New Releases You May Have Missed (Well, The Ones Actually Worth Checking Out)

In case you've missed Twitter, Facebook, or any real music news in the past week or so, it has been a pretty good week for new hip hop releases. The Dreamville crew returns with a couple drops following rumors of the long awaited Revenge Of The Dreamers 3 project soon to be releasing (though still no definite date set), aside from Dreamville, Bas decides to drop his own random loosie (or is it JUST a loosie? Hmmm...), and Drake fulfills his promises of new music after the Raptors win the franchise's first NBA Championship.  Check out all of the releases below, with a short explanation/review.


Dreamville Compilation tracks - "Down Bad" and "Got Me"




Is there anything else in hip hop worth talking about right now more than Dreamville's 2 new compilation tracks?  Cole and the Dreamville crew made waves on Twitter on June 12th (almost a week ago) after releasing the two tracks above, "Got Me" and 'Down Bad", both featuring several artists, all signees under the Dreamville imprint. Both tracks are sounding extra clean and crispy and adapt much differently to the current hip hop climate, and are sure to raise conversation and excitement moving forward, but if  I had to choose between the 2, I personally have to pick "Got Me" as my favorite release of the last week. It's slow burning and deep penetrating bassline hits your ears and your speakers unlike anything could do, unless it was a straight up knife to the chest. Bump this one in the loudest possible speaker system you can find.

Bas ft. JID - Fried Rice


    
After what many considered the best album of last year (actually just me, literally just me) dropping in late 2018, Milky Way, it is always nice to see an artist like Bas, who always considers quality over quantity, returning with new music. In a song that finds JID shredding a fast paced 2nd verse (has anyone ever talked about how much this guy sounds like Anderson .Paak? No? Alright then) along with Bas' signature awkward, yet somehow-it-always-works-so-well flow, Bas has blessed his fan base with another different style; a rapper of many different traits and flows, a verse chameleon if you will. Definitely worth the listen, especially if you like Bas.

Drake - Money In The Grave (ft. Rick Ross) & Omerta




(*I do not own any of these songs, or the rights to them*)
    
The Toronto Raptors, for the first time in the franchise's short 24 year history, have beaten the Golden State Warriors to become NBA Champions, and as a somewhat, kinda/sorta Cavs fan (I live in Ohio), I could not be more excited to see the "dynasty" fall another year short. Here's to hoping it lasts, KD leaves for Washington, and Klay realizes his worth and goes somewhere else (I can dream). But the most noteworthy detail (hip hop wise) of the Raptors newfound championship glory is the fact that Drake celebrated the title win by releasing 2 new songs!  And I could not be more.... ehh. Don't get me wrong, the songs themselves are decent, I think I like "Omerta" more than "Money In The Grave" (probably because it doesn't attempt to sounding like everything else out), but both songs do not really honestly sound authentic Drake to me, in my humble opinion. And I know I'm just some blogger/writer who types his opinions out on the computer, but that's my 2 cents on the matter. Drake still continues to succeed, and he will as long as he keeps putting some kind/shape/form of music out every year, but me personally, as someone who finds the most enjoyment in hip hop strategy/planning/ consistency in themes; I would like to see Drake put out something that has a bit more bite under it. These 2 songs feel... well, maybe "lifeless" isn't the term, but they don't have that proper Drake edge to them that you would hope for, and all is fun for releasing songs in celebration of your favorite team, but I will say that Drake releases used to feel a lot more... special. Now? Not quite so much. All in all, Drake put out 2 more songs that people will jam to and enjoy, and I can't say that I wouldn't enjoy hearing the songs the next time I attend a party. But will I play them much on my own?  Probably not. In terms of quality, pretty good. But in terms of Drake quality?  Not as good as hoped. End bitter hip hop/Drake blogger rant.        








  

Big K.R.I.T. Drops New SIngle "Krit Iz Here", Announces Album Of The Same Name

Join and rejoice Big K.R.I.T. fans, because today.. today was Christmas for those waiting so long (TOO long) for their Mississippi savior to return to rap. But, with that being said; y'all finally got your wish (we did, we all did).

Big K.R.I.T. took the news to most social media outlets today (as least Twitter and Facebook, as far as I've seen) to celebrate the 9 year anniversary of his classic debut mixtape K.R.I.T. Wuz Here as he announced not only the drop of a new song and music video for it, but also an entirely brand new ALBUM to be dropping next month (July 12th, to be exact), both aptly titled K.R.I.T. IZ HERE. Oh, sometimes is it surely great to see some things go back to the way they were. Big K.R.I.T., with slapping instrumentals, slaying the game and slashing emcees. Ah, what a (at least right now) great time to be involved in hip hop.

