Posts Tagged ‘Collaboration’

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Contest alert!

Today, all eyes are on EVE. The multi-platinum selling artist and iconic hip-hop pioneer has unleashed the fierce video for her latest single, the self-titled EVE, TODAY via VEVO! “EVE is one of my fave songs on the album,” the rapper recently told Rolling Stone, who premiered an exclusive stream of the track online last week. “It’s in ya face, it’s all me.”

In celebration of the upcoming release of her long-awaited album, Lip Lock, out May 14, BiggerThanBeyonce.Com is doing an official giveaway!

For your chance to win a SIGNED COPY OF THE NEW ALBUM + LITHOGRAPH, please follow us on Twitter (@biggrthnbeyonce) and give us a shout-out with hashtag #EVE. Be creative and have fun with it!

The winner will be announced day of release!

Good luck!

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

In case you haven’t heard, the one and only Snoop Dogg has released a new single under the name Snoop Lion. No, I’m not kidding. This is actually quite cool, because A.) it’s unexpected and somewhat funny & B.) it’s for an amazing cause: ending gun violence.

On No Guns Allowed, Snoop teams up with Drake and daughter Cori B. in a plea for peace on the streets.

Produced by Major Lazer and Ariel Rechtshaid, Snoop rhymes about putting weapons down on the reggae-influenced track: “Cause, no guns are allowed, in here tonight/ We’re gonna have a free-for-all, no fights/ I wanna get lost in the crowd, in here tonight.”

Go Snoop Lion!

Snoop’s 11th studio album, Reincarnated, drops on April 23rd.

Listen to Snoop Lion’s No Guns Allowed (featuring Cori B. and Drake) below + interview w/ Snoop explaining the inspiration behind the song following.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Grammy Award-winning artist Eve is back and werkin’ for a cause! Her brand new single, Make It Out This Town (featuring Cobra Starship frontman Gabe Saporta), first premiered last month as part of Big Brothers Big Sisters’ National Mentoring Month conference in Washington, D.C. The track is a radio-friendly pop gem, an inspiring and uplifting ‘overcoming the odds’ type of anthem.

Eve was recently named a National Celebrity Ambassador for the charity.

Says Eve: “I am releasing Make It Out This Town as my first single from Lip Lock because I wanted to share the positive place I have come into. I went through obstacles to get my music and message out and nothing embodies this more than this song, which also mirrors my recent honor and connection that comes with my role as an ambassador for Big Brothers Big Sisters. The song is dedicated to them.”

Make It Out This Town is the official single released from Eve’s long-awaited, much-anticipated album, Lip Lock, due out May 14th.

Can’t get enuff! Such a feel-good jam!

By: Maria Ciezak
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Unless you live under a rock (well, with this East Coast weather you may be doing it for warmth purposes), you have heard Thrift Shop, the smash from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz. I am not here to review the song, or to illustrate how I throw my fists up whenever I hear it, but simply to get Macklemore on your radar.

FYI: The Thrift Shop video already has over 78 million views on YouTube, and is showing no signs of slowing down.

Macklemore spent years building a fan base in Seattle. Alongside DJ and music director Ryan Lewis, the pair has been established as the faces of Seattle’s hip hop scene. Their DIY-driven music has gone national, thanks to a tireless work ethic and co-signs from rap stars like Mac Miller, Big Sean and Schoolboy Q. I find this so interesting, for working in the business, it’s refreshing to see someone have a number one smash based on that good, old-fashioned theory: hard work.

Macklemore recently told MTV: “We’ve talked to a lot of labels and we talked to some legends in the game in terms of labels. I had some great conversations, but right now, we’re doing it ourselves and that’s what makes the most sense for this project.”

Let’s just say he is far from being a one-hit wonder. The Heist is compacted with hit after hit. I highly recommend you familiarize, for Macklemore is already reaching household name status.

Musicians should take a notes from this guy, and understand that no matter what the critics say, anything can happen once your mind’s set.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Ciara and Future are back at it! Making music, that is. After collaborating on a remix of Ciara’s single Sorry, the pair have just created a brand spankin’ new track entitled Wake Up, No Make-Up.

Are you guys thinking what I’m thinking? As if Ciara ever really needs makeup. I mean, have you seen this bitch’s skin?! I digress…

Co-written by Future and produced by Mike WiLL Made It (Bandz a Make Her Dance), Wake Up, No Make-Up is an edgy, urban banger overflowing with sick beats. Basically, it has Ciara written all over it, and I’m lovin’ it.

Turn it up!

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

After six long, treacherous years, Justin Timberlake is back with the just-released Suit & Tie, a Timbaland-produced track featuring hip hop heavyweight champion, Jay-Z. Sounds fancy, but is it?

