Kendrick Lamar’s Top Dawg Entertainment now has its first R&B signee — and its first female member. She is 23 years old, goes by SZA — government name: Solana Rowe — and hails from St. Louis, though she also spent time growing up in Maplewood, New Jersey. Her buzz comes from two EPs released in the last year — See.SZA.Run from this past December and S from April — and new material is expected soon. The video above is her short introduction as the newest member of the TDE family, but she’s also put two new tracks no Soundcloud, which you can stream below.
The first is “Teen Spirit,” which was produced by WondaGurl, the 16-year-old producer who famously landed a beat on Jay Z’s Magna Carta… Holy Grail. While Hov’s “Holy Grail” samples Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” SZA’s track is a dark, dense dirge that aligns seamlessly with Tumblr R&B’s syrup-soaked aesthetic. The other is “Julia,” an upbeat dance oriented song that is illuminated by the soft light of ’80s prom jams. Expect to hear more from her soon.
