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G.O.O.D. Friday is back! The first single from the upcoming G.O.O.D. Music album, 3 of it’s heaviest hitters come together with 2 Chainz for an official teaser of what to expect from the hotly-anticipated project.
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.
Kanye West-Mercy ft. Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz
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We’ve seen many weekly series come and go here at OTU, but it’s been a while since we’ve launched a new one, which frankly isn’t in keeping with our ‘we do things differently’ mantra.
That would be the marketing spin on this. The truth is, the thought occurred to me that as modern-day music listeners, we consume so much music on a daily and weekly basis that there have become two clear pools of choice when picking something to listen to: either a classic, old-school track or something relatively new. “What’s wrong with that?”, I hear you cry. “The vast middle in between those two”, I reply.
There are countless songs that lie in that grey area of being a little old, but nowhere near aged enough to be considered ‘classic’, and often they get overlooked. Several tracks may have been ‘ahead of their time’, and you’ll find them an almost brand new listen in today’s climate, or it may simply be revisiting an excellent track to recrete that ‘first time’ feel once again. Welcome to your friendly reminder of tracks we may have once loved (or even completely ignored), and enjoy the fresh yet familiar feeling that accompanies each one.
→ Continue Reading Sh*t You Forgot About: Episode 1
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Fridays were always overrated anyway.
Four posts to catch up on from the last week: Usher hooked up with Diplo for an enjoyable return to the spotlight, Ed Sheeran and Yelawolf came together for a free 4-track EP, Raheem DeVaughn made many folks’ Valentine’s Day with a new mixtape, and finally we were treated to an excellent slowed-down remix of Drake and The Weeknd’s Crew Love.
Below. Click.
→ Continue Reading R&B Fridays: Episode 138
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A quick hit from Pusha T, as he spends just over a minute having a play with Common’s Sweet instrumental. Big fan of the original and the instrumental, and Pusha comes through with a very enjoyable set of bars, though it’s disappointing he didn’t go any longer on this. Naturally, many will be looking to see if Pusha’s fired any Drake shots as he has been perceived as doing so previously, and admittedly there are one or two interesting lines in this…or I’m just hoping too hard for the ignition of a rap war.
Pusha T-Sweet Freestyle
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Pusha T comes through with some visuals from his freestyle of Future and Drake’s collabo. Usually a freestyle like this doesn’t lend to video form very well, especially as Pusha almost exclusively sits on a sofa for the duration, but he cleverly adds some stunning model to keep our eyes interested.
Pusha’s flow is on point as per usual, go cop his Fear of God II: Let Us Pray now!
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Heavily-delayed visuals for the debut single from John West. Given that the audio was released way back in March (and admittedly, I couldn’t believe it was that long ago!), it’s strange to see such a lag time in breaking the upcoming singer to a wider audience, but soul season is approaching, and it’s arguably a better move to unleash him now.
The Robin Thicke comparisons will continue with this minimal, casual yet rather suave video, with lots of nighttime scenery, dimmed lighting and a general laidback feel representing the song accurately. It’s not a revolutionary theme or style, but it’s increasingly rare to find easygoing, stylish themes like this amongst the growing trend for over-stimulating in music videos, and it makes for refreshing and relaxing viewing.
Congratulations to Pusha T too, who recently announced his official solo deal with Def Jam. Not wholly unexpected given his success in the last 12 months, and hopefully we’ll see him on more features of this ilk.
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A lineup that promises much, but for me the end product unfortunately falls slightly short of the quality rightfully expected of this superstar collective.
Taken from Pusha’s upcoming Fear of God EP, the track boasts a Lex Luger (or Lex Luger replica) production, and Pusha comes through with some solid work on his verse that adapts to that urgent, intense production style nicely. His verse comes sandwiched between two snarling Kanye West verses that don’t push any lyrical boundaries, and hence are slightly disappointing, whilst Jeezy’s closing verse suffers from the same flaws. The hook is solid, as the beat retracts into a calmer, more serene style that blends well with Jeezy’s gravelly voice. Worth a listen, but nothing that will get much long-term play.
Pusha T-Amen ft. Kanye West and Young Jeezy
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Still very much enjoying the audio for this collaboration, and the duo come together for a very entertaining video to supplement the track. It’s largely focused on generally creating havoc and a bit of chaos, as Pusha and Tyler throw a few eggs, gather a somewhat eclectic gang of folk to trash the streets/miscellaneous rooms and a little more on top of that.
