Kid Cudi Channels His Inner Kurt Cobain

The biggest takeaway I was left with after taking my first lap around @wizardcud and @dotdagenius's new WZRD album was "I can't believe they covered a legendary Nirvana track." It was one of the biggest mind (f word)s I've been blindsided by in quite a while when reviewing music. Why was it such a big surprise? For starters, shame on me for having absolutely zero familiarity with WZRD's tracklist. As a result, I missed the Nirvana connection completely prior to listening to it. Second, I can't believe Cudi had the audacity to cover a track that is so legendary. I say legendary because anybody who has seen the haunting and distinctly memorable MTV Unplugged session was moved in some way shape or form by watching Kurt Cobain perform acoustic that night with Nirvana. The video below sums up how memorable the show was as Kurt ended the set with an exclamation point in the form of Where Did You Sleep Last Night...

Before I get into the new school version, you'd all be better off knowing how far back the original Bluegrass version of the track goes. Little known fact (thanks to Wikipedia), the song also goes by the name of In the Pines (Bill Monroe) and Black Girl (Huddie Ledbetter). Even better, the song's origins date all the way back to the 1870s when it was first an Appalachian folk song. To me it's crazy how little Leadbelly's version that was produced back in 1940 has evolved from the version that Nirvana popularized. Crazy, but also awesome to see American folklore unfold through the generations and becoming timeless as a result.

Fast forward to the present and you can appreciate how Cudi has some serious balls for trying to tackle such a challenge on his first rock flavored album. I'm not going to try and gas you all up by saying his cover of the track was near as good as the original, but I will say that I found it noteworthy and memorable that he chose to do his own version. What I really wanted was for him to do was absolutely cut loose on the last part of the track like Kurt did by belting out the eerie "MY GIRL, MY GIRL, DON'T LIIIIEE TO ME, TELL ME WHERE DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT?!?!?." Maybe that was part of making it his own, but I feel like if he would have went a little psycho and added a little yelling, I may have gotten a little more hype over it.

In case you missed it WZRD's album just dropped last week and thanks to Cudi's record company, not much effort was made to make the public aware of that. You'd think that would result in the album facing an uphill battle with sales, but 70K sales in the first week is not bad at all. That's right Cudi, you tell Universal what's up. They don't deserve to rake in the profits for being retarded enough to not believe that your rock album would sell. As side note, I hope you take the high road when the dust settles and don't deprive your fans of MOTM 3 in a fit of vindictive rage against your label. Your music speaks louder against authority than any twitter post and if one thing's been made clear through all this, it's that your music is powerful and your fans don't need it shoved down their throat to appreciate it...#PlayOnPlaya

Nirvana - Where Did You Sleep Last Night (Unplugged)
|iTunes

WZRD - Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
|iTunes

Rita Ora is the New International Lady of Roc Nation

Take note y'all, there's a new international lady of Roc Nation. She was born in Kosovo, grew up in London and goes by the name of of @ritaora. She was discovered by the way of an A&R rep who introduced her to Roc Nation in 2009, which led her to eventually crossing paths with the one and only @s_c_. If you're paying really close attention, you may have noticed her cameo appearances in the Young Forever and Over videos in the past year too, as well as her latest promo commercial with Skull Candy headphones...

I gotta say I've never heard Rita pronounced in such a distinguished British manor that makes it sound like she'd saying Ree-uhh, but that's cool. Anybody else think she bears a striking resemblance to @rihanna in the video above? Ironic doppelganger aside, she's starting to gain a lot of attention with her debut single Hot Right Now. It features the production of fellow Brit @djfreshdnb and is a great combination of fast paced synths with drum and bass and high octane vocals..

Rita's got the voice, she's got the looks and it would appear she's not lacking one bit in charisma either. Kinda helps to have the ear of Sean Carter when it comes to someone investing in you too...#Fortunate

If I were a betting man, I'd say it's a safe bet she's on the rise to super-stardom. I'm not just saying that based on one song and a little financial backing from Roc Nation either. Sure all of the above helps, but I'm a bigger fan of her choice to enlist the help of @chaseandstatus to come through with a finished version of @drake's demo version of I'm Ready For You as her second single. It was cool for me when I first heard Rita's version and was able to sing along word for word because I had put Drake's version on heavy rotation about a year and a half ago. Was I waiting for Drake's "Red lipstick on the wine glass, cameras in my mind fast, black lingerie, white diamonds what a contrast" last verse on Rita's version? You're damn right I was, but unfortunately it didn't come to fruition and instead @TINIETEMPAH chipped in on a verse. Not a fair trade in my book, but you can't always get what you want. Both versions of the track are below, keep an eye out for Rita's debut in the coming months...#StarWatch

Drake - I'm Ready For You (Original Version)


Rita Ora feat Tinie Tempah - R.I.P. (prod by Chase & Status)

Wiz Says No To Drugs...Well Sort Of

It's not everyday you hear an anti-drug anthem from one of the most well known celebrity stoners. I say anti-drug because @RealWizKhalifa makes a very clear distinction in the track that he says capitol N-O! to any drug other than marijuana, which isn't considered a drug to him. Maybe 5-10 years ago saying something like that would be shocking, but with every passing day it seems like more marijuana legislation goes up for vote as a new state pushes toward legalization. Not that it would matter to Wiz whether or not his habit is socially acceptable since he's been outspoken for years about his love for sweet Mary Jane, but it helps that it's less looked down upon.

