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rabbitechoes · 1 year ago

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this month was a very busy month for music. a lot of big artists started dropping in time for the summer. fortunately, there was a lot of good stuff to come out of it. there won’t be any Swans or King Gizzard on this list because i’m still working through their discographies, but i heard the albums they dropped were amazing. i’ll probably get to them by the end of the year.

like last month’s, these songs are not ranked. i have listed my favorite track of the month though. maybe i’ll figure out a better order in the future, but they are in a random order for now.

also feel free to follow me on rate your music and twitter

“Dedicated to Tar Feather “ (feat. Anjimile) - McKinley Dixon

◇ featured on Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? - McKinley Dixon �� genre: jazz rap

McKinley Dixon’s 2021 album For My Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her was one of my absolute favorites of that year. His jazz rap sound was so refined and his lyrics had so much weight to them. His new album, Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? is an improvement on his already great sound. This track in particular is one of my favorites. The lush intro leading into that nice jazz rap sound is so nice. Dixon’s writing is still sharp as ever and you just kinda hang on to every word. Great track on a fantastic album.

“Green Light” - Squid

◇ featured on O Monolith - Squid ◇ genres: experimental rock, art-punk

O Monolith was one of my most highly anticipated albums of the year. Thankfully, it lived up to the hype for me. The singles still hit hard in the context of the album, but the album track “Green Light” is one of the strongest on the project. The frenetic vocal performances and the equally wild instrumentation make for an exciting listen. The chorus is subdued which subverts your expectations in the best way possible.

“The Hillbillies” - Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar

◇ genres: jersey drill, west coast hip hop

I’m cheating just a little bit by including this song. It released at the end of last month, but it didn’t end up on streaming services until the beginning of this month. For that reason, I will count it. Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar team up again on this track and they are just having so much fun. There really isn’t much to say about the track beyond that. It’s just a fun listen. Most of the collabs between these two have the kind of playful energy that just clicks with me.

‧₊˚✧ BEST SONG OF THE MONTH ✧˚₊‧ “Bending Hectic” - The Smile

◇ genres: post-rock, art rock

Yeah this isn’t much of a surprise. I really enjoyed The Smile’s record from last year. It was such a refreshing and fun listen especially in the context of the Radiohead discography. A Moon Shaped Pool was an emotionally heavy album with pain lurking around each song. This side project sounds like Thom and Jonny having fun making music again. Exploring new ideas with the excellent drummer Tom Skinner. "Bending Hectic” is an 8-minute, post-rock track that has you hooked the entire time. Thom’s vocals pair so nicely with the winding instrumentation. This is probably my favorite song of the month. If this track means we’re getting another album from The Smile, I am extremely excited.

“But Not Kiss” - Faye Webster

◇ genre: indie rock

Faye Webster adds new layers to her sound on this new single. The same sensitive songwriting is present here as it is in most of her work, but it puts a dreamy twist on it. I think this shift works very well. The song sort of tricks you at the beginning into thinking this is just another ballad Webster has become known for, but it quickly subverts those expectations through a sudden burst of noise. The drums, piano, and the hazy backing guitar kick this song into another gear. Really enjoyed this track and I hope we get a whole album with ideas like this.

“You Wish” - Flyana Boss

◇ featured on Make It a Double - Flyana Boss ◇ genre: hip hop

This song blew up on TikTok this past month and it has been stuck in my head constantly for a bit now. The verse that blew up is an obvious highlight and such an earworm, but the rest of the song is just as fun. There really isn’t much else to say about it. This is a fun little track and I really hope they go on to do more exciting things in the future.

“Spirit 2.0″ - Sampha

◇ genres: alternative r&b, neo-soul

Admittedly, I’m not super familiar with Sampha’s solo work (I’ve been meaning to listen to Process for a while now). I have heard him through a bunch of features though. He always adds to any song he features on and his voice is very recognizable. This is his first single in 6 years and I was really blown away by it. “Spirit 2.0″ is a beautiful song. The first two verses have this incredible melody to them which he does so much justice to with his vocals. The choruses and the third verse pump up the energy a bit without losing the song’s mellow vibe. Just a really great track. I need to go back and listen to his first album especially if this single is teasing a follow-up.

“Rest” - Foo Fighters

◇ featured on But Here We Are - Foo Fighters ◇ genre: alternative rock

I never expected a Foo Fighters record to make me emotional, but this new album was full of heartbreaking moments. The passing of longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins weighs heavy on the band obviously, but they’ve channeled that grief into making their strongest record in years. There’s plenty of great moments, but “Rest” is one of the biggest highlights. The beginning of the song features a sweet, sincere vocal performance from Dave Grohl before bursting into a full-on noise rock track towards the middle. This is an emotional and almost triumphant closer to the album. Foo Fighters have already cemented their place in the modern rock scene, but I’m glad they’re still pushing along. I can’t lie and say I’m their biggest fan, but I think the music scene is better with them in it.

“Slide” - Feeble Little Horse

◇ featured on Girl With Fish - Feeble Little Horse ◇ genres: twee pop, noise pop

Girl With Fish was one of the most pleasant surprises of the month and quickly became one of my favorites of the year. The album is a great blend of sweet little tracks with an occasional noisy edge to them. This track encapsulates that perfectly. It opens with a gentle acoustic guitar driven verse with some electronic touches before shifting to a loud chorus. The songwriting on this track is also great. I have a feeling this album could rank pretty high on my year-end list.

“You don’t even know who I am” - underscores

◇ featured on Wallsocket - underscores (not yet released) ◇ genre: slowcore

Another great new single from underscores. “You don’t even know who I am” features a shift from the noise pop of their previous single in favor of a more slowcore direction. The instrumentation is sparse and their vocals are backed by an oddly haunting Dance Dance Revolution announcer sample. The lyrics dive into parasocial relationships which is an increasingly relevant topic. These new singles seem to be leading up to a concept album of sorts which is very interesting.

“Mercury” - Youth Lagoon

◇ featured on Heaven Is a Junkyard - Youth Lagoon ◇ genre: indie pop

Heaven Is a Junkyard was also one of my favorite albums that dropped this month. I hadn’t heard anything from Youth Lagoon previously, but after hearing this I’ll probably dive into their catalogue soon. “Mercury” is a dreamy indie pop track with very nice layered production. The way the strings accompany the chorus is so gorgeous. Highly recommend this track and this whole album.

“Queen Jane Approximately” - Bob Dylan

◇ featured on Shadow Kingdom - Bob Dylan ◇ genre: singer-songwriter

The soundtrack from Bob Dylan’s 2021 concert film of the same name was released this month and while I haven’t listened (or watched) the entire performance, this version of “Queen Jane Approximately” has been on repeat for me. The original is one of my favorite Dylan tracks, but this version is very nice as well. This version is much gentler than the original. It feels as if Dylan is reminiscing as the song goes on, it is really beautiful.

#my favorite songs of the month #2023 #music #rateyourmusic #mckinley dixon #squid #baby keem #kendrick lamar #the smile #faye webster #flyana boss #sampha #foo fighters #feeble little horse #underscores #youth lagoon #bob dylan

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inkforhumanhands · 1 year ago

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120-130 ☺️

120. What kind of music did your friends listen to growing up, that influenced you?

My cousin influenced me pretty early on by getting me into Eminem and The Offspring, but that was nothing compared to a friend I met in middle school named Molly. She introduced me to Nine Inch Nails and The Blood Brothers, among other bands, and I think that was a pivotal step towards me liking a lot more abrasive music. I was also really gung-ho about researching new music myself (I subbed to Rolling Stone for years lol and read every page), but yeah.

121. Have you ever been teased for liking some type of music? If so; which?

Not really lol. Not to be that guy because the music I listened to in high school mostly wasn't really that obscure, but it was still more often than not not really on the radar of most people outside of my friends and other like-minded people.

122. How often do you listen to music?

Every day without fail lol. Pretty much always when I'm walking the dog (if not, then a podcast). I used to listen almost 24/7 but I can't focus as well as I used to so now if I'm writing or doing other work I usually hit pause. Still, though, my Spotify Wrapped always shows an insane amount of minutes.

123. Whats your favorite songs to work out to?

I'm an album guy and I'm usually listening to new music that's just come out, so nowadays I don't really have a go-to workout song. In 2017/2018 though I spent a lot of time running to Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. and also Blanck Mass while prepping for a marathon.

124. What’s your favorite songs to google focus to?

I don't know what this question means so I'm skipping.

