V-103 - The People's Station » Music

Beyonce’s New Album Isn’t Coming As Soon As We Think, Ne-Yo Claims

mreal197 — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:11:34 +0000

Ne-Yo is best known to fans for moody tracks like “Closer” and “Miss Independent,” but some of his biggest successes have actually come from his work as a songwriter for other artists.

The crooner co-penned Beyonce’s 2007 hit “Irreplaceable,” and is now speaking out on his latest work with Bey for her upcoming fifth studio album, expected this year.

“I’m still putting stuff together for Beyonce’s album,” he told Billboard. “They’re still trying to figure out what they want that to be, which I’m not mad at.”

Bey has reportedly been working on the record since last summer when she met with the likes of Ryan Tedder, The-Dream and Sia in the Hamptons to collaborate on potential album material. While the effort is months in the making and remains unscheduled for release, Ne-Yo says it will be worth the wait.

“Beyonce’s the kind of artist where you’re not gonna see it till it’s right,” he said in the interview. “And her fans — they love her so they’ll be patient.”

No official single has been released, but fans have had a taste of what to expect with new tracks appearing in recent Pepsi and H&M commercials, along with a contribution to animated movie Epic‘s soundtrack, “Rise Up.”

Eminem Drops Mixtape Track ‘Symphony In H’

mreal197 — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:53:09 +0000

My new track for @DJTONYTOUCH off of PieceMaker3 out 7/9:
http://t.co/O6W2CTQeG9
— Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) June 19, 2013

Jay-Z makes announcements in Galaxy spots, but Eminem is taking it to the streets. Late Tuesday (June 18) night, he Tweeted out a new track that will be released on DJ Tony Touch’s next mixtape called “Symphony In H.”

Eminem has been absent from the public eye since 2010′s Recovery. This new track is sure to fuel speculation that he’s working on a follow-up. The mixtape is titled PieceMaker 3…Return Of The 50 MCs and is available to preorder on Bandcamp.

Hear the track on Radio.com.

From Nas To TLC, J. Cole Breaks Down His Favorite ‘Born Sinner’ Songs

mreal197 — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:51:03 +0000

One of the most highly anticipated albums of 2013, J. Cole‘s Born Sinner is out as of this week. The rapper sat down with Hartford, Connec., radio station Hot 93.7 (a Radio.com station) to provide the breakdown behind his self-produced second LP and give insight on the inspiration behind a few of his favorite songs. Born Sinner, in the words of J. Cole, ladies and gents…

“LAnd of the Snakes”

“The L and the A are capitalized in Land. It is roughly about this time I went to L.A. to record an album and I thought about moving out there. I considered it, but the other side was telling me, ‘Don’t do it, it’s dangerous.’ You can lose yourself in Los Angeles, it has a dangerous climate– loosely [the song] is about that. It’s just an ill song, [it has] a lot of good flows, and the beat is crazy.”

Drinking Kanye West’s ‘Yeezus’ Haterade

mreal197 — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:45:42 +0000

Kanye West’s new album, Yeezus, is stark, abrasive and combative. It is not “minimalist,” even by Kanye standards; but after the grandiose orchestral production that was My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, the record feels less like entertainment and more like a confrontation. He borrowed producer Rick Rubin’s well-trained ear to strip away the fat from the record’s early sketches, laying bare the harsh staccato rhythms of Chicago drill music and modern trap that dominate the record’s sonic palette. He pairs tribal drums with industrial synths and acid house, incorporating disparate musical subcultures into a sound unlike anything currently on terrestrial radio.

At this point, his talent as a composer is almost universally accepted, if often begrudgingly. Because for every intricate drum pattern he programs into his MPC, there’s a contradiction he forces you to reconcile (or ignore). He gets us to consume his willful ignorance, unapologetic misogyny, and often blatant hypocrisy because we can’t deny that his compositions make us move, groove, and feel. On the Nina Simone-sampling “Blood on the Leaves,” he co-opts the powerful imagery of a lynching while he’s whining about alimony. He’s unafraid to tamper with Simone’s iconic voice, and once you hear him juxtapose the powerful lyrical imagery of “Strange Fruit” with the triumphant ignorance of the trap, a poignant picture of Chicago’s dystopian South Side begins to emerge. All this, on the same track in which he admonishes his “second-string b****es” for “tryin’a get a baby.” The track’s lyrics aren’t the album’s most offensively misogynistic—that honor would likely go to the chowder-headed “sweet and sour sauce” line from “I’m In It”—but they expose the striking dichotomy of his willful ignorance and artful craft.

But for much of Yeezus, Kanye is angry. Angry that the same retailers that chase poor black kids out of their stores are more than happy to help a rapper blow his advance on a chain. Angry that his pastry is taking too long to arrive from the kitchen in the “french-ass restaurant” he’s patronizing. Angry that he didn’t get enough help jump-starting his ready-to-wear line. Angry that he’s not universally recognized as a deity. For a new father with millions of fans and dollars, he sure has a lot of hate in his heart. But for the art’s sake, is that necessarily a bad thing? And where does it come from?

Read more on Radio.com.

Kanye West Recreates ‘American Psycho’ With Scott Disick For ‘Yeezus’

mreal197 — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:58:30 +0000

Kanye West has found an unlikely pal in Kardashian clan associate Scott Disick, who stars in the rapper’s recent American Psycho-inspired Yeezus promo clip.

