Bahja Rodriguez: The New Face Slaying RnB
Atlanta’s Bahja Rodriguez is quite possibly the hottest new face of RnB, and we’re totally ok with that. Rodriguez started with the OMG Girlz, a girl group featuring T.I’s daughter and Lil Wayne’s daughter. But she stepped out of her comfort zone and decided to try for a solo career to show a more authentic and vulnerable side of herself than OMG Girlz ever did. And it helped her skyrocket to success.
The singer expressed that she wanted to come up with something no one would expect- and she definitely did that. Staring with “Places”, the starlet utilized RnB guitar in a stunning way, layered between softly eerie production and harmonizing that almost reminds us of Aaliyah, beefed up with 2018 production.
Rodriguez’s tracks are the perfect soundtrack for anything, but she doesn’t have n overpowering presence the way that some RnB divas can. The power lies in her quietness that’s just the right amount of innovative, without unnecessary frills.
Rodriguez serves up true RnB which isn’t too surprising given her roots (her dad Jonathan Rasboro was in the famous group Silk).
Her songs like ride from her 2016 EP “LUV an informal atmosphere” has a spacey Jeremiah vibe for it, showing that this chick is not lacking in diversity. There, she enlisted the likes of other emerging artists like Kodie Shane and throwback to her OMG days with “Another Luv Song” featuring Zonnique.
Her most recent EP, “Take 3”, has 80s style drums in tracks like “rockstar” to build on her existing sound, with a touch of Amerie. Her style has been harnessed into a more contemporary one here, though we do love her throwback guitar-laden tracks. The new Bahja is a little more edgy, with a focus on drums and throbbing bass - and she’s not taking anybody’s shit.
Our favorite tracks are ’Right Back”, where she busts wasteman egos with, “You say you lit but you not lit like that, all in your feelings, oh you sick like that”. We also have the cutting “Fall For You” on our minds, which adds in more sass plus a little rap-talk, which she slays.
Her EPs have progressed with cohesion over time, and we can’t wait to see her break into the mainstream like artists such as SZA have managed to. Although she flourished with OMG Girlz, her solo career is her real claim to fame. She grew up, really came out of her shell, and switched up her style so that it truly evolved.
You can catch her playing her first headlining concert on September 10th in NYC’s Mercury Lounge. Until then, we’ve got “Take 3” on repeat.