It's not a stretch to say that when it comes to injecting energy into music, there's no one better than Flosstradamus. All you need is one listen of Sound Clash to verify that last statement. But that's not the end of the story because they're Back Again with their PICs Mayhem and Waka Flocka. It may not be the best lyric video I've seen, but you can get a glimpse of how turnt a Flosstradamus gets...
If you're in college, this has to be considered a Spotify must add if you're hosting a party in the coming weeks. Just promise me this, if you're going to use this to pour gasoline on a crowd, please don't skimp on the speakers because the top line and bass on this one need to be appreciated with subs. Consider yourself warned, bang this one out and if you're sitting in a cubicle, don't hesitate to make the folks around you turn their heads...#BackAgain
Flosstradamus & Mayhem feat Waka Flocka - Back Again
Suffice to say, when done right, trap music can be like a shot of espresso straight to the bloodstream. Hype is a good starter adjective for the madness Yellow Claw, Diplo, LNY TNZ and Waka Flocka concocted on Techno. I'd liken it to the suicide drink the kids used to make when they mixed all the sodas together in one sugary elixir.
There's a bit of techno, a bit of trap, some Hip Hop flavor, a lot of yelling and plenty of bounce. If you're into moderation or even purity, this track is definitely not for you. If you're up for hearing a crazy mix of fun noises, then you're in for a treat...#TrapGoinTechno
Just when you thought Waka Flocka and Lil Jon were going to become Hip Hop fossils, trap music came to save the day. I say trap music as a general term, but in the new heat rock below, it's Flosstradamus coming to the rescue. In general, I was annoyed with Flockaveli as a Hip Hop artist, but I'll admit, he's much more palatable over a raucous trap beat. The whole "too turned up that I can't turn down" hook is catchy as hell and you better believe that last build up and drop is worth the price of admission. If you're in need of a track that can take a party from rowdy to off the chain, I'd suggest giving this one a try...#TTU
Flosstradamus feat Waka Flocka - Too Turned Up (TTO)
Ah yes, an eclectic week for videos led by the much anticipated Electric Zoo 2014 trailer. Honestly, we should all be happy that the entire festival isn't cancelled after last year's fiasco. In other news, Coldplay has a new dope album coming out and they were gracious enough to let us in on another single with Always In My Head.
Further, you had to expect Steve Aoki and Waka Flocka would craft a hype video for Rage the Night Away. The real question is who yells better over EDM, Lil Jon or Waka Flocka? Tough call! And to close the week out, Dr. Dre gets the title as the first billionaire in Hip Hop as Beats By Dre gets bought up by Apple. Exhale folks and feel free to press play below as Tyrese attempts to crip walk and do just to the large scale business deal that just happened...#BeatsByDre
Electric Zoo 2014 Trailer
Coldplay Perform In My Head on Late Nite With Jimmy Fallon
Steve Aoki feat Waka Flocka - Rage the Night Away (Video)
Without a doubt, the most creative video of the week goes to Pitchfork TV's animated Frames series who put together an interesting story about @WakaFlockaBSM's upbringing. Evidently he had a certain grandparent that was more than a little strict. The screen shot above hints at one of the funnier point of the animated short...#SnoopyGettinAfterIt
Also on the menu is the beginning of EDM through the eyes of Potato, as well as a whole slew of new Hip Hop & R&B. Evidently more people are starting appreciate @MiguelUnlimited, which is long overdue. Now if we could only just get more people to buy into what @HoodieAllen is preaching...#FIFA
Pitchfork TV: Waka Flocka Reminisces On Strict Childhood
BANG! Episode #1 ft. Skrillex & Boys Noize from POTATO (Video)
Hoodie Allen feat Chiddy Bang - FIFA (Fame is for A$$holes) (Video)
Miguel - Candles in the Sun (Video)
50 Cent feat Kendrick Lamar & Kidd Kidd - We Up (Video)
Whole lotta Hip Hop and a lil R&B is on the menu for this week's video catch up. You'd be a damn fool not to respect the type of music @bigkrit is putting out of late. @tip better step up his game because K.R.I.T. is taking over the South as the most highly sought after artist.
