SAVON | The Music Ninja

Waldo
Closer (prod. Savon & Sango)

As music enthusiasts first and foremost, one question in particular always makes the cut when we at The Music Ninja interview artists: “Which musicians are you into lately?”

In creating his widely-praised dark comedy Atlanta, Donald Glover eagerly gives us the answers by injecting tunes of his choosing throughout the first season. Case in point, the soundtrack to Atlanta is so well-regarded that multiple articles have been written praising its eclectic nature and quality, and a highly circulated Spotify playlist updates each week with new songs from the show. For one artist in particular, making the cut on Atlanta may bring about an infusion of mainstream recognition to propel his career even further.

Grand Rapids repping rapper Waldo, one of the most talented and underrated lyricists in the genre, has been releasing notable projects for years. Since making waves as early as 2013 with “Kobe’s Room” – to a pair of major declarations of his arrival with EP releases Tuebor and Until Then – we have kept close tabs on his journey. Partnered with fellow Michigan natives and longtime friends SAVON and Sango, Waldo released his latest hit this past week, titled “Closer”.

With a hauntingly bass-heavy rhythm throughout, the lyrics and instrumentals form a symbiotic bond, painting the gritty picture depicted in his up-tempo cadence. Beyond the prodigal beat-making talents of Sango and Savon, and beyond the vocal characterization of Waldo, the biggest draw to his sound lies in its pure authenticity.

Fans in California will have a few chances to see him live this month: he’ll be in San Diego at the Soda Bar with Jimmy Javier on October 25^th and in Oakland at The New Parish with Sango on October 27^th. Listeners can join the AGO movement by following along with the Soundcloud pages of both the collective and Waldo for all releases.

While most of the ninja team spent the weekend melting away under the desert sun at Coachella, the rest of us here at TMN have been hard at work to ensure that you have the latest and greatest tunes the internet has to offer. While FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out for those who don’t know) is inevitable while our eyes our glued to the live stream on YouTube, we’ve managed to keep ourselves relatively busy by scouring the net for the most serenely sublime tracks we could find. Although we expected a bit of a slowdown in output this week with the advent of festival season, we instead were surprised to stumble upon an overwhelming amount of material while assembling this magnificent playlist.

We can’t safely say we’ve covered everything here, but we’re fairly certain we’ve found the best of the best. Those include selections from Tin Gardens, D.R.A.M., Submotion Orchestra, Iman Europe, Tiara Thomas, Raleigh Ritchie, Betty Who, Bayou, Telescope Thieves, Joey Solo, XONA, WLYN, Falcons, Lido, Maryann, JENI, CompSci, woodini and Kwabs. Of course there’s plenty of other gems hidden below, but you’ll need to sift through to find them for yourself.

’Tin Gardens – Leave Slow’

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’Slime ft. George Maple – Sonnet’

[Hip-Hop] Waldo – Closer Feat. Sango & SAVON

Sunday Night Soul [Vol. 22]