Prettyboyface – ‘HighSkool’ Single Review

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Prettyboyface – ‘HighSkool’ Single Review

With a throwback boom bap beat and laid-back hooks, London’s Prettyboyface makes a splash with his first 2022 single, ‘HighSkool’.

Prettyboyface is a rising power in London’s underground rap scene and is brand new to Jeeni’s mission. He has so far contributed eight tracks to Jeeni’s hip-hop and rap channels, including three music videos, ‘Goddess’, ‘Escargot’ and the single in discussion, ‘HighSkool’. Seeing that Face is yet another Jeeni artist that is at the very early stages of their discography, Jeeni can’t wait to see what other projects Face releases in the future.

‘HighSkool’ opens with a sparkling sample that lays down the main foundation of the instrumental before the beat enters and completes it. When the percussion does enter, the composition falls into place in a satisfying and impactful fashion, ready for Face to contribute his formidable vocal talent. He opens with a title-based wordplay for the repeating, “you man went to high school, I went school, high’ hook.

Face’s rapping delivery is quickly becoming a recognisable and unique hallmark of his. His voice is recorded very close to the microphone, resulting in intense, clear and intentional performances. His voice is heard well over all other parts of the track, especially when he double-tracks his rapping when the hook re-enters. His delivery is unquestionable, commanding and confident which is refreshing when compared to other rappers who opt to slur and mumble their rapping, which although certainly has its place in corners of rap music, hasn’t got a patch on lucid and accessible alternatives, heard here in full-force from Prettyboyface.

This being the first single from Face certainly makes certain promises for the near-future of his craft and has no-doubt inspired hope in his growing fanbase. Check out Prettyboyface’s showcase on Jeeni here: https://jeeni.com/showcase/prettyboyface/

How can Jeeni support artists like Prettyboyface?

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01
Jul

Zeeteah Massiah - ‘Bad Guy’ Single Review

Zeeteah’s newest release is a genius reggae reimagining of Billie Eilish’s breakthrough hit, ‘Bad Guy’. Jeeni ambassador and long-term supporter, Zeeteah Massiah has now provided Jeeni with 21 individual pieces of her unique brand of jazz and reggae, all of which are available at her showcase. Her husband, Paul Caplin acts as both songwriter and producer for Zeeteah and the two of them have released two albums together, ‘Juice’ and ‘Maybe Tomorrow’. A certain level of musical depth and understanding is needed to undergo a stylistic transformation of an existing song. To some, it’s merely a process of downgrading the intensity and presence of the piece to a slow, acoustic setting. However, in a lot of these cases, the essence and arrangement of the pieces are largely unchanged. On the other end of that spectrum of effort and passion, you’ll find artists like Zeeteah Massiah who listened to the ‘Old Town Road’ dethroner and heard a hidden stylistic potential held in Billie’s hit that she knew would effortlessly make sense to any listener. Zeeteah set out to not just echo Billie’s Grammy-winning hit in a slightly different accent, but instead, wanted to transpose it into a completely different musical language. The result is a rejuvenated and refreshing take on ‘Bad Guy’ that has a vivid coat of Caribbean-styled paint applied to just about every element of the source material. Where the original was dark, somber yet playful, Zeeteah’s keeps just the playfulness for her rendition. The slow, creeping tempo compliments the lyrics and performance from Zeeteah in a way that could make you think that this might actually be the original. This almost sinister embrace of the villainous title is enhanced by the harmony that dips in and out of jazzy minor chords that keep the listener in a subtle state of unsettlement, and curiosity. As is to be expected from Zeeteah and her artistic proclivities, bright and colourful instrumentation commands the tone of this arrangement. Being the first component heard; a classic reggae drum roll makes the genre-shift immediately apparent. This Caribbean staple is then joined by its good friends; short offbeat guitar stabs and deep, bouncy basslines. In this introduction, we also hear a brilliant alteration from Billie and Finneas’ original arrangement. The quirky, recognisable synth melody heard after Billie’s isolated ‘Duh!’ is instead taken up by a muted trumpet, heard before the vocals even enter. This is a clever embrace of the fact that Zeeteah’s choice of cover is of course a colossal hit, so there’s no sense in shying away from its most recognisable moments. That melody is also expanded on later for a phenomenal trumpet solo towards the end of the cover that acts as a sort of replacement for the sudden shift in pace, heard at the end of the original. Considered a part of Billie Eilish’s brand as both a performer and a person, her vocals are often intentionally sleepy and low-energy, something that Zeeteah decided not to adopt for her interpretation. The vocal performance here is mischievous and rebellious to the core as opposed to Billie’s more disinterested and indifferent approach. Zeeteah also uses next to no effects on her voice compared to the first version, which is just as well because it would be a shame to distract from the raw talent and personality held in Zeeteah’s performance on ‘Bad Guy’. This task of reinventing one of the biggest hits from the last 10 years was a tall order, however, unsurprisingly, Zeeteah Massiah’s ‘Bad Guy’ is nothing but a triumph.

