A few days ago (April 10th), Queens based and Dreamville imprint rapper Bas returned with a new single, featuring Los Angles rapper Correy C. The song is titled "Pinball II", and is apparently a follow up to his 2013 record, Quarter Water Raised Me, Vol. II. The song is also apparently co-produced by J. Cole, Ced Breeze and ClickNPress, and is available now on iTunes and streaming services.
After an amazing 2016 with the release of his acclaimed Too High To Riot album, Bas went ghost in 2017, though now it seems like he could be preparing for a big release in 2018. Keep on the look out for that, and checkout the lyric video to Bas' new single below.
In case you missed it, at about 11 (EST) this morning, Los Angeles, California duo THEY. posted a couple of new tracks, titled "Thrive", and "Ain't The Same".
The first track ("Thrive") finds the rock hop group using their greatest assets and putting their love of instrumentation to good use, with a very grind it out guitar, and some hard drums, mixed with a nice classic Three 6 "Hey" ad-lib in the background. The second track has a much different, more R&B feel to it, giving some soft lead vocals mixed with some hypnotizing drum beats and snare-claps that add an ambiance to the overall feel of the track.
What a combination it is, as it seems that there is no singular act, nor group out that does what these guys can do, or make the sort of hip hop and rocked fused sounds that they can make.
There is no word on if the tracks will live on any up and coming album from them (umm... actually it's THEY., Geff! Duh), but you can enjoy their new lively songs below.
The second song ("Ain't The Same") featured in the SoundCloud link below.
Earlier today, half of one of hip hop's biggest groups went to Twitter to share a previously rejected movie score for the 2017 movie Blade Runner 2049. El-P took to Twitter today (March 28th) to not only announce that he had news of working on the score for an upcoming movie, but also some previously unused music for Blade Runner 2049. He had this to say about the short score;
"as i get closer and closer to being able to announce the film score i'm doing this year, i thought it might be nice to finally throw out this little piece. its what I put together for the blade runner 2 trailer when they called on me. i was honored to even be thought of. almost every sound apart from the percussion was created on the same type of synth vangelis used for the original blade runner score. its unmixed as i only had about 2 days to whip it together and send over. enjoy."
It's certainly outside of El's box to make movie scores, but definitely not outside of his zone of abilities. What do you think an El-P produced movie score would sound like? Keep a look out for any El-P announcements coming soon (or so he's leading to believe), and check out the unused track from Blade Runner 2049 in the link below.
If you're a Run The Jewels fan, then yesterday was pretty cool. If you're a Rick & Morty fan, then yesterday was really cool. But if you're a fan of both, then yesterday, you had a complete nerdgasm.
Yesterday, Adult Swim's official YouTube page released a music video for a song off of RTJ's 2016 album Run The Jewels 3, titled "Oh Mama." The video did not feature Killer Mike or El-P, however, instead featuring characters from a show on a frequently collaborating network of RTJ, Adult Swim. The video finds Rick & Morty kicking ass and taking names all across the galaxy, killing aliens often seen in the show, set to the tune of "Dear Mama". Check out the awesome video below. If Adult Swim brings more collaborations like this, then I, and I'm sure millions more people, will be here for it.
Earlier today, Bishop Nehru blessed the public with another drop, this time tapping frequent collaborator and underground legend MF DOOM and producer Kaytranada.
The new drop finds Bishy dropping lyrical hammers over some smooth introduction jazz flute, then keeping with the jazz vibes, transitioning into some crazy horns and percussion in which Nehru rightfully spits his on point flow over.
The song lives on a project that Nehru just dropped, titled Elevators: Act I & II, which features production entirely from MF DOOM, Montreal, Quebec, Canada producer Kaytranada, as well as the Emmy-Award-winning James Hall Worship and Praise choir to give backing vocals on several tracks. Bishop explains the album below;
"This project is a collection of my feelings straight from my heart, all of my ideas were created specifically off of instinct and intuitive occurrences. This album is my answer to the question, 'what would you say your music sounds like?' My answer to that would be 'Grammy Rap.' There's 'Mumble Rap' and then there's 'Grammy Rap.' With this project I was largely influenced by music theory and Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys. This is my attempt at a 'rap' Pet Sounds."
You can stream Bishop's new collaboration album on any streaming service (well, at least Spotify and Apple Music, as far as I know), and you can check out one of the new songs off the album, "Again & Again" below.
(*I do not own this song, artwork, or the rights to them*)
It's become somewhat of a running joke for Wale being considered one of the most underrated, yet overlooked rappers of the last decade or so, though his abilities are far from joke-worthy. The D.C. rapper has seen plenty of love from his core audience over the years, but that's about it. Signing to Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group label in 2011, Wale has scored 2 consecutive Billboard number ones albums in 2013 and 2015, respectively (The Gifted and The Album About Nothing), and has released a slew of music, having come out with an album every other year since 2009. So what is it that is holding Wale back from becoming a premier name in hip hop? Some say its his Twitter antics, but going back and forth with a troll about how your music isn't as good as it was back in 2011 shouldn't prevent you from becoming a big name, if your music really is that good. I felt as if I couldn't speak fairly on Wale due to my lack of Wale in my playlists, so I figured I'd try to get to the bottom of these allegations myself. Here's some observations on Wale's newest EP, It's Complicated.
