I guess you can say Hip-Hop’s man of the moment, Gucci Mane makes his official mainstream debut after snatching the underground crown with his sets of mixtapes and guest verses (most notably his recent appearance on the remix for Mariah Carey – Obsession), here is the new single, Spotlight:
Produced by Polow Da Don (who seems destined to return back to his dominant ways within the charts), this catchy record is made for the radio, the clubs and no doubt will make it onto many iPods, featuring Usher, it possesses an Atlanta feel with a mainstream vibe, it helps welcome Gucci Mane into the mainstream safely, Usher does well, he provides the song with a much needed assurance, an extra appeal. All together this is a good record, many can enjoy it with its broad concept. The video is a good look, similar to Usher’s U Don’t Have To Call video, none the less a good visual for the record.
Gucci Mane is currently riding a wave of success throughout the charts and Spotlight looks set to be his mainstream initiation as he embarks on an even bigger career.
Compton’s Game returns with the first single from his forthcoming album RED.
You either love this instantly or it will grow on you, Cool & Dre produce one of the most infectious beats of 2009, providing the West Coast emcee with the waviest of platforms on which Game flows with such composure and consistency, you can hear the experience in his voice. Lyrically, Game has stepped it up, this appears to be the buzz single, accompanied by a good video and expect plenty of rotation. Sampling the lyrics from Clipse – Nightmares, “I got big money..”, Game makes it his own as he attempts to solidify his status as a Hip-Hop heavyweight, personally I really like the song, best experienced loud, this just has that vibe, not much has to be said, it in a way directs you towards the album which is set to be his best effort to date (remember that Documentary is a certified classic).
This is probably my favourite record off his album Before I Self Destruct.
Track 14, Do You Think About Me:
Listening to the album, as soon as this started I knew it, this was my favourite record of the moment, it turns out that this is what 50 wishes he could release rather than Baby By Me, however it is rumoured to be the second single after his collab with Ne-Yo.
I personally like the classic feel it has, it possesses something similar to the old Get Rich or Die Tryin’ 50 Cent records, I beleive that Before I Self Destruct is his best album since his record breaking debut album.
Do You Think About Me, produced by Ty Fyffe (producer for Slick Rick, Foxy Brown and Redman among others), is a soft record, however 50 adds his vocal presence, similar to Baby By Me, again aimed at a female, however this is even more personal, as 50 depicts the scenario of him looking back, using Paul McCartney’s divorce as a comparison, it seems honest and feels realistic, it can be interepreted however you feel, the catchy synths mixed with the evident sample create a more sensitive emotion which stands along side the song’s concept, the added chimes and synths really make the record stand out, if released this could be another hit for 50 Cent to add to the inevitable success of Baby By Me.
Okay, so here it is, I know when I first heard the record I was fairly scepticle and was not so positive, simply because I expected more, having heard the unmastered version, It felt like a mixtape record, however, the final master made a big difference, it went from being a generic Hip-Hop with R&B hook record to something that was actually created from scratch, producer Polow Da Don (Nas – Hero, Fergie – Glamorous), sampled his favourite 50 cent line, “Have A Baby By Me..Be A Millionaire”, although that dominates the record, I prefer the production itself, the drum beat sounds solid, it has a mid-temp which remains consistent, it never sounds weak or loses its presence at any moment, additional piano offers a more musical feel and really sets you up for the synth based chorus, on which Ne-Yo shines like no other, his vocals really make a difference, it just shows how big these two artists are, you get a sense of their personalities blended, it is a more vunerable 50 cent, something that is unheard of, Ne-Yo offers the balance which fits to the catered beat.
Matching this magic is the video:
Featuring Kelly Rowland as 50’s love interest, they manage to display an on screen chemistry, it is a fairly basic video in the sense of its idea and Ne-Yo having a seperate black screen scene, however the quality manages to provide a much needed appeal, you see 50 Cent in a way you have not before, he portrays a more personal side, it draws a lot of interest into the artist and as a whole completes a well contrasting video.
Okay, so in all honesty I have not paid the most attention to Rihanna’s return, simply because I want everyone to silence all the talk regarding her personal life, concentrate on the music. I heard Russian Roulette and I felt like I knew that was coming, however I came across this song and found myself listening to it over and over again.
This was different, I did not expect this, it feels inspirational, I can actually feel Rihanna’s honesty in this record, she wants everybody to listen, she has her own style, its grown, its sexy, its confident and still it remains fun rather than serious, produced by Tricky Steward and the Dream, this is another hit for sure, with the added feature of Mr Inspiration himself Young Jeezy, the song manages to appeal to a broder audience, it has the feel of Run This Town which you all heard and saw how successful it was.
The production is important as it possesses such a powerful feeling to it, the hard drums are kept subdued…so you feel them without them having to stand out, the guitar takes a lead but it blends with synths creating a lazer like melody racing over the beat, as Rihanna comfortably maintains her composure and dominates with her vocals (effortlessly). Young Jeezy delivers a typical emphatic verse, with accompanied adlibs, he makes his presence without overshadowing Rihanna, it gives the track more depth and increases it’s raw appeal.
I hope a good video is created to accompany this to the top of the charts, as an even stronger Rihanna returns to elevate her career to new heights.
Basement Jaxx return with another out of this world genre-defying single.
This is why Basement Jaxx possess such a strong following within their career to date, they step outside of the generic format to create something unique, again with surprise features, almost as if they recruit the versatile to form a super-team battling through genres, as strange and farfetched as it sounds, it is exactly that, Basement Jaxx like the Chemical Brothers have come through creating a range of diverse material, therefore they are allowed to pass through genres with ease, baring in mind that they do it well.