125. If you could make a band out of your favorite musicians who would you hire?

Perfume Genius and Moses Sumney collab when? And why not throw in Sampha for a bonus.

126. If you could make the perfect album, which songs would you choose for it?

Oh I don't know about this question lol... As I already stated I'm an album guy already so I don't listen to many mixes or have the urge to hit shuffle very often.

127. Whats the best dressed artist/band?

Perfume Genius. Aesthetic is off the charts. Always a little sensual.

128. Which musicians do you know the most about?

I was obsessed with Green Day in middle school so definitely them lol. Or actually Thursday is pretty up there too since they were my high school obsession.

129. What’s your favorite fun fact about a musician/band you like?

Tom Delonge from blink-182's whole alien conspiracy thing is pretty funny.

130. What’s the craziest thing you’ve learned about the music business?

Don't know if this counts but the fact that Frank Ocean has a luxury brand that sells diamond cock rings is pretty up there lmao

#asks #happyends #thanks for the ask!

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0613magazine · 2 years ago

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221101 Rolling Stone

‘What If I Don’t Like Music Anymore?’: A Wildly Honest Conversation Between BTS’ RM and Pharrell Williams

BTS and Pharrell have a secret collab coming — and that's just one of the revelations from this meeting of two superstars

AT THIS POINT in their reign as the world’s biggest band, the members of BTS are accustomed to hero worship and nervous fans. But as that group’s leader, RM, sits across from Pharrell Williams in early September, onstage in an empty, secured auditorium at Los Angeles’ Museum of Contemporary Art, he’s unnerved to find himself on the other side of the equation. It feels “embarrassing,” RM says with a smile, to talk about his artistic journey in front of “my own idol.”

Williams, eternally youthful and smooth-skinned (needless to say), is relaxed and full of small talk, in a leather jacket, matching leather shorts, boots, and a blinding array of ice-studded jewelry on one wrist. RM, in a Bottega Veneta double-breasted brown suit, is quieter, seemingly shuffling through the many questions he’s prepared in his head.

For all these two men have in common, thousands of miles and a couple of decades separated their coming of age. From the distance of Virginia Beach in the Eighties, a young Williams was able to observe the growth of hip-hop almost from its birth, before becoming a key force in that genre and many others as one half of the Neptunes and on his own. When RM was growing up outside of Seoul, rap had already gone global, to the point where Nas, Eminem, and local groups like Epik High could seduce a studious South Korean kid into devoting his life to music — which, after some twists and turns, led him to BTS instead of the underground hip-hop career he imagined.

Both artists move between behind-the-scenes work and performing. In addition to producing and writing for BTS, RM has done the same for songs by many other South Korean artists; Williams has been striking that balance like no one else since the Clinton administration — this year alone, he’s produced tracks for Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T, and Rosalía, while enlisting 21 Savage and Tyler, the Creator for his own single “Cash In Cash Out.”

Even before this conversation, Williams and RM joined forces. As Williams reveals, he recently recorded a song with BTS, working remotely, for his next album. RM has a debut solo album of his own on the way, and during their conversation, Williams makes him an enticing offer related to it. A few weeks after this conversation, BTS’ label, Hybe, announces that the group’s members will be serving mandatory military service and will focus on solo work before reuniting in 2025. Today, RM is frank about the fact that he and BTS are at a crossroads in their lives and career, and he’s unafraid to ask for Yoda-style advice from someone whose nonstop shape-shifting has been rewarded with unmatched, decade-spanning success.

RM: I just want to point out [your 2006 solo song] “Take It Off (Dim the Lights).” Because that was on one of my playlists. I even translated it into Korean and recorded it once when I was an amateur.

Williams: Whoa! That’s crazy.

RM: These days genre doesn’t mean anything. But at that time, I think some rappers criticized the rappers who sing or use Auto-Tune. Sometimes you sing, sometimes you rap, sometimes you just sing the hook. So how do you position yourself when you participate in a song as a performer?

Williams: Wow. First of all, no one’s ever asked me that, believe it or not. I make decisions based off feeling. I don’t make them based off of convention.

Listen to the ‘Musicians on Musicians’ podcast featuring RM and Pharrell Williams

RM: “I got to rap.” “I got to sing.”

Williams: Yeah, no. It’s just whatever it feels like it needs. And I’m going to channel it as best as I can, because I’m trying to tell somebody else who’s better than me to do it. Oftentimes, what would happen was artists will be like, “Nah, we want you to stay on there.” And I’ll be like, “No, but it’s for this person.” I channel what I feel like is missing, and I forget that it’s going to be me. Because if I think that it’s going to be me, then it won’t be as good, and I won’t be as confident. For example, there’s a record that I did with Mystikal a long time ago—

RM: Wow!

Williams: Yeah. “Shake Ya Ass.” Right? Chad [Hugo] and I produced it together. But when I was writing that hook, I was pretending that Eddie Kendricks from the Temptations could do it. I remember saying to them, “Oh, man, we’re going to get the guy from the Temptations to do it.” And they were like, “Nah, no. The record company wants you to stay on there.” It was this weird thing where I started to realize that my sweet spot is when I channel other people and I surrender to what the music needs and not let my ego or my feelings get involved.

RM: As a team, we’ve been to the U.N., and we also met President Biden. We never thought these things [would happen], but I think naturally we became one of the representatives from the Asian community. I’m always thinking to myself, “Am I that good? Do I deserve all the responsibilities?” And I’m really doubting myself. I’ve heard that you do a lot of stuff for the community. So I wonder how you deal with all the responsibilities to be good and moral.

Williams: I mean, the [charity] work that I do, there’s always a circumstance. Either I’d say some dumb shit and then regret it later, or there’s been a time when I have a record that sort of affected a certain portion of a demographic. So then it made me think about things differently. And then I go set up a [nonprofit] and act against the ignorance that I was a part of. And educate myself, enlighten myself. Then other times, I also do it because of what you just said.

When you ask yourself, “Man, am I good enough?” Or, “Do I deserve all this?” I think what makes it easier for me to sleep at night is when I go do that work. It helps answer those questions. It’s like, wherever there was a deficit in your confidence of you deserving to be here or getting that kind of awe from the fans, wherever the minus is, this adds to it.

RM: I hope all of my confusion and these stupid thoughts will help my life get better, [and I can] be a better grown-up for the fans.

Williams: What people don’t realize is when you have literally hundreds of millions of fans and you encounter them 100,000 at a time . . .

RM: Can’t notice a single face. It’s just a mass.

Williams: It is a massive energy coming at you, and you say, “Jump.”

RM: Then they jump.

Williams: Then they jump. And you sing, and they sing every word. And you can feel through their voices that so many of their lives have been affected and changed because of something you’ve done. I don’t know how you do that. Because I’ve had a couple songs do that, and then when I get out there and go sing it, that would make me cry because it was too much of a responsibility. Man, every time I get that close to that, I always step back.

RM: Why? Is it too heavy?

Williams: It’s too heavy, man. It’s too much of a responsibility. That’s why I really revere people like yourself and your band members and other artists like Bey and Jay and even Kanye — like, man, what y’all go out there and go face every night on that stage? It is humbling and it’s overwhelming. And sometimes your nervous system has got to be built for that. Let me ask you this, how do you deal after you come off the stage, feeling electrified and shocked every night, how do you decompress?

“I’m a human and I really get nervous and I sometimes get depressed by, and even get swallowed by, all the energies,” RM says. “But I try to deal with it because I love the music.”

RM: My first performance was in front of 10 people in some small clubs when I was, like, 15. And I forgot most of the lyrics. So at that time I realized, “Oh, I’m not a star type. I’m not one of these frontmen who could enjoy all this shit like Kurt Cobain or Mick Jagger.” I’m just a human who loves writing music.

For example, we had these stadium shows in Las Vegas last April. It was four nights. But every night is a challenge. After we finish the first three songs and then we take out the earphones and we’re like, “We’re fucking back” — from that moment, there’s a different persona, a different me for the next two hours and a half. But before that, from the rehearsal and even in the plane, I got really, really nervous and [feel] so responsible, because I really am aware that fans buy the tickets and they come from Brazil, from Japan, Korea, from everywhere. They come there for just that one night.

So it fills me, like I have to pay back. I have to offer them the best night ever in their lives. So it’s a mess, and it’s too much energy. I’m a human and I really get nervous and I really sometimes get depressed by, and even get swallowed by, all the energies. But I try to deal with it because I love the music. I love their love. Because I think love is really happening when we give to somebody, not when we take. So I just want to give back to them. They brought us from just a small city in Korea, all the way back to the heart of this music industry, Las Vegas, L.A., New York. Me having an interview with Pharrell, it could happen because of fans all over the world. I’m just always grateful and I don’t want to disappoint them.

