SONG OF THE DAY: Sirah – “On To the Next”

Unexpected.? Sirah, the grime edgy rapper behind Skrillex “Bang-a-rang,” has been releasing a string of singles like “Up and Down,” “My City,” and “Motel Bible” that blended her tough flow with a bit of emotion over rough tracks that brought her points home.? “On To the Next” is a complete reversal (similar to the new Icona Pop’s “Just Another Night”) as it focuses solely on her emotional vulnerability and strength in leaving a bad relationship performed over a very accessible and commercial pop-feeling track.?? Before her hardcore fans yell sell-out, I would suggest they listen closely to what she is saying in her verses, they are just as cutting as her previous work, the music just softens it a bit, perhaps with the aim of crossing this song onto commercial radio.? Her lyrics are incredibly strong – with the line “funny what you fell in love is what you turns you off” being just one of the many highlights.? The fact the she can do both the pretty almost-sung chorus and the rapped verses without the need of a featured guest shows her versatility even further.? The video is worth watching for its unintended camp value and the gratuitous snake-as-penis imagery.?

Image Courtesy of Atlantic.

SONG OF THE DAY: Sirah – “Up and Down”

Personal confession- I am a fan of vocalists.? So this current trend of producers/DJs/artists giving “featured” credit to the singers on their tracks is quite nice, letting us find out who they are and track down their other work.? When I first heard “Bangarang” by Skrillex, the chopped-up lyrics from Sirah were just as hooky as the scratched-out party beats.? The name rang a bell so I dug up “Weekends,” another tracks from Skrillex which featured Sirah from 2010. Off her latest mix tape “CULT Too Young To Die,” Sirah leads with “Up and Down,” an aggressive dubstep track that features her edgy rapping about her roots and where she’s going, contrasted with her?emotional vocals in the chorus. This is one of those tracks where the soft, pretty opening bears no resemblance to the remainder of the track.? With the success of “Bangarang” on rock radio and Jay-Z’s support of Sirah’s mixtape, it will be interesting to see how her following of “cult kids” develops.? Now if someone could only tell me why dancers throw flour at each other (as evidenced in the video)…?

Image Courtesy of Atlantic.