Now those day 1 K.R.I.T. fans could only assume that this newly announced album is going to somewhat draw back to the (thought they always have been) Southern influenced, boom bap and bass bumping humble beginnings of the Southern emcee, but does that mean we're getting a complete throwback for old times sake, or does K.R.I.T. have something else in store for fans?  It will be interesting to see as always, from one of the few and far in between most unique and talented artists and lyricists in the game today. Check out the artwork for the new album above, as well as the video for the new song below, as we can only get more excited in anticipation for a new K.R.I.T. drop.


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









       

New HHU Favorite Nick Grant Keeps It Real On Smooth New Jam "Straight Up"

Every now and again, I DO actually keep an eye out for fresh new talent, believe it or not. I know I've been slipping on my posts lately because, well, sometimes life happens and well let's be honest, and this is going to sting a little, but not a lot of new music is particularly that different or exciting lately... yikes. But every now and then as I said... I am good for a new find here and there!  And if you say that this guy I'm about to introduce isn't in any way new or different, well then I'm forced to ask... who the hell asked you?

Kidding of course, but as little as I've used my SoundCloud account as of the last few years or so, every so often it's nice to get on and see what's trending and what exactly SoundCloud thinks is going to relate to my tastes (you don't know me, SoundCloud). But this time, they happened to be right; because in the last couple of weeks, I've now caught 2 of Walterboro, South Carolina emcee Nick Grant's newest releases, and as rare as this is nowadays; neither of them have disappointed. And the newest release (we'll get there, patience young/old ones) shows me a little bit more of this still not much known about (at least in my world) Grant. What I do know about him right now, though, is that I can root for a spitter from South Carolina, that spitter has one of the smoothest vibes I've heard since Big K.R.I.T./Curren$y (big shoes to fill, yes, although there weren't any smaller names I could compare him to), and in terms of potential (saying this without any prior knowledge of his past projects, full disclosure), I could see a flow and a voice like Grant's fitting over just about any type of track; which brings us to his newest release.

Grant ca-DANCES his way around a smooth hook that isn't quite singing, yet somehow could also possibly be classified as a light R&B vibe. Over a beat that somebody like Dom Kennedy would froth at the mouth over, Grant lightly taps the instrumental's hook while delivering body blows with a voice that could knock you out over the verses, a voice only somehow comparable to a prime Obie Trice; because big things do indeed come in small packages.

Okay so let me stop gushing over this great song and just post it below for you guys to check out. What do you guys think?  Does Grant have next, or is he already up?  His latest album came out not even a year ago (Dreamin' Out Loud), but do these couple of new releases (see also "Pink Starburst" which is also a vibe) say that something new is coming from Grant?  Stay tuned to his Twitter, Facebook and SoundCloud pages to find out, and enjoy the video for "Straight Up" below.


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











           

Drake Surprises Grammy's, Get's Mic Cut Off For Speaking The Truth

In case you missed it, the BIGGEST night in music was last night (2/10), and boy was everyone excited to attend and talk bout it! If I could put an ironic sarcastic face emoji in an article, best believe that I would have inserted it at the end of that last sentence. Hip hop has displayed an aversion of the Grammy's since 1989, and with this year being 30 years since that famous photo with Will Smith, Flavor Flav, Salt N Pepa and crew, it seems unfortunate, yet more imminent than ever that the Grammy's will never accept hip hop for what it is, and Drake seemed to have refreshed that feeling with his speech last night.

While it should be noted that some stars like Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar and Drake himself actually turned down performance opportunities at the Grammy's this year, there were even some pop stars that had no desire in simply attending the ceremony (Ariana Grande). The awards saw a bevy of new winners, some deserved and others not so much deserved, Cardi B took home the award for "Best Rap Album" with Invasion Of Privacy, while Childish Gambino took home 3 of the other rap categories' awards ("Song Of The Year", "Record Of The Year", and "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration" with "This Is America"), but the highlight of the night came later. During a rare and unexpected appearance, Drake stopped by the ceremony unannounced last night to accept his award for "Best Rap Song", the first time Drake had been seen at the Grammy's in years, if at all.

