Cassie & Lauren London
This is probably my favorite CotW entry thus far. My old schoolmate and my future wifey collab for this sexy spread for Sean John Ladies. Diddy did good pickin these two for the face of the ladies line of Sean John. My question is, who would you pick first? It's a true win/win! Click the link below to view more pics.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Girls, Girls, Girls: Chick of the Week 11/10 - 2 For 1...
Friday, November 7, 2008
Kanye Friday: Old, New, Interviews, and More!
In honor of the upcoming release of 808's & Heartbreak, I'm bringin' you a segment called Kanye Friday. There's been a slew of Ye material that hit the net today, and it's all here. From the video of "Heartless", to his "Love Lockdown" performance at the Europe VMA's, to the weekly throwback joint of the day. Click the link below to check out the latest and the greatest with Kanye to the...
Kanye West - Heartless
This video randomly hit the net today for Ye's second single. I'm feeling the art direction Kanye & Hype took with this video, contributing to Kanye's artistic videography. It reminds me alot of Pac's "Do For Love" video.
DJ Khaled feat. Kanye West & T-Pain
It's no "Good Life", but it'll do. It just shows what happens when you put Kanye with a bunch of Florida niggaz.
Love Lockdown Performance at the MTV Europe Music Awards
Peep Kanye's performance from last night's MTV's Eurpore music awards.
Kanye Video Interview in Singapore
Kanye sits down in Singapore to discuss classic music, artist development and of course 808's & Heartbreak. Very interesting interview, peep the vid below:
Takin' Em Back 11/7: Kanye West - Thru the Wire
Since this is Ye Friday, I'mma take you back with one of my favorite Kanye joints off of the classic College Dropout. Compared to his current music, it's a huge difference but a true artist switches it up, but keeps the quality of the music up to par. I'm not going to front, I miss the "soulful" Kanye days, but we'll see what all 808's & Heartbreak has to offer.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
NextUp: KiD CuDi
Meet KiD CuDi, a fresh, innovative artist who hails from Cleveland. His undergound track "Day N Nite" has created buzz for him over the past couple of months, and his mixtape A Kid Named Cudi (download link inside) landed him a deal with Good Music and two a features on Kanye West's 808's & Heartbreak LP.
Since '07 there has been a wave of fresh new emcee's emerging onto the hip hop scene. Some of those names include, The Cool Kids, U-N-I, Charles Hamilton, and more. The emergence of these new artists even received recognition from XXL Magazine in this month's issue. Newcomers Wale, Asher Roth, and Ace Hood graced the cover, but one artist who stands out is Cleveland rapper KiD CuDi.
Two months ago, I attended the MTV VMA's. During the show, there were short segments with artists performing with Travis Barker on the drums and DJ AM on the 1's and 2's. I heard this unknown artist performing and me being ignorant I only half listened but later found out it was a new dude named KiD CuDi. Shortly after, I hear this track that sounds fresh and new. I had to use my app from my iPhone to let me know what song it was. The result was KiD CuDi's "Day N Night", therefore I had to see if he had any other material as dope as that single.
It turns out I'm not the only person feeling "Day N Night". Jim Jones made his own version of "Day N Night" emulating the rap/sung flow that Cudi delivers on the track.
Kid Cudi - Day N Night
Kid Cudi's mixtape presented by 10Deep, A Kid Named Cudi caught the attention of Kanye West which resulted in his signing to GOOD Music. Listening to Cudi's mixtape it's easy to see that he will be a perfect fit for the label. While some newcomers spend years trying to find themselves musically, Cudi seems to be comfortable with who he is as an artist. On "Embrace the Martian", he request the respect and acceptance from listeners but uses an extraterrestrial reference. Cudi expresses his confidence in being unique on "Save my Soul" where he raps over Gnarls Barkley's "Who's Gonna Save My Soul". The young mc spits "I don't even hear what other niggaz talkin' bout, call me a hipster/as long as you're a listener"
Listening to A Kid Named Cudi, you can grasp what his musical influences are. The Outkast influence is obvious on "Down & Out" and "Whenever" where he flows nicely over two Kast instrumentals. Kid Cudi also puts his own twist to Neptunes "Spaz" on "Cudi Spazzin'" and can even be heard spitting over a Dilla beat on "Cudi Put".
