Welcome back to another edition of Saturday Spotlight. Each week we review submissions from all over the globe, picking the best out of the batch to highlight at the end of the week. If you’re an aspiring rapper, a producer wanting to create a buzz, or a singer looking to expose their talent, Saturday Spotlight is dedicated to discovering the next star. This week, we received over 30 submissions, below are the two picks!
Whether it’s your latest single or a new beat you made, all upcoming artists can submit music to us for Saturday Spotlight on this link.
Steven Malcolm
Every so often, a great talent bubbles from within the melting pot of the music industry — simmering patiently underneath, steadily blowing steam until the lid comes off to reveal a tasteful artist, with a sound created to refresh the palette of music lovers worldwide. Steven Malcolm is one of these very talents — and with his latest and third full-length album Tree, has gracefully demonstrated that although some stars are not always visible at night, they burn just as brightly as the rest.
By way of Nashville, Tennessee, self-pronounced ‘Christian hip-hop artist’ Steven Malcolm is intent on delivering a different message with his music. One of positivity, hard work, dedication, love, and family. Though Tree boasts features from legends like Snoop Dogg, Childish Major, and Shaggy, Malcolm’s solo tracks speak for themselves, his bars and vocal delivery deeply rooted in skill, enough to stand on their own even without the impressive guest-stars on the project. Much like the album’s name, Tree branches out into different sonic styles and themes — that being said, Heavenly Father, All I Know, and Respect are definitely a few stand-out tracks.
Listen to Tree below.
Mason Parker
Based in Chalotte, NC, Mason Parker is a spoken word artist, actor, hip-hop artist, and writer. Characterized by his desire to deliver honest lyrics, coated in the truth of pain, victory, and self-realisation, Mason Parker is rising through a unique journey of storytelling, tapping into some of the most relevant and crucial themes of today’s world.
This past June, Parker released his latest single ‘Black Girl Magic’, a heartwarming ode to various Black women, characterized by tbe black women in his own life — his wife, daughter, and mother. The track features singer-songwriter Dennis Reed Jr. and The Trap Choir and is the first single from his upcoming EP “The Paperback Hero Saga,” produced by H-Wood, YoBuddy, YUNG Citizen, and MillionDollaFingers. He is set to release “The Paperback Hero Saga,” an animated short film series featuring Emmy Award-winning actor Malcolm Jamal Warner and award-winning poet Boris “Bluz” Rogers, in the fall of 2022. His upcoming EP will serve as the film’s score.
Listen to ‘Black Girl Magic’ below.
Through our artist discovery platform Saturday Spotlight, we have discovered some amazing talent in the past including Russ, Ty Dolla Sign, Mez, IDK, Victoria Monét and Trap Beckham to name just a few. In most cases, coverage on HHNM was their first look among media outlets. Find the submission guidelines here.