This week, Newark-native artist Billlzegypt dropped one of the hottest soul records I’ve heard in a while since my first time hearing Flamm perform at his private listening party back in February. I remember meeting B back in February at MoRuf’s soul-hop show at Coffee Cave, introducing myself, not realizing that I had just greeted a super being with a vocal range more dangerous than a siren song 10 leagues underneath the sea. That night I watched in numbing awe by her beautiful spirit manifested in dreamy cadence and infinite range from contralto to soprano, all reverberating in and out of the intimate hall of lovers and friends. A few nights prior to attending the event, I spun her most recent mixtape, SoulCity, discerning that she wasn’t just a real artist, but a genuine composer. Covering some of the decade’s most melodic hip-hop and rnb tracks, from K. Dot to Goapele, the tape lets us gauge the young artist’s deep perspective on soul, power, love and harmony, transcending all emotion and drown listeners in a whirlpool of wonder and marvel. Recently, the NJ soul queen was inducted into hardcore rap collective NJ Rebels and is set to drop a new project relatively soon. At the moment, she has presented us with a track that is soaked in basswood honey, melodies more serene than your favorite sun shower in the middle of May, and harmonies that feel smoother than a pillow made from 1,500 thread count egyptian cotton infused with warm silk. After learning more about B and her background in opera, everything about her crystal chandler for a voice made more sense and my gaps in logic slowly converged into each other when coming to terms that she truly does have perfect pitch. From multilayered harmonies that could put an end to all world wars and an voice haunting with the soulful ghosts of Nina Simone, Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston, B undeniably has a very long career ahead of her. I would be pretty interested to see a couple of the artists I’ve reviewed in the past to put her on and collaborate, especially my rnb and hip-hop people who take great pride in musicianship and careful composing of their music.

Go ahead, take a listen for yourself and draw your own conclusions about Billlegypt. If you’re around the Jersey area this weekend, she will be performing at two events  – one hosted by Thread UNDRGRND (secret location, must RSVP for address), and an art show hosted by S.U.I.T.S. at Alpha Art Gallery in New Brunswick, NJ. View the flyers below for specific details. Be sure to try and come out and support all the artists on both bills. And remember, without the local, there would be no global. As always, enjoy.