Posts Tagged ‘Hip Hop’

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

I’ve always thought the best artists are the most hurt. And if that’s the case, Eve remains Queen. Eve bares her battle scars like a heavyweight champion. The new album isn’t about taking back any title, because she’s never truly been dethroned. Her lyrics are undeniable, high class, honest, raw, potent, deep. There’s not a single female rapper in the game that keeps it as genuine and piercing as E.V.E.

This track is an instant classic.

Listen to the incredible Never Gone (feat. Chrisette Michele) below.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Complete and total inspiration!

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

BTB favorite, Jessie J, has re-entered the ring. In the Emil Nava-directed clip for new single Wild, the powerhouse takes over a modern white set, belting the track in nothing but heels and underwear. Adorning a shaved skull, Jessie J is later joined by Big Sean and Dizzee Rascal who push the track over the edge.

Big Sean certainly brings the drama in a plush fur coat.

J recently spoke with U.K. radio station Capital FM and mentioned that she’s been working with Calvin Harris and Dr. Luke on the new album. She penned every song with producer Claude Kelly with the exception of the track with Harris, which was written by Ester Dean.

A release date and title is still TBD.

The album’s first single, Wild, is currently available on iTunes.

Wild video below!

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Myself w/ the one and only EVE, last night at her album release party!
Hosted by Simyone Lounge

[Related Post: Autographed Eve/Lip Lock Giveaway!]

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

“… a hellacious new song … finds Eve hungrier than ever, unleashing a torrent of lyrical destruction over beat of guttural bass grooves and a twisted, eerie vocal sample.”
ROLLING STONE

“… hypnotizing … a completely different sound.”
COMPLEX

“ … no matter the vibe or subject matter, Eve doesn’t seem to let up on her flow … Lip Lock may shape up to be a smart, modern update to her already confident songs.”
IDOLATOR

“…fierce bars from Ruff Ryder’s former First Lady … Eve keeps the momentum strong leading into the release of her comeback album, Lip Lock.”
MISS INFO

“… bossy rhymes over a bouncy anthem … haunting hook … dancehall flavor.”
RAP-UP

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!

Upcoming appearances:

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (May 3rd)
Good Morning America (May 14th)
106 & Park (May 15) &
The Wendy Williams Show (May 16)

[Related Post: Eve Feat. Gabe Saporta - 'Make It Out This Town']

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

To anyone who’s ever felt trapped, this one’s for you.

[Intro hook: Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship]

When I close my eyes
I can see me fly in the hope
High above the clouds
Swear I won’t look back if I get chance
Oh – I won’t come back around

[Verse 1: Eve]

Yo, have you ever laid in bed and it’s late in the night
Staring at the ceiling talking to God about life?
Asking when it’s gonna happen, just maybe it might
Made a lot of life turns, some wrong and some right
Wanna know when it’s your second, your minute, your time
Sick of dreaming, wanna lay the pictures in your mind
Never been like all the others, you’re one of a kind
I know you’re feeling like you wanna break free, it’s a sign
Just wanna fly above it all, see where you can land
Know that you can do it on your own cause you can
Know that you can conquer all with a plan
Forget about the negatives buried in the sand
Yeah, never forget this is your life
Your path, your dream, this is your fight
Victory you’ll see, you’ll be alright
Get through the darkness, on the other end is pure light

[Hook]

When I close my eyes
I can see me fly in the hope
High above the clouds
Swear I won’t look back
If I get chance
I will come back around
If I make it out this time, yeah
I gotta make it out this time, yeah
I’m gonna make it out this time, yeah
I’m gonna roll the dice
And take a risk tonight
Gotta make it out this time

[Verse 2: Eve]

Have you ever felt alone like the whole world was missing?
And when you prayed it seemed like no one was listening
You try to keep the faith and keep on living
But when you struggling the future looks distant
All your hope seem to be just pipe dreams
And you really gotta wonder what your life means
That’s when you gotta pick yourself up out the dust
Make a change and find a place in your heart you trust
You ain’t always gotta take the first card your dealt
In this life only you can represent yourself
Never let your circumstances hold you back
You were born free, never gotta feel trapped
And on the pursuit to happiness you’re gonna feel pain
But the only way to win is to stay in the game
The naysayers they’re gonna try and embarrass ya
But I’ve learned that the struggle builds character

[Hook]

[Bridge: Eve]

Put your hands in the air now
If you feel it let me hear you loud
Put your hands in the air now
Yeah, ain’t nobody gonna hold you down
Yeah, come on, come on

[Hook]

Eve’s first studio album in ten years, Lip Lock, will drop on May 14th!

[Related Post: New Eve Featuring Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship]

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Drizzy ‘My Baby Daddy’ Drake is back, bitches!

Drake has just premiered the music video for new single 5AM In Toronto, and of course, I’m lovin’ it. Directed by Ram Accoumeh + Andrew Hamilton, the video features the Canadian rapper sippin’ some dranky drank outside while putting his haters in place. Ya know, the usual.

From there, the clip shows Driz walking into a 24/7 volleyball court with a bar! (Do these actually exist?) Drake then proceeds to charm the pants off of some volleyball video vixens (yay, alliteration!) with his massive talent and G.O.S. (General Overall Sexiness) <-- Yeah, I just made this up. Go me?

