"Lost Just Like Gilligan on My Own Island"

It's taken a few singles, but I'm starting to warm up to D.R.A.M. As bubble-gum laden as Broccoli was, it was still addicting af and was impossible to ignore. But that was only the start as his new one with Juicy J and A$AP Rocky will remind you a lot of the Three Six Mafia when you listen to it. Off top you get hit in the face with a heavy, rolling bass-line followed by "mafia" chants. I get that a hook is supposed to be catchy, but the repetition on Gilligan runs dangerously close to being annoying. Still, that doesn't take anything away from the heat that Juicy and A$AP bring on their verses. The track below continues the trend of new, exciting Hip Hop that's doing it's best to re-ignite my affinity for Hip Hop that has been dormant for a few years. Cop it in iTunes or Spotify if you're in need of a strip club quality banger...#Gilligan

Big Baby D.R.A.M. feat Juicy J & A$AP Rocky - Gilligan

Videos of the Week December 9th

This week's top five skewed toward music videos, but there were a few interesting debuts that deserved some love. This week started off on a high note with Jimmy Fallon debuting the new Nintendo Switch on his Tonight Show. Imagine how nerve wracking that must have been to play the game on live tv in front of the game's creator? After the type of pressure, it was fun to turn a page with Party Favor and Dillon Francis's revenge of the nerds montage with their Shut it Down video. If you take away one lesson, it's to not mess with nerds, they'll always find a way to get back.

Then came one of the most exciting trailers I've watched in a long time. The original Guardians of the Galaxy far exceeded my expectations, so seeing Baby Groot teeter on the atomic bomb launch button while being yelled at by Rocket did nothing but pour even more excitement for Vol 2. Then came the weird music videos, led by Childish Gambino's trippy VR video for Me and Your Mama. I'm still trying to wrap my head around whether or not attending the Pharos concert at Joshua Tree would have been a good move. Either way, I'm stoked that he's back to releasing new music. And finally, ending the week on an animation high note, Borgore and Juicy J released some equally trippy visuals for Magic Trick. It's hard to visually match the craziness of the beat for the song, but somehow they pulled it off in a kaleidoscope of color and craziness...#MagicTrick
Jimmy Fallon Debuts the Nintendo Switch

Party Favor and Dillon Francis - Shut it Down (Video)

Guardians of the Galaxy Teaser Trailer

Childish Gambino - Me and Your Mama (Pharos VR Video)

Borgore feat Juicy J - Magic Trick (Video)

Photo Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week October 28th

I'll be honest I was pushed and pulled a lot of different directions this week when putting together this week's top five. I say that because this week ran the full gauntlet of emotions from playful to sad and serious to funny to whimsical and eventually landing on downright outlandish. Starting with The Chainsmokers new video for Closer with Halsey, we got to get another dose of on screen chemistry between Halsey and Drew. Really cool to see the guys portray such a nostalgic story through the video.

Then, the top five took a turn for the serious with Macklemore's gripping video for Drug Dealer. At this point we've all been touched at some point by the opioid epedemic in America, so it's about time we start shining the light on legal drug companies to highlight their contribution to the mess. Kudos for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis for taking the issue head on. I included the Zeds Dead video because this week needed a dose of playful claymation to blend with the other vastly different moods. Different moods like silly when Fallon and Timberlake went back to Camp Winnipesaukee to sing everyone's favorite Alanis Morissette song. And to end on a completely outlandish note, I had to give my buddy John Bradford some love in the top five this week for his role in Juicy J and Wiz Khalifa's new Bossed Up video. For those wondering, he was the accountant who grabs the manila folder from Juicy J at the 19 second mark. It's the most odd, yet stereotypical rap video mixing corporate accountant team shenanigans and strip club scenes. Who knows how the concept came to be, but love to JB for doing his part as a straight edged accountant that gets quickly turnt up...#BossedUp
The Chainsmokers feat Halsey - Closer (Video)

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat Ariana Deboo - Drug Dealer (Video)

Zeds Ded feat Rivers Cuomo & Pusha T - Too Young (Video)

Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake Sing "Ironic" at Camp Winnipesaukee

Juicy J & Wiz Khalifa - Bossed Up (Video)

Photo Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week August 21st

Sticking with a heavy Hip Hop and R&B slant this week with new videos from Selena Gomez/A$AP Rocky and T-Pain/Juicy J. Like most things Hip Hop, the common thread between the two is the massive amounts of eye candy sprinkled throughout. It's not difficult to look at Selena Gomez, that is a fact. Another fact is that some music is best for gentleman's clubs. Without much thought, I'd put Make That Sh*t Work into that category.