BTS are currently in what your bandmate SUGA described as an “offseason” — which got mistranslated as a “hiatus” — with more focus on solo work for the moment. RM, you’ve said that to a certain extent, you feel like you’ve lost a sense of direction for the group.

Williams: I definitely had my struggles with having a lack of a sense of purpose.

RM: When?

Williams: Right around [2006], when I put out In My Mind. As soon as it didn’t do what I wanted it to do — I mean, culturally it made an impression, but egotistically it didn’t perform the way I wanted it to. It just didn’t do what I was used to at that time, and that really hit me hard. So that made me start to think about purpose and things having real true DNA and not just aesthetic purpose, but real true meaning and something that could be meaningful to people, but at the same time, still fun. And I’ve always loved the girls, so that was always going to be a part of it [laughs].

So I understand what that is. I know what it’s like to hit that place in your career for whatever reason — and you guys are doing fine, but I think from what I’m hearing and what I’m understanding, you guys, you hit a place where you were like, “What are we doing? Who are we? Are we who we said we were?”

RM: Right.

Williams: And as you think about who you are and you think about what you mean and what your intentions are, it’s also kind of determining who you want to be. I mean, how’s that feel? Like, where are you in that process right now? Because you’re working on a solo record, right?

RM: Yes. Like 90 percent of the work is done. I’ve released some mixtapes as one of the members of the band, but it was just an experiment. I think this time it’s maybe my official first solo album. But it’s been, like, 10 years since we had our debut as a team. K-pop is all about the band and the groups. And as I told you, I personally started my career as a rapper and as a poet. So that was a tricky part actually, because K-pop is like a mix. It’s the mix of American pop music, other visuals, Korea, and social media and stuff. It’s really intense and really hectic. So it has some pros and cons of its own.

After 10 years, I think it was not our intention, but we actually became a sort of a social figure, and we took it. So a K-pop band going to have a speech at the U.N. or meeting the president, I think I was really confused and I’m like, “What am I, a diplomat or what?”

Williams: Right, yeah.

RM: I was just a small rapper and lyricist when I was young. So it was 10 years, really intense as a team. And I actually was in charge of almost all of the interviews and representing the team in front of the other members. That was my role, I guess. I think I got really . . . I don’t know, “Yo, I got to stop this for a bit. I got to shut it down and fall away from it and then just see what’s going on,” making my mind really calm down. That’s how I got to concentrate on my solo [album]. These days I really have been thinking about when I first listened to you, the first feeling and the vibe, and the reason why I started, why I chose music for my whole life, I guess.

When I started my music, I was like 14, and now I’m 28. So I’m in that process. It’s really tricky and confusing, and I just don’t know what’s going to happen. So if you could give me any advice, because it’s different from the K-pop, but you’ve done a lot of projects, like, N.E.R.D, Neptunes, and of course your solo work. So any thoughts about . . . ?

Williams: Being in the Neptunes, being in N.E.R.D, and having a solo record really helped me, because you do one thing and then you take a break. You do another thing, then you take a break. And it allows me to put on different hats and put on different masks. So I understand that, and I know having that departure is going to make it really fresh for you. I think it’s good for you to do that because then when you come back to it, to the group—

RM: To the team.

Williams: Yeah, I think it’s going to be super fresh. Who are the producers on your solo record?

RM: Sometimes we do our stuff on our own, and there’s an in-house team always working with us in the label. Sometimes we get our songs from outside too. It’s flexible. You produce maybe sometimes with Chad or just on your own, right? Is that a lot of work?

Williams: For me, it’s like Michelangelo when he was making sculptures. He’s just . . . and I’m going to screw this up, but his whole thing was he was just getting rid of the rocks that were in the way of the sculpture, something to that effect. It’s the same thing. I’m just carving away at it and adding layers until I feel like it’s right. And then if I feel like I need some help, then I’ll reach out to somebody. My ego would get in the way when I was younger, but now my loyalty is not to my ego.

RM: What is it to?

Williams: It’s to the song. It’s how do we make the song the absolute best? That’s where I’m at now.

And I don’t want to do anything that just feels like, “Oh, that’s cool, that’ll fit.” No, I don’t want to fit. I want to knock the wall down and want to set the whole entire block on fire. Not one room, the block. Not the house, the block on fire. I want it to be on the news at night. Listen: “Block on fire.”

RM: Block on fire. B.O.F., block on fire. That’s a cool name for a brand, actually.

Sometimes as I grow up — and I’m between my chapter one and two, like I said, the group and solo; maybe I’m between music and maybe [visual] art, between that. So sometimes I really feel afraid, like, “What if I don’t like music anymore?” I love art. But it’s somewhat different.

Williams: It is.

RM: It is. Music is like, it’s everywhere. I’m sad, but it’s everywhere. Sometimes I really feel afraid — like, music, it’s not my first thing anymore, sort of like that.

Williams: Yeah. That’s temporary.

RM: Oh, really? I’m relieved.

Williams: Yeah. Then all of a sudden you go, “Whoa. It’s the only thing I want to think about.” It’ll happen.

RM: What do you get from visual art, fine art?

“How do we make the song the absolute best?” Williams says. “I don’t want to do anything that just feels like, ‘Oh, that’ll fit.’ No, I don’t want to fit. I want to set the whole entire block on fire.”

Williams: I think for every modality that we have, every submodality that we have, meaning visual, olfactory, gustatory, kinesthetic, auditory, it’s pretty much all the same. Like with food, something can taste sweet or sour. Things can smell sweet or sour. Visually we can see something that looks sweet to us and something that’s sour. With the auditory, we can hear something that is so sweet and so pleasant, and then we can hear something that’s like, “Ooh, sour,” you know?

And so I really get enjoyment by working with artists in different artistic disciplines to determine where the congruence is. Like, “Oh, wow, that’s your sweet. Oh, that’s your sour.” You know?

RM: A fun thing for me with visual art is that when I listen to some great music, I’m blown away, but still, sometimes I feel really jealous. It [can be] really, really painful. So it’s funny, right? But for visual art, I just won’t draw a single line because I want to remain as an outsider. But I’m a lover. I’m a fan. I’m a maniac. So when I look at all the paintings and maybe sculptures, I just feel really relieved because I can love it as much as I can.

Williams: That’s awesome.

RM: Any new projects coming up for you?

Williams: Well, my project, it’s called . . . it’s [under] my name, and the title of the album is Phriends. It’s the volume one. You guys [BTS] are on there, obviously. And I’m actually talking about this way more than I’m supposed to, but it’s a song from my album that [BTS] sang and it’s amazing, and I’m super grateful.

RM: I just love this song.

Williams: I love it too.

RM: Fuck, yeah.

Williams: Everyone that hears it is like, “Whoa.”

RM: I fucking love it.

Williams: I love it, love it, love it. But I’m just going to put this out there. You said you’re 90 percent done with your solo album. But if within that last 10 percent, if you need — you don’t need me, but I mean . . .

RM: I always needed you, for 15 years.

Williams: OK, well, if you want to do something, we can actually do it.

RM: Please.

Williams: Yeah, and you tell me what you want. Uptempo? We go uptempo.

RM: I’m honored and grateful.

Pharrell, any final words of advice for RM?

Williams: You know what? I would just say continue to move forward. Continue to be curious. And don’t put any kind of pressure on what it is that you do by saying . . . No absolutes, like “Oh, I will never do music again,” or “I will never . . . ” I wouldn’t do any of that. I would just—

RM: No nevers.

Williams: No nevers. Just stay along for the ride. Just keep going.

RM: Cruising.

Williams: Yeah. And just see where you end up. Because it’s really interesting.

Source: Rolling Stone

#2022 #bts #rm #rolling stone

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attallahmusic · 3 years ago

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Top new tracks

Wow what a week it has been for music, especially for those who enjoy rap (like me), Kendrick Lamar has announced an new album to be released May 13th, Pusha-T and Vince Staples has released some very strong projects and Megan-theemotherfucking-Stallion has come out with a single that I cannot stop listening to.

I’m not going to skip over any of that, please if you love yourself listen to Plan B by Megan Thee Stallion. And for those of you who won’t heed my advice, no worries I will listen to it enough to make up for your lack of taste.