Drake’s 3rd studio album, Nothing Was The Same, will drop later this year.

Check out Drake’s 5AM In Toronto video (NSFW) below.

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: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

“It started as just common place; it was just part of the language. I think the overtones that it creates, is not what really exists. I don’t think if you are gay and you go to a hip hop club that you’ll get beat up for being gay. That’s not what is going to happen. I think words are the way that people express themselves—just like if you say ‘bitch’ on a rap record for a long time, you can rally thousands of women that will say that’s incorrect. You can’t focus on one single thing or bad aspect of what happens in hip hop and try to blanket it. That’s not the root of the problem. It exists, I think it’s how you portray it, and it’s how you use it. You gotta paint with a broad brush when you talk about homophobia, because it’s a lot of things that exist in hip hop that aren’t exactly right, but it’s part of the landscape.”

-Xzibit

Last year, the suicides of gay teens splattered across headlines in what felt like a bloodshed massacre brought on by violence and brutally ugly words. These words — spit like bullets — packed a deadly punch.

If there’s anyone who knows how to throw an uppercut with word venom, it’s a hot-mouthed rapper.

In the bling and booty-drenched culture that is hip hop, often these overly excessive and flashy accessories distract from some of the same brutally ugly words that still shoot from rappers’ tongues. In the game of hip hop, the mouth is a gun. The in-the-ear and out-the-other mentality clearly doesn’t hold true in regards to certain stars who many urban youth idolize.

If you read this blog regularly, you would know that I support hip hop. Besides the love given to underground/indie artists, I’ve been known to drool over Drake, and I also truly connect and relate to Eminem’s story and lyrics. My post on Eminem’s sobriety + sponsorship with Elton John went viral and landed on the front page of Reddit, leaving a few wondering how I (someone who falls under the LGBTQ umbrella) could support Eminem when his earlier work was covered in homophobic themes. My response has always been the same: I respect the art form, not always what lies underneath. Truth be told, I think music and the art of rhyme can be a cathartic strand of therapy for these men, even when that strand becomes tangled with homophobia.

The questions remain:

Should hip hop be held responsible? My answer is no.

Should the form be watered down? My answer is no.

Confused? Let me explain. As much as I know that these rappers have influenced a generation, the problem is much bigger than pointing fingers. I do not support hate, but I do support art and creative expression. I know from personal experience that creative outlets can help to shape, to understand, to relate, to retaliate, to vent, but most importantly it can be a vehicle, one that gets the poison out of the system in a way that isn’t entirely toxic. I can’t speak for all, but this is what I think (certain) rappers do. Granted, there are some rappers who seem clueless to their behavior and words, and for these individuals I think it’s more a statement of character versus the state of the hip hop art form.

A prime example would be 50 Cent, when he sparked controversy by tweeting (excuse his poor grammar): “If you a man and your over 25 and you don’t eat pu**y just kill your self damn it. The world will be a better place. Lol.”

Clearly, this isn’t a part of any artistic creation except ignorance and hatred, the exact opposite message that I hope bleeds through this post.

As a matter of fact, I would like to say that these rappers aren’t afraid or repulsed by us. No, not at all. After researching hints of homophobia in rap lyrics, I wouldn’t say they’re purely homophobic either. I would say they’re a bit obsessed with us. Besides the fact that many of these alpha males create rap about bitches and Bacardi, a style/mindset was also created for the masses by these same men, one that we all know all too well: The Baggy Pants Syndrome. If rappers were indeed afraid to taste the rainbow, I can’t imagine how one could tread the pavement with his boxers hanging out, exposing the top half of his basketball-shaped derriere.

All playfulness aside, it’s now a matter of expressing what lies outside the harmful language, what lies outside the three minute song that our generation has on repeat. Who are these arrogantly confident rappers when the lights go down?

I do not think the hip hop community (or any entertainer) for that matter is solely responsible for any child’s moral code (this is where parenting comes in), but I do think (in a perfect world) this should be a concern in their hearts. Yes, vent. Spill your guts. Ruffle feathers. That’s what artists do. But also, use your platform to never justify hate and to speak out against the victimized and abused. This is a genre formed on the freedom to be heard and the freedom to bring about change, and yet it’s sprouted legs that seem to be walking in a totally different direction. It’s glorifying drugs. It’s picking on queers. It’s belittling women.

And as much as I’m against censorship, I’m also an extremist for positive change. And if that requires a little editing, so be it. Because besides being lame, homophobic lyrics are played out and lack originality, thought, and spark.

Metaphorically speaking, perhaps it’s time for those in the rap game to pull their pants up.

[Related Post: Macklemore Breaks Ground]

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

This song/video makes me cry like a baby. Absolutely beautiful.

That is all.

[Related Post: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Takeover]

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

Miguel’s sophomore release, Kaleidoscope Dream, scored multiple Grammy nods earlier this week, and I couldn’t be more thrilled! Ever since seeing the dude throw down on stage (see a video from this show on my YouTube), back in the summer of 2011, I’ve been cheering him on from the BTB blogosphere.

His take on on the genre is fresh, seductive, and hypnotic.

Listen to my favorite cut from his latest album, the sexy slab of a should-be-released single, Use Me, below.

Hot. Hot. Hot.

I simply cannot stop playing this damn song!

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

I can’t believe it’s not butta!

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.