One of the coolest things about covering underground artists who do a lot of collaborations is discovering others in the process. I’ve come across so many cool artists by reviewing other artists. The collaborations between local Milwaukee and Minneapolis underground artists are so fun, and the fact that some of them come together so often gives me a chance to hear music I probably wouldn’t come across otherwise. If you pay attention to Eastside Vibes at all, you have probably seen me write about Daark. The Minneapolis-based Milwaukee native is someone I have covered several times on this blog, and have lauded every single time. One of his frequent collaborators over the last couple of years has been Empress’Orah. I have always been impressed with their flow and their presence on his music, but had never heard any solo music by them. That changes now, as they recently released a new EP called Land Of’Orah that slaps. The energy that they have exhibited on Daark’s music is present on this EP in a major way. Below, I wanted to talk about a couple of my favorite songs from Land Of’Orah, as well as give some thoughts on the project as a whole. Please let me know in the comments below what you think of Empress’Orah, and comment the names of any other underground artists I should check out!
ON MY LEVEL
As someone from Milwaukee who loves the kind of music we are famous for here, there is a certain kind of instrumental I will definitely always be attracted to. That kind of music is Slap music. Even though Empress’Orah is not from Milwaukee, ‘On My Level’ is a track that definitely sounds akin to a lot of my favorite music from here. The melody for this song has an almost quirky and vibrant element to it which I dig a lot. This melody, which is driven by a pretty straightforward keyboard riff, has a tone that really makes me think of a fight scene in an anime, which is so fun to hear. As I alluded to above, the fast-paced Slap beat on this track just gets me excited. Its off-kilter tempo just makes me want to dance. The fast flow and kind of even tone that Empress’Orah raps with works very well on this instrumental. She sits perfectly on this beat and fluctuates her tone enough to add texture to the track. If you are a fan of Slap music and some energy, listen to ‘On My Level’.
B!TCH WE HAVING FUN
I am someone who can definitely always be behind a gritty and in-your-face Trap song. ‘B!tch We Having Fun’ certainly fits into that category. The melody for this song is so foreboding and ominous, and I love it. The synth that drives this one has a very dark and mean energy to it. The melody is pretty intricate, with some higher-pitched synths driving it and various toned synths(I especially loved the low bass-filled synth) to complete it. The beat has an intricate and sludgy Trap feeling to it which is super heavy, making the song bang. Empress’Orah’s flow and presence on this song are super captivating. Her sing-songy flow slides on the beat and is very addictive, and her tongue-in-cheek style of rapping is very entertaining. There is actually a remixed version of this song on the EP as well that contains verses from Tori and from Big Kiaa which add every more energy to the track. ‘B!tch We Having Fun’ is the kind of massive Trap song that could get anyone turned up.
As I mentioned above, I had never listened to Empress’Orah’s solo music before checking out Land Of’Orah. I had dug what I had heard from her on her collaborations with Daark, but did not know what I would get from her own music. I have to say I am definitely impressed and happy that I checked out this EP. Even though it is only four songs(five with the ‘B!tch We Still Having Fun’ remix), there is so much variance and interesting music on this project. Even though I chose to highlight the two tracks that I chose above, the other songs on the project are equally enticing. The only reason I did not write about the song ‘Fairy Thunder’ is because of how brief it is, and I wanted to focus on a couple of slightly longer songs. This may be the most interesting song of the project(which is saying a lot), as its beat and overall sound are so interesting. The fourth song, ‘Healthy Balance,’ is a Trap banger akin to ‘B!tch We Having fun’ which is enjoyable as well. Even though this EP is short, Empress O’rah shows off so much diversity in her sound. It seems like she can go in so many directions with her music and her limits are endless. Her flow and vocal style can fit over any track, and she pushes herself sonically. Overall, this little EP is very fun to listen to. Land of’Orah, shows a lot of potential, and it makes me excited to see what Empress’Orah does next.