Whatup! We’re officially in the thick of summer and accordingly being hit with big releases left and right (still digesting the last couple, look for reviews in the next few days). The Cool Kids are set to delight us with When Fish Ride Bicycles next week and have leaked a few songs from the album. The aptly titled “Summer Jam” features production by Pharrell, a collab Chuck and Mikey expressed a lot of excitement for. You might have noticed the beat for “Penny Hardaway” from the preview video for the album that was released last month. The song features the outspoken Ghostface Killah. Makes me wish I could still fit into my tiny Air Pennys… speaking of, remember these?? Alright enough nostalgia. That last leak is “Gas Station,” another good one featuring Bun B.
Warm Brew with some more jams to add to your summer playlists. These dudes know how to use a bassline to infuse life into a song. Go grab their freEP if you haven’t yet!
Whatup! We’re officially in the thick of summer and accordingly being hit with big releases left and right (still digesting the last couple, look for reviews in the next few days). The Cool Kids are set to delight us with When Fish Ride Bicycles next week and have leaked a few songs from the album. The aptly titled “Summer Jam” features production by Pharrell, a collab Chuck and Mikey expressed a lot of excitement for. You might have noticed the beat for “Penny Hardaway” from the preview video for the album that was released last month. The song features the outspoken Ghostface Killah. Makes me wish I could still fit into my tiny Air Pennys… speaking of, remember these?? Alright enough nostalgia. That last leak is “Gas Station,” another good one featuring Bun B.
Warm Brew with some more jams to add to your summer playlists. These dudes know how to use a bassline to infuse life into a song. Go grab their freEP if you haven’t yet!
1. “Intro”
2. “I Do It”
3. “My Last” f/ Chris Brown
4. “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me”
5. “Wait For Me” f/ Lupe Fiasco
6. “Marvin & Chardonnay” f/ Kanye West & Roscoe Dash
7. “Dance (A$$)”
8. “Get It (DT) f/ Pharrell”
9. “Memories (Part II)” f/ John Legend
10. “High” f/ Wiz Khalifa & Chiddy Bang
11. “Live This Life” f/ The Dream
12. “So Much More”
13. “What Goes Around” (Bonus Track)
14. “Celebrity” f/ Dwele (Bonus Track)
15. “My House” (Bonus Track)
16. “100 Keys” f/ Rick Ross & Pusha T (Bonus Track)
I’ve been doing my hip-hop Hail Marys and today it’s finally paying off. Not one, but two huge releases by artists that hog up my iTunes playtime (proof). On top of that, Curren$y’s Weekend at Burnie’s dropped as well (never been a big spitta fan but still a big release) Before I go further, GO COP Dom Kennedy‘s first official available for purchase project, From The West$ide with Love II. I don’t care if you haven’t bought a CD since Nelly dropped Country Grammar, this man has given out multiple mixtapes that should have brought in revenue and the album is $6.99 for 17 tracks. DOM is a step ahead of everyone else rapping right now as far as I’m concerned. More on that soon, though.
I was first put on to Big Sean when my homie showed me “Getcha Some” and after that, the rest of Finally Famous: The Mixtape. At the time I was still kind of strictly about independent hip-hop and artists with substance who talked about things besides money, clothes, cars, etc. Get’cha Some was the opposite material-wise of what I endorsed, but I couldn’t stop listening to it. His wordplay and style were too fucking catchy and had a unique sound to it, something that I really value in artists (that’s the whole point of creativity, you’re creating something different than what everyone else is doing). It was a dope mixtape, but I knew there was something missing — it was basically his debut to everyone outside of Michigan, showcasing his talent and proving that Kanye made a good decision.
I’m really appreciative about having heard the mixtapes in chronological order and watching Sean’s progression as an artist. Artist growth is one of the coolest things in music to me. While FFV1 was entertaining, it didn’t have the element of what’s made Big Sean among the most revered artists in hip-hop now. My love for music has a lot of different roots, but the biggest, especially when it comes to hip-hop, has always been the ability of an artist to impact my state of mind and provide inspiration. A rapper like Wayne can go apeshit on a track and I’ll love every second of it, but won’t come away with anything from it afterwards. Whereas someone like Sean can do the same thing but utilize honest expression to provide true inspiration. Finally Famous Vol. II: UKNOWBIGSEAN shed more light on Sean’s abilities as well as his whole “Finally Famous” movement. (peep the track where he discusses it below). The first time I heard that I had to run it back.
