Videos of the Week September 22nd

Out of all weeks, this one probably had the best balance of emotional, creative, and funny. Led by the incredibly nostalgic Good Old Days, Macklemore and Kesha provided a quality lead off effort. There's just something about sitting around a campfire with friends that meshes really well with the "remember the good old days feeling. Speaking of feeling, if you don't get goosebumps hearing Jay Z's Encore verse meshed with the Chester Bennington led Numb live in studio then you clearly slept on early 2000s music. Really going to miss the high end vocal range he brought to Linkin Park that gave the group an added alternative edge.

In case you've missed everything I've posted over the past few weeks, Odesza released their new A Moment Apart album last week. Watching them make music is one of the most memorizing things for me personally. It's only a minute and a half, but seeing how they put together Meridian was a fun watch. If you're looking for funny, watching Lil Wayne lip sync the Friends theme song with an NFL twist should fit the bill. The music sample is far from Hip Hop, but there's some entertainment value watching him plead for NFL teams to not go 0-2. Rounding out this week's top five was another stellar creation from Louis Futon. This time he teamed up with GRiZ to put together a paint by numbers, behind the scenes look on how they spliced together their remix of Tyler, The Creator's See You Again. Can't say I was a huge fan of the original, but I'm all about the new fangled flip the dynamic duo was able to put together...#SeeYouAgain

Macklemore & Kesha - Good Old Days (Video)

Jay Z Performs Numb/Encore as a Tribute to Linkin Park's Chester Bennington

How Odesza Made Meridian

Lil Wayne Sings the Friends Theme Song

Louis Futon & GRiZ Flip Tyler, The Creator's See You Again

Photo Credit: YouTube

"You'll Miss the Magic of the Good Old Days"

I challenge you to find me an artist that makes nostalgic music as well as Macklemore. The storytelling is genuine in his music and he emanates authenticity every time he gets on the mic. The latest example is his collaboration with Kesha on Good Old Days. The over-arching message of "cherish the days being a kid" is a lesson everyone can internalize. It's the ultimate catch 22. When we get old we're able to appreciate being young and when we're young we seemingly let life fly by at 100 mph without batting an eye. Through Macklemore's quiet, measured delivery and Kesha's glorious harmony on the hook, a door to the past is opened for anyone listening. It's another standout track on Macklemore's upcoming album Gemini. Set to hit shelves on September 22nd, Good Old Days fits in nicely with recent hits Marmalade and Glorious. Join me in looking forward to diving into the 13 other tracks that have yet to be released over the weekend...#Gemini



Macklemore feat Kesha - Good Old Days (prod by Budo)

Videos of the Week July 7th

This week we got another Tiny Desk highlight to go along with a few music videos and some obligatory novelty. I've posted quite a few of NPR's Tiny Desk videos, but you'd be hard pressed to find another one better than the one below. Of course Chance performed a poem that he wrote while driving to the NPR offices. Luckily he had some DC traffic because what resulted was a fun watch.

Moving along to music videos where Ke$ha made a triumphant return on Praying. She's been through a lot over the past few years and if her new single is any indication, she's doing a hell of a job channeling that emotion. On a similarly invigorating way, Run the Jewels new claymation roller coaster video for Don't Get Captured was unique. Spooky is the word that comes to mind, which fits the vibe of the track quite well. If comedy is what you're looking for then you may be interested in James Van Der Beek's new show "What Would Diplo Do?" I'll give it to him, it was bold to cast himself as Diplo, but we'll see if the mockumentary has more than a few silly laughs to carry the series.

And last, but not least, this week delivered a new trailer for a star-studded new Jumanji reboot. The cast definitely gets your attention with Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and The Rock leading the way, but it makes you wonder whether or not they will be able to pull off a serious plot like the original did. Maybe it'll be an upgraded version of the original with a huge dose of comedy added to the mystery. Maybe it'll be one huge, contrived cluster. We shall see, at least we have until Christmas to hold our judgment...#WelcomeToTheJungle
Chance the Rapper Performing Puts on a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR

Ke$ha - Praying (Video)

Run the Jewels - Don't Get Captured (Video)

Viceland - What Would Diplo Do? (Trailer)

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Trailer)

Photo Credit: NPR

Videos of the Week January 3rd

A bit of a mix between the Rockin' New Years recap and some interesting Hip Hop videos are on tap this week. I really enjoyed the throwback video game look of Snoop Lion's video for Get Away. All of you youngins who didn't grow up with Nintendo may not understand the 8-bit graphics and simple look, but it drums up some serious nostalgia with this guy.

Also, if you haven't caught any of Wiz Khalifa's DayToday tour vlogs, they give a lot of great behind the scenes footage tour life. Not many people appreciate the supporting pieces that go into making a show happen and as a result, there's usually a lot of fun stuff that's missed. I like that some of the supporting actors and actresses are able to get some love through these small, 15 min snippets. Selfishly, I hope Wiz swings back around toward the Midwest because it's been a minute since I've seen him live...#TaylorGang
Snoop Lion feat Major Lazer & Angela Hunte - Get Away (Video)

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - New Years Eve NYC Medley

Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines on Rockin' New Years Eve

Wiz Khalifa – DayToday (Europe Pt. 3, Final Episode)

Ke$ha – Dirty Love (Video)

Photo Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week Decemeber 6th

I've got a buy one get one free deal going on this week's collection of video. Due to the influx of videos I wasn't able to narrow down on five, so y'all get six. In particular, I'd pay attention to the PBS animated 2Pac video where they sketched up some visuals to match the original interview. The visuals do a really good job of portraying a lot of the messages 2pac explained in the interview. The video that's getting the most acclaim this week is by far Lana Del Rey's 27 min Tropico video. I'll say that there have been mixed reactions, but the common thread it that people react strongly to it.

