Whether it’s on stage or on record, Orlando rapper-singer E-Turn is famous for being a flamethrower. That fire is what’s made her a breakout local star who now tours regularly and widely as a signed Fake Four artist. But her new single “L.O.T.R.” flips all that for an unusually raw look inside the personal reality behind it.
The track is a break from E-Turn’s usual mode. For one, it’s produced by Even Tho rather than her longtime local collaborator Swamburger. In everything from sound to mood, it’s a starkly introspective and vulnerable side of E-Turn. Rather than her usual electricity and empowerment, this song leads with its weariness.
“L.O.T.R.” — an acronym for “life on the road” — was written after a grueling self-booked national tour that E-Turn did with West Coast beat wizard Lisa Vasquez. It was one that left E completely expended, and the fresh toll of that crucible imbues her voice here with leaden pathos. Across the unblinking and confessional lyrics, she paints a gritty first-person portrait of the underside of touring life that’s revealing, articulate and honest.
“L.O.T.R.” is now streaming everywhere and is available as a name-your-price download on E-Turn’s Bandcamp.
For his latest release, Orlando hip-hop veteran MidaZ the BEAST has gone deluxe with a whopping double album titled 8487. For the monumental work, he rejoined proven forces with producer Delle Digga, who this time dials the clock back to cast MidaZ in a vintage halo.
Gliding on the sultry lines of easy cosmopolitan jazz and R&B, the record breathes an air of soft drama that’s so distinctly 1980s that it’s almost vaporwave. Juxtaposed with MidaZ’s tough signature flow, it’s a lush, moody ride.
Although 8487 now streams everywhere, it’s also notably available in a colorful array of physical formats — vinyl, CD and cassette — on Chong Wizard Records’ Bandcamp.
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New music out this week from Orlando hip-hop artists E-Turn and MidaZ the BEAST
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