[Video] Angel Haze: "Battle Cry" (Feat. Sia)
Angel Haze continued promotion of her debut label project, Dirty Gold over the weekend with the release of her latest video, this one for the track "Battle Cry". The videos is a bit of a parallel for the young Detroit-born Universal signee, who flexed her artist muscle by threatening to release Dirty Gold herself via the Internet a la Danny Brown as a way to force the record company's hand in releasing the project. It worked, and Dirty Gold has been a pleasurable journey of new music from one of the more gifted lyrical rappers in terms of delivery. The video for "Battle Cry" is powerful to say the least, featuring a basic shot of Haze rapping and walking down a desert rode, flanked by images of what is supposed to be her past as she reflects on an upbringing in the strict Pentecostal Apostolic Church and the abuse she faced as a child, all set to her confidently handled bars that hit with resounding urgency amid the aesthetic that is built with the surrounding images. The video, which contains a message urging fans to ""are affected by any of the themes of this video" to donate to Child Helpline International, a nonprofit organization that supports and creates tools to communicate with children in need around the world." The visual fades to black with Haze gallantly raising her fist in one of the more powerful uses of the spoken word I've heard as of late. Check out the full video, streaming below.
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Danny Brown & Vic Mensa Announce European Tour
Danny Brown & Vic Mensa are two artists that don't ever seem to rest. The pair of talented hip-hop acts, who yesterday announced a set of European tour dates throughout 2014. The tour, which begins on February 21 in London, will come on the heels of Mensa's run with dance music duo Disclosure, who put him on the act's North American tour, which began Monday in Toronto and runs through February 1 in Dallas, TX.
Mensa announced the tour via his Twitter account yesterday, and the release has spurred buzzing rumors that the two talented Midwest MCs will join forces for a North American tour later this year as well. It's a good fit for both artists and especially Danny Brown, who will find himself on the road with a like-minded lyricist and a similar fan-base after having several fall-outs while performing with EDM acts Pretty Lights and GRiZ recently. The European tour dates are listed here below.
Danny Brown x Vic Mensa 2014 European Tour Dates:
Fri 21 Feb London, KOKO
Sat 22 Feb Brighton, Coalition
Sun 23 Feb Manchester, Gorilla
Tue 25 Feb Dublin, Academy
Wed 26 Feb Glasgow, The Arches
Fri 28 Feb Brussels, Orangerie
Sat 01 Mar Paris, Bataclan
Sun 02 Mar Amsterdam, Melkweg
Tue 04 Mar Berlin, Postbanhof
Wed 05 Mar Cologne, Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld
Thu 06 Mar Copenhagen, Pumpehuset
Fri 07 Mar Stockholm, Nalen
Sat 08 Mar Oslo, Rockerfeller
[Album Stream] Angel Haze: "Dirty Gold"
A couple of days ago, Angel Haze took Danny Brown-like threats to her label, Island, to a new high by actually leaking the project herself on her personal website. Having forced the label's hand, the caved and the stream was down fairly quickly. Perhaps demonstrating the true power of artists in the music industry today, Haze did something that is often seen as problematic for artists, to herself by leaking the project after several attempts by the label to continue moving the release date further back. Well, it's finally here (officially). Angel Haze's Dirty Gold is a welcome drop for the XXL Freshman-lister and is a solid building on previously released remixes and singles. Give Angel Haze's latest a solid listen, streaming below, and read an open letter about her leaking the project early.
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"It's so annoying that my label could tell me that if I fucking finished my album before the summer it would be out this year. I have gone to bat for this music. I have gone to bat for myself. I have literally sat fucking sleepless and starved crying over this shit. I turned down so much shit to be sure that I could finish this album because actually wanting something to me means doing all you can to be sure that it's attainable. I stopped arguing my point. Stopped giving a fuck about everything. Let these other ditsy bitches disrespect me. I turned my fucking cheek because MUSIC IS ALL I FUCKING HAVE. And I know that's the same for some of you. I did everything I could for you. I did not promise an album and not deliver, unlike every fucking one else. I sat my ass down and came up with this music WHEN I HAD NOTHING. Taking shit on the chin does not mean sitting back and letting the world beat and suck you fucking dry. It's knowing something is bigger than anything you are or will ever be and sitting the fuck down and complying to get shit done. I'm sorry if I seem angry. But these are my dreams. The only thing I have in my life. Imagine having the only reason you're alive being the very thing straining your existence. Ughhhh... So sorry to Island/Republic Records, but fuck you. I got here doing this for my fans and if you guys don't feel the same, it won't stop me. Idc what happens after this. They will get the music they were promised. And you guys JUST MAY LEARN TO KEEP YOUR FUCKING WORD."
