Tuesday, June 21, 2011
J. Cole's debut album..............
......................Finally has a release date......September 27th. It was be title Cole World: The Sideline Story. Thoughts? Will it be worth the wait? Will he bounce back with a better second single? Do you believe the album will really drop this date or suffer another push back? Let me know in the comments section, or leave it in my mentions (@djayare).
SONG REVIEW: Drake- Trust Issues
Ask anyone who's known me for a while....Drake used to be my favorite rapper around 2008-2009 up until he signed with Young Money. Not that I have anything against YM but I felt like his music became watered down and just wasn't the same after the deal, other than his solo efforts. I grew tired of feature after feature that all sounded exactly the same from someone who I felt had potential to run the rap game lyrically with the right people around him. But lately I feel like Drake is starting to gear away from the repetitive features and focus back on ill solo joints. With Dreams Money Can Buy leading off about a month ago and Marvin's Room dropping last week, Drizzy's set the pace for a fun summer/fall leading up to the release of Take Care in October.
Trust Issues was a song that Drake did for fun when he was writing his verse for "I'm On One", which makes it that much more impressive. Not much effort was put into it but it's still better than a lot songs you'd find on most rappers albums. At first the song starts out kind of slow to me. I love 40's production on almost everything so there's no problem there, but I didn't think him singing the hook from "I'm On One" was really necessary. Not like we don't hear it 72 times a day on the radio or on the internet. But that's really the only down point in the song to me. He talks about showing his main how to mix his lean in his verse and how she's the only one that he trusts to do that because there are a lot of women out to get him. Of course he's talking about drinking but it's bigger than that. The big picture of this verse is that you really can't trust most people so it's always good to have that ONE person that you know has you. It's more than just pouring lean.
The rap verse is cool, there's a couple lines that stand out but nothing too crazy. "Tell me how the fuck we're supposed to stay friends, when you got a bunch of feelings that you don't show." is really the only line that made me think. Most people can relate to something like this at one point or another.
The last little bridge at the end says a lot with him using very few words. "That's that shit that drives me crazy, and that's all that I've been getting lately...and that's probably why I'm scared to put the time in." "Looking for some things and I think that I can find them in you." I've gotten used to Drake being able to get his point across without saying too much, that's one of the many reasons he stands out more than most rappers lyrically these days.
Drake showed how powerful he his and how he has a grip on his audience last week with the release of Marvin's Room. With more releases like what he's been putting out lately, I truly believe Take Care will make him two for two on albums with classic potential.
SPINS: 4/5
Video: 2 Chainz- Feeling You
One of my favorite tracks of Tity Boi's Codeine Cowboy gets the visual treatment. Straight boss shit in this one right here.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Jae Skeese- Radio (Official Video)
New video from the homie out of Buffalo, NY; Jae Skeese (@JaeSkeese716). Hit up www.jaeskeese716.com and download his two solo mixtapes as well as other F1rst Class offerings.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
CONCERT REVIEW: Dom Kennedy & Big K.R.I.T.
Last night (April 16th) I had the opportunity to travel down I-40 and check out Dom Kennedy & Big K.R.I.T. at Aggie Fest 2011. While A&T's our rival and all, I have to take my hats off to them for being able to bring Dom to NC for the very first time. To make it even better, the show was free! Two of my favorite emcees at one venue, and I didn't have to come out of pocket at all! This was my third time checking out K.R.I.T. within the past six months, he's becoming a regular in the 336 and I have no problem with that. This was my first time seeing him perform since R4 dropped last month, so it's needless to say that I was kind of gassed.
Dom's set definitely didn't disappoint, he had the whole building rocking with him, even though some of the crowd wasn't familiar with his music. Most of the crowd was though, and that's impressive considering he's an underground artist from a completely different coast, with no albums released to this date. He opened the show with "Choose Up", one of my favorite tracks off From the Westside with Love, and it definitely set the pace for a good set. After that he continued with a couple other tracks off of that tape, including one of my favorite tracks ever, 1997. He then jumped into a few old tracks off of his first tape, 25th Hour. I'm not gonna lie and act like I was the biggest Dom fan back when those first dropped, but it was cool seeing him perform them and see that he's BEEN doing this, the old tracks are just as good as ones you might find on FTWWL or any other new material that he may have put out since then. To round off his set he jumped into a few songs off of his latest release, The Original Dom Kennedy. Those tracks included Playas Punch, Turn Me Out, CDC, and most importantly my favorite song off the tape, Designer Shit. I'm glad he lived up to all of my expectations with his performance. He had good stage presence, a lot of energy, and kept everyone in the crowd interested. He even brought a young lady onto the stage at one point and spit a few bars at her. My favorite part about Dom's music is the cockiness/swag behind it, it's impossible to listen to ANY of his songs without feeling yourself a little bit afterward. But at the same time his bars are always on point and he always gives us a quality product. If you're not familiar with his music I'd recommend that you check out his blog here and catch up on what you've been missing out on.
