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)

"It's Not Eeeaaasy, Breaking Your Heart"

Feel free to file the track below under tracks that slipped past the goalie. About a month back Alex Da Kid released Not Easy and I must have been asleep at the wheel because it's without a doubt one of my favorite tracks of 2016. If you're arriving late to the part on Alex Da Kid, let me catch you up. He's the one who first believed in some of your favorite acts like Imagine Dragons, X Ambassadors, Jamie N Commons, and Skylar Grey to name a few. It's a little known fact that everything Alex produces, he also writes, which is why I'm so stoked about his debut single as a solo artist. Check the video below before I gush about how much I dig it...

Simply put, find me a more powerfully emotional, heart wrenching ballad. The steady beat and hymm-like vocals throughout the track create such a soothing vibe that you almost forget what the track is about. Serious credit goes to the X Ambassadors and Elle King for their vocal contributions. I'm still deciding whether Wiz's verse seems tacked on at the end, but I'll concede that you won't find a rapper who can carry a harmony as well as he does. Hang with me y'all it's gonna be tough for me to hold my expectations in check for Alex's new solo album...#NotEasy

Alex Da Kid feat X Ambassadors, Elle King & Wiz Khalifa - Not Easy

Videos of the Week October 28th

I'll be honest I was pushed and pulled a lot of different directions this week when putting together this week's top five. I say that because this week ran the full gauntlet of emotions from playful to sad and serious to funny to whimsical and eventually landing on downright outlandish. Starting with The Chainsmokers new video for Closer with Halsey, we got to get another dose of on screen chemistry between Halsey and Drew. Really cool to see the guys portray such a nostalgic story through the video.

Then, the top five took a turn for the serious with Macklemore's gripping video for Drug Dealer. At this point we've all been touched at some point by the opioid epedemic in America, so it's about time we start shining the light on legal drug companies to highlight their contribution to the mess. Kudos for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis for taking the issue head on. I included the Zeds Dead video because this week needed a dose of playful claymation to blend with the other vastly different moods. Different moods like silly when Fallon and Timberlake went back to Camp Winnipesaukee to sing everyone's favorite Alanis Morissette song. And to end on a completely outlandish note, I had to give my buddy John Bradford some love in the top five this week for his role in Juicy J and Wiz Khalifa's new Bossed Up video. For those wondering, he was the accountant who grabs the manila folder from Juicy J at the 19 second mark. It's the most odd, yet stereotypical rap video mixing corporate accountant team shenanigans and strip club scenes. Who knows how the concept came to be, but love to JB for doing his part as a straight edged accountant that gets quickly turnt up...#BossedUp
The Chainsmokers feat Halsey - Closer (Video)

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat Ariana Deboo - Drug Dealer (Video)

Zeds Ded feat Rivers Cuomo & Pusha T - Too Young (Video)

Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake Sing "Ironic" at Camp Winnipesaukee

Juicy J & Wiz Khalifa - Bossed Up (Video)

Photo Credit: YouTube

"I'm Under the Influence, Don't Trust Every Word I Say"

Last week I touched on how many artists The Chainsmokers have introduced me to and how it's the gift that keeps on giving. Well, that gift gave again with Tove Lo's new single Influence featuring Wiz Khalifa. You might remember Alex and Drew remixing Tove Lo's Habits back in early 2014 and me gushing about it when I heard the track. Since then, I've continued to keep tabs on the young vocalist and she's rewarded me by continuing to put out noteworthy singles.

When it comes to her latest single, it's all about that smooth rolling bass line. It's a mellow track, but the bubbly bass line makes it downright grown and sexy. Sure, the sultry vocals help too, but the quiet percussion creates an chill house vibe that's dope. Ironically, Wiz decided to go 100 mph on his verse, which goes against his usual flow and the vibe of the track. It's a strange and stark difference from what I expected, but if attention grabbing was the goal, it succeeded. You know the drill, iTunes or Spotify if you want to add it to your collection or feel free to wait patiently for Tove Lo's upcoming Lady Wood album out in late October...#LadyWood
Tove Lo feat Wiz Khalifa - Influence

Videos of the Week July 29th

Any week that features a new seven minute video from Kanye is probably a noteworthy week in a lot of peoples' eyes. It's hard to ignore how cinematic his videos end up being, but somehow they all seem to fit the dark, edginess of his lyrics. In his new video for Wolves, he shed tears, he walks around in expensive jackets, his wife makes a cameo and there are plenty of models walking around in black and white attire. Have your opinions about Kanye, but he makes provocative act in a lot of ways.