Danny Brown: "Sweeney Song"
Danny Brown has never been one to discourage drug use. On his latest track release, "Sweeney Song", featuring heavy handed, minimalistic production from Detroit beat crafter MNDSGN, Brown lets loose a track full of drug references and challenges rapid-fire and sans-hook. The track was included as part of a curated 7" by Sweeney Kovar, who used to run the blog Classic Drug References. Check it out for yourself below.
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Danny Brown announces tour with A-Trak
Danny Brown has seemingly been in constant motion in the lead up to his Fool's Gold release Old, due out next week, October 8. In support of the album, which has been getting rave reviews and commissioned Complex to hand over their site for the week, Brown has also announced a tour with A-Trak for the Double Trouble Tour. Fresh off his tour with Action Bronson and Trash Talk, Brown will kick this leg off with a show in St. Louis on October 11. Full tour dates are below.
For all of Danny Brown's laughs, click here.
10-11 St. Louis, MO - Chaifetz Arena !
10-13 Boulder, CO - Fool's Gold Day Off
10-25 Chicago, IL - Aragon *
10-26 Detroit, MI - Masonic Temple *
11-01 Paris, France - Pitchfork Music Festival Paris #
11-08 Pomona, CA - Fox Theatre #
11-09 Ventura, CA - Ventura Theatre #
11-10 Los Angeles, CA - Fool’s Gold Day Off #
11-11 Tempe, AZ - Club Red #
11-12 Las Vegas, NV - 1OAK at the Mirage #
11-22 New York, NY - Terminal 5 $
! with Pretty Lights
* with Griz
# with A-Trak
$ with Sleigh Bells, Doldrums
[Album] Danny Brown: "Old"
At long last, it is here. The latest from Detroit native Danny Brown, Old, is finally available to the public after a drawn out squabble between him and his label, Fool's Gold. The first major release for Brown since 2011's free album XXX was chosen as SPIN's best hip hop album of the year almost wasn't, needing a threatening push from Brown weeks ago to get a solid release date. But alas, it arrived nonetheless and is available here below for a stream via Spotify. Check it out and let us know what you think.
Freddie Gibbs + Madlib: "Harold's"
Well this new is just plain silly. Today, Indiana's own Freddie Gibbs and Madlib announced a colllaboration project together, named Pinata, due out February 4 on Madlib's label Madlib Invazion. As a preview of the upcoming album, as if it needed more buzz around it, the duo plans to release Deeper EP containing the lead single by the same name. Today, they decided to give fans the B-side of the EP, titled "Harold's". And, to add even more excitement to the whole thing, the project is produced by Madlib and includes guest spots from Raekwon, Earl Sweatshirt, Danny Brown, Domo Genesis, Joey Bada$$, Ab-Soul, Mac Miller, and more. Song below.
GRiZ, Danny Brown, Tokimonsta to Headline Freaky Deaky
Halloween is quickly approaching and the folks over at REACT Presents already have your party ready to go. The Chicago-based promotion company announced this years lineup for the event, on October 28, and it has Saxophone-extraordinaire, GRiZ performing alongside Danny Brown, Tokimonsta and KillParis. Danny Brown, who performed earlier this year at North Coast Music Festival, finds himself surrounded by electronic music on the lineup but his penchant for varying genres of music should allow him to settle in perfectly. GRiZ has seemed like he rented a place in Chicago this year, playing New Year's Eve at the Aragon Ballroom with Big Gigantic as well as a set last week at University of Illinois-Chicago's annual Spark in the Park with Chance The Rapper and Kendrick Lamar. For all intents and purposes, Freaky Deaky should be one hell of a show, cop tickets here.
Download GRiZ's free album, Mad Liberation LP here
