SEARCH FOR: SABA

Back at the start of May, we announced our third annual Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash music festival lineup, the all hip-hop festival that takes place right here in Chicago. At the time of the announcement, we received a ton of positive feedback regarding the lineup, but we knew that the updated lineup was going to make it that much better. Today we are extremely proud to announce that we have updated our lineup with artists, Don Toliver and Saba! Obviously, Don Toliver has played a big part in Lyrical Lemonade this year with the music videos we have directed for “His & Hers” as well as “Lemonade”. He is one of the brightest young stars in the entire music world, he was widely requested by our fanbase, and we also felt like he was the missing piece to the festival and are very excited to add him to our lineup! Chicago native Saba is without a doubt one of the best rappers that the city has to offer, we here at Lyrical Lemonade have been massive fans of him since he released Comfort Zone back in 2014, and he has grown tremendously since then. Here at the office, Saba was considered …

O apologize because I am a couple of weeks late to this article, but sometime in the middle of May, Nascent recruited Duckwrth and Saba for an amazing new song/visual for “Lock It Up. Nascent is somebody that I have known about for some years now, he is a talented producer and from what good friends of mine like femdot tell me, a great person. On this release here, Nascent created a substantial instrumental, one that you could listen to by itself on repeat for hours if you wanted to. When you get two specials artists like Duckwrth and Saba on a beat like this, you can only expect greatness, and that’s exactly what we received. Do yourself a favor and watch this new visual below!

Obviously, being a fan of any and all music in general, I’m always on the lookout for the next upcoming act that captures my attention and steals the show. As for rap and hip-hop, I just personally tend to lean towards some more ignorant, bass-heavy tracks that aren’t necessarily full of substance, and although this is my personal preference oftentimes, when someone who makes completely different kinds of music than this stands out to me, I have to shine a spotlight on them as soon as I get the chance. I was recently put onto SoloSam, an artist I don’t know much about, but when I saw that he released an Ayo Okesanya and Peripheral Projects-directed music video for his song “Traffic Jam”, I had to tune in without a doubt in my mind. As this visual begins, Sam wakes up in a panic in the driver’s seat of his car in the middle of nowhere. As he gets out, he opens the hood and realizes that something is wrong, and when he tries to call someone for help, his phone doesn’t get reception in the barren landscape that he is stuck in. Walking up the road to find some …

The collaborative bliss that ensues when singer-songwriter Saba Abraha and producer De’Jour Thomas connect is always something special. To no surprise, their latest work, in the form of Saba Abraha’s new single, “Entice,” is as exceptional as her previous work and a big step forward for the talented musician. Absent for a year, Saba appears to have been growing, as a person and an artist, refining her sound and spirit to deliver a palpable example of her intimate songwriting. Her new single, “Entice,” is a mid-tempo production that exudes growth. Saba’s lush vocals glide over the De’Jour Thomas production with ease as she chronicles her newly found spirit, describing how she is no longer the woman she once was. This step into something bigger and brighter is an enduring message that completely engulfs you when listening, fueling your own need to shed the un-serving wears of life. “Entice” is Saba Abraha’s first single in some time, and her return leaves me, and I’m sure many of you, hopeful for an influx of new music from the compelling R&B storyteller. Saba Abraha had the below to say about her new single, saying, “Entice is a sayonara to all of the people and habits …

Certain artists have such an exceptional appeal to them that it’s never any doubt their next release will be top quality; Saba undoubtedly is among this eye-capturing list. The Chicago native has quietly dropped singles in spurts, having released “So and So / Areyoudown? Pt. 2,” followed by “Mrs. Whoever / Something in the Water” in 2020. To kick off 2021, “Ziplock / Rich Don’t Stop” is a two-song offering combined for a pristine Ian Lipton directed visual. Produced by daedaePIVOT and Daoud, each track takes on a different yet equally important introspective lens from within Saba’s burdened psyche. Disclosing that his best days are all in the past, “Ziplock” is a conflicting tale of the blessings and luxuries in Saba’s life that are tainted by societal and personal setbacks. Whether the struggles amount to trauma from loss/grief, the cons of his career success, or non-existent support from police, Saba emphatically remarks that’s he’s willing to ‘bet’ & ‘risk’ it all, which perhaps could be the price of inner peace. On “Rich Don’t Stop,” the record details various aspects of society, as well as dominant emotions that seem to be entrenched in an eerie perpetual loop. Moreover, the song title …