In the land of other videos, there was a whole lot of entertainment on Fallon. Starting with G-Eazy and Tory Lanez's performance of Drifting on Fallon, Jimmy brought out the A list this week. If actors are more your bag, Will Smith did his best to show what it means to make an epic entrance and Matt Damon is a really convincing liar, but Jimmy has an uncanny ability to sense the truth. If only we could say the same for Matt who fell hard for a lie. Rounding out the week was an interesting collabo between JoJo and Wiz Khalifa. I've always been a big fan of JoJo, so seeing an edgier side of her with Wiz was the most entertaining video of my week. It probably won't be for you, but hey, some of us crush hard and don't let go of said crush years later...#FApologies
Kanye West- Wolves (Video)

G-Eazy and Tory Lanez Perform Drifting on Fallon

Will Smith Makes Multiple Grand Entrances on Fallon

Matt Damon Plays Box of Lies on Fallon

JoJo feat Wiz Khalifa - F**k Apologies (Video)

Photo Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week January 29th

Solid mix of music and sheer entertainment value in this week's top five. Led by an out of this world collaboration between Jimmy Fallon, Sia, The Roots and...Natalie Portman? Random doesn't begin to explain that collection of talent on one stage, but it came together quite well on the Mardi Gras classic Iko Iko. If that's not random enough for you, how about some Obama clips dubbed together to form Justin Bieber's I'm Sorry? I'm not sure it was as good as Thriller or Hotline Bling, but baracksdubs takes attention to detail to another level.

In the world of music, there was high profile EDM collabo, a captivating Wiz Khalifa freestyle and a debut single from Baauer. You might recognize The Right Song from a previously posted song by Oliver and Tiesto (Wombass), but this time Natalie La Rose blesses the bouncy beat with vocals. It's a rare occasion where I think the instrumental wins over the vocal version. It was a tumultuous week for Wiz Khalifa, but that didn't prevent him from showing off his ability to twist everyone's favorite Adele track into a weed anthem. Last but not least was the premiere of Baauer's new single Day Ones. Truth be told it deserved it's own post, but you can bank on plenty more releases from his upcoming album Aa to surface on this portion of the internet...#DayOnes
Jimmy Fallon, Sia, Natalie Portman & The Roots Perform Iko Iko

President Obama Sings Justin Bieber's I'm Sorry

Tiesto & Oliver Heldens feat Natalie La Rose - The Right Song (Video)

Wiz Khalifa Goes in on Adele's Hello

Baauer Performs Day Ones with LeiKeli47 on Colbert

Photo Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week September 11th

If you find The Chainsmokers entertaining then you're in luck this week. They pack a lot of personality and that was on full display as they coached Shaq up on DJ-ing to prepare him for his upcoming TomorrowWorld set. And then they playfully flipped out on Tiesto calling them out on Snapchat by kidnapping him, burying him and then paying for it when he comes back from the dead to harm them. I know, exactly what you were thinking their new video would be, right?

In non-Chainsmoker videos, there was plenty of Hip Hop on the docket. Led by late show performances from Kendrick Lamar on Colbert and Wiz Khalifa/Fall Out Boy on Fallon, there's plenty of live entertainment to take in. And if you're a fan of MPCs and/or Logic, you'll appreciate the quick promo he put together to get you all hyped up for his upcoming Incredible True Story album. I appreciated the comedic value of the end of video too for those of you who enjoy cutting out on videos before they end...#IncredibleTrueStory
The Chainsmokers & Tiesto - Split (Only U)

Kendrick Lamar Performs Three Songs on Colbert (Video)

Logic - The Incredible True Story Trailer

Wiz Khalifa & Fall Out Boy Perform Stayin' Out All Night on Fallon

The Chainsmokers Prepare Shaq for TomorrowWorld Set
Photo Credit: YouTube

Wiz Throws it Back With Some Sexual Healing

When it comes to flipping classic tracks into freestyles, you won't find many artists better than Wiz Khalifa. The biggest case in point I can think of off the top of my head is what he and Currensy did with Toto's classic Africa. After hearing their Huey Newton freestyle, you would have thought the beat was meant to be a Hip Hop track.

