Macklemore dropped this song today as a sampling of his new album, "Heist", which will be released on October 9th. He's also coming to Boston on November 15th, which I am 100% going to.
OK, Just kidding. It's good and I know you're probably all listening to it. There are some great tracks (My favorites are "Who Gon Stop Me" and "Why I Love You"), and the production value is outstanding. Although it's not as good as either Jay or Ye's most recent solo projects.
But there was a rap duet album that dropped earlier this summerwith much lessmasturbatory hype.
Hell: The Sequel is by Eminem and Royce da 5'9," who call themselves Bad Meets Evil. I have never listened to Royce before this, probably because his name is fucking retarded, but apparently he is an awesome rapper.
More importantly, this is the best thing Eminem has done since 2002. His past few solo albums haven't been nearly as good as the pantheon records that he was dropping when we were teenagers. The Slim Shady LP was a game-changer and The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show are two of the best rap records ever released. Remember that Eminem? With the scathing lyrics, mind-blowing flow, and complete irreverence for social taboos? He's back:
That's some classic Em right there. Who else would rap about having anal sex with Nicki Minaj? Yes, apologies to the ladies, but Slim Shady is still as misogynistic as ever and there are numerous rhymes about domestic violence. I feel like I'm in 7th grade listening to my portable CD player with big, shitty headphones. There are some more mature tracks on the album, where they talk about the growing gap between the rich and poor...but I'm also totally feeling this song about taking lots and lots of drugs:
Anyway, now that Lil Wayne and Drake have announced that they too will be doing a duet album, it seems like this trend of rap cross-breeding will continue to produce sexy new sounds. I'm totally OK with it.
When Jay-Z and Kanye met up to discuss the OTIS video, it went like this:
Jay-Z: I think we should get a flag.
Kanye: Lets get the biggest flag ever and wear white shirts. Maybe sometimes I'll wear red pants.
Jay-Z: I think Aziz Ansari is funny.
Kanye: Lets get Aziz and put him in a blue suit. But not let him talk. He'll be like our bitch.
Jay-Z: Lets make the car a Maybach.
Kanye: Lets start the video with us cutting a Maybach apart and then driving around a cool Thunderdome version of a Maybach.
Jay-Z: Lets get Beyonce, my wife, in it.
Kanye: Lets get four white girls and put them in green in the backseat.
Jay-Z: ...
Kanye: And the best part will be when I say "I write my curses in cursive."
Jay-Z: You get me. Secret bff handshake
Justin Timberlake keeps saying he hasn't quit the music biz, and I believe him. As soon as people start doubting he just does a feature on someone else's song and once again we're panting after him.
This time around we have Free Sol to thank for it. According to wikipedia, they are a progressive rap, rock, soul band from Memphis, same as Justin! He saw them perform live and signed them to his baby record company. Today JT tweeted this video for "Hoodies On, Hats Low" which he directed. He's in the video too; occasionally echoing the main guy, whisper singing, and stylishly walking, almost dancing. It's very clearly his asthetic though, from the coloring to the movement, once he's in the video it becomes a Justin video, because it's so in line with his style. Just the way the whole group walks forward and bounces on the "low," screams JT, in a very good way.
I can't stop listening to it. Give it a whirl:
-av
p.s. in my opinion this song is way more fun than anything I've heard of Watch the Throne, which is all of it.
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A few years ago av and I were at her dad's house and he was real excited about this new website he had just just learned about. He asked us what kind of music we had been listening to lately, which was hard, we were really just locked into either the Once soundtrack or Back to Black. Then av's dad got back to making an enourmous omelet after which we went to a museum to see a Gerald Murphy art show. Gerald Murphy and his wife Sara were American Expatriates who lived on the French Riviera at the beginning of the 1900s, the Murphy's are credited with inventing sunbathing.
It was a few years before I used Pandora again. This past Winter I dove in. And Pandora is the Smartest Person I Know. I love the new songs it bring to me, how I can thumbs down songs that I disagree with, Pandora knows to not play any Chris Brown FUCK CHRIS BROWN, and how Pandora reminds you of songs from an album you actually have over in iTunes, just maybe it is track 11 and you never really hear it.
I had never heard of Gorilla Zoe before. My 6 foot 7 foot station was acquainted with him and made the introductions . The song was "I got it" and instantly I was reminded that Pandora is the Smartest Person I know. "I got It" reminds me of "In the club" or any rap song about how the rapper has IT which are usually the best rap songs.
Pandora knew that I would dig "Mystifies Me" by Son Volt. I really like Ryan Adams. I just let Pandora run wild when I made a Ryan Adams station. I didn't want to anchor it in "Halloweenhead" or "Easy Plateau" because I trusted Pandora to do me right, which they did, obvs, Pandora is the Smartest Person I Know.
-jv
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This morning I have been watching AMTV. Its where MTV still shows videos other than MTV Jams and MTV Hits. MTV still plays music videos and lots of them they just also give us amazing shows like The Jersey Shore and Fantasy Factory, which got Big back this season and is the best show on television right now. I wish MTV would bring back MTV News and put it on for an hour at 7 and go head to head with E! News, I'd DVR both and love it.
Also, Lil Wanye's new song is not at all what I expected and I love it.
As fans of music, television, comedy, and general 'geekiness' I feel that all of our palettes are broad enough that I can put this out there for all to love. I have assembled a few artists that if you don't know, then you should.
Donald Glover (member of derrick comedy and cast member of the show community) has a rapping alias known as Childish Gambino. If I could oversimplify his style and flow is to simply say that he makes songs using indie beats (adele and sleigh bells to name 2 off of the top of my head) to make amazing songs. Check out his new single off of his latest EP called Freaks and Geeks.
[its not the official music video b/c I wasn't able to embed the video file :-(]
The next one on my list who fits into this new category is Nyle. I have been a fan of this guy for a few years ever since I heard his remake of Lil Wayne's Let the Beat Build. Born in Philadelphia and schooled at NYU this guy is paying his dues on the underground for notoriety and respect and he has the chops to back it up. He has a couple of mixtapes available for free at his website and I suggest that if you like any of the following songs you should definitely download his mix tapes.
(As an incredible side note; the above video was shot entirely in 1 take by 1 camera man and the audio was recorded live. Amazing.)
The last rapper/hip-hopper I'll mention is a man by the name of Reggie Watts. To simply put it; awesome! He is literally a 1 man band with only a weird voice-distorter-machine-thingy and his own vocal chords and this guy is starting to get some real notice as of late. He has been a fairly regular act on Conan since he has switched to TBS but if you haven't seen him before check out this performance from the Conan O'Brien show and his uber famous single "Fuck Shit Stack" below.
Conclusion
I believe that the above artists are at the forefront of the next generation of hip-hop, R&B, rap and as well as comedy. Childish Gambino has some of the freshest beats I have heard in a while and the fact that the beats are all sampled from Indie bands is pretty amazing; plus his lyrics are incredibly fun/filthy which is a lovely reminder of B.I.G. Nyle is a smart young man trying to find his own voice in hip-hop and at the same time, I believe, he is helping others in the rap arena realize that they don't have to impersonate another mainstream voice in order to sound dope as all hell. Plus his lyrics are incredibly refreshing in a rap community mired in the dissolution that bigger cars and more chris brown-esque acts is what hip-hop needs. Reggie Watts is simply incredible and so fun to watch perform and the fact that he hasn't been scooped up by a Kanye West or even Andre 3000 to help make original and amazing beats is beyond me.
This is a artist that I stumbled across and she is pretty legit, this song and her other song "heartbeat" are some of her better known songs. Born in South Africa and raised in germany, check it out.