If R&B is what you're looking for, you'll get a kick out of the Uber driver who took the time to film and create a compilation of people singing The Weeknd's Can't Feel My Face. Kudos for the great idea and being fun enough to execute it. If you want a dose of EDM, Disclosure has a fresh slice of brand new house to satisfy that craving. And last, but definitely not least, Heidi Klum proves why she is a baller and could probably drink Jimmy Fallon under the table. Box of lies is a fun concept, especially when Fireball is involved...#BoxOfLies
Disclosure feat Kwabs - Willing (Video)

The Weeknd - Can't Feel My Face (Uber Edition)

Selena Gomez feat A$AP Rocky - Good For You (Video)

T-Pain feat Juicy J - Make That Sh*t Work (Video)

Heidi Klum & Jimmy Fallon Play Box of Lies

Photo Credit: YouTube

"I'ma Build a Whole House on That Ass, I Swear"

T-Pain has made such an effort to get away from autotune that it's refreshing to hear him go back to what got him to where he's at now. Better yet, how about a booty shaking, future club anthem with Juicy J? Yessir, sign me up for that because it's just as vulgar and salacious as you'd expect from the dynamic duo. I can already picture the real video, presumably in a strip club with plenty of paper currency flying around like paper airplanes. Oh Hip Hop, there are some grimy things that will never change about you and I will always love and hate you for it, even though you always #MakeThatShitWork.

Videos of the Week October 10th

Unlike most weeks, there is a clear favorite video in this week's top 5. I don't know whether to applaud it for it's weird wilderness vibe or continue to question why Pharrell has some huge clothespins on his shirt. What I do know is that Gust of Wind is a great track and seeing huge prehistoric looking Daft Punk heads come to life to sing the hook felt appropriate. Beyond that, there was quite a bit of Hip Hop released this week with Logic's epic crime spree short movie and Ne-Yo's ode to pole dancers leading the way. The surprise of the week came from Ed Sheeran's dance moves. Evidently dude isn't just a great singer, he can also cut a rug when given a chance. Finishing out the week is the obligatory silly and entertaining Jimmy Fallon video featuring Steve Carell. In the video they take random quirky words and try to fit them into casual conversation. Hilarity ensues, making it a great pick to round out the top 5...#FallonTonight
Pharrell feat Daft Punk - Gust of Wind (Video)

Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud (Video)

Jimmy Fallon & Steve Carrell Play Word Sneak

Logic - Under Pressure (Video)

Ne-Yo feat Juicy J - She Knows (Video)

Photo Credit: YouTube

"Knock Knock You About to Get Shell Shocked"

What...in...the...hell? This might be the corniest track lyrically in the past decade. The degree of selling out that it takes to get to this end result is so obscene it's almost admirable.

The frustrating part about it is that it's actually a bangin' track if you manage to not get caught up in the lyrics. Kill The Noise and Madsonik craft a trap beat that is 100% dope and the one two punch of Juicy J and Wiz is formidable. The most surprising part from my perspective was Ty Dolla $ign closing it down with authority on the final verse. I'd go as far to say this could have been one of the best Hip Hop EDM collaborations to date if the powers that be didn't go so far out of their way to make the lyrics "kid friendly" and movie relevant that it became the focus of the track. It is what it is, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie comes out on August 15th if you're interested in hearing this on the big screen...#TNMT

All Felli Fel Wanna Do is Have Some Fun

What an odd collection of noteworthy Hip Hop artists on one track. Just looking at the artists on the track, it's hard to predict what to expect. Maybe my mental model is off because I still see Juicy J and think 100 proof Southern Hip Hop, but I didn't see an upbeat dance hit on first glance. With DJ Felli Fel at the helm, that's exactly what transpired on Have Some Fun. Cee-Lo Green drives the club friendly single with the help of Pitbull who found himself at home on the borderline modern disco hit. Now word yet on when Felli Fel's new album is dropping, but I will say that I appreciate his style over DJ Khaled's. Both DJs have the ability to bring epic collaboartions together, the only difference is the lack of yelling and personal promotion. Tip of the cap Felli Fel, let your work speak for itself...#HaveSomeFun