Not only does he spit, he also sings on tracks like "50 Ways to Make a Record", "Heaven at Nite" and "Man on the Moon". With a wide range of sounds on his mixtape, Kid Cudi manages to stay distinctive and balanced with the overall music vibe. Check out his mixtape below and post a line or two on your thoughts.
Seeing is Believing 11/6 - New 50, Jim Jones & Gnarls Barkley Vids!
In today's edition of Seeing is Believing...
50 Cent wants everybody to "Get Up", Jim Jones & Friends "Pop Champange", and Gnarls Barkley is the "Mystery Man"
Click the link below to peep the vids!
50 Cent - Get Up
The official first single for 50's Before I Self Destruct album dropping December 16th. The first 15 seconds of this video remind me alot of "In Da Club" but eventually you see hip hop's biggest villian playing the role of a hero in this "I Am Legend-like" video.
Jim Jones feat. Ron Browz & Juelz Santana
Ron Browz's "Pop Champagne" single now belongs to Jimmy for his new Pray IV Reign album due out December 9th. I can see this joint takin off (to my knowledge it's huge on the East already) and being a club banger. Be careful though, too much champagne popping might lead to a nigga moment.
UPDATE: Gnarls Barkley - Mystery Man
I'm huge fan of Gnarls Barkley! I bumped into Cee-Lo twice and I have yet to tell him how sick the music is. The first time you will find them eccentric, but after a couple of spins you can't help but love it. "Mystery Man" does not appear on The Odd Couple, but it will appear on the Who's Gonna Save My Soul EP, which features this new track, live performances, and remixes of "Who's Gonna Save My Soul". The EP will be out next Tuesday, the 11th.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Album Review: Q-Tip - The Renaissance
A Tribe Called Quest front man Q-Tip, is back with his second solo LP The Renaissance. In the 90's, the hip hop audience loved Tribe's jazzy style of rap music. While hip hop continues to change musically, will Q-Tip be able to revive the art with The Renaissance?
4/5
It's been almost 20 years since Q-Tip has been an active MC starting out with the legendary A Tribe Called Quest. After five albums over the course of eight years, Tip leftPhife and Ali Shaheed Muhammad to drop his debut album Amplified. With "Vivrant Thing" and "Breathe and Stop" serving as lead singles for the album, it made Q-tip the most successful solo artist of A Tribe Called Quest. After the release of Amplified, Q-Tip stayed out the limelight appearing on various underground projects.
Q-Tip returns with his breakthrough LP The Renaissance. While Tip's first solo album had a huge commercial single, The Renaissance took a different approach. The albums lead single "Gettin' Up" is a smooth, piano sampled track sounding opposite of Q-Tip's older singles.
Another difference from Q-Tip's previous album is that it features only one J Dilla track while the last was produced almost thoroughly by the late great producer. The Renaissance's soulful funky production was handled by Q-Tip himself. The one Dilla contribution "Move", is the albums most commerical track. Tip kicks off his verse with "I'm just a brother man, descendant of the motherland; I fuck with blackberries, dymes and butter tans" as he raps over a funky Dilla instrumental, which samples "Dancing Machine" by the Jackson 5.
During the middle of the album Q-Tip addresses troubled relationships. On "You" rhymes about confrontational women and how the end result is typically their fault. Similar to "You", "Fight/Love" discusses conflict in relationships, and features a hook by the soulful RaphaelSaadiq. The mellow beat, Q-tip's relaxed flow, and Saadiq singing on the hook compliment the track extremely well, making "Fight/Love" one of the best tracks off the album. As most rap veterans do, Q-Tip has track addressing the current state of hip hop. "Dance on Glass" starts off as anacapella track, but the beat comes in with a DJ Premier-esque type sound.
