After the success of his debut single I Love College, Mr Roth returns with She Don’t Wanna Man, featuring “Miss Keriii Baaaby”, Keri Hilson helps solidify the single as a ladies’ anthem, I Love College was a favourite of mine and a huge success for Asher, this new single will be no different in terms of it’s success.
I like the relativity and feel good factor that Asher Roth brings to the table with his records, although these songs do not justify his ability as a rapper nor lyricist, they do boost his credentials as an artist and his previous records have helped him stand among some of the best, he has to be more than just white to be compared to the almost legendary Eminem.
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Asher Roth – Asleep In The Bread Aisle ..OUT NOW!!
DC’s Wale is undoubtley one for the future, with a lyrical style reminiscent of an illmatic Nas, he found his breakthrough with the success of his hit Nike Boots, currently charting with his new single Chillin ft. Lady Gaga. Wale (pronounced Wa-lay) recently inked a deal with Jay-Z’s ROC Nation label with his debut album ‘Attention Deficit’ to be released soon.
This Cool & Dre produced track is reminiscent to his critically acclaimed Family Affair, consisting of the similarly deep and meaninful story-telling ability that Wale possesses, Ice and Rain is rumoured to be a left-over track from his album’s final cut, hopefully this is not the case as it really is a special track, it has an epic emotion intwined with the beat, creating a canvas for Wale to paint his lyrical picture, this song could do a lot for Wale, I feel that the topic might not be appreciated by every listener and that becomes a problem, mainstream audiences today prefer to invest in feel-good dance songs, Black Eyed Peas being a testament to that, However with ROC Nation, as Jay-Z attempts to push Hip-Hop back into the mainstream fold, in time could prove beneficial for an artist of Wale’s stature.
Look out for more Wale as he along with Kid Cudi, Drake and Asher Roth, lead the new school Hip-Hop revolution.
The voice of England is back, while most artists are out to make money and speak on lavish matieralistic content, Devlin has always remained true to his surroundings.
If Devlin wanted, he could see fame and fortune with one commercial single, he has the talent to do so, however a true artist, a true love for music, Devlin sticks to real content, offering a voice for the people.
Community Outcast is a perfect example, after the success of London City (an ode to a night out), he returns with the realism that many choose to ignore, with the talent to stand up against the best of the best, he uses it for good, his narration of situations is second to none, this is a gripping song, it highlights problems that many face, and he does it so well.
A natural story teller, Devlin steps into the shoes of various people, lyrically portraying their struggle and making complete sense whilst doing so.
This song speaks for itself, with the added visuals courtesy Digital Dan, Digital is more than a friend to me, he is a talented individual who shares the passion of promoting the UK’s original and multi-talented scene through his lens to our screens, he does not receive as much praise as he deserves but all shall come in due course. Together, Dan and Devlin repeat the success of London City with this new and outstanding masterpiece, expect more to come.
This one has yet to grow on me, this could be one of those cases where a visual is needed, simply as it is something different from both artists, it is a heavyweight collaboration, I guess that is my problem with it, 50 Cent and Ne-Yo, yet the track itself does not represent their status, Fabolous and Ne-Yo – Make Me Better had a far greater impact, this however feels rushed and a desperation move from 50 to get his name back on the top, surprisingly it has fallen, the likes of Drake, Kanye and Lil’ Wayne have all remained consistent, Jay-Z has even re-instated his position with Blueprint 3, Eminem proved that he is still one of the best and so the pressure really is on 50 Cent to deliver, this however is not a good attempt.
Here is a new leak from the Young Money duo, My Darling Baby is not Lil’ Wayne’s appreciation for Birdman aka Baby.
A mixtape track, Having heard so much of the two, the standards are too high, so anything less will obviously not be sufficient, however this one in time may make it into my playlist.
I think this classifies to be a OneFaris Throwback track, after listening to Ghostface – Guest House, I just had to re-visit this R&B classic.
