Here we go again with this laid back, carefree vibe from Calvin Harris. Don't Quit just surfaced on DJ Khaled's new Grateful album, but it fits like a glove with everything Calvin Harris has put out the past three months. Slide, Rollin', Heatstroke, and Feels have all followed the same sound...to the point that it's starting to sound manufactured. The reason I'm being so critical of the sound is because I know Calvin is capable of so much more than what's amounting to formulaic pop music featuring buzzy artists. Maybe I'm in the minority with that take, but if there's one thing I can't stand, it's seeming like you're making music that you think people will like. There's a thin line between trend setting and trend matching that I feel like he's walking right now.
Aside from the whole Calvin Harris beef above, I was a fan of Travis $cott's sing-songy autotune and Jeremih's vocal contribution. Of course I could have done without Khaled's hypeman style ad-libs that are so played out they sound like white noise. I get it though, branding and all. The good news is that this has some potential for being a standout track on a compilation album, which is exactly what Khaled's new album is. It's all over the place stylistically, but that's cool as long as it's expected from the start. Head on over to iTunes or Spotify for a few laps around the album...#DontQuit
DJ Khaled feat Travis $cott, Calvin Harris, and Jeremih - Don't Quit
It's been a while since I've been this stoked about a trio of music videos released in one week. Led by the seductive Rihanna and smooth vocals of Bryson Tiller, DJ Khaled's Wild Thoughts started the week off on a high note. Then, around mid-week, two of my favorite songs in 2017 were blessed with visuals. Desiigner's white-hot fire track Outlet finally was anointed with the cinematic fire that it deserved. It's a rare soccer-centric sports anthem with Sidney rocking a Manchester United away jersey. Man...if that track and video doesn't get you hype and wanting to take on the world, I don't know what will.
On a more mellow, but equally interesting note, Odesza's Line of Sight took a more Sci-Fi route into the top five. The story of a young kid befriending a robot was apropos for the serene vibe of the track. As a side note, I'm more than a little excited to have the opportunity to see Odesza at The Greek in October. Even though it's months off and I just saw them at Red Rocks, they're without a doubt in my top three favorite live shows right now and I'm more than excited to see them again.
Outside of the world of music videos, Khalid did a superb cover of Frank Ocean's Lost in the BBC Radio 1 studio. The piano session was perfect introduction to the up-and-coming vocalist if you haven't given him a listen yet. And rounding out this week's top five was a novelty all the way from Germany where the Rundfunk-Tanzorchester Ehrenfeld did a orchestra cover of Daft Punk's Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. It's not the easiest track to cover, so tip of the cap to how they put it together with the computerized vocals and all...#RundfunktanzOrchester
This week's top five was unique in that it starts and ends with Jimmy Kimmel's monologue about the birth of his newborn son. If you don't get at least a little choked up over hearing the sadness in his voice over feeling helpless about the situation as a whole, then you need to check yourself. His story aside, I appreciated his story and how it directly relates the the healthcare bills that are being mulled over by the House this week. Let's just hope the listened and make the right decision, ultimately.
Aside from Kimmel's impactful story, there were a few videos in Hip Hop that had the internet collective pressing play over and over again. J Cole's 4 Your Eyez Only documentary was previously released via other outlets like HBO, but this week it got put on YouTube for consumption from the masses. The word real comes to mind when watching him go to the various cities in the South and hear stories from the people trying to make it through the day-to-day. Watching the documentary and then transitioning to DJ Khaled's star studded video for I'm the One was about as stark of a difference as you'll get in VOTW. Needless to say, everything about it was tried and true Hip Hop from the video girls to the pool parties to the immaculately trimmed hedges.
