago, the artist has been on a steady rise of topping every bar with each new track he drops. His latest single ‘ULTRA MAGNETIC’ may not be lyrically complex, but it’s certainly catchy and conveys a keen sense of songwriting. Ta’East proves that good rap doesn’t need to be an intricate and over-done enmeshment of punchline bars, advanced diction, or high-minded metaphors. Sometimes less is more and simplicity rules. With a couple of noteworthy bars that allude to life philosophies “No I don’t complain or compete (nah)/But I’ll put ya fav on the team ha”, the track is mostly feel-good, hype, with caption-worthy lyrics like “pretty girls love my aesthetic”.
Listen to ULTRA MAGNETIC below.
Aieysha Haws
Raised in Toronto and originally from the USA, Aieysha Haws is a RNB/Hip-Hop Soul singer-songwriter with confident vocals and a daring pen. Her latest single ‘Turmoil’, though released in 2021, is still rippling its effects into the present year. The artist starts the song with a cutting edge, smooth and powerful vocals over soft synths. “Off with your head, speaking to the dead, I”m like Lewis Carroll, medium with the pen/And you’ve made your bed, But there’s no rest of the wicked” — the literary reference reflects Haws’ poetic prowess. It’s refreshing to see an artist reference something other than contemporary pop culture in their lyrics. Immediately it implies a maturity to the listener, a willingness to go against the grain. This is also reflected in the way she breaks down syllables – Aiesha Haws is not one to ride the beat predictably. Weaving in the twists and turns each pocket the instrumental affords, Haws tests the limits of the English language, keeping the listener on their toes.
Listen to Turmoil below.
Through our artist discovery platform Saturday Spotlight, we have discovered some amazing talent in the past including Russ, Ty Dolla Sign, Mez, IDK, Victoria Monét and Trap Beckham to name just a few. In most cases, coverage on HHNM was their first look among media outlets. Find the submission guidelines here.