Welcome back to another edition of The Pop Off, a Poptized Playlist. This week we have songs from Ella Rosa, Joyce Wrice, and and VenomRaps. While this week’s new releases don’t rival last week’s amount, there was still some heat that deserves to be heard. So be sure to check out What’s Poppin, our favorite tunes of the playlist, and take some time to add your favorites to your musical collection.
Whats Poppin
Ella Rosa-Good Times (Ft. My Favorite Color)
Ella Rosa is back with her latest single entitled Good Times — a song of reassurance, sung through the optimistic lens of retrospection. The British-New York singer represents a certain duality that exudes through her buttery singnature vocals on her performance of Good Times: the good and the bad, abroad and domestic, past and present, and most importantly, new but familiar. Good Times boasts a soothing vocal performance from Ella Rosa and shines a light on her strengths as a songwriter, tapping into her bag of influences and creating a jam perfect for the rebirth that comes with the new Spring season.
Joyce Wrice & KAYTRANADA — Iced Tea
Hot on the heels of her much praised debut album, 2021’s Overgrown, Joyce Wrice is continuing her hot streak with the KAYTRANADA assisted “Iced Tea”.” The hip-swaying single arrives just in time for the beginning of rays of sunshine and the end of seasonal depression. Dropping just shortly before Joyce hits the road with rising R&B star Lucky Daye, “Iced Tea” is an infectious dance number oozing with unapologetic female empowerment. While Wrice is steadily rising as a promising force in the R&B realm, I’m sure “Iced Tea” will assist in speeding up the process.
VenomRaps-222
“They say theres strength in numbers I say theres strength in me” is a bar and a damn good one, courtesy of VenomRaps’ latest single, “222.” Hailing from South Africa, VenomRaps blends the underground sounds of classical boom bap with the rich but complex roots of his native culture. The result is a menacing yet calming meditation, a warning shot for the industry to prepare for the eventual arrival of his next project. “222” carries a vocal performance that exudes a certain kind of sharpness; VenomRap’ delivery is calculated and every uttered syllable adds mor depth to the previous line VenomRaps flexes his lyrical ability throughout the very brief song, but the performance leaves a positive lasting impression. With a project on the horizon, “222” has helped put me on notice to what VenomRaps is capable of and I’m hoping his next body of work tells me who he is.
