Brand new single from the incomparable Usher, taken from his upcoming and much-anticipated Looking For Myself album. Riding the wave of popularity that Climax built, Usher grabs Rick Ross for the assist on this somewhat more ‘typical’ track.
The production is decent enough, and though the general vibe of it is relatively standard pop R&B stuff, some of the individual elements are enjoyable, with the fragments of sultry style adding a nice balance to some of the more mainstream melodies. Ush’s vocals are solid as ever, though certainly not as engaging or downright addictive as his performance on Climax, whilst Ross drops off a typically-braggadocios verse. Not a patch on Climax for me, but an OK single that might play well on the club scene.
The undisputed highlight of Wale’s Ambition album, this motivational number is an excellent choice to restart the Wale/MMG buzz.
As one of Wale’s better tracks to date, there’s pressure on the clip to deliver, and thankfully it does. The video opens with, and is mostly anchored around, a nightime cityscape, capturing the dark and moody elements of the audio very well, ensuring the true essence of the track is visualised appropriately. The verses contain some excellent semi-biographical sections too, with Meek Mill reflecting on his time back in his neighbourhood and Ross offering a rare glimpse of his personal life with some brief clips of life as a young upcomer. Wale closes things off with a mix of isolated and studio scenes, and it becomes apparent that his verse is incredibly thin subject-wise, in comparison to the more personal styles Meek and Ross go with, with his arrogant bars not quite fitting in with the general introspection of the song/video.
An enjoyable watch nonetheless, and a real standout track in Wale’s back catalogue. Grab it on iTunes now.
Rick Ross follows up his rather good Rich Forever mixtape with some visuals from one of the bangers from said mixtape! High Definition is possesses a great beat, which he flows effortlessly to. The video opens up with some Tyson footage talking about how his boxing titles are ‘garbage’ and mean nothing to him anymore as his priorities in life changed as he grew up. Not quite sure how that applies this track as Ross raps about his money and material possessions, but we’ll roll with it nonetheless.
Nice cameos from Timbaland and Pharrell Williams too! Both having taken a step out the limelight in recent times, so it’s good to see them alive and well. Cop the mixtape here if you haven’t already.
When Rick Ross is in work mode there’s probably not a lot of rappers who work as hard as him. His recent mixtape was filled with such quality tracks and production that it’d be easy to mistake it for an actual album!
These visuals are for a track off that tape, a track of high topic featuring Drake and French Montana. Why are people talking about this track? Aside from it sounding good, Drake fires off some alleged subliminals at Common. Given that French Montana confirmed that Drake had done the verse just a few weeks ago, it’s pretty likely that it is. Peep the track and the visuals on the left here.
King of the adlibs, and one of those rappers whose verses have a nasty habit of getting stuck in your head, the boss Rick Ross comes through with a bumper 19-track mixtape, made up of what I believe to mostly be brand new, original material to satisfy those disappointed by the delay on his God Forgives, I Don’t album.
Plenty of features for the mainstream crowd to lap up, including Drake (who apparently goes at Common on his verse), Kelly Rowland, the ubiquitous 2 Chainz and more, alongside some for the rest of us including Nas, Stalley and Styles P. Production-wise, there’s an interesting mix of established guys and new names (to me, at least), which should make for a nice diverse listen as some of those newcomers look to prove themselves. Free grab below.
The original was quite popular to Ambition‘s release, yet it was only a bonus track. Figure that one out.
Wale grabs some big names for the official remix, with each act doing a solid job on the controlled intensity that coarses through the production; whilst Tone P draws heavily from Lex Luger’s style, there’s enough bounce in the percussion to give it an identity of its own. Easy enough mainstream hip-hop to fill out a playlist. Sidenote: has anyone’s career undergone more of a turnaround after a namechange than 2 Chainz/Tity Boi?!
Taken from the upcoming Tower Heist film (starring Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller), Nas hooks up with Rick Ross and Salaam Remi for an good all-rounder.
Remi serves up a bouncy production that boasts horn-influenced melodies and a simple, easygoing percussion, providing a smooth yet lively backdrop for both rappers. Nas opens with a decent verse, dropping off some smart lines in a slower flow, and pulls double duty with a memorable hook. Ross follows up with a solid verse of his own, with his hoarse delivery contrasting nicely with Nas’ slicker raps. Nothing particularly groundbreaking or game-changing, but a decent track that may rack up a few plays in the hip-hop listener’s library.