And we should all know by now that Finally Famous Vol. 3 was continuous bangers that could’ve been released as an album. Big Sean embodies what it takes to succeed at whatever it is you do. Dream of what it is you want. Visualize it clearly. Figure out what steps need to be taken to get there. Work harder than you think you’re able to until you get there and don’t settle for anything less. Check his story below if you haven’t before, a reminder that you gotta silence any fear to get where you wanna go.
Now, it goes without saying that Finally Famous: The Album has been extremely anticipated by many. Sean built up an unreal buzz through hard work and social networking without an album out. He coined the simplest phrases into mini-sensations (‘boi!’ ‘oh, thats yo girl?!’ etc.). Going into it I had to accept that the album would be catered to gaining commercial appeal; FF3 was the perfect project that I’d want to hear from him and there’s no stopping the album having some cheese tracks to gain some new, otherwise uninterested listeners. Having given the album continuous spins via the stream on his Soundcloud (even got the Soundcloud app on my phone for it), I can say that it’s what I expected. Still a very good album — has fluffy shit but it’s got the bangers too. He goes in briefly on the Intro, straight into going bonkers on I Do It. (My crew is who I be widdity wid it/Rose I sippity sip it/I’m Quagmire, I fuck hoes, my cash flow I giggidy get it.) ‘My Last,’ although getting close to being Black Eyed Peas-level overplayed, is a great collab. ‘Wait for Me’ ft. Lupe is catchy although Lupe leaves something to be desired. ‘Dance (A$$) got the same kinda hard flow as I Do It and is the only song I’ve ever heard to sample MC Hammer. ‘So Much More’ still my favorite track on the album, gives that inspiration I discussed earlier.
My only real qualm with the album is that I wanted more from the collabs… I’d expect more from tracks with Kanye and Lupe. Roscoe Dash belongs nowhere near good music (pun semi-intended) and The Dream tried really hard to kill the phrase “Finally Famous” on ‘Live this Life.’ I would’ve liked to see Sean put on more of the new-school rappers that he’s come onto the scene with. But, I can’t hate on his desire to diversify as an artist. My only hope is that he doesn’t go the Wayne route, throwing great verses on garbage songs, because he’s got the ability to go down that path. For now though, big ups to Sean for where he’s gotten to. Finally Famous Over Everything, boi!
“I would hate to be an almost nigga/I call you that cause you gossip like ya’ll almost bitches/you know, you went to school with Jay and was almost Jigga/or hooped against LeBron and would almost get him/ya’ll niggas make me realize how good almost isn’t/would hate to look back on my life and say ‘I almost did it'”
1. “Intro”
2. “I Do It”
3. “My Last” f/ Chris Brown
4. “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me”
5. “Wait For Me” f/ Lupe Fiasco
6. “Marvin & Chardonnay” f/ Kanye West & Roscoe Dash
7. “Dance (A$$)”
8. “Get It (DT) f/ Pharrell”
9. “Memories (Part II)” f/ John Legend
10. “High” f/ Wiz Khalifa & Chiddy Bang
11. “Live This Life” f/ The Dream
12. “So Much More”
13. “What Goes Around” (Bonus Track)
14. “Celebrity” f/ Dwele (Bonus Track)
15. “My House” (Bonus Track)
16. “100 Keys” f/ Rick Ross & Pusha T (Bonus Track)
I’ve been doing my hip-hop Hail Marys and today it’s finally paying off. Not one, but two huge releases by artists that hog up my iTunes playtime (proof). On top of that, Curren$y’s Weekend at Burnie’s dropped as well (never been a big spitta fan but still a big release) Before I go further, GO COP Dom Kennedy‘s first official available for purchase project, From The West$ide with Love II. I don’t care if you haven’t bought a CD since Nelly dropped Country Grammar, this man has given out multiple mixtapes that should have brought in revenue and the album is $6.99 for 17 tracks. DOM is a step ahead of everyone else rapping right now as far as I’m concerned. More on that soon, though.
I was first put on to Big Sean when my homie showed me “Getcha Some” and after that, the rest of Finally Famous: The Mixtape. At the time I was still kind of strictly about independent hip-hop and artists with substance who talked about things besides money, clothes, cars, etc. Get’cha Some was the opposite material-wise of what I endorsed, but I couldn’t stop listening to it. His wordplay and style were too fucking catchy and had a unique sound to it, something that I really value in artists (that’s the whole point of creativity, you’re creating something different than what everyone else is doing). It was a dope mixtape, but I knew there was something missing — it was basically his debut to everyone outside of Michigan, showcasing his talent and proving that Kanye made a good decision.