Scars is a smartly crafted production with its sample embedded within an array of synths, horns and vocals, Meleka leads the vocals and adds her presence perfectly over the beat, Kelis adds another element of strength, emphasising Meleka’s voice whilst ensuring that the song does not become too repetetive and eventually boring, the addition of recent Number 1 selling artist Chipmunk is as powerful as their previous collaboration with Dizzee Rascal, it almost depicts Chipmunk’s position within the industry and he does not dissapoint, he keeps his lyrical content balanced between his raw street edge and his smooth..more mainstream suited tone, “I’ll Kiss You Then You Wake Up, Don’t Want You To Meet Your Maker, and You Don’t Beleive In Fairy Tales..Well Truly I’m Gonna Make Ya”, he also provides the male balance within the vocal arrangement.
Overall, Scars is a more dark sounding effort in comparisons to previous releases, however in time this will gain the recognition it deserves.
Goin’ In features Skepta, JME, Frisco & Jammer, so you have four different styles and personalities over a literally crazy instrumental, this was not created with the intention of a musical masterpiece, it was created from a vibe, a vibe that takes over, this may not be played on radio, it might not be played in clubs (although I think it should), however throw it on before you head out to the club and you see how it gets your night started, the infectious guitar strings merge with Skepta’s comical intro which then turns into a vital harmony, each person brings their own charisma to the record, “The Rasta’s ready”, Jammer offers the hype element, Frisco brings solidity and the street feel, JME provides the quirky and witty lyrics, “I’m a big kid, like Benjamin Button”, this all blends with Skepta’s obvious presence to form a unified and versatile party track.
The track itself, as revealed by Skepta (exclusively to GrimeDaily) was created from a vibe in the studio where Skepta was messing about in the booth with the autotune on and Jammer was actually asleep, hence the, “I don’t beleive Jammer’s sleeping…”, I feel that this could be as big..if not bigger than their previous smash ‘Too Many Man’, with already over 50,000 views within a few days, the video (Directed by Scorcher and Staple House) captures the party vibe perfectly, with each feature playing out their role and visually offering the same energy as their vocals, featuring cameos from Badness, 13, Logan Sama and Little Dee, Goin’ In is set to gain Boy Better Know plenty more fans and recognition.
Goin’ In – available for Download on 14th December via iTunes
He’s Back, say what you want but at the moment there is no other artist like this, no other song like this either and definitely no other video, featuring Cameos from producer Swizz Beats, Mr Carter himself Lil’ Wayne and Tyrese.
Here is the official video for the first single to be released off his third album ‘Graffiti’.
The track as you already know is good, Swizzy creating what I would like to described as, “‘Wall to Wall’ on stereroids”, Lil’ Wayne understands exactly what is needed of him and he brings it in full effect, the most pressure is on Chris Brown and he delivers with ease, he has improved, he has matured and it all shows, he seems determined and confident, which is a good combination. The video is a mix of interests with the fashion, robots, martial arts and dancing, they are all nicely merged together, it has something for everyone, the guys will enjoy watching it, the girls will most likely watch it more than the guys, but over all it is a great way to return.
With the critics and haters working over time on Chris Brown since his situation with Rihanna, there is a lot of pressure on him, however with the help of other artists, the pressure is being eased, this time comes Lil’ Wayne is called into action and he delivers like only he can, with two verses, Swizz with a monster beat, a good video and it appears that Chris Brown will be back on top again in no time, R. Kelly went into work mode and locked himself in the studio when his ‘video’ incident emerged, he was behind every single major hit of that year and you could not criticize the man that was behind all your favourite songs, so Chris can come through, he is mentally stronger and can now concentrate on what he does best and this song will no doubt be another success for him, so the future is once again bright for the man Lil’ Wayne refers to as the “New Michael Jackson” (much to Omarion’s dismay).
After watching this video, it appears that Chris Brown may return as an even bigger artist than when he left, while there are many who may never forgive him, there are a lot who will and of late he is showing sincerity and the fans take to that, the record is hot, you cannot deny that, it might be his biggest track so far, personally, his private life is his private life, if I was to judge artists on their personal issues then I would stop listening to a lot of your favourite artists, Music remains Music.
I felt to wait until the actual video was released (within a few hours), however, I decided that this trailer has me excited and so you all deserve to see it, it looks like a good video:
It appears that Chris Brown may return as an even bigger artist than when he left, while there are many who may never forgive him, there are a lot who will and of late he is showing sincerity and the fans take to that, the record is hot, you cannot deny that, it might be his biggest track so far, personally, his private life is his private life, if I was to judge artists on their personal issues then I would stop listening to a lot of your favourite artists, Music remains Music.
Since Bow Wow is now Lil’ Wayne’s label mate having recently signed to Cash Money records, these collaborations are expected, I’ve heard three tracks since he signed and this is the best one of all, the first was ok, second was the apparent first single ‘Every Other’ (produced by Cool & Dre), which has Bow sounding more like Drake, with a distinct Drake flow and lyricism, a good effort but the obvious comparisons do shadow the song’s positives, I think it is more so because Bow Wow is talented and the song did not justify that talent. Can I Be Your Man, however is a far better track, with or without the star feature.
The validity of this track cannot be confirmed, none the less it is a good song, a promising insight in what to expect from Bow Wow and Cash Money as a whole. Also, if nobody has realised all ready, this track seems to be about his previous lady, miss Angela Simmons, even if it is not, Bow Wow has taken his experiences in stride of his maturity and put together an honest and ‘real’ record.
ONE Fáris 