While London is making its presence felt on both the Hip Hop (Lady Sovereign, Kano, Dizzee Rascal) and R&B (Craig David) map, very few artists are able to sing as well as they rap (or vice versa). One of those few is Estelle (signed to John Legend’s Homeschool Records) who demonstrates her skills in the breakout single, Wait A Minute (Just A Touch). While the U.K.-native sings the hook rather smoothly and skillfully, her voice and rhyme pattern on both her rapped verses will impress the most. Think Eve, circa now. Throw in will.i.am‘s jazz beat and background vocals and Wait A Minute should be an easy-listening hit that allows Estelle to get her Shine on in February of ’08 when her debut album hits stores.
I'm a HUGE fan of jazz-driven beats based on hip-hop influences. The production from will.i.am is superb and Estelle's vocals are actually pretty good. This style will gain no interest in the hip-hop community, but I see success in the funk/R&B industry for sure.
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