Mikel Galicia
Bobby Sessions Gets A Killer Mike Feature, Go Yayo Accuses Lil Yachty Of Stealing His Idea, Cuban Doll Heads On Tour, Demi Lovato Covers Elton John With Q-Tip — And So Much More.
As the dust starts to settle from the glimmer and chaos that is South By Southwest, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Dallas rapper Bobby Sessions was among the bigger winners at the annual music conference.
The freshly signed Def Jam artist made the rounds at the festival, performing at staple showcases like Fader Fort and Mass Appeal’s Live at the BBQ — and, in between stirring performances, he held things down with interviews from the likes of Beats1 and SXSW itself.
But the real big Bobby Sessions news of the week didn’t happen in Austin. Instead, it happened back here in Dallas as stalwart Atlanta rapper Killer Mike — in town as his Run the Jewels group opened for Lorde at the American Airlines Center — contributed some work to Sessions’ upcoming project, according to this post from Sessions himself.
Grateful that a legend would bless my record. The work you do for our community is amazing. Very appreciative for the game. Much love and respect @KillerMike. #HIGHSTANDARDz pic.twitter.com/4zk9NdX4Fi
— Bobby Sessions (@BobbySessionsTX) March 18, 2018
That’s a nice get for Sessions!
But you know how it goes around here. When it rains, it pours.
Another of Dallas’ breakout rappers of 2018 got the star treatment this week as Paper magazine featured Cuban Doll, chronicling the rise of her Aaliyah Keef persona, mentioning how she casually amassed 872,000 Instagram followers and sharing that her next project Cuban Link pt. 2 is on the way. After that piece dropped, this news followed: The rapper is also heading out on an 11-date Tidal-sponsored tour in support of Califnornia rap group SOB x RBE. Unlike her pal Asian Doll, Cuban Doll’s tour isn’t hitting Dallas.
Meanwhile, should Go Yayo hit the road soon, we doubt it’ll happen alongside Lil Yachty. This week, Yayo accused Yachty of ripping off 2015 breakout hit “Boom” for the Atlanta rapper’s new Lil Boat 2 song of the same title. Yayo even reached back to the archives and posted footage of him performing “Boom” at SXSW 2016 with Lil Yachty standing at his side to prove his point.
Since then, numerous hip-hop blogs have been asking if the two tracks sound the same. We’ll do the same.
First, let’s check out Yachty’s just-released version…
Now, here’s Yayo’s version from a few years ago.
What do you think?
If you’re repping for #HoodFame, then maybe Yayo’s new collaborative EP with Souja Boy is up your alley?
Staying with the absurdly flourishing rap scene, verses from Arlington’s Tay-K have been included on a new track with buzzing artist BlocBoy JB titled “Hard.” The collaborative track is the first release from Adam22’s new label imprint No Jumper in-conjunction with Atlantic Records. Lend it your ear here:
Moving now over to the also-vibrant pop star front, Colleyville’s Demi Lovato teamed up with rap legend Q-Tip for a refreshing take on Elton John’s “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” for a song on the legendary singer’s new covers album. Stream the twosome’s take on the classic below:
Meanwhile, just this morning, Kelly Clarkson released an emotional video for her highly personal track, “I Don’t Think About You,” which recounts numerous hardships throughout the artist’s life. The song is from Clarkson’s eighth and most recent studio album, Meaning of Life, which she released back in October. Stream the new powerful video below:
That kind of performance is something the Denton Songwriters Guild can certainly appreciate — and they’re hoping you’ll appreciate what they have to offer soon. On April 6 and 7, they’ll host the Denton Folk Festival at The Parker’s House & Event Center with performances from The Deer, Claire Morales, Levi Cobb & The Big Smoke, Straw Hat Society, Boxcar Bandits, Whiskey Folk Ramblers and more. head here for more details about the upcoming showcase.
Staying on the festival front, the folks behind the punk label Fat Wreck Chords are tossing their hands into the beer-and-music game, launching a six-city tour of the Drunk in Public Craft Beer & Music Festival that will hit Fort Worth’s Panther Island Pavilion on Sunday, May 6, and feature performances from punk rock stalwarts NOFX and Bad Religion atop the bill. Head here for more tickets and information.
Speaking of new things, D Magazine reports that Francine Thirteen has a new project in the works. Her Lust Heals, Give Me My Sin Again will be out May 25, although all we know is that “she’ll perform on that date to premiere the record [as part of] a show she promises will be ‘quite unique and intimate’ sponsored by Art Pena’s curatorial project One Night Only.”
Retro-revivalist singer Charley Crockett knows all about building anticipation for a release. He’s already graced us with “I Wanna Cry” from his upcoming album Lonesome As A Shadow, but now he’s back with a video for “Lil’ Girls Name.”
Mind Spiders also released a new video — and a rather surreal one, at that, premiered by Brooklyn Vegan — for “Outsiders,” the lead track from its most recent album, Furies. Give it a watch:
Rosegarden Funeral Party went in a more melodramatic direction for their new video for their song “Seeing You Here and Now,” which you can see below:
Meanwhile, newcomer Cashout Corduroy released an ethereal new track titled “To The Bone” that features a long, winding harmonies in the vein of the popular emo rap taking over the city right now.
Finally, to close out this week’s column, watch a video from Dallas producer Brandon Eugene Smith, this time in collaboration with Ricewine, for the song “White.”
Cover photo of Bobby Sessions by Karlo X. Ramos.