More of an audio focused videos of the week with a few promos and funny videos sprinkled in. Only Skrillex would make a sweet video game-y promo for a four song remix EP. Along those same lines, I will definitely be tuned into the Espys for Drake hosting. We'll see if he can hold his own stand up wise on the intro and between awards. My guess is he's good friends with so many of the athletes that he should have the green light to drop a few one liners.
As far as funny in concerned, seeing Kendrick Lamar rock karaoke was an entertaining watch. Not sure whether he tried to be intentionally rough around the edges on songs, but that's what happens in real life so you never know. My favorite video of the week, was hearing Dave Chappelle's five minute routine on Donald Sterling. Man, if anybody is questioning whether or not he's back, all my doubts are now gone. Finally, if you've ever had a jealous ex, you'll be able to empathize with Cazzette's Sleepless video. Happy 4th of July y'all...#4thOfJulyVideo
Skrillex Recess Remix EP Teaser
Kendrick Lamar Karaoke's Eminem, Jay-Z and 50 Cent
Hmm...it's always conspicuous when a song hits the internet, yet there is no official cover art for it. That's generally an indication that the song wasn't meant to be released. Kinda like Fiddy's new one featuring the KIDinaKorner all-stars Skylar Grey and Alex Da Kid. Check the confirmation tweet below from the man himself..
Damn I may have lost this ALBUM SH!t leaking off my old drive. This is crazy. #smsaudio
I'm not gung ho about the track like I usually am about just about everything Skylar and Alex touch. The beat is solid, Skylar's hook hits the spot, but I've never been a huge 50 fan lyrically. This song didn't necessarily change how I think, but it might be a different story for you if you're more of a fan than I am...#smsaudio
50 Cent feat Skylar Grey - Warning You (Don't Turn on Me) (prod by Alex Da Kid)
Without a doubt, the most creative video of the week goes to Pitchfork TV's animated Frames series who put together an interesting story about @WakaFlockaBSM's upbringing. Evidently he had a certain grandparent that was more than a little strict. The screen shot above hints at one of the funnier point of the animated short...#SnoopyGettinAfterIt
Also on the menu is the beginning of EDM through the eyes of Potato, as well as a whole slew of new Hip Hop & R&B. Evidently more people are starting appreciate @MiguelUnlimited, which is long overdue. Now if we could only just get more people to buy into what @HoodieAllen is preaching...#FIFA
Pitchfork TV: Waka Flocka Reminisces On Strict Childhood
BANG! Episode #1 ft. Skrillex & Boys Noize from POTATO (Video)
Hoodie Allen feat Chiddy Bang - FIFA (Fame is for A$$holes) (Video)
Miguel - Candles in the Sun (Video)
50 Cent feat Kendrick Lamar & Kidd Kidd - We Up (Video)
Wow...just when you thought @50cent had turned 100% businessman, he comes back with a vengeance with a dope new single featuring @eminem and @adamlevine. The track is produced by Grammy award winning producer @SymbolycOne and was supposed be on @drdre's legendary Detox. As a bonus, fiddy shot a video for My Life and decided to release it on iTunes today...
The beat really reminds me of Naughty by Nature's OPP or Mobb Deep's Throw Your Hands with the hard, rolling percussive clap on the beat. Sure it helps too the Eminem drops a thorough 16 on the track, but I'm going to venture a guess that this will move some units on iTunes because of the Adam Levine hook. You know what they say, by hook or by crook...#StreetKingImmortal
50 Cent feat Eminem & Adam Levine - My Life (prod by Symbolyc One)
|iTunes
This one snuck under the radar on my past month's Song List I send out, mostly because I'm not a huge fan of Busta or @50CENT in general. Off top the synthesizer lead in, followed by the upbeat roll and steady knock of the beat make it an infectious, head nod inspiring listen. Even more interesting is Wyclef's influence as he adds a verse at the end that is more singing than rapping, which gives way to the roar of the guitar riff toward the end of the track. Can't even find production credits on this one, but if you're out there serious daps & lbs on the beat.
By the end of the track @WYCLEF will have you humming the "Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh" and @BUSABUSSS's slow bars on his verses provide a potent contrast to the tempo of the beat, almost a polar opposite of the fast flow he's known for. Real chill heat rock #IMO, not a tough sell at all if you give it a chance...