Nah, jokes aside, this song is filled with some amazing punchlines and wordplays which set on an old-school beat, makes it reminiscent of the 90s rap.

If you kept your ears to the hiphop ground last week or so, you would know by now that Kid Cudi has publicly said he intends to never work with Kanye again, and this song is the last song we will year with the both on them on it. (RIP to Kids See Ghosts). So enjoy this amazing song, on an album which I can certainly recommend you to listen fully to.

We are not completely done with rap, next up is Vince Staples song PLAYER WAYS. This song is released on his new album, RAMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART and while there are many amazing songs and collabs on this album to chose from, this one stood out to me lyrically as being very classically Vince Staples.

Without completely moving away from rap, we got a a multilingual song, a collab between Sean Paul, Damian Marley (one of the sons of late Bob Marley) and Nicky Jams. Bringing a Central American vibe mixing the reggae drums setting the signature for the song and a dembow beat.

And without leaving the dembow in the dust, we have Te Felicito by Shakira and Rauw Alejandro. A welcoming collab which also shows Shakira’s longevity and ingenuity as an artist, to adapt with the times as latin music is shifting to a heavy reggaetón focus.

We are not completely done with interesting collabs, because this week a mixture of musicians I didn’t expect released a song. That is: PJ Morton, Stevie Wonder, and Nas. Yeah; Stevie Wonder and Nas. Be Like Water is a smooth soul song, with a rap-verse by Nas on it to break up any possible monotony.

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ayoswim · 7 years ago

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The Kalel Xavier Interview

By Kyle Mantha

Kalel Xavier is ambitious. His musical output is diverse, ranging from sleepy introspective jams like “Einstein” to synthy bangers like “Guap.” The young artist has aspirations of inspiring like-minded kids, and creating music that will hit home for anyone who happens to be listening. I had the opportunity to talk to Kalel about his upbringing, his creative process, and the everlasting struggle of misogyny in hip hop.

How did you get started in music?

I’ve always been around music because my dad is a huge music head. So is my older brother. It’s always been apart of me. My older brother made music and when I was younger he let me record a track. It just felt right when I was on the mic. Of course my first track wasn’t the best, but after I recorded that song music has always been something I wanted to do.

What kind of music did your dad play around the house when you were growing up? Did his tastes influence you at all?

My dad was all over the place with his music. From The Commodores and Minnie Ripperton to LL Cool J, Scarface, KRS One, Prince, Michael Jackson, New Edition, and Public Enemy. I could go on all day. But some of the music definitely affected me. I feel like music back during his time, and even before his time, was more real and relatable and that feeling they left with me is the feeling I try to leave with people who listen to me.

How do you go about adding that feeling to your music? What’s your creative process like in general?

It’s hard for me to describe my creative process. I kind of just play a beat, close my eyes, and listen to it. Then I’ll go: “Ok, the hook is here, the verse is here,” and I kind of let the beat guide me towards the topic of the song. Honestly, everything with me is a vibe. I get vibes from a beat and that’s how I formulate a song. For example, take Galactus. When I heard the beat, the vibe of it was like, make the song hype but real and let people see some of your vulnerable side too. You know, it’s not always about how much money you have or how many girls you’ve been with or what kind of car you drove. People want to see that human side of you too. It’s cool to flex and flodge sometimes but not all the time.

Who are some of your influences? Do you listen to a lot of modern stuff, or is it mostly older music?

My biggest influences are probably Kid Cudi, Big KRIT, Bob Marley, Kendrick Lamar, Isaiah Rashad, Michael Jackson, and Lauryn Hill. They all encourage me to try and be different with my music. I listen to a lot of old stuff because I only like some of the new music that’s coming out now. I listen to a lot of older hip hop and older R&B/soul music. I’m pretty diverse though. The only genre I’m not really into is opera because I’m not old enough to appreciate it yet.

You’ve got two mixtapes titled “Einstein”. What’s the concept there? What inspired you to name the tapes after him?

Einstein is a just an influence for me because he was so smart and so open minded and always trying to find new ways to do something. Einstein was ahead of his time and innovative and I like to see my music as that. The concept is I’m trying to let you into my mind for an album so you can see where my head is at. I’ve been told my music represents what’s been on my mind and people can tell when I’m going through something. But to be completely [honest] there isn’t really a valid reason. I just look up to Einstein and wanted to name a tape after him… twice.

Photos by @nabhenduio on Twitter

Can you tell me a bit about Jupiter Gang?

So, Jupiter Gang is a collective that consists of close friends of mine. There’s myself, Crimson Babes, Nabhendu, and AKA Great Saiya. Honestly, we’re just a group of friends that like making music. We’re all about spreading good vibes and making good music. Trying to give people a break from popping pills and shaming women all the time.

Do you feel like there’s a lot of misogyny in hip hop? Is that something you try and avoid in your music?

Yeah, there is most definitely a lot of sexism and it’s something I’ve been trying to avoid recently. Like, I talk about women and I admit it’s not always the most respectful context because sometimes the art form is gonna be raw and I might say something that is offensive. But I always try to keep it to a minimum.

What do you find is the hardest thing about being a rapper?

The biggest obstacle I’ve faced in my music career so far is probably having to do everything myself. I make my own beats, write my own lyrics, engineer my own stuff, shoot my own videos, so sometimes that gets in the way of everything else. The hardest thing about being a rapper in my opinion is getting people to listen to your content especially because the game is so over saturated.

What kind of gear/software do you use to make beats and record?

I make beats in FL Studio. I don’t care what anyone says, that’s the best software. I record with Reaper but I’ve been trying to learn Pro Tools a little.

When you produce do you use samples or do you prefer writing your own melodies?

I do both, it just depends on how I’m feeling… I like sampling but the process of clearing a sample is very hectic. As an independent artist, it’s hard to get a response from someone when you want to clear a sample, so recently I’ve been using VSTs to write melodies.

Do you have any future plans for your music? What kind of impact do you wanna have on people?

Me and Jupiter Gang are always working on new material. I’m supposed to be dropping a collab tape with my little brother Juice Atkins, and I also plan on doing a lot more shows and keep trying to build my following one fan at a time. I want people to feel like they know me when they hear my music, and that they have somebody who understands what they’re going through. I also wanna encourage somebody to follow their dreams and be themselves. We don’t need another, we need a first you.

Find Kalel Xavier on Twitter and Instagram: @KalelXavier

EINSTEIN 2: https://soundcloud.com/kalel-xavier/sets/einstein-2

TOO MUCH ANIME (SOUNDCLOUD): https://soundcloud.com/jupiter-gang/sets/too-much-anime

TOO MUCH ANIME (SPOTIFY): https://open.spotify.com/album/5NoxD4lvsfjdPmLDMLrGBQ?si=03l2ZGr5RKyHd2lFngLX4g

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thebeautifulzoo · 7 years ago

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5 Underground Rappers You Should Be Listening To Other Than Drake and Kendrick Lamar.

Playboi Carti.

So everyone’s getting on the Playboi Carti wave now with the success of his hot eponymous debut musical project. The Magnolia crooner has over the past few months had his music played from underground clubs to The Met Gala among Hollywood’s elite. Playboi Carti represents the new school of artists coming with a totally new style and sound in rap and hip hop music and I feel a little more attention should be directed towards him for his undoubted creativity, fun lyrics and turn-up vibes. Carti has recently been inducted into the 2017 XXL Freshman class.

Ski Mask The Slump God.

XXXTENTACION’s best friend and frequent collaborator Ski Mask is one of the hottest rappers coming out of South Florida right now. The most exciting thing about Ski Mask’s music is his hard, breathless and neck-breaking flow and delivery which is very hard to imitate. With the right management, collaborations, production and track releases, Ski Mask, to me, could go on to be one of the best rappers ever.

Santan Dave.

Dave is a young and talented rapper from South London, Britain whose 2016 collab with Drake got his name more heard and his music more listened to. The artist has surely earned his reputation with his vast versatility, delightful hooks when he tries to sing and superficial lyricism. My favourite tracks from Dave are Samantha with J Hus, Revenge and his most recent 100M’s. More attention should be directed towards Dave just for this one reason; he could never go wrong with a track. Simple as that!

Stro.

Stro is the most underrated and most slept-on rapper of this time. Listening to his debut album, Grade A Frequencies, which is fully packed with high quality, old school-type and bars bursting tracks, I feel Stro should really be more appreciated as only a few other acts do what he does and by other acts, I mean Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole. The young rapper from Brooklyn, New York was among the nominated 2016 XXL Freshman class but didn’t make it to the inducted list. Stro’s tracks are well put together, bold and confident lyrically and actually captivating because he tells stories with his music. You should really go check the Grade A Frequencies album out.

