Videos of the Week August 29th

An overall great week for music videos with Jessie J, Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande leading the way with their eye candy filled Bang Bang. If you're in the mood for dancing, you're going to need to check out both The Chainsmokers video for Kanye and Usher's newly minted visuals for She Came to Give it To You. Without a doubt, the most memorable video of the week was Beyonce's VMA Vanguard Medley that had a tearful ending with Jay Z and Blue Ivy. And as if you hadn't seen enough ice bucket challenges, how about a special one from Jimmy Fallon. Who would have known the National Ice Council would be so outraged...#IceBucketChallenge
Jessie J feat Nicki Minaj & Ariana Grande - Bang Bang (Video)

The Chainsmokers - Kanye (Video)

Beyonce's MTV VMA Video Vanguard Medley (Video)

Usher feat Nicki Minaj - She Came to Give it To You (Video)

Jimmy Fallon National Ice Council Outraged by Ice Bucket Challenge

Photo Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week July 4th

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

Cazzette - Sleepless (Video)

Drake Espy's Promo

David Chappelle on Donald Sterling

Photo Credit: YouTube

Dr. Dre and Jay Z Rule the Jungle

Newly minted billionaire Dr. Dre is at it again. He's used some interesting ingredients to create the perfect hype storm. First, let's take a dope Hip Hop sounding track that not a lot of people know about featuring an Indie rock group and a British folk singer and get Jay Z to add a verse to it. Then, leverage the World Cup's massive audience to sell more and more headphones with this ad. Sound like a good plan?

Welp...if I'm either the X Ambassadors or Jamie N Commons, I'm smiling all the way to the bank when I get wind of the Dr. Dre tweet below...

Welcome to the jungle @S_C_

— Dr. Dre (@drdre) June 14, 2014

In case you haven't seen the commercial yet when watching the World Cup, check out Jay Z's verse that is as good as advertised below...

Lost in all of this is the fact that Alex da Kid is still a genius. Why you ask? Well, the X Ambassadors are signed to KIDinaKORNER Records, who also have The Imagine Dragons and Skylar Grey on roster. Bet you can't guess who is the brain child behind KIDinaKorner? He needs to get more credit than he gets because he has been behind so much great much that it's getting a little ridiculous that he isn't a household name. Check out the original version of Jungle below and keep your head up for the full remix because it's coming sooner than later...#Jungle

X Ambassadors & Jamie N Commons – Jungle

Disclosure Was Just Frontin'

I can appreciate a good throwback remix like Disclosure's remix of Pharrell and Jay Z's Frontin'. Shoot, the original version was released back in 2003, making it over a decade old. Call me old, but it doesn't seem like that long ago and in general, it speaks to the longevity of Pharrell as an artist. He has reinvented himself in a much more funk filled incarnation the past few years, but he's been making great music for well over a decade now.

As far as Disclosure is concerned, they strike me as the leaders of the deep house movement. As the movement has gained steam over the past two or so years in the US, they have been leading the way in brining their style across the pond from the UK. I applaud the way they transformed the original version of Frontin' into a slightly more uptempo, chilled out version. You can bet this will resonate with those like me who have been drifting from Hip Hop toward EDM since the millenium...#Frontin

Pharrell ft. Jay Z - Frontin' (Disclosure Re-Work)

Vidoes of the Week May 23rd

Really interesting and diverse group of videos this week with the SNL season finale leading the way. Simply put, Andy Samberg is hilarious and anytime he hosts SNL, you better have your DVR set. His parody of EDM DJs teasing the drop is one of the better skits he's ever done, which is saying a lot. Despite the whole Solange elevator drama, Jay Z and Beyonce raised the bar for tour promos with On the Run. Between the two fan bases, they shouldn't have too much trouble selling out arenas.