Leave it to @50CENT to ride the tidal wave that is Far East Movement's Fly Like a G6. Little Hip Hop flavor to the addictive dance track, give it a listen...
Far East Movement feat 50 Cent - Fly Like a G6 (remix)
|Download
If you're wondering, Hayes is the one in the picture above to the far right with his arm around Dr. Dre. Pretty hard to find this dude on the web (no wikis), but here's a start with his website titled iamhayes, which looks to be a pretty well crafted site (lots of flash with "surveillance photos", buddy icons, wallpapers etc.). Self described as a "Detroit born Cali transplant", he has the something out of nothing story where he dropped out of school at an early age, sold drugs to make ends meet etc...you know the stuff they talk about in Gangsta Rap, he lived it.
Rather than get too deep on his story and where he's coming from, I think it's best that you get a view first hand of one of his intense and real stories with his intro to his latest mixtape The First 48 titled Welcome to the First 48 (this is the track that plays when you first enter his website)...
Definitely in your face with the language and intensity, no doubt. Really like how he shows the ability to build and tear down emotion based on the intensity of the beat.
You may ask though, what's so great about this guy? He sounds like Shyne (who was a underappreciated rapper in my opinion before he got locked up) telling Gangsta Rap tales 50 Cent style. Well, the answer to that is pretty simple, he's co-signed to Interscope Records through Dr. Dre and to Mosley Music Group...hmm Mosley Music Group...wait isn't there a Tim Mosley?? Ah yes, Timbaland...who runs Mosley Music Group. Here's a quote from Timbo describing the signing of Hayes:
“Me and Dre just signed this guy named Hayes from Detroit. Incredible storyteller. Incredible. Reminds me of how B.I.G. tells his stories. He kind of was around the table. He wrote some of Dre’s Detox – if Dre is ever gonna do it – but he wrote a lot of that for Dre. He’s just been around the camp. I knew him from my homeboy, so he’s been around both camps. Me and Dre both think he’s a crazy artist. So we said: Let’s do him together.” - Source
From Hayes's perspective on the signing and working on tour with Timbaland:
“The deal is that Dre does half of my album and Tim does the other half. So after shows, Tim is recording tracks with me on the tour bus or we go to the studio and work." - Source
Let's do him together??? Laying down tracks on Timbo's tour bus while touring with him??? Damn, I'd equate that to winning the Powerball lottery in two different countries. The good news is, Hayes understands he's in a privileged position and all he has to do is not screw up or go to jail to make the best of this situation. When asked what are you learning working with Dr. Dre? Hayes said,
"The greatest thing about working with Dre is the learning process, because it’s two totally different classes (Dre and Timbaland) and they’re both great classes. If you could come out of either one of these schools, you’ll be great. I’m with two great teachers and I’m learning a lot and I would say the best part about this process is studying under Dre and Timb because they teach you how to make good music."- Source
So let's connect the dots here:
1) Dr. Dre (legendary producer) sought out and signed Hayes through Interscope records.
2) Timbaland (legendary producer) thought Hayes was such a good storyteller that he talked Dr. Dre into co-signing him.
3) Hayes is helping write Detox...yes Detox, that album that started being recorded in 2004 and has been rumored to be coming out EVERY year since then, but evidently the formula isn't quite right so we're left waiting...for years...but Hayes is talented enough to help Dr Dre with it.
While I haven't really heard a WOW! track from Hayes yet and sort of question just how easily he will be able to carve a niche into a fading sub-genre of Hip Hop (Gantsta Rap), I'm finding it really really hard to believe he's not going to succeed given the producers who have invested in him. I figure if looks like it, smalls like it and feels like it, it must be it right?
While the jury is still out and the comparisons to Biggie are definitely premature, I'm thinking Dre and especially Timbo will maybe tone down Hayes' vulgarity and the degree of realness to his stories, so that his stories will come off as well conceived and articulated, but still real enough to know he experienced it (like Biggie)...rather than like 50 cent who has been successful through his portrayal of Gangsta Rap, but lyrically could never be considered half as legendary as Biggie because he lacks the engaging lyrical content that connects with everyone, not just hardcore rap fans.