Let loose by Wale recently and set for his upcoming Ambition album, this one is essentially the ‘Maybach Music’-style track most folk expect Wale’s album to be dominated with, as a Lex Luger (or latest imitation) beat joins forces with predictable, braggadocios raps from Wale and Ross.
Although it’s another ominous, intense Luger (style) beat it does have its moments, with the more energetic, synth-filled hook having a catchy, memorable quality, though otherwise it sounds largely similar to the 600 other beats we’ve heard come out of the MMG in the last 18 months. The raps aren’t anything spectacular but suit the beat well enough, and though Ricky oddly mimics Kanye’s slurry sentence tail-off at times, he’s still got an undeniable charisma that blends with these productions. OK material for fans of the Luger style, relatively boring for the rest of us. Hopefully, Ambition has a little more diversity.
The second track of Drake’s Saturday night releases comes courtesy of a Rick Ross assist, and another enjoyable 40 production. Drake’s recently mentioned the possibility of doing a joint album/project with Ross, and if this doesn’t find its way to Take Care, it may very well be used for the collaborative project.
The atmospheric, airy synths that 40′s so accustomed to are put to good use over a thumping percussion, skilfully infusing the mellow vibe with a little verve and bounce to create a well-rounded production. Both Drake and Ross come through with fairly standard work on the lyrics, though the hook is certainly a little different as Drake harmonises about getting the lady of interest to ‘tat my name on you’. Solid material.
Is R&B currently suffering from one of its worst recessions? Outside of a few upcoming stars (Frank Ocean, The Weeknd and others) there hasn’t been much in terms of consistent quality, and outside of the aforementioned two artists, it’s increasingly difficult to see where the recovery will come from.
Take a moment and think about Red Cafe’s situation: he’s simulataneously signed to both Diddy and Akon’s respective labels, he had a massively popular single in early ’09 with Hottest In The Hood, and frequently collaborates with huge artists. Surely he has to be regarded as one of the biggest underperformers around?
One criticism that you can’t level at him is poor beat selection, and here he picks a superb R-Les production that relies largely on addictive bass plucks creating a thick and distinctive melody, whilst the tempo suits both Cafe and Ross very nicely. Lyrically, it’s relatively typical mainstream stuff, and arguably Cafe mimics Ross’ own rapping style a little too much, but it’s an easy listen with R-Les’ memorable hook and outro being notable. A decent enough standard, and one that’s accessible to a wide audience, but more can be expected with his credentials.
A fairly unremarkable video for one of the mainstream’s favourite songs right now. It certainly won’t blow anyone’s mind, but the arrogant, lavish essence of the audio is captured well enough with lots of extravagantly-priced items and standard carefree behaviour.
The cityscapes work very well with Drake’s hook in particular, adding an atmospheric visual to the slower first half, and injecting energy into the more lively second part. Drake also appears to have been taking items from Rick Ross’ wardrobe of fashion disasters with one of his outfits, baring his chest and adorning it with some unnecessarily large jewellery. Nothing to note aside from that, purely a video that will further etch the song onto mainstream minds. Audio is here.
Originally leaked a few months back, you’d be forgiven for thinking this was already released, but it’s re-emergence marks the official release of the huge collaboration.
Having avoided the original leak of the video, I can’t comment on whether anything is actually different, but it is a pretty solid video from start to finish. Hovering somewhere in between the metaphorical style of his feature-length Runaway video and a regular music video, with hints of artistic flair alongside some gruesome, horror-inspired imagery that works with the more literal vibe of Monster. In particular, the oft-revisited scene early on involving Kanye rapping in front of/holding off a bunch of ‘zombies’ outside his doors has a very ‘us versus the paparazzi’ vibe, and hence makes you sympathise with the ‘monster’ that is Kanye West.
Some great fashion moments too, with Jay-Z’s rather slick smarts probably taking the win, though Kanye doesn’t exactly come up short either. Worth a watch, and I’m sure everyone has the audio by now.
Before you get into a fit, I’m fully aware this was first released about two weeks ago. However, upon recently lavishing praise on another DJ’s mainstream stomper, it occured to me that a miscommunication in the OTU team means this enjoyable effort was oddly never posted. A rare slip-up!
Probably one of Khaled’s best songs ever. Why? Not only does he refrain from screaming all over it, but everything else seems to go right. The beat is absolutely superb, with a piercing melody in the verses being supplemented in the hook by a thick percussion that will undoubtedly get your neck snapping, whilst Drake stars with a very solid verse, along with a strong hook. Ricky Ross is bearable on this too (I guarantee you’ll find yourself copying his verse-opening grunt!), though Wayne is massively disappointing on this with a lazy, boring verse. Really enjoyable effort outside of that verse though. Sorry for the delay!
