Eminem & Kendrick Lamar: "Love Game"
It's always refreshing when the best at anything opt for collaboration and today we have a gem for you. Eminem and Kendrick Lamar teamed up for "Love Game" the latest single of Shady's upcoming Marshall Mather LP 2 release, slated for November 5. The track is as hot as you would expect from a song featuring two of the best artists in the hip-hop landscape today. Check out "Love Game" below.
Ab-Soul: "Dub Sac"
Few artists in the country are pushing out as much music or as much quality music on a regular basis than TDE's own Ab-Soul. Seemingly in every week's news cycle for something or another, Soulo pops up again, this time with a loosie track titled "Dub Sac". Production handled by Tae Beast and Dave Free. Check things out below.
[Sunday Coffee Sipper] Reflecting on the BET Hip Hop Awards
On October 16 in Los Angeles, California Rap music's elite showed out for the annual BET Hip Hop Awards, commemorating the best of all things hip-hop in the past year. Kendrick Lamar cleaned up, hauling in five awards including best album and lyricist of the year while Jay-Z, Big Sean and the rest of hip-hop's governing body took turns patting each other on the back. For today's Sunday Coffee Sipper I break down the list of winners from several of the categories and decide who I would have picked from the very small group of nominees that were available for the awards, enjoy!
Best Hip-Hop Video: Drake "Started From The Bottom": I literally thought this was the most bogus video I had seen until Chief Keef's "Love No Thotties" premiered this week. Seriously though, you're not making it any easier to legitimize the "Started From The Bottom" mantra with the opening scene of a Toronto youth soccer game played in a bubble, or perhaps it's the perfect metaphor. The fake snow, all white everything convertible dance scene is just downright goofy, as is the Wal-Mart confetti-strewn dance party. Drake had a lot of dance parties at the bottom. Where is 'here' anyway? Could be anywhere. Ah, Drake, they'll love whatever you do.
Who Should Have Won: Kendrick Lamar – ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’
Reese’s Perfect Combo Award (Best Collabo, Duo or Group): A$AP Rocky f/ 2 Chainz, Drake & Kendrick Lamar "Problems": Of the nominations, this was an easy favorite for the best collaboration of the year. Featuring the top names in hip-hop today and a blistering verse from K Dot it stood head and shoulders above even Ace Hood and Future's summer banger "Bugatti" and J. Cole and Miguel's "Power Trip".
Best Live Performer: Jay-Z: Not sure about the nomination or the win on this one. Jay-Z is certainly a pillar of hip-hop, but there are plenty of better live acts around the country that could have vied for the title, even outside of the nominees. Granted, Jay-Z proved to be a step ahead of the competition in the crafting of a different live set idea with his "Picasso Baby" art installation, a wholly different take on hip-hop as an accepted artform. Regardless, I can't help but feel there was a better choice to be had.
Who Should Have Won: J. Cole/2 Chainz
Lyricist of the Year: Kendrick Lamar: They probably didn't need to announce this one. Between good kid, m.A.A.d. city, the much-talked about verse on Big Sean's "Control" and a host of outstanding features throughout the year, Kendrick cemented himself as the lyricist to match in 2013. The "Control" verse in general, in which he called out the other top names in the game, nestled Kendrick firmly in the upper echelon of hip-hop artists today.
Album of the Year: Kendrick Lamar, Good Kid m.a.a.d. City: Again, a fairly easy choice as the top rap album of 2013. Kendrick finally emerged from Section 80 to the big leagues with his chart-topping album that, as stated earlier, vaulted him from one of the new guys to the forefront of everything happening from here on out.