I think I've written a review each time I've seen Big K.R.I.T. & Big Sant so this is nothing new to y'all. The good thing about their sets is that they keep getting better and better. K.R.I.T. always refreshes his sets when he comes to town so that we're not seeing the same thing over and over. Of course they started off with the classic "Return of 4eva" off of the K.R.I.T. Wuz Here tape, it's only right. Throughout the rest of his set (which was quite lengthy to my surprise) he mixed tracks from 2010's album and 2011's release. I knew what to expect with the Wuz Here tracks, those included Country Shit (with a medley of David Banner's Like a Pimp in the 2nd verse), Just Touched Down, Hometown Hero, Moon & Stars, Glass House, and my personal favorite Children of the World. Though I'd seen him do each of those before, all the energy that he brings to the stage made it easy for me to enjoy them a third time. The best part of the show was him performing the newer tracks of course. He dove into all sorts of tracks off of R4 which included the R4 Theme Song, Dreamin', Rotation, My Sub, Sookie Now, Made A lot (with Big Sant ripping his verses), Player's Ballad, and my favorite song on the album Time Machine. After this show I'd say K.R.I.T. is definitely my second favorite rapper (you all care right?) behind Lupe. The only rapper I've seen in person that's put on a better show than him is Kanye West, and that's saying something. If you've been under a rock these past couple of years, you can check out Live Mixtapes and download K.R.I.T. Wuz Here and ReturnOf4eva, definitely won't be disappointed.
If you were here in the 336 area and you missed out on the show, you lost. If you've yet to check out K.R.I.T. in concert, I encourage you to do so next time he's in your area. Most it will cost you is $15-20 and it'll definitely be worth it. I'd say the same with Dom, but as I stated earlier this was his first time in NC so there's no telling when he might be back.
As always, thanks for reading. Until next time...
Dom's set definitely didn't disappoint, he had the whole building rocking with him, even though some of the crowd wasn't familiar with his music. Most of the crowd was though, and that's impressive considering he's an underground artist from a completely different coast, with no albums released to this date. He opened the show with "Choose Up", one of my favorite tracks off From the Westside with Love, and it definitely set the pace for a good set. After that he continued with a couple other tracks off of that tape, including one of my favorite tracks ever, 1997. He then jumped into a few old tracks off of his first tape, 25th Hour. I'm not gonna lie and act like I was the biggest Dom fan back when those first dropped, but it was cool seeing him perform them and see that he's BEEN doing this, the old tracks are just as good as ones you might find on FTWWL or any other new material that he may have put out since then. To round off his set he jumped into a few songs off of his latest release, The Original Dom Kennedy. Those tracks included Playas Punch, Turn Me Out, CDC, and most importantly my favorite song off the tape, Designer Shit. I'm glad he lived up to all of my expectations with his performance. He had good stage presence, a lot of energy, and kept everyone in the crowd interested. He even brought a young lady onto the stage at one point and spit a few bars at her. My favorite part about Dom's music is the cockiness/swag behind it, it's impossible to listen to ANY of his songs without feeling yourself a little bit afterward. But at the same time his bars are always on point and he always gives us a quality product. If you're not familiar with his music I'd recommend that you check out his blog here and catch up on what you've been missing out on.