The Higher Brothers.

Remember that expression “…it’s not about what the voices are saying but what the voices are feeling…” from that famous tragic love movie about mistakes in our galacticos, yeah, this rap group from Oriental China proves that fact. The energy, the flows and deliveries, the adlibs, everything about this group makes you feel like they’re the anime version of Atlanta rap group, Migos. So, you know, fuck with the Higher Brothers.

#playboi carti #ski mask the slump god #xxxtentacion #santan dave #drake #stro #kendrick lamar #j cole #higher brothers #migos #music post #music suggestions #new music #music review #music #musicians

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gothgrrrlzine · 6 years ago

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SLATOR BLACC ON AZ’S RAP SCENE

by sara windom

The bass thumps as the lights go up and he hits the stage. The diverse faces that encompass the local scene are all crowded together, bonding over the musical sounds of Arizona’s very own Slator Blacc.

Born and raised in the Westside of Phoenix, near Maryvale, Slator Blacc started rhyming as soon as he first started forming words, and wrote his first real verses at 8 years old. Performing for his family to pass the time was common as he grew up, however, he did not look at his talent as a profession until he hit his teenage era.

“...Now people sing along to lyrics I wrote. Ain’t nothing better than that shit right there,” he said.

Growing up and Arizona has had its ups and downs for the rapper, though. With no tangible hip-hop scene locally, performing and networking can be difficult tasks.

“The Arizona scene is still figuring out itself. There’s no real foundation that’s been laid for us so all the kids you see going hard now are the ones laying that down,” said Slator Blacc.

As Slator Blacc has transformed from a kid with a dream to an artist signed to Live Great Die Awesome (LGDA) Records, his subject matter has also mateured, taking inspiration from Kendrick Lamar, Erykah Badu, and John Coltrane.

“I write about life, my experiences, my close ones’ experiences,” he said. “Hip-hop is the people...when you have someone who can speak on things that reflect the city, people can see that and tell you ‘oh yeah.. he’s the one that’s gonna get us there. He really cares about us.’ I take that to heart.”

Slator Blacc takes his musicianship a step further, going beyond just making music and collabing with friends. Some of his top priorities aim to impact entire communities.

“I’m just making sure I’m being the best representation of where I come from,” he said. “I hope to go farther than this civilization, really. When a little kid stops and notices a Slator Blacc album beneath the rubble after the war was over. That’s how far I plan to take this.”

Aside from releasing new music and performing live, in 2019 Slator Blacc wants to buy the neighborhood back, “The Live Great way,” as he calls it.

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audiofixationnews · 7 years ago

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#OverloadMonday: New Music, Visuals, and Projects

Here's some overload for your Monday blues. Check out what went down this past week, February 26th to March 4th.

Singles

Smoke DZA is back! Complex premiered his first single off his upcoming album, “The Mood.” Not for Sale is slated to release on 4/20…of course! It will feature the likes of Ty Dolla Sign, DRAM, Cozz and more. “This is the mood of the youth,” Smoke told Complex. “This is the mood of NYC that we cherish and love.” Listen to the 183rd-produced “The Mood” above, featuring Joey Bada$$, and stay plugged for more updates on the Kush God.

While gearing up for his Angels & Demons collab with Chris Brown, they released its first single “Stranger Things,” However, Joyner decided this week to drop his own joint. A remix to Blocboy JB and Drake’s “Look Alive,” check it out.

With their three-disked album on the way, Rae Sremmurd have released three singles from SremmLife3.

New music came in this week from the likes of Smooky MarGielaa, GiiFromTheIslands, Rome Fortune x Sango, Now unsigned and free from his label, Wale has new music. After his Valentine’s Day “All Star Break Up,” Wale came out with “Staying Power.” He’s feeling liberated and letting the music flow. Check out his new single and stay plugged for more new music from Wale.

We heard new music from Lil Durk, Joe Moses x Future, and Jhené Aiko , who delivered an acoustic cover for Tupac’s “Keep Your Head Up.” From the female perspective, she released it on what would’ve been his 44th birthday. Check it out on Spotify.

Lil Kim recruited Fabolous for a “Spicy” new joint. Stream it via Apple, TIDAL or Spotify.

R-Mean keeps it up with his #MeanMondays with “A Tale of 2 Cities,” while Don Q keeps his #DonTalkWednesdays rolling with “Diplomatic Immunity,” and Chris Rivers on his #BrazdayWednesdays drops “Chompers."

Let’s not forget the new music from Snow The Product x O.T. Genasis, GodBodyWati, Gem Heart x A Boogie and AD x Josh K x Coca Vango

Dave East has been busy with his new “Set It Off” track, and his collab with Nym Lo “Speedin’ Remix,” which can be found on Apple, TIDAL, and Spotify.

So if you didn’t know, KXNG Crooked, Tech N9ne, Chino XL, Rittz and producer Statik Selektah have come together to make up Forever M.C. After dropping “Terminally Ill” a couple weeks ago, Forever M.C. is back with another fire joint that now features DMX. Slated to appear on their upcoming project, Forever M.C. & It’s Different, take a listen to “King Kong” and stay plugged. The compilation will feature the likes of Snoop Dogg, Talib Kweli, Wu-Tang Clan, Chris Rivers, Kool G Rap and plenty more. Forever M.C. & It’s Different is now available for pre-order via iTunes.

Conway linked up with Lucky Seven on their newest collab titled “Temple.”

After being spotted filming a music video earlier this year, Royce 5’9” and J. Cole have released said track. The collaboration, “Boblo Boat,” lands on Royce and DJ Premiere upcoming album, PRhyme 2. Listen via Spotify and Audiomack.

Eli Sostre dropped a new single, where the production was handled by himself, “High Grade." Sonny Digital teams up with Lil Can and Steven Cannon for the banger, “I Got."

And finally, we got new music from King Louie x D Low, Gucci Mane x Migos x Lil Yachty, Tom Misch x De La Soul, and Smokepurpp x Murda Beatz.

Visuals

youtube

Prior to dropping his debut EP, Valee released a visual for his first single “Miami” and gets help from label mate Pusha T. Fresh off signing to G.O.O.D Music, watch the Chicago native’s new video above and check out his debut below.

Talib Kweli puts out a new visual treatment from his latest album, Radio Silence. Featuring Amber Coffman and Myka 9, visual for the title-track follows the visual for “Traveling Light” that features Anderson .Paak.

Kemba revisited his 2016 project, Negus, and dropped two videos this week: “No You Ain’t” and “Hallelujah.”

From the 4:44 inspired Blame It On Jay-Z, ANoyd releases a visual for the title track. Check it out and stay plugged for “February Releases.”

We’ve also gotten new visuals from Kelela, Bobby Valentino, Stwo x Jeremih, Caleb Brown and Problem.

LGP Qua makes his debut after his shared inspirational rhymes on social media that gained recognition from the likes of legends Nas and Snoop Dogg. They dropped a visual for the Will.i.Am.-produced track, “Insomniac (Woke),” where he even makes a cameo alongside the young emcee. LGP Qua gets to flex his lyrical skills, and is currently working on his upcoming Voice Of The Youth Vol. 1 tape.

Fresh off their dropping Cloud 909, Audio Push releases another visual off their album for “Update."

Let’s not forget the new visuals from Benny the Butcher x .38 Spesh, Prime Boys x Murda Beatz, and Evidence x Slug.

Fresh off dropping his album, which you can find in the upcoming "February Releases,” Skooly dropped a visual for his 2 Chainz-assisted “Habit.”

Jean Grae x Quelle Chris, who’s joint project, Everything’s Fine is slated to release March 30th. Pre-orders are available via Bandcamp.

While we still wait for Woke, Kamaiyah released a nostalgic visual for “Dope Bitch.”

Let’s not forget the videos from Gucci Mane x Hoodrich Pablo Juan, A$AP Ant x Lulu P, and Flo Rida.

Projects

Apple | TIDAL | Spotify

Tory Lanez has released his long awaited album, Memories Don’t Die. Featuring the likes of 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa, Fabolous, Paloma Ford, and more, Tory put together a production team with the likes of AraabMuzik, OG Parker, Nav and more. The album was led by singles “Shooters,” “Skrt Skrt” and “Real Thing." Memories Don’t Die is definitely worth a listen, as it is more polished and well put together than his 2016 debut I Told You. Stream it above.

