Photo by Vince Kmeron
New tour dates have been announced for Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, The Big Pink, Hot Chip, The xx, Passion Pit, Japandroids, St. Vincent, Jay-Z, Neon Indian, and Fiery Furnaces. Full dates after the jump: Continue reading →
Photo by Vince Kmeron
New tour dates have been announced for Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, The Big Pink, Hot Chip, The xx, Passion Pit, Japandroids, St. Vincent, Jay-Z, Neon Indian, and Fiery Furnaces. Full dates after the jump: Continue reading →
Lil Wayne might be heading to jail, but that won’t stop him from spewing out monster mixtapes. I’m thinking this will be one of the last proper mixtapes we’re getting from Weezy in a while, so make sure you grab it. No Ceilings features recycled beats by Jay-Z, Black Eyed Peas, and even Lady GaGa/Kid Cudi/Kanye West. Major props to HustleGRL for the mad artwork for No Ceilings.
UPDATE: 2dopeboyz says: here is the official version of No Ceilings, featuring four new joints and an overall higher sound quality.
UPDATE2: No official tracklist (order wise) yet. smh… I swear this tape has been such a hassle haha! Tomorrow, the FINAL one will be available. Until then, just enjoy the music haha.
Download the full mixtape below: Continue reading →
The big news this week is that Lil Wayne is going to jail for up-to a year for gun possession, but this, of course, won’t be stopping Weezy from dropping his No Ceilings mixtape this Halloween. It’s been a while since I’ve kept up with Lil Wayne’s various off-album releases, but this track caught my attention.
My favorite Lil Wayne tracks, save for “A Milli,” have been some of his freestyles on his mixtapes, and his “Run This Town” freestyle brings back the Lil Wayne we were enjoying in late 07 and early 08. The lyricism of this track, coupled with Wayne’s vehement and overtly cocky delivery triggers thoughts of “A Milli,” not because it bears a resemblance to it, but because this “Run This Town” freestyle will fit nicely next to “A Milli” and among other mind-blowing performances that remind us why Weezy calls himself the Rapper Eater. Continue reading →
Ever since I saw DJ Don Diablo spin wearing a full on suit in 90+ degree weather at Chicago’s Lollaplozza (pure class) I have been in love and awed by his utter coolness (I mean come on, just look at this picture). Recently he hit the studio with Phoenix’s “Fences” and acapella of Jay Z’s “99 Problems.” Even if you are tired of the zillion “99 Problems” remixes, and over all the recent Phoenix remixes, I think you will find this mashup interesting enough to at least put it on a “party mix” (rar) or just down right love it all together!
In typical Diablo style, using stems of “Fences,” he effortlessly and smoothly blends the songs together. Overall, the song is perfectly synced though out the whole song. I’d say it’s another production knock out for Diplo. Definitely a winning combination. Get it after the jump Continue reading →
Artwork by the talented and generous Adam Sparpalius.
Continue reading →
CD giveaway, details at end of review
Roc Nation
out September 11th
68/100
[Rating Scale]
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[rating:68/100]
It must be tough to be Jay-Z. Not in the “I’m married to Beyoncé” way, or in the “I’m the reigning elder statesman of rap” way, but in the way that you’ve been around and relevant for so long that you are a magnet for criticism – the oldest active voice of the new school, struggling to remain on the forefront of the game.
Any artist releasing his 11th album faces a challenge. Do you change your style to stay up with the new trends, allowing your sound to evolve while turning your back on the moves that brought you success in the first place? Or do you stick with what works, reprising older successes with a few changes in the hooks and lyrics? It’s a tough decision. Continue reading →

The earth stood still for a couple of minutes when word broke that Jay-Z’s insanely anticipated The Blueprint 3 had leaked. The consensus was that after all of these years, Jay-Z is still hitting hard and four steps ahead of everyone in the game. Most rappers lose steam after their second or third album — to release an eleventh album that doesn’t make you want to shoot yourself in the face, like this one, is unthinkable.
With that said, for me, the album was dry and slow. It had some highlights and “Empire State of Mind” was definitely one of them. My personal favorite cut from the album, the track features a Jay-Z full of hometown sentiment and soaring harmonies courtesy of the gosh-wow lovely Alicia Keys. Listen to it here: Continue reading →
Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor. Photo by Rezflicks.
At JellyNYC’s last free concert of their NYC Pool Party series on the Williamsburg Waterfront in Brooklyn last Sunday, it seems like the forecasted bad weather was just about the only no-show. Otherwise, the full capacity crowd had to wait in an hour-long line that wound around the surrounding avenues of the tiny East River State Park before getting in. But for those who finally did, what more could a few thousand flanneled music lovers ask for than hearing Grizzly Bear, Beach House, and Vega with a riverside view of the New York City skyline behind them? Nothing — unless, of course, the answer is more free shows in Brooklyn. Continue reading →

The first couple of singles of The Blueprint 3 have been underwhelming, there’s no doubt of that. His last single, “Run This Town” featuring Kanye West and Rihanna should have been a shining beacon of hope and a highlight for B3, but sadly, it doesn’t even hold a candle to Clipse’s “All Eyes On Me” (I compare the two because they both feature a boring female hook, and other prolific rapper).
Hot off the still-impressive Timbaland machine, “Off That” features a blistering hook brought to your ears by king of the summer, Drake. It is by far the best B3 track I’ve heard so far. “Off That” will serve as The Blueprint 3’s third single, but something tells me it won’t be as successful as “Best I’ve Ever Had.”
Listen to “Off That” here Continue reading →