You're in for a double shot of @ludacris this week too with his Jingalin' video hitting the interwebs. Interesting how MMG peiced together the video for 3 Kings. Is there any chance Jersey Shore won't adopt @wakaflockabsm's new track with @bobatl as it's new theme song?...#NoBrainer
Big K.R.I.T. feat Ludacris - What U Mean (Video)
Ludacris - Jingalin' (Video)
Waka Flocka feat B.O.B. - Fist Pump (Video)
Justin Bieber feat Big Sean - As Long As You Love Me (Video)
It's no secret that ever since I started this blog about three years ago, I've made it a habit to write about anything and everything Drake. I've seen him in concert two and a quarter times already, but that didn't mean a thing as I was still every bit as excited to see him this time around because he released Take Care since the last time I saw him perform. If you're wondering what the quarter time in concert was, I was in attendance when he tore his ACL on stage in Camden three years ago when he came out during @liltunchi's show.
Fast forward to 2012 where @drake returned to the same building where he tore his knee up, the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden. Also on the ticket were Waka Flocka, 2 Chainz, French Montana and J Cole. Keepin' it 100, I was only excited to see @JColeNC and Drake since the other rappers on the bill are not my cup of coffee. It's tough enough for me to stomach their verses on MP3, let alone in concert where they're yelling incoherently and competing with the instrumental...#JustSayin
I'm only going to focus on the main act as a result, so apologies to Fayettnam's finest who tore it down in his own right. In the past Drake has consistently set the bar high for his entrance and I was resigned to the fact that there was absolutely no way he was going to top his 9 AM in Dallas intro that he came out to two years ago at TLA. I was right, but that doesn't mean his Lord Knows concert intro was half steppin' in the slightest.
The energy off top was impossible to ignore as the caustic crowd ignited at his first sight. From the start he did a solid job of mixing in cameo verses like on I'm On One with Take Care tracks like Crew Love. What turned out to be one of my favorite part of the concert was his She Will verse/The Zone verse (below)...
Drake - She Will/The Zone verse
Combining those two tracks together was a great call and it played really well live.
From there he did exactly what Weezy did three years ago when he brought out his Young Money crew. This time Drake gave all the openers a one song cameo starting with @2chainz's new single No Lie...
Drake & 2 Chainz - No Lie
Maybe it was just me, but the audience went all Alexander GraHAM Bell when they figured out what track it was. Pretty sure the track was the apex of the concert, which was a big surprise for me at least.
From there he continued with @WakaFlockaBSM's Round of Applause, @meekmill's Amen, and shared a Maybach Music cameo verse with @FrencHMonTanA on Stay Schemin'. They all turned out to be hype crowd pleasers, especially for the folks who came early for the openers.
From that point on it was a mix of fast and slow Take Care tracks starting with Marvin's Room and Take Care before rounding into form with his two hype singles HYFR and The Motto...(below)
Drake - HYFR
Drake - The Motto (YOLO)
What was really strange to me was the people leaving before the show was anywhere close to done. Don't get me wrong, I loved being able to move up to better seats, but it didn't make any damn sense. Especially since he ended with his most well known tracks like Make Me Proud.
In hindsight, could he have picked better closing song that the slightly overplayed Headlines? Yea, I think so, especially since a curtain call wasn't part of the set and he decided to leave two of my favorite tracks,Shot For Me and Over My Dead Body, off the set list. He was sooo close to a really good set, but leaving both tracks off and not ending with Shot For Me was slightly upsetting.
A few key takeaways from my most recent Drake experience:
Opening acts make a difference. Not just because they make you feel like you got more for your money, but also because they shape the main act's set list. Yea that's right, I blame you Waka Flocka and French Montana for making Drake more inclined to leave some of my favorite tracks off the playlist...#IgnorantRapBlows
This sort of goes along with #1, but seeing Drake in a smaller venue is a better experience. Not taking anything away from his performance because he has clearly become a seasoned vet on stage, but I really wish there would have been a little more So Far Gone or Take Care ballads mixed in.
