Sony
John Legend’s latest single, “Made To Love,” is a tribal groove that becomes more and more complex as the song evolves. The song begins with a very minimalist sound focusing on percussion and a soulful guitar riff, before building into a track that features scatting, synths, a tinkling piano riff and lyrics about the very reason we were all put on this planet. “We were made to love,” Legend sings in the third offering from his forthcoming album Love in the Future, which will be released next week (June 25).
Update: John Legend has confirmed that woman behind those amazing background vocals is Kimbra!
October’s Very Own
Drake asked fans if they would like a tour on his website, but didn’t wait for their response or an official poll to announce that he’s going on one regardless. The rapper announced a new North American tour with rapper Future and R&B singer Miguel this morning. The tour will kick off on September 25 in Portland, Oregon and end November 25 in Los Angeles, California.
We’re still waiting for Drizzy to announce the official release date for his third studio album Nothing Was The Same. I’m kind of hoping it’s within the next few months considering the hip-hop competition this summer is already pretty insane.
Click below to see the dates that fall in between. Continue reading
Chris Brown in “Don’t Think They Know” video
We’re just weeks away from the release of Chris Brown’s forthcoming album X July 16 and today CB dropped the video for his second single, “Don’t Think They Know.” The song features vocals from Aaliyah, a booming beat and defiant lyrics about a relationship that only the people involved can understand. The video focuses on a different message, however. Brown and his friends ride through Compton in the clip wearing red and blue and attempting to bring unity to the community for the sake of the children. And, of course, there are some pretty nice dance moves scattered throughout the clip. Continue reading
Jay-Z in Samsung commercial
I guess the downside to being a human being who doesn’t really care about sports is that you miss major announcements from artists (read: Jay-Z) that are big enough to announce major album details during a basketball game commercial break.
Mr. Carter reveals plans to release a new album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, on July 4 in an extended commercial for Samsung, in which he is seen in the studio with Timbaland, Rick Rubin, Swizz Beatz and Pharrell. We’ve gotten a few new songs from Jay-Z this year (“Open Letter” and “100$ Bill”) and heard of Jay’s recent sessions with Timbaland previously so this isn’t a huge surprise. Still, the confirmation is a big announcement.
The Wall Street Journal says Samsung has purchased a million copies of the album for $5 and will distribute them to Samsung Galaxy users via the Magna Carta app 3 days before the album’s official release. Basically, even if Nielson doesn’t count the sales, Jay will still profit from the deal! Billboard notes the huge role that a corporate sponsor played in this announcement, just as it has with Beyonce’s new music this year.
Still no album announcement from Blue’s mama, but her papa announced a new album on Father’s Day. Continue reading
Sony Music Ent.
After teasing fans with a 30-second snippet, Fifth Harmony debuted their first single, “Miss Movin’ On.” The single is a booming pop anthem about, well, moving on! The track isn’t anything new sonically, it sounds like something one of the former Disney stars would make, but the vocal phrasing in the verses and chant-worthy chorus are sure to make people take notice!
Good job ladies! Continue reading
Dreamville / Roc Nation
J. Cole is only two albums into the rap game, but the rapper’s confidence in his craft is that of a legend, a title he seems anxious for. The standard edition of Born Sinner features 16 tracks, a majority of which Cole produced himself. Ambitious? No doubt. But, with this release Cole still has a ways to go before he reaches legendary status, although he has cemented his spot as the voice of the forever grinding underdogs. Continue reading
Sony Music Ent.
Fifth Harmony has moved from covering other artists to releasing a teaser for their first single “Miss Movin’ On.” Based on the 30-second snippet, the forthcoming single sounds like the perfect introduction to the youthful girl group thanks to the sassy kiss off lyrics and explosive hook.
I have a feeling pop lovers are going to eat this one up! Continue reading
Def Jam
Kanye West isn’t your typical artist. While most musicians tease their return with promo, snippets, singles and appearances, West stayed overseas working on his album for months before returning to the states and debuting the album’s first offering, “New Slaves,” by way of street projections around the world. There is literally no artwork for the album, and West failed to release the tracklisting. Outside of his Saturday Night Live performance, West has shied away from traditional promo, only doing interviews for select publications earlier this week and letting his “no marketing” plan market the album. Until yesterday, when the album leaked days before it’s set to hit stores, West had managed to keep all studio versions of the music under wraps, instead giving fans a taste of the new material at festivals like the Governors Ball in New York and allowing critics to hear his hard work during an impromptu listening session on a loading dock in New York.
The hype of Yeezus has literally been created by the lack of promo and the album’s controversial title. But, despite it’s blasphemous name, Yeezus doesn’t touch on religion that much. Instead, the album focuses on social and racial issues and sex…graphic, aggressive sex. Still, even when West is switching back and forth between controversial topics, the productions hold it all together. Continue reading
Bruno Mars in “Treasure” video
We’ve seen this before, but deja vu has never felt so good.
“Bruno Mars” basically recreated his Billboard Music Awards performance (or is it vice versa?) for the video for his latest single “Treasure.” Mars does everything retro, so, as expected, the grainy footage features old school dance moves, transitions and backdrops.
Honestly, I think this concept never gets old because Mars always looks like he’s having fun.
Nostalgia, ultra. Continue reading
Hayley Williams recording “Still Into You”
Paramore has one of the most amazing frontwomen in recent pop/rock history and the newly uploaded footage of Hayley Williams mastering their latest single, “Still Into You,” in one take is proof of that. Williams brought her iPhone with her to the studio and recorded herself laying down vocals for the track last year. Paramore is holding a “Paraoke” so Williams thought uploading her first take would inspire fans to submit theirs, but if anything this makes me want to keep my shaky vocals to myself. Continue reading
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