‘212’ might be the breakthrough Azealia Banks deserves. I just discovered this track as it’s currently B listed on BBC Radio 1. Initially released last December, it has taken awhile to grow its fanbase in Europe. The track appeared on Pitchfork’s Top 100 Tracks of 2011 ahead of the likes of Kanye West, Jay-Z and Adele. It’s dubbed ‘2012’ after the area code of Harlem where Azealia Banks grew up. It features the rapper Lazy Jay and has so far racked up more than 5.7m views on YouTube.
CHART SPOTLIGHT. Den svenska björnstammen gets its major breakthrough this week as they ascend to the top of the singles tally with ‘Vart jag mig i världen vänder.’ The group consists of seven guys recording melodic electropop with African influences. WelcheMusic really loves it and is amazed as to see a No.1 group with a name translating into The Swedish Bear Tribe.
‘Vart jag mig i världen vänder’ (Wherever I turn in the world) bowed at No.58 at the end of July. The track has then climbed to 39-22-9-2, only to knock Don Omar & Lucenzo’s ‘Danza kudoro’ off the top spot.
The group hails from Norrköping and was one of the finalists in the music competition Metro on Stage in 2010. Signed by the record label Pop Records, their music is distributed via Universal Music. Last year, they launched the EP Dansmusik including five tracks. It was followed by the other EP Classics.
In an interview in Devotion Magazine from 2010, the group said that ‘they get inspiration from Kanye West’s Christian stuff. And some niche, obscure things. We’re so many in our group, but we’re foremost inspired by people we meet. Euro disco clubs are also a great source for information.’
CHART REFLECTION. There are plans to introduce the talent show The Voice in Sweden. Dia Frampton managed to move on to the semi-finals with a rendition of Kanye West’s “Heartless.” Watch the performance below as Frampton managed to turn West’s hit into a completely new song.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA03weV4hd8
According to iamkoream.com, Frampton’s rendition broke into the top ten of songs downloaded on iTunes.
West issued “Heartless” in November 2008, peaking at No.2 on the Hot 100, No.10 in the UK and No.17 in Sweden. The track was included on the 808s & Heartbreak set.
CHART SPOTLIGHT. We absolutely love the new Nicki Minaj single “Girls Fall Like Dominoes.” Based on The Big Pink’s “Dominos,” the track is the sixth single off the rapper’s debut set Pink Friday. Another hit single is in the pipeline – “Where Dem Girls At,” a brand new David Guetta track which features Minaj and Flo Rida.
Hugely successful, the Pink Friday album features guests such as Eminem, Drake, will.iam and Kanye West. Last December WelceMusic reported on “Your Love,” one of the singles which sampled an Annie Lennox hit.
The music blog Digital Spy gave it a 4/5 rating saying that “less surprising is Queen Barbz’s use of hyperbole, sprinkled here over a boombastic beat and juttering synths courtesy of J-J-J-J.R Rotem, who confidently refreshes The Big Pink’s 2009 hit ‘Dominos’ to give it a youthful glean that would make Joan Rivers’s plastic surgeon proud.”
Quick guide to Nicki Minaj singles from Pink Friday, via Wikipedia:
Her most popular hit to date according to Last.fm is “Massive Attack,” her first single ever which was not included on her album.
