Venus’s Top Se7en: Contemporary Music Artists
Jamila Woods
Pronounced juh-mee-luh
In 2017, I had given up on the future of music; for the longest time, my quests for qualitative verses and melody were a dead end until I found HEAVN, literally. The name, Jamila Woods, was foreign to me, but I got to know and love her quickly by playing the words off her debut and sophomore albums.
This poet writes about self-love and coming into the fullness of oneself in songs like Lonely and Holy, where she sings, ‘I could be crazy, but my crazy is my own,’ and ‘Give me today my daily bread; help me to walk alone ahead...My cup is full up; what I got is enough. Nobody completes me, don’t mess with my stuff.’ I just love that!
Jamila doesn’t shy from telling it like it t-i-is about what unifies people of African descent and unapologetically celebrates the fire of Black women and Blackness in general. Aside from her Afroetic elements, Jamila leaves herself open to love and the degrees to which she deserves it; she also has a fantastic gift of translating persona poetry into a broader sound. Her entire second album, LEGACY! LEGACY! is proof of this.
LEGACY! LEGACY! is a melodic billet-doux dedicated to the memory and bequest of some of my favorite people to walk this earth: Miles Davis, James Baldwin, Nikki Giovanni, Eartha Kitt, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Betty Davis, Sun Ra, Sonia Sanchez, Zora Neale Hurston, Octavia Butler, Frida Kahlo, and Muddy Waters.
In 2020, she released two singles, SULA, one paperback, and a hardcover version, inspired by the Toni Morrison novel...as if I couldn’t love her any more than I do.
Jamila’s music was similar to a spiritual journey for me; absorbing her lyrics and learning every inflection of her voice helped put words back into my mouth, reigniting the blaze in my belly, having extinguished during one of my darkest times.
2. Noname
I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t begin listening to Noname until August 2021, especially considering that I first heard her on Jamila’s debut album in 2017; one afternoon, I watched a Netflix documentary called A Love Song for Latasha, which featured a track of Noname’s: Don’t Forget About Me.
‘I know everyone goes someday,’ she says. ‘I know my body’s fragile, know it’s made from clay. But, if I have to go, I pray my soul is still eternal, and my momma don’t forget about me.’ Those words pierced me, and upon finding the whole song on YouTube, I cried continuously and replayed it in the hours that followed.
There is something about blue skies, daylight, and the cosmic neo-soul-jazz fusion of Noname’s music; I bathe in her soundwaves, reemerging healed and purified. Her songs were a respite I didn’t seek; sonically, she found and saved me. Her calming, rhythmic outpour not only mollified my injured soul but was far from circuitous from a lyrical point of view. Noname can orate truth with a smile in her voice, refraining from sounding preachy or confrontational.
And yet, her flow is often sorrowful in pieces such as Casket Pretty, where the chorus is self-explanatory: ‘All of my ni**as is casket pretty; ain’t no one safe in this happy city. I hope you make it home; I hope to God that my telly don’t ring.’ On the flip side, she celebrates Blackness in a youthful way with songs like Diddy Bop: ‘This sound like growing out my clothes, with stars in my pocket, dreaming ‘bout making my hood glow. This sound like every place I would go if I could fly.’
Noname’s subjects span politics, Blackness/Black death, sex, family, relationships, and personal evolution. Another of my favorites is the hook in Part of Me: ‘I am too focused on the part of me that I’m trying to be; I can’t pretend I’m not myself, but if you go, wipe your shoes ‘fore you leave.’ *MIND BLOWN!* I am excited to hear that she’s returning to music after a few years’ hiatus following her albums, Telefone and Room 25! Hopefully, I’ll get an opportunity to see her live one day.
Outside of music and poetry, Noname started a book club, which highlights authors of color; it’s a virtual/irl community that meets monthly and also provides books to inmates within correctional facilities. She’s doing amazing work, so please show some love.
3. Little Simz
My introduction to Little Simz was her tiny desk concert from 2021; she had recently dropped a new album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, and she had me from the title alone because I relate to introversion. I found a music video to the title song, Introvert, on YouTube and became an instant fan. It was carefully conceptualized and told a compelling story, as do all of her other music videos.
Aside from Simz’s insane lyrics, I love the orchestral influence, overall musicianship, and production quality; the chocolate on top is her voice and sound: deep, distinctive, and dipped in a British accent. Her blood raw honesty appeals to me, as do her theories about empowerment, youth violence, self-awareness, fulfillment, Blackness, and damaged domestic relationships.
