The Hit List: Ty Dolla $ign, Kanye West, Dominic Fike, Hopsin, Sam Smith, MKTO, Rita Ora, Joyner Lucas & Ashanti….

Ty Dolla $ign – “Ego Death (feat. Kanye West, FKA Twigs and Skrillex)”: “Ego Death” is a song by American artist Ty Dolla Sign. It was released as the lead single from his upcoming third studio album Dream House. It features guest appearances by fellow rapper Kanye West, British singer FKA Twigs, and American record producer Skrillex, along with additional vocals by American singer Serpentwithfeet, political activist Angela Davis and music composer Jariuce “Jehreeus” Banks.

Ritual – “Chasing A Feeling (feat. Rita Ora & Ty Dolla $ign)”: This is a brand new track that we managed to track down, that wasn’t released to the public. But we have your sneak peak right here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwFvk61og-g

Dominic Fike – “Chicken Tenders”: Without fail, pop artist Dominic Fike regularly delivers songs that are guaranteed to get stuck in your head for weeks on end, all while playing by his own set of rules. It is an impressive and consistently refreshing duality the Florida-born artist demonstrates without a moment’s hesitation in his latest single “Chicken Tenders”.

Hopsin – “Kumbaya”: No matter what subject matter Hopsin appears to be covering, it seems as if the dexterous rapper is always having fun with his craft. Following the release of his outlandish single “COVID Mansion,” Hop has officially returned with another drop, this time opting to repurpose a campfire classic with “Kumbaya.” Off the top, Hopsin warms up with a simmering flow scheme, building up his own intensity to mirror the explosive and typically dark instrumental.

Ingrid Michaelson – “Light Me Up”: Ingrid Michaelson’s album It Doesn’t Have to Make Sense was born, in part, from a tragedy. The singer’s mother died two years ago, and she wrote the album’s, “Light Me Up” a few days after her passing. Michaelson decided it would be the first song off the album, as a way to set the tone, but she didn’t want the entire record to be about her pain.

“I think the ultimate message of the record is to allow for a wide a range of human emotion that we are capable of having,” Michaelson said.

Emily Vu – “just Wait”: TikTok star Emily Vu released her single “Just Wait” on July 24, which was accompanied with a music video. For the first time, the artist opened up about her sexuality — a significant moment for her. The music video portrayed gorgeous women that exemplified the numerous relationships that Vu had. The beautiful, queer undertone in the music video was a perfect way for Vu to come out without saying too much.

MKTO – “How Much”: MKTO’s future seemed uncertain, in 2017, when one half of the Los Angeles-based pop duo announced on Twitter that the band was splitting up. “Even though it sucks sometimes,” Tony Oller wrote in a since-deleted Tweet, “it’s still better when we’re apart.” Fortunately MKTO’s hiatus didn’t last too long. The duo—consisting of Oller and his former Gigantic co-star Malcolm Kelley—returned in 2018 with “How Can I Forget,” the duo was in a better place and ready to focus on releasing new music, connecting with fans, and touring again. Since then, they’ve put out a handful of singles and remixes, with their latest track premiering below.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Ne-Yo & Jeremih – “U 2 Luv”: R&B stars Ne-Yo and Jeremih have joined forces on the groovy cut “U 2 Luv,” which sees production from Retro Future and samples Zapp & Roger’s ‘80s classic “Computer Love.” The groovy tune sees the two professing their love for their significant other.

Sam Smith – “Fix You”: More than a month after first performing a moving cover of Coldplay’s “Fix You” as part of the iHeartRadio Living Room Series back in May, Sam Smith released their version of the song on Sunday (July 5). “Thank you @Coldplay for writing such a beautiful song,” Smith wrote alongside a brief clip of the emotional, stripped-down performance.

Joyner Lucas – “Fall Slowly (feat. Ashanti)”: Joyner Lucas is back with his latest single and visual to “Fall Slowly.” Ashanti is starring in the imitate video. Lucas is gearing up for his forthcoming album, Evolution, that is set to release on Friday, September 18.

neillfrazer@hotmail.com