The video dropped at West’s album listening party in Los Angeles last weekend and shows Disick, who is Kim’s sister Kourtney’s partner, portraying the film’s main character, Patrick Bateman.

Watch the NSFW video, which includes violence and strong language, here.

Also appearing in the clip is Keeping Up With the Kardashians regular Jonathan Cheban, a friend of Kim.

Read more at Radio.com

John Legend Returns With New EDM-Influenced Single Featuring Kimbra

mreal197 — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:36:57 +0000

John Legend has returned with a brand new track. And it’s unlike anything you’ve heard from him before.

Legend premiered his new single, “Made To Love” on Monday (June 17) via the blog, Hello Beautiful. The song has a little bit of that spaghetti western feel Legend nailed on his song, “Who Did That To You,” which was his contribution to the movie, Django Unchained. But for this one, Legend manages to add a bit of EDM and a dash of classical flair that includes a segment of operatic vocals. On this one, percussion (specifically African tribal drums and handclaps) take the place of his usual piano-centric melody as he croons, “I was sent here for you/We were made to love.”

Kimbra, who sang on Gotye’s 2012 smash hit “Somebody That I Used To Know,” provides the haunting backup vocals and even shows off her scatting skills. The song was produced by Da Internz, Dave Tozer, Nana Kwabena and Kanye West. Legend has worked with Kanye before and is reportedly featured on the rapper’s most recent album, Yeezus.

The song will be on Legend’s upcoming album Love In The Future, out June 25. This is his first studio album since 2008′s Evolver.

Listen to Legend’s new song, “Made To Love” on Radio.com

Lil’ Wayne Treads On American Flag In New Music Video

mreal197 — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:11:20 +0000

Update (June 18): A day after the controversy, Lil Wayne spoke out via Twitter, chalking it up to an accident. How far the explanation will go with those offended by the fact that the American flag was “just there” for him to walk on remains to be seen.

I didn't step on the flag on purpose! It's a scene in a video where the flag drops behind me and after it drop it's just there as I perform
—
Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) June 18, 2013

Hours later, Weezy drove his point home with a statement released on his official Facebook page. It reads in full:

“It was never my intention to desecrate the flag of the United States of America. I was shooting a video for a song off my album entitled ‘God Bless Amerika’. The clip that surfaced on the Internet was a camera trick clip that revealed that behind the American Flag was the Hoods of America. In the final edit of the video you will see the flag fall to reveal what is behind it but will never see it on the ground. In most people eyes including my own who were raised in that environment, the Hood is the only America they know and the only America I knew growing up. I was fortunate from my God giving talents to escape the Hood and see the other beautiful places this country has to offer but most people who are born in that environment don’t get that chance. That’s their view of their America. That was Dwayne M Carter from Hollygrove New Orleans view of America. That’s who I’m speaking for in this song.”

Head to Radio.com for the original story.

Chris Brown Releases ‘Don’t Think They Know’ Video

mreal197 — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:58:54 +0000

Chris Brown has finally dropped the video for his second single off his forthcoming album, X, after teasing the Internet with behind the scenes footage back in May. As previously reported, the song is titled “Don’t Think They Know” and features previously-unheard vocals from Aaliyah, which are weaved throughout the chorus and bridge as almost a duet with Brown.

The video, directed by Brown, opens with a statistic on gun violence and quote about peace from Christopher (Brown, not known as CB, as the video text clarifies). The footage is all black and white and the first half features added color exclusively in red and blue — an obvious nod to the Bloods and the Crips, whose violence has long dominated the location in Compton, Calif. where Brown shot the video. But the video isn’t a condemnation. To the contrary, Brown tweeted during the video’s filming last month that he meant it to give love back to the ‘hood (though not his or Aaliyah’s ‘hood, as Brown is from Virginia and Aaliyah was born in Brooklyn and raised in Detroit).

In addition to shots in Compton, the video also features stage sets of Brown dancing while a projection of Aaliyah joins him on screens in the background. Then Brown and an army of hoodie-wearing men with matching gold chains do a dance routine while Brown flashes silver vampire/zombie/alien/inhuman eyes. How those two conceits relate to the theme of unity is unclear, unless it conveys a True Blood-like sentiment to embrace all types of creatures, human and non.

Kim Kardashian, Kanye West Welcome Baby Girl

mreal197 — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:47:18 +0000

Drake Announces Fall Tour with Miguel & Future

mreal197 — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:15:26 +0000

Even though there’s no word on when his new album will be out, Drake announced Monday (June 17) that he is hitting the road this fall with Miguel and Future.

The 41-date Would You Like a Tour? kicks off September 25 in Portland, Oregon and wraps up on October 25 in Los Angeles. Drizzy posted a full list of tour dates on his October’s Very Own website today (June 17), with tickets going on sale this Friday (June 21) via Live Nation.

The tour will presumably be supporting Drake’s upcoming effort, Nothing Was the Same, which has already seen the release of three tracks including lead single, “Started From the Bottom.” Drizzy also put out “5AM in Toronto” and “Girls Love Beyonce” through his October’s Very Own label website. Though no official release date has been revealed as of yet, the album is expected to drop some time this year.

The rapper is also keeping busy with his Cash Money label mates Birdman and Lil Wayne for a rumored Big Tymers reboot, which has yet to see the studio.