"The Best the West Has Ever Seen, No Disrespect to Calvin"

Ever since I first got wind of this new up and coming rapper outta Compton named @kendrick_lamar, I've been patiently waiting for his raw talent to shine through. Just like anything with the mythical D word attached to it, the Look Out For Detox freestyle got everyone's attention, but I wasn't sold yet. Fast forward to his first album, Section 80, which was an indication of great things to come with Hi Power being the clear stand out track and highlight of the album. Still, it was like seeing a seismograph rapidly jump up and down before the earthquake, but when was the ground finally going to open up?

Well, it finally happened when he got together with fellow Compton rapper @thegame on This City, which will appear on Game's upcoming R.E.D. Album. The whole track is just awesome, starting with the hymn laden, angelic beat by @COOLANDDRE that lays the groundwork for Game to stake claim as one of the top 5 rappers of all time ("Game, Biggie, Hov, prolly Pac, Nas, No particular order"). Debatable lyrical hubris aside, the hook is interesting in that it's damn near a whole verse and the only reason you can tell it isn't a verse is because it's repeated word for word more than once. Keeping it 100, the whole track is just one big intro leading up to Kendrick's acapella take off at the 4:27 mark. Ferocious, tenacious, raw, vicious...all applicable adjectives for the fury unleashed by Compton's prince. Press play and follow along kids...

"And I wear pendant on my shoulder
Soldier, like a lieutenant, and the coupe tinted
Got pulled over, Johnny always lock a ni**a down
Knowing damn well we don't wanna see the box like Manny Pacquiao
Little ni**a Mayweather size, ride like Pac
In his prime, thug life is now on radar
Til the federal come through and raid ours
Reminiscing when the LA Raiders
Was in my home, snapback fitted on my uncle's dome
And I don't condone d*ckriding, I'm addicted to
Westsiding, living in a city where the skinny ni**as die
And the semi bullets fly, but it turn me to a lion
Trying, and I mean that sh*t
Game came through, put the city on his back
I was in the city with a nigga, had seen that sh*t
"Compton!", a ni**a gotta scream that shit
Never went commercial, Never T.V. screened that sh*t
Can't block or screen that sh*t, now everybody sing that sh*t"
- Kendrick Lamar

Add this one to the growing list of collabs from the consistently dynamic duos of The Game + Cool & Dre. Oh and if you don't have enough incentive to go out and cop The R.E.D. Album, you're haven't been listening. I'm sticking to my album of the year prediction until something better comes out...#TakeItToTheBank

The Game feat Kendrick Lamar - This City (prod by Cool & Dre)
|iTunes

Videos of the Week

Interesting week with respect to videos with a lot of randomness (Donald Trump co-signing Mac Miller, Anne Hathaway Rapping?) mixed in with some interesting live performances and music videos. Thanks again @s_c_, every time you decide to bottle pop and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting your champagne, people find their way to my site because of this pic...

@JColeNC - Workout (Video)

DJ Drama's Oh My (Remix) Behind the Scenes

Anne Hathaway Raps on Conan

Game Apologizes to Sherriff's Department for Tweet

The Donald Co-signs @MacMiller as the "New Eminem"

Nicole Scherzinger - Wet (Video)

Jay-Z Poppin' Ace of Spades Bottles While Dropping' 250k in Miami

Kanye's Autotune Freestyle in Tivoli, Denmark

@kreayshawn Performs Gucci, Gucci at the Highline Ballroom in NYC

Kid Cudi is King of the Scary Lullabies

I gotta give it to whoever decided to call on @wizardcud and invite him to pitch in one the new movie Fright Night's soundtrack. There are few people that can pull off theatrical and haunting, yet appeal to the Hip Hop demographic...wait a sec...scratch that...he's the ONLY Hip Hop artist who can weave a twisted, dark lullaby over a cello-infused, rugged guitar riff of a beat. It's not just him either, his go to producer @dotDaGenius is just as culpable for the haunting sound that he has trademarked with Cudi on tracks like like Day n Nite and Perfect is the Word.

I can see why a lot of people dislike Cudi's music with it's depressing undertones and non-stop loner vibes, but I have the utmost respect for his work. Despite having a consistently optimistic view on life, for some reason I really enjoy depressing music. Maybe because it's such a stark contrast to how I usually feel and because of that, it causes me to feel through the lyrics. Or maybe I'm just completely full of shit and for some reason feel like justifying it to you out there because I feel weird for liking depressing music. Moral of the story, to each their own and I own a lot of Cudi and am proud of it.

If you haven't seen the trailer to Fright Night, it's a remake of the 1985 horror flick that has gotten some decent reviews on Rotten Tomatoes (75% fresh). Credit is well deserved for director Craig Gillespie who not only directed the new Fright Night, but also used the same scenery from the movie when directing Cudi's video for No One Believes Me . Not gonna lie, Cudi looks like he's at ease with those vampire fangs...

Fright Night is already out in theaters and Man on the Moon III is due out Fall of 2012.