A highlight is Tyler and Pusha ‘trading places’, in particular the unexpected sight of Pusha on crutches dressed identically to Tyler. It’s good to see the Clipse rapper add a little humour to his otherwise serious public image, and that certainly reflects on the video as a whole. A fun watch, and definitely has that Odd Future stamp all over it with a lighthearted yet anarchic vibe throughout the video. Audio available here.
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Having interacted frequently on Twitter, the long-awaited collaboration between the two comes to light, set to find a home on Pusha’s Fear of God 2: Let Us Pray (August 23rd). This also marks Tyler’s first major feature outside of the OFWGKTA collective, which certainly adds an interesting dimension to the track.
The Neptunes serve up a real head-nodding production here, with thick bass hits and sharp snare work providing a simple, uncomplicated platform for Pusha and Tyler to work with, and both certainly come through with solid verses. Whilst I’ve not taken greatly to his solo material, Tyler does come through with some decent raps here, slightly (and only slightly!) toning down his aggressive, exaggerated raps to maintain the vibe of the track. Worth a listen for sure, an enjoyable slice of hip-hop.
Pusha T-Trouble On My Mind ft. Tyler, The Creator
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The audio was released during Banks’ fantastic run of form towards the end of last year, and few would deny that this was comfortably one of the standout tracks of that hugely consistent period. A very well-rounded track, with strong verses from Banks, a soulful, mesmerising production and a worthwhile addition in Pusha T combining for a strong piece of hip-hop.
The video adds some decent imagery to accompany the audio, with dark, gritty scenery combined with flashes of grainy camera work to throw in an old-school vibe, enhancing that genuine hip-hop vibe emanating from this effort. Fairly simplistic, and rightfully so with the raw vibe of this track. Audio can be found on Banks’ Hunger For More 2 album, available on iTunes now.
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On we roll with the institution of institutions, and it’s probably fair to say that the highlight of this week’s R&B has already been posted: having finally got around to listening to The Weeknd’s debut project I was incredibly impressed by it, and would wholeheartedly recommend you R&B Friday fans checked it out.
In addition to that, the past week saw visuals for the latest T-Pain and Chris Brown collab, Frank Ocean dropped off some enjoyable visuals for one of his lesser-known tracks, and finally a big collaboration between Lloyd, Trey Songz and Young Jeezy.
Click below to grab what else we’ve got in store this week.
→ Continue Reading R&B Fridays: Episode 102
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The Nottz’ produced Fear Of God joint from Pusha T gets the visual treatment here.
Solid video for this one with Pusha sat, surrounded by smoke emanates that retrospective feel whilst numerous visual representations are presented on pedestals to drive home the subject matter in question.
Clipse fans will be pleased to see fellow counterpart Malice making a brief cameo here, as it’s undoubted that the two are stronger as a duo.
Support Pusha T’s movement here by downloading The Fear Of God (for free).
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Another short episode in terms of new tracks, but that’s the price we pay for me being forced (Murray’s been begging me) to deliver this on time. However, I’ve opted to use this ‘free space’ to throw in something a little different: I’ve included a couple of throwback tracks that you may be unfamiliar with, but are certainly worthy of attention. Would love to hear some feedback on them too, as I’d like to incorporate throwbacks more often!
This week’s recap is Chris Brown heavy, with a feature on both Keri Hilson’s latest video and Big Sean’s first video from his debut album, as well as a brand new video of his own from F.A.M.E. There’s also a new video from Lloyd, and a great track that didn’t make Frank Ocean’s brilliant mixtape.
Done? Good. Click below for R&B Fridays: The 93rd edition.
→ Continue Reading R&B Fridays: Episode 93
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Let’s take it back to the days of the A-Side and B-Side singles..
Starting off with the A-Side single, I’m here with a remix to my joint w/ the Clipse. I got Kais Khan from the UK on the production and I look forward to shooting the video for this real soon with Shomi Patwary of Illusive Media. I hope you like the Bollywood vibe we took this one. On the B-Side, we got Sureet “Digital Desi” Sandhu on the production with some of the underground’s finest on the vocals. I’m running with Roc Marciano out of NYC, and Danny Brown and MarvWon from Detroit. As a bonus (or C-Side), I went ahead and put some bars on a Rahat Fateh Ali Khan song. The language barrier might stop some of you from digging the Urdu classic, but I went ahead and called this the “Rahat Fateh Flow”.
