Hits of the Week – Featuring Joey Bada$$, Kaleah Lee and more
Welcome to HUNGER’s Hits of the Week: your one-stop shop for all the best in music right now. Each week we’ll be rounding up the tracks you need to know, whether you’re on the hunt for a tune to soundtrack your weekend antics, a new banger to blast at the gym, or simply something to shed a few tears to at 2am (we’re not here to judge). For our first segment, we’re spotlighting tracks from rising London singer-songwriter Reuben Aziz, Vancouver’s very own Kaleah Lee, a killer COLORS set from New Jersey-born Cakes da Killa and more…
Kaleah Lee – Rotting Fruit
If you’re receiving co-signs from the likes of Taylor Swift and Maggie Rogers this early in your career, you must be doing something right. And thanks to her latest single, ‘Rotting Fruit’, it’s easy to see why Lee is held in such high regard. Despite being sombre in its presentation, the track acts as a moment of empowerment for Lee, who lays her beliefs, disbelief and identity bare over a quietly picked guitar lead. “All that’s good, and all that’s golden can’t hide the truth, and the fruit is rotting,” she sings on the chorus with her instantly recognisable hushed vocals. Acting as the second single for her debut EP set to release this year, ‘Rotting Fruit’, should be more than enough reason to add the project to your 2024 must-listens.
Reuben Aziz – come thruuu
“I know that you misunderstood just like me,” Aziz sings vulnerably on his latest nocturnal offering. It’s a track that encapsulates those intoxicating nights where you’re just one drink away from texting that person you probably shouldn’t. And thanks to a woozy instrumental and Aziz’s own admission of doing just that – “he can have you ‘til the weekend, then I’m ‘round” – ‘come thruuu’ might as well be egging you on to do it. As a front-runner in a new wave of atmospheric, Toronto-esque, moody R&B surging through the UK, Aziz’s music is continuing to offer the perfect soundtrack for these frosty winter nights.
Cakes da Killa – Cakewalk (A COLORS Show)
Somehow, no matter how much you love an original release, a Colors performance always hits so much harder. Taking his latest club-ready single, ‘Cakewalk’, onto the platform, and (somehow) takes the energy up by a few measures of magnitude. The track itself sees Cakes reuniting with long-time collaborator Sam Katz, who produces an explosive, bass-heavy beat for Cakes to show off his signature breathless flows. So, if you’re looking for something to get the party started this weekend, ‘Cakewalk’ will certainly do the trick.
Joey Bada$$ – Passports & Suitcases
Brooklyn’s own Joey Bada$$ – and former HUNGER Digital Cover star – has dropped a fresh single, ‘Passports & Suitcases,’ featuring Grammy Award-winning artist/producer KayCyy. On the deep cut, Joey explores a different facet of his artistry, showcasing a refreshing and melody-driven side as opposed to his usual slick, rapid-fire rhymes. The track will appear on his upcoming project, United States of Amerikkka, and if Joey’s latest single is anything to go by, we can expect to see plenty more experimentation from the Pro Era artist.
Asaké – Only Me
Asaké had a birthday surprise in store, both for himself and the fans, last Friday. He dropped his groovy new song, ‘Only Me,’ which finds him coming to a place of self-acceptance, finally becoming content in his position and no longer needing to compare himself to others. Asaké’s delivery is as crisp as ever, and even on what’s most likely just a throwaway track not intended to land on a project, the singer refuses to phone in his performance. Our only complaint? We’ll have to wait a long time (perhaps forever in the UK) to hear it in all its glory under the beaming sun.