It was really cool to see the MJ hologram perform his new track Slave to the Rhythm. It's never the same as the real experience, but modern technology does a good job of pretending. DJ Snake and Dillon Francis did a solid job of showing how to make it rain while showing folks how to dance horizontally. Last but not lease, the Bells Whiskey tv ad was by far the best video of the week. You want to talk about telling a compelling story to get people to empathize with your product. Tip of the cap to Bells for showing everyone how to sell the "why" of a product in a creative way...#BellsWhiskey
When Will the Bass Drop? SNL Short with Andy Samberg

Jay Z & Beyonce Run Tour (Trailer)

Bells Whiskey TV ad

DJ Snake & Dillon Francis - Get Low (Video)

Michael Jackson - Slave to the Rhythm

Photo Credit:YouTube

Videos of the Week March 21st

There's little doubt which video gets the top spot this week. Whoever you are Jesse Hill, you deserve some love for finding a way to creatively express Beyonce's Drunk in Love through iOS Emojis. Aside from that, Zedd and Chromeo came through with some new visuals that were both entertaining in their own ways. I did appreciate the fun wedding story in Chromeo's new one for Jealous (I Ain't With It). You better believe I'm gonna be pressing F5 on the internet until the studio version of Drake's new one Call on Me drops. As a solid bookend to the week, Jimmy Fallon came through with an entertaining parody of the First Kiss video...#FirstLick
Zedd - Find You (Video)

Chromeo - Jealous (I Aint With It) (Video)

Beyonce's Drunk in Love Emoji Video

Drake Premieres New Song Call on Me

Jimmy Fallon Parodies First Kiss Video With First Lick

Photo Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week March 14th

Lots of variety to chew on for this week's top five videos. The best of which was BANKS video for Brain. The hauntingly seductive visuals matched the aura of the track perfectly. I really hope more people start catching on to her creativity as an artist.

Beyond that, Asher took a trip to the skating rink, showing a fun Indie side to his musical repertoire. Despite the terrible tragedy at SXSW this week, shows did go on and there was a tremendous amount of hype surrounding Kanye and Jay Z's performance. I'm a big fan of concert intros, which is why H.A.M. was my favorite of the amateur videos shot. If you're in the mood for a sexy workout video with plenty of hard bodies and washboard abs, you'll appreciate Trey Songz new one. Finally, I'm more than a little excited for James Brown's life story to be told on film. Mostly because Tate Taylor (director of The Help) is directing it, but also because James Brown is an interesting dude....#GetOnUp
BANKS - Brain (Video)

Asher Roth - Tangerine Girl (Video)

Kanye West & Jay Z Performing H.A.M. at SXSW

Trey Songz - Na Na (Video)

James Brown Biopic "Get On Up" (Trailer)


Photo Credit: YouTube

Some Tracks Are Too Good To Be True

Before you uncontrollably spaz out after noticing the collaboration below, know that it is not passing the smell test. It's been processed, cut and pasted together to form what we all hoped was an epic collaboration. Though it was initially rumored that Kanye produced the track and it was a leftover from Daft Punk's latest album, it's all just too good to be true. Thanks to the diligent folks on Reddit leading the investigation, this is what we know.

First and foremost, the synths sound a whole lot like the synths from the track The Son of Flynn off the Tron Legacy Soundtrack. Yes, that makes it sound a lot like a Daft Punk song since Daft Punk produced the Tron Legacy Soundtrack. Instrumental below for reference...

Second, although nobody seems to have heard Jay Z's verse on the track prior to today, his references to an iTouch and Blackberry date the verse to somewhere around 2009 when the Tron Legacy Soundtrack was being put together. Third, the vocoder vocals sound like 100% genuine Daft Punk. The vocals, combined with the never before heard Jay Z verse are what the die hard believers are holding onto as far as believing that it's a new track. Nobody has stepped forward to take credit for the mash-up or legitimize it as a demo, but I'm willing to bet the story is only beginning with this one. I'm more impressed by whoever did it than impressed by the sound of the track since it sounds like a demo. I don't think it would have lived up to expectations had it been real, but for a mash-up/demo, well done whoever threw this together...#Computerized

Daft Punk feat Jay Z - Computerized (Mash-up)

Videos of the Week January 10th

Bit of a random grab bag of videos this week led by the exciting news of Sam Smith's upcoming album. If he can put together anything close to the quality of music that he has so far, he should be in the discussion for album of the year. Most exciting video without a doubt was the lil 12 yr old Justin who went onstage at Jay Z's Greensboro, NC tour stop. What an awesome feeling to go up and spit his verse acapella. In other news, I continue to be a huge buyer of all that Timeflies does and I'm still a big fan of EDM and Ellie Goulding. In case you missed it, Timeflies released all of their Timeflies Tuesday tracks for the cost of one Facebook like, which is a hell of a deal...#StartedOnATuesday
Sam Smith - The Lonely Hour (Album Trailer)

