Less than one week away from his somewhat mysterious fourth studio album I Decided, G.O.O.D. Music’s Big Sean has finally dropped the tracklist and it already looks to include some of his most illustrious collaborations to date. 14 tracks deep he’s linking up with the likes of Eminem, Jeremih, Migos, The-Dream, Twenty88 (himself and Jhené Aiko), and Starrah (she’s got writing credits on Drake’s Fake Love and Rihanna’s Needed Me), some of the biggest artists in recent times.
Eminem is a huge inspiration of Sean’s, and talking to Beats 1‘s Zane Lowe he explained how refreshing it was to work with his idol on his album, “Eminem, he was the only person I heard that could be on that song, to keep it honest. It kinda reminded me of why I am such an Eminem fan, and why I fell in love with Eminem’s work. The way he’s unique, he’s special. When he did this verse it brought that feeling right back to me. Like, this is like a brand new energy.”
The entire production credits on I Decided still remain uncertain, but already the man of the year Metro Boomin has an extremely prominent role with five of the fourteen tracks being Metro productions, including Sacrifices ft. Migos, Bigger Than Me ft. Starrah, the now certified gold Bounce Back and even No Favors with Eminem. I don’t know about you, but we can’t wait to hear Slim over a Young Metro production.
There’s no doubt this is proving to be one of Big Sean’s biggest (pardon the pun) releases ever. He’s taking a conceptual stance on this project, explaining to Jimmy Fallon that “the album is basically a chance, of having that wisdom of an old man when you’re young, and going through life and figuring it out.” In the lead up to its release he has also had listening sessions with the legendary Rick Rubin and Jay Z to ensure their blessing.
Other details regarding the project are limited, so make sure to keep your eyes and ears open for I Decided out this Friday. In the meantime, check out the track list below and keep Sean on your airwaves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phr1pOFK1V8
Image: Billboard
When the opportunity to review FOMO Festival came up I had the option of travelling to Adelaide or Sydney. I had never attended a music festival in the South Australian capital and was keen to see how it compared to other cities. A week before the festival Empire Of The Sun were forced to pull out due to flight issues and Slumberhaze were also unable to attend this leg of the festival, but that didn’t stop Adelaide punters heading out for a day of electronic and hip-hop music.
Arriving in Adelaide I checked the weather reports, which said things like ’43 degrees’ and ‘Avoid outdoor activities’, good thing I was going to a music festival. Arriving at the Adelaide Gaol, I noted how small the setup for the festival was inside the space. It really felt like a boutique festival in a major city, a nice change from the usual hectic pace that comes with touring festivals. DJ Hannah Wants was spinning onstage as a small crowd of hardcore partiers vibed along with her deep house beats. Many punters planted themselves under trees or in the shade, attempting to escape from the oppressive heat.
Photo: Facebook
Desiigner announced his arrival to the stage with his trademark ‘BRRAAAAP’ which sent punters running to the stage. The Brooklyn rapper opened with his New English mixtape’s lead track Caliber. Whilst the energy was there, and fans were keen to see one of G.O.O.D Music’s newest signees in the flesh, it was disappointing to see how little he rapped live. During Freestyle 4 he really brought the heat, smashing his guest verse, but when the moment came for major key tracks Timmy Turner and Panda (which he performed three times) Desiigner spent more time ad-libbing and making noise as the backing track rapped for him. Festival goers seemed unbothered by this though and hyped along.
Local George Maple swaggered onto stage, with a complete shift in tone and energy. A real strength of FOMO Festival was the diverse nature of the acts. Maple brought her signature sound of dark r’n’b flavoured with bass heavy beats. ‘Thank you for coming out to see me when it’s so hot, I really appreciate it!’ she said as security guards hosed the mosh in front of her.
Photo: Facebook
Tech problems marred GoldLink‘s set, as his DJ’s decks wouldn’t play the song correctly. Launching into his set in spite of this, a professional through and through, he soldiered on performing tracks from his latest project And After That, We Didn’t Talk to a crowd mixed of diehards and people keen to check out new music. I caught GoldLink at Laneway 2016 in Melbourne and the crowd was a similar size, why are people sleeping on one the best talents in the game right now?