Kid Cudi - No One Believes Me (prod by Dot Da Genius)

"Where's All the Girls Too Busy Studyin' to Make the Guest List?"

I'm finding it really hard to disagree with the growing consensus that @thegame sounds best over @COOLANDDRE beats. Sure he had a moment there with the good doctor, but when it comes to longevity and consistency of sound, he just keeps churning out dope music with the help of Marcello and Andre.

And who would have thought he and @drakkardnoir could rip it up with the chemistry they did on Good Girls Go Bad? Not that a feature with either of them would be a challenge to anyone involved, but with two differing styles, they meshed well over the slow, steady, bangin' instrumental. With all thes R&B tracks and cameo hooks Drake has put out of late, it was refreshing to hear him go in and spit a nice verse. Between this leak and Game's other tough new one Martians vs Aliens, The R.E.D. Album is starting to enter the discussion for album of the year. When 5 single worthy tracks have leaked prior to the album's release, it's almost to a point where anything beyond this is icing on the cake. And we still haven't heard a CDQ version of Game's new tracks with @realdjpremier or the other @IMADEITINC track or even the few Dr. Dre produced tracks.

I mean I'm enjoying Watch the Throne and I've got high expectations for Carter IV and Take Care, but 8 months into the year, find me another album that's this stacked front to back...#Crickets

The Game feat Drake - Good Girls Go Bad (prod by Cool & Dre)

|iTunes

"One Big Room...Full of Bad Bitches"

It's not everyday Hip Hop gets smacked up side the head by an audacious white girl from Oakland, who gives less than a fiduck about what you think about her. But then again, that's why I'm here writing about things like @iamdiddy lamenting over @kreayshawn's signing with Columbia over Bad Boy, mostly as a result of the 11 million people that decided to watch the video below..

Kreayshawn - Gucci, Gucci

If you're one of the few who haven't caught the Kreayshawn fever yet, then be prepared because you're about to get a whole dinner's worth. I say that because it's not everyday that record companies have million dollar bidding wars over you, or legendary bands like The Red Hot Chili Peppers solicit you to direct their video for a comeback single. Shoot throw in a Drake co-sign and it's over before the leader of the "White Girl Mob" even got to a second single. If you're wanting to know more about her, look no further than her interview below as she goes into detail about getting ratchet...

Yea did I mention she's pretty comfortable in her own skin and has enough attitude and swagger to fuel a spaceship to Mars?

What's most interesting to me that as a 21 year old she can appeal to such a broad audience. Her IDGAF attitude will reel in the young and rebellious in a way comparable to what Eminem did when he first came out, yet high profile artists and industry execs see her as a rising, can't miss star. Somethin's gotta give and as I'm now nodding my head to Gucci, Gucci, I fully understand the appeal, but really need to hear more before I make a judgment. I gotta admit though, lines like "Now Google that, groupies follow me like Twitter, I'm rolling up my catnip and shi**ting in your litter" and "I got the swag and it's pumping out my ovaries" had me doin' a double take like...hol up did I just hear that?

Shoot if @1yungchris can become a hit overnight off the term racks and a catchy beat, I see no reason why Kreayshawn can't do that x10. Just ask MTV, who have her on the ballot for Best New Artist with the likes of Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean, Foster the People and Tyler, the Creator. My best advice if you're betting on her to fail? You might wanna reconsider because every freestyle over her beat gains her even more notoriety. Doesn't hurt that one of them happens to be @liltunechi, whil @treysongz followed through the week with a Triggamix. Time will tell where she goes, but right now she's got Hip Hop's attention as a whole...

Lil Wayne - Gucci, Gucci (Freestyle)


Trey Songz - Gucci, Gucci (Triggamix)

"You Could Be My It Girl, You're My Biggest Hit Girl"

Chalk up another hit single for @jasonderulo with his new one It Girl. It's a solid follow up single to Don't Wanna Go Home and by my count, two top ten singles prior to his new album Future History, due out Sept 26th.

Unlike the first track, which was more at home in the club with the help of the classic Show Me Love sample, this one is more of a triumphant, mid-tempo ballad. The whistle throughout the beat is creative and catchy when mixed with the acoustic backdrop. As usual, JD is on point with the vocals, hitting plenty of notes that us average-folk could only dream of hitting. Even better, the hook has an sing songy feel to it that urges the audience to sing along, which should do nothing but give it radio traction.

Interesting to note too, that hit-maker extraordinaire @jonathanrotem has yet to be publicized in the production credits for the first two singles. That's pretty cool because I'm sure Jaysawn didn't wanna always be seen as a cookie cutter element that is copied and pasted over his always top notch production. On that note, shouts out to @EmanuelKiriakou who did the beat on It Girl. For all you visual, picture book style learners out there, below is a newly released trailer of his soon to be released video for It Girl...


