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.
Though it’s only from the soundtrack of the upcoming Think Like A Man film, it’s always great to get some new John Legend, and it certainly helps when it’s one of his better tracks in a long time.
Opening with in an atmospheric and drifty manner, there’s an instantly smooth vibe pouring out of this one, and whilst the song does shift into a more pop/R&B realm with the percussion and additional elements, it retains enough of that initial airy quality to give it a distinctive flavour. Legend’s vocals are never in doubt, and here he actually does a good job of stifling his natural passion and intensity, instead opting for a more structurally sound effort that still showcases his wonderful talent. Definitely worth a listen, and look out for it on iTunes on Tuesday.
The semi-title track from Common’s upcoming The Dreamer, The Believer, and this album is really shaping up to be something special.
The track feels like a modern take on the soulful style of Be, with John’s soulful vocals on the hook accompanied by speedy percussion, an uplifting vocal sample and sharp, crisp raps from Common that come packed in a couple of very slick flows. It’s a great combination of elegance and energy, and once again highlights Common’s incomparable diversity. The Dreamer, The Believer coming December 20th.
5 weeks away from the 100th episode, and the ‘new format’ rolls on with another easy-to-digest and concise edition. Not too much to catch up on in terms of different posts, but I’m sure anyone with even a sprinkling of good taste will be interested in grabbing 64 Frank Ocean tracks.
An interesting blend of mainstream stuff and more refined soul-oriented material this week, as well as chucking in the now customary throwback R&B track of the week. Click below to be happy. → Continue Reading R&B Fridays: Episode 95
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!
As Liam rightly suggested back when the solo Kanye version of this dropped, this track looks set for Snoop’s upcoming album. Can’t say I was particularly won over by the original, and sadly that’s not really been changed here.
The nature of the beat actually seems to fit Snoop a little better than it does ‘Ye, though that’s not entirely a compliment: I’m not convinced this is the right beat for either artist, and may be better suited to a Kid Cudi or Wiz Khalifa type rapper. When incorporating an edgy, guitar-laden style to the production, keeping the tempo down means you’ve really got to come through lyrically to play off those sharp tones and sadly, I don’t feel as though that’s done here. Had it been sped up, it may have been compensated with some nicer flows, but there we are. Not for me sadly, but may be very accessible to the mainstream/radio listeners.
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.
Here’s the new mixtape by Fashawn, as promised yesterday. Given the strength of yesterday’s track that I posted and the stuff I’ve heard Fashawn come out with in recent times, I fully expect this mixtape to be incredibly good.
Definitely one of the best from the underground hip hop circuit about and with the likes of J. Cole, Common, John Legend, GLC and Gilbere Forte all on the list of features on this mixtape, it shouldn’t disappoint.
Click here to grab it and click below to see the tracklist.
Revealed on Lupe’s website a little earlier, alongside the pre-order packages for the album. Nice to see we’ve only heard (versions of) 3 of the tracks so far, meaning the rest will be nice and fresh!
1. Letting Go (Feat. Sarah Green)
2. Words I Never Said (Feat. Skylar Grey)
3. Till I Get There
4. I Don’t Wanna Care Right Now (Feat. MDMA)
5. Out Of My Head (Feat. Trey Songz)
6. The Show Goes On
7. Beautiful Lasers (Two Ways) (Feat. MDMA)
8. Coming Up (Feat. MDMA)
9. State Run Radio (Feat. Matt Mahaffey)
10. Break The Chain (Feat. Eric Turner & Sway)
11. All Black Everything
12. Never Forget You (Feat. John Legend)
A very dark, industrial video for a very good song.
The audio itself had a vibe that blended uplifting elements with a more melancholy, bittersweet style and this video certainly plays on the latter styles with some harrowing imagery. The combination of empty, industrial scenes with visions of death, instances of gang crime and faceless individuals makes for an eye-opening, compelling and frighteningly realistic video, which really makes the most of the audio its given.
I don’t claim to have seen many videos of this sort of music, but this certainly adds some depth to this style of music, doing its part to move it away from the stereotypes and audiences its commonly associated with, and into the realms of mainstream and artistic acceptance. John Legend’s vocals are as brilliant as ever, conveying a range of emotions brilliantly with those unmistakeable vocals. A superb all-round effort, and you can grab a remix of this track here.
The original was one of the most unexpected collaborations of 2010, and 1/3 of the mighty Magnetic Man trio opts to give it a refresh with a solo remix.
I’m going to go with the original in this case, as its light yet energetic dub influences were far better synergised with John’s voice than the more minimal-experimental style Skream adopts here. It’s a solid track as an independent piece, and works as a relaxed and laidback affair, but remixes by nature can’t escape being viewed comparatively and hence I feel it comes up a little short. No doubt Skream fans will view it differently!
<object height=”81″ width=”100%”> <param name=”movie” value=”http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F9037137&show_comments=false&auto_play=false&color=e2001c”></param> <param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”></param> <embed allowscriptaccess=”always” height=”81″ src=”http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F9037137&show_comments=false&auto_play=false&color=e2001c” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” width=”100%”></embed> </object> <span><a href=”http://soundcloud.com/skreamizm/magnetic-man-ft-john-legend-gettin-nowhere-skreamix”>Magnetic Man ft John Legend – Gettin Nowhere – Skreamix</a> by <a href=”http://soundcloud.com/skreamizm”>SKREAMIZM</a></span>
Wow, well that came out of nowhere. Should be a great listen and with the recent spate of love for John Legend, on the back of his collaborative album with The Roots and superb feature(s) on Kanye’s album, I’m looking forward to more vocals from John.
