James Blake Comes Thru With Some Drake

I'm still trying to figure out why, but James Blake's interest in Hip Hop is fascinating. His style that is consistently characterized by mellow vocals over calming synths wouldn't seem to translate well to Hip Hop, but he finds a way to make it work. That being said, you can understand why I'd jump at him offering up a freeemix he did of a recent Drake track. For quick reference check out the before version of Come Thru before checking out the remix below...

Make no mistake, he managed to inject some booty shaking synths into Drake's original. Fast forward to the 1:09 mark if you're wondering what I'm getting at. In general, I'll always have respect for an artist who refuses to stay in his lane that others create for them. Major dap is in order for JB, who flipped the original in a way that made it just as likable, but in a completely different way...#ComeThru

Drake - Come Thru (James Blake Version)

"See the Necklace, My Life's a Completed Checklist"

Alright time to get down to the nitty gritty a bit on Drake's new album. Singles aside, there's little doubt in my mind that Tuscan Leather will continue to be the standout track on the album. In a world full of cookie cutters who think inside of the box, Drake went out and rapped over three unique beats in one of the longest album intros that I can remember. Respect to 40, Boi-1da and Nineteen85 for helping weave together three different beats into one track without it sounding too cut and pasted together.

The track is a reminder of why Drake's music reaches so many people. He puts thought into his verses that roll off the tongue and better yet, are repeatable enough for his audience to connect with them. Storytelling and Hip Hop have always gone hand in hand and the artists who ascend to the top of the mountain in Hip Hop are usually the ones who can lead you along a path by filling with anecdotes that listeners can hang onto. Shoot we didn't even know he had a deep falling out with Nicki Minaj til he told us on the track. Being able to open up to millions about something that personal, yet in the same sentence admit that she's always going to be there to ground him is a cool thing to hear. If you haven't listened to much Drake, this song is a good indication of what to expect both delivery and style wise from him. If you like any of the three parts of this track, you'll be able to find a whole slew of tracks by him that will suit your tastes.

Early indications are that Nothing Was the Same is going to sell about 658,000 copies the first week. Will he be reach platinum status by next week? The sheer fact that it's a possibility should say enough...#NWTS

Drake - Tuscan Leather (prod by 40, Boi 1-da & Nineteen85)

"Like a Potluck, You Need to Come With It"

I still haven't listened to Nothing Was the Same enough to have an informed opinion on it, but I do know that after a few listens, I'm really digging Too Much. Maybe it's Sampha's unique vocals on the hook or the mad scientist Emile behind the emotion dripped instrumental. Whatever the case, Drake always seems to do his best work over beats that are piano driven. There are probably plenty of exceptions to that statement, but the ivory keys seem to be the backbone of his trademark "sound." In case you've been living under a rock and haven't heard me mention it a million times already, Nothing Was the Same hit iTunes two days ago, which means it's probably a worthwhile investment to go check it out...#NWTS

Drake feat Sampha - Too Much (prod by Emile)

"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 13th

While everyone was raving over the new Eminem Berzerk video featuring the legendary Rick Rubin (no he's not one of the Robertsons on Duck Dynasty, even though he looks like it), I'm steady getting excited about Drake's new album after his last two singles went back to his unique mix of singing and rapping. If you're not as excited about Drake, though, you'll be hard pressed to not smile when you watch 4 year old producer KJ. My comment to my friend Travis who shared it with me was, "Little man is like a mini-araabmuzik. Get the kid an MPC!" The icing on the cake for me this week was the Timberlake and Fallon late night skit showing the Evolution of Endzone Dancing. Anytime those two get on stage together, it's more than worth your time watching...#ThankYouNoteFriday
Eminem - Berzerk (Video)

Drake - Nothing Was the Same (Album Trailer)

Justin Timberlake & Jimmy Fallon - The Evolution of Endzone Dancing

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - White Walls (Video)

KJ the 4 Year Old Producer
\

"Yeah, This Ish Belong to Nobody, It's Yours"

When you've established a specific sound as an artist that people like, you set the bar high for yourself. That being said, I'm elated that Drake let loose a single with his home squeeze 40. In my eyes Noah Shebib is just as responsible for his meteoric rise, producing a smooth piano instrumental for Drake to go in on.

I wouldn't call it one of my favorite Drake tracks, but I really like it because Wu Tang Forever leans on his uncanny ability to switch gears between R&B and Hip Hop at the drop of a beat. His flow is methodical, mixing tempos until the 1:34 mark where he channels his inner Shaolin diction. It's a different angle for a Drake single, but a good one in my eyes. I'm betting the critics will have a field day with the song title because it is named after one of Wu-Tang's best albums, but it's one of his quasi love songs. We'll see how this fits into the bigger puzzle of Nothing Was the Same when it drops in a little less than two weeks...#WuTangForever

Drake - Wu-Tang Forever (prod by 40)

"Cause You're a Good Girl and You Know It"

Of course...the second I starting losing patience with Drizzy, he drops a funky, grown and sexy mid-tempo ballad that nullifies the mounting ill-will toward his recent musical direction. I'm now at a complete loss trying to figure out how he's going to blend tracks like Hold On, We're Going Home with the likes of All Me on Nothing Was the Same. Who knows, maybe the curiosity will reignite my hope in his upcoming release.