I still remember when I first heard this song as a kid, Ron Isley’s voice stood out for me, his falsetto was really complimented and cleverly produced by R. Kelly, it is with songs like this this that I cannot help but to applaud him for the talent that he is, although current material is lacking this kind of quality, I remain thankful that we can look back and listen to such a song, from the concept to the delivery, this R&B opera, a sequel to the classic Down Low, Contagious remains an evergreen classic.
I like this, Ghost gets his story telling on with the help of Shareefa and Fabolous, Guest House is like a Hip-Hop version of R. Kelly, Chante Moore and Ron Isley’s ‘Contagious’
Diddy returns to our screens and speakers with something new.
During production of his latest album, a concept and group was formed, consisting of himself, singer Kaleena and former Danity Kane vocalist Dawn Richardson, the group Dirty Money, is a edgy R&B group, a rock influenced urban group, Nirvana meets Ne-Yo style sound, nobody was sure what to expect, until now.
“I came from Heaven, Just to sing a song for you..”
The concept which Grammy winning producer Brian Michael Cox attempted to create with his R&B group ‘Dirty Rose’, however, it was not executed as well as this, With Dirty Money and the single Angels, Diddy manages to capture feeling, known for his sampling, he does no different here, the additional B.I.G verse actually provides the ‘street’ element, it captures a range of emotions and interacts with a variation of audiences, truth is, I really like it, it is subtle yet emphatic at the same time. Diddy is no stranger to marketing and he does no wrong here, Hype Williams is called upon for the directing and he pretty much mirrors the song with a visual, monotone and slow, it captures the essences of the track, you forget that Diddy is actually singing. There are some grey areas of confusion, there is a heavy portrayal of religion, which makes sense to the title ‘Angels’, yet the visuals of smoking, partying does clash but overall it manages to blend well and create a contrast that we face in every day life.
Angels has me intrigued to hear more from Dirty Money, this would be a perfect intro track for their album, but that shall all be revealed in due time, for now, Diddy has done it again, and provided us with something extremely different to listen to, from Diddy’s Phill Collins-like singing to Dawn’s sultry ad-libs, Angels might just be what the industry needs.
After the success of their anthem Down, Frontlinerz continued to push their style of music, what many people did not know is that they are pioneers in allowing other artists after to come through, they were one of the first underground artists, recent situations forced them to sit back but Jak Frost and Receiver have returned to the frontline with Can’t Do It Like:
The video, which is currently being seen a lot on the UK’s premier urban channel ‘Channel AKA’ (formerly known as Channel U) is like a sequel to Down, it is their arrival once again, setting the scene before the extravagant Stack Money ft. G-FrSH is unveiled.
Can’t Do It Like has grown on me, it has a classic UK feel to it, it is mid-tempo, they sound hungry, determined to succeed, Having listened to the new mixtape, you can feel their ambition, but what I like best about Frontlinerz is (apart from being real) the chemistry on record, by which I mean you have Receiver (who made a cameo in the current Batman movie ‘The Dark Knight’) with his laid back flow, his calm yet sturdy approach is balanced well by Jak Frost who is more vicious on the mic, you will like him even if he has to force you, it is that approach which we first encountered with 50 Cent, I know the two emcees are different, but their effect is similar, Jak Frost lyrically is raw to an extreme, laced with Receivers smooth tone which smoothens Jak Frosts’ rough delivery, Can’t Do It Like is the intro for their imminent take over.
Written and originally recorded by Grammy award winning Johnta Austin, I previously reviewed the Johnta Austin version and have waited for this since I found out that it was going to be re-recorded by Whitney for her come-back album.
Unfortunately I am a little dissapointed, I felt that maybe it is because it is easier to find relevance in a male voice, but that is not the case, I am more dissapointed because it is such a good song and could have been a hit for Whitney Houston, but it lacks something, it does not feel as emphatic as I would have hoped, especially from an artist of Whitney Houston’s caliber, however I will have to wait and see if it grows on me or not.
Here is Johnta Austin’s version:
Which one do you prefer?
Personally, I prefer Johnta’s version, simply for the feel and soul in the song.
ONE Fáris 