Oh and as far as any and all February releases…stay plugged for that.

Mathaius Young has released his newest project, Dreams of My Death: 2030. Following up his 2017 EP, Take The Night Away, Dreams includes no features and is produced largely by Mathaius with co-production from Wondagurl and Idlekid on a couple tracks. The EP is a testament to his talent and shows that he has no plans on stopping his grind. Listen via SoundCloud, and stay plugged for reviews.

Phonte has returned with a surprise release. Check it out via Apple, Spotify, TIDAL.

Atlanta’s Sy Ari Da Kid just released a 19-track project that features the likes of Eric Bellinger, Kissie Lee, Verse Simmons and more. He recruits production from the likes of Natra Average, DJ Burn One, Vntg Jag, and more. Check it out via SoundCloud.

Newest G.O.O.D Music signee, only announced officially last month, Valee has dropped his latest EP perfectly titled GOOD Job, You Found Me. Executively produced by Kanye West, the project only has one feature from Pusha T but they recruited other producers like Rio Mac, ChaseTheMoney, and TayCreations. Pick your poison, and let’s hope there’s more from Valee: Spotify + Apple + TIDAL.

Chicago MC Ajani Jones released the EP Cocoons after recently signing to indie label Closed Sessions. Check it out on his SoundCloud.

We got another EP from Mozzy, titled Spiritual Conversations. The 6-track project features the likes of Jay Rock, YFN, Ravyn Justice and more. Stream via Apple and Spotify.

Coming Soon...

Royce 5’9” and DJ Premier are PRhyme and are gearing up to release PRHYME 2 March 16th. The dynamic duo have released the album’s tracklist and it’s very promising. At 17 tracks, it will feature the likes of Roc Mariano, Yelawolf, Novel, Rapsody, Big Krit, CeeLo and more. Let’s not forget Dave East with the album’s first offering “Era.” PRhyme followed that release up with “Rock It” over the classic Tribe “Can I Kick It?" Yeah, the project is very promising so stay plugged for more updates.

Last year, Roc Marciano dropped his third album Rosebudd’s Revenge, his first in three years. Thankfully we won’t have to wait that long for his fourth. He recently revealed it will serve as a sequel to its predecessor. While Rosebudd’s Revenge 2: The Bitter Dose has no reveal date, we do now that the 14-track album will feature Knowledge The Pirate and Action Bronson. Stay plugged for more updates.

After releasing a joint track with Dave East, scroll up to find that, Nym Lo has an album that’s dropping March 8th titled The Big Horse. Flatbush Zombies are gearing up to release their newest album, Vacation in Hell. The album is slated to release April 7th, and its album cover has been revealed via Instagram.

Flatbush Zombies are gearing up to release their newest album, Vacation in Hell. The album is slated to release April 7th, and its album cover has been revealed via Instagram. Their See You in Hell Tour kicks off April 14th at Coachella, and will wrap up June 16th in San Francisco, California.

Young Scooter took to Twitter to announce that his upcoming project, Street Lottery 4, is set to release on April 1st. Yes, April Fools Day. Rumored but now confirmed, the tape will feature Young Thug and Future.

Rich the Kid has revealed the tracklist for his upcoming The World Is Yours. Slated to release March 30th, the 14-track album will feature the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Khalid, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne and more. While there have been conflicting release dates, we will just have to wait and see when it will drop.

Redman has recently revealed that he is gearing up to release the sequel to his 1996 Muddy Waters. For years now, dating back 2014 exactly, the Jersey native has alluded sequel. In 2014, he announced it would be in the form of an album and a mixtape. Then last year he told HipHopDX, “Muddy Waters is my favorite album and I’m calling it Muddy Waters Too…I don’t want it to compare to Muddy Waters, the first one. I’m saying this is Muddy Waters Too.” And now Redman has taken to Twitter to announce that the album is coming soon. With no set release date as of yet, stay plugged for more updates.

Check This

My name is..What? Eminem became the first rapper to move 100 million song units. With over 20 years in the game, this is a huge feat that deserves recognition. Em has passed Taylor Swift and Rihanna, and following is Drake and Kanye West who moved 55 million and 51.5 million song units respectively.

SZA and Migos are set to headline the Blurry Vision festival in Oakland, California, May 12th and May 13th respectively. The two-day show will also star artists like Brockhampton, Roy Wood$, Majid Jordan, Kamaiyah, and more. It’s the Bay Area’s first year to put on their show and the line up is pretty impressive. Check out the full line up and buy tickets at the Blurry Vision Fest website.

Talking about SZA, she recently made some big feats with her debut album Ctrl. The RIAA announced that Ctrl has been certified platinum, and tracks “Love Galore” and “The Weekend” are now double platinum. Oh, let’s not forget that “Broken Clocks” and “Garden (Say It Like Dat)” have been certified gold. Go ahead girl!

Big Sean has postponed his Unfriendly Reminder Tour. Just announced at the top of this month, Sean had this to say:

“To all my fans: I’ve been in a deep creative space and decided I need to stay focused in the studio – so unfortunately, I am postponing my upcoming tour. I learned in life you have to follow your intuition – I hope you do the same. Thank you for your continued love and support. It means the world to me. Trust, we are working on something special for you all.”

While it’s disappointing that he’s choosing to postpone his tour, he makes it up for the promise of new music.

Flatbush Zombies announced their See You In Hell Tour that will begin shortly after the release of their upcoming album. Bringing along Nyck Caution and Kirk Knight, the tour will kick off in Portland, OR on April 25th, and settle in San Francisco, CA on June 16th. Get your tickets, and check out more cities they’ll be in, at thegloriousdead.com

After having a few concerts last year, Spotify returns this year with a RapCaviar Tour. With 13 shows across the country, the tour kicks off March 27th in LA and settle in Philadelphia on May 19th. Teaming up with Live Nation Urban, Spotify has gathered up artists like 2 Chainz, Migos, Tory Lanez, PnB Rock and more. While some dates have been announced, much more will be revealed at a later date. Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster.com.

On top of performing at the Blurry Vision festival, Brockhampton recently announced their Stereo Spirit Tour. They will kick off their overseas tour in Norway on August 8th and end in Leeds, UK on August 26th.

Since we’re talking about festivals…Soundset have announced their line up which includes the likes of Atmosphere, Logic, Erykah Badu, Evidence, Rapsody and several more. Wu-Tang are also set to perform as it is their 25th anniversary of their big debut, Enter The Wu-Tang. Rhymesayers Entertainment’s popular festival will take place at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on May 27th. Tickets have already gone on sale.

Stay plugged

That sums up this past week in Hip Hop. Come back next week for more.

#overloadmondays #new music #new projects #news #new visuals #joyner lucas #prhyme #j. cole #royce da 5'9 #tory lanez #rap caviar #writtenbysade

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swimintothesound · 7 years ago

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Artistic Integrity and Commercial Success | Part 3

This is the third (and most negative) installment in a series of four posts on the same topic. This was originally intended to be the last, but I wrote more than I expected, and I wanted to end on a more positive note. View the first post here the second one here, and expect one more wrap-up coming soon.

The New Scott

Before I fully dive into Travis Scott, I feel like it’s important to give some personal context. I can’t decide if that’s because I think memories are important, or because I’m retroactively embarrassed at my own fandom given recent developments, but either way, here’s a quick rundown:

As previously discussed, Trav has released some of my favorite hip-hop albums of the past few years. His 2015 debut Rodeo is one of my all-time favorites, and one of the handful of albums released that year that made me “believe” in hip-hop as a genre. That’s a powerful notion. And even if the album has some wack bars, it’s production, aesthetic, and sonic approach are all so impeccable that I’m willing to overlook a handful of goofy lyrics.

As great as Rodeo is, it (and Travis Scott as an entity) are prime examples of style over substance. And don’t get me wrong, there are some legitimately great songs on this album, but as a whole, Rodeo undeniably relies on textures and production to make up for its lyrical shortcomings. I’ve already made it clear that I don’t think lyrics are music’s end all be all (even for hip-hop), but I can totally see how someone approaching this album from a traditional rap mindset could leave Rodeo disappointed if they came in looking for clever writing.

But this is all me preemptively addressing valid criticism. I personally think that every track on Rodeo is great for one reason or another, and my positive memories associated with the album are more powerful than any objectivity I can ever offer up. In fact, I loved Rodeo so much that the next summer I ventured further back into Scott’s discography and found myself spinning his prior release Days Before Rodeo. I listened to the mixtape more times than I ever would have expected, and it ended up becoming my second-most played album of 2016 and currently sits at my 7th most played album of all time on last.fm. So yeah. I like that album quite a bit too.