As someone who completely adores JT (on numerous levels), I’ve been craving new music from the former Mousketeer for what feels like ages now. To be frank, I actually gave up on the dude. So you can imagine that I was pretty stoked to hear that JT was planning on releasing some fresh material. I was all but ready to die of a musical eargasm, as I sat behind my laptop in my PJs like a big nerd, pressing play at midnight like the rest of the internet, to hear the new single.

After first listen, however, I was left a little disappointed.

Don’t freak out. This is not meant to deteriorate the song or the talent that Timberlake clearly brings to everything he creates, it’s just an honest opinion.

The track to me feels somewhat outdated and lackluster. It’s certainly seared with Timberlake’s signature style stamp, which is good, but the arrangement and the overall vibe feels more like a filler track than a re-introduction to someone who sits comfortably in a league of his own.

Bottom line: JT is pop royalty… And this song is missing some jewels.

You be the judge!

Listen to Suite & Tie HERE + check out more via Fuse below.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Get to know St. Louis native Bud E, whose debut single is receiving early radio success. Goes On is an infectious record in the vein of Bruno Mars, and features label mate and St. Louis native Bradd Young.

Bud E is a charismatic rapper, writer, performer, and MC who began developing his craft through local performances in St. Louis including the Missouri Black Expo and hosting the local TV show Hot Summer Nights. In 2010, he was also recognized for his outstanding contributions to the betterment of the city. (Yay for doing positive things!)

Label mate Bradd Young (who sings the melodic hook on Goes On) is an accomplished R&B singer and producer who has worked with Akon, Kelly Rowland, Teddy Riley, Talib Kweli, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and St. Louis’ own Nelly and Jibbs. (Overachiever alert!)

Both are signed to Sphinx Music Entertainment, an independent record label distributed by Sony RED, which has had recent success with Cali Swag District (Teach Me How To Dougie).

Hailing from a city that produced hip hop stars Nelly, Chingy, J-Kwon and Jibbs, the proud St. Louis natives Bud E and Bradd Young are certainly in the position to take the torch!

Listen to Goes On, the debut single from Bud E ft. Bradd Young below.

By: Maria Ciezak
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

MARIA CIEZAK: First and foremost, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions. I’m a big fan; in fact, Lincoln Parish of Cage the Elephant actually turned me on to you guys. I had the chance to interview him back in June, and he is your biggest promoter!

I recently saw you play with The Expendables, and you are an amazing live band. How did this tour happen, and how is it going?

MICAH from IRATION: We have toured with The Expendables before, and we were both going out at the same time, so we figured instead of having competing tours we should just combine efforts. It’s been great; one of the smoothest tours we have ever been on, and the crowds have been great.

MC: It almost seems as if you guys had success overnight, which I am sure is not the case. How was the music scene in Hawaii, and what made you all reunite in Cali?

MICAH: Well, we weren’t a band until we met up in California, so we were never really in the scene in Hawaii, although we love local music. We were all friends in school in Santa Barbara, so it made sense.

MC: Was it hard to break out? What would you say was your first big break as a band?

MICAH: Yes, it took a lot of hard work, and we don’t even feel like we have ‘broken out’ yet. We are still working hard. But our first breakthrough was probably the release of the Sample This EP. Falling is still one of our popular songs, and its success kind of jump-started our career.

MC: You guys combine such a cool blend of genres, including rock, reggae, and more. Your sound is very unique. What do you guys categorize yourself as, or do you not put yourself into one specific genre?

MICAH: I guess you could consider us reggae/rock, but yeah, we also kind of consider the songs ‘cheeky pop’ in that many of them have a tongue-in-cheek feel to the lyrical content.

MC: If you could tour with any band in the world, who would it be?

MICAH: That is tough, but probably a big rock band like the Foo’s or Chili Peppers. Muse, arena bands.

MC: How is the response to the new single Porcupine, and how did you hook up with Lincoln?

MICAH: The response has been great. We realize that it is a different sound for us, but we know our fans are music fans first and foremost, not genre fans.

We met Lincoln at a 92.9 KJEE radio show and Lollapalooza. Our manager made the connection, and the rest is coffee-fueled history.

MC: What do you guys prefer more: recording or touring?

MICAH: We love making records and the creativity of the studio, but we are a live band first and foremost, and playing in front of our fans is the most fun we can have.

MC: What’s next after the tour with The Expendables?

MICAH: Back to Hawaii for some vacay, then back on the road for our Winter tour in early 2013.

MC: For any BiggerThanBeyonce.Com readers who are not familiar with Iration yet, any parting words?

MICAH: Beyonce… Huge Iration fan.