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Cordae Writes His Wrongs In The Confessional Video For ‘The Parables’

The Lost Boy details a few of his youthful foibles in his regretful new single. …

In his new song “The Parables,” Cordae (no YBN, thank you) reels off a series of stories about his rough upbringing and negative choices he’s made, so it’s only right that the video also plays these scenes out as he jots his memories in a drunken, confessional songwriting session. As Cordae takes sips straight out of a bottle of cognac, he stumbles through the streets getting into trouble, ultimately reaping the consequences of his foul behavior.

“The Parables” is the second single Cordae’s released since officially changing his name and apparently beginning a new phase of his career after bursting into the mainstream with last year’s The Lost Boy. His first single, “Gifted,” features Roddy Ricch and finds the duo celebrating their respective successes since their collective 2019 breakouts. And while Cordae has been relatively quiet since wrapping up the album cycle, he’s kept his name buzzing with a handful of features sharing his quick-witted bars and precocious perspective.

There’s “Freeze Tag” with jazz quartet Dinner Party, “Can’t Put It In The Hands Of Fate” with soul legend Stevie Wonder, rap icons Busta Rhymes and Rapsody, and fellow newcomer Chika, and “Soda” with Cordae’s fellow Rolling Loud favorites DJ Scheme and Ski Mask The Slump God. However, the most important work the young MC has been doing is in the social justice world, where he’s used his voice to speak out against police brutality both musically and in the form of protest.

Watch Cordae’s “The Parables” video above.

Cordae is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Electronic

DJ Zapper channels emotions in new anthem “Let Me Know You”

DJ Zapper

“Let Me Know You is a towering leap forward for DJ Zapper. It is a song that says a lot while establishing a blueprint for third-stream romance and one that goes deep into meeting the dance floor. This colorful mix of electronic dance, pop, and house music on all platforms represents a new chapter for Zapper in a songbook that fuses raw openness with floor-filling energy.

In “Let Me Know You,” Zapper leads you on a dig past the glossy surfaces of the genre. The song is about wanting a more genuine connection to another person. “I wanted it to feel honest and emotional while still being something you could dance to,” Zapper says. The end product is this enthralling fusion of serious vocals, solid rhythm, and addictive synths that grab you by the ears and swirl you around while igniting a surprising emotional connection.

The production is pin-sharp, the beats pulsing hot through the speakers, and the melody is as large as you would expect right from the first note, and this song’s got you hooked. But “Let Me Know You” stands out for the emotional intensity of the songwriting. Zapper’s signature mix of electronic pulse and soulful late-night storytelling gives the track both a toe-tapping quality and a resonance that reverberates more deeply. There’s an intimacy here, a rawness, that pulls you in close and, simultaneously, feels personal, universally relatable.

The way DJ Zapper can combine feel-good dance vibes with something that connects with other human beings is a signature of his sound, and “Let Me Know You” is a perfect case in point. The song promises to win over fans old and new with its uplifting beats and heartfelt honesty. With the intention of Zapper sharing this music with the world, he has also made the promotional effort to reach playlists and share through social media/his label Lucky Number Seven to ensure that more people than ever hear this music. If you’re looking for a tune that straddles the line between lively dance floor beats and emotional rawness, DJ Zapper’s latest track, “Let Me Know You,” has you covered. Get ready to feel connected and get ready to hit the dance floor.

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Hip-Hop

Smartzee rises strong with new single “Back Down”

Smartzee

Smartzee’s latest single, “Back Down,” is a chest-thumping statement of survival wrapped in powerful emotion and a cutting perspective. “Back Down” grabs you with energy that might have been, you are left with the feeling, forged in fire. The production is aggressive from the get-go, leaving no doubt that this is not a song that will tiptoe around emotions.

Smartzee is a throwback to the mentality of a part beaten-down kid from the hard-knock existence of growing up in a challenging backdrop, part sharp-suited financier fighting his way through the business labyrinth. His comparisons between his life and an athlete looking down the barrel of the final buzzer are startling, beautiful, and achingly true.

There’s a bracing, upfrontness about the way Smartzee recounts his story. This is about survival. His lyrics reach into the fragile but relentless inner monologue that compels us to keep going when everything else tells us to stop. The voice in your head gets up, dusts itself off, and challenges life to take another swing. And that voice reminds one so much of Smartzee on this track. The delivery is raw, spare, and powerful, and it never falls into melodrama. Every bar feels lived-in, and every metaphor is earned. This is a confident, chest-out statement of intent to keep climbing, however steep the mountain.

“Back Down” is one of those songs you put on when you have a big decision to make, are having a tough day, or are going on a long night of chasing dreams. It’s a personal confession and a universal anthem for anyone who’s ever felt underestimated. On “Back Down,” Smartzee encourages us to lace up, buckle up, and walk down that same path with him.

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