Overall The Renaissance has a soulful vibe. Based off the features alone you can perceive the type of feel the album will have. The album features no rap appearances, but features RaphaelSaadiq, Norah Jones, Amanda Diva, and D'Angelo who appears on the motivational "Believe". "Believe" contributes to the albums great closure, but the final track "Shaka" tops it off. "Shaka" is an ode to Q-Tip's younger bro, where Tip spits "My brother Shaka would've wanted me to do it like this...so raise your glasses for the loved ones in your life"; over a beat with production style similar to A Tribe Called Quest's "God Lives Through".
My closing statement is that Q-Tip proves his relevance thus having almost 20 years in the game. While some artists fail to stay relevant after longevity, Q-Tip delivers with an outstanding album. Aside from the lyricism and flow, the production off The Renaissance is reminiscent to the signature A Tribe Called Quest sound, and at some points you find yourself anticipating a verse from Phife. This album will definitely be enjoyed by ATCQ fans like myself, and will also appeal to new listeners.
To Sum It Up In One Word: Funkdafied
Seeing is Believing 11/05: New Luda & Jadakiss R&B Collabo's
On today's edition of Seeing is Believing...
Ludacris & T-Pain need "One More Drink", Jadakiss & Ne-Yo like ladies "By Their Sides"
Click the full story to peep these vids!
Ludacris feat. T-Pain - One More Drink
Luda's second single off the upcoming Theater of the Mind album dropping November 25th. On this T-Pain featured single, Ludacris raps about how alcohol can effect your judgement with the ladies. I can drink to that!
Jadakiss feat. Ne-yo - By My Side
Not to be confused with "By Your Side" off Kiss of Death (what a sick track). Kiss links up with Ne-Yo for his first single off of the now titled The Last Kiss album (formally known as Kiss My Ass).The Last Kiss will be out December 9th.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
History Has Been Made!
Barack slains McCain 338 to 159 electoral votes making Barack Obama the not only the 44th, but the first black president of the United States! This event makes history and also paves the way for all African Americans and minorities. No one thought they would see this happen, but it did and it's now Obama's turn to reign supreme.
Dope or Nope 11/4 - New Jay Elect
A fresh, new track from Jay Electronica produced by Just Blaze. Weeks ago there was streaming footage online of Jay & Just Blaze working in the studio and it resulted in dope music. Still no word on when Jay Elect will drop his debut album, but it should be nice.
If you missed my NextUp blog on Jay Electronica, click here to peep it.
The Big Day is Here - Election Day '08!
After months of hype, propaganda, and debates, election day is finally here. I strongly encourage all registered voters to go out and vote today. This is a historical election with potentially the first black president. Let your opinion be heard and remember every vote counts.
"America surprise us, and let a black man guide us" - Nas
UPDATE: Speaking of Nas, 2dopeboyz up'ed this joint "Election Night" which is another dedication to Barack Obama and this exciting day.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Dope or Nope 11/03- Another 808 Track
Kanye West feat. KiD CuDi - Anyway
This is the fifth joint to leak off the 808's & Heartbreak album by Mr. West. I heard that he was salty about the leak of Robocop which was unfinished. I say he push the album up to stop tracks from leaking on a weekly basis. I'm not listening to this joint because I don't want to spoil the album (gotta keep it exclusive). With tracks leaking off the album, or you more hyped or less?
Girls, Girls, Girls: Chick of the Week 11/03 - Rihanna
This weeks chick of the week is Rihanna. I can't even front, this chicks came a long way from when she first started off. No matter what style she has she still look sexy as hell and can definitely get it! 
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Lupe's Special Announcement...
For over a week there's been a rumor that Lupe Fiasco will have an announcement on Halloween. Right when Halloween hit, many people (including myself) waited patiently for the big announcement, and the news is...
LupEND will be a 3-disk album! It's 3 albums in one and the END in LupEND is an acronym for the disk titles Everywhere, Nowhere, Down Here. I guess that's what Lu meant when I asked him if it's his final album and he said "we'll see" since its a 3 for 1. Peep the video below of his announcement of LupE.N.D.:
I must admit this is risky seeing that some of the greatest hip hop artist (Nas and Jay-z) created double albums and it turned out to be one of their least favorable albums. On the other hand, a real artist takes risks and tries new things. If this is Lupe's final album I'm sure he will make a dope lasting impression.
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