In my opinion, his new track Mary x 3, off his upcoming mixtape Taylor Alderice due out March 13th, is just as on point as @wizardcud's weed homage anthem. It's every bit as laid back as all of my favorite tracks off Rolling Papers. From the methodical verses and sing along hook, it all works when put over the simple and calm instrumental provided by @CardoGotWings. Fear not Taylors, it doesn't sound like there's any sort of change in the way Wiz is going about making music post-Rolling Papers, especially now that he managed to lock up @darealamberrose this week...#HolyHugeDiamond

Wiz Khalifa - Mary Mary Mary (prod by Cardo)

Skrillex and Knife Party Like Animals

Now that I'm learning the who's who in Dubstep, I'm starting to fully grasp it's appeal. It's a style that's not as fast as techno or house, but the high powered electro-synth rhythms as every bit as high energy and dance-worthy than it's predecessors. The track below, Zoology, is an unreleased collaboration between two of the genre's most recognizable names in @skrillex and @knifepartyinc.

This is now the second Knife Party track I've posted in the last two weeks and you could I've been busy of late trying to catch up on their music. I was never a fan of Pendulum, even though I understood that they had a pretty devoted following, but I can't help but wonder what fans of the rock group think of @rob_swire and Co.'s decision to drift away from drum/bass rock into electo-synth craziness. Between the characteristically quirky synths and the animal noises, there's a whole lot going on in the track below. I'll applaud the fact that the track succeeds in taking the listener to the jungle, Dubstep style, which fits the description. I wouldn't hesitate to put this one on if the party has any inclination of getting out of hand. When I say out of hand, I mean like Project X out of hand. Still not sure what to think of that preview or the mauling it's taken in the press lately, but the presumed craziness and Todd Phillips presence has piqued my interest...#AmericanPieHumor

Knife Party feat Skrillex - Zoology

Videos of the Week March 2nd

For one, I've evidently been riding the short bus because I totally missed that @JASONDERULO and @jordinsparks were dating. Put it this way, anyone who didn't realize they were dating, definitely does after watching their new remix duet video for It Girl. Other than that little tidbit of knowledge I gained this week, you may have missed @wizardcud's rant vs his record label as a result of the lack of promotion his new album WZRD received. It sounds like his label undersold the potential of his newest record and the estimated 80K sales that it's projected to get first week may even be a little low as a result. As per the usual, I mixed in the obligatory Drizzy concert video and even snuck in a #kendrick_lamar performance. It only their tour looped around to Philly somehow before going overseas...#Fail

Jason Derulo feat Jordin Sparks - It Girl (Remix)

Drake Performs Crew Love in New Orleans

WZRD Listening Sessions in NYC at W.i.P. Feb 23rd

Kendrick Lamar Performs Hii Power in New Orleans

Young Jeezy feat Ne-Yo - Leave You Alone (Trailer)

Jennifer Hudson feat Rick Ross & Ne-Yo - Think Like a Man (Video)

End of the Line For Sleigh Bells

To this day, I am kicking myself for not at least doing a little bit of background research on @sleighbells before I saw them open for LCD Soundsystem. At first, they seemed a little loud and crazy, but the heavy, high pitched guitar riffs exude so much energy it's hard not to get pumped listening to their music. I say that sort of tongue and cheek because below I'm posting their mellowest song to date.

The track is called End of the Line and a couples weeks ago they performed the track on @nbcsnl (below)...

Maybe it was a little awkward to hear see such a subdued performance, but to their credit they brought some serious intensity on their performance of Comeback Kid. Some would call a lot of their music complete electronic chaos, but I say they do a good job of mixing bubbly synths, with @ratatat quality guitar riffs and pop vocals. Really just a unique brand of noise that I can take in small doses, sort of like my 5 hour energy musically if you will...#YouHeardItHereFirst

Anyways, Sleigh Bells new album, Reign of Terror, recently hit iTunes if you're feeling like adding some electric flavored pop to your music collection.

Sleigh Bells - End of the Line
|iTunes

"Oh Yes Oh Yes I'm Fresh as Hell"

Not only is @realchiddy one of the most unassuming Hip Hop World Record holders, he and his partner in crime @xaphoonjones are about to serve up a Denny's Grand Slam quality Breakfast in the form on a studio debut album. I'll put it this way, if their "real" debut album, that dropped about a week ago on February 21st, is half as good as both their EPs (The Opposite of Adults EP, Chiddy Bang: The Preview), I'll be satisfied.

Waaay back in July I posted their lead single off Breakfast titled Mind Your Manners. I'm not sure they could have picked a better lead single, but to be honest I haven't heard more than these two tracks and Baby Roulette so I can't really judge yet. As an aside, it's great to see more artists collaborating with @chip216 and allowing him to finally start becoming a household name. I've heard too many @chuckisdope beats where Chip goes in and rips it up to think he's anything but under-appreciated.

The production of Xaphoon Jones is a great thing to bank on for @chiddybang because as a writer and fan of their music, I always know that there's going to be a standard quality level on the instrumentals. If more bands had such a high standard of quality, I'd probably link the hell out of all of their posts too in support. For now I'll stick with Chiddy because they rep my current city to the absolute fullest...#TeamSwelly

Chiddy Bang feat Chip tha Ripper - Extra Well
|iTunes