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2012 saw life totally transform for Cameron Thomaz, aka
Wiz Khalifa. A native of Pittsburg, his grapple hold on the underground rap scene not only cemented him a spot in the limelight on a national scale but globally as well. A cult hip-hop hero on the indie scene, Khalifa’s many mixtapes earned him all types of noteriety on the come up.
However his debut album
Rolling Papers didn’t appear to live up to the hype, despite the multi-platinum selling single "Black & Yellow." After taking some time out, recruiting a new crew in the form of the
Taylor Gang, prepping to become a father, and filming a movie with
Snoop Dogg, the trees and tattoos enthusiast returns with
O.N.I.F.C..
Thirty minutes of audio-travel through Algeria up to Scandinavia in 11 tracks? That would be with singer YADi’s newly released Banana mixtape. 
The conversation had with a musically inquisitive, 20-something friend from Italy shortly before writing this feature [scrutinous but open minded, we regularly harass each other for musical recommendations]:
Have you listened to The Internet’s new album Purple Naked Ladies?
No, never heard of them.
Give it a listen.
I will.
Best songs on it are “Cunt” and “Cocaine.”
Love it already.
Welcome to The Internet... 
As if releasing three mixtapes in one year isn’t enough of an achievement, Abel Tesfaye – better known as The Weeknd – has managed to evolve as an artist throughout the process, leaving no doubt that each of the mixtapes will reveal fresh revelations and heart wrenching sounds. Seamlessly changing the standards and expectations of modern day R&B, The Weeknd manages to transmit a despondent, haunting feeling to listeners the world over. 
Abel Tesfaye, better known as the Weeknd, single handedly won over a multitude of hearts (he didn’t need to steal them, they were happily handed over) with his debut House of Balloons mixtape. Heavily backed by the likes of Drake, the initially enigmatic The Weeknd shot to fame this year with his throwback to actually good R&B. In a world of slanted mirrors and overcompensation, it is easy to see why the world loves Tesfaye and his “downcast” sound which strongly contrasts with the subject matter of more commercial tracks. Praised by an aggregation of critics - the likes of the Guardian, which commended House of Balloons for its “command of mood” among many other things - we have been eagerly awaiting his next venture.