Azealia Banks – “Harlem Shake (remix)”

First and foremost, you should know that Azealia Banks’s “Harlem Shake (Remix)” has caused beef with DJ Baauer, the man who <strike>swagger jacked</strike> drew inspiration from the dance for his version, which also happens to be responsible for a misinformed meme gone wild. Anyway, Banks tweeted at Baauer asking why he was c**k-blocking her because he was trying to shut her version down. His response was, “Because it’s not your song.”

That’s so very loaded and there’s so much I could say about that, but I digress. Banks, an actual Harlem native, delivered another digital middle finger by releasing the video version of her remix. There’s actually no Harlem shaking going on, but at least Banks is actually from Harlem (I’m admittedly biased because I grew up in Harlem), and I’m not mad at her lyrics. She’s basically bigging herself up as a sexy chocolate beast.

Watch it here.

Kandi – “Stay Prayed Up”

Finally, the fruits of Kandi’s labor on The Real Housewives of Atlanta have come to fruition. If you watch the show, then you’ve seen her recording “Stay Prayed Up” with gospel icon Marvin Sapp. If you’re one of those reality TV elitists who “doesn’t watch that crap,” it’s still a song worth checking out. “Stay Prayed Up” is a contemporary inspirational song about keeping your head up when times get rough.

Listen here.

Raheem DeVaughn – “Love Connection”   

Valentine’s Day is over but good voices are forever. In case you missed it, Raheem DeVaughn released “Love Connection” last Thursday as a serenade to all the sappy suckers for love out there. It’s a beautiful song about, you guessed it, making love connections. According to Heemy, he just wants to give you “good love.” This song is easily a timeless modern classic.

Listen here.

Jay Mills “Lord Willing”

Jay Mills has been featured on Sonic Boom before. She’s back with a new song entitled “Lord Willing” (produced by Holleywood) and an accompanying video. The D.C. native teamed up with Cool Kids Forever Films to present the visuals for the gritty track, which details her passion for writing lyrics.

“The visual directors Backie Thomas and Six Shooter expertly capture the living metaphor that is a feMC by contrasting the beauty of nature with the grittiness of the city. Jay Mills has come to truly represent a queen without a crown,” read the press release.

And I concur. The essence of the song is about doing what you love and sticking to it even when it beats you down. In “Lord Willing,” Mills shares personal struggles (like industry opportunities falling through) and stuff about having enough faith to keep going. Mills raps on the hook, “Lord willing, writing for divine intervention.”

Sometimes, it bees that way.

Watch here.