6LACK Premieres Single “Switch” Today
"Switch," a single dropped by 6LACK today, expands on a similar moody R&B/hip-hop vibe, much like his debut record FREE 6LACK. Complimented by the smooth beat, 6LACK delivers another strong vocal performance.
According to his press team, a new album is on the way. They stated, "6LACK is now at work on the follow-up to FREE 6LACK, his full-length debut. Arriving in fall 2016,FREE 6LACK scored a Grammy Award nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album, with its double-platinum lead single “Prblms” amassing more than 99 million Spotify streams to date."
A Boogie Goes Worldwide
From High Bridge to Nigeria, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie's latest album International Artist takes us around the world. Loaded with features from artists like Tory Lanez, 2017 XXL freshman Kap G and Nigerian star DaVido among others the 8 track EP brings the heat with afro-pop inspired bangers.
Check it.
https://open.spotify.com/album/6opJjTuHd4tQ1h2qrus7jH?si=W0ja7ok6QUeSS2OgND-2Zw
SqueakPIVOT Releases "Perfect For U"
PivotGang is making waves across the board these days, from Saba touring all around the world to Joseph Chilliams rising within the Chicago scene it's easy to see that this is the group's moment. SqueakPIVOT just put his name fully into the arena with them with his latest release, "Perfect for U" now streaming across platforms. Squeak has been producing tracks for his crew for years but this is his first release on his streaming pages. "Perfect for U" is an unabashed love song featuring Xone White on vocals in a time when artists are more interested in making songs about the end of romance than the romance itself. While this isn't Squeak's first release, it is the first one available on all streaming services. Check it out here
https://open.spotify.com/track/3Sq3uNnE8a0IyPUQmZF3yb?si=8h0_sJ9mSeSKwAitZkcn_A
Listen To New Unreleased John Coltrane
Few people have influenced popular music in America as much as jazz legend John Coltrane. He is credited as one of the creators of Hard Bop, Free Jazz, and pioneered the use of modes in jazz. Since his death in 1967 the question has been asked hundreds of times, what else would he have made if he hadn't passed? Well last week that question was answered when Impulse! Records released the lead single off of a previously unreleased album, Both Directions At Once: The Lost Album that they are putting out at the end of the month.
The recordings are from 1963, 2 years before Trane would release A Love Supreme, one of his most influential albums and also his last studio album. Listening to the song "Unreleased Original 11383", you hear a jazz giant playing at their full potential, seemlessly moving through complex chord structures in a way that only John Coltrane can. Because A Love Supreme was 2 years away from these recordings you would expect for them to bridge the gap between his more accessible releases from the early 60s and the experimental sound that he would leave us with. This single doesn't quite do that, but rather it acts as a reminder that John Coltrane was one of the greatest minds in Jazz.
Listen to the single here.
https://youtu.be/q7X2X7LDFok
Both Directions At Once: The Lost Album comes out June 29th on Impulse! Records.
Kanye Shares New Nas Album Tracklist
Last night Kanye tweeted a picture with the tracklist for the upcoming 7 track colaborative album between him and Nas.
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/1006739170897743872
This is the 4th album of the summer for Kanye West, who has been releasing a new 7 track album with different artists every week, and there's still one more to go after this one. The album, Nas's 12th album, comes out this Friday and it may be his most experimental. Kanye tweeted "We’re trying new ideas without the fear of not being perfect… It’s just a gut feeling sometimes… just making stuff with your friends…" But if the previous albums show anything about this one expect to hear a lot of Nas this summer.
Why XXL Freshman List Has Lost Support
XXL used to be something that hip-hop fans looked forward to every year. Over the past few years, the freshman list has fell off due to a few different factors. Allowing sponsorships and investors to have an opinion on the lineup has effected the quality of the list.
Artists left off the list in 2018: 6ix9ine, Rich the Kid, Lil Skies, Famous Dex, Lil Xan, Joyner Lucas, Tee Grizzley, Nav, Moneybagg Yo, Lil Baby, CDot, and many others.
Lil Skies & Rich the Kid declined to be a part of XXL. Skies went on social media and said that he could not be part of a rigged list. Rich the Kid declined after being given Skies spot.
Famous Dex was not on the list because of the assault video that came out in 2016. A similar reason was given for 6ix9ine, but later DJ Akademiks confirmed the true reason was a sponsorship issue.
With this all being said, the artists that made the list are dope. They have all worked very hard for their spot, yet the lineup doesn't have the same authority as in the past, especially when 5 or 6 of the artists who were left off the list, have made a much larger impact on the culture.
Phonte Shows Off His Crib in New Video
Phonte takes us on a tour of his enormous home in the video for his song, "So Help Me God". The one-take, "MTV Cribs" style visual captures Phonte walking around his home in a bathrobe.
The Marco Polo produced track hits hard with bars such as, "That will shit to happen like he Tio Salamanca. Bogart ya whole shit like we in Casablanca." Phonte name drops on the Mexican drug kingpin from the show Breaking Bad.
[youtube id="HgrlCJPiLQs"]
Watch Childish Gambino Perform At Open Mike
Once a month Chance the Rapper's charity, SocialWorks, puts on an "Open Mike" (named in honor of Brother Mike Hawkins) in collaboration with Chicago Public Library. There have been 27 Open Mikes so far, with over 6,000 attendees and star studded lineups, having featured appearances from Vic Mensa, Kanye West and yesterday Childish Gambino was added to that list. Gambino came out and performed his hit "This Is America" with full choreography.
https://twitter.com/MalcolmLondon/status/1006330602717614080