The "Beats & Rhymes" Tour (A Dream)

Sixteen years ago this year, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg brought along some friends to form arguably the most iconic hip hop tour of all time. The "Up In Smoke Tour" of 2000 went six times platinum in the U.S. (which I didn't even know tours could do), and not to mention seven times platinum in Australia and two times platinum in France. The tour also featured hip hop giants like Eminem, Ice Cube, Xzibit, and Nate Dogg, and was so widely successful that DVDs were made of the July 20th show of the tour, shot at The Centrum in Worchester, Massachusetts (which is filled with incredible bits of backstage footage along with the actual concert performances). History was made with this tour, and as amazing as it was, for a second there, there were talks of a "second coming" of the tour earlier this year. So my question is.... WHAT IN GOD'S NAME DO WE NAME IT?!

"This is one of the things that I've dreamed about doing. I want to call it 'Beats & Rhymes'. I want it to be me and Snoop. I want it to be Eminem. I want it to be Kendrick Lamar," Dre said. "Take our full stage over there and show Europe the same amount of love that they been showing me throughout my entire career. So, that's my dream. Hopefully we can make that happen." Snoop Dogg suggested an alternate tour name: Hoodstock, since the lineup "sounds like Woodstock on steroids."  (Via Pitchfork)

Obviously my first choice would have been something to do with the "smoke" theme of the tour given Dre and Snoop's history (maybe something like "The 2 High Tour", etc.), but given Eminem's sobriety and Kendrick's known "laced blunt" escapades (as detailed on Good Kid Maad City), maybe a "Detox" theme wouldn't be so far fetched (or wouldn't take 16 years to come together). Either way it'd be a dream concert experience, just imagine that concert intro!


(The intro to Dre & Snoop's set on the "Up In Smoke" tour, which if you haven't seen, is very much NSFW)

Not to mention all of the new music to catch up on (and they'd have to include the West's new king, if you don't know him he goes by the name of Kendrick Lamar Duckworth). It's been 16 long years since this legendary tour took place, and in that span Eminem has released 5 solo studio LPs, Snoop Dogg has released 9, Ice Cube 3, Xzibit 4, Dre finally put out another album in Compton: A Soundtrack, and Nate Dogg unfortunately passed, but not before putting out another 3 solo albums himself (how dope would it be to see a Nate Dogg tribute, possibly a hologram?) What better time than now to do this?!?!

This tour could be the summing up of everything. Dr. Dre's illustrious career of music and producing fused together with the massive careers of Eminem, Snoop, Kendrick Lamar, Nate Dogg and more. How does an NWA reunion sound? It could be done. Dedications to Tupac, Nate Dogg, and Eazy-E?  Why the hell not?  The possibilities lie not only in the careers of the headliners, but in the careers of who the headliners have brought with them along the way. Kendrick bringing out TDE, Eminem bringing out Slaughterhouse, Bad Meets Evil, or D12 could be an actual thing. The idea of this tour is so great, it'd be impossible to disappoint (unless Dr. Dre says the tour would only come to Europe, then of course all of these dreams get shattered like pre-burned Detox CDs). At least we can still occasionally enjoy a leaked Dre track every now and then. Well, if you have Apple Music and listen to The Pharmacy Beats 1 Radio, that is.

Enjoy the reminiscing of old clips on Dre's "I Need A Doctor" extended music video below, and if you have a creative name of your own for Dre's alleged tour, comment it below, or on any of my social media pages (my Twitter, my Facebook, or my Google+ page!).


     (*I do not own these videos, songs, or the rights to them*)
             

       




    









 



              

Hip Hop Reacts To The Passing Of Prince (R.I.P)



 

It's a sad day in music history, as the one and only Prince has unfortunately passed. The singing icon was found unresponsive in an elevator at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota. He was 57 years old. This massive news of course stirred up many in the social media world, including some of hip hop's biggest acts. Here's how a few of them reacted.

