New tracks about self-determination and social criticism. Here’s the overview.
What’s new? In their respective singles, Disarstar, Apsilon and Paula Hartmann share their personal experiences and their thoughts on society’s weaknesses. And Timbaland feat. Vita and Shirin David celebrate their achievements and female desire.
Apsilon – “Baba”
“Baba” is dedicated to Apsilon’s father and his strength. He thanks his teacher and at the same time wants more humanity from him. “Baba” makes us think about toxic masculinity in a new way and awakens compassion for all the previous generations in which men were not allowed to show themselves vulnerable enough. At the same time, the track is a call for self-reflection – and Apsilon shows what that can look like.
He explains what scars his father’s eternal strength left on him – and also what advantages his strength brought with it. He also reports on the moments in childhood that one only really understands in adulthood – on the moments in which difficulties were simply “smiled away” by the father, so that the offspring, in the best case, do not notice the problems. All approaches that, over time, also led Apsilon to imitate his father. Crying is suddenly not an easy thing.
Paula Hartmann – “Candy Crush”
Paula Hartmann has moved between pop and hip hop since the beginning of her career. Initially more because of the rap features she landed. Nowadays, however, their sound has changed a bit and their singing is something between sung rap and spoken singing.
In any case, the title of her latest single is further misleading: This is neither about love nor about sweet cotton-candy comparisons. In the track, the 22-year-old talks about a self-destructive mindset where pain leads to drugs and unhealthy distractions. Hartmann’s regular producer Biztram provides light Jersey club rhythms and fast beats.
“Ball away like in Candy Crush/Dust on posters, everything is angel dust/Nobody believes anymore, we’re changing something/The whole vintage 27 club”
Disarstar – “Rain Jacket”
“Rain jacket” is a homage to Distarstar’s hometown of Hamburg. However, the piece is intended less to flatter the city than to highlight the social inequality there. To a beat from Jugglerz, the German rapper talks about the idealization of the place, in which the majority of people close their eyes to the poverty and helplessness of many people living there. The “rain jacket” is the everyday reality alongside “pepper spray, HVV and AMG”.
“Tourists don’t want to see reality/Class society, not in the middle of life/AIDS and hepatitis C/Little kids who give each other stitches/Here victims become perpetrators”
Shirin David – B**CHES NEED RAP (Deluxe Edition)
In 2021, Shirin David released her second album B**CHES NEED RAP. Now an expanded version of the LP followed, in which David added two new tracks “Heidi” and “Periodt” and remixed versions of “NDA’s” and “Ich dar das”.
In the two new songs, the 28-year-old underlines her achievements. While “Periodt” focuses more on her career successes, “Heidi” focuses more on the rapper’s appearance and sexual passions.
For the remix of “Ich dar das” David also included the Frankfurt rapper Josi as a featured guest on the track. Josi is not only the opening act for the current “Shirin David Live Tour”, but also a new signing to David’s label Juicy Money Records.
Timbaland ft. Vita – “Desire”
Anyone who has already listened to the track may ask themselves: Is this still hip hop or can it go away? “Desire” can probably be classified more into the R&B genre, but since the genre is at least as integral a part of the hip-hop scene as Timbaland himself, the song certainly deserves a mention in the recap.
In September, the producer united the three forces that probably make every millennial’s heart beat faster for his single “Keep Going Up”: Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake. The first musical reunion since their joint single “Give It To Me” in 2007. And even if Timberlake’s name currently leaves a bitter aftertaste, Timbaland made a decent announcement to make it clear that a new album is coming in 2023.
“Desire” was the sixth foretaste of the new LP without a name. In it, Vita – as the title suggests – sings about desire and passion. A desire in which the woman takes the dominant part.
“I want you right away/Two hands tied up, I make you work for me/Won’t give you time of day, it can’t be all on me”