Future History...September 26th

Jason Derulo - It Girl (prod by Emanuel Kiriakou)
|iTunes

Proof That 808s Belong in the Kitchen

Seeing that @asherroth and @thecoolkids both represent a similar organic, old school Hip Hop sound, it's not a huge surprise to see that they're starting to collaborate more often. They've performed live a couple times together at SXSW, but it seems like their worlds have only collided on a few occasions in the form of surprise cameos at concerts and a features here or there.

That might change soon, evidenced by the video below of The Cool Kids performing in Asher Roth's hometown of West Chester, PA at The Note. What's most notable is that they didn't just perform Roll Call off When Fish Ride Bicycles, they also debuted the track below, In the Kitchen. Sofa king dope...fast forward to the 5:21 mark for the new track...

Anybody else feel like @chuckisdope is one of the most slept on producers out right now? I feel like a lot of the beats Kanye puts out have that same heavy, old school, 808 feel that Chuck brings on damn near every beat. Maybe it'll be a Wiz Khalifa style come up where the fourth or fifth album is where he starts makin' waves? Even if that day never comes, you'll never have to go any further than this blog to heard any and every dope beat he puts out.

Keep an eye out for those Cool Kids/Asher Roth tour dates to be announced too. I've seen Asher in concert and am pumped that he's from near Philly, so the liklihood of him dragging The Cool Kids out east is highly probably. Still not sure how I missed the West Chester show, but you better believe it's not gonna happen again. As far as the song below, don't half step, play the damn track with some sort of subwoofer...it's got the 808 Check stamp of approval, don't feed this Mercedes of a track that 87 octane...#StopTrippin

Asher Roth - In the Kitchen (prod by Chuck Inglish)

"I Tried to Pay Attention, But Attention Paid Me"

I mentioned the genesis of this track last night when I posted @liltunchi's studio video of him working in the studio on the track with @drakkardnoir. Now this is the heavyweight track I've been waiting for, with Weezy dotting his T's and crossing his I's on ever bar and Drake delivering a calm, but exciting hook.

The proverb worthy wordplay Weezy spits on damn near every line is exactly why he's on top of the game and currently ruling over Hip Hop like a King who understands what the new Hip Hop fan wants, and delivers it. The new school Hip Hop fan pays attention to ironic/metaphorically creative lyrics that make you think a little bit. In other words, everything he speaks on has a deeper meaning that makes you think. For example, "Karma is a bitch, Well just make sure that bitch is beautiful" or "I already know that life is deep but I still dig her" or "But I’m Ray Charles to the bullsh**". Nothing earth shattering about the vocabulary he uses, but he's presenting a fresh, new take on old proverbial phrases, which takes some creativity. Boom! Therein lies the appeal of why Drake, Weezy and Kanye continually set the bar higher with their lyrics.

Don't overlook that beat put together by @ProducerTMinus either, he did that. Also, word on the streets today is that this may not be the final version and that @rickyrozay is going to be featured on the final version here. Sorta apathetic about that decision, but after listening to the verse, Raaaawwwse did his part to fit in by elevating his game, I'll give him that. Still woulda liked to have heard a full verse from Drizzy Drake instead of just the hook. In a perfect world...

Carter IV...August 29th

Lil Wayne feat Drake - She Will (prod by T-Minus)
|iTunes

Videos of the Week

Man I can't wait til that new Weezy single drops with Drake. Carter IV, coming in two weeks...
Redband Trailer of Jonah Hill's New Movie The Sitter

Karmin Music Performs I Need a Doctor with Skylar Grey

Lil Wayne Working on New Single She Will feat Drake

Jay-Z and Kanye West - Otis (Video)

Wiz Khalifa - No Sleep (Video)

The Cool Kids Perform Roll Call With Asher Roth (Live)

"Why You Gotta Be So Cruel?"

Even though my bread and butter is Hip Hop, R&B and lately,to a greater extent anything Electronic/Dance, I'd still have a void in my music arsenal without the likes of @marcbroussard. Ever since he released his first two albums, Momentary Setback and Carencro I've always really enjoyed his unique blend of soulful bluesy rock. I swear the first time I saw him in concert he looked absolutely nothing like what I thought based on his deep, bayou-soaked voice. I really enjoy the fact the he has the ability to create really positive, uplifting tracks like his staple Home, but also produce really thoughtful ballads like Jeremiah's Prayer and Gavin's Song. Shoot, he even got me in touch with my inner James Taylor with his always on point rendition of Never Die Young than he seamlessly rolls into The Wanderer.

Even better, he's got a new album out with a lot of really good music on it. First came his two lead singles Lucky and Only Everything, which were two great choices for singles. As an aside, I couldn't help but post his acoustic version of the latter...

That right there is a great snippet of just how talented his is both with the guitar and harmony. That's the type of music that shines through outside of the studio when you go see him in concert.

Evidently two singles we're enough, because below is his new video for his third single off the album, Cruel. It's a very radio worthy track that exposes those ladies who do nothing but use and abuse men because they can. I've got two words for the video, TWINS!!!!