Charlamagne Tha God

BJ The Chicago Kid

 

Big Sean

Joe Budden



Joe Budden honored Prince by changing his Twitter avi to a picture of the "Purple Rain" singer.

Scarface

Bow Wow

 

 

R.I.P. Prince.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay Bishop Nehru, You Have My Attention

If there's any one artist I've been on the lookout for new music from lately, it'd have to be Bishop Nehru. I've heard a decent amount of buzz surrounding the Nanuet, New York rapper, because Nas and MF DOOM collaborations and cosigns just do that sort of thing for you. The 19 year old has put out 2 pretty amazing tracks the last couple weeks that just need to be heard.

The first release immediately caught my attention, the Pacific Ocean level wavy release "$acred Visions". Nehru produced this track himself, which also garners some attention; an emcee spitting lines like "wanted cake, but they ain't help make batter" also produces the tracks that he later destroys?  This one will have you moving your head back and forth during the verses and turning up during the hook. Great verses, a catchy hook, and a hypnotic beat; "$acred Visions" has it all (maybe even "first single" potential). Check it out below.



The second of Nehru's recent releases is just as much a banger, and twice as much a flow-flexing show of skill. Nehru released "It's Whateva" about 4 days ago, and this time with an accompanying visual, so it seems Nehru is prepping release for his upcoming mix tape MAGIC:19, which is set for release on June 3rd. It'll certainly be exciting to see what Nehru's bringing with his new tape, because it definitely sounds like Nehru could be one to challenge the standards of hip hop, and maybe even change them with his clever wordplay, and dope music. Check out the video for "It's Whateva" below.


(*I do not own these videos, songs, or the rights to them*)           







       

Holy F*ck, You Need To Hear DJ Shadow & Run The Jewels' "Nobody Speak" Right Now

So while fans eagerly await on Run The Jewels 3 it seems they'll be teasing fans in the mean time. I just came across this song and, well... you know when you listen to a song and you immediately know you're going to be playing it forever and ever within the first 10 seconds of listening to it?  DJ Shadow and Run The Jewels' "Nobody Speak" is one of those songs.

The highly anticipated collaboration is the first leak off of DJ Shadow's The Mountain Will Fall album, set for release June 24th on Mass Appeal. The song will also be featured as a download code accompanying Run The Jewels' record store day release, which is a pair of cardboard glasses called "VRTJ" which can be used to watch the music video to their Run The Jewels 2 cut, "Crown". Listen to the wild western sounding release below!


(*I do not own this song, or the rights to it*) 







  

Best Tracks Of April (So Far)

It's been quite a week for hip hop (in which it usually is, but there's so much to hear that I normally don't catch every hot release), and I've caught a decent amount of new tracks from artists I don't even really pay attention to (whether it be based on a feature from someone I like or not, that's not the point). In this post, I'd like to highlight the hottest tracks that have been released in April so far!

Babeo Baggins ft. Drake - Things I Forgot To Do
https://soundcloud.com/ovo-sound-radio-858382383/babeo-baggins-things-i-forgot-to-do-feat-drake-new-song

Drake has been putting out track after track to roll out the release of his highly anticipated upcoming 4th studio album Views From The 6, and this Babeo Baggins feature has a nice feel to it. It's more on the lighter love song side which is right up Drake's alley, and the song is actually a cover of Nico's 1967 song "These Days" (which I mentioned in the last Drake article, which you can find here). Something about that fluttery (guitar?  I think it's a guitar, who knows) instrument in the background hits you right in the feels with it's instruments alone, not to mention Babeo's beautiful voice.

Phife Dawg - Nutshell


Phife Dawg's unfortunate passing is nothing less than an absolute tragedy for the hip hop world, but the silver lining is that we might not be hearing the last of him. News broke shortly after Phife's passing that we would be getting a posthumous album from the 5-foot assassin. The album is supposedly named Give Thanks, and Phife had been working on it for some time before his passing, though there is no set release date for the album. This new Phife release certainly has it's fair share of bounce (and you knew it would, being produced by J. Dilla)!

