Taken from Jay-Z’s recent success Blueprint 3, this track stands out for many reasons.
A Star Is Born, produced by Kanye West & NO I.D, is a part dedication to all the successful emcees to have come through, whilst being a statement of Jay’s longevity as an artist, as many of those mentioned have not reached the same amount of consistent success as the Brooklyn legend, however this track is also the official ROC nation introduction of J. Cole
J. Cole is an extremely talented emcee, although names such as Kid Cudi, Drake and Asher Roth are often mentioned as saviours of Hip-Hop, they are talented but J. Cole is pretty much the definition of Hip-Hop, best described as Jay-Z and Nas in one, J. Cole’s ‘the warm-up’ mixtape helped create a stronger foundation for him as an artist, his only negative is that he might be too good for mainstream, but with Jay-Z taking him under his wing he is in the best position, he reminds me of Jay-Z with his clever wordplay and distinctive flow. In a ‘passing the torch’ manner, Jay-Z introduces J. Cole on this track and he does not disappoint, he takes this oppurtunity in both hands, this is a similar position to when Kanye West featured on Blueprint 2, however Kanye’s verse was quite dissapointing and lacked the charisma and metaphors that we hear from him now, so it is quite amazing if you think how much J. Cole will improve, already good enough to go against some of the best, he is one of the sparks in the bright future of Hip-Hop.
Wiz Khalifa has been extremely consistent with his music, he has not received the same exposure as the likes of Wale and Drake, however, with their success creating intrest in the younger artists, Khalifa’s consistency has kept him prominent and in line to get the respect and acknowledgement that he deserves.
Get Some is a good example of Wiz Khalifa, the beat is diverse, the chorus is more of a dance sound with a pitch-altered sample, whereas the main body of the track is a modern electro meets hip-hop base on which he does not hesitate to get lyrical, but this track is more about feeling than talent so he does hold back.
Wiz Khalifa is who the likes of Bow Wow and Soulja Boy aim to be, somebody who is ‘cool’, accepted by a variety of audiences, You can see the impact he has had on Soulja Boy, I say that because Wiz Khalifa has been around for a while, just underground and I guess with Soulja Boy being a mainstream artist, he is making it acceptable for someone like Wiz to breakthrough.
This track is not the best I have heard, but it is different, something that relates to the artist Wiz Khalifa himself.
A song more representing Khalifa’s presence as an emcee is Dreamer:
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.
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.
Young Money’s White Knight, Drake, releases his critically acclaimed mixtape So Far Gone, Fear is the new bonus track available on this re-release.
Produced by DJ Khalil, this will be a critics favourite, by far a ‘special’ track, as it is the most recent we’ve heard of Drizzy since his previous mixtapes and guest features, personally I feel this song will keep his buzz consistent as fans and critics wait for the anticipated debut album ‘Thank Me Later‘.
Drake shines best when he lets his emotions out on the mic, highlighting that although his life is on an up, he still has downs, he makes his music easy to relate to for anybody listening, lines like, “I never cried when ‘Pac died, but I will when Hov’ does”, display his comfortability on record, his confidence is sky high and I do not expect any different, who wouldn’t with a hype and fanbase like his, funniest thing is that he has not even released an album yet.
Not much needs to be said about Fear, it speaks for itself.
It is looking like Birdman’s forthcoming album ‘Always Strapped‘ might just be his best yet, with bangers like Got A Bitch ft. Rick Ross and Written On Her ft. Jay Sean, now leaks Money To Blow ft. Lil’ Wayne & Drake, his albums heavily depend on features, so it comes to no surprise that his new effort will also be.
Birdman – Money To Blow ft. Lil’ Wayne Drake:
This is not anything special, in all honesty I think his collaboration with Rick Ross is far better, however, when you have heavyweights like Lil’ Wayne and man of the moment Drake on a track then something good has to come out of it and it certainly did in this case.
Drake steals the show as he is doing on most of his features, as much as I do not like to join in with anything that becomes over-hyped, I have to give Drake his credit where due, he backs his status up well, on this record, the Cash Money trio brag to the fullest, Lil’ Wayne’s verse is fairly standard which strangely balances with Birdman’s, leaving Drake to take the spotlight with his verse and chorus, the negative of this track is that you do not even realise Birdman has a verse, it kind of gets squashed in between the Young Money boys’ features.
Money To Blow will no doubt help balance the album out which at the same time will make the track standout more, it is not fair to be too critical on this song as it does what it was intended to do, it sounds like a sequel to the chart topping Always Strapped with a new cast member which really makes the difference. Expect more records of similar stature from Cash Money founder Baby aka Birdman.
The original has been around for a while, taken from Jamie Foxx’s new album ‘Intuition’, it is a good song but it had no real buzz, so what better than to get the most talked about artist of the moment on the track and release it as a single. Enter Drake, the Toronto born actor turned rapper has a surreal hype surrounding him, with major labels locked into a bidding war for his signature, Jay-Z referred to his So Far Gone mixtape as the best of all time, Kanye West is directing his new video, he is part of Lil’ Wayne’s Young Money, he has already worked with Jay and will feature on Mary J Blige’s new single, so it is fair to say that Drake is pretty much the hottest rapper at the moment.
With all that weight on his shoulders, Drake displays his confidence, knowing why he has been asked to feature on the track and he does not disappoint, concept, flow and lyrics, adding the singing into his verse, it is a trademark Drake verse and like the others, it is a good one.
I like the concept, it has been done before by the likes of R. Kelly (2nd Kelly) and Usher (Dot Com), but none the less, it does not interfere with Digital Girl, it grows on you the more you hear it, it is a really good collaboration.