Now that you're hooked, feel free and cop that new self titled album on iTunes and support one of my favorite artists...#DontBeCruel

Marc Broussard - Cruel

|iTunes

"I'm Bulletproof, Nothing to Lose, Fire Away, Fire Away"

Yet another shot fired on @davidguetta's non-stop assault on American pop music. I used to say he has American pop music in his back pocket, but he's been wearing it like a crown with the steady stream of new music he's been letting loose from his upcoming album Nothing But the Beat, due out August 26th. Between his new single Titanium (below), and his new track with @liltunchi and @chrisbrown, I Can Only Imagine, I'm starting to doubt he's going to make a track that I don't like.

Maybe it's because I'll always be partial to dance music and club style techno/house music, but the beat build leading up to the hook by @siamusic is nothing short of epic. It's got that grandeur that all dance tracks strive for, but so many come up short in gradeur. This definitely does not and I'm not even mad for choosing Sia over Mary J Blige on the final version. There's a time and place for Mary J because she's classic in her own right, but this one needed a lil something different that Sia was able to provide vocally. If you're wondering what I'm talmbout, check out the demo below...

The track list is chalked full of awesomeness with cameos from Timbo, Dev, Luda, Taio Cruz, Snoop, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Flo Rida, Will I Am, Akon, Usher, Nicki Minaj...and he even keeps it real with an Afrojack and Avicii featured tracks. Gotta love it, it'll be a front to back sort of album, don't sleep on it...#Aug26th

David Guetta feat Sia - Titanium

|iTunes

"Coke on Her Black Skin Made a Stripe Like a Zebra, I Call That Jungle Fever"

Well...after one full lap through Watch the Throne, the cream rose to the top in the form of a wilderness sermon that kicked off the album with an absolute explosion. The rolling 808 thump and dull, repetitious guitar riff create an infectious backdrop that is characteristic of countless other @kanyewest beats. What you shouldn't overlook is the help that @eightyocho put in behind the scenes to help craft the sound and the well placed, on point hook that @frank_ocean delivered to send it home. I'm not a fan at all of @OFWGKTA, but I'm finding that I like so many new tracks that Frank Ocean is putting out, it's hard to hate on the group as a collective, solely because of him.

A whole lotta people are saying that Ye is killing Hov throughout the album on their verses, but it's not a fair comparison in my eyes. It's gotta be a little different for a producer who also raps because he has that extra investment in the track and vision of what it should sound like. I'll say this, Kanye is capable of dropping more audacious, shock value lines that will get more headline ink, but when it comes to being on point and telling a story through verses, it's hard to mess with @s_c_. It's like would you rather go with something like bacon ice cream over cookies and cream ice cream. Sure, bacon has the potential to really change your night and if you saw a headline you'd probably do a double take, but cookies and cream is always good no matter how you slice it and it'll always beat the plain flavors any day of the week. Yep, sometimes it's just easier to drive home a rapper comparison with an ice cream reference...#DamnIceCreamSoundsGood

Everyone is quick to judge and get their opinion out, but I'ma let it marinade a lil bit before forming an opinion. If you're looking for a quick standout and suggestion as far as where to start when exploring the album, don't even think about skipping track one because that...shit...is off the chain! #ThatsMyWord

Kanye West & Jay-Z feat Frank Ocean - No Church in the Wild (prod by Kanye West & 88 Keys)

|iTunes

"$50,000 on My Wrist, I'm Feedin' Eskimos"

It's been three days since @chrisbrown released his newest mixtape Boy in Detention and it already has over 110,000 downloads on datpiff. Just glancing at the production credits, I can see why everyone is flocking to download the new tape because it looks more like an album with @ROOKBEATS, @RYANMTEDDER (not to be confused with one of my favorite artits/producers/songwriters from @OneRepublic, Ryan Tedder), @9thWonderMusic, @Thabizness, @THEREALSWIZZZ and No I.D. Interesting too that most tracks on the mixtapes have Chris Breezy rapping ferociously at his own frenetic pace that he describes on Crazy and implements on First 48.

Put it this way, if you liked the way he sounded on Look At Me Now, you'll appreciate most tracks on the mixtape. Even better and probably a reflection on why it's so highly sought after, @justinbeiber drops a nniiiccee verse on the @therealbanner produced Ladies Love Me

Don't even trip, he killed that verse.

Anyways, the track below is my favorite off the mixtape and it features production from @BIGKRIT, who is steadily becoming one of my favorite artists/producers. The oriental flutes and heavy bass do more than enough to keep the track afloat. The hook by the King Remembered In Time was surprisingly awesome and really carries the track by imploring the listener to chant along. (As a side note, don't sleep on that Smokers Club tour coming this fall).

