Daisha McBride Charges Forward on Yafeelme [Fresh Tracks]

Like everyone else, ace rapper Daisha McBride is coping with the entertainment economy coming to a near-standstill in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Knoxville-born, MTSU-educated MC opted to come to Nashville in 2018 to launch her career with her own stamp on it after graduation. Her 2019 debut full-length WILD helped get her off to a strong start, followed by well-attended gigs like The Underflow in August and Spewfest V in February. Her latest release, an EP called Yafeelme that dropped Friday, helps her keep her momentum.

In addition to working with frequent collaborators Big Bruno and Sci-FY, McBride brings in outstanding Christian rapper nobigdyl. and mixes up the program by duetting with mellifluous singer-rapper Byron Juane. It's a fun and fluid-feeling listen. Still, her insightful lyricism and athletic rap skills are the stars of the five-song set, as she addresses a whole heap of complications of being human in the information age.

"Get Ugly" touches on drawing strength from her identity as a Southern rapper, while "23" looks at the struggles of trying to establish yourself as a young person, even in the pre-pandemic economy, as she raps, "Nobody taught me how to do taxes / But I can make 30 dollars last all week." The main narrative of "Hold On" is about trying to develop relationships with people who don't want to take her seriously, but McBride also takes a second to address white folks looking to have a say about how she should conduct herself and do her work: "White bodies drift in my lane / Don't switch / They want to catch me slipping like Janet." 

Spin the EP through the YouTube embed below, and stream or buy via your favorite service at this handy link. Also, keep up with McBride on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.