I really wish Susquehanna Bank Center wasn't in Camden, New Jersey. So many great acts go through there and it's really not a welcoming or safe place.
Feel free and check out some of the photography from the concert in the slideshow below...
What do you get when you mix the production of @thecataracs with the belligerent yelling of @wakaflockabsm and the melodic vocals of a @kaskade track? An interesting, bass-infused party track. It's got The Cataracs signature synth horns and enough high energy shouting to make sure you understand it's supposed to be a loud party track. The reason it works, though, is the offsetting soft vocals that sample Kaskade's track All You (below):
I love the creative sampling among EDM artists and the track below is no exception. It's probably going to be released on The Cataracs upcoming about 12 that is due out sometime in...you guessed it, 2012. It'll be the first studio release from the duo since 2009 and I'm hoping it'll be chalked full of plenty other interesting concoctions like All You. Cop it if you like it and don't forget to have a #HappyEaster...
The Cataracs feat Waka Flocka & Kaskade - All You (prod by The Cataracs) |iTunes
With his lead single (Trouble) continuing to getting plenty of spins on top 40 radio, @BEIMAEJOR is keeping the momentum going with his follow up single Lights Down Low with @WakaFlockaBSM. For all you Wheel of Fortune fans who follow Bei on Twitter, I hope I didn't ruin it for you...
With his new Upscale EP scheduled to drop sometime in February, I'd say he's two for two in singles thus far. Would I appreciate a full length album rather than an extended EP? Probably, but hey, if he's going to stock it with tracks like the one below, all that talk about him being underrated may be coming to an end. That's not a bad thing though because from what I understand, he's a humble dude and as grounded as any other artist in the game. Makes it easier to root for artists like that ya know?
The single has yet to hit iTunes, but feel free and use this link whenever it does finally drop and feel free to support Bei on his way to the top...#OnlyAMatterOfTime
Bei Maejor feat Waka Flocka - Lights Down Low (prod by Bei Maejor)
|iTunes
I know, I know, this remix is like a week old, but I didn't plan on this week being so chalked with big releases, so it got pushed back. Still, you know I wasn't about to let some new @drakkardnoir slip through the cracks without sharing it, especially because it marks the first time he's been able to get on a @SmokedOutLuger beat. What you expect is what you get from any @WakaFlockaBSM track, so if you're hoping for substance, then you clearly don't enjoy frequenting strip clubs where all of his music is played. In other words, even though 99% of the music I listen to has substance, it's impossible for me to follow my better judgment and instincts to ignore Waka's tracks because Lex Luger's beats are my kryptonite (see what I did there superman?) Good got I'm a nerd...
Not the usual delivery from Drizzy on his verse either, which is interesting. The change up of flow makes him sound kinda subdued, but it fits in with the company he keeps on the track. So much booty bass on this one that I damn near slapped on the 808 check label on this one, but that's sorta like saying a zebra has stripes when you're dealing with a Luger beat. More of a novelty remix, but well worth a listen...
Wacka Flocka feat Drake - Round of Applause (Remix)(prod by Lex Luger)
It's rare for a completely unheard of artist to come out of the blue with a track that makes Hip Hop as a whole stop walking and acknowledge it's presence. It's rare, but not impossible, especially if you're name is @1YUNGCHRIS and you managed to entice fifteen (@cyhidaprynce, @YOUNGJEEZY, @BUNBTRILLOG, @twistagmg, @Doseworld, @bobatl, @BIGSEAN, @CORYMOMUSIC, @corygunz, @nelly_mo, @TRAEABN, @wakaflockabsm, @Wale, @RealWizKhalifa and @YOGOTTIKOM) noteworthy Hip Hop artists to join the cause on the extended remix. IDGAF what Hip Hop track I'm listenin' to, if it has a very simple beat and lyrics that aren't thought provoking in the least, it's just too much. It's like going to Coldstone and getting a Gotta Have It size, you feel me? I damn near had to delete half my hard drive to clear space for this monstrous 29.3 MB track and even more alarming, I managed to run about a mile and a half just to this remix. I exaggerate, but sill, unless it's a techno/dance track, it shouldn't be half as long as 12 mins 47 sec.
