MUSIC

Supa Bwe, Chance the Rapper and Kanye’s New Song “Rememory” Might be a Tribute to Toni Morrison

The term "rememory" was actually coined by Morrison in her 1988 novel Beloved.

Photo by Nate Isaac on Unsplash

Supa Bwe and Chance the Rapper's new track, "Rememory (Just Say Thank You)" has arrived just in time for summer.

Infused with Chance's characteristically infectious joy, it layers repetitive lyrics over a chilled-out beat in a buoyant tribute to nostalgia and good times.

"Rememory" is one of the tracks on Supa Bwe's Just Say Thank You EP, released today on EMPIRE. The two artists have worked together before—Chance added his voice to Supa's "Fool It With Freestyle" in 2016, and Supa Bwe appeared on Chance's "Wala Cam" last year.

According to its press release, "Rememory" was produced by members of Chance's backing band, and it was arranged by Kanye West himself. Back in 2018, Chance said he and Kanye were working on a full-length album together, and the project was even discussed in Chance's feature on Life of Pablo's "Ultralight Beam." Still, as of now, there's no evidence that Chance's upcoming release—dropping this July—is a Yeezy collaboration.

Ultralight Beamwww.youtube.com

The two hip hop titans did come together to create this song, though, a promising sign for anyone still holding out hope for a long-form collab. "Rememory" is classic Chance, enhanced by Kanye's talent for crafting euphoric anthems.

It's also not the first song Chance has released called "Rememory." In 2016, his band Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment released a track with the same name. That one is significantly darker, telling the story of a man whose wife took her kids away in a car, leaving him alone with his sins and a court date.

Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment - Rememory (Lyrics) (High Quality)www.youtube.com

The phrase "rememory" itself comes from an even deeper place—it was actually coined by none other than Toni Morrison, in her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Beloved. In that book, the term describes a process of re-constructing the past in order to live with the ghosts of old traumas. Morrison's work has been incorporated by other rappers before; she's even been cited as a major inspiration by frequent Chance collaborator Noname, suggesting a possible connection.

Regardless of its origins, 2019's "Rememory" seems poised to become the song of the summer, designed for anyone who's looking to move forward into the future without forgetting the past.


Eden Arielle Gordon is a writer and musician from New York. Follow her on Twitter @edenarielmusic.


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NEW SONG | Spencer Ludwig 'Best Life'

Pop style and jazz virtuosity with soul.

Pop maverick Spencer Ludwig releases a new single today, entitled "Best Life." The song is the sound of Royal Caribbean's 2019 global campaign.

Formerly the trumpet player in Capital Cities, Ludwig went solo in 2015, signing with Warner Bros. Records. In 2016, he released "Diggy," racking up more than 2.8 million streams on Spotify, along with being featured in Target's Fall television campaign, Netflix's Step Sisters, Happy Death Day, and many other places.

He followed with "Got Me Like" and "Just Wanna Dance," appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers, performing at Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, LA Pride, Milwaukee Pride, Buffalo Pride, and touring with Betty Who, BeBe Rexha, and Fonseca, teaming up with the latter on "Por Pura Curiosidad."

"I want people to be able to appreciate the trumpet as the sexy rock n' roll instrument that it is," says Ludwig. "When I write, I ultimately aim to create a vibe that I want to improvise over. I love how physically and emotionally demanding the instrument is. When I play the trumpet it's as if nothing else matters in that moment, which is the moment I look forward to most when I'm performing."

"Best Life" opens with a sexy, funky groove flowing into an infectious bopping melody. A buff pulsing bass line and tight beat drive the rhythm, as flashing arcs from the trumpet infuse the tune with seductive oomph and tangy pizzazz.

Ludwig's buttery falsetto dispatches cap-a-pie silky textures, while a deep-toned voice adds support.

"I don't have diamond rings / Or fancy things / I vintage shop for my clothes / I look fly as hell in my fake chanel / And you can't say that I don't / I got extra sauce for the drop you lost."

"Best Life" struts cool, sexy vibes of contagious sonic energy. Spencer Ludwig holds it down on this song!

Follow Spencer Ludwig Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram


Randy Radic is a Left Coast author and writer. Author of numerous true crime books written under the pen-name of John Lee Brook. Former music contributor at Huff Post.



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MUSIC

Interview | The Huntertones

Members of the band talk about their latest album.

jazzinjune.org

"At the end of the day, good music resonates with people regardless of the instrumentation."

The Huntertones — a seven-piece instrumentalist band based in Brooklyn — have made a splash with their viral tribute video to Michael Jackson. But the group isn't just about covers, they offer fans original music, too. Their recently released studio album, Passport, features a selection of songs that draws on inspiration from their travels all over the globe. The band is taking their show on the road soon, touring North America with shows in the US and Canada.

Members of the band spoke with Popdust about their upcoming projects, the album-producing process, and more.

Your band made a big splash on the scene last year when you filmed a tribute video to Michael Jackson. How did that decision come to pass? What other artists have impacted your music?

Jon Lampley: We'd already been experimenting with covering different types of songs in that trio format. The songs we decide to play are based on artists that have influenced us as musicians and created music that we love. Michael is one of our favorites and he has so much timeless music from every era of his career, so we tried to fit as much as we could into the arrangement and make it feel smooth. We were all surprised with how well the video did!

The list of artists that inspire us is a ridiculously long one. Here are a few that have influenced us as a band as well as individuals: Louis Armstrong, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, Frank Zappa, Led Zeppelin, Weather Report, Stevie Wonder, Dave Matthews Band, D'Angelo, A Tribe Called Quest, Snarky Puppy

What do you think about the current instrumental music scene? Why don't you think the genre is more popular?

Dan White: I think there are a lot of people who dig music without vocals. It's an uphill battle in the US though. The way we think about it is, if you take away something from the music like the lyrics and a vocalist, then you have to make up for it in another creative way. As instrumentalists, we think of music differently and love to collaborate with vocalists. At the end of the day, good music resonates with people regardless of the instrumentation.

Tell us a little bit about the writing and recording process for the new album, Passport? I read it was inspired by your travels in South America, Europe and Africa.

DW: Each track is inspired by a different place we experienced as a band. We had the opportunity to travel and collaborate with local musicians from Togo, Egypt, Peru, Georgia (the country), Zimbabwe, and many others. The music we wrote varies widely, but what ties it all together is the band and how we play together no matter what the style or groove is. Many of the compositions start with a very simple idea that gets spun out and layered upon.

thehuntertones.com

Diversity is one theme of the album. Why was that important to you?

DW: We collaborated with more people on this album than we ever have before. While working together, our differences were a very positive thing musically. If we all were the same, touring and playing shows night after night would get very boring. For Huntertones, our differences make the band stronger.

Do any of you have favorite tracks off the album?

JL: My favorite songs on the album are Hondo, Change, and Togo. I'm really proud of how the entire project came out, but these are my personal favorites.

What's next for you?

JL: So we're celebrating the release with a show in New York City on Friday, October 12th, which we're very excited about, followed by a show in Connecticut on the 13th. We also have some shows coming up later in the year where we're supporting other bands on tour. We were out on the road for about four months of 2018 and in 2019 we will be on the road quite a bit so we are looking forward to spending some time at home this fall. We're always working on new content so keep an eye out on all of our social media pages and website!

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