Videos of the Week June 16th

I'm bringing a truly unique top five this week. Led by some quirkiness, a few music videos, and a whole lot of race related content, it was an eclectic week. As long as you can get over the fact that Jimmy Fallon and Miley Cyrus didn't do the best job at concealing their true identities, their NYC Subway performance was one of the stand outs from this week. Pretty crazy how quickly a crowd gathered, mostly for Miley, but when Jimmy unmasked himself, people started losing it and breaking out their iPhones.

In the world of music videos, The Weeknd and Buddy released new videos for singles. Of the two, I enjoyed Buddy and Kaytranada's dance heavy video the most. Regarding race it was apropos that the Black Panther trailer came out the week that Ice Cube went on Bill Maher's show to school him on use of the N word. To Bill's credit, he owned up to his mistake and seemed like he was open minded enough to listen to what Cube was saying. As a side note, I really hope Black Panther continues Marvel's dominance in comic book cinema in 2018. Thanks to Wonder Woman, they actually might have competition from DC moving forward...#BlackPanther

Miley Cyrus and Jimmy Fallon Pose as Subway Singers

The Weeknd - The Secrets (Video)

Buddy feat Kaytranada - World of Wonders (Video)

Ice Cube and Bill Maher Have a Real Talk About Race and the Use of the N Word

Black Panther Trailer

Photo Credit: YouTube

"Smoke Like a Sailor, Curse Like a Chimney"

There's something incredibly genuine and endearing about Chance the Rapper. His ability to effortlessly go between harmony and rhymes is something unmatched by any artist in Hip Hop. He's doing his absolute best to bring some lime light back to gospel with the way he's able to incorporate it into his music. Take his new with Kaytranada for example. It starts with a childish call and repeat intro that leads into a piano led sing-songy track. Not many could pull off the almost silly tone of the track, but somehow, some way he found a way to sprinkle in some soulful power vocals around the 2:30 mark. It's not the usual funk beat that you'd expect from Kaytranada, but it's further proof that he just plain makes great music. Not sure where this one will end up album wise as it was just debuted on Pharrell's Beats1 OTHERTone Radio yesterday, but wherever it ends up will be a place that'll be frequenting...#AndTheySay

Chance the Rapper - And They Say (prod by Kaytranada)

Videos of the Week March 17th

Another week in the book and another music video heavy top five. Those rumors about Fallon falling off a bit since Colbert won the election must be somewhat true considering the dearth of funny content coming across the radar of late. Nevertheless, the show goes on starting with crisp new videos from The Weeknd and Linkin Park. The former is what you'd expect from a video shot on another planet, while the latter is emotionally charged and dramatic as the lyrics suggest. BUT, it all paled in comparison to the massive uproar that Snoop caused with his slightly more than suggestive shot at Trump. He even got the old Donald to lash out on Twitter, which is nothing new, but interesting that the video was taken seriously.

Outside of the world of music videos, we got some fresh reaction from Chance the Rapper off his recent Grammy win. Hip Hop is lucky to have a well-spoken, genuinely good dude like him leading the way. He does a lot of good things and that's all in addition to the amazing music he's been churning out of late. Lastly, we got a fun behind the curtain look at how Ed Sheeran and UK rapper Stormzy feel about internet trolls. There's a lot of negativity in the world, so it's nice to see an example of how artists let it roll off their back. It may not quite have lived up to a Kimmel Mean Tweets, but it was a fun watch anyways...#InternetTrolls

The Weeknd feat Daft Punk - I Feel It Coming (Video)

Linkin Park feat Kiiara - Heavy (Video)

Snoop Dogg feat BADBADNOTGOOD & Kaytranada - Lavender (Video)

Chance the Rapper Complex Interview

Ed Sheeran and Stormzy Respond to Internet Trolls

Photo Credit: YouTube

"'Cause Your Feelings Anesthesia, Word to Keisha"

There are few things in music right now that get me as pumped as the rolling basslines of Kaytranada. This time he laid an exquisite foundation for GoldLink to rattle off his pitter-patter flow on Meditation. Don't get me wrong, I get why GoldLink is as hot as he is right now, he's got mad skills on the mic. But my goodness, I could vibe out to the instrumental on this track all night.