Many of the same criticisms of Rodeo could also be applied to Days Before, but (again) I’m willing to overlook those shortcomings for the overall experience of the tape. So as I ravenously devoured these two albums I found myself rapidly advancing up the next step of my obsessive fandom staircase. I collected everything Travis-related that I could get my hands on. From tracking his features to obsessively compiling my own B-sides album it was safe to say I was in full-on hype mode.

Now is when crushing reality sets in. I’ve already linked to this reddit comment detailing the history of Travis’ broken promises in the lead-up to his second album, but I think it bears repeating. Delays and false release dates are nothing new for Travis, but this timeline highlights the absurdity of this particular album’s cycle. As someone following Travis very closely at this time, it was disheartening to have nearly weekly promises that ended up broken and eclipsed by yet another revised “announcement” the following week.

Things began to look up in June of 2016 when Travis dropped the Young Thug and Quavo-infused “Pick up The Phone.” Already a known quantity for months at that point, and fraught with last-minute legal troubles, it was a relief simply to have a fresh Travis song. I won’t get too deep into it here, but PUTP was one of my favorite songs last year and more recently has gone on to become my most listened to track of all time on last.fm within a year. It’s a breezy, ad lib-riddled summer banger. The syrupy bass line filled with intermittent 808 taps and distorted steel drums combines into a drugged-out soundscape that serves as the perfect backdrop for the three artists sharing the track.

“Pick up the Phone” felt like a positive sign to me. I couldn’t stop playing it, and it became my summer anthem within a matter of weeks. If this is the type of stuff Travis had in store for us on his next album, then maybe all the delays will have been worth it. And according to Travis, all his singles and loosies up to this point weren’t even on the album, because he wanted to give listeners a ‘fresh experience’ on their first listen. So if “Pick Up The Phone” wasn’t even good enough to make the cut, then I was officially hyped.

Travis followed that single up weeks later with a small feature on G.O.O.D. Music’s “Champions” another summer anthem that celebrates the return of Gucci Mane and showcased a rotating cast of hip-hop’s current stars and up-and-comers. Champions specifically brings to mind memories of my graduation which happened around the time of its release. In fact, my nostalgia for this track is so strong that I’ve even downloaded the version ripped from the radio because the drops evoke waves of nostalgia in me. I still remember sitting underneath Portland’s Moda Center in a cap and gown surrounded by friends and checking my phone in between conversations to see the explicit version of the track had been officially released. This comment thread specifically made me laugh so much that I still have the screencap of it saved in my phone.

But I’m getting horrifically off-topic. All signs were pointing towards a great release as Trav continued to promote his upcoming album. As mentioned above, the lead up to Birds was essentially a weekly string of broken promises and unfulfilled blue balls. And I get that it’s selfish to “expect” an album, but when you repeatedly say ‘my album is coming out in X days’ or “tonight” I’ll start to get pissed after the third or fourth time.

In early August Trav ended up droppings two loosies on his Apple Radio show: “The Hooch” and “Black Mass” they were both cool… but I was glad they were just loosies he was tossing off on his radio show. Weeks later, September 2nd he finally dropped his sophomore album Birds in the Trap Sing Mcknight.

I remember I was on vacation at the time and without a music streaming service. It agonized me that I couldn’t listen to the album until I got home. All I could do was enjoy my vacation *shudders* and read comments online.

They were exceedingly negative.

How could this be? I’d seen this happen before. In some ways I was glad. Whenever the internet mob preemptively lowers my expectations like this, I’d come out the other side enjoying what they were bitching about far more than I would have otherwise (see: Mass Effect 3, and Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book.) But I saw the bright side. I knew that when I did get back home and sit down to listen to the album, I should lower my expectations. If your expectations are low enough anything can exceed them, right?

Right?

The Problem With Birds

Birds In the Trap feels like drab, dark, and lifeless background music. That’s not to say I don’t like dark albums, there’s a time and place for them… but it just feels so incomplete and half-hearted here. Birds is devoid of life. It is (intentionally?) poorly mixed, lacking of substance, and the album art looks like an edgy Myspace background circa 2006. Look. I’m not saying Rodeo was high art or that it even had anything new to say, but it’s far more substantive than Birds ever tries to be. What Rodeo brought to the table was a metric fuckton of different ideas and sounds that were all produced impeccably. It commands attention and each track sounds different from the last. We ended up with the polar opposite on Birds.

As a person that talks about music, it feels like a cop-out to just link to someone else’s review, but The Needle Drop’s dissection of Birds is a pretty spot-on breakdown of what feels wrong with the album. Going back to the idea of an album’s substance, Birds feels like the album equivalent of an item off the McDonald’s Value Menu. It’s about the lowest of the low (even for fast food) but it still qualifies as “food” on a technical level.

At the risk of making a horrific pivot (or just to take a break from negativity), check out this video about True Detective. If you can’t watch all eleven minutes skip straight to 2:40 and watch the section on Rogue One. I can’t tell if this is a hyper-specific example, a universal one, or just something that I’m trying to crowbar in because I’m in the mood to rewatch True Detective, but this video felt oddly poignant. Specifically, the line “when the plot is motivated by a writer or director's aesthetic needs instead of character motivation, something just inevitably feels missing.” To me, this describes Birds to a tee.

As mentioned ad nauseam, I do not go to Travis Scott for hyper-lyrical bars, so I didn’t expect that from Birds. What I did expect was thick production, varied textures, and (at the very least) some competent song structure. I ended up receiving very little of anything. It felt like Travis was chasing some aesthetic desire and forwent anything else that made his work interesting previously. And don't get me wrong, I like some songs off of Birds, but in the year since its release, I’ve realized that it has become symbolic of him not trying.

The single standout from Birds is “Goosebumps” a Kendrick Lamar-collab with a drowsy bloop-filled beat accompanied by one of the most infectious hooks I’ve heard since “Pick up the Phone.” And speaking of “Pick up the Phone” the song ended up on the album. This is after Trav promised that Birds would be “all new material.” After he had already released the song three months prior in June. After it had already been included on Young Thug’s JEFFERY as a bonus track in August. Similarly, the sparkly weekend collab “Wonderful” ended up on Birds as the album’s closer after having already been released as a Soundcloud throwaway at the end of 2015. And that was the album’s closing track.

The whole thing just left a bad taste in my mouth. Alongside these repurposed tracks were songs like “SDP Interlude” that just come off as half-finished, under-developed scraps of songs that Travis just decided to toss onto the album. It was underwhelming in every sense of the word and didn’t clear my already-low expectations. But maybe this was just a sophomore slump. A byproduct of constant touring combined with the monumental task of following up an excellent predecessor.

This is truly my hope, but with each new piece of music emerging from Travis’ camp, I become less and less hopeful in a return to form anytime soon. I’ll dive deeper into my thoughts on Travis Scott’s current output and future in the fourth and final post coming very soon.

Read Part 4 Here

#travis scott #birds #birds in the trap #birds in the trap sing mcknight #rap #hip-hop #music #tunes #young thug

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audiofixationnews · 7 years ago

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#OverloadMonday: New Music, Visuals + More

Here's some overload for your Monday blues. Check out what went down this past week, Jan. 15th-21st.

Singles

youtube

Apple

After coming out of the rock he’s been living in, Cozz emerges in 2018 with a lot of new music. First he announced a new album, Effected, and then released its lead single, “Questions.” Now he’s teamed up with Curren$y for the smooth-jazzy “Badu.” Listen above, and stay plugged for more from.

We got new music from Wolftyla, OnCue, Joey Bada$$ x Dessy Hinds, Syd x Leven Kali, and Black Milk.

Drake hit us with two back to back joints, check them out!

We also heard new music from ToBi, ABRA, Audio Push, Rotimi, A$AP Ferg and Skyzoo x Raheem Devaughn.

Lloyd Banks continues on with his At Your Request series with another fire freestyle.

A new band is amongst us! Lyricist Common, pianist Robert Glasper, and drummer Karriem Riggins form August Greene. And first act as August Greene is to release music of course. Listen to their first single, “Optimistic,” featuring guest vocals from Brandy.

Oh and then…yes there’s more…we had new music from Step Brother (Alchemist and Evidence), Chris Dave x Anderson .Paak, and Pollári.