Kanye West has gone from soulful Hip-Hop producer to Global Superstar, there are a few artists in the world of his caliber, so a clever, witty rhyme with a catchy flow are expected, Kanye’s verse is a good, I like the beat change, it pretty much is the peak of the song, his verse is a good balance with Drake’s, it fuses nicely as The Dream and Jamie Foxx take up the singing duties, to have four stars on one track does not always guarantee a hit but I think Jamie Foxx has one with this effort.
I like the beat change when for Kanye’s verse, it is the peak of the song, now is that a statement in itself that Drake is still no Kanye West, either way, it adds a whole new element to the track, it takes the track to a new level even. The video, although not unique or a real representation of the song, still manages to come off well, it reminded me of Hype William’s video for Lloyd – Girls Around The World ft. Lil’ Wayne, however, at one point the girls do look a bit virtual and such a small touch as that really makes a big difference. I like the idea of four superstars on one track, it has a momentous feel to it, Digital Girl is like the R&B version of Swagger Like Us. Over all it was always a good track, the video is not as good as it could have been, towards the end you see Jamie Foxx and Dream enjoying the track whilst Kanye West and Drake fade into the background.
North London’s Marvell have released their second free downloadable mixtape ‘Marvell FM 2’ leading up the release of their debut The World Is Ours EP.
If you like Grime then you should definitely download this, if you do not like Grime then you should still definitely download Marvell FM 2!!
The trio are bringing something back to music, lyrical content is on another level, concepts are from their minds which represents ours so it does not sound manufacturerd for us but rather made by one of us. It is fun, it is youthful, for a free download they have given away some quality material.
From the intro (courtesty of the hilarious Shocka), the first track is ‘Lemme Av A Go’, listen carefully to Double S, his word play is seriously outstanding, more than once I find myself going back like “Did he just say that?!”, ‘Baby Its Ok’ is another up-tempo for the ladies that the guys will appreciate, They even remixed Jeremih’s smash ‘Birthday Sex’, personally I criticise these remixes but I actually like this one. On ‘Finally Time ft. Dot Rotten’, they display their desire and hunger to be successful amidst set backs, ‘Otherside of The Rainbow’ is similar, it highlights their ambition, with Vertex, Shocka and Double S equally shining. ‘Star In The Sky’, another one for the ladies, a potential next single even, leads up to the official UK remix for Drake – Successful ft. Trey Songz, that is the official remix. Next is ‘Going In 32 Part 2’ featuring Griminal, a beast of a beat on which they do not dissapoint. You also get to hear the remix for Aggro – Free Yard as well as an exclusive freestyle set with the Movement (Wretch 32 & Ghetts).
Marvell FM 2 is a successful improved sequel to Marvell FM. Marvell (consisting of Shocka, Double S & Vertex) bring unity, talent, desire and so much more as a total package, if the industry looks for talent then these three will be signed, but if the industry is looking for a group with a buzz that has hot singles for them to profit on then they still will get signed.
I heard this a while ago and I let my expectations get the better of me, so the song itself did not impress me, at the time I thought it was a weak effort with big features, without sounding so critical (though I am) I just felt that they could have created something better, however, I left the song for a while, let the hype settle a bit and the other day I was listening to Tim Westwood’s show and he played this and it stood out among the commercial saturated BS that currently floods our airwaves.
I think it is easier for Jay-Z to make original music because he has cemented his name within Hip-Hop and Music as a whole. Even he has admitted having to ‘dumb’ his lyrics down, so he understands how hard it is to satisfy and be successful commercially, surely as the once President of DefJam records he understands how hard it is for an artist to get a deal, there are those that make music for the love and they’re the successful ones but then when an outsider sees Pharrell Williams rise to stardom creating beats using digital sounds, songs that as a listener he likes, he will follow that, so it is expected, just like with fashion, you see Kanye Wear a pair of glasses..millions rush out to get the same pair, yet you criticize them and want them to be creative, even though you cash in on dictating their lifestyle, maybe if those that create ‘Real’ music are offered the chances that their talents deserve rather than seeing it handed over to someone who label execs beleive will gain major sex appeal from the opposite gender, and people will follow and support them equalling into good profit.
Back to the song, Produced by Kanye West, Run This Town is a powerful stage for the three artists (each successful in their own right), the only person that could have made this anymore powerful would be Beyonce in place of Rihanna. Kanye compiles the heavy drums with the edgy guitar nicely, it sounds raw yet clear, I hope Drake makes his version of this as I reckon he would do the beat justice. Taken from Jay-Z’s highly anticipated album ‘BLUEPRINT 3’ (completing the Blueprint trilogy), the first Blueprint is considered a classic so Jay had a lot to do in order to top it. After releasing DOA (Death of Autotune) he managed to create quite the buzz, Run This Town brings the buzz surrounding Jay-Z towards his coming album (perfect marketing), I still believe that both Jay and Mr West’s verses could have been better, yet it’s obvious that Jay-Z had audiences in mind, the catchy flow does what it is meant to, you cannot help but to rap along, Kanye West dissapointed me, the verse is good but that is the problem, maybe it will grow on me after a few more listens but I wanted to hear that out of this world ‘did he actually say that’ rhyme, Rihanna’s voice does fit the song, would have been good to hear a short verse or even bridge from her, as it becomes repetetive and boring after a while.
Run This Town is a good song, I just feel that it could be so much better, I’m looking forward to the video, hopefully the visuals can sway me to like it more, until then it is a raw commercial track, the only negative really is that it becomes repetative and boring (mainly due to Rihanna’s part), besides that it is not bad (I will be annoyed if it gains major rotation on UK Radio and TV instead of some of the better homegrown tracks and videos that should be played)
Look out for the review when the video is released
Fáris Rating:
7/10 [It’s almost an 8]
Kanye West, Rihanna and Jay-Z on the set of the video for Run This Town
ONE Fáris 