Drake Goes Into Fight Mode

So many questions to ask here?! But honestly, who would drop that amount of cash on the floor??
Luckily Drizzy has people to pick up after him. I’m not money-minded, but I’m far more concerned about those stacks!

2013 In Hip Hop and What’s To Come In 2014…

It was a mahoosive year for hip hop in 2013. The big guns really brought out their best work, and we saw the rise of many new artists.

Let’s just take a moment to acknowledge some of what we witnessed.

At the beginning of 2013, A$AP Rocky started his reign releasing his album Long.Live.A$AP. March and April saw releases from Lil Wayne, Tyler the Creator, Tyga and Kid Cudi who announced his departure from GOOD Music.

The following month, Kanye West started the run up to the release of the hotly anticipate Yeezus due to drop on June 18^th. To make things more than a little interesting, J. Cole decided to bring forward the release of his sophomore album, Born Sinner to the the same day as Yeezy.  Oh and Snoop Dogg became Snoop Lion becoming all reggae-fied. French Montana also dropped Excuse My French. Gucci Mane and Kid Ink also gave us projects.

In June, 2 Chainz was robbed at gunpoint. Kanye made some manic marketing moves such as appearing on walls around different cities. Of course, both Yeezus and Born Sinner leaked. The charts saw Yeezy beat Cole, and also Mac Miller’s effort, Watching Movies with the Sound Off. After that hip hop battle, Drake started the process for his album dropping a bunch of tracks now and again.

July was a month of love, well somewhat. Wiz married Amber Rose, and DJ Khaled proposed to Nicki Minaj. Yeah. But the biggest event of the month? Of course, the release of Jay Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail, with Hov’s epic Samsung deal.

But August was the month when hip hop was really shaken, yes call it “Control”. Kendrick Lamar caused a man-made disaster with his verse on Big Sean’s track that didn’t appear on his Hall of Fame album also released that month. This led to endless amounts of responses to K Dot’s claims to be the King.

Drake took September by storm with Nothing Was The Same to add to other projects of the month including 2 Chainz’s BOATS II. But the year wasn’t yet done for hip hop despite some huge releases. In October, Pusha T impressed with My Name Is My Name, along with Black Milk, Joey Bada$$, and Danny Brown.

November was not quiet at all as Eminem claimed the month with his new album The Marshall Mathers LP II. To end on a high note, Talib Kweli gave us another album in December.

A heck of a lot of music. It was a great year for hip hop. So what’s in store for 2014?

Well there maybe fewer big names on releases as many set out to tour but projects are expected from Schoolboy Q as well as others in TDE such as Ab-Soul, 50 Cent, Rick Ross, Action Bronson, and if you are out gigging and going to festivals, Outkast are back together! Expect to hear more new music from rising talent and big arena tours. It will be interesting to see how 2014 lives up to 2013!

The Death of Choice FM

Today, the radio station now known as ‘Capital Xtra’ takes over and closes what fans use to know and love as Choice FM.

Introduced to Choice FM through like-minded music listeners when I was a mere teen, it was perfect for hearing all the music genres that I loved which weren’t so easily accessible. Whether it was bashment, good RnB, hip hop, dancehall, slow jamz, or reggae, Choice FM provided a pathway for fans that had little access to these types of music. It was perfect in a day and age where downloading wasn’t huge, and radio actually had some significance. Admittedly, Choice FM more recently had been delivering a sound that was slowly becoming more commercial. Nevertheless there were always those niche shows such as DJ 279’s Hip Hop show, or Martin Jay’s Caribbean Affair.

With Choice FM now gone, these genres now lack a real platform. Capital Xtra describes itself as Urban, Dance and Commercial. This is exactly the problem – commercial. Choice FM never tried to be excessively commercial, it was appealing to those listeners who had fallen into the gap. This being the one which radio never previously catered for. It was a suppose to be niche because it appealed to an unheard minority.

Capital Xtra has told hip hop head DJ 279 to walk and introduced Tim Westwood onto the new lineup with other such as Craig David, and Aviici. DJ 279 remains a legendary name for promoting the sounds of UK hip hop. Effortlessly intelligent about hip hop music, he played great sounds and provided some apt commentary. His style is very different to Tim Westwood. These two DJs have apparently not always seen eye to eye. According to The British Blacklist, it was initially thought that DJ 279 would stay on at Capital Xtra. This decision was then negated. This changeover is pretty symbolic of the rebranding which wipes out Choice FM. Big, commercial names brought in which easily gathers number replaces talent which appealed to fans whose musical preferences weren’t always catered for. But it seems as much as Choice FM  has been treated as if it is out of favour simply because it wasn’t commercial enough, or didn’t appeal to everyone it is more of disrespect of the foundations that Choice FM was built on, which is more than just music.