This week, Wiz was back at it freestyling over Marvin Gaye's classic, Sexual Healing. I was a little disappointed that he only dropped one verse over the instrumental and let the beat ride out for over a minute near the end. Still, if you're like me, freestyles like this remind you of why Wiz deserves a spot in your Live Starting Five...#SexualHealing

"I'll Tell You All About it When I See You Again"

It's been a while since someone dropped a sincerely heartwarming Hip Hop tribute to someone who passed away. When I think of classic Hip Hop tribute tracks, Diddy's I'll Be Missing You and UGK's One Day come to mind as favorites. With those examples in mind, Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth did a hell of a job commemorating the life of the late Paul Walker.

Anyone who has seen one of Paul's movies hurt a little bit when they heard the tragic news of his passing. The original Fast and the Furious will be how I remember Paul. The latest Fast and the Furious will be the last in the series that will feature Paul, but they made it to the seventh movie in large part because of his effort. Watching the video for the track below really hit me hard, but Wiz's verses and the Charlie's vocals did an excellent job of harnessing the sadness and channeling it in a positive direction. If you haven't already, check out the star studded soundtrack for Furious 7 and the movie that reached Certified Fresh status recently...#Furious7

Videos of the Week January 9th

It was a super diverse and entertaining week for videos all around. Led by the very artsy, somewhat sexually controversial video for Sia's Elastic Heart featuring the talented Maddie Ziegler and Shia LeBeouf. I'll admit, I was drawn to it because it was so out there, but I was a bit weirded out by the sensual touching between the 28 yr old and the 12 year old. I kept reminding myself it was acting, but if Sia thought people would interpret that as her two opposing alter egos, then she's sorely mistaken.

In other news Jimmy Fallon and Nicole Kidman almost dated...until Jimmy evidently blew it. The Human Serviette came through with yet another awe inspiring interview, this time surprising Zedd from the characteristically detailed stalking. If you've never seen an artist go through their own YouTube comments, Wiz Khalifa would be a good one to start with. Happy to see him take it in stride with equal amounts of humor and not giving a crap. Finally, in case you hadn't laughed enough, Funny or Die came through with an awesome trailer for the new Chris Bosh movie, Tall Justice 2. Yep, it's just as much of a mockery as you'd expect...#TallJustice2
Sia - Elastic Heart (Video feat Shia LaBeouf & Maddie Ziegler)

Jimmy Fallon Blew a Chance to Date Nicole Kidman

Nardwuar Interviews Zedd

Wiz Khalifa Reads and Responds to YouTube Comments

Chris Bosh Stars in Funny or Die's Tall Justice 2

Image Credit: YouTube

No Sleeping on This Plane

I'll admit, I get a little nostalgic every time I hear Wiz Khalifa's This Plane. It's a shining example of how Wiz stuck to his business model of making great free music until he developed an army of Taylors that were more than willing to buy his music. Since I've heard the original close to 100 times now, it was a breath of fresh air to hear a new take on it by nosleep.

Slowly, but steadily nosleep has been releasing some absolutely dope beats. Feel free and add this electro-dub beat mixed to Wiz's vocals to the list. Hailing from Pittsburgh, you can bet he made sure this one came correct before releasing it to the masses. If I were to suggest one thing, it would be to let nosleep's Soundcloud channel play for a bit to get a feel for what he's capable of creating...#nosleep

Wiz Khalifa - This Plane (nosleep remix)

"Knock Knock You About to Get Shell Shocked"

What...in...the...hell? This might be the corniest track lyrically in the past decade. The degree of selling out that it takes to get to this end result is so obscene it's almost admirable.