Hardwell feat Matthew Koma - Dare You (Video)

Ellie Goulding - Goodness Gracious (Video)

Timeflies - Ride (Acoustic)

Photo Credit: YouTube

"Bravado Like Mavado, Boy I'm that Gully"

Ok ok Hip Hop, point taken. It's as if I woke a sleeping giant, I honestly couldn't have planned it more ironically. Literally the day after I declare the current state of Hip Hop boring, here comes Cudi left hook and Rick Ross/Jay Z haymaker. In the past I've been real critical of Rozay because I value lyrical depth, which isn't his forte. I'm not saying his newest heat rock with the Jiggaman bucks that trend, but I will say that he brought his A game. He did what he does in a slow, charismatic way that got me excited to listen to the track. It's a compliment to say that he built up anticipation for Jay Z's verse. It's like when you start a #3 receiver in the fantasy football playoffs and he goes off for three touchdowns before your studs play. Your excitement grows and it takes the pressure off your studs from producing. That's what I felt like listening to The Devil is a Lie.

I feel like the foundation for the track's success was the heavy, horn filled beat by K.E. In the video below he speaks on the tracks creation...

Make no mistake, Jay Z played his part as Mariano Rivera, but the track as a whole was impressive. Although it's release has been pushed back til 2014, don't forget about Rick Ross's upcoming album Mastermind...#DevilIsALie

Rick Ross feat Jay-Z - The Devil is a Lie (prod by K.E. On The Track)

Videos of the Week December 13th

Oh Ron Burgundy, how I've missed you. With the movie premiere on the horizon, it's full court press time for the cast of Anchorman 2. I'll admit, my own expectations prevented me from falling off the couch while viewing the video below. Still, it's an entertaining watch anytime Will Ferrell starts on a rant about why mustaches are awesome, it's a must watch.

Oh this just in, Beyonce just dropped an album outta the blue this week. Along with that came two show stopping videos with her husband and Drake. Wonder if she meant to do that with the holiday season coming up? In other news, buckle your seat belt for an eerie lyric video from Timbaland. I wouldn't have thought of going that direction with the video, but they definitely got the shock and awe factor. To put a bookend on the week, it doesn't get much more patriotic than Avicii's Hey Brother video...#Murica
Ron Burgundy Interviews Peyton Manning - Uncut Version

Avicii - Hey Brother

Beyonce feat Drake - Mine (Video)

Beyonce feat Jay-Z - Drunk in Love (Video)

Timbaland ft. Drake, Jay-Z & James Fauntleroy – Know Bout Me (Lyric Video)

Photo Credit: Youtube via ESPN

"Whatchu Know About the Kid?"

I don't think it's that big of a stretch to assume that we can all collectively be excited that Timbaland has a new album coming out. When it comes to longevity in Hip Hop, there hasn't been a producer that has consistently crafted fresh music like Timbaland. Whether he's producing for himself or others, he hasn't changed his sound that much, but it's always sounded fresh. Don't think that's tough to do? Name me another producer who has unflinchingly refused to change their style and still found a way to create inspirational music for over a decade.

I haven't been able to find a release date for Timbo's upcoming album Textbook Timbo, but I do know that Know Bout Me will be the lead single. For reference, Jay Z's name is in quotes because he literally delivers two quick lines during the intro of the track and then is nowhere to be found the rest of the track. And that's actually ok because the verses from Timbo and Drake more than carried their weight over Timbo's anchor-like 808 bass and active percussion. Even better, James Fauntleroy carried the track home with some smooth R&B vocals. Consider this as the first salvo from Timbo letting everyone know he's coming and only getting started...#KnowBoutMe

Timbaland feat “Jay-Z", Drake & James Fauntleroy – Know Bout Me (prod by Timbaland)

Videos of the Week October 18th

Without a doubt the most eye opening video this week was the odd collaboration between James Blake and Chance the Rapper. The core of that statement has to do with the never-ending intrigue I have with cross-genre collaborations that mix two drastically different styles. It seems like Indie goes with everything these days, but the Life Round Here (Remix) struck me as somewhere beyond awesome and just short of epic.