DJ Felli Fel feat Pitbull, Juicy J, Cee Lo - Have Some Fun (prod by DJ Felli Fel)

Katy & Juicy Go to the Country Club

The weekend is for going out and having fun, which is why I try to post tracks that are high energy. This week's party favor just so happens to come from Brazil's own Country Club Martini Crew who flipped Katy Perry and Juicy J's new single Dark Horse into a nice uptempo mix. Don't expect the lyrics to be any different, but you can expect the beat to be much more dance worthy. Crank this one out tonight if you're in need of a party starter...#DarkHorse

Katy Perry - Dark Horse (feat. Juicy J) (Country Club Martini Crew Radio Remix)

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

Videos of the Week June 21st

Definitely not the norm putting two commercials in videos of the week, but let's just say there were a few companies who stepped it up this week in anticipation for the 17.7 overnight rating that game 7 of the NBA finals recorded. That's good for 2nd place all time for an NBA game on ABC only trailing the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics game 7 in 2010, which had an 18.2 overnight rating. Nike's voicemail bit was creative and if you're not extremely excited about Jay-Z's upcoming Magna Carta Holy Grail album, then you are no friend of mine. Pretty cool to have a company buy a million of your records before it even comes out. Too bad Billboard hit the brakes on that auto-platinum status!

In other news, more people need to hear the story of reformed pimp and author Iceberg Slim and Nardwuar is still a strange cat. Have a good weekend y'al, I'll leave you with this gem...#SignsThatYoureRatchet

Jay-Z Game 7 Samsung Magna Carta Holy Grail Commercial

Nike Commercial Lebron's Voicemail Post-Championship

Iceberg Slim (Official Trailer)

Juicy J feat The Weeknd - One of Those Nights (Video)

Nardwuar Interviews Logic

"Ghost Love Story Like Patrick Swayze"

No lie, on first reaction to the track below I did like a quadruple x 2 take. I'm talmbout like a Bruce Willy-style stop the car type of disbelief. Wait a min, Three Six's own @therealjuicyj and @passionpit...on a track together? Anybody else think this is beyond left field? Hmm...@wizkhalifa will co-sign on it, that much I do know.

Do the "ninja" references throughout Juicy's verse stand out? Yea, a little bit, but I applaud the effort because there was a concerted effort to not alienate Passion Pit's audience, which I can appreciate. In fact, the only word they might have to edit out for radio is in the last bar where he says "and her p****y hit hard like Ron Artest." In my eyes, even though on first glance it would seem like mixing ketchup with peanut butter, Juicy did very best to merge together strip club Hip Hop and Indie pop. Never thought the ambassador of "ratchet p****y" would end up being an olive brand to Indie music, but thanks his new friendship with Passion's lead singer @mangelakos, it all came together remarkably well...#ConstantConversations

Passion Pit feat Juicy J - Constant Conversation (Remix)

"I Know My Limit & I Ain't Had Enough"

The last Hip Hop beat I heard that was this bangin' was Clique. Interestingly enough, that beat was also produced by @G_O_O_D_Music member @Hit_Boy, who is responsible for the soon to be hit below. For those folks who couldn't tell what T.U. means based on lyrical context or the cover art above, it stands for "Turnt Up" or as Urban Dictionary puts it below:

thee act of getting drunk and high to thee highest degree

Yea you get the picture, it's a new word for getting buckwild that the kids are using these days. As if we needed another acronym to use during chat. Anyways, the track features verses from @ItsaPROBLEM, @AudioPush, @therealjuicyj, and is scheduled to surface on Hit Boy's new Hits Since '87 compilation album All I Ever Dreamed Of. You can bet that album is going to have a lot of good features and be just as G.O.O.D. as it sounds...#AllIveEverDreamed

Hit Boy - T.U. (feat. Audio Push, Problem, & Juicy J)

"Just Cause They Try, Doesn't Mean They Can Be Us"

Lavish lifestyles have surrounded the core of Hip Hop since it's inception. Although the genre has evolved leaps and bounds from the beginning in the 1980s, money, cars, women and expensive champagne continues to dominate the alpha lyrical content of most Hip Hop artists. I bring this up because One of Those Nights touches on just about all the mainstream material, but does so in a way that would make @TQtheTrojan proud. For those of you who don't get the reference, TQ was one of the first artists that I remember back in the early 2000s who could actually pull off the vocalization of raw Hip Hop lyrics.