The frustrating part about it is that it's actually a bangin' track if you manage to not get caught up in the lyrics. Kill The Noise and Madsonik craft a trap beat that is 100% dope and the one two punch of Juicy J and Wiz is formidable. The most surprising part from my perspective was Ty Dolla $ign closing it down with authority on the final verse. I'd go as far to say this could have been one of the best Hip Hop EDM collaborations to date if the powers that be didn't go so far out of their way to make the lyrics "kid friendly" and movie relevant that it became the focus of the track. It is what it is, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie comes out on August 15th if you're interested in hearing this on the big screen...#TNMT

Videos of the Week January 3rd

A bit of a mix between the Rockin' New Years recap and some interesting Hip Hop videos are on tap this week. I really enjoyed the throwback video game look of Snoop Lion's video for Get Away. All of you youngins who didn't grow up with Nintendo may not understand the 8-bit graphics and simple look, but it drums up some serious nostalgia with this guy.

Also, if you haven't caught any of Wiz Khalifa's DayToday tour vlogs, they give a lot of great behind the scenes footage tour life. Not many people appreciate the supporting pieces that go into making a show happen and as a result, there's usually a lot of fun stuff that's missed. I like that some of the supporting actors and actresses are able to get some love through these small, 15 min snippets. Selfishly, I hope Wiz swings back around toward the Midwest because it's been a minute since I've seen him live...#TaylorGang
Snoop Lion feat Major Lazer & Angela Hunte - Get Away (Video)

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - New Years Eve NYC Medley

Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines on Rockin' New Years Eve

Wiz Khalifa – DayToday (Europe Pt. 3, Final Episode)

Ke$ha – Dirty Love (Video)

Photo Credit: YouTube

"9/11 Not the Day, But That's the Whip"

2013 has been kind in a lot of ways to Wiz Khalifa. He's now got a son and new shoe collection with Converse. Now that he's into the business of selling shoes, it's no big surprise that the lead single off his upcoming album is called Look What I Got On. Matter of fact, Wiz just debuted the single last night at Hennessy’s Pre VMA Party...
On first glance, I was pumped when I saw that his first single was produced by Stargate. Then I listened to it and I'll put it this way, don't expect another Black & Yellow. It's a catchy track, but comparatively speaking, not my favorite single by Wiz. You'll probably find yourself singing along at some point, but Wiz does his best Twista impression on the track, which is a different look. Still, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to his upcoming album...#BlaccHollywood

Wiz Khalifa - Look What I Got On (prod by Stargate)

Videos of the Week August 16th

Interesting mix of interviews, videos and commercials this week from some of my favorites. In my opinion, it's a toss up between Big Sean and Mike Posner for top video of the week. For those who weren't living under a rock this week and caught Kendrick Lamar's lyrical assault on Hip Hop, you're probably more than a little interested about how Big Sean felt about being called out on his own track. As the story goes, Big Sean laid down his verse first and then received Kendrick's after the fact. He made the decision to not go back and change his verse after being called out and actually got excited about the effect that it would have on Hip Hop. +10 pts for Big Sean taking the high road and releasing the track as is for the betterment of Hip Hop.

Coming in second is Mike Posner's adorable video for The Way It Used To Be. Long story short, he spends the majority of the video working together with his friends to convince the girl he was with to stay with him and not break up. I won't ruin the ending, but it's got a twist and it works out for Mikey in the long run. You can file that video under sh*t that doesn't happen in real life. Rounding out the list is some new Haim and an interesting short film with Just Blaze, Baauer and Jay Z...#Higher
Introducing The Wiz Khalifa Collection From Converse

Mike Posner - The Way It Used to Be (Video)

Big Sean Breaks Down Control (Interview)

Haim - The Wire (Video)

Just Blaze & Baauer feat. Jay Z - Higher (Short Film)


Photo Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week July 19th

I decided to go 100% Hip Hop on this week's video post. It seems like it's video season for Hip Hop and you can expect a lot more of that to come with Jay-Z, Kanye, and Drake having singles on the horizon. Dap is order for Juicy J who managed to avoid the strip club scene in his video for Bounce It, which is undoubtedly on repeat at your local gentleman's club. I thought the video was pretty classy and well done by Benny Boom.