Sir Aah-3 Tracks
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Probably the most anticipated mixtape of the year thus far, Pusha’s worked solidly to ‘build his brand’ in the last 12 months, culminating in this project: Many feel it’s a defining moment for Pusha.
The tracks we’ve caught thus far have been very enjoyable, and when added to his unerring consistency on guest spots, you’d be forgiven for expecting a lot out of this tape. Early indications suggest he’s hit those expectations, and you can find out for yourself by streaming the entire thing in the player here (shouts to Grooveshark for the player), and/or downloading the mixtape at the below link (which I’ve lovingly made iTunes-ready for you!)
Pusha T-Fear of God
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At the SXSW festival in Texas (which may I add, sounds like it’s been a brilliant festival for hip hop!), Kanye and the rest of his GOOD Music clan tore up the stage with probably my favourite track from the GOOD Friday weekly drops.
I had actually forgotten how immense this song was! Kanye sounds the best in this video out of these guys, though I was a little disappointed with Cudi’s performance in this. Having seen him live, I know he has a much better presence with the microphone, so I can only assume there was a problem with the sound levels on his mic.
The audio for this track can be found over here.
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Pusha T has had a very consistent last 7/8 months, and he comes through with some more good stuff. Cook It Down will be on his upcoming Fear Of God mixtape and that will be dropping on March 21st.
Rather than a simple leak from the mixtape to garner some more buzz for said mixtape, we’re instead treated to some visuals. Pusha takes us through his hood, whilst rapping over a Bun B/Drake collabo that I feel got a little overlooked when that came out last year.
This mixtape of Pusha’s is increasingly looking like a must listen, I’m not sure I’ll be able to wait 4 days!
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Yeah, we’re delayed again. You’re all pretty much used to it now though. When we hit that 100th episode, I may just have to rename this to something a little less ‘day specific’…
Catch-up: delayed visuals for Usher’s More, the video for Yasmin’s Finish Line and an official remix, very enjoyable video for Musiq and Swizzy’s single, XV’s remix of Erin Christine’s Naked, and finally Wiz Khalifa jumps on a remix with Cee-Lo.
Lots of features and guest spots in this week’s episode, so get your mice at the ready and get clicking below.
→ Continue Reading R&B Fridays: Episode 91
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New drop from Pusha’s Fear Of God mixtape, here we have him taking on Kanye’s Lost In The World.
Now I’m sure you’ve all heard Kanye’s version, given that it was on his recent awesome album, well fans of that track will like that Pusha kept it simple on this one. He retains all the original elements and structure of the song and simple lays down his own verse on it to replace Yeezy’s. The fact that he does this and has it sounding like it was his own song in the first place is the greatest compliment I can pay him. Based on this and the last leak from this mixtape of Pusha’s, I’m sure his mixtape is going to be rather good.
Pusha T-Lost In The World (remix)
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Travis wastes no time in dropping some visuals from his recent mixtape release, kicking things off with the Clipse collaboration. The track is extremely solid, and the spiky production additions from Travis compliment the brash rhymes of Pusha and Malice very well.
The interesting thing about this video is that it’s actually shot entirely with the Xbox 360 Kinect camera, which is most definitely interesting. Don’t ask me how they’ve done it/used it, but it’s resulted in some fairly eye-catching effects, ranging from black and white pixellated filters to stop-motion animation, giving this otherwise simple video a pretty spectacular visual appearance.
Worth a watch, just to see how this gaming technology is being creatively (and successfully) utilised! It’s an interesting thought that this could become quite prevalent, and hopefully we’ll see more abuse of gaming accessories for use in music videos.
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Pusha had a strong 2010 without actually releasing a whole lot of material, but what he did release (or featured on) he delivered excellent verses – other rappers, who shall not be named, take note! Here is the first drop from his much anticipated mixtape, Fear Of God.
He picks up where he left off from his collaborations with Kanye et al in the GOOD Friday series and doesn’t disappoint; giving us the infectious flow we’ve come to expect from him over some very likeable production. Definitely one to check out for you hip hop fans.
Pusha T – My God
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As the end of year lists begin to pop up everywhere, it’s only right that we enter the fray. Murray, Indi, Liam and myself have put our heads together to compile a list of the very best acts in hip-hop this year, and come up with shortlist of who we feel stood up and really did something worthwhile this year. With the differing tastes and perspectives of four writers, you’ll definitely find some good talking points amongst the commentary we’ve offered on our selections, for better or worse (hopefully better!).
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!