Making sure EDM got their contribution for the week was Gryffin and Illenium's Feel Good. The video is cool and all, but that candlelight version that features Daya's stunning vocals is officially where it's at. Speaking of where it's at, it wouldn't be a complete week without at least a few shennanigans. This time it came from Fallon's crew who put together a minute long mash up of Star Wars characters singing Smash Mouth's classic, All Star. It's kitchy, but it delivers the entertainment value you'd expect from a novelty like that...#AllStarWars
Jimmy Kimmel Monologue About His Son's Heart Condition
J Cole - 4 Your Eyez Only Documentary
DJ Khaled feat Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne - I'm On One (Video)
Gryffin & Illenium feat Daya - Feel Good (Video)
Fallon Mashes Up Smash Mouth's All Star With Star Wars Movies
In case you haven't gotten your fill of DJ Khaled this weekend for the NBA All-Star game, here comes his new collabo with the Bonnie & Clyde of Hip Hop. To catch you up real quick on what he's been up to over the past 24 hours, here he was draining a 3 to raise money for Sager Strong...
Needless to say, Khaled it still hot and there's no denying the impact of his inspirational message every time he gets in front of a camera. What I'm most impressed with on Shining is his ability to bring out the best in both Beyonce and Jay Z. No lie, Beyonce may have stole the show on the track by both singing and rapping her ass off. Sure, Jiggaman's verse will get the most attention, but both of them showed out. I love how the "winning", "don't slow me down" message is a direct reflection of Khaled's persona. It fits together well and makes for a really smooth track. Give it spin on iTunes or Spotify...#Shining
It would appear Jigga hasn't lost even a half step over the years when it comes to crafting legendary verses. Between his verse on Pusha's Drug Dealers Anonymous and his verse on DJ Khaled's new I Got the Keys, age clearly ain't nothin but a number to him skill wise. Judging by the ridiculous amount of cameos in the video below and Khaled's penchant for Snapchat mastery, there's little chance that this won't have staying power. It along with a whole lot of other fabulous cameos will be landing on Khaled's upcoming Major Key album. You know, that album where he's posing with a lion on the cover? Yep, that'd be the one. If you can get over Future's repetitive, autotune yelling, there's a bangin' beat cooked up by Southside underneath the madness that you can nod your head to...#IGotTheKeys
DJ Khaled feat Jay Z & Future - I Got the Keys (prod by Southside)
There are two clear cut favorites in this week's top five in my eyes. First, the live debut of Kygo's new single, Fragile, with Labrinth was more than a little awesome. What a cool ballad! I can't wait to hear the mastered version, which will probably be slightly more electronic. Second, Seal and Gallant's Weight in Gold duet in studio was worth a few looks. While Seal doesn't get near the credit he deserves, he more than held his own with Gallant on the mic. When they combined forces, the result was special.
Was it entertaining to watch Jonah Hill sing Drake's verse on Future's Jumpman? Yep, you bet it was. Glad they're getting more an more creative with the monologues on SNL. In other news, DJ Khaled is continuing his assault on pop culture through Snapchat. Now he's even landing on talk shows like Ellen to talk his motivational talk. Crazy how social media can be used as a tool to get so much notoriety. And last, but not least, Skrillex and Jauz released their new animated video for Squad Out with Fatman Scoop. Leave it to Adult Swim to put together something that trippy. Did I see Fatman Scoop with an elephant nose? Still trying to wrap my head around the plot of the video, but that's kinda of what Adult Swim does...#SquadOut
Kygo feat Labrinth - Fragile (Live)
Seal and Gallant Sing Weight in Gold as a Duet
Future feat Jonah Hill – Jumpman on SNL
More Getting to Know DJ Khaled on Ellen
What name do you think of when you hear Hip Hop videos? For me, I think of @HypeWilliams, who has almost single-handedly been steering the visuals for Hip Hop art for the past 20 years. I find it pretty nuts that the first video he directed was back in 1991 and two decades later, he's still churning out awe-inspiring new videos. His newest in the form of @djkhaled's new hot with @rickyrozay and @kanyewest. Sure, you may feel like you're in an earthquake when you watch it, but it's flashy as hell, which has always been his style. Did I catch a Kim K cameo around the 5:14 mark too?