Black Thought ft. Styles P - Making Of A Murderer


If you ever wondered what microphone murder actually sounded like... then who better to show you than Black Thought?!  But seriously... Black Thought and Styles P were PISSED writing these verses... they had to be. Why else would they slay this beat and everyfuckingbody else who raps for 4 and a half straight minutes?  Not to mention that beat... 9th Wonder did it again. This song is a 5/5 in terms of true HIP HOP. Yeah, the real heads got a treat with this one.

Blu, MED & eLZhi - Caddy Music


On the same day hip hop heads got Black Thought and Styles P lyrically beating a track to death, they also got a smoothly sampled, Bombay-produced cut featuring MED and eLZhi, "Caddy Music". This one features all 3 going ham on the track as you'd expect, with a couple of beat switch ups along the way to keep you on your toes. Yes, this track certainly flew under the radar.

And these are just a few of the crazy new tracks that have hit the web as of April, and we're only 10 days in!  You know I'll keep you posted if anything else crazy comes out (even though now everybody is probably focused on Drake's Views release at the end of the month on the 29th, I'm sure he'll be putting out another crazy track or 2 leading up to the album). Be sure to follow my Google+ account if you have one, seeing as that's the place where I post the most direct links to tracks.    



  

  








    

New J. Dilla For Your Ears (Also Other Great News For Your Blessed Day)

If you're a Dilla die hard, then this news is going to make your day. Obviously you know about the Nas/Mass Appeal backed upcoming posthumous Dilla project The Diary that is coming on April 15th (and if you didn't, then hey, now you do), but now news has broke that Dilla's mother, Maureen "Ma Dukes" Yancey and Dilla's estate "Dillatronic" are going to officially re-release an earlier posthumous project, Jay Love Japan in full (an official CD of the project was released in 2008 but quickly went out of print). Jay Love Japan will feature both instrumentals and vocal versions of a total of 11 tracks, and is set for release on May 6th.

Jay Love Japan will also feature tracks that were previously released as bootlegs, only now as official releases!  And the best part of it all, you can stream 2 new Dilla joints below, the first being a song by the name of "Sun In My Face" featuring Blu, and a singer who was known back then by the name of Miguel Jontel (sounds familiar, hm?). The second cut is an instrumental that was released earlier this week, "The Look". Listen to both below.

Sun In My Face (ft. Blu & Miguel)
https://soundcloud.com/dillatronic/j-dilla-sun-in-my-face

The Look (Instrumental)
https://soundcloud.com/dillatronic/j-dilla-the-look







               

#TB: Did Drake Know LeBron Was Coming To Miami In 2009-2010?

Now it's been known that Drake and LeBron have been friends for quite some time, we've seen pictures of the 2 in the studio, and even partying after one of LeBron's championships in Miami (although there is a hilarious video of Drake being shut down by security and being told he can't go celebrate with the team, you can see that here). But listening to an old Drake loose track titled "You Know You Know" almost insinuates that Drake knew that LeBron was going to leave Cleveland to go and play with the Miami Heat.

Now I always mix the years up, but supposedly back in the 09-10 NBA playoffs when LeBron was struggling to lead a one dimensional Cavaliers team to the finals, LeBron and his team had been eliminated in the 2nd round by the Boston Celtics (who would eventually go on to play in the Finals ad lose to the Los Angeles Lakers). During this series, however, (supposedly) Drake had released that infamous song "You Know You Know" (which was supposedly a loose track leading up to the release of Drake's debut album, Thank Me Later).