I think I've written a review each time I've seen Big K.R.I.T. & Big Sant so this is nothing new to y'all. The good thing about their sets is that they keep getting better and better. K.R.I.T. always refreshes his sets when he comes to town so that we're not seeing the same thing over and over. Of course they started off with the classic "Return of 4eva" off of the K.R.I.T. Wuz Here tape, it's only right. Throughout the rest of his set (which was quite lengthy to my surprise) he mixed tracks from 2010's album and 2011's release. I knew what to expect with the Wuz Here tracks, those included Country Shit (with a medley of David Banner's Like a Pimp in the 2nd verse), Just Touched Down, Hometown Hero, Moon & Stars, Glass House, and my personal favorite Children of the World. Though I'd seen him do each of those before, all the energy that he brings to the stage made it easy for me to enjoy them a third time. The best part of the show was him performing the newer tracks of course. He dove into all sorts of tracks off of R4 which included the R4 Theme Song, Dreamin', Rotation, My Sub, Sookie Now, Made A lot (with Big Sant ripping his verses), Player's Ballad, and my favorite song on the album Time Machine. After this show I'd say K.R.I.T. is definitely my second favorite rapper (you all care right?) behind Lupe. The only rapper I've seen in person that's put on a better show than him is Kanye West, and that's saying something. If you've been under a rock these past couple of years, you can check out Live Mixtapes and download K.R.I.T. Wuz Here and ReturnOf4eva, definitely won't be disappointed.
If you were here in the 336 area and you missed out on the show, you lost. If you've yet to check out K.R.I.T. in concert, I encourage you to do so next time he's in your area. Most it will cost you is $15-20 and it'll definitely be worth it. I'd say the same with Dom, but as I stated earlier this was his first time in NC so there's no telling when he might be back.
As always, thanks for reading. Until next time...
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Vibe Magazine Contest.
What's good y'all? I recently entered my blog into a contest through Vibe magazine. The contest goes through April 16th, and the ten blogs with the most likes will be judged by a panel of established bloggers and they will pick a winner. The winner gets their own section on Vibe's online magazine and that could be a reeeally good look for me! So if you've read my site before and liked what you read, I'd truly appreciate it if you took the time out of your day to click on this LINK (or the badge at the end of the post, doesn't matter) and 'like' my blog, similar to Facebook. I appreciate any and all support that I will receive throughout the contest. Look forward to a review of Big K.R.I.T.'s Return of 4eva to drop in the next couple of days.
Monday, February 14, 2011
February 14th.
What's Valentine's Day mean to you? A day to spend and appreciate your loved one? A day to buy your mother flowers and make sure everything is alright with her? A day to be bitter because you don't have a woman/man? Or is it just another day? No matter how you may feel about today, EVERYONE feels a little different on February 14th every year. Whether you're happily in a relationship, happily single, or the bitter bitch that doesn't have a Valentine...something is on your mind today. For me Valentine's Day has always been a day of thought, whether I've had someone to share it with varies year by year. This day in particular has always made me appreciate the love all around me, whether it's been from a young lady or my family, I make sure I take time to humble myself and think twice about how good I have it. While relationships haven't always worked out for me, I've never lacked love at any point in my life.
But I'd be lying if I told y'all it's always all good on the 14th. In life you're never guaranteed a happy ending, and you've got to take your losses along with your victories, and Valentine's Day is no different. We all have our ups and our downs, but how we handle them individually will determine the winners in the end. So I respect the women out there who don't have anyone to share the day with, but haven't been on social networks whining about it and acting bitter for the past month. One time for those out there in relationships, to the women who make themselves easy to love, and my n words who hold it down for them.
I leave you with this, a new song by my brother M.e.Z, "My Love My Bitch My Future", to show you multiple sides of the spectrum. Appreciate what you have, or be patient and realize that we all have our time. Download link can be found on the right side of the music player. Happy February 14th ladies.
My Love My Bitch My Future by M.e.Z
But I'd be lying if I told y'all it's always all good on the 14th. In life you're never guaranteed a happy ending, and you've got to take your losses along with your victories, and Valentine's Day is no different. We all have our ups and our downs, but how we handle them individually will determine the winners in the end. So I respect the women out there who don't have anyone to share the day with, but haven't been on social networks whining about it and acting bitter for the past month. One time for those out there in relationships, to the women who make themselves easy to love, and my n words who hold it down for them.
I leave you with this, a new song by my brother M.e.Z, "My Love My Bitch My Future", to show you multiple sides of the spectrum. Appreciate what you have, or be patient and realize that we all have our time. Download link can be found on the right side of the music player. Happy February 14th ladies.
My Love My Bitch My Future by M.e.Z
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)