Is anyone as entertained by @nardwuar as I am? Dude is beyond quirky and rappers as a whole don't know what the hell to think of him and his antics. Speaking of antics, I don't know what the hell to think of @charleshamilton's latest MTV interview. You want to talk about a cryptic, otherwordly interview. I'm starting to worry that Charles is one of those special white hot flames the burn so bright and flamboyant that they have a hard time staying lit. I'll let you take that last statement for what it's worth, but I really miss the potential we saw back on the day with tracks like this. I guess if Charlie Sheen can do it anybody can? #DudeIsStillNuts
DJ Khaled feat Kanye & Rick Ross - I Wish You Would (Video)
In an attempt to keep up with @Pitbull's album a year pace, @DJKHALED is back at it with a new album in the oven. The first single, Take it to the Head, has gotten some decent traction on Top 40, but single #2 below is going to blow it out of the water. Most of that is because most people will hear @kanyewest and @rickyrozay on the same track and probably buy it based solely on that. Sure the hook is catchy too, but the bass heavy, trap anthem beat cooked up by @Hit_Boy deserved a large slice of that credit pie.
Khaled's new album Kiss the Ring is set to drop August 21st. Like every other album he's released it will be chalked full of high powered cameos from the likes of Ace Hood, T-Pain, Plies, Future, Wiz Khalifa, T.I., Ludacris, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Trae Tha Truth, Mystikal, Big Sean, Vanessa Hudgens, Kid Ink, Birdman, Ice Cube, Fat Joe, Game, Twista, Rick Ross & Maybach Music Group artists (Meek Mill, Wale, & More), R. Kelly, Ghostface Killah, Young Jeezy, Jill Scott, Flo Rida, Drake, French Montana, Young Money & Cash Money. My only question is, who isn't going to be on the album? Word has it @eminem or @drdre might drop a verse on the album too, which would be a whole hell of a lot more noteworthy than the usual suspects above. We'll see if that comes to fruition, but even if it doesn't you can bet there will be at least three more Top 40 singles on the disc, which should make it a solid modern day compilation...#CantHateOnThat
DJ Khaled feat Kanye West & Rick Ross - I Wish You Would (prod by Hit-Boy) |iTunes
The music label that @techn9ne has built from the ground up is starting to build a legitimate lineup of artists. They've had the talented and underrated @jayrock on the roster for about a year and a half and now they've got a new group of misfits by the name @MAYDAYMUSIC who are starting to make some noise. I say noise because their debut album Take Me To Your Leader just hit last week and it's already getting some positive buzz with DJ Booth giving their album a solid 4 spins. Even better, @StrangeMusicCEO (Travis O'Guin) offered effusive praise in saying that it's the best Strange Music album ever released and going as far as comparing it to Tech N9ne Anghellic. That's a tall order if you're familiar with Tech's music. For a quick intro to their music, check out their track The Ride with @delhiero...
It might as well be @djkhaled week too with all the songs I'm posting that he's involved in. I'd be remiss not to mention Black Thought stealing the show lyrically on the track below. The beat is perfect for his high energy, spitfire flow. Also worth of note is the presence of @JONCONNORMUSIC who absolutely took over SXSW going crew deep all week long. Interesting group of artists that mixes old and new to create a 4 minute combustible, head nodding symphony of lyrical jousts. Yea I'll be captain obvious here, TNT is #Combustible.
¡MAYDAY! feat Black Thought, DJ Khaled, Jay Rock, Jon Connor, Stevie Stone - TNT (Remix)
I was just thinking today, when was the last notable Hip Hop soundtrack? I'm talking like The Nutty Professor, The Players Club or Friday type of compilations that had a hot new song from just about anybody and everybody in Hip Hop. Other than a few exceptions, they went by the wayside like Surge and Crystal Pepsi.