I'm just as surprised as you that 2 Chainz got to a point in his career where he could demand 100k per feature. Who knew 100k would include video girls? In other news, Jay-Z took over Pace Gallery in NYC and performed Picasso Baby for six hours straight. Oh to be a fly on the wall for that marathon of a day...#PicassoBaby
Juicy J feat Wale & Trey Songz - Bounce It (Video)

Lil Wayne - God Bless Amerika (Video)

2 Chainz Charges 100k Per Feature

Wiz Khalifa - Paperbond (BTS)

Jay-Z - Picasso Baby (BTS)


Photo credit: YouTube

"I'm Callin' Shots, Call Me Don Julio"

I can't remember the last time Tech N9ne collaborated with a high profile producer. That's more of a compliment than anything because most artists need outsourced production to succeed. Not Techa Nina though, he's made a living for over fifteen years sculpting his own "sound" and making a living off of his unique delivery and edgy-Hip Hop. I'll put it this way, Hip Hop in general isn't as entertaining live, but that rule of thumb does not pertain to the show Aaron Yates puts on. I'll never forget Slaughterhouse open for him in the middle of nowhere in Reading, PA.

Anyways, Tech is preparing to release his thirteenth, yep count that, thirteenth studio album. As I mentioned, the production is what caught me off guard on his new one below featuring Wiz Khalifa and B.O.B.. The Drumma Boy produced beat on See Me is on point and sets the table nicely for Wiz and Tech to go in on it. When it comes to lyrical delivery, nobody (other than maybe Twista) can go fast to slow like Tech. I wouldn't be surprised if Tech finds a way to get to twenty studio albums, but even if he doesn't I'll always have the utmost respect for the way Tech has build his Independent empire. Keep a look out for Something Else, which hits stores in about a month on July 30th...#StrangeMusic

Tech N9ne feat B.O.B. & Wiz Khalifa - See Me (prod by Drumma Boy)

Videos of the Week June 14th

Whoever thought up the idea to create a cruise experience based on electronic music deserves an award. There's a slim chance I'll attend, but Holy Ship! is a forward thinking idea that I hope more and more cruise companies adopt especially with all the poop cruises and such of late. In other news, Drake evidently loves FIFA and plays a lot of it. Oh, and Skylar Grey released another relatively dark video that involves some tent snuggling and playing the piano in the woods...cool right? To round out the top 5, Wiz and Alicia chipped in new videos for recent singles. Solid week overall for music related visuals...
Skylar Grey - Wear Me Out (Video)

Wiz Khalifa - Paperbond (Video)

Holy Ship! Promo Video (EDM Cruise)

Drake Introduces FIFA 14 at E3

Alicia Keys - Tears Always Win (Video)

Videos of the Week May 24th

Decent mix of funny, entertaining and inspirational this week with The Lonely Island setting the humor bar high this week with Diaper Money. On the flip side, I got goosebumps watching third grader Asean Johnson of Chicago blast Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel for threatening to close his school. The little dude might just be the rose that grew from concrete in a city that has become synonymous with Irag.

Sandwiched in between are some entertaining videos from a few usual suspects like Fat Joe, T.I. and Maroon 5. Although it was tempting to post all clips of Kanye's new videos being projected onto walls, I'm going to refrain from that business. Enjoy your long weekend y'all, see some of you at the Indy 500...#MemorialDay

The Lonely Island - Diaper Money (Video)

Fat Joe feat Wiz Khalifa & Teyana Taylor - Ballin' (Video)

T.I. feat Cee-lo - Hello (Video)

Maroon 5 - Love Somebody (Video)

Third Grader Asean Johnson Argues for Chicago Mayor to Not Close His School

Videos of the Week May 17th

It's a shocker, this summer another Fast & Furious movie is being released! Surprising right? Sarcasm aside, this will be the finally one and I applaud them for getting back to what helped make the first movie awesome...an above average soundtrack. They have Def Jam to thank for putting together a top notch soundtrack to Fast and Furious 6. I'll always maintain, Pov City Anthem from the original Fast & Furious soundtrack is a classic beat and it motivated me to find a way to create ringtones on my own.

In other news, Skylar Grey continues to make slightly disturbing, emotionally charged videos. Interesting that Kendrick went to church for the BDKMV video. Anytime J Lo and Pitbull or Kanye and Ben Affleck get together, it's going to be fun. Definitely tuning into SNL for the season finale...#SNL
2 Chainz & Wiz Khalifa - We Own It (Fast & Furious Video)

Skylar Grey - Final Warning (Video)

Kendrick Lamar - B***h Don't Kill My Vibe (Video)

Jennifer Lopez & Pitbull - Live it Up (Video)

Kanye West & Ben Affleck SNL Promo