Snakehips Flips Lana Del Rey's Summer Bummer

Generally speaking, I like Lana Del Rey's music. Her throwback vocals always seem to reel me in because of how distinct and melancholy they sound. Even better, when she collaborates with A$AP Rocky, good things usually happen. Knowing all that, it was probably a surprise that I didn't post their recent single, Summer Bummer. Check it below for reference...



My issue with the track was monotonous vibe. Even though Lana can do melancholy with the best of them, it's usually because there's an emotional component to the instrumental that allows her vocals to shine. That didn't happen on the original version, but it did on Snakehips' remix of the track. They added a bit more bounce to the beat and clap to the percussion that really elevated both the vocals and verses. At the heart of it, this is why I love remixes. When done well, like Snakehips did, it can clear a new pathway to a track that previously wasn't there...#SummerBummer

Lana Del Rey feat A$AP Rocky & Playboi Carti - Summer Bummer (Snakehips Remix)

"It Ain't Right, But It's Right Now"

Snakehips always seems to find themselves on my list of must-listen artists. They're able to ride the fence between EDM and Hip Hop, which puts them in exclusive company and directly in my wheelhouse. For their new one, they recruited ELHAE and H.E.R. for vocals and everyone's favorite singer rapper D.R.A.M. Is it me or does ELHAE sound strikingly similar to Kevin Cossom? Not a bad look either way, especially when you toss in some thundering bass. Don't sleep on that acapella verse at the end from D.R.A.M. too. Choose your own adventure below with the lyric video and Spotify link for Right Now...#RightNow



Snakehips feat ELHAE, D.R.A.M., & H.E.R. - Right Now

The List of Redbone Covers Continues to Grow

One of the most impressive surprises in music last year was Childish Gambino's Awaken My Love. It seemed a little weird at first, but the more people listened to it, the more they understood the genius behind Donald's vision for the album. It's no surprise that the standout track on the album, Redbone, has turned into a modern day classic. To this day I'm still finding it hard to imagine Donald singing the vocals and it doesn't match up. Multiple views of his performance on the track on Fallon have helped, but it's still a stretch.

Back in March, Snakehips & MØ tackled the track head on in BBC Radio 1's studio, setting the bar high for remixes of the track. Check it below in case you missed it...



Wiz must have been listening because he wasn't shy about releasing his own Weedmix of the track. Based on the title you already know he flipped it into a two minute and 45 second Mary Jane promo. Subject matter aside, he stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park. He has always had one of the smoothest deliveries on the mic and that was on full display below. He dropped a fire verse and then finished up with some soulful vocals than few rappers could claim to be capable of. Not sure about y'all, but I'm excited as hell for Rolling Papers 2. If you're one to indulge the green, check out his new growing simulation app Weed Farm too...#StayStoned

Wiz Khalifa - Stay Stoned (Redbone Weedmix)

Videos of the Week March 10th

It was bound to happen at some point, but this week there's a rare top five filled with all music. Leading the way was Snakehips and MØ's in studio cover of Childish Gambino's Redbone. I'll admit, it was a lot jazzier than I thought it would be, which was a cool surprise. After that there was a little bit of dark EDM (I Love You) and a little bit of fun EDM (Just Hold On) brought to you by Axwell Λ Ingrosso, and Steve Aoki. Both were cases where I got to re-live two songs I really like and had written about previously, but in more intimate ways.

If you were wondering whether Bebe Rexha was as good looking as her vocals led you to believe, you got a resounding answer to that question in her FFF video. Her and G-Eazy make for a dynamic duo and their chemistry is palpable. And if you haven't gotten a big enough dose of sexy, Jeremih has you covered on I Think of You. As a bit of icing on the cake, this week's top five ended on a high note with a roller skating dance video. Who doesn't love a good Hip Hop video at a roller rink??...#IThinkOfYou

Childish Gambino - Redbone (Snakehips & MØ Cover)

Axwell Ingrosso feat Kid Ink - I Love You (Video)

Steve Aoki feat Louis Tomlinson - Just Hold On (Video)

Bebe Rexha feat G-Eazy - FFF (Video)

Jeremih feat Big Sean and Chris Brown - I Think of You (Video)

Photo Credit - YouTube

Videos of the Week January 20th

Storytelling was the common thread in this week's top five. Led by E-40 and G-Eazy's 45 min Bay Area biopic, there was well over an hour's worth of material this week. If you're in the market for unique, a drummer named Matt McGuire did a pretty dope cover of Madeon and Porter Robinson's Shelter. With EDM teetering between synthesized music and live instrumentation, it's cool seeing the backbone of the beat in its rawest form.