Chicago has been producing a mass amount of talent over the years, there was a miraculous run of artists to come out between 2012-2014, and over the past few years, there has been another resurgence of many talented creatives to rise + receive attention from prominent individuals in the music industry. Saba was one of the creatives who came up in that initial time frame, and he has been on a steady upward trajectory ever since Comfort Zone dropped, and now he is one of the most respected + skilled creatives from the city. While femdot is somebody who has been making his name more & more known over the past two-three years, and his project 94 Camry Music that dropped in late 2019 brought him to new heights, and he has had his fans on edge waiting to hear new music since then. Not too long ago, fem dropped two songs as apart of a BOGO series, called “Back Home” and “Lifetime”, and today we received the video for the latter. Saba + femdot are undoubtedly two of the most talented artists from the city, so obviously the song performed well when it dropped some weeks ago, and the …

“Stranger’ is a song about navigating the personal challenges of finding one’s truth and identity in a world that’s constantly asking you to have an answer. It’s about catching yourself in the midst of change and growth and somehow learning to trust both yourself and the process. The video tries to show me reflecting on my own idea of who I would be when I grow up, and how the projections I may have placed on myself played out in reality. The video is one straight take without any cuts, to me representing the idea that we are in an ever evolving ongoing process. Having the younger me in the video was to emphasize that though we may be looking for who we are, whilst taking on the process and projections, we find that the root of who we are remains” – Gaidaa Fast rising Dutch-Sudanese R&B/Soul singer and songwriter  Gaidaa makes her Lyrical Lemonade debut via a poignant music video for her lovely song entitled “Stranger.” Featuring the immensely talented Chicago artist Saba and fellow Dutch producer Jarreau Vandal, the track is a refreshingly mellow offering with zero musical flaws. Sonically the vibe is chill throughout the entire record, …

It’s obvious that 2020 didn’t turn out nearly how anyone expected at the top of the year. With a global pandemic shaking things up, a pivotal presidential election coming to a head, numerous generational talents passing away, and racial injustice protests taking place across the country, it’s safe to say that this year was beyond unpredictable from even the most seasoned psychics. Nonetheless, Chicago persevered like only we know-how, bringing attention to these issues while also divulging into a plethora of other, more personal narratives in the form of music. Throughout the year, some mainstays in the city continued to impress us here at Lyrical Lemonade while other up-and-comers made some very valid, attention-grabbing claims as to why they’re the next rising star that deserves a place at the table. Also worthy of note, Chicago had some truly excruciating losses this year in terms of music legends whose work still shined through as some of the most impressive of the year, primed to carry on their legacy for years to come. All of that said, we’re more than excited to round this farfetched year out with Lyrical Lemonade’s Top 50 Chicago Projects of 2020. This is our 5th year bringing …

“I was talking with some friends recently, and we were talking about vulnerability. My idea or explanation of it immediately went to dealing with adversity and sharing that experience of overcoming it. Everybody kind of came to that conclusion for it. And another friend brought up the fact that sharing joy and sharing happiness is also vulnerable” – Saba After a brief music hiatus, Chicago native and Pivot Gang veteran Saba recently dropped a satisfying two song bundle. The first of the pair is titled “So and So,” which is a brief, yet addictive banger produced by Flex Lennon. Lennon’s instrumental incorporates a nice mixture of a soothing melody with up-tempo 808’s, which perfectly aligns with Saba’s lowkey yet striking signature flow. The paired track is titled “Areyoudown Pt. 2,” which is jointly produced by fellow Pivot Gang member daedaePIVOT & Hawaii based producer Mr. Carmack. Lasting just 121 seconds, the song admittedly sounds effortless due its length, but per usual Saba somehow maintains his perfect enjoyability record. Not to mention, the subject matter is quite serious despite the track’s short duration, as Saba reflects on various mental afflictions that he’s had to overcome. Unafraid of expressing his vulnerabilities, Saba …

When talking about some of the biggest names in Chicago, there is no question that the talented Saba will come up in that conversation. For years, he has proven himself to be one of the most talented artists who often deviates further than rap. Saba recently teamed up with equally impressive and fellow Chicagoan tobi lou to drop their new single, Areyoudown? Pt. 2. The successor to Saba’s Timezone/Whip (areyoudown?) which dropped over 5 years ago, Saba delivers a dystopian sound on the new single that I haven’t heard before. It’s unique and flows incredibly well and proves Saba’s ability to try out new deliveries for his rhymes. tobi lou also dropped an iconic verse that really emphasizes his talented voice and gives us this iconic line, “It’s tobi lou and Saba b-tch You don’t really want no problem”. That line really encompasses how well this duo works together and I really hope we can see more from the two in the near future. Until then check out the new single down below. Produced by Daedae, Daoud & Mr. Carmack