Since his breakout with 2016’s “Permission” single which easily went down as one of the year’s most recognizable joints, Ro James has been taking his time in delivering new music and has returned to deliver on the first of a two-part EP that doubles as a prelude to his forthcoming album.
It was on Friday that James dropped off Smoke, the first half of Smoke & Mirrors, giving us four tracks with which to satiate our R&B palates. The listing features the previously-released “Lost My Mind” cut, a song produced by Salaam Remi, featuring a verse from the Notorious B.I.G.
“I’ve been working on this new album for about six months. I went to Miami and me and Salaam Remi got in. That was a song that we did on the first day working together,” Ro previously explained of how the track came to be. “We’re both from Queens, so we had a connect. We talked about bringing back that vibe of New York and that grit and dirt, but on some R&B shit […] I felt the song needed some Hip-Hop energy and I was doing it myself. He found this sample of Biggie and he was like ‘Let’s put this in’ and it just worked. With Biggie on it, it’s paying homage to 90’s Hip Hop and R&B which plays a huge influence on my artistry.”
Check out the full offering and drop off your thoughts below.