The logical comparison to TQ in the song below is @TheWeekndxo. His dramatic and emotional delivery bleed out deeper meaning behind what he's saying, which draws you into his music. While I'm on the compliment train, I'd be remiss if I didn't dish out some dap to @therealjuicyj for continuing to evolve and adapt the way he makes music, while still keeping it trill. Dude couldn't resist the temptation to throw in his trademark "Yeeeaa Ho!"s throughout the track, but I'd argue that with a little bit of editing and it has the potential to land on the radio. It's all about marketability because that leads to the mighty dollar and if I had this track in my lap, I'd feel pretty confident I could push some weight on iTunes with it. Matter of fact, while we're on the subject, Juicy's new album Stay Trippy is supposed to land on iTunes sometime in the next month, so keep an eye out for that...#StayTrippy

Juicy J feat The Weeknd - One of Those Nights

What is it With Hip Hop and Lollipops?

For some, new years come with resolutions like working out or drinking less. For others, it's a chance to start anew with, for example a name change. For Brandon Green, formerly Bei Maejor, @MAEJORALI was the new beginning 2013 brought.

And so Maejor Ali is now born to a new single featuring the interesting duo or @justinbieber and Three Six Mafia's own @therealjuicyj. First it was @liltunchi rappin' about Lollipops, now we've got another innuendo laden, radio friendly single about Hip Hop's favorite candy. Best guess I've got is that by talking about candy that children like, they get the Top 40 radio blessing, while still remaining Hip Hop by mentioning enough Hip Hop keywords like bands, molly, purple and trains to maintain Hip Hop legitimacy. All I know is anytime you've got the Biebs dropping lines like "I'm all fancy, yeah I'm popping Pellegrino" and "got your girlfriend at my crib watching Netflix" with Juicy J coming strong with "bands a make her dance, molly make her lose them underwear", you can count me in for that mixed rated mess...#Lolly

Maejor Ali feat Justin Bieber & Juicy J - Lolly (prod by Maejor Ali)

"Maaaan Let's Get Medicated"

After a full lap around @RealWizKhalifa's new album O.N.I.F.C., I'll admit I wasn't blown away like I was when I first listened to Rolling Papers, but I also wasn't disappointed. There were at least two or three tracks on Rolling Papers that I liked more than the singles he released and I was able to find those same type of hidden gems on his new album, which is why I'm satisfied.

For me, it was a toss up between Medicated and Paperbond as my favorite hidden gem. The tie breaker ended up being the beat on the track below that I just couldn't get out of my head. It makes completely sense now that I noticed Danja was behind the boards and to be honest just seeing him on the track took it up a couple notches. Maybe I'm not speaking for the masses, but production credits are the first thing I look at when trying to negotiate an album for the first time. It's probably getting old hearing me preach my producer over artist rhetoric, but I'll hold firm on that until I find an artist (other than @Drake) that can churn out the type of no brainer quality that a producer like Danja does.

On a side note, it was interesting hearing @therealjuicyj rap over a non-strip club beat. It's been a while since I've heard him go in on a track that sounds softer than his usually music. He did his thing though, so no hatin' over here with respect to the legendary Triple Six member. In case you missed it, O.N.I.F.C just dropped this week and it's worth a listen...#ONIFC

Wiz Khalifa feat Chevy Woods & Juicy J - Medicated (prod by Danja)
|iTunes

"I'm in My Zone, I'm Feelin' It"

Just in case you thought @bobatl had forever turned pop because that's the costume he has to wear to appease the suits who invest money in him, he's back with a track that will remind everyone where his allegiances lie (Hip Hop). Featuring the production of everyone's new favorite Southern producer, @MikeWiLLMadeIt, Bobby Ray proceeds to cook up a fairly hype club anthem. Even better, the track features @therealjuicyj and @tip, who take the track up a few notches.

If you're wondering how in the world you're going to manage to procure the track below, fear not, it will be on Bobby Ray's upcoming mixtape F*ck Em We Ball due out on November 15th. The real question is, where's the video to hype the mixtape...might as well call him king of the vlog...

