The Best Kept Secret Podcast - TBKS Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard

Congolese-Irish rapper, singer and songwriter Nyota Parker, who hails from Cape Town released one of the best hip-hop albums of the first quarter of 2024. The album, titled, "Intrusive Thoughts" Nyota Parker takes listeners on a journey of introspection using carefully crafted, creative songs -- an exploration of her mind and how she sees things. Noyata manages to seamlessly blend hip-hop, alternative R&B, Neo-Soul and other genres to pull off an exciting body of work.

From making YouTube videos in her bedroom to having one of the biggest songs of 2023, Tyla has seen quite the meteoric rise to stardom in the last 12 months. While we, as TBKS Podcast, have been covering Tyla's music journey since the first single, the majority of the world became aware of her from her Billboard charting hit single, Water. Now almost a year and a Grammy later, she delivered her much anticipated self-titled debut album. We take a look at this very impressive album which features the likes of Travis Scott, Gunna, Becky G and Skillibeng.

After several delays, a few bumps on the road, and a couple of years later, The Big Hash finally released his anticipated sophomore album: HEARTBREAK HOTEL. As the title suggests, the album follows themes of love and loss. The Big Hash carefully and cleverly uses his artistic prowess to craft a solid body of work that taps into the sounds of contemporary R&B and Hip-hop.

The album features the likes of Blxckie, Imani Basquiat, KashCPT, Mo$hpit Cindy, Thato Saul, Tyson Sybateli, and more.

On this week's episode we are discussing the latest project by R&B singer-songwriter and producer, 2AM. The project is titled: For You, Forever and it features the likes of Phiwo, Sandrahhh along with Karabo and Tineke. The 8-track EP showcases 2AM's capabilities as an impressive singer and songwriter while also reminding us why FTL Radio continues to be one of the most trusted music stables in the country as far as quality goes.

On this episode we discuss what it means to be an "Industry Plant" in today's musical climate and also unpack the ongoing issue between streaming platforms and artists.

Many artists argue that streaming platforms pay them unfairly low royalties for their music, especially considering the massive profits these platforms generate. Some artists claim that streaming revenue alone is not sufficient to support their livelihoods, especially for smaller or independent artists. They often highlight the discrepancy between the revenue generated by their music and the portion they receive.

The battle between music artists and streaming platforms reflects broader tensions surrounding the digitization of media and the evolving dynamics of the music industry. Finding a balance that ensures fair compensation for artists while maintaining the accessibility and affordability of streaming services remains a significant challenge.

On the episode, we also briefly review the debut project from artist Njakes for his EP titled "Jump With Abandon"

As we continue our Mars Baby Week on the show, on this episode, we are back with an in-depth review of "Luna" the latest EP from the man himself, Mars Baby.

The team unpacks the different elements that make this body of work such an impressive offering from Mars Baby. We also share some of our favourite moments on the project and discuss the features that were carefully selected to be a part of this project. These features include, lordkez, Shekhinah, Roho and Filah Lah Lah.

Mars Baby continues to show and prove why he is the [MVP] when it comes to South Africa's Alternative/R&B scene.