Videos of the Week

Bunch of Timbo this week, which is building up some serious excitement for Shock Value 3. Still a big fan of those Wale, Bei Maejor and Chiddy singles too. Pretty pumped they made videos for both tracks...

Timbland feat Pitbull - Pass at Me (Video)

Bei Maejor feat J Cole - Trouble (Video)

Wale - Bait (Video)

Timbland feat Jet - Timothy Where You Been (Video)

Red Cafe feat Fabolous & Lloyd Banks - The Realest (Video)

Chiddy Bang - Mind Your Manners (Video)

"I Said If You Could Be Where I’m At, You’d Wanna Be You Too"

Man what is with bonus tracks on this weeks' album releases? Between the track below and Nicki Minaj's Girls Fall Like Dominos, it seems like the thing to do now is to end albums with an exclamation point. The album I'm speaking of is Lloyd Banks's new release Hunger For More 2, which also dropped this week on iTunes.

What's cool about @lloydbanks's collaboration with Slim Shady on Where I'm At is the "I will survive no matter what" style positive message delivered on the track. Like any other @eminem (he follows NO ONE!) track or verse, the journey to the positive message is a raw, Rated R, expletive laden, brutal slice of imagery pie that leaves you chuckling at times at the creativity ("ships sink and you know its love as soon as you fall in it cause shit stinks"). It really is awe inspiring and cool that so many people can wade through the rawness and vulgarity of Eminem's characteristically brash lyrical descriptions and extract the positive message.

Maybe I'm generalizing more than I should and overstating my own personal view toward his music, but at this point of Eminem's career, it's pretty clear just how inspirational his music has become to fans of Hip Hop and I'd argue that there has never been as emotionally charged of an artist ever in Hip Hop history as Marshall Mathers. Now more than ever, consumers of Hip Hop music want real, even if it can be construed as vulnerable...we want music with lyrical depth that is delivered with creative wordplay and value an artist who shows he's human by describing when he was hurt or felt pain, especially with love.

The track below is a perfect case in point and with @boi1da behind the boards, it's done over a soft, but upbeat and harmonic enough to fit perfectly with the positive message delivered on the hook (below)...

"Cause I’m moving on, don’t worry about me
Cause I’m gon be aight without you, you’ll see
There aint no-one on this Earth I’d much rather be
Cause God-dammit I’m glad that I’m me"

Taking a quick look at the tracklist for Hunger For More 2, I now see 4 above average aingles on the album with the classic Beamer, Benz, Bentley, Any Girl, Start It Up and Where I'm At. Pretty solid for a G-Unit outcast and definitely puts Tony Yayo and Young Buck to shame as far as putting out the best non-50 solo album.

Enjoy and be safe tonight on Thanksgiving eve y'all...

Lloyd Banks feat Eminem - Where I'm At (prod by Boi-1da)
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"You Gon be Around Here Bout Long as Justin Bieber’s Virginity"

With Joey's Mood Muzik 4 hitting stores in a little over two weeks, it's becoming pretty clear he's not about to put out some half assed compilation. By now y'all know I tend to favor his emotionally transparent lyrical style that sheds light on every single dark thought that pervades his cranium. Call it emotional Hip Hop if you want, but I liken it to the crazy shit that Eminem writes about, they have a similar skill or lack of a filter when they start emptying their thoughts on a notepad in their own abrasive, artistic way. Yea it can rub people the wrong way, but it's real and there's an allure to it that is more relatable to the listener, and as a result, it ends up being more respectable than a lot of the processed, label produced music.

With all that being said, this one takes three of the most under-appreciated writers in the game right now with @mousebudden teaming up with @MYFABOLOUSLIFE & @therealroyce59 and splatters their high octane verses over a simple, but appropriate @jcardim beat. The verses seem to gradually grow in intensity as each rapper seemingly tries to do their own thing on the track by adding a little bit more intensity and vigor to their verse than the previous. Put it this way, when it's a track without a hook, the focus better be on the bars and delivery, which is the case here and a big reason why the track is great for what it is. Call a spade a spade and this group of titans GOES IN on some memorable verses, with plenty of quotables...(Fab -"Jeff Goldblum couldn't be more fly to me"). Sidebar: My vote for the Brian Wilson award goes to Royce for closin' down the track with an unmatched delivery of his characteristically creative wordplay. Wrap your mind around this quoteable by Royce -"Hennessey, kennedy, king, mixed with a kill or be killed, killer regime".

Proofs in the pudding, go support ya man @mousebudden when his newest high quality effort drops in a couple weeks...

Joe Budden ft. Lloyd Banks, Fabolous & Royce Da 5'9" - Remember The Titans (prod by J. Cardim)

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"Diamonds Spinning Round the Bezel Thats Tornado Watch"

"I met this Milf at the All-Star getting action

A cougar with more rings than Phil Jackson"

It's safe to say that Lloyd Banks has been reaping the benefits lately of all these @kanyewest aided collabos. It definitely turned my head when I saw Kanye pronounce on Twitter:

"Yo man Loyd Banks prolly the most underrated MC in the game...Man he deserve to be top 5 at least!" (Sept 8th)

While I'm more than hesitant to give @lloydbanks that much credit, I will concede he's dropped a few verses over the years that have turned my head (think here). The track below is going to be on his Hunger For More 2 album due out on November 23rd, which will be released by his new record company EMI since he was released by Interscope last year. Bet the folks over at Interscope are kicking themselves now after this career rejuvenation provided by a couple singles Beamer, Benz, Bentley and Any Girl.