Consider this tape a present that's chalked full of high quality charity. In other words, in a death and taxes type world of certainties, free stuff like this is rare, so go cop it...#BoyInDetention

Chris Brown Ft Berner, Wiz Khalifa & Big K.R.I.T. - Yoko (prod by Big K.R.I.T.)

|Mixtape

Children Being Born Now Will Never Get a Chance to Use Compact Discs

“It is not going to leak,” tweeted a confident John Meneilly

Here we are, less than 3 hours before the digital iTunes release and the only crumbs we've gotten from @s_c_ and @kanyewest's Watch the Throne come in the form of a 6 minute YouTube video that has 30 second snippets of the tracks.

30 Second Snippets From Watch the Throne

To put it in context, Beyonce's new album 4 leaked three weeks in advance, Eminem's Recovery and Drake's Thank Me Later leaked two weeks in advance, and Lil Wayne's The Carter 3 leaked 10 days prior to release. Shoot I thought Lady Gaga was queen of the world for finding a way for her album to not leak until 5 days before her release. I'd say it's about time for all the naysayers, who scoffed at Jay-Z's manager for confidently declaring last Wednesday that the record is "...not going to leak", to cut themselves a big piece of humble pie right now.

You might be wondering why it didn't leak or what all of this means? First off, it didn't leak simply because no physical copies have been sent to distributors. In other words, the album will initially only be available digitally, when the album, all 12 cuts plus four deluxe edition bonus tracks, will be exclusively released in digital format on iTunes. I say exclusively because their release plan is very unique in that they are allowing iTunes to exclusively sell digital copies of the album tonight at midnight on August 8th, four days before the thousands of other retail record shops get to sell the physical copy on August 12th. It gets better, the physical copy retailers will be able to sell will be limited to the standard 12 track album, since Jay-Z and Kanye struck a deal with Best Buy to be the only retailer who can sell the deluxe 16 track edition for the first ten days of sale until August 23rd. I'll let that sink in a little while you read the petition below that was put together by a huge group of unhappy retail outlets who are being hung out to dry by the decision...

"Dear Jay-Z and Kanye West,

Independent record stores serve our communities. Our passion is music, and we convey this to the millions of customers who come to our stores. That’s what we do.

Four years ago independent music stores across the country banded together to create Record Store Day. Our goal was to counter the negative media coverage about the supposed demise of record stores brought on by the closing of the Tower stores and to respond to the music business practices that fans deemed to be manipulative and onerous.

We reached out to the artist community to see if they would join us, and the response was overwhelming, with words of support coming in from Paul McCartney, Erykah Badu, Tom Waits, Chuck D, the Foo Fighters and countless others. Working with their label partners, many of these musicians created limited edition works of art, including vinyl and CDs made especially for music-specialty retail. Hundreds of these artists took the opportunity to perform, DJ, and interact with their fans in our record stores. Here in the U.S., Record Store Day lifted the entire music business by 8% and contributed to the growth in music sales. Record Store Day is now one of the biggest music events in history, with millions of people participating worldwide. We also continue to work throughout the year with labels, artists and managers and run regular promotions via physical independent retail and recordstoreday.com.

We are responding to the bad news that your new album will not be available to independent record stores until after iTunes gets a window of exclusivity. We also learned that the deluxe version (which is what the true music fans who shop our stores will want, by an overwhelming majority) will only be available at Best Buy exclusively for a period of time. We believe this is a short-sighted strategy, and that your decisions will be doing great damage to over 1,700 independent record stores — stores that have supported you and your music for years.

We know that you are busy, and that you put most of your energies into creating great music, but we are writing to you in the hope that you will hear us and take the time to rectify this matter. As representatives of the independent record store music community, we are asking you to allow record stores and music fans equal access to your new album.

With the utmost respect. (signed Indie Record Store Owners)"

I'll bet you're pretty surprised that Jay and Kanye didn't feel the need to respond to the open letter?

So what does this all mean? In my opinion, this will turn out to be one of the more significant events in record industry history. I say that because no other artists have had the combination of audacity and power to control every variables relating to their record being released that like Jay-Z and Kanye did. And now, as a result, it's probably going to turn out to be a really eye opening case study when their record sells the exact same amount (or probably more) even when they staggered the physical release of their album.

The impact on industry stakeholders will be widespread too, with digital retailers (Apple), exclusive big business retailers (Best Buy) and the artists (Kanye/Jay-Z) being the big winners, while pirates/bootleggers and small Indie record stores and Amazon being the obvious losers. With the extinction of many brick and mortar retailers like Circuit City and Borders, moves like this should quicken the already rapidly declining physical sales and eliminate the possibility of Indie record stores to survive in the current market.

For me, that's sad because I grew up spending my allowance or whatever cash I could scrape together to run down to Sam Goody and cop whatever single or album I could get my hands on. That is where I grew my roots in Hip Hop, which has rapidly evolved itself into more of an internet driven, technology forward, digital distribution business model. As a blogger, part of my job is to keep my eye out for new music that you haven't heard yet that I personally like. Sure, the absence of leaks would limit my power and influence as a writer because I wouldn't be able to provide a heads up on music that will be coming in the future, but in truth, I don't mind one bit that Jay-Z and Kanye chose this route and prevented their album from leaking. It's not going to prevent people from ultimately bootlegging the album as early as tonight, which is a sad realization for those Indie record stores who feel like they're getting singled out and losing money for nothing, but it will be wake up call for all artists/record companies looking to maximize their profit by preventing the initial sales push of their album being squashed because everyone has been listening to it for weeks before people can actually buy it.

