Atlanta rapper Bktherula has created quite the fanbase and buzz in the last couple of years since her 2019 breakthrough single "Tweakin' Together," which has gained over six million video views and over eleven million streams. Since then, Bktherula (real name Brooklyn Rodriguez) has released her 2020 independent debut, 'Love Santana', and after signing to a major label, Warner records served up the 2021 acclaimed mixtape 'Nirvana'. This was swiftly followed by her best work effort to date in the anthem-filled dreamy album 'Love Black'. The record effortlessly blends an upbeat vibe with a punk-inspired disruptive spirit. It indicates Bktherula's unerring maturity as an artist with its psychedelic and kaleidoscopic ethos, an impressive feat for such a formative performer. 'Love Black' also sees Bktherula in a more unconfined and empowered nature to remarkable results.
One of the album's stand-out tracks is closer, "IDK WHAT TO TELL YOU". A number that feels like it was concocted in a TIKTOK laboratory. It features a sample of Indie's golden boy Mac Demarco wavy song "On the Level." In addition, both Bktherula and Mac Demarco co-produced the song in one of the most unlikely collaborations in recent times.
Bktherula masterfully slows down the original version and puts her hallucinogenic trippy R&B stamp on it in a hazy-space trap style, which merges stunningly with Mac Demarco's Indie aromatized sound. The result is an airy, dreamy, and sonically palliative groove, which you will have on repeat, again and again, thanks to its soul-soothing properties.
Bktherula accompanied "IDK WHAT TO TELL YOU" with a music video, which showcases her free-spirited and distinctive style. As she fantasizes over a love interest, which takes an eery turn when they are confronted by a group of people wearing pink ski masks in a movie theatre, the love interest then dons a mask of her own, and suddenly Bk is alone leaving the theatre. A real mind-altering and psychoactive video to support the ethos of the experimental track and Bktherula overall ferociously liberating and cathartic artistic vibe.
With this song and 'Love Black', Bktherula has shown she won't rest on her laurels and continues to develop her sound. At just 20 years old, she has a sound vision way beyond her years, and based on her trajectory up to this point, will only continue to grow. I can't wait to hear what musical boundaries she will push next, as her stardom continues to grow.
You can watch the video for "IDK WHAT TO TELL YOU" below:
You can also listen to "Love Black" here:
https://bktherula.lnk.to/LoveBlack