Yelawolf "Till it's Gone"

 https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/till-its-gone-single/id918287843

New Music from @Yelawolf, "Till it's gone".

Premiered on last night's Sons of Anarchy episode (Which was a great episode, btw, loved the ending)

Until next time,

Shade

DRWN Beats RMXS Project (On the Grind)

It's been a while since I've posted an entry on here. It's something that I've been away from for a while. The twitter has stayed active, and as I've gotten back into it recently, it only seems fair that I put down some thoughts that go beyond 140 characters. This is a combination of a regular post and an On the Grind post, if you think about it. 

So for my first post back, let me send you to another site, so you can support a great artist. It's a project of remixes, and the beats are on point. As someone who has some history of music and melody (11 years of Piano), it definitely gets a cosign from me. Check it out when you get a chance, and support if you can: 

 @drawnbeats 

 www.blvntrecords.bandcamp.com/album/rmxs 

 Until the next time, Shade

B.o.B. Floating on Strange Clouds

Right now, the amount of buzz going around for Grand Hustle Records can be felt all around the social media circles. The two biggest artists on the label both have singles in rotation in the radio and are both working on new albums. T.I. coming off of his prison bid is working on his new album, currently titled Trouble Man. But quite possibly, there is bigger buzz for his labelmate and his album, B.o.B. and Strange Clouds. B.o.B., born Bobby Ray Simmons Jr., has brought such a breath of fresh air to hip hop and to music in general. From his mixtapes to his debut album, he has consistently raised the bar and has worked to blend genres of music together. On his new album, Strange Clouds, Bobby Ray is continuing to do just that.

His lead single, from which the album gets it’s name, has a feature from the always popular Lil Wayne. It was produced by pop sensation Dr. Luke, famous for working with pop stars such as Ke$ha, Taio Cruz, and most famously with Katy Perry. It isn’t the first time that these two worked together, coming together for an album cut from B.o.B.’s first album that was turned into a single, “Magic”. What can we expect from this, the sophomore album? More hit records, definitely more high level collaborations that could be turned into hits.

Currently a confirmed track is “So Good” that features and is produced by veteran hit maker Ryan Tedder of One Republic, famous for producing and writing hits like Beyonce’s “Halo”, and Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love”. Another track that has been rumored but could be incredible is “Airborne” with Drake, Kanye West and produced by Boi-1da and Kanye West. I feel that an interesting collaboration, for an album cut would be to see if he could parlay a track with Jay-Z. After the Eminem featured Airplanes II, a track with Jay-Z would be an incredible next step. Furthermore, I think an Usher feature, would be exceptional, their connection to Atlanta, Georgia being prominent in the song.

When it comes to the production on the album, B.o.B. has some of the greatest producers in the world on speed dial. Dr. Luke, Ryan Tedder, Alex da Kid, and of course Jim Jonsin are easily reachable. But one can’t forget probably the greatest in Bobby Ray’s arsenal, himself. Out of 12 tracks on The Adventures of Bobby Ray, 5 of them were produced by B.o.B. himself.

Regardless of the outcome, Bobby Ray Simmons has built an incredible buzz and an incredible level of interest in his project. It’s easy to tell that when it’s released, it’s going to storm the charts and radio.

The Most Abused Word in Hip Hop: Classic

Thinking about what to write for an article, I was skimming through some youtube videos and articles and saw an interview where the word classic was used to describe upcoming work. Got me thinking. This is going to be a new series of posts on the Most Abused Words in hip hop. It's debut article? On the word "Classic"

I myself am a fan of hip hop. But there's a scary trend that has been happening in Hip hop recently. The overuse and straight abuse of the word "classic". It seems as though every artist claims that the album that they're currently working on is a classic. What exactly does that mean though? Dictionaries give the definition of classic as being something that's of the highest quality, that can act as a standard or a model. But how often do these albums get released and they fail to live up to these statements? I'm not saying that the artists themselves are horrible and suck, but maybe they should better phrase their thoughts before they speak. Freestyling interviews, probably not the best way to go. DJ Khaled is a great example, as is Rick Ross. Both use the word classic a lot. DJ Khaled far far more than Ross. When you sit and think about it, was We the Best Forever really a classic though? Is it something that's of the highest quality, a standard for future albums? The shine of Pro Tools that was applied to the album undoubtedly gives it a high production quality, but the album had its weak spots.

Khaled's already applying the same term to the upcoming Rick Ross God Forgives, I Don't album. I don't doubt that it's going to be a phenomenal, solid album. But a classic? Rick Ross is constantly getting better, but will that album be able to sit on the same shelf as albums like Reasonable Doubt? 2001? And dare I say it, one of Ross' nemesis' works, Get Rich or Die Tryin? I'm not too sure. There are albums that have come very close in past years. Mainstream ones, such as Thank Me Later, or My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. There have been underground albums that have approached classic status.

But in order for something to be a classic, it needs to be something that completely changes the game. It has to be something that heavily challenges preconceived notions on what Hip hop is, how music is created, and how we speak to people on the thoughts that come to us in our daily lives.

