Two years since his previous effort Gutter Rainbows hit stores, Brooklyn rhymer Talib Kweli drops off his fifth solo album Prisoner of Conscious. With an array of featured guests, a magnitude of rhythmically responsive instrumental backdrops and more subject matters than a book of short stories, the 15 track lyrical get down is a tempo frenzy of intellectual poetry.
Being that he’s one of the few true visionaries left in today’s over saturated music industry, it’s fair to say [cliche's aside] that Miguel is a breath of fresh air as far as R&B mainstays are concerned. Not one to follow trends, he sets his own rules. While chart-chasing R&B seems to be heading more towards dance, Miguel’s numerous vocal variations, diverse songwriting and experimental production pieces channel mid-80’s Prince with a touch of class that even the late Marvin Gaye would have been proud of.
Let’s just say he’s a leader amongst men, and it shows with his latest offering - Kaleidoscope Dream.
On Monday night, US R&B star Miguel took to the stage at North London's Kentish Town Forum much to the delight of the mostly female capacity crowd. Before he emerged, a strong lineup of homegrown supporting acts all had their own chances to shine, warming up the crowd with performances of varying quality. The queue outside tailed around the venue and onto surrounding streets, and anticipation was high for 26-year-old Miguel's first UK show.
Far more often than not, it's the packaging and marketing of an artist that inevitably determines how well received they are by the public. For every braggadocious rapper flooding the airwaves with chart hits, there are equally as many talented individuals who Hip Hop seemingly doesn't care for. This arguably was the case for the now Maybach Music affiliated Wale. From being the Nike boasting, good girl loving free spirit to flirting with critical acclaim due to clever anecdotes and engaging material, Washington, DC's almost favourite son has divided Hip Hoppers opinions over his merits. But under new employers, a somewhat new image and a new album, Mr Folarin gets another chance to define himself to those still looking to place him in either the Hot or Not categories of emcees.
"Shortly before I conceived my daughter, I stepped back into the field and took a meeting with a label head . In this meeting, I was innocently told, to 'sell' myself when walking into these meetings.
"That’s when I decided I would 'sail' myself rather than sell myself."
If Jhene Aiko is a name you haven't heard before, jump on YouTube and search for "He Couldn't Kiss" or "Gonna Love You Anyway" which featured on B2K - The Remixes and you might remember her.
She's just dropped an impressive mixtape called Sailing Soul(s), featuring collaborations with Drake, Miguel, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar and Gucci Mane,. Throughout the 13-track collection, Jhene showcases her soft, sweet vocals, her emotional growth and how far her voice has developed since the B2K days.
All songs were written by Jhene, except "July" and is mostly produced by Fisticuffs, except "July" and "You vs Them" (produced by Bei Maejor), "Real Now" (produced by Roosevelt), "Do Better" (produced by J. Lbs), and "Growing Apart" (produced by Tae Beats).
Having written for the likes of Usher, Asher Roth, Mary J. Blige and Musiq Soulchild, Miguel - government name Miguel Jontel Pimentel - delivered his debut solo album late last year featuring production from Fisticuffs, Salaam Remi and Dre & Vidal.
The 25 year old singer/songwriter of African American and Mexican mixed descent quickly made his way up the musical ranks to the point where in 2010 he toured with Mary J. Blige, Usher, Jazmine Sullivan and Trey Songz. Citing James Brown, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie and Freddie Mercury as inspirations, Miguel's J. Cole-featuring album title track may have garnered the most attention for him to date - but today, the full LP goes under the spotlight...