#MusicMonday: Mura Masa & Young Thug

Currently I can’t stop listening to two very different albums: the first, breezy UK electro-pop, and the second, gloomy Atlanta trap music.

“Just say yes…you’ll be my firefly,” coos Nao on what is easily the cutest song I’ve heard all year. “Firefly” inspired me to check out the other work of UK Producer Alex Crossan, whose recently dropped EP, Someday Somewhere, is a powerful hit of serotonin to the dome. The EP evokes Odesza’s luminous buoyancy and Star Slinger’s seamless fusion of hip-hop and electrontrica. Staying true to his UK roots, Crossan’s EP features London up and comers Nao, Jay Prince, and Denai Moore. Aside from “Firefly,” standout tracks include “Lovesick Fuck,” “Terrible Love,” and “When U Need Me.” Blast when you’re seeking a chemical-free alternative to MDMA – the effects do not stray significantly.

“I’m a gangster, I don’t dance, baby I poke,” spits Young Thug on “Constantly Hating,” my favorite track off Barter 6. The Birdman-produced album was originally scheduled to be called Carter 6, but Lil Wayne wasn’t having it. Thus, Barter 6 was born, what HipHopDX boldly deemed “the definitive mainstream strip club album of the modern era.” There is nothing I love more than when highbrow music critics praise trap music, and Young Thug is the paragon. The New York Times has called Young Thug’s style “indelible and broadly appealing,” noting in particular his “gift for words and off-kilter metaphor.” The Washington Post put “The Rise of Young Thug” at the very top of its list of best music of 2014, naming him “the year’s most radical pop star,” and wrote that Barter 6 proves that Young Thug “remains the most intoxicating pop mystery of right now.” Blast when you’re feeling moody & tough.