Maybe I'm a little too protective of words, but then again, Hip hop has always been about understanding the power and effect of words on people. Maybe I should change my definition of classic to what Ace Hood said in the first verse of "Get Money" from the Ruthless album, "I gave you a classic in my day".

Should I settle for that? Or should I expect more from the artists of my generation?

Hit me up on twitter ( @idoitforhiphop ) with your thoughts

The Fabolous Life

September 13th, 2011 is not that far away. And that's when the new Fabolous album, Loso's Way 2: Rise to Power will be hitting shelves around the world, as well as iTunes and other digital download sites' servers. But what can we expect from this album, less than a month away from it's intended release date? The first single hasn't been released yet, leading one to believe that just maybe the album is getting pushed back, yet again, despite Fab wanting it to be released right around the ten year anniversary of his debut album, Ghetto Fabolous. Instead of focusing on the negative, or the lack of a positive in regards to album release, let's look at what we do have. The mixtapes There is no Competition 2, the S.O.U.L. Tape. In addition, we have guest verses on various tracks and albums. There's a lot to be seen there, a lot to be heard.

TINC2 and the subsequent EP have been named in a number of different top ten lists for 2010. The S.O.U.L. Tape was well received and will be given a good look probably at end of year lists for this year. Fab's been feeding and feeding the demand for music and he has a number of guest verses under his belt since Loso's Way was released. We have the excellent Lloyd Banks' Start it Up from 2010, and Fab was chosen by DJ Drama to be one of the headliners on the Oh My cut, the first song from Drama's third album. So what can we expect from the album? What can we hope, for the album?

Fab will be continuing his Loso's Way series, a melding of his life story and Carlito's Way the movie. We will definitely see a collaboration with Ryan Leslie, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Everything they've done together, from Leslie's shelved album to Everything, Everywhere, Everyday with Keri Hilson has been musical gold. The two share a creative genius when it comes to the music that they do together. Another of Fab's prior relationships will be involved in the album, Red Cafe, Paul Cain, and other members of the Street Fam group.

I hope that Fabolous is able to reach out to old friend Joe Budden and possibly through Budden, be able to work with the rest of Slaughterhouse. You never know, down the road that might be able to develop into a good Fabolous x Eminem collaboration. Production wise, since Street Dreams, Fab has always had at least one Just Blaze song on his album. This trend needs to continue, as Loso's way Lullaby which had not only Just but Alchemist behind the boards was one of the better beats on the album.

Throw in a few of the Fab standbys, and it sounds like a good album. But now, Fab needs to step up, go beyond what we're used to hearing from him. Thanks to Start it Up, he's developed a better relationship with G-Unit. A good New York anthem could be good, with 50 and Banks. As a rapper that effortlessly moves between camps, even feuding camps, I'd like to see a concrete album quality collaboration between Fab and Nicki Minaj. Also, you know that a Fab x Drake song has to be in the works.

Star studded albums are something that tends to be a trend nowadays. I think that despite the possible collaborations I've listed, that Fab can and should make more of a true solo album. Have a few guests here and there, but make sure that they count. Fab easily takes people on journeys with each 16, and I think that Loso's Way 2 has the possibility of being one of his best albums to date. With less than a month away, it's only a matter of time.

Maybach Music Group- Forming the Empire

At this point in his career, William Leonard Roberts II, better known as Rick Ross, can easily claim that he has a good number of fans. He’s had multiple gold selling albums, a well publicized feud with the king of feuds, 50 Cent, and he’s just recently taken his label, Maybach Music Group to Warner Bros. Records. He’s done quite a bit in the 5 short years since he burst onto the scene with the hit “Everyday I’m Hustlin”. It’s something that he’s tried to live up to and keep at the forefront of his music. Adopting the persona of a big Miami kingpin, Rick Ross constantly wins, constantly succeeds, and there is no stopping him. If the music is to be believed. 

If you look at his track record, you can see that he definitely has reasons to make such statements. Now, he’s attempted to top everything he’s done in the past, with the move to Warner Bros.

For a while, it seemed as though Maybach Music Group wasn’t going to be a force in the industry. The power of the Triple C’s group wasn’t felt too well. After all, the debut record of the group, Custom Cars & Cycles did not do the numbers that everyone at the label thought and hoped that it would. It wasn’t obvious what the problem, but Ross knew that something had to be done. So he took a little bit to concentrate on his next solo album, what would become Teflon Don.

After the release and promotion of an album that was almost flawless, Rick Ross has turned his attention back to his label. He’s signed a slew of new people. One of his best additions so far has been the D.C. rapper, Wale. Wale’s already had an album out and has had a few mild hits on the mainstream. His mixtapes though have given him acclaim, and a recent feature on Waka Flocka’s No Hands has done nothing but help. Wale gives Rick Ross his more introspective and conscious rapper on the label. I’m not saying that Ross is trying to follow a formula, because a formulaic label, like a formulaic album, well, it isn’t played out, it’s just plain dumb to do at this point. In this day and age of artists wearing multiple fitteds of rapper, producer, CEO, marketer, Wale’s going to represent more than just a one topic artist for Ross. He’s going to complement another of the artists on the label very well, namely Pill.

