Hurry, we forgot to put this out!
Quick! Stop reading this!
(One to catch up on: newcomer Jade Alston’s excellent Searching)
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A more meaty, addictive production than Theraflu, this will undoubtedly get some heads nodding, with the heavy bass in particular ensuring speakers up and down the country will be rattled. Sean opens the rapping with a strong performance, his laidback style being an excellent fit for this slowed-down beat, whilst Pusha’s sharper, more aggressive verse contrasts with Sean’s well. The beat undergoes a makeover for Ye’s verse, with a strong electronic influence upping the tempo and raising the energy levels of the verse, before slowing back down for 2 Chainz’s contribution. The hook anchors the song well enough to add a solid structure to the track, and this is a decent all-rounder that sets up the album nicely. Stream the track here, or grab it on the US iTunes below.
This genre-less weekly episodical seems like the perfect opportunity to mix things up, and whilst there’s still ‘normal’ stuff in there, feel free to indulge yourself with the two curveballs I’ve thrown in this week. Last week you may recall Kid Cudi featuring heavily, and this week’s theme is…April 2009. I’ll be honest, it was more coincidental than anything. Head on below deck if you’re ready.
Regardless of that ambiguity, it’s an enjoyable effort from the Detroit MC. The production is atmospheric and packed with lavish levels of bass, with an air of opulence that matches Sean’s subject matter. He tailors his delivery well too, as a more whispery style occassionally slips in alongside his regular laidback style, and as with every 2nd track that’s released into the hip-hop sphere these days, 2 Chainz is on the feature with a solid verse. Has a name change ever improved anyone’s career as rapidly as it has for 2 Chainz/Tity Boi? A nod-your-head, chillout effort that won’t spark any musical revolutions, but is an effective, enjoyable listen.
Pretty much exclusively fresh, upcoming artists this week though regular readers will be familiar with almost all those involved. Click below for this week’s handcrafted, lovingly-selected musical provisions. It’s still absolutely beyond me how The-Dream is still so horribly overlooked in the R&B genre, but as long as the good music keeps coming, us fans will more than cope. I recall reading he’s ‘retired’ the name The-Dream and will be going by Terius Nash now: confirmation required, but an unnecessary move in my opinion. One of the more upbeat, club-oriented from his enjoyable 1977 (free) album, Dream displays his versatility by grabbing a relatively atmospheric, slowed-down production and injecting it with an intensity and energy courtesy of catchy vocals, flashes of scathing, personal lyricism and a strong guest spot from Sean, who seems to be racking up these great R&B feature verses. Watch your spot Fabolous. The video is uncomplicated and fits the song well, fitting teasing scenes with the ladies alongside generic club visuals for a decent representation of all facets of the track. Grab the song on the free album here.
Get your fingers at the ready, and get to clicking below for this week’s gooey treats.
Nicki’s a great choice (and coup) to feature here on the official remix, both from a musical and anatomical perspective, and fits with the fun, lighthearted nature of the track well. Her off-the-wall, exaggerated and nonsensical style works the production well enough, and will undoubtedly increase the popularity of the track, potentially landing Sean another big hit here. Sean’s parts are mostly the same as the original, and his laidback, dulcet style adds a welcome contrast to Minaj’s shrill tones, and he does a decent job in rounding off this likely club favourite. Whilst I’m not going to give it many plays, it’s one to grab for a bit of fun, and I’m sure most will struggle to resist it in a club. Following on from the earlier release of Big Sean’s latest video for the superb Marvin & Chardonnay, visuals surface from Sean’s recent stop-off at Westwood’s hideout. A triple dose of Maybach Music-related productions make up Westwood’s beat selections, as Meek Mill and Rick Ross’ extremely popular Tupac Back and I’m A Boss appear alongside Lil’ Wayne and Ross’ anthemic hit John. The latter production is one I do enjoy, and though I’m not so keen on the other two, Sean really makes them work here with some superb freestyle work from start to finish, switching up his flows multiple times and really exuding comfortability and confidence each time. I’ve tried to hate Roscoe Dash, the man musically stands for everything I’m against, but I just can’t, his hooks are too damn catchy. With that said, here are the much-anticipated visuals for Big Sean’s collaboration with the aforementioned artist and Kanye West. Big Sean’s album was a pretty decent effort, if a little mainstream, with this track summing up the vibe of the album. Hype Williams directs this video, so you know exactly what to expect as he pulls out the same tricks for nearly every damn video he makes, and does the same again here. As for the track itself, it didn’t immediately hit me when I first heard it on the album, but it certainly grew on me. If you haven’t already, check out Big Sean’s debut album for yourself right now.
