Big K.R.I.T.: Long Time Coming
Overnight celebrities are in style these days. Tomorrow's most about buzzed about artist could literally show up tomorrow thanks to numerous blogs, countless aggregates, and dare I say, the speed of information. Artists such as Freddie Gibbs and Yelawolf seem to come out of nowhere to attract major attention and major deals. Certainly Big K.R.I.T. can be categorized as another future star who's rise was rapid and almost unexpected. But, as the title of his breakout project (K.R.I.T Wuz Here) suggests, the road to the public eye is often much longer than the public perceives. "For a lot of people in the industry such as A&Rs, street teams, DJ's, producers, a lot of them have seen me grinding since 2005 to get here," says K.R.I.T. "A lot of people treat me like, 'you've been trying to get on.'"
Indeed it's been a long road for the Meridian, Mississippi native as well as the aforementioned Gibbs and Yelawolf, who both had previous major label deals that didn't pan out prior to their resurgence. As K.R.I.T. told me via phone, even a year ago at this time he was unsure any kind of stardom was in the cards. "A year ago I was definitely grinding. I had a couple mixtapes out that I was pushing and I was just trying to figure out if I was going to continue rapping or not." Patience is a virtue, and after connecting with Curren$y, and the whole Creative Control movement, K.R.I.T. got the proper platform for his music, inked a deal with Def Jam, and his future's so bright he's gotta wear shades.
I caught up with Big K.R.I.T. for an in-depth interview in which he talks about his persistence, his humility, as well as his peers that represent a new class of Hip Hop artists. Check out the full interview belowRead more
Novel: "Walking on Air" ft. Joell Ortiz and Colin Munroe
Novel announced tonight via Twitter that he was going to release a song off of his upcoming album, Calligraphy, even though his mixtape, Legato Blues Summer, is still in the works. He joined forces with very talented Joell Ortiz and Colin Munroe to bless us with an incredible sounding, mellow song about having a special someone. The song was written and produced by Novel himself.
The ILLZ: "Antonio Tosca" (Video)
The next release from the "In Between Video Series" which will now be dropping August 24th, is a perfect example of how sometimes, simplicity wins.
"With Antonio Tosca we wanted to create this character that The ILLZ embodies but also is a look that is opposite to what “Hip Hop” portrays. What we set out to do was flip the image of Hip Hop, I shot performances just like in the 90’s but rather it be grimy and in dark locations. We went to the west village and walked around. We let the city inspire us and dictate the shots and the mood we were feeling at the time."
Hit The Jump For The Video.
Rockie Fresh: "So Gone" (Live Performance)
The homie Rockie Fresh performs his new track "So Gone" at the Wild Hare when he opened for Chip The Ripper here in Chicago, on the Gift Raps tour. The song is off his yet to be titled mixtape, but head over to Rockie's website and check out his mixtape Rockie's Modern Life. Check the visuals after the jump.
Kanye West: "See Me Now" ft. Beyonce and Charlie Wilson
Kanye wasn't kidding around on his twitter account the other day when he said:
"This shit I got in studio now don't make no sense Ima leak this shit 2mrw !!! Ima go up to Angie's!! I'm extremely serious!!!"
He debuted the new track on Hot 97 radio with Angie Martinez just now. I imagine the timing of the song's release is serving as a bit of a reminder that he's still here despite the push back of the release date for his untitled album. Kanye produced the track with No I.D. and Lex Luger. Kanye said the song has been in the works for about 2 years and that Beyonce finished the hook sometime around 5 a.m. this morning. Download the track below.
Also, Kanye announced that he has added Jay-Z to "Power", a similar move to what he did with "Diamonds" a few years back. Supposedly that will be dropped on Friday, and the LP will drop November 16th... I heard that will be on Black Friday though, but we'll see.
Aleon Craft: "Yoga Flame"
One thing I've learned from listening to Aleon Craft is that you can never be sure what to expect from the Decatur native. "Yoga Flame" proves this. The song is off of The Stargazing Soundtrack mixtape. Just when you think you've got "Yoga Flame" figured out, the song turns on you and switches from trippy, space-like sound to a heavily distortioned guitar driven jam. The mixtape is set to drop on 8/16 and it is going to have a bunch of features from Decatur locals and friends like Nappy Roots, Hollyweerd, Mikkey Halsted, and many more. Check out the song below to see what I mean as well as check out the cover art and track listing for the mixtape.
¡MAYDAY!: "I'll Be Gone" Video
A bit late on this one. Thanks Lollapalooza... Here's the official video for "I'll Be Gone" off ¡MAYDAY!'s upcoming album, Stuck on an Island. The visuals are stunning and the colors are vivid but the lighting and events seen in the video make for a darker feel. The video was produced and edited by Joke and co-directed by ¡MAYDAY! Watch the video below.
Mac Miller: "Good Evening"
Mac Miller is blowing up. With his mixtape, entitled "K.I.D.S." dropping in two days (8/13), he's flooding the web with songs and videos. "Good Evening" a new joint from the Pittsburgh kid that uses sampling and some childhood references reminiscent of Chiddy Bang. Mac delivers clever line after clever line on this one each one telling listeners why he's worthy of their time.
"My fans notice these other rappers is bogus, I'm super supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"
Cop the track below