(*Pretty sure this is the official audio, but pay attention to lines at 1:00-1:05 and 2:11-2:16. Also, I do not own these songs, or the rights to them*)

Did you hear that?  Did you hear what that man Young Sweet Jones said?  And this supposedly dates back to that fateful playoff series where LeBron and his Cavs had an early playoff exit (again), wouldn't it only make sense that LeBron had been friends with Dwayne Wade for awhile, and had maybe partied with Wade and Drake before and had these discussions of forming this super team?  Forget Wade, but how good of friends could Drake and LeBron had been before his taking his talents to South Beach?  How would Drake have known? Oh you know, you know.

 
The above picture is Genius' annotation of Drake's famed lyrics. So did Drake know that LeBron was going to Miami?  He had to of. I mean it's all been practically laid out right in front of your eyes to see!  The funny thing abut this song is that I was going through some old tracks in my own music library and completely forgot about these references. This track just goes to show you Drake's influence, I mean he was practically being a recruiter for the Heat in the summer of 2010 if you really think about it. And the "tell your girl I can pull some budget strings, so we're courtside when LeBron get a fuckin' ring" line only rings true to this day because guess where Drake was?  Courtside, when LeBron got his fuckin' ring. You have to respect that type of "watch me do it" attitude, since, well,  Drake can do it all, right?            
  

What Drake's Views From The 6 Will Determine

(This billboard certainly interests me, almost insinuating that Views From The 6 could be dropping today, 4/2)

What's there to say about Drake that hasn't already been said?  He sings too much, he doesn't write his own rhymes, he's too sensitive, blah blah blah. When it comes down to it, the man puts out some of the best music in hip hop, and some of the most vibe worthy and widely listened to in all of music. Women love him, the gangsters love him, teenagers love him, even middle aged men and women love him, Drake makes music for ALL people. He's been a staple in hip hop for over 7 years (give or take), and he's not even making hip hop music all of the time. But Drizzy's latest leaks haven't been sitting well with the people. Now most of the time this means nothing, the Drake formula has always been to drop a questionable track that people will have to get used to, then drop something that everybody is going to love immediately, but this time seems a bit different. Is Drake getting bored?  I'm here to find out.

Drake - Faithful (ft. Pimp C)

The above song is Drake's latest leak (came out today) featuring a Pimp C verse that was also featured on Jay Z's "Tom Ford" remix. Drake's other recent leaks include "Controlla" featuring Popcaan (which you can listen to here) and "These Days" featuring Barf Troop's Babeo Baggins, a cover of singer Nico's 1967 song, written by Jackson Browne, which Drake and Babeo (quite a name) renamed to "Things I Forgot To Do" (you can listen to that here).

So I don't know if it's just me, but to me these newest Drake leaks seem very... un-Drake-ish. On "Controlla", Drizzy seems to be taking the experimental Snoop Lion route, (it's like the next thing you know we'll be seeing him rocking some kick ass Rasta dreads) on the "These Days" cover Drake seems to be getting suicidal about past loves (which is very Drake-ish, but even "suicidal" seems a bit too far for Drake). The only leak that seems up to Drake's typical speed is the Pimp C feature "Faithful". It features all the wavy sounds and recorded-conversations-that-will-get-your-girl-mad later type of vibes that Drake is so well known for. The real question here seems to be; is Drake really getting bored?

The only assumption that could be made is that Drake is in fact getting bored, I mean you can only emotionlessly shout "JUMP MAN" so many times before you go completely numb (What A Time To Be Alive it is, indeed). Drake has mastered the pop #1 smash hit with "Hotline Bling", He's mastered the #1 album and going platinum (all 3 of his solo efforts have done so), and he's practically mastered being able to sing a hook for your girl on one track, while being able to body your favorite rapper's career on the next track (obviously a stretch, but you've seen, or better HEARD what the guy can do on his "am" tracks). So what is left for Drake to do but walk away in the sun set while we retire his #6 jersey in the rafters like Jordan?  (Or I suppose that's a statement better reserved for Jay-Z; "when I come back like Jordan"... never mind.)