Lots of slow jams and collaborations in this week’s episode, some of which are certainly noteworthy not only for their lineup, but also as they’re potentially quite prominent singles from upcoming albums.
From the upcoming Maybach Music album Self Made vol. 1. Regardless of your opinions on Ross’ music, there’s no denying he’s assembled a talented trio in Pill, Wale and Meek Mill, with this album serving as the ‘introduction’ to their Maybach Music careers.
With Wale already having a fairly established album out there, you’d think he’d probably be looking to use this label change to call in some heavy-hitters and such to work with: that’s certainly been done with the Jada feature, but sadly he’s also roped in Lex Luger for another one of those ‘intimidating’ style beats that Ross so very much loves. I thought I was just bored of hearing Ricky on these, but it turns out I’m just sick of the beat style full stop. Hence, it stops me from ever getting into the track but the mainstream/casual hip-hop fans will probably really dig this.
There’s one simple reason this is late: I forgot. I subsequently considered leaving it for this week, but then realised how many of your lives cling on to the faint glimmer of light and tiny shreds of hope that R&B Friday gives you.
Very solid video for the mega-star collaboration from Travis Barker’s debut album (which is out now by the way folks!). One of those songs that’s very easy to listen to in a playlist, it’s also one of the few genuinely likeable all-star tracks amidst a sea of them.
The video has a sketchy, alternative cinematography that keeps things dynamic and interesting, whilst the artists come together in an old-school ‘band’ style that gives this a very organic feel. Being interspersed with shots from various street/outdoor scenes is OK and whilst the scenes themselves fit with the audio nicely, the constant switching does get a little distracting at times in taking the focus away from the more enjoyable ‘band’ scenes. Solid video content-wise though, and definitely embellishes the audio. Be sure to grab that album!
Lil’ Wayne brings us what I believe to be the second single for The Carter IV (what was the first single again?). I feared the worst when I saw this featured Rick Ross, I feared that the production on this would sound exactly like Rick Ross’ recent liking towards B.M.F. type songs. Unfortunately upon listening, my fears were realised.
The Lil’ Wayne parts of this song I actually found myself quite liking, but can’t help but feel this song would be much better without Ross. I don’t mean any offense to the ‘Bawse’ but as I’ve said before, he needs to steer away from these Lex Luger-type beats (or Lex Luger needs to stop making these type of beats?), it’s already become tiresome in my opinion.
Still, this is very worth grabbing if you like that style, or if you’re a fan of Wayne.
Pretty big collaboration that surfaced last night, from an upcoming Maybach Music collective mixtape (I’ve forgotten the name). Always interesting to hear what Wiz and Wale can bring, and over Rick Ross’ ear for a beat, you wouldn’t be blamed for expecting something decent here.
You essentially get what you’d expect too. It’s one of those loungey, laidback productions that Ross favours, and has hence overused, but hearing Wiz and Wale on the production allows for a proper appreciation of its quality. Wiz is confined to the hook, which is a little disappointing as it means we’re stuck with one too many Ross verses, and hence that Wale verse comes through at the right time to freshen the track up. Same old Ross verses, decent Wale verse and solid Wiz hook. Nothing revolutionary, but one of those that could easily become quite popular.
Absolute classic hip-hop here. Subtle metaphors, neat and intricate wordplay and more multi’s than a G Rap/Big L/Rugged Man cocktail. Production is mellow, soulful and each element crafted and cared for. The Notorious who?
Rick Ross’ buddy Torch grabs two of the UK’s finest for the official remix to his apparent hit, Bang Yo City. You can see the appeal of this track to the mainstream hip-hop crowd, with a strong production that has the ominous, nod-your-head style that seems prevalent in the mainstream scene.
Great to to see S.A.S. and Bigz get international recognition with the features here, and both come through with enjoyable verses. Can’t really complain about any of the verses on the track in honesty (I doubt anyone’s expecting a lyrical masterclass) and they all fit the style and vibe of the track nicely. One of those that’ll certainly give you a little shot of motivation and energy.
Much anticipated mixtape from Game, one that’s been talked about all day today. Really looking forward to this, especially as a few tracks leaked earlier that were of a very good standard. Check out the tracklist below, which contains some huge features and producers. You can preview and download (click the artwork) the mixtape in the widget here.
