First featured back on this blog in August, Jaiy Roses is back with an even smoother track dedicated to the ladies. Produced by none other than himself, Jaiy has plans to release his album "XIII: Lost Secrets" in mid-February. Listen to "Taking Chances" below:
"I used to wanna rap like Jay-Z/ Now I feel I could run laps around Jay-Z."
This really isn't that far-fetched.
Ab-Soul is simply one of the best lyricists of our generation, period. His word play on Control System is crazy, pulling out bars that leave all of us wondering what in the hell he actually meant. I know I am not the only one who has had to pull up Rap Genius while listening to the album (which is a good idea, since Ab-Soul himself explains some of the lyrics). Upon first listen, some of the things he says may go over your head, but this man goes HARD while maintaining his super chill demeanor.
Control System opens up with the beautiful Jhene Aiko singing on "Soulo Ho3," while AS hypes us up to hear the rest of the album. On "Bohemian Grove" he gives us one of the chillest beats on CS (other than "Empathy"), then proceeds to turn up on tracks like "Terrorist Threats" with fellow rapper Danny Brown, "SOPA"and "Lust Demons" with Jay Rock. He also spits on sensitive subjects, specifically on "The Book of Soul," where he lets us into his personal life- touching on his life-threatening skin condition and the loss of his former lover and friend, singer Alori Joh, earlier this year. The production on this independent album wasn't the best but it fit perfectly with Ab's flow. I'm sure when he gives us his major debut album next year we'll be satisfied all around with it. Ab-Soul shows so much promise, and it's only a matter of time before him and Kendrick are fighting for the #1 spot as long as he stays consistent.
Watch Ab-Soul's music videos from Control System and take a listen to "Only 1"- Soul's latest track produced by Willie B- and the entire album, below:
Ab-Soul feat. Danny Brown & Jhene Aiko x "Terrorist Threats"
Seems like this rapper is here to stay...forever. Check out the video for "Long Live A$AP", the intro track for A$AP Rocky's album of the same name that was leaked is set to come out January 15th.
Game is officially back on his grind. This album is so official- between the his flow, production and 23 features (not including the Kevin Hart skits), Jesus Piece deserves to be on every list that speaks on the hottest music this year.
We all know by now The Game doesn't care about being controversial, so having a concept album based around religion and street life wasn't surprising- we were going to listen regardless. With all these other great artists on JP, one would think The Game would be outshined by them- especially when rappers like J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar and Common didn't disappoint. In actuality, he stepped it up with every artist he was rhyming with and made sure he was heard and remembered on each track. The two songs where it's just him ("Heaven Arms" & "Blood Diamonds") he ripped. I'd also like to shoutout two singers on JP- producer K. Roosevelt had me thinking I was listening to Frank Ocean at first on "Can't Get Right" and JMSN (on "Pray" also featuring J. Cole) is on the come up after he swooned girls with his song "Love & Pain" earlier this year. And hearing Kevin Hart at first was unexpected but hilarious nonetheless.
I was surprised by a couple of his samples, but if you know The Game, you know he has always had a good ear. Standouts are the two he used by Florence and the Machine- an indie rock band-, "1st of the Month" by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, and "Lady" by D'Angelo. When it comes to production, from the the intro track with Meek Mill to his take on blood diamonds on the track of the same name (on the Deluxe Edition), the beats are SICK.
With this album only being 2 weeks old, you can expect people to ride to it into 2013. The fans love it and Dr. Dre gave it his seal of approval, so expect this album to receive more and more praise (no pun intended) in the next couple of weeks. Peep music videos from songs off the album as well as some of the tracks below (WARNING: "I Remember" video is NSFW):
The Game feat. Chris Brown, Tyga, Wiz Khalifa and Wayne- Celebration
The first R&B crooner to make the list is Miguel at number six. With Kaleidoscope Dream he DID THAT. He has grown so much since he first came on the scene. KD is a sexy album you can listen to straight through multiple times, making it one of the best albums of 2012.
With his seductive, moody voice (similar to Usher and The Weeknd), Miguel has dudes singing his lyrics to us girls as we swoon over how he good he sounds over such smooth and soulful beats. Songs about love, drugs, lust and sex will always sell, and Miguel and his label surely did that with this alternative R&B album. Opening with his single track "Adorn," he set the tone for the rest of KD, with even sexier songs like the title track, "Use Me," "Arch & Point," "How Many Drinks" and "Pussy is Mine." His songs that aren't sex-themed are just as -if not more- beautiful. The beats on "Do You...," "The Thrill," & "Don't Look Back" are just as sexy and smooth as the rest of the album. And what's even better is that the album is JUST HIM. No other artists were featured on the album, and really, they didn't need to be.
Kaleidoscope Dream tracklist
If you can catch any of the rest of his concerts, you should definitely go and check him out (check here)- I can only imagine what this album sounds like live. If not, you can listen to the entire album for free on Spotify. Check out the Dream Tour video below (while "Do You" plays in the background) as well as some music videos(which are just as cool as the songs themselves) and tracks from Kaleidoscope Dream:
The first (but certainly not the last) rapper to appear on the top ten list from Black Hippy is ScHoolboy Q at number seven. Out of all the dudes on his team, Q brings the most energy to his music, which is apparent on Habits and Contradictions- his music is unorthodox. His rhymes can only be rivaled by members of his own crew and he holds his own when on tracks with them.
Q's voice is unique, and no one is messing with his delivery- it's hype. He goes off on "Oxy Music," "Raymond 1969," and "Nightmare on Figg St,"-just to name a few- and "Blessed" with K. Dot and "Sacrilegious" are fan favorites. "Hands on the Wheel" feat. A$AP Rocky was the hottest single on the album, and it still goes like it did earlier this year. ScHoolboy Q's charisma on a track is unmatched, making him the standout rapper of 2012.
Look out in 2013 for his untitled album with Interscope (!) and lets hope him and the rest of Black Hippy continue to slay- and come out with their collabo album in the near future. Check out some music videos from the album below as well as some of the hottest tracks on Habits and Contradictions:
ScHoolboy Q feat. Ab-Soul- Druggys With Hoes Again
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