Like any window of opportunity that closes, another one opens. The extinction created opportunities for DJ's like @djkhaled and @djdrama, who have filled that void with similar All-Star collaborations. Below is the newest collabo featuring @liltunchi, @chrisbrown, @nickiminaj and @rickyrozay off Khaled's upcoming album Kiss the Ring. If you don't pay attention closely, you might miss @therealrunners on the production credits. It's not their typical show stealing beat, but it does the trick for the new mid-tempo single that should find it's way into the top 40 soon enough.
DJ Khaled feat Chris Brown Nicki Minaj Rick Ross & Lil Wayne - Take it to the Head (prod by The Runners) |iTunes
Interesting week of videos with @davidguetta taking the lead with his Little Bad Girl video. Been a while since somebody resorted to action figures for a video like the @beastieboys did. David Guetta feat Taio Cruz & Ludacris - Little Bad Girl (Video)
Pusha T feat Tyler the Creator - Trouble On My Mind (Video)
B.O.B. in the studio with Drumma Boy
Gilbere Forte feat Tyga & Raak - Burn Me Down (Video)
DJ Khaled feat Mary J Blige, Fabolous & Jadakiss - It Ain't Over Til It's Over (Video)
Foster the People - Helena Beat (Video)
Beastie Boys feat Santigold - Don't Play No Games That I Can't Win (Video)
It's been a few minutes now since @drakkardnoir and @liltunchi have spit on the same track together. Sure I would have preferred a Carter 4 track (due out June 21), but I'll settle for one of @therealdjkhaled's crowded cameo tracks over an @ovo40 & @producertminus beat. This is the newest single off Khaled's upcoming album We the Best Forever, due to hit shelves June 28th.
The track isn't a "Wow!" track, more of a way for three of the best to drop a verse alongside each other and contribute to an album that will have more collabos than Lady Gaga has outfits. Sure it's not their best work, but any Drake and Weezy track deserves a few laps, I don't care what anybody says.
With all this excitement that's being generated in and around the Miami metro area with the signing of the Three Kings (pictured above), I couldn't help but Throw Thursday all the way back to 2006 when DJ Khaled introduced us formally to what we then called Dade county. When I think of Dade County, I think of Pitbull screaming 305 on every track, I think of The Runners beats that make you wanna drive fast (yes I know they're from Orlando, but they have been behind 90% of all the noteworthy hits to come out of the 305). I think of Rick Ross's raspy flow over loud beats and most noticeably I think of DJ Khaled yellin' WE THE BEST!! and LISSSSTEENN!! over every track.
Many will point to Uncle Luke as the King of Miami in terms of putting Hip Hop on the map. Me, I was a little too young at the time to gain an appreciation for that, so it started for me with Trick Daddy around 1998 when his single Nann got some radio and TV exposure. Looking back it may not have been the highest quality Hip Hop, but it started burning the coals around the Miami Dade County area for Hip Hop. My next memory came when I was on a baseball trip to Boca Raton my freshman year hearing Oyeby @PLANETPIT on a local radio station and being genuinely excited about the sound of Miami's upbeat Reggaeton infused Hip Hop. That was his first track and while he's stepped up his game from that point, his music still hasn't changed all that much, which is cool.
Since then it has grown so much that it's one of the hotbeds of Hip Hop, mostly on the backs of @PLANETPIT and @rickross305. Sidebar: If you haven't copped Ross's new album, he definitely shows off a more laid back side of his game, which lends to a higher quality sound if you're a fan. I love his past @COOLANDDRE/@THERUNNERS tracks though, so to me my favorite part is missing, but still it's definitely worth copping the Teflon Don.
Give the real Dade County anthem a listen while you're at it...hate to give all the credit to production but The Runners beat goes HAAARRRD!