It seems like I get a weekly reminder that I should have been in Philly for the Made in America Festival. This week's reminder came in the form of the trailer that successfully captured what I expect was the unbridled energy that the show created. Aside from those two big highlights, Bruno comes through with creative videos and Sleigh Bells has absolutely mastered the ability to rock a party. Because it was a slow week, I resurrected a favorite from the vault. If the final video doesn't somehow improve your day, you are way too left-brained and simply need to play more...#MorePlay

James Blake feat Chance the Rapper - Life Round Here (Remix) (Video)

Made in America Festival Trailer

Bruno Mars - Gorilla (Video)

Sleigh Bells Performs Bitter Rivals on Jimmy Kimmel

Ferrets Playing in Packing Peanuts

Photo Credit: Showtime via YouTube

"I Had Benzes Before You Had Braces"

"Cake, cake, cake, cake, cake, cake,

500 million I got a pound cake"

Not surprisingly, Nothing Was the Same has started to trickle onto the net as it's September 24th release nears. And you better believe the leakers, they go for Jaws, they don't go for any ordinary Great White. They went straight for it with the red sharpie circled track on the album featuring Jiggaman titled Pound Cake.

I'll keep it real simple by saying if you enjoyed Drake and Jay Z's previous collaboration Light Up, then you'll like their new one. I can't say I like it as much as Light Up on first listen, but it's got enough complex carbs in the verses to keep my attention. In other words, after a few more listens, I'll probably have a greater appreciation for it because a cursory listen to the verses just doesn't do it justice. Add to that the intro is kinda cool and the scratched up remixed C.R.E.A.M. sample that Jigga keeps stuttering will get peoples' attention. All I gotta say is pick your favorite quotable...

Mine -->"My eyes bloodshot but my jet don't lag..."

Not sure what to do with Paris Morton Music Part II, though. I loved the first, but the second is more of an afterthought interlude. Oh well, next track, shout out to Boi-1da on the beat to Pound Cake. 9 days til it drops, get excited...#PoundCake

Drake feat Jay Z - Pound Cake (prod by Boi-1da, Jordan Evans & Matthew Burnett)/Paris Morton Music 2

Videos of the Week September 6th

And just when you thought Kenny Powers was gone for good, here he comes for Season 4 of Eastbound and Down. Honestly, I'm more than a little intrigued to see where the plot ventures off to now that Kenny seems to be done with baseball. As long as it involves Danny McBride being a complete as$hole, it'll find a way to be entertaining.

Not sure if you've caught it or not, but Drake interviews have been aplenty of late with Nothing Was the Same on the horizon. Just over two weeks left til it drops, which explains why he's saying things like "I aspire to be Marvin Gaye." It's nice to hear that he's not ever going to ever make a 100% Hip Hop album and stray away from what got him to the point he's at now. I still wish I coulda made it to the Made in America Festival last weekend. Ah, how I miss Philly! I've posted a few Decoded videos, but in general I'm a huge fan of the Life & Times series. Oh and Bone Thugs is back, which is good for Hip Hop in general...#BTNH
Eastbound and Down Season 4 Trailer

Made in America Festival Highlights - Jay Z Watching Deadmau5

Drake Aspires to be Marvin Gaye

Big Sean - First Chain (Decoded)

Bone Thugs feat Ty Dolla $ign - Everything 100 (Video)

Videos of the Week August 29th

I'm gonna put it right out there and state that if Jay Z's Holy Grail video doesn't win some sort of video of the year award, there's a problem. I not only appreciate the dark aesthetic the video captures, the screwing and chopping for effect does a great job of defamiliarizing you with a song you already know very well. That's not easy to do in video and I'll take it a step further in saying that most artists wouldn't even try to undertake that ambitious of a task.

In other news, Big Sean snaps a kids neck then gets hacked to death in Fall Out Boy's new video for The Mighty Fall. I was a little underwhelmed at the simplicity of Daft Punk's video, but the Bingo Players made up for that lack of creativity with their new video. Seeing the Made in America trailer really makes me miss Philly. So many great shows every week, such a great city...#PhillyLove
Jay-Z feat Justin Timberlake - Holy Grail (Video)

Fall Out Boy feat Big Sean - The Mighty Fall (Video)

Daft Punk feat Pharrell - Lose Yourself to Dance (Video)

Bingo Players - Buzzcut (Video)

Jay-Z Made in America Tour (Trailer)


Photo credit: Facebook

Videos of the Week August 16th

Interesting mix of interviews, videos and commercials this week from some of my favorites. In my opinion, it's a toss up between Big Sean and Mike Posner for top video of the week. For those who weren't living under a rock this week and caught Kendrick Lamar's lyrical assault on Hip Hop, you're probably more than a little interested about how Big Sean felt about being called out on his own track. As the story goes, Big Sean laid down his verse first and then received Kendrick's after the fact. He made the decision to not go back and change his verse after being called out and actually got excited about the effect that it would have on Hip Hop. +10 pts for Big Sean taking the high road and releasing the track as is for the betterment of Hip Hop.