While we're on the subject of Drake, he reunited with Kanye last night at OVO Fest. As the story goes, Ye emerged and paid respect to Drake, giving him credit for motivating he and Hov to make Watch the Throne. Drake called it "the most important moment of his life." Check the video below of the highlights and interview after the show...
It's cool to see Drake so humbled by Kanye's presence and you can tell by his tone that they've had a distant relationship over the past couple years. But you got the feeling it meant the world to Drake that Kanye came and represented in his hometown. Just a good moment for Hip Hop in general and I selfishly hope it leads to a collaboration between the two of them...#OVOFest

Drake feat Majid Jordan - Hold On, We're Going Home

"Understand That I’m on a Roll Like Cottonelle"

Sigh...I'm approaching a crossroads y'all. I've had to write this sentence a few times now, but in short, I'm not sure that I enjoy Drake's music anymore. Maybe it's because his storytelling was more engaging when he was on a come up. Maybe he used to be less about his music being judged and produced genuinely creative music that people could see eye to eye with. Whatever it is, the past four tracks he has released off his upcoming album have been so incredibly not like anything on his first two albums, that I'm left wondering if we're approaching a fork in the road. If he's gone by the way of hard core Hip Hop with dumbed down, mostly ignorant lyrics talking that played out I made it, look at me now business, then I've got a bad feeling that Nothing Was the Same may be our crossroads.

With all that being said, if you're not tired of 2 Chainz yet and have the time for a dope Big Sean verse, you may like All Me. Shout out to Key Wane on the beat and thumbs up to the Aziz Ansari Funny People clip (below)...

On the bright side, maybe his new album will be full of surprises that make September 17th the turnaround of my waning interest in my favorite artist's new musical direction...#NWTS

Drake feat 2 Chainz & Big Sean - All Me (prod by KeY Wane)

"All This Capitol, It's Like I Left the Caps Lock On"

It's only fitting that Drizzy leak a couple freebies the day that tickets for his Would You Like a Tour? goes on sale. Like many, I was F5-ing the sh*t out of the Ticketmaster website this morning and copped a set of pretty nice seat for his visit in October. It looks like I'll be seeing him live three weeks after his new Nothing Was the Same album drops on September 17th.

Out of the four tracks that were posted to OctobersVeryOwn this morning, the quick favorite is his freestyle with J Cole that pays homage to Jodeci. The lyrical assault is very two albums ago, so when I heard the line "Drizzy still got some 06 in him", I nodded in agreement. These creative, lyrical gymnastics sessions set the bar for freestyles circa 2010. What I mean by that, is that Hip Hop has evolved (or devolved depending on how you look at it) into a genre that is still all about rappers making claims about why they're better than you, but now they do it in much more creative ways. You don't hear too many freestyle battles anymore, which is a shame, but at the same time, it's an indication that Hip Hop artists don't need to be able to freestyle to be successful anymore. As a quick sidebar, that's why Eminem became so popular and continues to be one of the best because he has the ability to come up with freestyle content instantly and when he's in attack mode, his delivery is unmatched. Yet, his delivery is only half the reason why he's been so successful because his other-wordly wordplay is what made him the living legend that he is today. His multiple generation spanning skill set has almost single-handedly helped shape and influence this next wave of rappers who make it a point to ramp up the wittiness and wordplay when on the mic.

As a long-time fan, I appreciate the track below and it really helps balance out the "man, I'm not sure I'm as big of a fan anymore if all his tracks are going to sound like Started From the Bottom" sentiment. In short, I hope y'all appreciate it as much as I did...#NothingWasTheSame

Drake feat J Cole - Jodeci Freestyle

"Tryin to Find a Reason to Not Go Out Every Evenin"

So it turns out Drake lived up to his promise of releasing two new tracks this week. First it was the disappointing No New Friends with Lil Wayne and Rick Ross and now he's back on his R&B tip with the help of James Fauntleroy on Girls Love Beyonce. I really like the fact that he teamed up with someone I consider one of the most underrated writers and vocalists (James Fauntleroy) in the game, but the track amounts to an odd Destiny's Child Say My Name b-side. I like it better than his three latest tracks, but I still haven't heard that YES! track that produces the same excitement that any of his past ten singles have. I'm going to continue to give Drizzy the benefit of the doubt because he's trying flex his lyrical muscles a bit, but his upcoming album Nothing Was the Same might end up taking on more than one metaphorical meaning...#GirlsLoveBeyonce

Drake feat James Fauntleroy - Girls Love Beyonce

"All Sweaters Inside of Luggage, You Gotta Love It"

Like a clique who knows they're on top of the game, @drake's fam took to the OVO blog and let loose a freebie that will not be on Drizzy's upcoming album Nothing Was the Same. On the track Drake spits mercilessly over a @boi1da and @VINYLZ beat in a straight pissed off, aggressive manor that continues his tone on Started From the Bottom. I'll admit, I like this one a little more than his previous effort, but the constant verbal barbs and tough talk isn't a direction I had hoped he go toward on his new album. All artists' music evolve and when you're constantly stepped to like he is, I can imagine why he'd want to come at everyone and stick his chest out lyrically.

If you're expecting a 5 AM in Dallas, it's going to fall short of those expectations. I enjoyed the @DICERAW shout out off top, it was a fitting comparison because Drake's tone did have the vigor of a track like Thin Line. Not as entertained was @TeflonTom, who now needs to change his number after the recent shout out. Best part about it, it looks like @JManziel2 has joined the @welcomeOVO revolution recently, sporting a new purple owl on his Twitter profile (below). Game respect game, the lore of Johnny Football continues to grow legs...#Pimpin

Drake - 5AM in Toronto (prod By Boi-1da & Vinylz)