We heard from the likes of Nino Man and Jadakiss…yes, again Nino Man and Jadakiss. I know, they just released “I Hate You", but check it, they got some new heat for us with “From Trap to Rap.” Mmm, what are these two up to?

And then we heard from Dreezy x 2 Chainz, Russ, Fat Joe x Dre, and Rudimental teamed up with Macklemore, Jess Glynne and Dan Caplen.

Despite all the drama with his Generation Now label, Lil Uzi Vert is still releasing new music. Check out his new single, “200 My Dash.”

After making a surprise announcement, 38 Spesh and Benny the Butcher have teamed up with Jadakiss and Styles P for “Driver’s Seat.”

Remy Ma teams up with Chris Brown with what may be the leading single for her next album, “Melanin Magic.” We also got new music from hubby, Papoose. Definitely take a listen to him “Set Trippin” all over the previously owned by Casanova track. Looks like we’re getting two new projects from the love birds.

Visuals

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After releasing Paranoia 2, Dave East reverts back to its predecessor, Paranoia, for his newest visual. He released a short film for joint track with Mass Appeal boss, Nas, titled “The Hated.” My favorite track off of the mixtape, it’s great to see East go beyond just the usual music video treatment. And the guy hasn’t even released a debut album yet - well, damn. Watch the Kid Art-directed video above, it’s gritty and raw as is the track itself. A must watch, check it out. With Victory Lap right around the corner, Nipsey Hussle gave us a second offering featuring YG. He followed up the release of the single with a visual, check out “Last Time That I Checc’d."

Tinashe is back! Teaming up with Offset for her new single, and visual, “No Drama."

Watch new videos from Ye Ali x K Camp, Young Buck, Jorja Smith x Stormzy, and Joell Ortiz x Fred Da Godson.

After riding that “Unforgettable” wave, here’s French Montana with a visual for another track from Jungle Rules.

NF dropped some a visual treatment for his lead single from Perception. “No Name” packs some heat, a must see.

We also saw visuals from Sylvan LaCue, Vic Mensa, Moneybagg Yo, and JaqueBeatz.

Young Thug dropped new video with Trouble and Shad Da God in tribute for “MLK.”

Young M.A dropped a visual for her freestyle over Gucci Mane and Migos’ “I Get The Bag.”

Famous Dex teamed up with A$AP Rocky back in October and now they have released a visual for their joint track, “Pick It Up."

Right before the release of November, SiR releases the album’s leading single, “Summer in November," along with a visual treatment.

Let’s add them right to list: O.T. Genasis, Russ, Cousin Stizz, and Tyga.

Back in 2016, Lin-Manuel Miranda had a wildly successful run with his broadway musical Hamilton. He also released a mixtape that followed up the musical. Now he's back with HamilDrops, a new series where Miranda will be releasing visuals from the mixtape on a monthly basis. First he dropped “Ben Franklin’s Song,” now he’s here with a visual treatment for the track “Wrote My Way Out,” which features Nas, Dave East, and Aloe Blacc.

Projects

Apple | TIDAL | Spotify

Over the weekend, SiR dropped his debut album, November. Right before it’s release he dropped the album’s first single. Pick your poison above, definitely a must listen.

Dave East’s Paranoia 2 is here! The 15-track project features the likes of Matt Patterson, Marsha Ambrosius, Lloyd Banks, T.I., Tory Lanez, Pimp Pimp P, and Nino Rideaux. Available on iTunes, stream via Spotify and Apple Music.

Kollision dropped his debut tape this past week. The ATL-native recruited the likes of Twisted Genius, D. Hill, OG Parker and more on the production tip. Better Than Yesterday dives in deeper into his own world. Worth a listen, check it out via SoundCloud.

Well, looks who’s back. Paul Wall released a new album, Bounce Backs Over Setbacks.

Check out Juicy J’s newest surprise project, SHUTDAFUKUP.

Fetty Wap dropped his final chapter of his For My Fans series.

Coming Soon...

Keep an eye out for Audio Push’s new project, Cloud 909. It’s slated to release February 9th, and scroll up for its leading single. Pre-order available via iTunes. After dropping The Wild last year, Raekwon took to Instagram to confirm a new album is officially on the way.

While it’s been a long time coming, the collab project from DJ Premier and Royce da 5’9 is coming soon. When the duo comes together, they are known as PRHYME, and rumor has it that the sequel to their self-titled debut is set to release March 16th. That’s hope this time it comes out.

While we still wait on SremmLife 3, Swae Lee still plans on dropping a solo joint. After some success with featuring on hit singles last year, he has spoke about Swaecation. It did fuel rumors of the duo splitting up, but they put those to rest. No, this is just Swae riding the solo wave for just a bit. While we have no official date for both project, just “soon,” now Swae announced that Swaecation will be out for the masses in “less than a month, confirmed.” So stay plugged.

August Greene are gearing up to release their debut self-titled album on March 9th. It will be an Amazon Music exclusive drop. Scroll up to hear their first single and to find out who August Greene is.

38 Spesh took to Instagram to make a surprise announcement that he and Benny the Butcher have a joint project on the way. Stabbed & Shot is slated to drop February 16th, scroll up to catch the first single released.

After four years since his last solo project, If There’s A Hell Below, Black Milk is back in 2018 with new music on the way. He took to Instagram to announce a new album is on the way, titled FEVER. Set to release February 23rd, scroll up for the album’s first single.

Let’s not forget Nipsey Hussle debut Victory Lap that drops February 16th.

Check This

Joey Badass started 2018 with some major news. Along with announcing that we’ll be hearing more from the Pro Era clan, as well as a sneaker, he also revealed that his debut project, 1999, has now become available everywhere to stream. Let’s not forget that his TIDAL podcast, “47 Minutes,” is on the way, and he has also become PONY’s creative director. Now has officially become a platinum-selling artist with his hit “Devastated.” Quick timeline for the single: Released May 2016, hit Gold January 2017 and now platinum in January 2018. A joint project with XXXTentacion has been teased. Stay plugged, the year is just beginning and Joey is too.

Black Panther, where the hell do I start. I was originally excited to see the movie, but um…can we talk about this soundtrack though?! Once confirmed that Kendrick Lamar and the TDE clan were recruited to piece together the album, we received its first offering from both Kendrick and label mate SZA. Then there was that new trailer for the movie that featured an untitled track from Kendrick and Vince Staples. And now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for - literally. (Ha, can you tell I’m from Jersey yet?) It was pretty much confirmed through TDE’s MackWop’s Twitter that we are getting a track from Kendrick and Isaiah Rashad. Yasss, come through TDE! After taking over 2017, it’s pretty much safe to say they’ll be making a huge impact on 2018.

A biopic is underway for Gucci Mane, fueled by his autobiography he released back in September 2017. The same autobiography that made Gucci Mane a New York Times best-selling author. He took to Twitter to make the announcement. Stay plugged for more updates on Guwop. Not only is the film on the way, but The Evil Genius is on the way too.

From the underdog to top bitch, 2017 was Cardi B’s year. Breaking record after record, Cardi is on a streak that doesn’t seem to end any time soon. She recently teamed up with TIDAL and put out a documentary, I’m Here MuthaF*cka. A must watch, so don’t pass it up if you have TIDAL.

Big news for Future. While he wiped his Instagram clean, we all expect new music and it turns out we were right - well, sort of. It was announced that Director X will be taking on the remake of the 1972 cult-classic Superfly. Where does Future play in all of this? Well, Future is set to co-direct the film. Let’s not forget that he will be curating the soundtrack along with Joel Silver. Yes, new music indeed. It was also revealed that 21 Savage plays some role with the film, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Director X took to Instagram to make the announcement revealing some of the cast and crew. So far we know that Grown-ish star Trevor Jackson will be playing the part of Youngblood Priest. Jason Mitchell, who played Eazy-E in Straight Outta Compton, will be playing the part of Eddie.

Released Sunday, and yeah I missed it…I’ll just leave this right here.

heavy rotation pic.twitter.com/Rcl9xadwjl

— AtlantaFX (@AtlantaFX)

January 14, 2018

Stay plugged

That sums up this past week in Hip Hop. Come back next week for more.

Oh and I’ll just leave this right here. And while it’s not Friday, we’ll pretend he said “Monday MOOD,” because well, Diddy just makes everything better.

A post shared by Diddy (@diddy) on Jan 19, 2018 at 11:50am PST

#overloadmonday #new music #new visuals #new projects #news #writtenbysade

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