It remains to be seen how popular Capital Xtra will be. It may be an astounding hit on the radio, and gather loads of fans as the people behind it want. On a first listen in the morning, it didn’t feel like much has changed which makes me wonder what the point was because this sounds like more than a name change. But I, like Chuka Umunna feel a little skeptical about the station switching off the support for other music genres that were once promoted through Choice FM.

Real Music: John Legend – All Of Me

I’m obsessed with this song. It’s nearly up there with ‘Ordinary People’ for me!

Check out John Legend singing ‘All Of Me’ live, on Letterman in this amazing performance.
Watch this space for a review of John Legend’s new album, Love In the Future.

Music Happenings This Week – 25/08/13

Drake – Nothing Was The Same

Drake’s forthcoming album Nothing Was The Same was pushed back this week. The new release date is now 24th of September, originally the 17th September much to sadness of his hard core fans. However to make up for the date change he posted the artwork for the new record showing a picture of baby Drake, against an adult Drake in an animated version.

North West

We finally got to see the daughter of Kanye West, and Kim Kardashian when West gave an interview on Kris Jenner’s talk show. Kanye talked about his relationship with Kim, and his joy about being a father. Kanye West seemed calm, and so genuinely happy about his new bundle of joy and relationship.

MTV VMAs 2013
There’s a star studded line up heading to the VMA’s in Brooklyn with some exciting performances expected from the likes of Drake and Kanye West. Justin Timberlake and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have been nominated for a whopping 6 nominations each. Other big nominees include Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, J.Cole for Best Hip Hop Video.

Eminem @Reading & Leeds Festivals

Eminem brought the house down at Reading and Leeds this weekend. Dido joined Eminem on stage to the surprise of the crowd. However fans were angry after the festivals as he blocked the BBC from filming the footage of his headline performance.

Big Sean’s Hall of Fame
Big Sean’s Hall of Fame leaked this week as reviews have started coming in. Sean commented that Kanye West’s favourite track on the album is ‘Mona Lisa’, which is the interesting choice. The official release is due out on the 27thAugust. Watch this space for my Big Sean – ‘Hall of Fame’ review which is coming very soon!

Music Happenings This Week – 18/08/13

Kendrick Lamar on ‘Control’

It turned out to be another busy week in hip hop when Big Sean dropped a new track called ‘Control’ featuring both Kendrick Lamar and Jay Electronica. However all the attention turned onto Kendrick’s killer verse on the track which name dropped many current rappers such as Drake, Wale, J Cole, and also Big Sean himself, to which he told them he is looking to murder them musically. His verse was very well received and the next day, hip hop news was filled with responses or ‘Kendrick Lamar disses’. This has elevated Kendrick’s game, and definitely shaken up hip hop.

Eminem – ‘Survival’

Eminem released new music this week, with a track called ‘Survival’. The tracked is produced by DJ Khalil and you may recognise the female vocals which is Skylar Grey. The track will be on his nex5 album. The new song also features on the trailer for the upcoming release of video game ‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’.

Miguel

Miguel added his name to the long list of starts with a DUI when he was arrested this week for being over the alcohol limit in Los Angeles. He managed to get out of bail on $5000 but will soon be appearing in court.

A$AP Ferg – Trap Lord

A$AP Ferg released the track list (below) for his new album set to come out on 20 August. He also dropped the artwork, and like many rappers this year he has streamed the album online – http://www.traplordaugust20.com

1. Let It Go
2. Shabba (ft. A$AP Rocky)
3. Lord (ft. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony)
4. Hood Pope
5. Fergivicious
6. 4:02
7. Dump Dump
8. Work (Remix) (ft. A$AP Rocky, French Montana, Trinidad Jame$ & ScHoolboy Q)
9. Didn’t Wanna Do That
10. Murda Something (ft. Waka Flocka Flame)
11. Make A Scene
12. Fuck Out My Face (ft. D-Real, Onyx & Aston Matthews)
13. Cocaine Castle 

V Festival

If you were lucky enough, you may have had tickets to attend V Festival this weekend in Chelmsford and Staffordshire which was headlined by Beyonce, featuring her swarve new bob. Other people who performed included Emeli Sande and Kings of Leon.

Naughty Boy – An Amazing Inspiration To The British Asian Community

A great article below written by Mark Savage that details the come up of Shahid Khan, aged 27 from Watford otherwise known as Music Producer Naughty Boy who has worked with Emeli Sande, and Britney Spears and is currently making big movements in music.

Let him be an inspiration to us all!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23703742

Why Rival Rappers Should Not Be Dissing Back Kendrick Lamar

So yesterday Kendrick Lamar went in on his fellow rappers with a killer verse on ‘Control’ that made people forget the track actually belongs to Big Sean. It had Twitter, Facebook and urban radio stations talking non-stop. Now today, hip hop news is all about the reactions.