I’m really appreciative about having heard the mixtapes in chronological order and watching Sean’s progression as an artist. Artist growth is one of the coolest things in music to me. While FFV1 was entertaining, it didn’t have the element of what’s made Big Sean among the most revered artists in hip-hop now. My love for music has a lot of different roots, but the biggest, especially when it comes to hip-hop, has always been the ability of an artist to impact my state of mind and provide inspiration. A rapper like Wayne can go apeshit on a track and I’ll love every second of it, but won’t come away with anything from it afterwards. Whereas someone like Sean can do the same thing but utilize honest expression to provide true inspiration. Finally Famous Vol. II: UKNOWBIGSEAN shed more light on Sean’s abilities as well as his whole “Finally Famous” movement. (peep the track where he discusses it below). The first time I heard that I had to run it back.
And we should all know by now that Finally Famous Vol. 3 was continuous bangers that could’ve been released as an album. Big Sean embodies what it takes to succeed at whatever it is you do. Dream of what it is you want. Visualize it clearly. Figure out what steps need to be taken to get there. Work harder than you think you’re able to until you get there and don’t settle for anything less. Check his story below if you haven’t before, a reminder that you gotta silence any fear to get where you wanna go.
Now, it goes without saying that Finally Famous: The Album has been extremely anticipated by many. Sean built up an unreal buzz through hard work and social networking without an album out. He coined the simplest phrases into mini-sensations (‘boi!’ ‘oh, thats yo girl?!’ etc.). Going into it I had to accept that the album would be catered to gaining commercial appeal; FF3 was the perfect project that I’d want to hear from him and there’s no stopping the album having some cheese tracks to gain some new, otherwise uninterested listeners. Having given the album continuous spins via the stream on his Soundcloud (even got the Soundcloud app on my phone for it), I can say that it’s what I expected. Still a very good album — has fluffy shit but it’s got the bangers too. He goes in briefly on the Intro, straight into going bonkers on I Do It. (My crew is who I be widdity wid it/Rose I sippity sip it/I’m Quagmire, I fuck hoes, my cash flow I giggidy get it.) ‘My Last,’ although getting close to being Black Eyed Peas-level overplayed, is a great collab. ‘Wait for Me’ ft. Lupe is catchy although Lupe leaves something to be desired. ‘Dance (A$$) got the same kinda hard flow as I Do It and is the only song I’ve ever heard to sample MC Hammer. ‘So Much More’ still my favorite track on the album, gives that inspiration I discussed earlier.
My only real qualm with the album is that I wanted more from the collabs… I’d expect more from tracks with Kanye and Lupe. Roscoe Dash belongs nowhere near good music (pun semi-intended) and The Dream tried really hard to kill the phrase “Finally Famous” on ‘Live this Life.’ I would’ve liked to see Sean put on more of the new-school rappers that he’s come onto the scene with. But, I can’t hate on his desire to diversify as an artist. My only hope is that he doesn’t go the Wayne route, throwing great verses on garbage songs, because he’s got the ability to go down that path. For now though, big ups to Sean for where he’s gotten to. Finally Famous Over Everything, boi!
“I would hate to be an almost nigga/I call you that cause you gossip like ya’ll almost bitches/you know, you went to school with Jay and was almost Jigga/or hooped against LeBron and would almost get him/ya’ll niggas make me realize how good almost isn’t/would hate to look back on my life and say ‘I almost did it'”
First up is The Cool Kids, who dropped “Swim Suits” last night, the first track off their upcoming album When Fish Ride Bicycles. This beat is what any fan, die hard or casual, would want from Chuck and Mikey. Love it when they speed things up, I think Mikey’s flow works much better with beats like this rather than what he did on The Rocks Report. This track’s on par with everything on The Bake Sale EP. The new album is out 7/12.
First up is The Cool Kids, who dropped “Swim Suits” last night, the first track off their upcoming album When Fish Ride Bicycles. This beat is what any fan, die hard or casual, would want from Chuck and Mikey. Love it when they speed things up, I think Mikey’s flow works much better with beats like this rather than what he did on The Rocks Report. This track’s on par with everything on The Bake Sale EP. The new album is out 7/12.
A bunch of new tunes hit the net from some big names today. I’m getting the feeling we should start expecting this for the rest of summer. Here’s a quick recap:
Nas wasn’t fuckin’ around when he declared the return of Nasty Nas for his next album Life is Good. He delivers with “Nasty,” the first track from it. Really stoked for this album.