Coming in second is Mike Posner's adorable video for The Way It Used To Be. Long story short, he spends the majority of the video working together with his friends to convince the girl he was with to stay with him and not break up. I won't ruin the ending, but it's got a twist and it works out for Mikey in the long run. You can file that video under sh*t that doesn't happen in real life. Rounding out the list is some new Haim and an interesting short film with Just Blaze, Baauer and Jay Z...#Higher
Introducing The Wiz Khalifa Collection From Converse

Mike Posner - The Way It Used to Be (Video)

Big Sean Breaks Down Control (Interview)

Haim - The Wire (Video)

Just Blaze & Baauer feat. Jay Z - Higher (Short Film)


Photo Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week August 9th

Great week for videos with Jay Z leading the way with his "performance art film" of Picasso Baby. Despite the fact that he's ruffling feathers with every new things he does, I respect his visionary approach to Magna Carta Holy Grail. When you have the resources to do it, why not try things that nobody else has done before?

Oh, and in case you aren't tired of Miley's twerking ways, she played a starring role in Big Sean's new video. I probably would have given large amounts of money to be at either OVO Fest or TNGHT/Disclousure's Central Park concert. Maybe it was a coincidence that both took place in the same week, but jealous was running high this week...#GreatConcert
Big Sean feat Miley Cyrus - Fire (Video)

Jay-Z - Picasso Baby (Performance Art Film)

Jason Derulo feat 2 Chainz - Talk Dirty (Video)

Mayer Hawthorne Performs Her Favorite Song on Jimmy Kimmel

TNGHT Brings Out Mobb Deep & Perform Shook Ones II in Central Park

Videos of the Week July 19th

I decided to go 100% Hip Hop on this week's video post. It seems like it's video season for Hip Hop and you can expect a lot more of that to come with Jay-Z, Kanye, and Drake having singles on the horizon. Dap is order for Juicy J who managed to avoid the strip club scene in his video for Bounce It, which is undoubtedly on repeat at your local gentleman's club. I thought the video was pretty classy and well done by Benny Boom.

I'm just as surprised as you that 2 Chainz got to a point in his career where he could demand 100k per feature. Who knew 100k would include video girls? In other news, Jay-Z took over Pace Gallery in NYC and performed Picasso Baby for six hours straight. Oh to be a fly on the wall for that marathon of a day...#PicassoBaby
Juicy J feat Wale & Trey Songz - Bounce It (Video)

Lil Wayne - God Bless Amerika (Video)

2 Chainz Charges 100k Per Feature

Wiz Khalifa - Paperbond (BTS)

Jay-Z - Picasso Baby (BTS)


Photo credit: YouTube

"D Boy Drug Dealer Look, Billionaire"

It seems like every day since Magna Carta Holy Grail was released has brought a new piece of bad news. First there was the uproar surround whether or not a company could buy an album to platinum status, then the Samsung app had issues crashing and now it appears that Samsung wants just about every piece of information about you in exchange for getting to use the app, which has the FTC launching a formal investigation. Yikes, good thing @s_c_ can brush these 99 problems off because he's reppin' the likes of Robinson Cano and Kevin Durant.

Business aside, Magna Carta is clearly a well-sculpted album. Sure, when you've got some of the best producers in the game backing one of the most polished rappers of my generation, it's hard to go wrong. After a few listens, there hasn't been a track on the album that managed to get stuck on repeat, but BBC has gotten the closest. The head nod worthy production by Pharrell mixed with verses from Hov and Nas is a tough combination to top. When listening to the track, it's not a surprise at all that Jay-Z anointed it as the track that was the most fun he had making. Take note artists, when you have fun making music, the end result shows!...#MagnaCartaHolyGrail

RT @xcxarlos_sc What song was the most fun recording? #MCHG [BBC #factsonly]
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) July 8, 2013

Jay-Z feat Nas & Timbaland - BBC (prod by Pharrell)