No, Drake certainly doesn't want to walk away from it all yet (or so we hope). But the only place to go from up on top of everything... is down!  Is Drake on his way out?  I think it's a bit far fetched to say that, although I do think it's safe to say that Views From The 6 could have a much bigger impact on Drake's career than any of us are able to tell right now. Views From The 6 can once and for all prove whether or not Drake is actually as much of a "wave rider" as fans and critics think. Based on the turn of events in Drake's career (including WATTBA, "Hotline Bling", etc.), Drake has to prove that he can still make great music. Obviously he can still make music, he can make music that people absolutely enjoy, and music that people can jam to for years to come, but the real question is; does Drake still own his own lane?  I'll cap this off with one of my favorite Drake tracks ever below, you could almost think of it as a simulation of what I'd hope that Views From The 6 brings.


(*I do not own any of these songs, or the rights to them*)


                            

Oddisee's "AlWasta" EP Review

Oddisee is another rapper who had just recently been put onto my radar by the beautiful random reposts of SoundCloud, and when I saw the above picture I couldn't help but have my curiosity piqued. Oddisee (if you haven't heard of him) is a Washington D.C. based rapper who (on my first listen) definitely made me curious with his AlWasta EP. In case you didn't know (like me), "AlWasta" is an Arabic colloquial term used that means "the plug". The term "wasta" comes from the Arabic word "wasat" meaning “middle” or “middleman”, and describes a member of the community who acts as a connector using their wealth of social currency. Oh yes, Amir Elkhalifa aka Oddisee is a deep brother who makes even deeper music that sends a message that should be followed by everyone.

Oddisee is certainly one for live instrumentation and intimate vibes, and he gives those vibes all throughout AlWasta. He starts his EP off with "Asked About You", a heartfelt note that will still have your head bobbing. You get hints of Odd's deep lyrics and watery flow with lines like "I see the demons that hang around us on evenings and party with us on weekends". This deep opener jumps right into the real kick starter of the project, the wavy and almost spiritual "No Reservations", another smooth jam that gives off 70's jazz vibes where Oddisee entertainingly rambles about "time", and "political correctness". With these two opening tracks, Oddisee almost gives you the urge to sit in your own mind's purgatory and contemplate the problems of the world and how to make them better (he's almost got me wanting to take a spiritual trip to India to find myself).



"Strength & Weakness" is a song that you just want to raise your lighter up to and wave back and forth to like a drunken hippy at Woodstock. Oddisee's great use of live instrumentation (especially those hi hats) makes these songs pop in headphones, and would probably sound ten times better live, which is something that can't be said for most other hip hop acts using instrumentals. "Wouldn't Be Surprised" takes you on a rock n roll trip as soon as you hear that beginning guitar. You can tell as soon as the song starts that your head will be bobbing throughout the track, a feeling that can't be matched for hip hop heads, or better than that, music heads.

"Catching Vibes" is the opus of AlWasta, Oddisee creates a vibe that builds up perfectly to the hook, and when it hits it's something that you get sad hearing when it ends, waiting for the next time it comes around like the ice cream man (except you don't have to try to run and catch up). "Catching Vibes" has the same vibes that Kendrick gives off on "Alright" minus the socially conscience message, though Oddisee shows 50 plus shades of socially conscience all throughout AlWasta. I could only dream about "Catching Vibes" getting the shine that "Alright" did, but I can dream, right?


              (*I do not own these songs, or the rights to any of them*)
          
All in all, Oddisee makes it "odd to see" hip hop in such a different place, but certainly something refreshing to hear with some definite "feel good" vibes (see what I did there?). AlWasta is certainly for the experimental, but if you're open to actually using instruments in your hip hop (which yes, you should be) then Oddisee will certainly be a pleasurable listen for you. This project definitely has replay value, and may even be for the average music fan, as opposed to ONLY the average hip hop fan. So give AlWasta a chance and catch some vibes, you won't regret it.