These two have a good chemistry too, both with the recent Fall In Love and You Are from Estelle’s last album. Grab it below, link courtesy of Estelle’s Twitter!
It’s been a huge 48 hours for collaborations, but in honesty this pairing excites me more than any other. It’s not clear whether this is from Lasers or if it’s old material, but it’s fantastic stuff either way.
Comfortably one of Lupe’s most lyrically introspective tracks, he comes through with some really reflective raps that give this track an incredibly personal feel. The production fits that style perfectly, with an echoed piano melody further enhancing the isolated nostalgia that Lupe conveys so eloquently. John Legend’s hook is the crowning glory on this track, adding in a soulful ingredient perfectly weighted with remorse, hope and power: it’s a thought-provoking blend that adds great strength to the song’s lyrical content. Great song, and one that will undoubtedly satisfy Lupe’s hungry fans.
Lupe Fiasco-Never Forget You ft. John Legend
Edit:Kanye has mixed a new version for us now, (the same but with an extended R-Les verse). Grab ithere.
Now that is one hell of a long title! There wasn’t going to be a G.O.O.D Friday drop this week because some blogs posted a leaked track from his upcoming album (not us). However Kanye decided not to punish us all, and let us have this weeks track.
First impressions, Kanye’s done it again! Another fantastic track and some great verses supplemented with an awesome Kid Cudi chorus. The quality of all these free tracks he’s giving away is unparalleled in the game right now. This track alone is better than 99% you’d hear on other rappers albums, let alone all the other tracks Kanye’s given away lately.
Great stuff. Grab it by clicking the illustrious red text below.
Some nice features on GLC’s upcoming debut album. Anyone else feel its 2 years too late?
1. The Big Knot
2. Clockin’ Lotsa Dollarz (feat. Sir Mix-A-Lot & Bun B)
3. Pour Another Drink (feat. John Legend)
4. Cold As Ice (feat. Twista)
5. MHCC (feat. Byrd Dre)
6. Flight School (feat. Kanye West & T-Pain)
7. So Real (feat. B.J. The Chicago Kid)
8. My 1st Model (feat. Christian Rich)
9. The Light
10. I Ain’t Even On Yet
11. Pull Me Back (feat. The Legendary Traxster)
12. Rosanne
13. This What It Is
14. I Did It
15. Tator Chip Pays
A couple of tracks leaked from their upcoming collaborative album today, but this was probably the better one.
Shine manages to strike a rare, brilliant mix of being easygoing and relaxing whilst adding motivational and uplifting elements to the track. A fantastic contrast that is played out perfectly in both John’s vocals and the ever-capable backing of The Roots, who build the instrumental piece-by-piece into a rousing jazz-soul finale. Definitely one to check out for those after some organic, genuine music.
Visuals for the mega-collabo from the upcoming John Legend/The Roots album. I do enjoy this soulful track, and expect these visuals to be pretty good considering the line-up.
I’ve been eagerly awaiting these visuals, and it’s every bit as gloriously epic as I’d hoped. Set in World War 2, this video is a fantastic mini-movie and adds even more depth to an already atmospheric and uplifting song.
Absolutely compelling, a video that will last long in your memory. Audio for the B.o.B remix is available here.
New leak from John Legend & The Roots’ upcoming album, Wake Up!, which is out mid September. If you’ve heard The Roots and/or John Legend before, then you won’t even be reading what I’m writing here and gone straight to the download link. Which is fair enough, this is a nice soulful track for this relaxing Saturday afternoon!
Edit:Well that didn’t take long, in fact the CD quality of this track leaked soon after I went to bed! So here you go, I’ve replaced the below link with the real version which won’t offend you ears. This song is awesome.
Definitely the last leak we’ll be posting from Officer Ricky’s Teflon Don album. Here is a radio rip of his collaboration with Jay-Z (let loose by DJ Khaled). Rest assured when that CD quality version of this track appears, we’ll put it up, but for now think of this of a preview of what sounds like a very good track.
Jay-Z’s verse goes hard (on all those who’ve recently accused him being a devil-worshipping Mason) on this, definitely worth checking out – I’ll be listening to the CD quality version of this a lot when that leaks! Go grab it below.
It’s always nice to come home from playing football straight to an inbox full of good music!
This one is B.o.B remixing a recently-leaked track from The Roots’ How I Got Over album. Not sure if it’s official or just B.o.B having some fun, but either way it’s worth checking out. John Legend delivers a fantastic hook and some great vocals throughout, whilst B.o.B really holds his own with his verse, alongside the ever-brilliant Black Thought.
Love the production too, and frankly everything about this song has the feel of a classic.
As you may know, these two are actually working on a collaborative album together. This probably isn’t a true representation of that album as it merely samples some old John Legend vocals, but does offer a bit of a view into what it could sound like and is frankly another great track. The aforementioned vocals are superb, and some rhymes from the ‘underrated, underappreciated‘ Black Thought are always a great addition to any track.
3 for 3 so far on the tracks I’ve heard on this album. Looking forward to its release!
Many of your Fridays have been centered around this OTU institution, and I’m glad to deliver this 50th episode of the hugely popular series. I’ve enjoyed writing it as much as you have reading it.
Say what you want about Officer Ricky (and I usually do), the man has an ear for a good beat. This is chilled, summery and mellow with John Legend providing a fantastic hook.
What really surprised me was Ross’ flow on his verse, as it’s actually half-decent. I’m Ricky’s biggest critic, but even I’ve gotta give the man his dues on this one. Good track, which is set to be the first single from the upcoming Teflon Don album.
A few new tracks after the click from the last day or two, some of which are pretty good Most of it is made up of remixes, and a whole host of well-known artists are involved, so be sure to keep reading.
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