Daisha McBride: 'Yafeelme' And 'Hail of a Year' EPs

Record of the Week

Daisha McBride: ‘Yafeelme’ And ‘Hail of a Year’ EPs

By Jewly Hight
December 7, 2020

Record Review:

Daisha McBride started getting buzz as the Rap Girl while studying at MTSU, and a lot of what she’s released since has sounded playful and ambitious, like she’s continually working toward where she wants to be.

During the travails of 2020, she dropped a pair of EPs, each in a different mood and mode.

Yafeelme arrived over the summer, its five tracks all about throwing down, reveling in youthful hustle and generally staying above the fray. McBride spends “Get Ugly”—a party-starter featuring a skittery beat, stuttering bass and guest bars from her Nashville peer nobigdyl—tossing smart-ass smears at those who’ve underestimated her, though her swagger doesn’t rely on swearing.

As a rapper, she’s a nimble and animated technician, conveying attitude as much through her inflections as her lyrics. Here and there, she gets melodic, with sly, sing-song verses and rhythmic hooks.

She put all of those vocal approaches to broodier use on Hail of a Year this fall. In the past, McBride hasn’t been one for topical songwriting, but she weaves it intothese three tracks, attesting to Black struggle and affirming Black pride as part of her personalized testament to the toll of this year.