Lining up his comeback this year hasn’t come easy for Chris Brown. Constantly rebuilding his image since the release of his fourth album F.A.M.E., the singer received several award nominations for his efforts and planned to release the sequel just six months afterwards. After a...
In what was surely an introspective effort, the Yellow Album gave longtime Dom Kennedy supporters something quite different from the usual summer-released, Westside, Impala-riding music. In contrast to From the Westside with Love II, the Yellow Album utilized more synthesizers. 2011 summer classins like “Grind’n”...
At SXSW this past March, bright-eyed and dark haired New Zealand export Kimbra captivated audiences at various shows around the festival -- most notably The Spotify House, at which she performed an innovative rendition of her breakout single, “Settle Down.” Despite not adapting the deranged feel...
Having somewhat completed the full circle of Hip-Hop success (mixtapes, classic albums, built a label and an empire), many would believe that 50 Cent might finally walk away from the ferocious battleground on which he ran roughshod for years. But in between brokering deals, acting and setting up a charity to feed hungry children in third world countries, the G-Unit general announced that he would be teaming with the mixtape don DJ Drama to unleash another potent mix of gangsta tales and pulverising productions. Curtis aims to bring back G-Unit's glory days with The Lost Tape, a highly anticipated musical project which hopes to reaffirm his elite status in rap's rankings as well as ensure that there's still room for gangsta rap in today's market. It's put up or shut up time for a man who was one of Hip-Hop's most controversial acts for many years.
“Has Hip Hop really come to this?" Whilst it may not be a direct quote taken from anyone, it certainly expresses the opinion of many, many fans who have been abhorred as to what has surfaced in recent years. For all the Dougie-ing, blasphemic and skinny jeans wearing hipsters which have been vehemently argued against, the emergence of Berkeley, California’s Lil B has probably caused the biggest outcries. Creating dozens upon dozens of material composed of ridiculously simplistic rhyme schemes on bizarre topics, the professed ‘Based God’ took it a step further by announcing that the name of his album would be entitled I’m Gay … Well, the less said about the controversial album title, the better, the real test now is whether or not the XXL Freshman’s ‘content’ can fan the flames of disdain from the outside public.
Alicia Keys rocked London’s 02 Arena with a career-spanning performance laden with political and self-uplifting messages that at left audiences feeling like they’d drank a cup of ‘feel good juice’.
Twenty minutes after the audience had been warmed up deliciously by Melanie Fiona, Alicia Keys descended onto the stage in a cage and 'emancipated' herself while performing the introduction to her latest album, Element of Freedom. The opening stage set was the most elaborate throughout the night, and for the duration of the performance the stage design was somewhat plain. However, there is no doubt that the lack of ostentatious pyrotechnics, stage designs and other proverbial bells and whistles typical to large-scale shows was deliberate - the focus was solidly on Alicia and the music.
The Brazilian living legend singer Maria Rita shook a packed Koko house on Tuesday night amidst an electrified crowd of Brazilondoners, cameras ready to click and hips ready to samba from the word ‘go’ and ‘Maria’. She opened the stage-sky glittering in red and bathed in alternating shades of ocre, indigo, rasberry and emerald that accompanied our traveling with her, through no less than 20 songs, taken from her three albums, Maria Rita, Segundo and Samba Meu.
This tiny graceful woman began her singing stellar trajectory in 2003 upon the launch of her first album Maria Rita. Six latin Grammys on and numerous tours, Maria Rita returned to London after
When God was handing out talent, Raul Midon must have found himself one of the first in line. This honey-voiced, virtuoso guitarist and accomplished songwriter (who also does a mean impression of the muted-trumpet) is now three albums deep and his star shows no sign of waning.
The Afro-Argentinian singer-songwriter first made major ripples on the scene with his debut album State of Mind (with a guest appearance from Stevie Wonder on harmonica) back in 2006. Its release was accompanied by a strategic and well-received performance on the Late Show with David Letterman and various tour dates including a London gig supported by, the then unknown, Adele. State of Mind was almost completely an acoustic affair.
The 2007 follow-up World Within A World however drew ire from certain quarters as Midon departed from the unplugged feel of his debut, opting for a fuller, more obviously programmed sound. The detractors need not have worried; the most important element-the songs - were still quality.
Midon has the knack of penning melodies so simple and effective; you wonder why no one else has thought of them before. Neither is he one for over-production and cluttered soundscapes, keeping his arrangements sufficiently spacious. In addition Raul’s live sets are usually stripped down to just the man and his six-string, proving he doesn’t need any gimmicks when the raw gift is on show.
Raul returns this year with Synthesis, possibly his most instantly appealing record yet.
Whilst many of today’s acts achieve success in all areas, there are only a few whose wordplay prick our ears due to the magnitude of their lyricism. Amidst those who do so, Wretch 32 is the artist most commonly mentioned within the Grime and Hip Hop circuit. His 2008 debut Wretchrospective sported some of the biggest hits of that year as well as the most in-depth verses to come from the UK in recent times. As a shortage of such artists is evident, this makes each Wretch release an anticipated one and his new mixtape should hopefully provide enough material for lyrical fans to teethe on.