R&B Love Song Vibes, With Bars
On Wale's short EP, the theme stays consistent with feelings of hurt and love, as well as lessons for future encounters with these feelings. On the intro title track, Wale discusses the problems in today's world of flirting and getting to know a woman, including liking a girl's pictures on Instagram, and his "complicated" methods of explaining his love for a girl. Bravo to the old fashioned, Wale. The wavy instrumental's bassline keeps an ambiance for dimming the lights and lighting the candles with your girl, while showcasing a rapping ability that you could play and contemplate about in long car rides, an interesting combination.
Hurtful, Yet, Hopeful
As well as lessons Wale is imparting on his new EP, he's also discussing what he would like the most from a woman. On one particular song, Wale is asking for a girl to be a "Black Bonnie" to his Clyde, including a somewhat entertaining line about spray painting Trump Towers, as well as traveling the world together. "Black Bonnie" is a great "flipping through the old photo albums and remembering all the good times we had together" type of track in which Jacquees provides excellently tender vocals on the hook that drive home the loving tone. It seems Wale's dreams about his dream woman are not much different from our own... chasing dreams and conquering the world together. I feel it, Wale. I feel it.
The great thing about this EP is that all 4 songs featured each have their own respective mission to accomplish, yet none of them stray away from the subject matter. Different sounds bring out different vibes in the songs, which represent the different sides of the relationships Wale is speaking of, some of them fun, others difficult and hard to talk about. All in all, Wale dropped off an extremely solid, yet unfortunately short EP that whether you're going through heartbreak or not, is a fun listen, and can be a lesson for those going through it, or just a vividly bump-worthy tape that remains multi-layered, depending your mood.
In case you happened to miss another seemingly rare new Lil Wayne release that came a week ago (March 5th)... I got you! Exactly one week ago, Wayne dropped another loosie, titled "Visine".
The track is apparently a part of Ethika Underwear's RGB Mixtape 2, which released on March 7th (and can be streamed on SoundCloud under their profile, "Ethika, Inc."), and features names like Ace Hood, 2 Chainz, Casey Veggies, and more. Birdman has recently suggested that Tha Carter V will be dropping this year, and though Birdman and Wayne's history proves to be rocky, the release of much more Wayne music as of late (including his recent mixtape, D6: Reloaded) seems to be a good sign. You can check out the recent Wayne release below.
(*I do not own this song, image, or the rights to either*)
Lupe took to Twitter earlier this afternoon (March 8th) to drop a new song. Unretired now, are we Lup?
The song is dedicated to Detroit's own Royce Da 5'9, and is aptly titled "Portrait Of Royce". The song finds Lupe spitting some lyrical miracles, complicated schemes and entendre's (that I'm sure I will have to Genius to figure out) over a very PRhyme-esque instrumental that shines with what sounds like a fluttery synthesizer, some crispy claps and an ending Royce interview sample to boot.
Lupe's tweet suggested that the song was "from my sketch book...", so there is no rumor or word on if the Chicago based emcee with be putting out any new music, this could just be a one-off dedication to promote Royce's PRhyme 2, which drops in just over a week, March 16th. Check out Lupe's song in the Twitter link below.
At midnight last night Logic dropped another song, this time featuring EDM producer Marshmello, presumably on the boards.
The song, titled "Everyday", comes only a few short days after the release of another Logic song, titled "44 More", which is a follow up to a song Logic featured on his mixtape Bobby Tarantino, aptly titled "44 Bars". There is no rumor as to if the newly released songs will be featured on any new projects from Logic, but I will keep you posted if any news pops up. You can check out the Logic and Marshmello collaboration "Everyday" below.
Fresh off of the follow up to his underrated Paranoia; A True Story EP, Dave East came back even harder with P2 in January, and now he's returned with a song for those who need to, for lack of a better phrase, get their shit together.
We all know those "Peter Pan's" who need to grow up, and Dave bring them to light in quite the gangsta manner on his new single. Dave's storytelling ability is highlighted again, just as it was on P2 with wildly descriptive tracks like "Corey" and "I Found Keisha", which both keep the great storytelling ability without being too overbearing in getting to a point. Check out "Peter Pan" below, and if you haven't yet, be sure to check out East's newest project, P2, which is available everywhere, and definitely worth the listen.
Last night on Twitter, Crooked I tweeted that today at noon, fans would be receiving a very special treat from him, and a couple of his friends to boot. Today, he did not fail to deliver on that promise.
As a part of Statik Selektah's new collaboration album with a team of talented emcees and producers known as "Forever M.C.", Statik dropped one of the stand out cuts on the album, featuring lyrical emcees and rap juggernauts Royce Da 5'9, KXNG Crooked, and DMX. "King Kong" will live on the star studded album from the underground producer, which has no official release date yet, but is available for pre-order on iTunes. You can check the new banger out below.
