New V Music The Zine Volume. 2 June 25th , 2021 CCDE Takeover F.O.E. EP Review LGBTQ+ Playlist Summer Jams Juneteenth Unshelved #TAGGEDURIT Index: Credits & Special Page 3………… Credits Thanks Page 4……… Songs of the Summer Pages 6-13 ………CCDE Writers & Contributors: Angela Vance Takeover Gillian Brigance David Higgins Pages 16-17 ……… LGBTQ+ Joesph Higgins Lillian McConnell Thru The Decades Playlist Vivian ‘Twiggy’ Vance Publishing: Page 18……… EP Review: Gillian Brigance ʻT.I.M.E F.O.R. I.Tʼ F.O.E Production: Angela Vance Page 19………… Song Review Special Thanks and Acknowledgements to: ʻBop-Onʼ 1100 G-Way David Higgins, Joseph Higgins, Chinese Connection Dub Embassy, Negro Terror, DJ Paul, Frederick “Foe” Field IV, Nichole Morris, Pages 20-21……The Shelving Patrick Houston, Sir Elton John (for being of Juneteenth fabulous), Mid South Pride, Opal Lee, & Fox 4 KDFW Fort Worth Page 22 ……… #taggedurit Friends Chase Atlantic Songs of the This one came out in 2015, but thanks to TikTok it has gained popularity. The vocals are smooth and the flow is comfortable if that makes sense. You can picture yourself driving down the highway with this one on loud and nothing planned. We like it because it makes us feel good to see a story about success after years of hard work and patience finally paying off. Who doesn’t Summer want to believe the universe rewards us for being patient and never giving up? Favorite Crime Olivia Rodrigro Who doesn’t like Olivia Rodrigo right now? She seems to be the “it” artist, but this song we had to add for it’s actual value as a gift to the summer playlist. AGAIN with the love and heartbreak By: Vivian Vance themes, ammiright? Aside from the great lyrics and vocal range with her syncopation in the outro, but this is another artist that was putting her open soul out there for the listener and you have to We asked Twiggy to give us her favorite songs of this summer and tell us why she respect that. liked them. This is her list and this is why she thinks these will be the songs of Summer 2021! One More I Love You Alex Warren This one resonates with many of us right now dealing with loss after 2020, so this one seemed Hot Girl Summer by Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla Sign fitting. Alex Warren opens up in the lyrics about the loss of his father to cancer and the subsequent We’re keeping this from 2019, because we were robbed of a proper “Hot Girl life struggles that followed. This is a powerful anthem for many going through the same thing Summer” due to Corona virus so the good vibes, the lyrics inspire women right now who have no idea how to handle it so this is why it made it. empowerment and “girl Power” are something we are living for in Summer 2021. You can dance to it easily and it made it’s way to our Summer sounds 2021 Playlist. Good 4 U Olivia Rodrigo Another O.R. on the list, but this one isn’t the broken dove of the previous song on our list. This is Heartbreak Anniversary by Giveon the own your power, “Anger” portion of the grief cycle, and she is running the gamut quite nicely. Summer means love and of course, heartbreak. We had to add at least one for the Aside from the fact that Devon Carlson styled her video, which we love, but again she is singles still reeling. This one by Giveon provides a beautiful track with soft harmony, expressing some actual emotions instead of some canned, processed garbage. We dig it. beautiful vocals and relatable content because we’ve all been there. The hook is catchy. It’s soft yet hits and made it to our list. Your Power Billie Eilish Miss Eilish wowed everyone this spring/ summer. She’s never been a conventional pop star and Thot Shit by Megan Thee Stallion may be the one personally responsible for comfortable clothing being “in” which we should all be Second appearance by Miss Megan, and it’s a bop! Her take on the erroneous attack grateful to her for. She sets trends instead of following them. This track pretty much sent a wave of pseudo conservatives on women of color, in the industry. The beat and flow of this through the space time continuum and will probably find a place in music history. She easily one is just catchy, and I mean this as in you want to start dancing whether you can or