12
Mar

Podcasts to Boost Your Playlist Game

Whether your music listening is via online platforms, vinyl or even cassette, you can use podcasts to boost your playlist game. Get the commentary on the industry, its insiders and how they craft their tracks from a vast library on offer. Or, explore new genres, find the tracks that resonate and then get drawn into their backstory. There are decades of music history to be found, listened to and deciphered, from the BBC's 'Desert Island Discs' to the huge hit 'Song Exploder' which due to its success, has now become a Netflix series. Below is a list of a few of the best, to get your lug-holes tuned into and feed your music curiosity. SONG EXPLODER Listen Here - Song Exploder Hosted and produced by Hrishikesh Hirway since 2014, his podcast guests are invited to take apart their songs piece by piece and tell the story of how they were created. The journey involves breaking down the sounds and ideas involved in the writing and recording. Recent guests have included Yusuf/Cat Stevens and Grammy award winner PJ Morton. SWITCHED ON POP Listen Here - Switched On Pop We've all had good and bad 'Ear Worms' sending us loco at some point and there's no denying certain tracks get stuck in your head! If you are interested in why certain songs have these hooks which draw you in or you can't shake, musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding are here to explain. Recent treats include The Weeknd ' Blinding Lights' and Adrian Younge's new project. DISSECT Listen Here - Dissect Something to really get your teeth into, podcast Dissect is a mix up of episodes and mini-series podcasts that explore individual albums, track by track. Series can run up to 12-13 episodes and the track detail takes in comparisons and history. Recents featured artists have included Kendrick Lamar, Lauren Hill and Frank Ocean. The current series is diving into Beyonce's 'Black is King'. ROLLING STONE: MUSIC NOW Listen Here - Rolling Stone: Music Now When is comes to pedigree and heritage, Rolling Stone is up there. If you are a music legend, there are a handful of publications you will bother to get out of bed for. Rolling Stone, is certainly one of them. Taking you inside the biggest stories in the industry and securing interviews with all the top artists of music history, from Rock 'n' Roll to Hip-Hop, not stone left unturned. ALL SONGS CONSIDERED Listen Here - All Songs Considered The various hosts of All Songs Considered, include Bob Boilen and Rob Hilton, giving you their personal recommendations for your listening pleasure. The experience compares to chatting at the pub, and swapping ideas with your best friends. Laid back and charming the focus is on new music and brings interviews with emerging artists and musing over historical figures from the industry. QUESTLOVE SUPREME Listen Here - Questlove Supreme This podcast series is about secrets, passions and personal projects. The themes drive the conversation for the fabulous Questlove and Team Supreme. Using fun and irreverence to entertain and educate their audience, the episodes are a joy of easy listening. They can certainly draw the names, and have put their interview skills to the likes of Michelle Obama, Chris Rock, Chaka Khan and Steve Miller. LOST NOTES - 1980 Listen Here - Lost Notes - 1980 A collection of the greatest music stories never told. This season the poet and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib resides over the podcast and explores a single year: 1980 - the brilliant, awkward and sometimes heartbreaking opening to a monumental decade in popular music. David Bowie got divorced. Lou Reed got married. Ian Curtis died before Joy Division got to touch down for a U.S. Tour. By the end of the year, John Lennon’s death would signal the end of a rock n’ roll era. This gripping series includes the work of Stevie Wonder, Ian Curtis and Grace Jones. THE THISTLE & SHAMROCK Listen Here - The Thistle and Shamrock If your tastes are more on the Folk or Celtic tip, Fiona Richie is your gal. Her podcast show takes you through the history of the genre whilst indulging you in performances and personal playlists. Music from old favourites and new comers are entwined with spoken word artists and interviews with acclaimed authors and award winning composers. DESERT ISLAND DISCS Listen Here - Desert Island Discs The original music podcast, and still arguably the best. Created during World War 2 by Roy Plumley, the show has interviewed heads of state, music and acting legends, world renowned scientists, plus sporting and every-day heroes. The archive is vast and awash with choices, which are easy to source in the 'Collections' area. The format is simple – a guest is invited to choose eight discs, a book and a luxury to take with them as they’re castaway on a mythical desert island. They’re given the complete works of Shakespeare and the Bible or religious book of their choice. During the interview, guests explain their choices and discuss key moments in their lives, people and events that have influenced and inspired them and brought them to where they are today. www.jeeni.com