Anyone could have predicted the script knowing what hip hop is like. Media is looking for these reactions because a little beef, or dissing makes for a good story. KDot has done well to boost the game. These sorts of incidents wake and shake up the scene. A little competition always makes everyone better. So today we have rappers releasing their own ‘rap disses’ towards Kendrick Lamar. The list is pretty long including Cassidy, Los, Lupe Fiasco, and B.O.B. Then there are those who have had something to say about KDot such as Joe Budden and Big Sean himself. The only diss I have listened to is Kevin Hart’s which is amusing, and probably better than all the others!

Creating a response back to Kendrick Lamar is not what rival rappers should be doing. Those who do feel the need to fulfil their ego, but it is not a good move. Nobody is really interested in the disses. It’s obvious. Even through the reactions, Kendrick Lamar is just getting more and more attention for his great verse. If any of these rappers want to be at the level that Lamar is, they need to build up their game and make themselves better. Other rappers who are in the same league as Lamar won’t have the time to record a diss, because they are not concentrating on what he is doing, but instead are too busy with their own craft.

Don’t defeat the competition, defeat yourself!

Big Seans Drops a New Killer Track, But Who is the Murderer?

Big Sean today dropped ‘Control’ a new track off his forthcoming album Hall of Fame, which is set for release on the 27^th of August. The song is a big one and has had hip hop talking today. But who on this track is creating the talk? The track features Kendrick Lamar, and Jay Electronica.

Jay Electronica fans have been waiting to hear him on something for a while, and it’s a gift when we do hear him. Big Sean spits exceptionally well on this. However, Kendrick Lamar absolutely kills it with a line on the tracl that clearly states that although he has respect for the all the new rappers, including some his good rap friends such as J.Cole, and Big Sean who owns the track in question,  he is looking to ‘murder’ them in hip hop.

‘‘But this is Hip Hop and them niggas should know what time it is. That goes for Jermaine Cole, Big K.R.I.T., Wale, Pusha T, Meek Mill, A$AP Rocky, Drake, Big Sean, Jay Electron[ica], Tyler[, the Creator], Mac Miller. I got love for you all but I’m tryin’ to murder you niggas’’

Ultimately everyone is talking about Kendrick Lamar ON Big Sean’s track, which I wonder whether has been a move that Big Sean will be disappointed with, or see as something that is a slight backfire. This is the all crucial run up period to his highly anticipated album. We should be just talking about Big Sean – fullstop. This said, at least it gets the tracks plays.

We can see that there is some healthy competition in the rap game that can only elevate the game of these artists, and hip hop overall. I just think the talking point of the track is a little ironic.

Music Happenings This Week – 11/08/13

Big Sean – Hall of Fame

Big Sean released a promotional video for his highly anticipated up and coming album titled Hall of Fame. He confirmed the release date of the record which will be 27 August. Big Sean also dropped the track list as well as the artwork for some of the album. The rapper has artwork for each of the tracks I believe which is quite a unique idea. The track list shows us some of the features that we can expect from the album which include the UK’s Ellie Goulding, Nas, Miguel, Nicki Minaj and James Fauntelroy. Big Sean is definitely hyping up this album as this week we have also had new reports mentioning that he has called the album a classic, and he has also been rumoured to say that he can out rap Drake and Jay Z which are some heavy words! The tracklist below, however does not include his collaboration with Eminem.

Hall of Fame Tracklist
01. Nothing Is Stopping You
02. Fire
03. 10 2 10
04. Toyota Music
05. You Don’t Know
06. Beware f. Lil Wayne & Jhené Aiko
07. First Chain f. Nas & KiD CuDi
08. Mona Lisa
09. Freaky
10. Milf f. Nicki Minaj & Juicy J
11. Sierra Leone / Greedy Ho’s
12. It’s Time f. Jeezy & Payroll
13. World Ablaze f. James Fauntleroy
14. Ashley f. Miguel
15. All Figured Out

Beyonce’s New Hair

Beyonce wowed everyone by chopping off, or rather removing her weave to reveal a new pixie cut. With her beautiful face, of course she still great. This was a big news story this week – Beyonce’s hair.

Schoolboy Q – Collards Green

Schoolboy Q dropped the video for his big choon ‘Collards Green’, it’s a decent video where we see Macklemore also bopping about in the video.

OVO Fest

Drake held his annual festival October’s Very Own in Toronto which had an amazing line up featuring Big Sean, Wale, J. Cole, A$AP. But he killed it when he brought Kanye West, and Puff Daddy, and Ma$e. I would have loved to be there!

Drake  – ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home’

Drake released his new single called, ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home’ featuring one his latest new signings Majid Jordan. This tune is blowing up already as we hear Drake do nothing but sing of this. It’s pure RnB, as Drake commented that he wanted people to be playing this at weddings.

Chris Brown

Chris Brown tweeted that his forthcoming album ‘X’ will probably be his last album, after he said that he is sick of being famous for a ‘mistake’ he made when he was younger.  The singer also had a seizure this week whilst in the recording studio said to be due to stress. It seems that Brown is tired of being known for the person who assaulted Rihanna, and this has really marred some of his great music. We will have to wait to see if ‘X’ will be the last we hear of Brown.