makes it into every playlist. not. I can picture Nancy Pelosi getting down to this one as it makes it to our Summer Playlist. Our Song Anne Marie & Niall Horan It’s about time we see the ‘good guy’ of One Direction in a police chase (see video link). Niall Keep It Movin’ Olivia O’Brien Horan and Anne Marie’s duet of Our Song is definitely appealing to everyone. It can fit in on a Olivia’s voice is powerful and almost doesn’t fit her persona. She has a video on pop station as easily as a country chart, and all walks of life will find themselves digging it. Their YouTube “What’s in Her Purse”, which is hilarious and presents more of a punk pop/ voices work well together and it’s a great summer love vibe. It’s on our Sweet Summer Sounds indie performer… then you hear this. She belts out some R&B laced vocals with some Playlist! hints of a young baby Bae and Whoa! Where in the hell did that come from? This one is great and makes it on our playlist as we will be singing it all summer. Sun Goes Down Lil Nas X Lil Nas X has grown Up… He will be referred to as Big Nas X from this point forward. This one really highlights his maturity and growth as an artist. The boy has evolved. He can sing and is much more than the sum of his parts or a catchy tune that made him famous. This one has some emotions and relatability beyond being quirky… you are in a part of his vulnerable soul here. That’s why it made it to our playlist. Save Your Tears The Weeknd & Ariana Grande It’s just another one about love and summer for some reason induces those feelings for most of us. Especially after the last two years… we just need to be reminded it exists. Romance, and love and this one kind of embodies it. Their voices beautifully mesh together in this duet and the flow of this digital throwback upbeat remind us it’s getting better. It made it to our Summer Sounds playlist. CCDE TAKEOVER By: Angela Vance NewVMusic: Tell me a little more about the origins of CCDE? David: At first, we had this little record deal, didn’t want to go too deep with it, still wanted to perform live, because it was kind of iffy. Omar came up with ‘Chinese Connection’ and I came up with ‘Dub Embassy’. We’ve been playing in Memphis in the Punk Rock scene since 2009 with Omar live. There was zero Reggae scene in Memphis, you know. It’s the home of blues, rap… rock n’roll. We sat down with brothers, David and Joseph Higgins of the two Memphis Just being fans of punk rock music and that culture being so close to Reggae, they embraced Omar and brought him in. He was genuinely a fan of all genres. bands CCDE (Chinese Connection Dub Embassy) and Negro Terror to talk He was metal. Punk… that was his baby and Reggae later he started to Music, life, Reggae, the industry and more. The conversation flowed so freely it embrace even more so because of our mother and father. But when we got was hard to stay within the time allotted, because these brothers are two of the older to perform it and play it and he had 2-3 other different Reggae bands he most intelligent, well rounded and deep thinkers you will ever meet. True to the played with that kind of fell by the waysides. Then me and Joe came together, nature of Reggae’s roots, they have the hearts of activists beating underneath and we were like, man, we got to reintroduce you to this world. You got talent. their carefree, beach-y button downs. We’ve got to take you to the top! As far as we can, between that, and school and work and family, you know, we’ve just been going. Since then, we’ve the You can hear it in their music and feel their vibe in their presence. They main nucleus of Chinese Connection Dub Embassy in Memphis, TN. are in a place of balance and seek the same for the world around them. You almost want to join the crusade if you are around them long enough. Joseph: What’s crazy is when it comes to the origin, at least on my part of it – I was never a huge Reggae fan growing up. I was always a huge hip hop, R&B. Their first band, The Firm Foundation Riddim Squad with their late brother, some smooth jazz, and stuff like that. I had heard of Bob Marley, of course, Omar Higgins from 2004 to 2010 became CCDE due to a contract mishap, in and we all know the ‘Cops’ theme song too well.