Needless to say, if I wasn't thoroughly annoyed with this track from hearing it everywhere I go, I was at the end of the extended remix. For all you folks who Googled this and are wondering what the hell "racks on racks racks on racks" means, they are referring to bundles of money in thousand dollar amounts. In other words, 1 rack is $1000, so racks on racks refers to this picture of YC below with the stacks of $1000 on top of each other...
I'll admit though, on first listen, I fully understood why the track blew up. It's a simple pleasure, even for the most sophisticated Hip Hop fan. The bouncy beat, non-stop repeatability, creates a fun, dumbed down feel that keeps it simple, which can be good sometimes. Shoot even the producer on the track, @SONNYDIGITAL was completely unknown to most of Hip Hop until this track. Time will tell if this turns into a one hit wonder effort, but I'd rather be a has been then a never was. Peep the video, which managed to top @106andpark today...
As a bonus, check out @BEIMAEJOR's piano version of the track below...
The original track is off of the @DJGREGSTREET hosted Got Racks mixtape that dropped back in early April. Universal Records liked Yung Chris enough to sign him, so maybe there's more heat to come. Time will tell, til then feel free to catch up on all that is racks below...
Yung Chris feat Future - Racks on Racks (Original)
Ace Hood feat YC - Racks on Racks (Remix)
YC feat. CyHi Da Prynce, Young Jeezy, Bun B, Twista, Young Dose , B.o.B., Big Sean, Cory Mo, Cory Gunz, Nelly, Trae The Truth, Waka Flocka, Wale, Wiz Khalifa & Yo Gotti - Racks on Racks (Remix)
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) |Download
Sticking with the demo/cover vibe this week with a Jackie Boyz cover of Wacka Flocka's No Hands. The platinum singer/songwriter duo of Steven and Carlos Battey have recently been recognized for penning recent hits like Madonna feat Lil Wayne - Revolver, Flo Rida - Sugar and Justin Bieber feat Sean Kingston - Eenie Meenie. The ghostwriters never get any love, so it's up to people who care way to much about the nuts and bolts of music to put the talented people like @jackieboyz on blast who did much of the hard work that goes into making successful, quality music. The cover below is off their 585 Days Later Mixtape duo out in 2011 and it's featuring fellow demo singer @blkrangratozzio, check it...
Bonus: Check out the Danny Vola's (@DANNYVOLA) acoustic version of No Hands, which stands out like a sore thumb because you don't see too many trap anthems getting the acoustic treatment. A little iffy on the N word usage, but his version provides a different sound to an already hot track and you can only get so angry over him repeating the original words...
I'm about a month late on the hype of this track, but it keeps finding it's way back on my playlist. I'm gonna attribute that to a couple of reasons, the first being the production on @IAMDRUMMA whose production credits are becoming endless and have always been Grammy worthy. The methodical pace of his beats always mesh well with the deep bass he brings on all tracks, it's easy to understand why a lot of his tracks get plenty of radio play.
Another reason this track is pretty hard to resist has to do with two well executed verses from @WALE and @roscoedash (extra dap on the hook too). They give plenty of reason to HAM! when this track comes on, it's what you'd expect...a simplistic, speaker rattling anthem that is meant to appeal to the masses. Don't even trip, it's hard nod to nod your head to this...
Waka Flocka feat Wale & Roscoe Dash - No Hands (prod by Drumma Boy)
On a related note, I felt even more inclined to share the track above when I came across this Baltimore Club remix of No Hands, done by @joemaz. It gives a whole different club appeal to a track whose original version would have been too slow to play in clubs. Great mash up of tempos, well done DJ Joe Maz...