If you're wondering what it's like to tour with Skrillex, you've now got a full eleven minute summary of his last tour to wade through. I've always been someone who has mad respect for people who do the dirty work behind the scenes to produce the end result of what you end up hearing, so it was cool to go behind the curtain. If passionate love is something you enjoy watching, you'll enjoy the visuals for Snakehips and MØ's Don't Leave. The song was emotional enough, but seeing it come to life gave it a whole different meaning. And last, but definitely not least, we've now got a Gorillaz sighting. With the help of acclaimed poet and British composer Benjamin Clementine, they put together a pretty surreal video for Hallelujah Money. Weird doesn't do that video justice, but it does everything it needed to start the hype train for their new album...#HallelujahMoney
Bay Area With E-40 and G-Eazy

Drum Cover of Porter Robinson and Madeon's Shelter

The Same Place - 11 Min Skrillex Tour Recap

Snakehips & MØ - Don't Leave (Video)

The Gorillaz feat Benjamin Clementine - Hallelujah Money (Video)

Photo Credit: YouTube

"But Ain't Nobody Gonna Love You Better"

File this one under songs I knew I'd be writing about before pressing play. Damn near everything Snakehips puts out falls under that category, but you throw in some MØ vocals and it's hard to hold back the expectations. That being said, I did not expect Don't Leave to be a vocal centered, power ballad. The instrumental amplifies the emotion dripping from the vocals, though, which makes for a catchy listen. It's the type of track you belt out in the shower or in the car coming home from a tough day. The line "I may not ever have my sh*t together, but ain't nobody gonna love you better" will be what sticks in peoples' minds, but credit to Snakehips for doing everything in their power to let MØ shine and get the hell out of the way. I'm going to be playing the hell out of this in anticipation of top 40 radio playing it into the ground. Follow me on over to iTunes or Spotify...#DontLeave

Snakehips feat MØ - Don't Leave

Snakehips Gives Some Luv to Tory Lanez

As someone who has made it a habit of writing about music daily, my job gets a lot easier when an artist I like remixes another one of my favorite artists. Take for example Snakehips latest remix of Tory Lanez summer hit hit Luv. I gushed about the original back on June 11th and now six months later it gets the Febreze treatment by Snakehips who added some bounce and snap to the original. Relying on the strength of the original vocals, the remix serves as a smooth re-interpretation that succeeds in reminding me how much I liked the original, while giving it a bit more thump on the back end. It's a perfect addition to the weekend cool out mix, so follow me on over to Spotify to toss it into whatever bin of music you see fit...#Luv

Tory Lanez - Luv (Snakehips Remix)

"All I Wanna Do, Is Keep on Crashing Into You"

Ever since Snakehips' collaboration with Chance the Rapper, I've been eating up everything new they've been putting out. Add another to that list with their recent track featuring the vocals of Aanysa. The tempo, clap of the beat, and rolling bassline remind me a lot of 90s pop tracks. I'm thinking something like Ghost Town DJs My Boo type of vibe and sassy female vocals. Burn Break Crash has such a crisp hook and melody that it's hard to imagine this being passed up by top 40 radio. It's another great example of how Snakehips is able to seamlessly mix in elements of R&B, House, and electronic samples to create a really unique sound. If you feel compelled, here's your chance to own it and chance to find more stuff you might like from Snakehips...#BurnBreakCrash

Aanysa x Snakehips - Burn Break Crash

"All My Friends Are Wasted, And I Hate This Club"

There are maybe five to ten songs a year that I get excited enough to nominate for song of the year. For me, Snakehips' track with Chance the Rapper and Tinashe deserves to be in that conversation. Coincidentally, the video for All My Friends was released back in October, but it didn't land on iTunes/Spotify until recently. But you know me, better late than never when it comes to posting a track that resonates with me.

Why do I like the track so much you ask? To put it simply it gives me the feels because it takes me back to the struggles of my early 20s. That feeling of going out to the bar every weekend and forcing yourself to be social because that's what our generation does after college on weekends is amplified to the max on the track. Add to that the settling for relationships and hook ups that are unfulfilling and you get a picture that looks exactly like what the track below describes. And boy does it describe it well with an somber, yet uplifting tone from a hook from Tinashe and stellar verse from Chance the Rapper. It's a smooth R&B track with an addicting, sing-along hook with lyrics that are easy to relate to. If you're like me and get an emotional boost from churning up the struggles of years past, this one will hit home...#AllMyFriends