Shenseea: The Alpha

2.16.22

Shenseea R U That FT 21 Savage, 2.16.22

We all know the wave of females in hip-hop is not slowing down anytime soon. Shenseea is an upcoming artist from Jamaica, who is already coming off of four Grammy nominations with her work with various artists. She been making a name for herself with dynamic features and her favorable style, and is ready to drop her debut album, Alpha.

Shenseea signed to Interscope records in 2019, and is also well known for working with record producer Rvssian, whom is also from Jamaica. In 2021, she went on a freestyle tour, where she ended up in the booth with Funk Flex and several other publishers who wanted to hear her bars. In each appearance, she repped her home to the fullest, and proved to be a more-than-worthy talent in the hip-hop industry.

Since then, she has had a number of honorable features as she focuses on making the right music for her debut album. The first single off the album, features Megan Thee Stallion, in a song called, Lick. While the music video has almost 7.5 million views on YouTube, it did come with mixed reviews. Shenseea’s part in the song seemed neither here nor there when it came to having the bars we have heard her come with, or the skills in vocals we' have also seen in previous singles such as You’re The One I Love. To some, it may have felt like the label was compromising the skill set of Shenseea to make a trendy hit that would make sense for Megan Thee Stallion. Of course, the vulgar lyrics and sex positive messages throughout Megan’s songs are what make sense and what people expect, so this song was geared much more towards that realm. However, many still appreciated the track and said that not everything has to be a rap battle.

I do believe it is good to have versatility in your style and songs, but I believe it is more important to stay true to whom you are as an artist. As of yesterday, Shenseea released new single R U That featuring 21 Savage. This song really seemed to get people back on track. While still a scandalous love song, her vocals shine like no-other in this track. 21 Savage showed a trendy, soft side with his verse. It is sure to be the smash single of the spring that you can sing along to as you roll down the windows for the first time this season.

The mixed reviews from the public eye on Lick could just be hatred from the Megan feature, but it does bring up a good point: does a label attempt to change their artists when it is time to put out an album. Cardi B had to start singing in order to put out her debut album, and Megan Thee Stallion took her label to court because they did not want her to release her project that had zero versatility.

Shenseea is definitely proven that she can sing, she can rap, and she can have some fun. I hope to see a bit more rap come through on some of these songs, but really appreciate the vocals and her versatility shown thus far. Her debut album, Alpha, is set to drop on March 11th, including features from Megan Thee Stallion, 21 Savage, Tyga, Offset, Sean Paul and Beenie Man.

Alpha March 11th, 2022:

1. “Target” – Feat. Tyga
2. “Can’t Anymore”
3. “Deserve It”
4. “R U That” – Feat. 21 Savage
5. “Lick” – Feat. Megan Thee Stallion
6. “Bouncy” – Feat. Offset
7. “Henkel Glue” – Feat. Beenie Man
8. “Lying If I Call It Love” – Feat. Sean Paul
9. “Hangover”
10. “Body Count”
11. “Egocentric”
12. “Sun Comes Up”
13. “Shen Ex Anthem
14. “Blessed” – Feat. Tyga