Toronto jazz-funk crew BADBADNOTGOOD recently released their series of Mid-Spiral EPs, and they also teamed up with a couple of vocalists on recent singles -- with Reggie on "Take What's Given" and with Tim Bernades on "Poeira Cósmica." Today, BADBADNOTGOOD drop a new track that they recorded with another all-caps entity, the Memphis musician known as V.C.R.
Veronica Camille Ratliff, who goes by V.C.R., is a composer and multi-disciplinary artist from South Memphis. In 2023, she had a couple of features on tracks from B. Cool-Aid, the duo of Pink Siifu and Ahwlee. On the smooth, expansive new seven-minute song "Found A Light (Beale Street)," V.C.R. sings a tribute to Memphis over BADBADNOTGOOD's lush, percussive groove. Here's what she says about it:
This is more than a song to me. It’s a milestone. I’ve been cooking this kind of sound for years -- from late nights writing at my desk in South Memphis to composing orchestral works at USC. This collaboration with BADBADNOTGOOD is a dream come true -- and a thank-you letter to my hometown, my people, and the communities that raised me. "Found A Light (Beale Street)" isn’t just a single. It’s a love letter to the sounds of the South and the sacred art of collective resilience. It calls back to a time when Black communities turned Beale Street into a sanctuary -- a place to find freedom, purpose, and light amidst the harshest of shadows. This song is a taste of everything I’ve been marinating over the past few years -- academically, emotionally, and spiritually. It’s a reflection of where I come from and what I’ve been building. And it’s only the beginning.
Director Sylvain Chaussée shot the "Found A Light (Beale Street)" video in the studio. Check it out below.
"Found A Light (Beale Street)" is out now on XL/Innovative Leisure.
