Videos of the Week May 29th

It was a bit of a historic week for videos with Avicii's invention of the 360 interactive video. I'll be the first to admit, it kinda blew my mind that a recorded video could be interactive, but that's what I get for underestimating technology. At the end of Waiting For Love, I was left feeling like I had to watch it a couple more times in case I missed something like that Avicii cameo mid way through. Overall, it was a cool experience and you can bet many more artists will be following suit.

In the world of ordinary videos, K Dot delivered a spirited performance of his newest single These Walls on Ellen. The performance is another great reason why To Pimp a Butterfly probably deserves a few more listens. If eye candy is what you want, Taio Cruz has you covered with his video for Do What You Like. Creative video of the week goes to Alesso for his dancing crosswalk people in his video for Sweet Escape. And last, but definitely not least, Coldplay delivered a week's worth of funny in their Game of Thrones Mockumentary. I'm not a Game of Thrones guy, but kudos to Coldplay for keeping a serious tone throughout and doing what they could to pitch in for #RedNoseDay.
Avicii - Waiting For Love (360 Video)

Taio Cruz - Do What You Like (Video)

Kendrick Lamar Performs "These Walls" on Ellen

Coldplay Makes Mockumentary of Game of Thrones

Alesso feat Sirena - Sweet Escape (Video)

Photo Credit: YouTube

"Don't You Dare Come Crawling Back"

From the moment I heard Taio Cruz's first album Departure back in 2008, I knew I was a fan. Back then it seemed like listenable R&B grew on trees and now it's like trying to find a cassette player at a house party. What I'm now appreciating more and more about his music is how much it has branched off into different styles. Take for example, his new Dr. Luke produced single Don't You Dare. Back in the day I wouldn't have thought he'd be capable of a slightly acoustic, bluegrass-y dance hit. Now, thanks much in part to Avicii, there's clearly an opportunity for success when mixing the two genres. The track feels like a mid-tempo ballad, but when the beat picks up for the hook, it feels like a club-friendly sing along. While this is a no-brainer top 40 hit, I see many EDM remixes on the horizon...#DontYouDare

Taio Cruz - Don't You Dare (prod by Dr. Luke)

Videos of the Week

Man, I'm pretty solid on the fact that @coldplay is on my concert bucket list. They definitely play in concert and their SNL appearance was a testament to that on a much smaller, more intimate scale. Pretty cool to see @drake bring out @MACHINEGUNKELLY while performing in his hometown of Cleveland. Is it me or does it appearance wise like @jackiechain74 isn't what you'd expect when you think of Southern Rap? That's what's great about Hip Hop, you can find a dude who doesn't look like he'd fit in completely blend with two of the best in @BunBTrillOG and @bigkrit. Don't sleep on that @Wale album either, it's been out a few weeks on iTunes...

Jackie Chain feat Bun-B & Big K.R.I.T. - Parked Outside (Video)


Wale feat Miguel - Lotus Flower Bomb (Video)


Drake Performs Make Me Proud & Brings Out Machine Gun Kelly in Cleveland


Coldplay Performs Paradise on SNL


Coldplay Performs Every Teardrop is a Waterfall on SNL


Taio Cruz - Troublemaker (Video)

"There She Goes, Looking Like A Star, With Her Body Shaped, Like A Rock Guitar"

If you were in the market to craft a perfect collaboration for a club track, it would be hard to argue against the dream team effort given by @TaioCruz, @Pitbull and @Redone_official. Pitbull can at least be described as a seasoned vet when it comes to radio friendly club tracks and Taio Cruz isn't very far behind with his growing mountain of club hits like Higher, Dynamite, Break Your Heart and Little Bad Girl. Then when you throw in RedOne, who has produced tracks like Takin' Back My Love, Just Dance, Poker Face, Bad Romance, Alejandro, Judas, Fire Burning and More. That was a concise list meant to spotlight the more well-known tracks he produced too. For the full list, go here.

Safe to say this will land on Taio's upcoming album TY.O, which is slated to hit iTunes and retail outlets on December 6th. I'd be willing to bet everyone between the ages of 18-30 will know the words to the track by then because they will be able to cop it well in advance of the album release on iTunes. I personally like the track, but don't expect anything earth-shattering, it's about what you'd expect. Safe, middle of the road type of quality...that will soon be bludgeoned to death by mainstream radio. Enjoy it while it lasts folks!

