https://www.rrr.org.au/subscriber-giveaways/salimata-the-happeningCloses 8 February 2026, 11 pm
AOTW Giveaway for Salimata's The Happening
The Happening is the third full-length album from Brooklyn rapper Salimata, released via 10k records. It arrived in December at the tail end of a busy year that included opening for MIKE on his European tour and a viral On The Radar freestyle. Songs were recorded primarily in Marseille, France and showcase jazz-infused beats from a range of producers including Creestal, Corey Fonville, and Ovrkast.
Over the 28-minute runtime, Salimata explores alt-R&B, hip-hop, funk and soul influences, switching between singing and rapping. The delivery is smooth and self-assured. Tracks like 'Fergie' and 'Foil' showcase her flow over warm, sample-based production, while 'Let's Talk About It' incorporates electro and house elements. The two features from Kelly Moonstone and Peyton add texture without disrupting the album's dreamy late-night feel.
Salimata's writing draws on her background as a poet who participated in the Urban Word program through middle and high school, and her early practice of freestyling over diverse YouTube beats ranging from house to UK grime to free jazz. Lyrics document a period of personal growth and creative freedom, as recording in Marseille gave space to experiment and refine her approach. Salimata speaks directly about ambition, work, and money as a tool for stability. Love and family remain central themes too. Her mother, who grew up in Côte d'Ivoire, still hand-sews most of her performance outfits.
Salimata is part of a wave of 10k artists, including Niontay, Anysia Kym and Jadasea, who are redefining Brooklyn rap through introspection and genre-blending. Old-soul sensibilities and a gift for storytelling place her within the lineage of New York lyricists, while the atmospheric production choices connect her to contemporaries in the alt-R&B and lo-fi hip-hop space.
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