You be the judge, here are four of Hayes tracks, the first three from his new mixtape The Frist 48 (pictured below):
The picture above sums up 2009 about as well as an 1000 words I could come up with. For me, I will remember this as the year of Drake...where he went from an aspiring actor to a can't miss Hip Hop rookie. While it's still waaay too early to call him one of the best (seeing as he hasn't even released a full studio album yet), his So Far Gone Mixtape will go down as one of the most memorable Hip Hop compilations that weren't initially meant to be sold.
As far as Cudi, he produced a similarly inspired album with Man on the Moon: The End of Day, which in my eyes was the best studio album of the year. His out-there style and the way he went about creating the album was such a breath of fresh air that he deserves his share of dabs & lbs from the Hip Hop community in my eyes.
Other notable observations from 2009:
When its all said and done, Timbaland may end up having the most successful album with the goldmine of singles on Shock Value 2 he still has yet to release.
You could argue Pitbull had so many club tracks with a long shelf life that he's become the most well-known and radio-friendly artist in Hip Hop. Flo-Rida fans would argue against that and probably have a valid point...either way South Florida is officially the home of club friendly pop rap.
50 cent, although now much more relevant in film and other media like video games, did an adequate job with his Before I Self Destruct album. He still will never be able get back to the level of Get Rick or Die Tryin' without the Dr. Dre crutch though.
It was a sad year with one of the most respected and my personal favorite rap groups, UGK releasing their last true studio album (since Pimp C passed away in early December 2007).
Fabolous came back strong with Loso's Way, again reminding me he's probably still in the top 5 in Hip Hop (with Juelz, Drake, Lil Wayne and Crooked I) with producing catchy, creative one-liners.
A new super-group in Slaughterhouse was formed, bringing together four of the most underrated talents in Hip Hop. I still maintain their role in Hip Hop is and will always be underrated.
Jay-Z dropped another classic, platinum album...ho hum.
Eminem attempted what's amounted to an unsuccessful comeback thus far to rap with Relapse and Relapse Refill . While I say unsuccessful that's completely objective because both albums still sold and are selling pretty well despite even Em admitting to the albums being tainted because he was still working the drugs out of his system and going through withdraw. Em I see your recent work with Weezy on Drop the World and Forever...those were glimpses of you in your prime...keep going toward the light man.
Wale burst onto the scene with an innovative sound on his album Attention Deficit, as well as Asher Roth with Asleep in the Bread Aisle. Both albums were one of the better released this year and show why this 2009 Hip Hop Freshman class may someday go down as one of the more stacked groups of young artists to make it.
Clipse will ALWAYS be the most undersold Hip Hop tandem in the game...their new album Til the Casket Drops is really worth a listen...QUIT SLEEPING ON THEM EVERYONE!!!
We hoped, like every year for Dr. Dre's Detox, but again...didn't get it. Rumor is it'll be out in 2010...wait...haven't we been saying that since 2004?
Most notable (in my world at least), we saw a cream of the crop of producers assert themselves as the best this year. R&B producer of the year, hands down, Darkchild with Polow Da Don and JR Rotem right there. Hip Hop was dominated by Jim Jonsin this year, but DJ Khalil emerged as my favorite new producer to join the likes of The Runners, Danjahandz and Timbaland.
If 2010 is any near as exciting music wise as 2009, it's gonna be a good year.
Off 50's upcoming album, Before I Self Destruct. If you look at the tracklist of his new album, there's definitely a on paper to be excited about with a track by Timbo, three by Dre, one by Storch, as well as a Primo cut.
Unfortunately, 50 has set the bar a little too high for himself in saying:
“I'm excited. The new album Before I Self Destruct is out November 23rd, I had a longer period of time to make this album, so I think this is the one fans could say is better than Get Rich Or Die Trying.”
Needless to say, I'm not giving him a snowball's chance in hell at selling over 13 million copies. But, take it for what it's worth, the track is well put together with a couple hot verses...hopefully Em keeps this up so that Relapse 2 won't be as big of a flop as Relapse. Dre absolutely carried the weight on this track with the dramatic strings throughout the song. Check it out:
We've officially got a pulse on 50 cent's career and it's in the form of this comeback, radio friendly single Baby By Me. Luckily for him, he smartened up a bit and put together some coherent lyrics and let Polow and Ne-Yo do the leg work.
