Isaac Dunbar Takes Our Pop Quiz
office gave Isaac an impromptu pop quiz where there are no wrong answers... except, of course, the wrong ones.
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office gave Isaac an impromptu pop quiz where there are no wrong answers... except, of course, the wrong ones.
Though Amaarae has been blessing her fans with features throughout the last two years, everyone and I mean everyone, has been anticipating her second studio album. Her first full-length project, The Angel You Don't Know, cemented her distinct and unwavering voice as a rockstar who loves money, sex, and fun. Climbing Billboard charts with her remixed song, "Sad Girlz Luv Money," featuring Molly and Kali Uchis, the TikTok hit became an anthem for not only hot girls but queer hot girls, an unabashed acceptance of her identity.
If you've followed Amaarae's career for the last several years, her identity and sexual expression have not been shied away from. However, they have been a defining aspect of her artistry as of late. Today, her single, "Reckless and Sweet," accompanied by a hot and heavy music video, further her embrace of sexual tantalization, where models Leomie Anderson and Monyjok Ngor Deng are positioned around her, a seduction of the camera. Sexual fluidity floods the luminous blue video, shadowed, making it apparent gender does not sway attraction but rather fuels it. Amaarae states, "This is my sexiest video to date, and what I love most about it is that young Black women and men are about to see what our new energy is for 2023 and beyond. Moving forward, we're grown and sexy. We’re going to make sure we always look our best, talk our best, walk our best, and most of all we’re bringing love and romance back! 'Reckless and Sweet' is a sexy song. It’s about being intentional with the ways we make and give love. It’s about finding the inner sensuality and confidence without yourself and sharing that with the world."
As the music video plays on, Amaarae continues to tease her second studio album, holding a newspaper with the front page reading, "REPENT! Fountain Baby is coming soon." A guaranteed hit with experimental echos and abstracted lyrics, "Reckless and Sweet" sets the tone of her upcoming full-length project. Ringing in spring with a track sure to push the boundaries of contemporary sound and production, Amaarae continues carving a path in the industry, a fiery lane all to herself. An international rockstar with a catalog to match, the Ghanaian singer is making 2023 her year and the years to follow.
Check out "Reckless and Sweet" below.
Friday
The festival opened with perfect weather. It didn’t take long for the grounds to fill as the work week came to a close. Destroy Lonely, Ken Carson, and Saweetie primed the audience for Tyga's appearance on the main stage at sunset and finally Soulja Boy, who provided fans with a throwback performance.
Ski Mask The Slump God dedicated a portion of his set to XXX Tentacion. Fans were moved by the touching tribute, in which he walked through the crowd performing a cover of "Jocelyn Flores" and embracing fans. The only thing sharper than Kodak Black’s presence was the spiked Gucci set he wore. He blessed his fans with hit favorites like "Roll in Peace" and "Super Gremlin" before Playboi Carti came out on stage. His heavy metal-like set was interrupted, but the energy levels came back instantly as he returned to stage after a lengthy delay.
Saturday
The second day of the festival turned out to be filled with guest appearances. Crowds rolled in for the first performance, in which Robb Bank$ switched things up by starting his set in the crowd and finishing it on stage. DJ Sidereel tugged on the crowd's heart strings with a tribute set in honor of the late Keed. Later, Amine came out and continued to remind the crowd to recognize their beauty throughout his set.
As evening hit, Don Toliver took to the stage in a red Nepenthes suit to perform classic hits alongside tracks from his new album, Love Sick with help from guest performers James Blake, Kali Uchis and Justin Bieber. Lil Wayne brought out Nicki Minaj for a nostalgic set while simultaneously, across the festival grounds, Travis Scott had fans moshing harder than ever on his return to the stage. Despite his microphone being turned off due to curfew, Travis continued to perform Goosebumps and Sicko Mode as the crowd anxiously awaited a potential Drake cameo.
Sunday
Any morning grogginess creeping in from the first two days of the festival was soon eradicated as JELEEL! made his way onto stage before ripping off his tank top and giving fans that "real raw energy" with an acrobatic set. Jamaica’s own Shenseea invited fans on stage for a dance-off and Ice Spice kept the dancing going with her own moves on the main stage. Central Cee continued his bridging of the UK-US gap with his first Rolling Loud performance, giving fans a rendition of his LA Leakers freestyle that ultimately acts as a crash course in British slang.
Coi Leray lit up the stage proving that she was not going to hold back following her recovery from knee surgery. Crowd favorite Lil Uzi Vert went through their discography wearing different colored contact lenses. Sheck Wes brought his Harlem sound to the stage with a lively performance that left his crowd with just enough energy to make the dash across the festival grounds to see Future close the festival with a bang.
Check out more of our footage from the weekend below.
With music that makes you want to dance and cry at the same time, it’s no surprise that the Brooklyn-based three-piece have surged in recognition. The trio have honed a sound that is both nostalgic and timeless. Their airy melodies, saccharine synths, and layered riffs straddle the line between melancholic and euphoric, providing much needed catharsis after years of pandemic-induced loneliness.
Their new single, “Sole Obsession,” from their next album Strange Disciple is another in a line of hits that are hard not to keep on replay. The trio say that it’s about “knowing when, or if, to give in or give up. Particularly, when to untie the knots we tie ourselves into when an infatuation sets in.” Named after a lyric in the song, "Strange Disciple" refers to what it's like to be devoted to someone that may not be worth it, coming into that realization, and facing all the emotions that arise. To some degree, we can all relate to the lines “… finally I feel it fading, walk me home and walk away… my sole obsession, suddenly a different shade, walk me home and walk away.”
Taking cinematic inspiration from Maya Deren’s Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) as well as Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal (1958), the Disciple is depicted as one of us, and we in turn are depicted as the Disciple. This spring, the three-piece plan to debut the track and more new music live at their biggest shows yet, stay tuned for the announcement of what's to come this spring.
For now, check out their new music video below.