I adore every track on this latest album; however, the ones I have in constant rotation aside from Introvert are Woman, Protect My Energy, both parts of Little Q, I Love You, I Hate You, Speed, Miss Understood, and Standing Ovation. Even the shorties like Gems, The Garden, and Never Make Promises nourish my essence.
From the interludes and everything in between, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is an eclectic, purposeful masterpiece that paints pictures so elaborate that one does not require visuals and is my favorite out of all her albums [Grey Area, Drop 6, E.D.G.E., AGE 101: DROP 1, 2, 3|000, and 4 and A Curious Tale of Trials & Persons.] One of my other cherished Simz opuses is Stillness In Wonderland; it changed my life. Her earlier work contains a dusty, jazzy quality, and I don’t mean that horridly. Some of Simz’s previous tunes remind me of neo-soul-infused jazz and lo-fi, which I listen to when I am not jamming to one of these seven artists.
4. James Tillman
Don’t you hate when your Spotify playlist ends and the app starts playing random music? I do, too, until its arbitrary selection is precisely what I need to hear! That is how I came to discover James Tillman; I was at the office in work mode, hearing only bits and pieces of melody that inspired the corners of my lips to travel south and a head-bob in me.
I was too busy to look up and see what I was listening to until I heard those lyrics: ‘You hold the key to my heart, but why you keep losing it?’ I faceplanted my keyboard with such force I had a ‘QWERTY’ tattoo on my forehead for about an hour. All that mattered was finding out who the hell this neo-soul prince was and where I could find the rest of his work.
The song I speak of is titled Missed Encounters, the closer to his 2016 album, Silk Noise Reflex; can we pause for the cause and give God glory for putting it on James’s heart to have such a dope ass album appellation? It wasn't just a moniker, but silky is the best word I can think of to describe his style and sound. His singing voice; is a coalescence of pain and openness in a whisper.
Lyrically, James’s work is some of the best I’ve heard in a long time. I haven’t yet listened to his songs and equated them to a hodgepodge of nothingness; he sings a lot about love, which is universal. I especially appreciate hearing a modern perspective of men in love. One of my James go-to’s is a collaboration he did with another artist, Flwr Chyld, called Luv 2 U.
James’s songs make me feel as though I am floating in blue; not an ocean from a typical view, but something like it; liquid silk, perhaps? As I listen to Luv 2 U, I drown in that mysterious brine but remain alive; between Shangri La, Silk Noise Reflex, Modern Desires, and a few singles, some of which are new releases, there isn’t a song by James Tillman that I dislike. Check his ass out!
5. Rebel Noire
I only discovered Rebel Noire and the Accomplices this week while aimlessly scrolling Instagram, as one does. A link in her bio directed me to a Bandcamp profile which consisted of a triplet EP named after its title song, truthteller.
Self-described as Afroetic rock, I was intrigued and am so glad to have taken a listen; Rebel is New Age Nina Simone, teeming with self-awareness, fearlessness, and unapologetic Blackness. In the final track on the EP, rosewood, she defines herself as charcoal beauty, which I love, and in the chorus, she sings, ‘when the enemy be come for me, I’m on my guard.’ The music is enticement without remorse and protective of what is ‘mine’ and ‘ours.’
Life in Black is somber yet powerful and something to which people of African descent can relate. ‘Are we growing or dying?’ she asks; it’s a poignant question proven valid and one we shouldn’t have to ask at all. But we do.
My favorite on this digital album is truthteller. When I realized she was singing from the perspective of Blacks who became lynch victims, my mouth fell open. Rebel gave us a modern-day twist on Strange Fruit, an account of observing a lynch victim, possibly seen through passersby’s eyes or someone else. Her way with words is what I search for when checking out new music; for example, she parallels levitation to the act of lynchings itself.
She illustrates the swinging cadaver as ‘dancing,’ made into incense, ‘flying, but never dead, holier than broken bread.’ I almost broke my fingers snapping so loud!
‘They all come to see the latest fashion; Sleeping Beauty by a tree...the hottest necklace.’ OMGOMGOMG! I have never heard a poet articulate the viewpoint of the cadaver, and it’s brilliant. I hope she drops more music soon; the EP, truthteller, really fed and roused my spirit.
6. Megan Stoneson (née Steinke)
One day, shortly after lockdown, Megan followed me on IG, asking if I wouldn’t mind checking out her music. She had just dropped an EP called I’m A Bee, which became the soundtrack of my life at that point, and to this day, I go back to my playlist, drifting away to her voice. If you hear her, that’s relatively easy.
