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Brent Faiyaz | “Loose Change”
In 2020, 26-year-old breakout R&B star Brent Faiyaz, originally from Maryland, was pulled into ATL’s orbit by the person he was dating at the time. And it was here, out of that year’s tumultuous cacophony, that he wrote this particular song. Punctuated by a pulsating metallic sound effect reminiscent of “Cry Little Sister” from the ‘80s vampire flick The Lost Boys, Faiyaz croons his way through an existential crisis about fame.
It’s part of a provocative new album, Wasteland, which builds on the momentum of his 2020 EP F**k the World. The collection of songs boasts collaborations with Alicia Keys and Raphael Saadiq, and it debuted earlier this month at #2 on the charts. Perhaps that instantaneous success was helped by an attention-grabbing, tongue-in-cheek marketing campaign across most major cities with billboards that state: “I would like to apologize in advance for the person I’m gonna become once this album drops.”
Of course, the tidal wave of interest was also bolstered by his hypnotic vocals and a gift for scintillating cynicism. Chances are, he’ll be back to this town, too. After all, he has cited Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds as a dream future collaborator. That’s a matchup we’d 100 percent line up to see.
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Uzuhan | “Home (Sic)”
Hip-hop artist James Han, aka Uzuhan, was first hooked during the ‘90s and early aughts by rap’s ability to tell powerful stories. Soon he found himself listening intently to some of that era’s strongest flavors of flow: Nas, Eminem, A Tribe Called Quest, Lauryn Hill. After attending the University of Maryland, College Park, with a degree in graphic design, he made his way down to Atlanta, where he’s built up a store of verses steeped in history, self-awareness and a sense of place.
The son of Korean immigrants, Uzuhan told news site The Kraze that the rise of K-Pop, though not his genre, has been helpful in some ways, especially since many people he encounters “aren’t used to seeing a Korean guy rap, you know, they might have a few examples here and there, but I’m still more or less a novelty. Not even in a mean way; it’s just what it is. So, with Korean music becoming such a global phenomenon, I think it allows people to understand the nuance of who I am and really listen to my art.”
On May 27, he released his latest album, Buford Highway, which he describes as “the tensions of a Korean American man cursed with an insatiable desire to constantly reinvent himself.” This video reunites Uzuhan with longtime collaborator Sam Ock.
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Soul Miner’s Daughter | “Story of Your Bones”
It’s unclear when exactly this Peachtree Morning clip aired. Still, it would have been before Jennifer Nettles struck out on her own in 1999 with her self-titled band — for which she would remake and revive this song with goosebump-inducing arrangements of string and percussion to make her voice strike the heart. But what’s clear here is that, even sitting on an uncomfortable stool under the awkward bright lights of morning news television, she’s entirely in a different singing stratosphere in this, our Vintage Track of the Week.
Though eclipsed by Nettles’ later work with Sugarland and then solo, Soul Miner’s Daughter left a small but mighty imprint during the band’s three years together. Right out of college, Nettles, a graduate of Agnes Scott, and Cory Jones, a graduate of the University of Georgia, began picking up acoustic indie gigs around Atlanta and Athens. If you were a frequenter of Eddie’s Attic during that time, you would have seen their pared down but nonetheless electrifying live shows (listen to the live recording of “Bodies” from their album The Sacred and the Profane; it’s pretty saucy).
They performed at Lilith Fair and made two albums, and then it was kaput. Strangely enough, it’s almost impossible to find any information online about what happened to Jones post-split. But for Nettles, well, in 2004, she formed Sugarland with fellow Atlanta singer/songwriters Kristian Bush and Kristen Hall, turning their sound into slick, scrubbed country music that still had some soul to it.
And then she just kept climbing. Grammy Awards. A Kennedy Center tribute to Bruce Springsteen where the Boss nods approvingly. The Righteous Gemstones on HBO. Waitress on Broadway. Reportedly, one of Nettles’ new projects is writing the score for a new musical about Giulia Tofana — a bona fide professional poisoner from 17th century Italy. Um, excuse us, but this drink seems to be laced with badass.
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