Pill, a rapper from Atlanta, has been on the grind for a few years now. He’s been in the Source in the Unsigned Hype section, as well as XXL, first as part of the Show and Prove section and later as one of their Freshmen for 2010. He brings the streets to MMG, something that the label already has an abundance of in the form of Rick Ross and the rest of the Triple Cs. His 1140: The Overdose mixtape was damn good, to say the least. Which brings us to Meek Mill, who rounds out the group. If you don’t already know who he is, you should probably work on that, and that’s real talk. He’s got songs and he’s been repping Philadelphia heavy. He brings yet another flavor to Maybach Music Group.

For the label, which before this was restricted to South Florida for it’s sound, these signees are diversifying the label very well. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ross looks to the West coast next. With the MMG compilation album Self Made announcement, Rick Ross is preparing to strike while the fire’s hot and not hold anything back. This album is going to be important to cement the new MMG and the choices musically on this compilation album are going to be critical. Every last track, every producer, every feature, every song theme.

All are crucial, because of how the first Triple C’s album did. I'm hoping that Wale's relationship with Mark Ronson stays strong and that they can bring him in to work on the album. They also need to get a track with Ryan Leslie, and definitely need to keep the working relationship that Rick Ross has with J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League strong. One of the weaknesses from the Triple C's Album was the production. Despite some top notch names, the beats seemed mailed in, as if Ross took the good ones from the beat CDs for himself, and let the rest be used on that album. Speaking of which, one wonder’s what’s going to happen to the Triple C’s group itself. Torch, Gunplay, and Young Breed.

One thing is for sure though. Rick Ross is starting to make sure that the “untouchable” tagline that he puts in all of the Maybach Music Group’s videos is truly deserved.

Downloads: Young Nard: Club Life The Mixtape

Check out this mixtape from Young Nard. It's got some crazy tracks on there, and it's hosted by DJ Beni Boom. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @Young_Nard




Download Here:
Young Nard: Club Life The Mixtape

And let me just welcome the site into 2011. Expect more coming soon!

The Future of G-Unit Records Pt 2: Lloyd Banks

Follow Lloyd Banks at @Lloydbanks


Follow me at @Idoitforhiphop

If there's one thing Lloyd Banks can do, it's spit. His Top 5 or Better series has shown that. He's put out mixtape after mixtape and they've been consistently good. They've been a little sporadic since he started the series, but despite the time between them, there's definite quality there. You can tell that there was a level of thought put into the projects. But the problem is that it hasn't translated into a third studio album from the Queens rapper. That's something I'd like to see. I do like the mixtape Banks. He's pretty damn good with the punches and he deserves the credit that he gets. The haters really need to sit back on that front.

Back to business though. Banks has an actual, real single out, Beamer Benz or Bentley feat. Juelz Santana. It's a pretty tough record with a good video out. And it's a definite good look for him. I'm trying to figure out what label the album would be coming out on. Yeah, it's coming out on G-Unit, but who's going to distribute the album? G-Unit can't do it by itself, unless 50's going for straight digital releases. It would be a smart business move, but I know it'd be a blow to the oh so large pride of 50 Cent. Also there's just so many benefits to a physical release with heavy promotion. Which brings us to the main question, namely how marketable is Lloyd Banks now?

Rotten Apple didn't do the greatest numbers that the people at Interscope could have hoped for. With the way sales are now, can Banks do even those numbers in this sales climate? That's the question. Furthermore, can he do it with a reduced budget? He's not going to get the promotion that he did with Rotten Apple and he's definitely not going to get the promo he did the first time around. That was back when G-Unit was on top and 50 Cent could do no wrong. It was obvious that anything that 50 Cent touched turned to gold.

But these days, even 50 can't do the numbers that he used to. So why should we expect the same from Lloyd Banks? The short answer is that we shouldn't, but the long answer is that we should.

In the short game, he's not going to sell a million records like he did with Hunger for More. I have a feeling though, that selling a milli isn't Banks' objective. He's trying to get his foot back in the door and get back into the game in a major way. It'll allow him to rebuild his fanbase, which at this point, will defend heavily on whether or not his female friendly songs are up to par, and rework himself back up to those numbers. In the long run, he'll be in good shape.

Provided this album does what it needs to do. And there's a few things that he needs to do in order to make sure that happens:

Timb for a club sounding track, but nothing from Shock Value II.
A Dr. Dre track is a must, and if you can get two. One should be just a solo joint, the other, go back and forth with Em.
Havoc is always a good choice for the grimey NY sound
DJ Nasty or Sean C and LV as well.

When it comes to the females, the choice to grab Keri Hilson on Rotten Apple's Help was genius. Do it again. Get Ryan Leslie as well, for another song. Get a good R&B/Pop singer to go for crossover, like Justin Timberlake or Bobby Valentino. The remix to Slow Down was nice.

The rest of the album should be given to newer producers, not necessarily unknowns for the sake of the budget, but newer producers.

Either way, Banks has his work cut out for him, but I'm fairly confident that he can pull it off. He's got the hunger for more and a rotten apple isn't going to satisfy.