1. L.A. Times (Prod. By Ervin “EP” Pope)
2. In My ’64 Feat. Pharrell & Snoop Dogg (Prod. By The Neptunes)
3. Soo Woo Feat. Lil Wayne (Prod. By Bink)
4. Living Better Now Feat. Detail & Tools (Prod. By DJ shake)
5. R.I.P. Story (Prod. By Nottz)
6. Purp & Patron (Prod. By DJ Shake)
7. I’m The King (Remix) Feat. Mistah FAB & The Jacka (Prod. By 1500 Or Nothin)
8. Taylor Made Feat. Wiz Khalifa (Prod. By Che Vicious)
9. Childrens Story (Prod. By Ervin “EP” Pope)
10. Dead (Prod. By 1500 Or Nothin)
11. Ferrari Lifestyle Feat. Fabolous (Prod. By D.A.Dorman)
12. The Kill (Prod. By Cool N Dre)
13. Heart Breaker Feat. Rev Burke (Prod. By The RZA)
14. Purp & Yellow (Skeetox Remix) Feat. Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa
15. Burn NY Feat. Mysonne (Prod. By Mike City)
16. Bad Intentions (Prod. By DJ Shake)
17. Khaki Suit Feat. T-Pain (Prod. By T-Pain)
18 Wonderful World (Prod. By DJ Shake)
19. Ashes To Ashes Feat. Rick Ross
20. Dedicated Feat. Pharrell (Prod. By The Neptunes)
21. Soft Rhodes Feat. Ashanti (Prod. By Dr. Dre)
22. I Just Want To Fuck (Prod. By Denaun Porter)
23. 187 Feat. Lil Boosie
24. Whip It Feat. Fabolous (Prod. By DJ Haze)
25. Favorite DJ Remix Feat. Clinton Sparks & Jim Jones (Prod. By Green Lantern)
26. Supastar Feat. Ashley Cole & Mike Epps (Prod. By Ervin “EP” Pope)
27. Can A Drummer Get Some Feat. Travis Barker, Swizz Beatz, Lil Wayne & Rick Ross
28. History Feat. Doug E. Fresh, Big Daddy Kane & KRS One (Prod. By Ervin “EP” Pope)
29. The Ocean Feat. Dr. Dre (Prod. By Dr. Dre & Che Vicious)
Classic montage video for their recent collabo. I would have preferred a real official video as this is a tad boring, but I can live with it. With the track being about getting wasted, this series of clips full of bants that Red Cafe has had over the last year or so will suffice.
You can grab the audio for this very good weekend song by clicking over here.
This is the title track (sort of) from Travis Barker’s soon to be released album Give The Drummer Some. We’ve already heard a couple of joints that are supposedly from the album here and here, and I have to say they haven’t really lived up to my expectations.
The first thing that’ll catch your eye with this, as it did mine, is the line up. Swizz and Travis together absolute nail the production, as heavy electric guitars, deep bass and big drums combine to give these three fine rappers a majestic platform to lay down their bars. Game, Weezy and Ross all suit this big production style and each of them gives us an aggressive verse, in-keeping with the vibe of track. A perfect track to get you in the mood to kick some ass.
Travis Barker ft. Game, Lil’ Wayne, Rick Ross & Swizz Beatz-Can A Drummer Get Some
Red Cafe & Rick Ross give us a new anthem to get us pumped up for a big night out. Represented with some excellent production and an infectious hook by Red Cafe, this is a track I will be bumping for a while.
In fact this is exactly the sort of production Rick Ross should be doing more, switch it up a little on your songs homie, you sound good on this collabo. A little tagged up, but I can get over that as it won’t take anything away from your listening experience of it. Download it by clicking below.
For Khaled’s first track since his signing to Cash Money Records, he links up with Rick Ross, Plies, Lil Wayne and T-Pain; which will only go to further instigate rumors that Pain is about to sign with Young Money Records. The single is also thought to be the first release from Khaled’s forthcoming EP We The Best Forever.
With this being a DJ Khaled joint and considering the lineup, you’d expect hard hitting beats, an anthemic hook and plenty of punchlines, and that’s exactly what you get. However, I’m not quite feeling it, and I was expecting better: don’t get me wrong it’s not a terrible track, but there’s potential on here for it to be much more. I never thought I’d say this, but I think Plies tops both Weezy and Ross, coming through with an aggressive flow in keeping with the theme of the track, whereas the other two just lay down pretty average verses.
DJ Khaled ft. Rick Ross, Plies, Lil Wayne & T-Pain–Welcome To My Hood
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