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premiere: kumail and pink siifu are on the “same sh*t”

October 3, 2019
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Pay attention: there’s something going in music at the intersection of the beat scene, hip–hop, jazz, R&B, and soul. And as the genre-lines get blurrier, the music becomes more textured, vibey, and warm (even if it’s often called “low-fi” or “experimental” because those of us who write about it have yet to stumble on a well-fitting descriptor). The players pushing things forward are people like singer-songwriter Liv.e from Dallas, Bronx-by-way-of-London rapper-producer MIKE, L.A. rapper Maxo, Jersey-to-LA transplant producer/performer MNDSGN and LA to NY producer/performer Slauson Malone.

Though they’re not household names yet, they’re some of the acts that represent the wide spectrum of this amorphous but no less appealing sound. It’s also not just an American phenomenon, as we hear on Indian producer and performing artist Kumail’s new song “Same Shit,” this is a transcendent vibe that can just as easily come straight out of Mumbai as it could Anytown, U.S.A.

For “Same Shit” Kumail taps the ever-evolving and (low-key omnipresent) Pink Siifu to feature on the track. Siifu, who has collaborated with all of the previously mentioned artists, is in his element and in his bag on “Same Shit,” providing his signature free-associative lyrics and in-pocket flow to the track.

“I was always inspired by the beat scene in LA and with this new wave of soul music,” says Kumail whose new LP Yasmin is dropping on November 8th. “Pink Siifu was on my radar for a while,” he explains. “I’d make a bunch of beats keeping his voice in mind, so I thought, ‘Fuck it, what harm can a DM do?’ I sent him the beat and a few emails later ‘Same Shit’ was born.”

And indeed, “Same Shit” is a welcome addition to a growing family of music from these soul and hip-hop inflected indie artists. Keep paying attention.

Kumail’s Yasmin drops on Nov. 8, preorder it here.

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