Music
Dreamville Highlights A Truly Revolutionary Artist In The First Episode Of Its ‘The Messenger’ Podcast
Dreamville artist Bas narrates the story of a Ugandan musician who is challenging the nation’s 30-year dictator in a pivotal election. …
As more and more artists get into podcasting as an alternative outlet and become the subjects of narrative podcasts like the Tekashi 69 podcast Infamous, it was only a matter of time until an artist took on the challenge of reporting for their own documentary-style show. Now, Dreamville and Bas are partnering with Spotify for The Messenger, a podcast telling the story of Ugandan pop star Bobi Wine, who is running for president in his country’s upcoming general election — and risking his life to do so.
Bas will narrate the podcast, amplifying Bobi Wine’s social justice struggle as he challenges Ugandan dictator Yoweri Museveni, who’s been the nation’s president since 1986. Under Museveni, Ugandan leadership has suppressed dissent, threatened to punish homosexuality with the death penalty, removed term and age limits on the presidency, and oversaw multiple humanitarian crises, including involvement in Congo’s civil war and the insurgency of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Northern Uganda.
Bobi Wine, who led multiple humanitarian aid projects throughout his tenure as both a musician and a member of Uganda’s Parliament, was banned from radio for speaking out against the government’s policies, arrested after his nomination for president, and allegedly mistreated while in police custody. The Messenger seeks to bring light to this artist’s struggle ahead of his challenging Museveni this year, spearheaded by Bas, who is also of African descent, although he hails from Sudan rather than Uganda.
Listen to the podcast on Spotify and check out its theme song, “Smoke From Fire,” above.
Artist Spotlight
Lana Crow turns challenges into a celebration with “Laugh With You”
“Laugh With You,” the latest single from Lana Crow, is a sincere rallying cry to embrace life in all its messy, beautiful mess. In the song, indie pop and alt-pop combine to deliver an emotional blow that feels both personal and universal.
“Laugh With You” feels like an instant connection, and Crow is telling you stories of hard times with a cozy, knowing smile. This song is as much about struggle as it is about how strong you are. It serves as a reminder that these struggles are simply what give us the strength to keep going, even when life is tough.
Crow encourages people to welcome them, create happiness in the cracks, and laugh even as the world gets heavy. The result is a song that delicately nudges you to love and embrace yourself. It is an anthem for anyone experiencing tough times who refuses to give up hope. Lana Crow continues to demonstrate her songwriting skills, both musically pleasing and emotionally rich, with “Laugh With You.”
It’s a reminder that it’s how we respond to tough times, rather than how they affect us, that’s key. With this song, not only does Crow provide us with music, but she also lets us know that sometimes a laugh is what we need to remember that there is always something to smile about and that, even when it feels like life has waged war against you, laughter can still be found.
Artist Spotlight
Lisa Boostani creates a mesmerizing tidal realm in “Ocean”
Lisa Boostani’s “Ocean” takes you deep into a sensory world where body, spirit, and myth come together, beyond the surface of genre. Boostani makes a soundscape that is both ethereal and deeply human by combining the broad essence of psychedelic pop with the strong appeal of alternative rock.
Her voice rises as if it is coming from deep within her, shaped by emotion rather than action. She intentionally channels the intangible, turning weakness into strength rather than a source of pain, and “Ocean” tells people to get involved in this inner world, not just watch it. This release is an integral part of her first EP, “One,” which will come out in March 2026 and is based on love, sensuality, and unity.
If “Ocean” is any indication, the EP will show sensuality not as something pretty, but as a kind of spiritual intelligence, a way to know yourself by connecting with others. The song’s textures and structure have an aquatic quality, moving between clarity and delirium, rhythm and freedom. Its emotional focus is on immersion instead of resolution.
The striking quality of “Ocean” is the blend of the mystical worlds. Boostani understands that strength often shows up as gentleness and that deep feelings are better expressed through frequencies than words. She wants people to see consciousness as immediacy, sensation as truth, and openness as an undeniable strength.
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