Proceed comes through very differently, but will likely be the majority’s favourite track from the trio thus far. A more modern, upbeat production, the synths burst into life from the off and are met by a smooth drum loop to combine into a beat that would have slid in nicely on either Wiz or Sean’s recent albums. The raps certainly suggest comfortability too, with a vigour evident in each verse that makes for refreshing listening after the raft of laidback tracks we’ve had from the triumverate. Enjoying Sean’s verse in particular (again), with a more personal touch giving it a more distinguishable quality. Both very likeable efforts, and certainly worth a listen.
Another relaxed, lazy day sort of track from the trio, with an easygoing percussion accompanied by soft melodies that work well as part of this ‘stoner anthem’. Lyrically, the title rightfully suggests its nothing surprising or particularly unique, though it makes for easy listening and compliments should be reserved once again for Big Sean who attacks the beat with a slightly better flow than the others.
Flowers boasts another laidback production, though with less of the vintage aspect of the previous track, instead offering a more traditional hip-hop flavour with hard-hitting percussion and softer samples. The result is a stronger focus on the vocal work, and whilst each rapper coming through with solid verses, Big Sean stands out here with a good verse that foregoes his more relaxed delivery for a more exaggerated vocal style. The smoothed-out hook closes this one off nicely, and this is again very solid material that will undoubtedly build expectations for the trio’s mixtape.
The track kicks off with some laidback percussion hits with a lounge music feel, and builds into a hypnotising, jazz-sampling production: there’s a heavy retro vibe coarsing through this, with real charm to be found in its evocation of a film noir vibe. The verses slide in with the production nicely, with each rapper’s relaxed, easygoing deliveries being a suitable fit for this production. In truth, I’ve partly ignored the verses on my first few listens as I’ve been thoroughly mesmerised by this production, so forgive me if I’ve been somewhat disrespectful of the raps here!
Unfortunately, the lineup promises more than it can deliver. The production is stuck in a difficult middle ground of being mellow but with sharp, piercing percussion, affecting the tempo and hence interfering with the relaxing vibes. The track is saved somewhat by Big Sean and B.o.B’s verses, as they both certainly come through with enjoyable work, with B.o.B’s stepped flow in particular being a highlight.
Onto the recap from this week, and three noteworthy posts: Frank Ocean dropped some highly anticipated visuals for Novacane, Katy Perry released an entertaining video for her latest single, and most importantly The Weeknd dropped off some superb new material. Click on for this week’s punnet of healthy tracks.
A horn-centric, jazz-inspired production makes for something a little different, and adds a real touch of class alongside an organic, easy listening appeal. CyHi delivers some good verses throughout, coming through with a clear, fairly slow flow that utilises the mellow nature of the production, whilst Sean opens his verses with a quicker flow that breaks up the song nicely, and slowly works his way down into the tempo of the production. Very solid all-round track, and looking forward to that mixtape. Before I get into the video, it has to be said that Big Sean’s ‘boi’ and ‘I do it’ adlibs are by far the catchiest in music right now. Boi. When the audio dropped for this, I was relatively underwhelmed and had expected a little more from him. However, this video has certainly reversed that view, and it has to be said that the hypnotising, head-knocking beat alongside Sean’s diverse and confident raps makes for decent listening. It’s a simple hip-hop formula, and it works. The video is solid enough, and largely focuses on Sean’s face which gives him both some needed camera time, and tests his natural charisma into making this a captivating video, which he is partially successful at. It’s asking a lot of him in truth, though the sprinkling of effects here and there makes for a nice hint of diversity. However, the simplistic nature of the video lends itself to the relatively easy-to-get track, and hence does its job of just adding some visuals to accompany rather than expand on the audio. Finally Famous: The Album out on June 28th.