Like any other industry shift, chalk it up to Social Darwinism where the evolving companies ahead of the technology wave are reaping the benefits and eliminating everyone else with the old business model in the process. The best way I can sum it up, thanks Ye and Hov, you've managed to make a mid-twenties blogger feel old because there are probably kids being born now that will never know what it was like to buy or burn a compact disk...

Feel free to watch the last Watch the Throne trailer to surface before everyone shuts down iTunes in a couple hours...

Watch the Throne Trailer 2

Ryan Tedder - I Am a Woman (Jordin Sparks Demo)

Being someone who prides themselves in giving limelight to talented individuals who don't get quite as big a piece of the credit pie as they deserve, it's not a coincidence that I write about Ryan Tedder frequently. I'd venture a guess that 90% of the people who are fans of @OneRepublic don't even know that he is the lead singer or that he does a lot of producing for other artists.

I'll take it a step further and say it takes some balls for any man to proudly demo a track titled I Am a Woman. Not just demo the track either, own it and rock it the F word out like you are proudly exclaiming your race from high atop a mountaintop. Put it this way, if I were to compare it to @jordinsparks's version, it'd probably be a push...

You be the judge, Who Rocked it Better? Demo version or published version?

Ryan Tedder - I Am a Woman (Jordin Sparks Demo)

Videos of the Week

With Drizzy makin' Headlines this week (literally), he gets a lotta ink this week deservedly. That track is growin' on me now, especially after seein' him perform it live in concert. In case you forgot, Watch the Throne is due out in three days and hasn't leaked other than Otis, which is some kind of accomplishment these days. No idea how they did it, but bravo Hov and Ye, as a blogger I am impressed man.

Drake Performs Headlines For the First Time in Windsor, CA

Drake Talks About New Single Headlines and Take Care

Drake Talks About Remixes to Marvin's Room, Calls Them "Flattering"

The Cool Kids - Down to Ride (Interview/Video)

Lil Twist feat Mishon - New Money (Video)

"If God Was One of Us, He’d Probly Drink Vodka"

"In this forest, I’m a lonely tree, my limbs are covered in tattoos and my roots, they run deep"

Ah yes the lead single off Radioactive from ya boy from Gadsden, @Yelawolf. No need to glamorize this one, it'll punch you square in the nose, kick you while you're down and spit in your face. It's been more than a minute that @LilJon has produced a high profile single, but he's back with his own brand of crunk rock.

Don't get too distracted by the raucous beat either cause Catfish Billy takes no prisoners with his ferociously out there verses. I'll even throw out a crazy comparison and say I haven't heard anyone with a delivery as grimy, but creative as Yelawolf since the likes of ODB (#RIP). I'll let that maronate a lil bit...September 27th, circle that on your calendar...#Radioactive

Yealwolf - Hard White in the Club (prod by Lil Jon)

|iTunes

"Oh...Sometimes...I Gotta Get a Good Feeling"

On first listen of @official_flo's new single Good Feelin, I had two thoughts. The first was, this track has @davidguetta all over it, with the euro-club vibe on the beat. Second, that sounds like @Jeremih on the hook? Doesn't it? At least the beginning does, not sure about the high note at the end of the sample.

Turns out I was dead wrong on the Jeremih guess and Etta James is source of the soulful vocals on the track. The beat on the other hand is a little more contentious...or will turn contentious soon. As the story goes and the internet churns with rumors, the track below was marked as being produced by up and coming Swedish DJ @avicii. Yea, that same DJ I wrote about because he got a jack moved pulled on him by Leona Lewis who took his instrumental and ran with it #1 single style. His Facebook post below should sum up how he feels about the false collabo...

Eaaaaaasssyyy Aviiiiici! Shots fired across the bow! But, wait a second...NFW! Did he get beat-jacked AGAIN? The YouTube video below could be the reason why he's ackin' all high siddity.

Yup, that my friends is the second jack move this summer and sadly, all indications are pointing toward both being Top 10 singles. I'm sure this type of "sharing" and "sampling" happens all the time, but not on this scale where big record companies are blatantly stealing other DJ's beats and turning them into lead singles.

We'll see what happens with the litigation, but out of all this, I've gotten a chance to respect the work that Avicii is capable of. My advice would be ride the same wave that David Guetta, Benni Benassi and Afrojack have and embrace your growing world wide appeal. Judging by your FB reply above, it sounds like you're going to try and go with the "keepin it real" route by shunning that terrible American Hip Hop genre since that would be selling out. My answer to that...have fun making your thousands of kronas (currently 1/6 as valued as the US dollar), while leaving on the table potential millions by continuing to market yourself as an underground DJ. If you want to make the top 30 like the DJs mentioned above, you're gonna need to widen your fan base to America dude.

