Premiere
Shelailai Takes Heartbreak to the Beach in “BY YOU”
By Zach Collier
“BY YOU” Artwork
tmrw readers can watch the new music video for Shelailai’s “BY YOU” before anyone else. The LA-based hip-hop artist is back with her second single – one that weaves Shelailai’s trademark speed raps and brassy vocals with bossa nova progressions and trap beats. It’s a followup to her debut single “GOODTIME,” which generated significant underground buzz when it dropped last month.
Photo by Savanna Ruedy
So much sunshine you can hardly hear the gloom
The rising rap star was born to two DJ parents and was raised on a balanced diet of A Tribe Called Quest, Jay Z, Amy Winehouse, Erykah Badu, and Al Green. You can hear all of those influences in rapid succession as she drops them not track by track, but moment to moment on each track with her unique flow. Shelailai began developing a following on TikTok after posting playful rap battles with friends. Over 170,000 people are now actively following her on the platform, praising her for her intricate rhyme schemes and clever wordplay that fans of Noname and Doja Cat would enjoy.
Shelailai’s sun-drenched new single is just one example of the tracks she’s been cutting lately with acclaimed producers like Oscar Scheller (PinkPantheress, Shygirl, NewJeans), Slush Puppy (Nessa Barrett, Dorian Electra), Zach and Roger (A$AP Rocky, 2Chainz), and more.
Photo by Savanna Ruedy
Photo by Savanna Ruedy