14 of them join YC here, some having released remixes prior to this official all-star compliation, with most being very well known names. It’s hard to pick a winning verse from the bunch, though B.o.B, Trae Tha Truth and Nelly (surprisingly) made enjoyable contributions.
I Do It has self-reflectively picked up where Big Sean’s first single My Last left off, by moving in the opposite direction. Gone is the reflective and uplifting tone of My Last and is instead replaced bragging and bravado that fits Big Sean down to a T. If My Last was Big Sean’s statement of intent, I Do It reinforces that he is doing exactly ‘It’. Visuals for Big Sean’s first single from his forthcoming album (not sure when it’s being released, but I’m looking forward to it!). Ajay got it spot on with his analysis of the track, it’s very reflective and celebratory at the same time and despite it having a rather mainstream sound, (largely thanks to Mr. Chris Brown) Big Sean doesn’t sacrifice the cleverness of his lyrics that we’ve all come to love from him. To further strengthen the reflective and celebratory mood, Sean shares some footage of him and his friends kicking it in 2006, where he was first trying his hand at this profession. Seeing him enjoying himself in the present day amidst the home-made footage, in addition to the somewhat sombre tone of the production, really hits the spot. I couldn’t couldn’t help smile watching the video, and I’m not even 100% really sure why. Hoping this turns out to be a very big hit for Big Sean, it certainly has the potential to be. A simple yet well produced video for one of the best tracks on Finally Famous vol. 3. Huge fan of this track, and the mellow production plays off Sean’s rapping style superbly. The video is composed of live footage of Big Sean’s homecoming concert, which adds a nice organic energy to the video. The shots of Detroit interspersed throughout certainly add weight to the ‘homecoming’ vibe, and make a simple ‘live’ video into a decent visual affair. Definitely worth a watch, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the track. After getting familiar, be sure to grab the whole tape for free here.
A reflective yet celebratory track, Sean lyrically combines the bravado of being a world-famous rapper with the introspection and intelligence that is so often found in his material. The production emphasis that uplifting feel with a bittersweet tint, as lively synths are mixed with more solemn work on the keys, and a slow percussion line to cover all angles of interpretation (reflective, celebratory or both!) on the lyrics. It’s a very different approach for Sean, and one that works with the production very well in offering a radio-friendly track that will still satisfy his original fanbase. Chris delivers a fitting and catchy hook, rounding off this decent track. Not Sean’s best material by any means, but a very solid effort and one that is likely to infiltrate the mainstream crowd. Whilst advertising some pretty nice Ray-Ban shades, Big Sean performs Memories, from his latest mixtape Finally Famous 3, in the back of a New York taxi. Why not? As the beautiful keys of the piano began playing I was genuinely taken aback, as I was not expecting such emotion from Sean: You can see the anguish on his face as he goes through the song. Listening back to this, it does touch on some deep and clearly personal subjects that when listening to the mixtape myself, I never really took notice of. As you can see what appears to be Sean holding back the tears as the camera fades out, my whole perspective of the track has changed. Big Sean is questioned on apparent comparisons to Soulja Boy after his flow on Big Nut Bust (of which we have two separate versions. Here for the Travis Baker version or Here for the more stripped down version) . A must watch just to check Sean’s hilarious reaction out, especially when he realises he’s just dissed Soulja.
The bonus tracks included are Big Nut Bust (though I’m not sure which version yet), a Chris Brown collab, and a remix of J. Cole’s In The Morning. Undoubtedly, grabbing a tag-free version of this tape is a great addition to anyone’s iTunes (and definitely worth a look if you don’t already have it), and is enhanced considerably with three bonus tracks.
Click below to see who ranked at #15 all the way up to #4. The top 3 will be released shortly afterwards. Without further ado, let the mayhem begin!
Have to admit I’m a little disappointed with this. The highlights are most certainly Teyana’s vocals, who could easily be mistaken for Beyonce with a well delivered and catchy hook. None of the verses are particularly outstanding given the names on show, although they’re fairly short for the most part (particularly Sean and Pusha’s), which in fairness doesn’t give them a chance to get a flow together. Worth a listen if you want to be festive, but without being corny! Kanye West-Christmas In Harlem ft. Cam’ron, Jim Jones, Vado, Cyhi Da Prynce, Pusha-T, Musiq Soulchild, Teyana Taylor and Big Sean |
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