Taio Cruz feat Pitbull - There She Goes (prod by RedOne)

Garbage Verses Can't be Recycled

I've got a Bad Feeling that the track below may end up on @TaioCruz's upcoming third studio album. I say that because @official_flo's verses are 100% copied and pasted from his new single Good Feeling. Now I've already vented about what became of that track with the tease surrounding the initial beat-jacking of Avicii, but it'd be more than a little embarrassing to use the same verse on two radio singles. The more I listen the more I'm just confused. Is it a B side or demo? Remix? I have no idea because the beat even sounds like Good Feeling and follows the same formula that a lot of Taio hits did with the upbeat club rhythms.

I'm not one to be quick to judge or over-react, though, and I'll admit there's probably more shock value than truth in that last paragraph, but C'mon Man!!! (#CCVoice) My guess is the use of Flo's recycled verses are more of a placeholder and if the track ever makes it to the light of day as a single, we'll either get new verses or a completely different feature than Flo Rida.

Take it for what it's worth, but I doubt this version will ever make it to the masses, so feel free to indulge in what could turn out to be a hidden gem...

Taio Cruz feat Flo Rida - Hangover (prod by Dr. Luke)

Videos of the Week

Interesting week of videos with @davidguetta taking the lead with his Little Bad Girl video. Been a while since somebody resorted to action figures for a video like the @beastieboys did.
David Guetta feat Taio Cruz & Ludacris - Little Bad Girl (Video)

Pusha T feat Tyler the Creator - Trouble On My Mind (Video)

B.O.B. in the studio with Drumma Boy

Gilbere Forte feat Tyga & Raak - Burn Me Down (Video)

DJ Khaled feat Mary J Blige, Fabolous & Jadakiss - It Ain't Over Til It's Over (Video)

Foster the People - Helena Beat (Video)

Beastie Boys feat Santigold - Don't Play No Games That I Can't Win (Video)

Formula For Club Success = Taio Cruz + David Guetta

Anybody else reminded of Simon Says on the intro?

The Simon Says synthesizer backbone is only the beginning as it progresses into a trance/R&B uptempo club track where @taiocruz does his best @iamwill impression. Let's be honest with the help of autotune they sound damn near identical, but that's not always a bad thing. I'd want to sound like Will I Am if it meant I was going to have a top 25 single.

What's the common thread? Yep you guessed it, the producer behind the majority of what makes it into clubs these days @davidguetta. The fact that his style is so popular here now only means that European music has been a step ahead for a quite a while now. France has been hearing and perpetuating his style since the early 1990s when he was in his teens and hosting clubs nights that featured uptempo club flavored Hip Hop. I'd argue that it's a lot easier to look good and be world famous collaborating with the talent he's rubbing shoulders with now, but that's another argument that'll be saved for another time.

Who knows if this is throw away track or the beginning of another Top 10 album, all I know is it's a great track to add to a party/cardio mix if you're the type to partake this weekend...

Taio Cruz - Little Bad Girl (prod by David Guetta)

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A Mashup Worth the Price of Admission

For the second straight week, 17 year old mashup artist known around the blogsphere as The Friendly Giant has mashed two completely different songs with polar opposite tempos from two different genres. This week, it's one of my personal favorite club bangers of 201, @WakaFlockaBSM's No Hands getting put in a blender with @TAIOCRUZ's Higher.

Prior to listening, it's easy to doubt that the two tracks would be able to mesh together like some basketball shorts, buuuut don't judge prior to listening, you'll end up bein' that guy everybody hates because he likes the original so much, he can't conceive it being mixed into a more likable track. Please someone point out to me the seams on this, I'm having a hard time with each listen finding a place in the track it doesn't match up. Great way to resurrect two independently awesome tracks that had lived out their shelf lives.

S/O to Eli, good look on the track, keep the creativity comin' man...

Waka Flocka feat Roscoe Dash & Wale vs Taio Cruz - Hands Up High (Friendly Giant Mashup)
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