Five For Friday ft [@scribzriley], [@JONNOAQ], [@loski_hs], + more

Friday’s are packed full of releases, these are 5 you should pay particular attention to today.

Five for Friday is back again giving you 5 great tracks/projects for your Friday. Friday is essentially the most important day of the week musically, and typically a lot of music drops on Friday’s. Friday is also the day that the official charts are announced letting us know who holds the coveted number one position. To make life a little easier this Friday we are giving you 5 of our top picks that have just dropped.

Ling Hussle – That Side

Ling Hussle is back with another hit on her hands with ‘That Side’. The uptempo number covers people switching up and then trying to switch back when things are lit. Ling‘s pen game on this one was spot on in capturing the seriousness of the topic without making it just sound like complaining or bitterness. This is in part to the sonics of the song which feel very fun alongside an extremely catchy hook. From the minute she teased this one, people knew we were in for something special and when does Ling ever disappoint? If you need something to sing along to this Friday ‘That Side’ is the one for you.

Scribz Riley – Wish Me Luck

Scribz Riley burst onto everyone’s radars earlier this year when he dropped ‘East Side’. But Scribz is no newbie to the game having picked up a Grammy for his production work on Cardi B‘s track ‘Ring’, and even before that being a part of Grime collective Mucky Wolfpack. His experience at both producer and artist has clearly helped and his musical ear is special. He creates melodies that rival the best and does it whilst sounding like no one else. This album does a great job of showing Scribz talent but is exciting in that it is his first offering and it is a great body of work.

JonnoAQ – Everytime

JonnoAQ switches it up slightly on ‘Everytime’ with an exploration of new sounds in that he tackles a Drill beat. It’s usually worrying when artists jump on the popping sound, especially when they have their own lane, but Jonno was definitely onto something with this one. His vocal tone against the aggressive and incessant percussion of Drill beats makes everything he says stand out that little bit more and only emphasises the rawness on display. The message is also a departure from the one we typically see on Drill with a message of what the alternative to all the street stuff is. It’s done without being preachy and the delivery is spot on. We definitely need more Jonno on Drill.

Loski – Music, Trial & Trauma: A Drill Story

Loski is an artist who was integral in Drill’s early surge to popularity and he hasn’t ever really stopped being a dominant force in the genre. On A Drill Story, it feels like Loski has found a way to keep everyone happy without compromising anything himself. We get raw and visceral street tales across the aggressive percussion Drill is known for but also the more genre crossing sounds that pushed him to be a poster boy for what Drill could potentially be. It’s a very good body of work from an artist who still has so much potential to grow with him still being in his early 20s.

Jade Emperor – Better

Jade Emperor has been building consistently across the wild and wonderful year that 2020 has been and ‘Better’ looks to only keep that momentum rolling. Having already picked up support from BBC Radio, BBC 1xtra and several of Spotify’s editorial playlists, I wouldn’t be surprised to see ‘Better’ supported similarly as the talent on display is undeniable. The soothing record laced with a message of community and self-empowerment provides a real sense of warmth and joy. It lulls you into its sweet melodies and has elements reminiscent of Corinne Bailey Rae and Lianne La Havas in all the best ways. Jade Emperor is one to watch for sure and we can’t wait to hear what’s next.

You can check out the previous Five For Friday here.