John West: "Already There" ft. Big Sean
This song is a good bit more "poppy" and production heavy than what we've heard from John in the past but I can't deny the overall good vibe from this track. This time he's linked up with another G.O.O.D. Music signee in Big Sean on a track that contrasts the two artists current statuses. Big Sean goes on about how he's where he once aspired to be and John West feel's like he's there but without all the presidential flashcards. Congrats to John. Cop the track below.
[Video] Kembe X: Self Rule Promo
Kembe X is a promising, young emcee out of the Chi whose material made it into my inbox a little while back. He's got a tape entitled Self Rule dropping on the 25th of this month and if you're looking for some refreshing, new music, look no further. Kembe's only been rapping for a little more than a year but his talent and potential are readily apparent on every track. This is definitely a project and artist worth checking out but for now, make the jump and watch the promo. Be on the lookout for more from Kembe X in the two weeks leading up to the tape's release.
Smoke DZA Signs to Curren$y's Jet Life Recordings
"Well its late, but not too late to pop a bottle for @smokedza joining the set... J.L.R... Now to turn this bus into a celebration station."
In the last few days, Curren$y has been signing artists like he drops projects...frequently. The rapper hailing from New Orleans announced earlier on Twitter today that he had signed Smoke DZA to Jet Life Recordings. This comes just two days after Curren$y signed one half of the Cool Kids duo in Mikey Rocks. Smoke DZA has worked with Curren$y in the past, most recently with "Personal Party" on Smoke DZA's Rolling Stoned project from this summer. Here's to the future collabs between Mikey, Smoke DZA, and of course Hot Spitta. So...who's next to be signed?
[Video] Mayer Hawthorne on Letterman
Mayer Hawthorne and The County were on Letterman last night promoting his recently released sophomore album How Do You Do. As expected, Mayer Hawthorne and company put on a stellar performance and were also dressed to impress. If you haven't checked out his new album, you can check out the video below and buy it on iTunes. I think Mayer Hawthorne should do a remix to one of the Watch the Throne tracks, like he did replacing The Dream in Snoop's "Gangsta Luv", and call it "Mayer Hawthrone". Just a thought.
Mikey Rocks Signs to Curren$y's Jet Life Recordings
Once a part of Lil' Wayne's Young Money Entertainment, Curren$y knows how the branded groups work. Since leaving Young Money in 2006, this Closed Sessions alum has hands down been one of the hardest workers in the game and after getting signed to Warner Bros. Records in February, he's made it abundantly clear about what his goals for the future are. In July, Curren$y told Village Voice about his goals for his Jet Life brand.
"It was definitely, shall we say, educational to see certain artists going out building their empires, building their own movements, Pharrell with Star Trak, Cam’ron with Dipset. Fans would hear a be and be like ‘That sounds like a Neptunes beat,’ or ‘That sounds like a Dipset joint.’ That’s how I engineered Jet Life to be. I want it to be branded in a way, so the people know what it is.”
So when the super productive MC, the same one who has released Covert Coup, Weekend at Burnie's, and Verde Terrace in 2011 alone, said he wanted to build his brand, you'd best believe he was going to go out and get another talented artist. Fresh off of the release of Premier Politics, Sir Michael Rocks joins the JLR family that consists of Trademark Da Skydiver, Young Roddy, Ciso, and Street Wiz. Congrats to both Curren$y and Mikey Rocks and here's looking forward to some joint tracks from these two. And yes, that was a pun.
Lil' Wayne: "G'd Up" ft. Mack Maine and Curren$y
I'm a big fan of old material from this trio, specifically their take on Crime Mob's "Knuck If You Buck". This is an unreleased track from 2005. Tracks like these serve as a reminder of how much better Young Money Entertainment would have been had the CEO (Lil' Wayne) and the President (Mack Maine) not let Hot Spitta leave. Make the jump to think about what it could have been.
Outasight: "Loosen Up"
The track makes it fitting to write this when I should be studying for a quiz I have in less than an hour.... Outasight promised a new song for today and here it is. I'd say this is one of his most pop-sounding songs to date but he still maintains his unique style throughout the track. Make the jump for the stream/download link. Time to study. Enjoy the track
Justice: "Helix"
Justice said that their second album, Audio, Video, Disco, would be a lighter album than the first. The French duo also said that they were going to try to incorporate more rock into the upcoming album and although the two previously released singles, "Civilization" and "Audio, Video, Disco", stayed pretty light on the usual rock elements, this track throws you right into a high-energy, distorted guitar riff that serves as the melody for the remainder of the track. The first two singles already have videos out so I expect to see a video for this out in the near future. Make the jump to stream the rock/disco-inspired track.