Producer of the Year: Mike Will Made It: It's hard to be too upset with this decision, Mike Will Made it had some of the year's biggest songs, using his enormous drum ensembles to shake the walls of clubs from coast to coast with songs like"No Lie" by 2 Chainz, "Bandz a Make Her Dance" by Juicy J, "Pour It Up" by Rihanna and "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus. They weren't the best songs of the year, but they topped the charts. I can't forgive him for allowing Cyrus to don a Michael Jordan jersey while twerking in their "23" collaboration, though. In comparison, Pharrell did songs with Jay-z, Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke and Daft Punk.
Who Should Have Won: Pharrell Williams
Track of the Year: "Started From The Bottom," produced by Mike Zombie and Noah "40" Shebib: Can't even lie about it, this song was not the best track of the year, by any means. Drake's attempt at convincing listeners that watched him as Jimmy on Degrassi that he, "started from the bottom" was ill-conceived and uninteresting. Sure, the beat and hook get stuck in your head, but is that all it takes to have a hot track? Of course, you catch more fish with a larger net and most of the nominees for each category were held to roughly the same six characters. That makes for a small net.
Who Should Have Won: ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’ – Produced by Sounwave (Kendrick Lamar)
Best Mixtape: Big Sean, Detroit: This one just didn't make sense. In a category that included a host of independent artists including Chance The Rapper and Travi$ Scott, this would have been the perfect opportunity for BET to sway towards the up and coming, essentially the heart of hip-hop today. Instead, the crown for best mixtape was given to Big Sean's Detroit, making for an un-inspirational win for the G.O.O.D. Music star.
Who Should Have Won: Chance The Rapper: Acid Rap
Who New? Rookie of the Year: A$AP Ferg: This is deserved. Trap Lord was easily one of the hottest releases of a packed summer of new music and Ferg showed that the buzz surrounding him and his major debut release was no fluke. With co-signs from just about everyone in the game right now, the award was fitting. Tough competition here, too, with Earl Sweatshirt, Action Bronson and Joey Bada$$ rounding out the nominees.
MVP of the Year: Kendrick Lamar: Honestly, he could have taken most of the awards with the competition BET stacked up against Kendrick. More than anyone else, Lamar and his TDE crew have brought about a sound and a mentality that had been lacking in hip hop as of late. As he made it known on that fateful "Control" verse, this is now Kendrick's game, and everyone has to step up.
[Video] Schoolboy Q calls Kendrick Lamar with Sway
The Black Hippy crew caught some heat after Kendrick's verse mentioned Drake in a not-so-flattering way. Sway has seemingly installed a turnstile in front of his set in New York for CMJs and asked Schoolboy Q whether the TDE cypher at the BET Hip Hop Awards was directed at Drake. Sick of talking about it, Q simply gave Kendrick a call to settle things. Watch what happens next.
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[Video] Pusha T: "Nosetalgia" (Feat. Kendrick Lamar)
My Name is My Name is almost here. As if anticipation couldn't get any higher for Pusha T's G.O.O.D. Music release, last night he dropped the video for his single "Nosetalgia" with Kendrick Lamar. The video is dark and a bit grainy, all the better to focus on the bars being offered by two of the best MCs in the game right now. My Name is My Name drops October 8.
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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
Pusha T: "Nosetalgia" (Ft. Kendrick Lamar)
Pusha T's upcoming album, My Name Is My Name, got a lot of recently when Kanye stopped by his listening party to sound off. In any sense, Pusha doesn't disappoint on "Nosetalgia". The jazzy, simple beat by Nottz & The Twilite Tone sets a perfect stage for K. Dot and Pusha who both are at their best in this vein. My Name Is My Name drops October 8, until then check out the video below.
[Video] HYPETRAK TV: Kendrick Lamar – Different Outlooks
Photo by Ben Miller
While in Hong Kong for the Beats By Dre massive Asia tour Kendrick Lamar sat down with HypeTrak and HypeBeast for his first interview in Asia. Kendrick touch on a variety of topics from touring with is idol and mentor Dr. Dre to his thoughts on Asia. He also talked about his debut album good kid, m.A.A.d city going platinum to his appreciation for the fans support.