“Blue Lights” is why Jorja Smith should be on everyone’s radar

RESPECT. Staff — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 04:47:10 +0000

Although she teased of a comeback, the legendary Ms. Lauryn Hill never quite resurfaced, continuing to leave us thirsty for a follow-up to her classic 1998 debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. From then until now, we’ve seen artists reminiscent of her, like Tink, showing that even in her absence, her influence is alive and well.

Enter 18 year-old singer/songwriter (and Starbucks barista) Jorja Smith.

Hailing from South London, Jorja Smith is not only the closest thing we have seen to Ms. Hill, yet, but she is also well on her way to paving her own lane, and it starts with her debut record, “Blue Lights”.

What started as a simple freestyle during a break at work, turned into a gripping single centered around “the notion of not feeling guilty for other people’s issue; not to take on an emotion that you don’t need to feel”.

Take a listen to “Blue Lights”, the second you’re done reading this. Seriously. It’s one of the best things you’ll do all day.

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New Music: Orrin Campbell – “Blue Lights”

RESPECT. Staff — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 16:33:50 +0000

Music and time have always been related. After all, rhythm is essentially just sounds repeating at a regular temporal interval. Hip-hop’s contribution to the relationship between music and time is well-documented, but it’s really only appreciated in the world of dancing. The other side of that contribution is apparent in songs like Orrin Campbell‘s “Blue Lights.” Stretching his voice over a yawning, paced instrumental, Orrin Campbell slows down time without extending it, marinating in the brief encounter he has with a former lover without describing the experience at length. This is more than brevity or concision or minimalism. It’s memory without exegesis. It’s drama without melodrama. It’s hip-hop. Listen below.

“Blue Lights” is the first song off his upcoming project, Nocturnal.

Side note: He kind of sounds like Tyler, the Creator, doesn’t he?

The post New Music: Orrin Campbell – “Blue Lights” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

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“Blue Lights” is why Jorja Smith should be on everyone’s radar

New Music: Orrin Campbell – “Blue Lights”