→ Continue Reading OTU’s Top 15 MCs of 2010
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Longest title ever? Now, I’m fully aware this was ‘out’ about a week ago. However, you’ll find that version had tags, probably wasn’t good quality, and wasn’t an authorised drop. This, on the other hand, is the latest addition to GOOD Fridays (despite being a Weds/Thurs depending on where you’re from) and is most certainly official.
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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From their massively-underrated Til The Casket Drops album, Life Change was undoubtedly one of the standout tracks and I’m surprised it took so long to get a video out for it.
Boasting a rich Neptunes production that adds some intensity and energy to the track, the Thornton brothers lace the beat with some fantastic introspective rhymes that when isolated may seem incongruent with the style of production, but they do work together surprisingly well, as the heavy synths project and strengthen the lyrics.
Good video too, with a believable and simple story throughout that compliments and enhances the lyrics appropriately. Throw in the customary shots of the artists, and you’ve got a decent video.
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Whilst the rest of the music world seems to have taken a much-needed breather this week (album releases aside), there’s been no shortage of new and/or unreleased R&B and pop material in the 76th instalment of R&B Fridays.
The week has already seen a great new video from Tank, two new remixes from T-Pain, a captivating video for Bruno Mars’ Grenade, the UK’s own Chipmunk working with Chris Brown, another release from Trey Songz’s upcoming mixtape, Keri Hilson and Kanye West getting together for a new remix, Keyshia Cole and Nicki Minaj’s collabo video, and the unexpected release of a John Legend and Estelle EP.
Lots up there, and lots down below. Click on.
→ Continue Reading R&B Fridays: Episode 76
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Ye’s very late on the GOOD Fridays this week, but let’s celebrate him finally getting J. Cole involved: these two could make some great music together, and this is a very good start.
Kanye serves up a good beat that blends the soul sounds of College Dropout with that signature pounding drumwork he’s taken to in his more recent material. It’s a successful synergy of the styles, and is also devoid of any ‘obvious’ hook which gives this a more old-school, posse cut flavour. Each rapper does a commendable job, though Big Sean and Cole stand out: Sean opens his verse with some breakneck flow, and switches back down to his regular relaxed style with ease without sacrificing his lyrical ability: another strong feature. Cole comes through on a particularly passionate angle, bringing some intensity to accompany great rhymes, and delivers a superb quotable to close the track out: ‘ironic you’ve been sleeping on the one that you’ve been dreaming ’bout‘. Another GOOD Friday that the hip-hop heads will really enjoy.
Kanye West-Looking For Trouble ft. J. Cole, Big Sean, CyHi Da Prynce and Pusha T
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Swizzy’s Monster Mondays continues into its second week with a surprisingly decent track. I’d be surprised if Pharrell hasn’t had a hand in the production here, as there is definitely a strong Neptunes influence on this beat. Pusha comes through with some good verses, comfortably taking the top spot on this one, whilst Pharrell does a characteristically relaxed job on the hook. Solid effort all-round.
Swizz Beatz-Bang Bang ft. Pusha T and Pharrell
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R&B Fridays and GOOD Fridays: all good things that are meant to drop on Fridays never do.
This is one of the strongest tracks in the GOOD Friday series from a production standpoint, with a great beat that is unlike any production I’ve heard from Kanye to date. It’s got an simple, dark melody that you’d usually hear on a Crooked I or Royce Da 5’9″ track, accompanied by some rough, hard percussion that would satisfy any hip-hop head. I think CyHi’s verse is the winner here, coming through with a catch southern flow that’s laced with some great lines.
Kanye West-Take One For The Team ft. Keri Hilson, Pusha T and CyHi Da Prynce
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Let’s be honest, the cyphers are the only reason people watch/care about the BET Awards. I mean, does anyone really know who won what last year? Nope, but I bet you could list a few of the cypher rappers.
Great cypher line-ups this year, with the video for the G.O.O.D. Music cypher (Kanye, Common, Big Sean, Pusha T and CyHi Da Prynce) being up here. After the click, there are great cyphers involving Wiz Khalifa, Mickey Factz, Raekwon, Yelawolf, Royce Da 5’9″, Rev Run and family, Ice Cube and family and so on.
For me, the respective winners: Big Sean, Yelawolf, Mickey, Royce and Ice Cube. Honourable mentions to CyHi, Bones Brigante, Diamond and Diggy.
→ Continue Reading BET Hip-Hop Awards 2010: The Cyphers
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