DJ Khaled feat Trick Daddy Rick Ross & Pitbull - Born N' Raised (prod by The Runners)
While I'm at it, let's address all this Wade County talk and non-stop booty chatter by @DWADEOFFICIAL, @chrisbosh and @kingjames. In case you somehow missed Lebron forecasting that the Heat will win up to 7 titles on the night he signed, it came off as pretty ridiculous. I mean I've heard of believing in yourself and your teammates, but maybe a little too much hype?? I can see why Cudi wanted to congradulate you with the back of his hand after dumping Cleveland publicly and Dan Snyder's reaction was a little bit too much like an ex-gf, but when I think about it, I'm missing the end game here with all this talk. If you predict it and do it in 7-10 years, you know you'll be able to unquestionably call yourself the man and I can respect you setting public goals to self-motivate. Just understand a whole lotta people don't like that type of off top cockiness especially when it's unfounded so far. Time will tell, but until then I'm gonna cop one of these fresh Wade county joints. White or Black?
As a final aside, what's even more annoying is now rappers are jumping on your bandwagon of predictions and claiming it's in the bag. SMH with capitol melontruckin' letters y'all. Seriously!? Man I really hope Hip Hop in Miami benefits from the exodus to Miami and doesn't lead everyone thinkin' they're on top of the world when a game hasn't even been played yet. Cool out y'all...on the real...
Song below if you care to listen to listen to the consequences of Lebron's prediction...
Flo Rida feat Billy Blue, Brisco, Brianna, Ballgreezy & Picalo - We Already Won (Miami Heat)
| Download
To be fair, I'd consider this post a little out of date because J. Cole is becoming a fairly household name, so calling him a New Artist is a bit of a misnomer. The only reason I feel comfortable still categorizing him as that is because all of his work has been centered around Mixtapes, like his newest Mixtape The Warm Up.
First a little background, J. Cole reps Fayetteville, NC to the fullest and is most well known for being the first artists signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label. Obviously, it helps having Jay-Z make an investment in you, but even artists like Drake have openly voiced their opinion about Cole as being an up and coming rapper. Recently Drake spoke about J. Cole in Complex magazine saying:
Question: You feel like you're at the finish line? Drake: I'm at the starting line. Those guys are at home, putting on their tracksuits, getting ready to make their attack. When J. Cole gets it super-right, I think he's gonna have a place as a Nas-type character who really stands for hip-hop, but still makes ill records that everybody fucks with. Question:If J. Cole is Nas, then who are you?Drake: [Laughs.] I'm the young big homie! Question:Of all your contemporaries, it seems like you want to be famous the most.Drake: That's gonna change. When Cole's sound is the new sound that everybody wants to hear, he's gonna be like, "I wanna be as big as possible with this shit." I didn't jeopardize anything to be in the position I'm in. You're listening to the shit that I believe in, not some shit I did because I needed to get here. People just happen to embrace my shit. That's very rare—but I also think the younger generation appreciates that brand of music, so I think it's possible for one of these guys to emerge and do exactly what I'm doing. - Source
Interesting view and while J. Cole brushed off the Nas comparisons as being a little bit early, I can see where Drake was going with the comparison. He's got just as much lyrical swag as Drake on his tracks (see below quoteables on Who Dat), but he fits more of the straight ahead, traditional lyricist style Hip Hop artist. Both he (to a lesser extent) and Nas have the ability to rhyme their way into a story with an effortless, laid back flow proving bar after bar that the lines they're spittin' aren't what they are thinkin' at the moment because they're three bars ahead mentally. First piece of evidence, his new single Who Dat, where Cole goes in on a very Roc sounding, slightly live band aided, absolutely bangin' Hip Hop beat. Interesting use of horns on the hook, but this beat holds its weight with head nodding beat supplementing well timed percussive echoes throughout the track. Real different sound to it and J. Cole shines all over it with lines like:
My life accelerated, but had to wait my turn,
But then I redecorated, that means my tables turn,
Live life, might as well,
Only way to learn, is try and fail
Clientele the only way to earn.