G.O.O.D. Music comin’ in hot. Big Sean released his anticipated collab with Kanye from Finally Famous: the Album, “Marvin and Chardonnay.” They go back and forth with two verses from each. Sounds like it could be a radio jam, but not as good as I’d expect and still not sure about putting Roscoe on this one. CyHi Da Prince lays some southern flavor over a saxophone with the help of Big Sean in “Woopty Doo.” Some real shit brought up in that one! The track is off his Royal Flush 2 mixtape coming out tomorrow and is produced by Kanye and No I.D. Finally, Yeezy drops a track of his own, “Mama’s Boyfriend,” another word about his mom. More awesome Ye.
It’s pretty apparent Weezy’s been writing… released a sort of sequel to Eminem’s Stan, “Dear Anne (Stan pt. 2).” This won’t be on Carter IV. He’s also featured with a good verse on N.O.R.E.’s “Finito,” which also features Pharrell. The beat and chorus on that one is reall catchy.
New video from Talib Kweli, showcasing some of his overseas endeavors. Pretty cool clips in there.
A bunch of new tunes hit the net from some big names today. I’m getting the feeling we should start expecting this for the rest of summer. Here’s a quick recap:
Nas wasn’t fuckin’ around when he declared the return of Nasty Nas for his next album Life is Good. He delivers with “Nasty,” the first track from it. Really stoked for this album.
G.O.O.D. Music comin’ in hot. Big Sean released his anticipated collab with Kanye from Finally Famous: the Album, “Marvin and Chardonnay.” They go back and forth with two verses from each. Sounds like it could be a radio jam, but not as good as I’d expect and still not sure about putting Roscoe on this one. CyHi Da Prince lays some southern flavor over a saxophone with the help of Big Sean in “Woopty Doo.” Some real shit brought up in that one! The track is off his Royal Flush 2 mixtape coming out tomorrow and is produced by Kanye and No I.D. Finally, Yeezy drops a track of his own, “Mama’s Boyfriend,” another word about his mom. More awesome Ye.
It’s pretty apparent Weezy’s been writing… released a sort of sequel to Eminem’s Stan, “Dear Anne (Stan pt. 2).” This won’t be on Carter IV. He’s also featured with a good verse on N.O.R.E.’s “Finito,” which also features Pharrell. The beat and chorus on that one is reall catchy.
New video from Talib Kweli, showcasing some of his overseas endeavors. Pretty cool clips in there.
Someone get me a late pass… Detroit’s lyrical beast Elzhi released a tribute album to Nas’ Illmatic a month ago and I just got around to listening to it last week. Any tribute album to Illmatic’s gotta be well put together. Fashawn succeeded with his Ode To Illmatic tape, so I’d expect nothing less from the former Slum Village MC. Elzhi doesn’t disappoint. The live production from the Will Sessions Band really stands out by putting a little twist on the Illmatic beats — especially dig the jamming as the tracks ride out. Grab it below.
Someone get me a late pass… Detroit’s lyrical beast Elzhi released a tribute album to Nas’ Illmatic a month ago and I just got around to listening to it last week. Any tribute album to Illmatic’s gotta be well put together. Fashawn succeeded with his Ode To Illmatic tape, so I’d expect nothing less from the former Slum Village MC. Elzhi doesn’t disappoint. The live production from the Will Sessions Band really stands out by putting a little twist on the Illmatic beats — especially dig the jamming as the tracks ride out. Grab it below.
Amidst the clutter of mediocre rappers discussing tired topics, being able to capture a listener’s attention is harder than ever. Enter Warm Brew, four dudes from Venice Beach infusing a distinct taste of old school jams into a fresh sound. Their self-titled freEP dropped this morning on DJ Booth just in time to be enjoyed with the sunshine of summer. As with their previous release, Natural Spirit, production is on point here with Espy handling most of the tracks. Heavy bass lines set the tone throughout. Contrary to what their name suggests, all that comes to mind when it’s blaring through my headphones is: smooth and refreshing. Definitely some shit you wanna roll the windows down for and enjoy. Grab the whole thing below.
Amidst the clutter of mediocre rappers discussing tired topics, being able to capture a listener’s attention is harder than ever. Enter Warm Brew, four dudes from Venice Beach infusing a distinct taste of old school jams into a fresh sound. Their self-titled freEP dropped this morning on DJ Booth just in time to be enjoyed with the sunshine of summer. As with their previous release, Natural Spirit, production is on point here with Espy handling most of the tracks. Heavy bass lines set the tone throughout. Contrary to what their name suggests, all that comes to mind when it’s blaring through my headphones is: smooth and refreshing. Definitely some shit you wanna roll the windows down for and enjoy. Grab the whole thing below.