A few days ago (February 1st) Royce Da 5'9 and DJ Premier made their long awaited return as PRhyme, and dropped their first single (titled "Era") to their upcoming album PRhyme 2 featuring East Harlem,New Yorkemcee Dave East.
The track will live on PRhyme 2, which is set for a March 16th release date, and to go along with the song, Royce and Premier managed to grab East for the music video, which you can check out below. Who's excited for the return of PRhyme?
(*I do not own this video, song, or the rights to them*)
Philadelphia native Dayne Jordan returned to the music scene today with his new single, titled "Enormous". The track finds Jordan flexing his lyrical muscles over a bouncy track that is sure to light up speakers anywhere. Along with the song, it appears Jordan also released the music video to accompany it, which you can check out below.
"Enormous" is definitely a change of pace for a prototype emcee like Jordan, whose use of jazz instrumentation normally dominates his songs, but it's nice to see him feeling himself and seemingly building up confidence, and ultimately starting on the right foot towards a new project. It's certainly been a minute since we've heard any new music from Jordan, who's last project came last year, In Transition. There's no word on if Dayne is releasing an album just yet, but I shall keep y'all posted. Check out the video below.
(*I do not own this video, song, or the rights to them*)
Dr. Dre's protégé Jon Connor decided to return with a vengeance on January 8th, with a single aptly titled "I'M BACK". The only information given on any upcoming projects from the Detroit emcee in the song is the intro given by Dr. Dre; "the album is Vehicle City". Will this be the title to Jon Connor's long awaited Aftermath debut LP? I suppose we'll see, and seeing as Connor's music releases as of the last few years have been scarce, a release this early in the year could mean that Dre and Aftermath are pushing hard for Connor's debut LP to finally see the light of day. Enjoy the song below, and keep look out for any Connor releases in the coming months. Could Connor be Aftermath's next Kendrick? The theory may not be too far fetched considering the man's lyrical talents. Check out Connor's new song below, and be on the look out for new Connor in the coming months.
Brooklyn and Yonkers based emcees Fabolous and Jadakiss have showcased a respectable history of chemistry on tracks, including Fab's famed underground Soul Tape mixtape series as well as other guest appearances dating back to 2002 (on the Blade II soundtrack, oddly enough). Seeing the two on a track always meant you were in for a lyrical onslaught of double entendre's and straight bars, and their latest offering is no exception to their collaborative efforts. Here, I'll be discussing a couple of the highlights of their album, Friday on Elm Street.
Gritty, Back And Forth Cypher-Like Verses
Just like what happens on seemingly every Fabolous and Jadakiss track, Friday On Elm Street is another example of them murdering tracks, and by no means does it get repetitive. With Fab as Freddy and Jada playing Jason, whether it a smooth soul sample ("Theme Music") or a thunderous banging anthem for the "real niggas" ("Stand Up"), Jada and Fab bring more bars and less bullshit throughout the album. "Theme Music" is a fun standout from the album, a fast-paced jazz influenced cut that shows Fab and Jada feeding off of each other's energy from verse to verse. No track is used as filler, and it's almost safe to say that no single LINE that each rapper spits is used as filler. Each line, and every bar is basically a lesson for the new school, in lyrical ability and in mindset, and the lyrics cut hard like a knife with a sledgehammer attached, whether they be to provoke emotion or just to hype you up in the club or in the car.
Sampling Done Right
(*I do not own these songs, or the rights to them*)
If there's one thing that makes me bob my head listening to a masterfully crafted instrumental such as the ones on Friday On Elm Street, it's a perfectly looped sample. The "Soul Food" instrumental is practically food for the soul mixed with a nice POUND cake that the drums and 808s top off like whipped cream. "Theme Music" is like Fab and Jada taking the Delorean back to the funky era in the 70s (imagine Fab and Jada with full on fro's and printed jumpsuits), "Talk About It" with the wonderful Teyana Taylor on the hook begins with a wavy enough sound to put you in a trance (could be a sample or a synthesizer of some sort), as well as "All About It" with French Montana on the hook. Yes Friday On Elm Street shows almost every facet musically that makes a Fabolous and Jadakiss collaboration great, from the gritty bars all the way down to the grown up samples.
All around, Friday On Elm Street has a little bit of everything for the average, party listener, to the gritty hip hop heads who tune in for bars. Fab and Jada's old school values and brand of "teaching the new school the ways" shines through in a way that teaches, but never preaches. Their back and forth throughout the album makes for loads of entertainment and "did you catch it?" types of double entendres and metaphors, and their lessons imparted on the listeners some may view as "old-headedness", but other may view as great for having some old souls that can teach the young some lessons that they need to learn. Friday On Elm Street is scary not in it's samples or it's subject matter, but more in it's viewpoints on life compared to that of younger rappers/hip hop listeners... a refreshing difference.