You better believe the unsung hero of the track below is ya man @RYANLESLIE. You wanna talk about subtly killin' the beat, but barely being mentioned (even on blogs) on the production credits. That's some bullshit in my opinion, dude works wonders on a keyboard and this is no exception. I'm hands down giving best verse award to Kanye who parallel parks on this track, no hands style on his verse, only to be followed up by a strong to quite strong verse by @MYFABOLOUSLIFE. Pretty hard to critique this one with the bubbly synthesizers, bangin' beat and top notch verses.

Give you weekend playlist a shot of steriods...Kenny Powers style...(shouts out to Lil' Wyte on that background highlight clip)

Lloyd_Banks feat. Kanye West Swizz Beatz Ryan Leslie & Fabolous - Start It Up (Prod by Ryan Leslie)
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"I’m the Authority of Model Seniority, They Call Me Les but They All Need More of Me"

This whole G.O.O.D. Music Friday (or Saturday in this instance) is turning out to be a pretty badass weekly gift from Ye. I thought last week's edition with Jigga leading the way with a strong effort from the unheralded @cyhidaprynce was a solid cut, only to be bettered this week by another marathon of lyricism put on by a similar, but slightly different crowd. You'd think there would be potential for @kanyewest, @pusha_T or even Cudi would take this track over and win the top verse...but then outta nowhere swoops in @ryanleslie for the kill.

Best part of the track by far is when the beat transforms from a bouncy, rolling upbeat vibe to more of a b-boy style beat with more percussion leading up to the beat calming completely for R Les to absolutely murder his verse. My guess is that Kanye let R Les have more than a little creative control over the beat. I hope that was the case anyways because they're both production geniuses in their own right and this song is a perfect example of a tale of two beats meshing together for an epic collaboration of Hip Hop talent. It's as if they divided it up 50/50 with Ye and Pusha T taking on the bouncier 808 flavor before the beat gave way to a slower, more deliberate feel which catered to Banks, R Les and Cudi's style more.

Check R Les's verse below:

"It’s time for a lesson in model behaviour
Damn, look at all the bad b-tches I gave you
Man, I can see the flaws to your flavor
Look like wonder woman and still need a savior
Maybe its a billionaire maybe its that cocaine
I done seen drugs and money run the whole game
A good girl lost in the city life
Agent Provocateur holding titties right
I’m haute couture of hoes galore
Give my girl a newport ’cause she’s smoking yours
I’m the authority of model seniority
they call me Les but they all need more of me"

Beautifully crafted and delivered sir Ryan Leslie, you continue to fly under the proverbial radar, leaving fans with tracks like this that leave Hip Hop fans all dumbed out wondering why he doesn't put out more material. I'm not tryin' to give him all the credit neither 'Ye, you've still got us all eating out of the palm of your hand every Friday anxiously awaiting another track that will probably be better than the last and leave us salivating for your materpiece eloquently titled Dark Twisted Fantasy.

Kanye West ft Kid Cudi, Pusha T, John Legend, Lloyd Banks & Ryan Leslie – Christian Dior Denim Flow
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"LV's and G's All Over My Clothes, Bank Rolls Everywhere Banks Goes"

A single like Beamer, Benz, or Bentley is enough to regain attention. A track like Any Girl is enough to take attention a step further and translate it into legitimate buzz for a new album like H.F.M. 2 (Hunger For More 2).

For me, I've always recognized Banks' talent on personal favorites like I'm So Fly and Hands Up. I'd find it hard to argue with someone telling me that he's a product of his production though since the previously mentioned tracks are produced by Timbaland and Eminem and Beamer Benz or Bentley was produced by Soundz. This one was produced by...Dready? Hey man, if you've got more beats in the oven half as hot as this, I'll keep singing your praises Alicia Keys style from now on. The combination of the attention grabbing, jumpy synth backbone giving way to an upbeat, bangin' beat...real well done going back and forth from the beat to the synth, gives contrast and works well together toward the end of the chorus. Can't go wrong with Lloyd either, he's been known to donate a solid hook or two and blend well with hardcore Hip Hop verses...like this other new one he's got with Chamillionaire and Twista.

I'm really looking forward to playing this loud driving down the highway to see Aubrey Drake Graham part 2 (see Part 1 here). Matter of fact when you get around to reading this tonight, think of me at the Fillimore sittin' bout row 10 goin' nuts. Matter of fact Drake just highjacked this post, go out and purchase his damn album like the good folks at Crooks and Castles who bought out a whole Best Buy's worth of Thank Me Later Albums. Cop it, lord knows I will...probably at the concert tomorrow....

Don't forget to press play below and nod your head a bit to the Lloyd's gettin' after it on a track that is meant to be shared as secondhand Rap...

Lloyd Banks feat Lloyd - Any Girl (prod by Dready)
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