Can't forget to give some love to Jazmine Sullivan on the hook too. Her contribution gave the listener a quick break from the non-stop intensity of GoldLink's verses. It's the second track he's put out this week following on the coat tails of Crew. Two very different tracks, but both fire in their own right. Whatever you do this Spring, stay on the look out because GoldLink is probably coming to a city near you...#Meditation

GoldLink feat Jasmine Sullivan & Kaytranada - Meditation

"I'm Talkin' Bout Sweet, Sweet F'in Love"

It was only a matter of time before Kaytranada's funk made it to the masses. What I mean by that is he's been making dope music for quite a while now, but he probably doesn't have near the following he should have given how great of music he consistently makes. That's all going to change soon when people get wind of tracks like his new one with Alicia Keys.

The best part of Sweet F'in Love is how well both Alicia and Kaytranada's styles blend together. For the first 40 or so seconds of the track you're duped into thinking that this is just another Alicia lullaby. Then the beat drops and the funk comes in with a smooth, but powerful vengeance. It's the best of both worlds, you've got the silky vocals from Alicia and the booty shaking funk that Kaytranada brings. I can't offer a link to stream or download yet, but you can bet that it will be available for mass consumption in the coming days. In the meantime, let's raise a glass for Alicia who is back to releasing top notch, exciting music...#SweetFinLove

Alicia Keys - Sweet F'in Love (prod by Kaytranada)

Kaytranada Flips TLC's Diggin' on You

A classic TLC tracked flipped by Kaytranada? Yes please! Before you get too excited about the remix, rewind the clock with me for a minute to the original TLC track, Diggin' on You...

Back in the 90s they set the bar for smooth R&B with their sexy vocals. Before you go thinking the remix is going to sound anything like the original, check you expectations at the door. It's more of a sample from Diggin' on You that Kaytranada used as the foundation for a funky break beat. It's these types of beats that put him in a category of his own because there simply aren't many other DJs who can marry deep house and Hip Hop styles together on a beat. This one recently landed on his recent .001% Mixtape that dropped back in September. In case you missed it, give it another lap or two because there are plenty of hidden gems like this sprinkled through the hour and a half tape...#FlippinOnYou

TLC - Flippin' on You (Kaytranada Remix)

Kaytranada and Chano Been Drinkin' All Night

Now that the Cubbies have conquered the Giants and their even year streak of winning championships, it's time to celebrate. And what better way to celebrate than a funky remix from Kaytranada. Before getting to the "extended joint" give Chance the Rapper's original version of All Night a listen...

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Where original version has a methodical pace to it, the extended mix has a bit more tempo to it. The extended cut amplifies the instrumental grey area between the vocals and puts a greater focus on the repetitious ringing synth rhythm. Nothing against the original, but I'm much more of a beat guy and this is another great example of why that is the case. Feel free to cop this one for free and enjoy the fact that things in life this good are never free...#AllNight

Chance the Rapper feat Knox Fortune - All Night (Kaytranada Extended Joint)

Falling in Love Never Felt So Funky

Evidently the GoldLink and KAYTRANADA connection runs much deeper than we imagined. You want to talk about a funky way to start a week, the conversation starts with Fall in Love. That rolling baseline and spitfire flow from GoldLink is not to be trifled with. Add in some vocals from Ciscero and a production assist from BADBADNOTGOOD and you've got yourself a throwback sounding, new school funk anthem.

Songs like this make me feel remorse for being so checked out on the evolution of Hip Hop. If artists like GoldLink are going to bring funk back into the equation of Hip Hop, you might see this durable, one-song a day ship that is the GWDJ blog switch it's course back toward the island of beats and rhymes. Such a fun tracks, give it some Spotify or iTunes love if you feel so inclined...#FallInLove

GoldLink feat Ciscero - Fall in Love (prod by KAYTRANADA & BADBADNOTGOOD)

I'm 99.9% Sure Kaytranada Has Arrived

Let me first preface this post by saying I'm very late to jump on the Kaytranada bandwagon. He's been developing a cult following for a while now, so I'll cop to it being convenient that I'm posting about him for the first time on the day he releases his first full length LP. Hailing from chilly Montreal, Canada, he's made a name for himself with a unique blend of dance, electronic, and Hip Hop sounds. He's one of the rare artists that it feels disingenuous to put a genre label on, but that's also explains much of his allure as an artist.

Even though I'm posting the funky video for his latest single, Lite Spots, I'd encourage you to check out his entire 99.9% album on Spotify. Sure, you're not going to get choreographed dancing robot visuals with every track, but the underlying electro-funk will be more than evident as you listen to the album in its entirety. My guess is this will be the first of many Kaytranada tracks to be featured here, but time will surely tell...#LiteSpots