The mind state of a winner,
When you thinkin bout summertime,
I’m thinkin bout the winter,
When you thinkin bout breakfast,
I’m heatin up my dinner,
I was plottin' this moment back when 'yall was ridin spinners.
Heatin up like May Weather dog,
I’m on that Floyyd sh*t,
Boy stick, to ya day job,
Said you was hot but they lied,
Is that ya girl? Well I just g’d her (jeter), no A rod.
Movin' on to my favorite track of his, Grown Simba, where Cole gives off somewhat of a Kanye vibe on the track with the soulful, take 'em to church repetitive sample on the beat. On the track, Cole prophesizes his ascension to the top of the game from his current creepin' on a come up status. In Hip Hop you almost have to talk it before you live it or people won't follow, so a track like this will only serve to increase his following with lines like, "Hold up now don’t get it twisted, I aint hating do your thing, I was like a young Simba couldn’t wait to be the king". There's no short of talent, wit or ab libs on all his tracks and this is the best example of that. Consider this track below as the foundation for why I think he's going to become a significant name in Hip Hop...check it..
You may have not realized it, but Cole was on Jay-Z's most recent album, Blueprint 3. Between the upbeat clap of the Kanye beat and Jay-Z's verses, you may not have noticed who that extra verse came from. Yea that was the kid from the 'Ville, again taking a sec to look around and notice how far he's come from relative obscurity, starting off his verse by saying:
And could I be a star,
This fame and this game have to change who you are,
Could I be the same one who came from a far away life,
Just to make it in this broadway lights,
Now shining in the broad day light, go figure...
Always cool to see a talented artist be able to live in the moment and share that "I'm not a nobody anymore" feeling with you on a track. Check it...
My final (newer) example of why you should listen to J. Cole and stop napping on him comes from a track that was slated to be on DJ Khaled's recent album Victory, but was a late scratch. This one is driven by a background guitar riff that gives an upbeat, in your face vibe that meshes with his no holds barred verses. He constantly gives shouts out to his new album Cold World throughout the verses, but the incorporation of both guitar and piano make this every bit as much music, daring you to categorize it more as instrument driven Hip Hop rather than Rap. Another interesting example of how stylistically he stands out with the way he goes about making his music from the instrumentals to the verses. Give it a listen and keep your head on a swivel for more Cole tracks to drop...
Ya know what? I was half way done with this post before I realized it would be wrong not to picture the production crew responsible for this felony assault on your eardrums. Again, if you ain't know, The Runners are pictured above from left to right Jermaine "Mayne Zayne" Jackson and Andrew "Dru Brett" Harr. Yea they are responsible for these songs here. Saying their beats are particularly bass heavy is a bigger understatement than Gilbert Arenas saying it was a bad financial decision to bring guns to work ($147,000 per game?? ouch!! It's ok support your homie and grab one of these hot "Free Gilbert" shirts, appropriately placed amid the old Washington Bullets logo).
Anyways, back to this absolutely BANGIN Runners beat...this track can only be played loud and if you have any sort of subwoofer plugged in at or near or in the vicinity of where this song resides, please do yourself a favor and give the foundation a little massage...I know I did.
As an aside, not really a fan of any of these verses from Jeezy, Plies or Rick Ross, but who cares, it's like yelling at an aquarium "OMG I just saw a fish"...Really dude?...you know what I'm mean, it's part of the scenery, so in essence they are to me auxiliary elements of what you end up hearing. In my world that's all Hip Hop is sometimes, beats and rhythms with people saying words that don't usually matter...and the degree to which it ends up mattering or having an effect on me has to do with the level of creativity, intellect that goes into the wordplay and these three rappers aren't necessarily known for that. Not trying to be a hater or take anything away, all three rappers are heavyweights in their own neighborhood of Hip Hop and just because that street isn't necessarily one I like to travel down often doesn't mean it doesn't get respect from the block.
Enough talk, give you speakers some sugar and turn the dial to the right a lil bit...
.