05
Jun

Spotlight on Children of The Beatles: Acorns and Oaks

by Kelli Richards, Jeeni MD USA Click HERE to visit or return to jeeni.com Most people are aware that I am (and always have been) an avid Beatle-ologist from a very young age. One of the things I find particularly fascinating is what’s become of the children of the Beatles — between the four guys, they had 10 biological children in total, and all but George also have stepchildren. I want to keep this blog relatively brief so allow me to share just a few examples to showcase the talents and passions of these amazing renaissance individuals and what they’re doing in the world as part of their legacy (I may well elect to do a more in-depth article at some point covering all of them). The one I’ve been closest to myself is Julian Lennon (John’s older son) who is the same age as me; I’ve had the good fortune of connecting with him over the years and admire him greatly. Julian is a gifted, multi-faceted man of extraordinary talent, virtue and depth of character. He’s not only an extremely talented singer and songwriter, and a successful musician, but he is also a noted photographer, a passionate philanthropist, film producer, advocate of many amazing global causes, and an award-winning children’s book author. Just recently I happened to catch an episode of a new cooking show by Mary McCartney who has carried on her mother’s dual legacy of being a noted photographer and a fantastic vegetarian cookbook author, chef and on-air talent. The show did a great job showcasing Mary’s personality, her humor and her charisma — as well as her obvious gift for creating delicious healthy meals. Mary’s sister Stella McCartney has been a wildly successful leader in the fashion world for over 20 years. Her designs are sought after by some of the world’s most famous celebrities, and her clothes are eco-friendly mindful of the environment. Stella is also a lifelong vegetarian and a passionate animal rights and climate activist. George Harrison’s only son, Dhani Harrison, is a multi-instrumental musician in his own right, a sought-after film/TV composer, and is among the most tech-savvy progressive technology-minded of the bunch having been instrumental in the Beatles being part of the hugely popular Rock Band video game developed by Harmonix in 2009. He also shares his dad’s passion for race cars. What’s especially interesting to note is that virtually all of the Beatle children have pursued creative passions whether in music, photography, cooking, fashion, filmmaking, philanthropy — or a combination of all of the above. There’s a whole lot more to share about ALL of these talented individuals, and as I mentioned — stay tuned to this channel — as I’m likely to write more about them in a lengthier article hopefully showcased in a notable publication. Click HERE to visit or return to jeeni.com

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