Megan captures me with the airiness, tranquility & vulnerability of her voice. She thoughtfully evokes emotion, making one feel all that her lyrics & melody suggest. That’s a great artist, in my opinion; Spotify creates playlists based on songs a subscriber listened to the most during the year called ‘Your Top Songs,’ and in 2020 and 2021, many of Megan’s tunes like Cave, Okay, and both versions of How It Feels made their ways to the lists.
I love the gentleness of I’m A Bee; it parallels humans to bees, wherein we are, at once, fragile and potentially harmful. ‘I am a bee, but I’ll try not to sting,’ she sings in the chorus. Megan also calls upon God to redirect her despite carnal flaws; it is so relatable.
I usually enjoyed listening to her in the morning as I prepared tea with honey or warm honey water in my chartreuse mug; it’s the little things for me. Although not officially recorded, I found a short video of her covering a gospel song called This Is A Move, on her IG profile once, and it made me cry; it was spiritually stirring and healing. I don’t think she will ever record this, but if she did, I’m sure that would make my top songs for the year, too.
Megan has new music out now, which I highly recommend if you enjoy lyrics with substance and lovely melodies. My personal favorite of hers at the moment is Come Home; some of my favorite lines in that go as follows: I feel like you’re a planet away; among the stars, I’m sure it’s pretty from your view. Just look down, remember we’re waiting for you.’ *And there goes my sinking heart!*
Se7en. Lexii Alijai
Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a die-hard Zapp & Roger fan. In 2019, someone told me that one of Roger’s granddaughters, Lexii Alijai, was an up-and-coming rapper based out of the Twin Cities; I found her on IG and started following her. While I didn’t immerse myself in all of her music at once, it was evident to me that she had a musical gift.
Some of her posts were freestyle raps, and in a minute or less, you knew she was a poetess; her voice was distinctive and she had an articulate delivery for someone so young and seemed wise beyond her years. Before she was 20, Lexii released two albums: Joseph’s Coat and Growing Pains.
I could relate to some things she wrote and rapped about as a once late-teen/early-20-something girl who lost her dad but had a fire in her and was apt at telling stories while coming of age. Lexii’s music was mainly about defeating the odds of poverty, love, loss of love, personal growth, and family.
Her father was Roger Lynch [sometimes known as Roger Troutman II,] a founding member of Mint Condition: the best band of my generation. He left the band to pursue a solo career in the late 80s, and while his career didn’t take off, he was also multi-faceted musically. On April 25, 1999, Roger Troutman Sr. of Zapp was murdered by his older brother, Larry, and in January 2003, Roger II was also killed by unknown culprits in Minnesota.
Less than a year after I first heard about Lexii, news spread like wildfire that she died on New Year’s Day 2020; she was 21-years old. I remember feeling shocked, and to this day, it still saddens me. She certainly had promise and what it took to make it all the way, and I would have loved to see how she and her music would have evolved with time; I am sure that her work will inspire other artists to rise and change lives with their messages and music.
On February 19, 2021, what would have been Lexii’s 23rd birthday, her people released what I believe was an unfinished album, Come Back Soon. A music video for her debut single, Anthony, was released within the week, too. While the entire album was great, my top two tracks from Lexii’s posthumous EP are Figure It Out and Hoodie SZN.
In Figure It Out, she paints a picture of her frustrations as a starving artist who knows there is more within herself than life reflects; ‘I’m staring at these pay stubs and runnin’ out of patience; like, why the f**k am I still livin’ with my mom? Depending on her for dinner like I can’t do it on my own and have the nerve to say I’m grown—can’t even do shit alone and that’s partly why I’ve been feelin’ like something I’m doing is wrong.’ DEEP AS FUDGE!
Meanwhile, Hoodie SZN, featuring Wale, is a clever portrait of the imperfect human face amid doomed intimate relationships from the lies we tell ourselves and others and how quickly the tapestry of our affectionate connections unravels when we were finally comfortable enough to be who we really are. The song is conversational between rappers—each has valid points and in typical young ex-girlfriend fashion, Lexii says, ‘I don’t want your love, but I’ll take your hoodie, though,’ whereas, at the end of Wale’s verse, he slyly returns the venom, ‘Gimme back all my hoodies until I hang up my jersey!’ POETRYYYYY! O, THE POETRY!
My response to this as a single gal is those hoodies ain’t s**t! I don’t want any memory of exes lingering in my mind, let alone in my closet or drawers. LOL! Not that obtaining such things would trigger and excavate feelings for them again, however, out with the fudge-a-duggin’ old!
Although her life was too short, Lexii made her presence known, left a mark, and thus attracted more fans to enhance the large bevy of followers and supporters she had before she died.
In her song, Confirmation, Lexii raps, ‘And when I turn 21, it’ll be sunny where I stay.’ I’m sure it is.
