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Short recap from the last week: Raheem DeVaughn follows up his enjoyable Jackin’ 4 Beats mixtape with a sequel, Beyonce returned with her latest high-octane video, and a (highly-praised) remix of Mike Posner’s Falling. Looks like this was more than just an everyday remix, as Taio picks this version as his US single, leaving the Kylie version for the European markets. The video isn’t bad, and Taio plays it safe with a video that will be digested easily by the mainstream. Interesting (or cringeworthy, depending on where you stand) that Taio seems to have a strong resemblance to Usher in his mannerisms and general demeanour here, which may be a conscious decision to give him a more universal appeal. Audio for this is here.
Outside of this episode, it’s been a fairly quiet week for R&B, with just the three notables: a video for Rihanna and Drake’s collaboration, new music from UK upcomer Talay Riley, and the latest drop from Trey Songz’s upcoming mixtape. Click below for the 75th instalment of R&B’s favourite weekly episodical. A much more playful and thematically-focused video than any of us could have expected for this slice of alternative pop. With a heavy oriental theme throughout, it adds a much brighter and colourful feel to the track which arguably sounds alright in theory, but doesn’t seem to be implemented as well as I’d hoped: I liked the raw honesty of the lyrics, and it takes the shine away from that and makes it seem like a much more ‘fun’ song. There’s nothing wrong with that normally, but this particular track had quite an ‘epic’ and grand feel about it which is heavily diluted. Maybe I’m just interpreting it wrong though. Either way, the song is utterly superb. Audio is here. As far as backing vocalists go, getting the huge voice of Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump is about as good as it gets. Also, he’s lost a LOT of weight: looking sharp Mr. Stump! Though I may have been rash in my prediction of it being the summer’s best album, there were some undeniably great tracks on there, with this certainly being one. Head here for the Need You audio, as well as another of my favourites. There’s no denying that Perry’s Circle The Drain was about McCoy, and she admirably pulled no punches with the track. To this point, neither of them had commented on the track, but Travie breaks the silence and gets some serious points for the short comeback: ‘I’m just stoked that she finally has a song with some substance’. Ouch! Nice. I feel like a gossip columnist. I’m not going to pretend I like this song, but I do love his album Lazarus that this track happens to be on. The audio for this can be found here.
The man’s putting out great material on consistently and this is another top track. It’s beginning to annoy me that he’s still so underrated though: Great rapper and great singer, but just because the music isn’t dumbed-down it doesn’t get the praise.
Travie McCoy-Billionaire (Nappy Boy Remix) ft. Gucci Mane, T-Pain and Bruno Mars The latest visuals from Lazarus come in the form of the first track we actually heard from the album. Didn’t really give this one the props it deserved, as it’s another great Travie track, with a slightly alternative production well served by some very relatable and down-to-earth lyricism. Audio can be grabbed here, and remember to buy that Lazarus album.
The track here is 1 of 3 bonus tracks available with various versions of the album. You may recognise the beat/hook from Tattoo Forever by Detail, as this is pretty much a reworked version of that track without Detail or Lil’ Wayne. Decent summer effort, and definitely more along the hip-hop/R&B lines than some of the other tracks. T-Pain needs to chill out a little on the AutoTune though, it’s excessive even for him!
Need You is a wonderful mix of indie, R&B and pop. Unbelievably addictive beat, captivating vocals in the verses, and a catchy hook makes this one of the best tracks I’ve heard recently. Superbad is much more indie-rock than anything I’ve ever heard from Travie (including Gym Class stuff), and is yet another hugely enjoyable display of versatility and top-quality music. Everyone talks about B.o.B and Cudi being eclectic, but I’m beginning to believe that this guy is more adaptable than them both. Just look at the four leaks thus far: Billionaire, Alright and these two are all incredibly diverse. Do NOT sleep on this guy, no matter what genre you prefer.
This track has some superb summer vibes (much like the original) and has Travie on his rarely-utilised singing tip. Decent set of vocals too and this will appeal to a really wide range of people, from the indie folk to the pop lovers. Could be a big radio hit. Love this track, loved the live version, and I love the official video! Fits the song perfectly, with a nice summer atmosphere tied into the great lyrics really well. Really emphasises the message of the track throughout, and it’s definitely a video that enhances an already-brilliant song. Audio can be found here for those stupid enough to miss it before. I must say I’m really enjoying this new wave of alternative hip-hop with artists like Travie and B.o.B, it’s all very good stuff. Notice the common factor in this track and B.o.B’s smash hit? Bruno Mars. We told you he was taking over. This, my friends, is amazing. I mean seriously good. Having never seen/heard Bruno Mars live, I had absolutely no idea the kid had this much brilliance in his voice. He effortlessly hits some very difficult notes, and sings the hook for Billionaire absolutely perfectly. Travie keeps his raps good as ever, and displays the charisma we all know he possesses. Can’t get enough of this. If you missed the audio for the original, don’t make the same mistake twice and click here.
Bad is much darker than any of the other tracks I’ve heard from him: the beat is fantastically haunting (he seems to have a really good ear for a beat) and Travis comes through as ever. Probably a more hip-hop track than his other efforts, although this will be one the more eclectic among you will still enjoy.
It’s naturally got a Gym Class Heroes feel to it, but definitely with some differences. If you enjoyed B.o.B and Bruno’s collab (see a few posts below), you’ll like this. If you like chilled out crossover hip-hop you’ll like this. Hell, if you like music you’ll like this!
Interested to see what they bring, and maybe checking out some of his other artists that we might not be too familiar with yet. I liked The Manual from a little while back, so this could be decent.
Haven’t checked this out yet, but this seems to be the first official Nappy Boy material from Travis and will hopefully be really good as I’m a big fan of his rapping ability. Massive amounts of respect need to go to Gym Class Heroes’ frontman Travis for this. The track is inspired by Travis’ humanitarian acts on his recent around-the-world trip, and is a really heartfelt and worthwhile video/track. It was written for the Staying Alive Foundation, who try and prevent HIV worldwide. To get the audio, go to this link. This is a worthwhile cause and the amount you donate is your choice. It’s a great track, and for a great cause so please be sure to click the link and grab it. It can cost as little as 60p/$1, which you aren’t really going to miss, so do something good! |
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