(Climbsdown off the high horse)...Aaaannyways, the track below will presumably land on Flo's sequel to Only One Flo (Part 1), wait for it...Only One Flo (Part 2). Yea you got it, not once, but twice we get a reminder that there can be only one! #HighlanderStyle. We'll see how much $$$ it will take to clear the sample from Avicii's grasp, but something tells me that when big money talks, even the most stubborn European DJs will listen...

Flo-Rida - Good Feelin

|iTunes

Culo Means Ass in Spanish and Italian

Just in case you missed @Pitbull's track Culo or weren't exactly sure what that phrase meant, don't worry, Interscope Chairman Jimmy Iovine is here to save the day. I can think of no better idea than teaming up with a world famous photographer (@raphaelmazzucco) to put on full display a full book dedicated female assets. Wait, even better, how about releasing a trailer to build the hype for the book using @Timbaland's first single off Shock Value 3? #MustBeNice...

To gain a full understanding of what exactly Jimmy decided was adequate subject matter for the book, feel free and press play below. WARNING! SLIGHTLY NSFW!

Yep I'd say that trailer provided a solid assessment of something that an asspiring author would find a world famous photographer to assist in shooting. Ok ok, I'll stop, but really though, I betcha didn't know that culo was a detogatory term meaning buttocks or behind in both Spanish and Italian. For example, here are a few fun phrases I've learning through my multi-lingual Hip Hop education.

"Alza il culo!" - "Get off your ass!" (Italian)
"Ti faccio un culo cosi" - "I'm gonna kick your ass" (Italian)
"¿Viste su culo?" - "Did you see her ass?" (Spanish)
"Que culo mas bueno tienes" - "What a nice ass you have" (Spanish)

Now that you're all learned up on some foreign curse words and phrases, bring the focus back to track at hand where Timbo and @davidguetta double team a Miami-club worthy beat with the help of @Pitbull. Surprising is a good adjective to describe the sound of Shock Value 3's first single, but just because it's different doesn't mean it's bad by any stretch of the imagination. Keep an eye out for Timbo releasing his own video soon and don't be afraid to be a little assertive with the volume level...

Timbaland feat Pitbull & David Guetta - Pass At Me (Prod.By Timbaland & David Guetta)

"Tip Scales With Her Waistline, Sex With the Bassline"

You'd think the most exciting element of the new track from @thegame below would be the @drdre feature and assumed footnote on the production credits. NOT SO FAST! (#CorsoVoice) Turns out the track is produced by the always on point @IMadeItInc, who has never been given the dap he deserves for the masterpieces of beats he has created.

I'm telling you all this because captain obvious says it's not hard at all to sell a new track with Game, Snoop and Dre. Now I'm not about to say this is anywhere as dope as Higher, but if it makes the final tracklisting of The Red Album, we'd all be better off. The only thing missing on this track is a Nate Doog feature, but all dogs go to heaven, so they had to try and artificially create his sound? Anybody else think they tried to summon the essence of Nate D Oh Double on the hook? Sounded like it to me...

This is a great example of grown up gangster rap, where it's still over the top and in your face lyrically with all the elicit references, but in a real subdued way compared to say...ten or fifteen years ago. Artists evolve and with it, trends and movements evolve too...in other words, these are three of the best and they rarely get together on a track, so don't let it escape your library. 

Red Album due out in three weeks on Aug 24th...

The Game feat Snoop Dogg & Dr Dre - Drug Test (prod by DJ Khalil)

"The Real is on the Rise"

Three months prior to the release of Take Care, we get a nice Sunday gift from the folks over at OVO. The lead single @drakkardnoir's upcoming album will be Headlines produced by @ovo40 and @boi1da. So that's what that tweet two weeks ago meant...

His new single has come in addition to more news this past week surrounding other possible tracks on the album like Free Spirit feat @rickyrozay and The Real Her feat @liltunchi. Even more interesting is the thought of him getting together with other unique acts like @REALDJPREMIER and @flo_tweet on Take Care.

As far as the track is concerned, it's another mix of verses and harmony over a vibrant, tempo-building rhythm provided by @WelcomeOVO members Boi-1da & 40. Honestly, I'm not overly blown away with the track like you'd expect from on a first single, but I'm more than willing to judge the track in a few months when it's part of a bigger picture that Drake's trying to paint. I can understand his rationale for "hating singles" because usually it involves in the artist giving in to the record company in favor of something that will cash in on iTunes. What's great about a track like this is that it'll probably still move more than a fair share of units based on brand name to make the suits happy, but Drake probably didn't have to sacrifice much creatively in his choice of single. In other words, I have no idea why he chose this to be his first single since it doesn't fit the build of what you'd expect, but I'm ok with being patience and judging based on the final project in it's completeness. I don't think a lot of artists have the wiggle room to get away with that, but when you're on top and consistently release quality music, you get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to fans' patience.

