This one was a long time coming. Suffice to say this is the first official album single from Drizzy’s Thank Me Later. At this point, my opinion on the track isn’t really that important. People will be slappin this one on repeat either way. But yeah, this shit is heat. You already know when the intro drops. Mr. Graham will be going from college to college on the Away From Home Tour starting next month, along with my favorite indie band of the moment. Album in May. This is Wine & Bowties.
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For those of you who missed the show, Wayne, Em and Drizzy shut it down, starting with the Rebirth collab “Drop the World” and of course, “Forever”. Cole knows better than most of us. Overall, the night, and the actual awards given out left something to be desired. After all, it was the Grammys. These three on stage was pretty iconic either way though, even if Yeezy was a no show. Don’t know if it was touching this though. As usual, GaGa went hard with the performance too, pulling a Shady and bringing out Elton John. Check below for the footage.
I don’t know how I feel about recycling verses, but new music is new music. Coming off one of the most impressive rookie seasons in a minute, Drizzy isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Even the unfinished leaks and fragments that make their way out of the studio have been pretty impressive. “Zone” finds Drake goin in over a heater from J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, which is becoming pretty standard these days. Unclear whether this’ll end up Thank Me Later, but worth the listen either way.
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As the year comes to a close, we thought it was only appropriate to share with you the music that inspired us most. Off top, let me make it clear that this isn’t “top” or “best” anything. Contrary to popular opinion, this music thing is not a competition. Not to mention that trying to collapse a year’s worth of music into a comprehensive playlist just isn’t really feasible. Just ask Lily Allen, Pac Div or about 100 otherartists who easily could’ve ended up on this short list. Having said that, it’s only right to pay homage to the tracks that made our life that much more enjoyable. Whether they made us sing and dance, contemplate our lives or drive way too fast in the whip, the artists behind these 25 deserve a little recognition. Consider it their gift to you.
Hyphen just laced us with some gold. A “unique” rendition of the devastatingly infectious Birdman hit, “Money to Blow.” One of those songs you can’t stop slapping, but are mad at because Birdman made it. Nonetheless, this is jokes. Already watched this shit three times.
While I fuck with the song and this video so tough, the inherent statement of the song leaves a little to be desired. You see, the pursuit of happiness is flawed. If you’re in the pursuit of happiness, where are you at right now? Mediocre? Aight? So so? Doin bad? As I mentioned below, our happiness is within us as we can choose how we view the people places and things that make up our life. Happiness is not something external. The external only adds to the internal, but the internal’s been there since day one. Nonetheless, getting on and celebrating the moments never looked so good. We’ll be there soon. 2010. The Year of the Dreamer.
My bad folks. You got tricked like I did into thinking Drake would have a verse on this. For whatever reason, it seems like Ms. Keys got Drizzy on the track specifically to do some background vocals. Fortunately, the song came out pretty damn dope. As cool as it would be to hear a duet, I think Alicia actually made a cool choice, correctly noticing that Drake absolutely kills this type of vocal (see “Lust for Life”, or most of So Far Gone for that matter). Not to mention, there’s not a lot of people in the biz right now who can write a love song like Alicia. The Element of Freedom drops next Tuesday.
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The thing about putting the entire crew on is simply that everyone is not capable of carrying the torch. We’ve seen it time and time again. Nelly was running with the torch, passed it to Murphy Lee, he stumbled, passed it to Eminem, Em got the lead back and was front runnin, passed it to D12 and their shoelaces came undone, they threw it to 50 and he ran a lap around the competition, only to drop it back to Tony Yayo, and he fell on his face. This track is no different, Wayne & Drizzy come correct, even Nikki Minaj does her thing, but the rest of these YM bruhs leave a lot to be desired. First single off the YM compilation, whatchu think? Omarion on the hook.
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This year we’ve seen the birth of a potential legend in the game. Usually I’m with PE, but the kid is the real deal. A solid rebound from a lackluster video for “Successful”, and the only new track slated to appear on the So Far Gone EP, alongside favorites like “Best I Ever Had”. Not that folks haven’t heard everything on it, but still a good move on the business side I suppose. On a side note, DJ Khalil spazzed on the track; one of the hottest beats you’ll hear this year, along with this one. ‘09 has been a career year for this cat. This one is super settled; a vivid portrait of the price of fame.
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I think I was in a small minority of people who actually thought the video for “Best I Ever Had” was close to brilliant. Now, after some previews and pics from the set, the second single from the only mixtape with marquee singles has an official video too. Personally, I got pretty bored about a minute in, but that’s just me. Nice looking video, but not a lot actually happens. Thought it might be worth the watch anyway though. Take a look and decide for yourself.
This is how you do it. Swagga Like Us on steroids. This track is exciting. Off first listen you’re like, “Damn ok Drake, I see you, who’s next…” and it continues. It’s exciting. I hope there are more mega tracks like this in the future. So then the question becomes, who came the hardest?
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Since the photos of these two in the studio surfaced, a lot of anticipation built up surrounding this track. And now the wait is over. With just under three weeks left until BP3 drops, Hov’s first collab with Drake leaked today. Hopefully the first of many, since Drizzy’s only on the hook. For those of us looking to see who would outshine who might have to wait a while. Timbo came with a banger, but I can’t quite say I’m blown away. To be fair, expectations are a bitch when you’re talking about a trio like this, and the song is pretty solid all around. A slap for the folks who stay a little bit ahead of the curve.
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Last week, Drizzy’s face graced the cover of FADER, along with the headline “Drake and his inscrutable rise to fame and fortune”. Inscrutable indeed. The dude is talented beyond anyone’s expectations. Photographer Jonathan Mannion is known best for his iconic hip-hop photography, having built his reputation with memorable album covers like this one, this one, and this other one. Mannion did a beautiful job with the FADER cover story, capturing the young artist on the brink of becoming unprecedently, well, successful.
At this point, we all know Wheelchair Jimmy is winning. “Best I Ever Had” is in heavy rotation on most of the radio stations we listen to. In all likelihood, you’ll hear at least two joints he’s on tonight if you go out. Not to mention the Ye-directed video, and a much anticipated album in the works. True to form, “The Winner” is yet another slap. One of his best yet at that. Tha Bizness on the track. W&B. Thank us later.
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A bittersweet one for me. A song by Drake about the B&B’s. boobies&basketball (in stores soon). Yeah, that’s cool. On the flipside it’s some pretty played topics covered in a semi-unique way. Although altering the plot, we’ve seen the hoop music video too many times. Here’s an example, and another and another . Cut scenes are nice to have but not if they’re boring. Drake looks tired. Maybe I’m hating. Nahright said it’s getting 5000 views every 20min. 50’s thoughts on Drakes buzz were interesting, simply because it questions a level of hype we don’t encounter often. And I think we’re all excited too. Most hyped person after Obama and Lebron? Laugh out loud. Can’t even deny it though, our friend Drake is doing it.