I love how Lorde's legacy is steadily growing, and you can't get much more crowd pleasing than Pitbull and Ke$ha's Timber. Not sure about you guys, but I can't wait for Anchorman 2. Oh and if you haven't been teased by Detox for over a decade like me, then you should get excited for new Kendrick Lamar tracks produced by Dr. Dre...#Detox
Uncut Tupac Interview From ’94 Brought To Life In New Animated PBS Video

Pitbull & Ke$ha - Timber (Video)

Will Farrell Talks Music Cameos in Anchorman 2

Lorde - Team (Video)

Lana Del Rey - Tropico (27 min video)
Bonus Video:
Kendrick Lamar Beats By Dre Commercial (Directors Cut)
Photo Credit: YouTube via PBS

"It's Goin' Down, I'm Yellin' Timber"

I have no idea why more people don't incorporate harmonica into their music. Maybe it's because there's been a huge resurgence of country/folk collaborations in pop music of late, but Hip Hop and EDM seem to be pulling in different elements as a way to stay fresh. Despite the awesome harmonica infusion into the beat cooked up by Dr. Luke, I don't think Timber will need much selling to the top 40 audience. If anything the huge fan bases of Pitbull and Ke$ha might merge on this one and take over the world...or at least the fans around the world that don't live in Australia since the Pitbull and Ke$ha tour was just cancelled.

If you're keeping score at home, Timber will serve as the lead single for Pitbull's yearly upcoming album titled Meltdown. If he doesn't manage to get it out by the end of 2013, it will mark the first time since 2009 that he didn't release a studio album. Pretty awesome record of consistent excellence he's developing...#Meltdown

Pitbull feat Ke$ha - Timber (prod by Dr. Luke)

"Let's Make the Most of Tonight Like We're Gonna Die Young"

Every now and then I allow myself to indulge in the sugary delight of a soon to be #1 and extremely over-played single. In this case it's @keshasuxx's new lead single Die Young off her upcoming album Warrior. The proof is in the ingredients too with the usual suspects @THEDOCTORLUKE and @ItsBennyBlanco behind the boards. It's getting a little ridiculous how many top singles Dr. Luke has had his name attached to the past few years.

If this isn't catchy, I'm not sure what is. Good luck trying to get this one out of your head after you listen a few times. You'll be singing along too, don't even trip...#DieYoung

Ke$ha - Die Young (prod by Dr Luke & Benny Blanco)
|iTunes

New Hip Pop Remixes

Seems like the drink of choice in the mainstream these days is Pop mixed with shot of Hip Hop. When you think about it, it's a pretty symbiotic relationship. Pop stars recognize a Hip Hop collaboration as being good for their "street cred", as well as opening up the door to a wider demographic. Similarly, Hip Hop has always craved to be accepted in the mainstream because we all know that means...radio play, commercials, endorsements...doller...doller...bills y'all...#LaFlamaBlanca

While I feel like most Hip Hop fans are starting to get used to the fact that their favorite rapper may also be singing the hook or dropping an R&B love song to go along with their latest freestyle, real Hip Hop heads are still not havin' that ish because they remember back in the day when Wu Tang, Nas, Rakim, KRS-One spit fire every time they gripped a mic. In my mind being open minded to change and rolling with the punches (sort of a progressive, new school train of thought), while still appreciating the past and the groundwork it laid for the current generation's adaptation of what they heard growing up, is the best way to look at it. We'll see if the fad lasts, I've got good eyesight and the lines between Hip Hop, R&B and Pop are starting to get pret-ty blurry...

Can't hate too much on @BRITNEYSPEARS's new single that has taken iTunes by storm. Tip of the cap to @official_FLO for hopping on a track that caters to his delivery and making it even better too...

Britney Spears feat Flo-Rida - Hold It Against Me (Remix)


Hey Three Stacks...dude, you keep teasing us with these white hot verses on remixes and it's got your fan base chomping at the bit to get a whole album's worth of new material. Is that too much to ask? PS @KESHASUXX, your trashy demeanor and unapologetic lyrics are more than entertaining to me and the fact you're proud of the way you are makes it even more appealing. Shouts out to @mrbangladesh on the beat too, the depth of the bass you put into songs deserves more praise than it gets.

Ke$ha feat Andre 3000 - Sleazy (Remix) (prod by Bangladesh)


Last but not least, @JColeNC hops on @RIHANNA's new dirty hit S&M and delivers an adequately seductive verse lyrically that fits in well with the chains and whips subject matter. Not used to hearing him go in on upbeat dance tracks, which made him seem a little out of his element, but that's not to say it wasn't executed well. Check it...

Rihanna feat J Cole - S&M (Remix)