Like a paycheck, I'm taking to the bank that there will be a lot more to come that'll probably top this before the October 24th release...#Watch

Drake - Headlines (prod by Boi-1da & Noah "40" Shebib)

808 Check: "Dumpin' Like Tires on a GMC"

Truth be told, I've been wanting to post this track for a while now since it has steadily risen to the top of the list as my favorite track off When Fish Ride Bicycles. I was happy to see that their new album has been getting pretty good reviews overall since this was their first big shot at mainstream success. Debuting at #75 on Billboard isn't bad at all, selling 6,500 copies the first week, but hopefully as their reach expands with this album, that'll continue to increase.

What you need to know about the track below, GMC, is that it will rattle your brain if played on speakers greater than 10 inches (hence the 808 Check label at the bottom of the page). The bassline on this track is off the charts awesome with @Chuckisdope taking care of the production and continuing his jihad of bass on every track he touches. Big fan of the CB mix sound on the verses too, that's like new-school grimy. Like somethin' Wu-Tang woulda done back in the day, but sounds new with their style.

Also interesting to notice is their opinion on the buzz artist @kreayshawn and her Bay-area influenced style. Really cool how they approach the topic of the N word and their idea of who should be able to say it and why it's acceptable for a white girl to say the N word. I wish myself (being a white dude) that the word wasn't still so polarizing, so hearing @SirMichaelRocks and @Chuckisdope's progressive opinions is forward thinking and great for Hip Hop in general in my eyes...

If you haven't yet, go and cop WFRB and expand your musical tastes a bit...#DontBeScaredNow...

PS - That rimmed-up 1997 Jimmy pictured above from College Humor is priceless...smh

The Cool Kids - GMC (prod by Chuck Inglish)

Videos of the Week

Whole lotta content this week with plenty of Chris Brown cameos and a few high profile videos for lead singles to albums. Anybody lucky enough to be at that Rihanna show in NYC when Kanye dropped in? smh, best I've gotten was Baby at a Drake show...have a good weekend y'all!

@thegame feat @chrisbrown - Pot of Gold (Video)

@kanyewest & @Rihanna perform All of the Lights in NYC (Live)

@MacMiller - Best Day Ever (Video)

@acehood feat @chrisbrown - Body 2 Body (Video)

@Tyga feat @imchrisrich - Far Away (Video)

Black Light Dinner Party - Growing Older Together!

I can not begin to tell you how excited I am for the Black Light Dinner Party album to drop. Steeped in mystery, the only public knowledge about these dudes is that they're 4 producers, collaborating across state lines, on a project that's two years in the making. Their lead single, Older Together now has over 87,000 plays on Soundcloud, and that's only the beginning!

Black Light Dinner Party - Older Together (Video)

Black Light Dinner Party - Older Together

One hit wonder you ask? Doubt it, the band just released their 2nd single, Small Boxes, and I'm absolutely hooked. Their first single, Older Together, blew me away, and the follow-up did not disappoint. It's very rare, and somewhat refreshing, that a band like @BLDPmusic, with this much promise, isn't rushing to the forefront of a me-me-me society, choosing instead to build the buzz, build the brand, and decide for themselves when they're truly ready. Because I can promise you, they're gonna be big! I'm talking @passionpit and @wearephoenix, explode on the scene big. Just remember, you were properly warned!

Black Light Dinner Party - Small Boxes

"I Can't Get Enough of What You Got, Good God, You Hit the Spot"

I'd imagine September 27th is going to be a big day for @JColeNC with the release of his debut studio album Cole World - The Sideline Story. When it comes to artists in Hip Hop, there aren't many more artists that I have more respect for talent wise. I say that because you're more likely to find a Surge or a Crystal Pepsi these days than an artist who produces, writes and delivers his material on a studio album. I don't know J Cole from the next man, but listening to interviews and tracks paint a clear picture to me of someone who is determined hell or high water to make the world familiar with his underdog story about how he did it his own way by blazing his own trail.

I'll admit though, I wasn't really a big fan of Work Out. To me it felt like a misfire kinda like @liltunchi's How To Love. Lead single aside, I'm still excited as hell to see what Cole is capable of putting together with the likes of Danja, @The_Real_BKidd and No I.D.. If No I.D. can add as much to Cole's album as he did @bigsean's then it should have no problem living up to the lofty expectations that the year+ of anticipation has created.

The new one below feat @treysongz is they type of unique sound I've learned to look forward to from J Cole. The beat is bouncy, almost Timbaland-esque and it provides a head nod worthy backdrop for three well crafted verses. The hook doesn't really sound like Songz Yuuuup!, but it's a sufficient placeholder that bridges the gap between the meat of the track. This will presumably be on Cole World and will hopefully set the standard for what to expect because it's an easy listen that comes off as feel good track the more you listen to it.

60 days til it drops, keep it locked, much more to come...#ColeWorld

J Cole feat Trey Songz - Can't Get Enough