11.21.2007

5 songs you should be listening to this week

DJ Drama - 5000 One's
Talib Kweli - Hot Thing (Remix)
Lil Wayne - Gossip
Lupe Fiasco - Superstar
Nas - Surviving the Times

Unlikely Bonus: Freeway - Walk Wit Me

Flo-Rida Preps "Mail on Sunday"

Florida's own Flo-Rida is Miami's newest artist of note, following in the steps of Trick Daddy, Pitbull, Rick Ross, and Brisco. Flo released his first single "Birthday" early this year and grabbed the streets with an anthem that got radio play for months. Then, early this summer, T-Pain joined Flo for this year's biggest hit, "Low." This song is in heavy rotation at every nightclub on any given night, and the radio is well on its way to making it another played-out classic. With a street anthem and iTunes' #1 song in Hip-Hop/Rap in tow, Flo-Rida promises to make a name for himself beyond the nightclubs with his new album. Look out for more monster hits and features from fellow Miamians on "Mail on Sunday," due out in early '08.

More "Grey Albums" to Come

Jay-Z's new album "American Gangster" is a classic. Period. With production from the Hitmen and DJ Toomp and Just Blaze, features from Bilal, Lil Wayne, and Nas, and just Jay's lyricism alone makes this album just perfect. It's smooth, soulful, anthemic, lyrical, and creative, and Jigga's fans are so happy to see him return with such a fire under his belly. Jay has given us a gift with this album, but DJ's will be served with another present on December 4th, when Jay drops the a cappella version of the album. This will undoubtedly inspire DJ's like Dangermouse to mix and mash up the instantly classic songs with pretty much any beat or sound they can imagine. A few years back Dangermouse mixed Jay's Black Album with The Beatles' White Album to create "The Grey Album." I'm excited to hear what ideas DJ's come up with for this one.

11.20.2007

Heavy 4th Quarter

This year has definitely been a hot one for the industry and the game's best and biggest artists, from Kanye West to Jay-Z to Common and T.I. 2007 has seen its fair share of classics, but the next 6 weeks will mark the release of several more monster albums. Let's look at a breakdown of the weeks ahead.

November 20th ~
  • Freeway - Free at Last. The Philadelphia hometown hero is back with his sophomore album, with features from Busta Rhymes and Rick Ross and "big brothers" 50 Cent and Jay-Z. The rapper has shown a lot of growth since his first attempt, so this is definitely something to look forward to.
November 27th ~
  • Pitbull - The Boat Lift. The Miami-bred rapper who has called himself too Latin for hip-hop and too hip-hop for Latin returns next week with his 3rd album. He claims he is ready to step out of the image he has made, and become a versatile hip-hop artist who demands respect. The album features Jim Jones and Miami mates Trina and Trick Daddy.
December 4th ~
  • Drama - Gangsta Grillz: The Album. I've previewed this album in another post. Check it out.
  • Ghostface Killah - The Big Doe Rehab. This is Ghost's third album in just two years, and it is obvious the former Wu-Tang member is putting in work. He's yet to release a single, but Ghost's albums and work have always been quality, he's one of the few legends left.
  • Wyclef Jean - Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant. Wyclef is finally releasing Part 2 to the Carnival series 10 years later, and there are certainly high hopes. The Carnival was actually the first album I ever bought, so this one is dear to my heart. The single for the album is "Sweetest Girl," an amazing collaboration with Lil Wayne and Akon. There's word that Wyclef is focusing on a lot of collabos for this album, but as always it should be a quality record.

December 11th ~
  • Beanie Sigel - The Solution. This album's got a hot single, in yet another radio hit featuring R. Kelly, called "All the Above." The Broad Street Bully is definitely one of the best rappers to come from Philly, but he hasn't quite proved himself yet. This album is definitely an important one, but with Mr. Carter's support it just might turn out good.
  • Bow Wow/Omarion - Face Off. Hip-Hop's youngest and most doubted Bow Wow is back with a Jay-Z/R. Kelly-esque album with his cohort Omarion. The single, "Hood Star," was decent, but nothing to be ecstatic about. If the cover says anything about the quality of the album, prepare yourselves.
  • Gucci Mane - Return to the TrapHouse. Atlantic's newest star, Gucci Mane, is fresh off a lot of publicity and instant fame from his single "Freaky Gurl," which has been in heavy rotation for months now. His new single, "I Know Why" featuring Pimp C is a great follow up too. Word is this guy is already a star in his own mind, and it seems that he's definitely on his way to proving himself with his first widely released album.
  • Nelly - Brass Knuckles. Hip-Hop's dearest misogynist is back with his fourth studio album, following the unheralded first single, "Wadsyaname." The man has simply fell off since "Country Grammar" and with each album he gets deeper and deeper into a hole. I can't expect much from this album, though sometimes when I remember his first solo effort, I wish it wasn't the case.
  • Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams. The Wu is back after a six year break from a group effort. GZA, RZA, Method Man, Ghostface Killa, Raekwon, U-God, Inspecta Deck and Masta Killa return after ODB's death to make a classic, and with all the hype, it's hard to tell if it will live up to past albums. Every Wu fan is going nuts to hear this, but there has been word of fighting and creative differences between the members. Regardless, expect the expected-the unrivaled and unmatched Wu.
December 18th ~
  • Lupe Fiasco - The Cool. This album is my most anticipated of the 4th quarter for sure, and it is fitting that it's the last of the heavy hitters to come out. This album is Lupe's sophomore effort, following up on his critically acclaimed yet underselling and misunderstood "Food & Liquor." His first two singles, "Dumb it Down" and "Superstar" are truly phenomenal, and are causing a lot of stir for the album. With 19 tracks and production from Chad Hugo and more tracks from "Superstar"-producer Soundtrakk, the album should have an amazing sound. With the Tribe Called Quest incident behind him, Lupe is making phenomenal music and will definitely be a contender for album of the year.
Albums to look forward to in 2008:

Nas - Nigger
Eve - Here I Am
Lil Wayne - Carter III
Snoop Dogg - Ego Trip
Papoose - Nacirema Dream
Saigon - Greatest Story Never Told
Wale - "Untitled"

Drama Preps New Album


DJ Drama, best known for his Gangsta Grillz Mixtape Series, is releasing his first official album, aptly titled "Gangsta Grills: The Album," on December 4th. DJ Drama became well-known after being the resident DJ for TI's Grand Hustle imprint. His new album features heavyweights Young Jeezy, Young Buck, Jim Jones, T.I., Rick Ross and Lil' Wayne. The album's first single, Jazzy Pha-produced "5000 1's" is in heavy rotation on radio stations and in clubs nationwide.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=y_w_c8RPtWs

11.19.2007

Plies 100 Years Video

Miami rapper Plies has a new video out for his song "100 Years." The song is about the justice system's faults, and young black men getting locked up for extensive sentences while the white guys seemingly get away with it. It's questionable, but it's the man's opinion and he is undoubtedly sticking to it. However, it's a little extreme. In the video, he shows a black man getting sentenced to jail as the judge laughs and soon after a white man sneaks away from a sentence because of his skin color. These kind of songs are sure to cause controversy, if not riots, but Plies feels that it's his place to speak his mind and forget the consequences. Check it out and discuss your views on the matter.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=p-Pm3_NNFsg