It seems like every couple months or so since the Renaissance kicked off a few years ago, Chicago has collectively been introduced to new, young artists with rising regularity. As one after the next has impressed and embarked on their own journeys those of us in the periphery are often left wondering who we’ll still be listening to years later, who will be remembered when its all said and done. While we have no soothsayers on staff at Mild Sauce, one act we’re confident will earn that title is hometown product Ravyn Lenae, who continued her upward trajectory with the release of her latest EP, Crush.
Following a path similar to artists before her like Jamila Woods, Eryn Allen Kane and others, Lenae possesses a subtlety all her own that has seen her steps forward be less outwardly-maneuvered than inwardly-manifested. In the last year she’s struck sensical collaborations with the likes of Red Bull and L’Oreal and on this project does similarly in her creative realm, teaming with Steve Lacy for a pair of tracks off the five-song release which also features her breakout hit “Sticky”. It’s a artistic step forward for Lenae, one that should prove to continue to push her towards the lofty heights her abilities demand. Crush is but a small aside in the chapters that make up the artist Ravyn Lenae is on her way to becoming, but it’s plenty to hold us over to the next one. Check out Crush above and playing everyday on Mild Sauce Radio.