Not sure about y'all, but I feel like any artist who can impress no matter what type of music he's making deserves some dap...#Hustlegang

B.O.B. feat T.I. & Juicy J - Still in This B*itch (prod by Mike Will)

Wiz Khalifa is So Turnt Up on Cabin Fever 2

It's becoming an interesting trend that some Hip Hop artists are resorting to releasing high quality non-single tracks on mixtapes prior to their studio album being released. The reason for the trend? The might dollar bill y'all! Yep, with record labels like Atlantic who are pulling back the reins on @RealWizKhalifa's upcoming album O.N.I.F.C. until they milk his potential for all it's worth.

For the record, I don't really don't blame record companies for wanting to maximize their profit. In the end they have the distribution and marketing channels that artists need to sell massive amounts of records. Sure, artists can say I'm going to take my ball and go home, but that's usually about as successful as an NFL contract hold out. Even better, we as listeners benefit from artists releasing free mixtapes that aren't "studio album quality". Really the only people that end up getting screwed in the deal is the artist who has to play the record label's games to make a buck. As an aside, I'm really interested in whether artists like David Banner (2M1 Movement) or comedians like Louis C.K. cutting out the middle man will ever make a tangible effect on the skewed business model of the music industry as a whole.

Anyways, let's land this wild tangent plane. Below is my favorite track off Wiz Khalifa's new Cabin Fever 2 mixtape. It's every bit the booty shaking anthem you'd expect from a Bay Area strip club track. In other words, if you like @Drake's The Motto, you'll really like the new one featuring Three Six Mafia's own @therealjuicyj. Check the video below for a visuals...


O.N.F.I.C. due out in early December...#StayTuned

Wiz Khalifa feat Juicy J - STU (prod by Invasion)
|Mixtape

"I Make it Rain on Ya, Like a Window Pane"

One thing I've learned over the years about myself is that I have a really hard time resisting strip club anthems. From old school cuts like Adina Howard's T-Shirt and Panties and UGK's Let Me See it, to more recently Crime Mob's Rock Ya Hips, @kirkobangz Drank in My Cup and @liltunchi's She Will. Yes, they are the epitome of demeaning lyrically and focus on about every sexual possibility that can occur around a strip club, but goodness are they addicting.

For the track below, it helps that I grew up on @threesixmafia, so hearing @therealjuicyj's syrupy flow is an instant draw. Nobody else could pull off a line like "Racks eerrwhere, they showin' racks, I'm throwin racks" like Juicy, I can say that much. The beat provided by @MikeWiLLMadeIt is simple, but perfect for the habitat it was crafted for. Even better, Wayne threw in a verse along with everyone's new favorite cameo, 2 Chaaaaaainnnzz! I'm still not sure it get the whole instant transformation into success he made from being Tity Boi, but I'm getting used to his quirky, off kilter delivery.

It's gratuitous, misogynistic and downright dirty, but to me it's easy listening. Some can stomach it, others can't, I just choose to focus on the aspects I enjoy and do my best to try and not take the message so serious. I hope you can do the same, but if you can't I get it and I promise tomorrow I'll get back on that righteous path...#ConscienceTakesMondaysOff

Juicy J feat Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz - Bands A Make Her Dance (Remix)

Benjamin Franklin Donnis Keeps it 100

Last week, Volume 1 of @donnismusic's three part Snack Pack series was a breath of fresh air and set the bar high for the next two. While I don't think Volume 2 was as off the charts dope as the first one, I'm still finding myself adding his new track Hoes to all of my new iTunes playlists. He had released a snippet video of the track last week, followed by the real thing this week. Shout out to @godspaparazzi on the beat. All I can say is can I get a tomahawk chop y'all???? Braves or Seminoles...#YouPick

The second track is pretty solid in it's own right with cameos from up and comers @jayantmusic_TPK and @iamsu. The quirky synths and rolling clap beat are cool when combined together with a little tempo. Everybody could use another fun way to say they keep it 100, right? #KeepItBenjaminFranklin

I can only hope that Volume three follows suit with the first two Snack Packs and continues to provide me with quality music to share with y'all. All I know is Bout That Life with @therealjuicyj sounds like a heat rock and I can't wait for it to drop this week...

Either way, it's about time ya boy Donnis starts to get some love for the nice streak of new music he's been releasing. You'd think a studio album would be the chronological next step, but it took Wiz Khalifa a whole lotta mixtapes before finally making it big. I can only hope for the same ending for Donnis...#2012BreakthroughArtistWatch