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.
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.
After the success of ‘Always Strapped’, Cash Money boss Birdman aka Baby returns to the charts with his new record featuring Jay Sean.
Personally this sounds more like a Jay Sean record, I’ve grown up listening to Cash Money and never envisioned this, then again I did not expect to hear a Lil’ Wayne rock album, so anything is possible in music these days. The track is not bad, Birdman who (like Lil’ Wayne) is covered in tattoos, obviously had no trouble in finding inspiration for this song, Written On Her is about a girl with tattoos hence the title ‘Written On Her’, Jay Sean is added to the equation to smoothen the mix and it strangely all works, here you have this up-tempo track, which will go down well in the clubs as it would among your friends, it sounds different, the concept is new, Written On Her has a lot of appeal and was not made to make a big impact on the world, it is a feel good track taken from his forthcoming album ‘Always Strapped’, this is one of the softer tracks from the album but definitely expect more good music from Cash Money and Jay Sean.
“IS IT THE CHAMPAGNE DANCE..NO, THIS IS THE CHAMPAGNE TALK”
New from Skepta, taken from his album ‘Microphone Champion’, Lush has Skepta ready “to take it sl-sl-slow” with his lady of choice, produced by Skepta and featuring Jay Sean (who is Number 6 in the US charts with Down ft. Lil’ Wayne), Lush is a combination of underground and mainstream sounds gelled together, Jay Sean’s vocals help texture the mainstream sound whilst fitting to a raw underground vibe which Skepta brings, as a whole Lush is a good song, the only negative is the length of the track, another verse would have made it complete. The video is a good look, directed by Vertex (Marvell), the rising director has directed for the Noisettes and Chipmunk already, considered one of the best directors already despite his young age, Vertex’s direction most definitely compliments the track, bringing something different, it has a mainstream feel, really adds to the track in terms of visuals (without being over the top).
Lush is certainly another hit for Skepta, it is promising as we continue to expect good music from the UK’s elite artists.
After gaining major recognition worldwide with his single ‘Let Me Love You’ (Written by a then unknown Ne-Yo), Mario never really managed to maintain his status, issues with the release of his last album did not help. None the less, his talent is unquestionable as he returns putting those problems (including his mother’s drug addiction) behind with his new offering ‘Break Up’.
Produced by Bangladesh (Lil’ Wayne – A Millie and Beyonce – Diva), this R&B cut possesses that old school R&B feel that has been missing whilst sounding brand new, featuring Sean Garret aka The Pen (having written for Usher – Yeah, Chris Brown – Run It and Beyonce – Upgrade U to name a few) and rising underground rapper Gucci Mane (who helps balance the R&B levels with his raw, street style), Break Up will most definitely help push the trio to newer heights, especially Sean Garret who due to a lack of promotion saw the poor sales of his debut effort Turbo 919 (Which is a good album so make sure you check that out).
Mario’s return displays a more mature artist attempting to create good music rather than his next hit, with dedication like this it will not be long before he gets another smash, with Break Up rising in the charts, who knows..he may find it sooner than he thinks.
You have all heard this I’m sure, well there are two versions, the original with Young Jeezy and the released version (video version) featuring Lil’ Wayne…
Busta Rhymes – Respect My Conglomerate ft. Young Jeezy & Jadakiss:
Busta Rhymes – Respect My Conglomerate ft. Lil’ Wayne & Jadakiss:
Found this track and just had to share it with you all!
To me, this is what Lil’ Wayne is about, it is that real, raw, creative, crazy and entertaining rap that Weezy is capable of, on this rock sample, Wayne and Juelz Santana come out guns blazing. Personal opinion, Wayne is the better of the two on this track, similar to how Santana outshines Lil’ Wayne on their track Let us Pray.
I have been waiting on the ‘I Can’t Feel My Face’ project for ages now, no idea when it will see the light of day, although sources say that Juelz is waiting until his album is released and gains further popularity and status as at present Lil’ Wayne is in a whole new platform as an artist. I’m not too fussed as long as I continue to hear tracks as good as these.
ONE Fáris 