During this quick stop, Drake accepted his award personally and gave a speech that The Grammy Committee didn't seem to appreciate too much.


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

Oh, oh are you finished?  I guess they decided for you anyways Drake, sorry buddy!  It's difficult to tell if Drake was actually cut off because of the words in his speech or if the Committee actually thought he was finished, but it doesn't take a Grammy Committee member to see that Drake's words weren't exactly flattering towards The Grammy's and the awards show as a whole. So my question to you is... should we care?

Hip hop as a whole has been built around the idea of free speech, being able to say what we want, when we want, unapologetically, with no remorse or "yes man" mentality, so it's expected to piss some people off, especially higher ups, committeemen, and endorsements who don't take too kindly to "the bag" being screwed up. Was that a cool way to say that?  Probably not... anyways, as "not hip hop" as Drake seemingly is to the core hip hop community nowadays, it would be pretty tough to admit that this speech was not a hip hop move. A lack of Grammy's doesn't mean that you don't make a difference, an award doesn't mean that you're a voice for the people, and even as much closer and closer and closer as it seems we're getting... real hip hop will never win a Grammy.      






      

Royce Da 5'9 Releases Incredible, Thought Provoking New Song "Field Negro" (Calls Out Wale and Kanye?)

In case you missed it yesterday (February 7th) Royce Da 5'9 made a brief return with the release of his jazzy, yet blunt new song "Field Negro".

The song finds Royce dancing over a fluttery yet somehow calming instrumental (that may remind you of classic jazz) while discussing the life of blacks growing up in the struggle. The beat then seamlessly switches up to a clapping, sped up notion that leads Royce to talk his shit even more. The production on this one is phenomenal, it'd be nice to hear Royce over more jazzy instrumentation like this in the near future, and seeing how Royce is one of the few and rare beat chameleons that hip hop has ever seen, it seems like he would always find a way to say something or structure a rhyme differently than the last.

Check out the newest Royce slapper below, and since Google+'s sharing system is slowing but surely coming to an end, be sure to hit me up on Twitter (@SuperNovaRover) or Facebook (Geoffrey Guy) and share your thoughts on the new track. Is real hip hop back?  Not yet, but Royce is certainly helping keep it alive.


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

J. Cole Drops New Song "Middle Child", Threatens Pusha T?

In case you missed it, J. Cole returned to Twitter to make waves with the release of a new song that is perking up a lot of conspiracy theorist's ears; and for good reason.

In the new song, titled "Middle Child" which is also produced by T-Minus, it's a little murky to decide exactly who Cole is aiming at, but the following lines lead you to believe that Cole is aiming for a certain somebody who was going for Drake's head last year; Pusha T. Hear the following lines, and you might understand why; "This watch came from Drizzy, he gave me a gift, back when the rap game was praying I'd diss, they act like two legends cannot coexist, but I'd never beef with a n***a for nothin, if I smoke a rapper it's gone be legit, It won't be for clout, it won't be for fame, it won't be cuz my shit ain't sellin the same, it won't be to sell my latest lil' sneakers, it won't be cuz some n***a slid in my lane", etc.

Now some lines in the song lead many to believe that Cole is threatening Pusha based off of those lines; most likely because after Pusha T and Drake's beef, (which resulted in 2 disses from each of the respective rappers) Pusha T went on a press run to promote his highly praised album released in May, Daytona, doing multiple interviews and podcasts after the fact discussing Drake and Kanye West, as well as the album, which included an appearance on The Joe Budden Podcast.

Cole's song also comes in weird timing, a mere day after Pusha T tweeted "You tried, you failed... I'm hearing you wanna try again, this time I'm not gonna play with you. Any of you." That tweet can be found here.

What do you guys think?  Is Cole taking Drake's side in a battle against Pusha T and the "losing his mind a little harder every day" Kanye West?  Cole has been known to take what were perceived as shots at Kanye before, the last time being on his 2016 song "False Prophets". If this rumor is true, it would be a huge move for Cole to take Drake's side in a battle that left a lot of feelings hurt, and a lot of people feeling betrayed last year. As Cole said in his newest song, "if I smoke a rapper it's gone be legit", and it's pretty hard not to believe him considering his past fearlessness of going at top tier rappers' heads. Stay tuned for more Cole & Drake vs. Pusha & Kanye beef, and check out the link below to hear Cole's new song, which is rumored to be the first offering off of Cole's highly anticipated 3rd Dreamville collaboration album, Revenge Of The Dreamers 3.


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