Conversations with punters at the bar hinted that many people may not be familiar with the hip-hop acts on the bill and had chosen to come along for the electronic acts instead. Closing his set with his Kaytranada/AlunaGeorge collaboration TOGETHER, he was hit again with further tech problems but made the most of it and finished the song a capella, showing off his formidable flow.
Metro Boomin’ was the next act on the bill and presented an interesting experience. Producers often don’t get the credit they deserve for the projects they make, and unless you’re a hip-hop fan you may not be familiar with Metro, one of the hottest producers in the game right now, but I guarantee you’ve heard his work. Seeing him spin live it struck me just how influential this young producer has been on the scene. Every song he dropped was hit after hit, punters who maybe were unfamiliar with his name came around quickly just hearing his vast body of work.
Blending with other hip-hop bangers, Metro Boomin’ was a highlight of the festival and easily a crowd favourite. Towards the end of his set he announced ‘I got to work with one of my idols last year, can I do a few tracks from that album?’, there were raucous cheers of excitement, knowing what was coming. In quick succession he dropped FML, Waves, Facts (Charlie Heat Version) and Father Stretch My Hands Part.1 all from Kanye West’s latest release The Life of Pablo. A perfect way to close a set.
Photo: Facebook
British grime talent JME was an interesting choice for the festival. Often described solely as ‘Skepta‘s brother’ (despite making solid music in his own right), it was really interesting to see how grime has been taking off and resurfacing around the world, very much thanks to JME’s label Boy Better Know. I was sadly a little disappointed by his performance though. Maybe it was the crowd just weren’t feeling it, or the hype from Metro Boomin’ was too hard an act to follow, but it felt like the energy dipped. Even heavy hitters Man Don’t Care and That’s Not Me (one of the best releases of 2016) seemed to fall flat. I’m saying it now though, don’t sleep on JME. Go check out his 2015 album Integrity> and let the grime goodness into your lives.
Shifting the genre back into electronic were Peking Duk, introduced by David Hasselhoff, and teasing their mega hit with Nicole Millar High from the very top of the set, the crowd was whipped into a frenzy by the Canberra electronic duo. With insane drops and grooving melodies married with killer visuals and lights, Peking Duk showed Adelaide why they are two of the darlings of the Australian music scene. Current hit Stranger went off and by the looks of this performance, plus FOMO’s cheeky promo of the single when it was #3 on the charts, the Duk may have another number one on their hands.
Photo: Facebook
Headliners Flosstradamus were easily the most hyped artists of the festival. Each person that approached me, chatted to me in the crowd and at the bar talked about how keen they were to catch them for the last time, the band announcing their separation earlier (though Curt Cameruci will continue to perform under the Flosstradamus moniker though). Blending remixes and originals, they brought the house down and were a perfect closer to the Adelaide leg of FOMO.
Hot, sweaty and tired from a day of partying hard people began heading home or kicking on to various after parties showing that Adelaide can party as hard as Melbourne or Sydney.
Image: Facebook
Although only in its second year running, FOMO Festival has not only spread from one city to three, but its lineup has quickly catapulted it to the top of the party pile for 2017. The festival itself takes place in Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide, and now a handful of sideshows have been announced for Desiigner, Metro Boomin and JME.
DESIIGNER
Panda superstar Desiigner has announced shows in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. The Sydney show is for under 18s only, and will see a slew of diverse homegrown talent, with Desiigner recruiting Slumberjack, Ivan Ooze, Benson and Liz Cambage for the festivities.
Monday 9th Jan: Enmore Theatre, Sydney (Under 18s)
Tickets (on sale now)
Tuesday 10th January: 170 Russell, MELBOURNE (w/ Ivan Ooze, Mimi & Liz Cambage)
Tickets (On sale Dec 21)
Wed 11th January – Metro City, PERTH
Tickets (On sale Dec 21)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5ONTXHS2mM
JME
FOMO may not be coming to Melbourne, but grime sure is. Catch JME on January 3 at his only FOMO and Beyond the Valley sideshow:
Monday 3rd January – Corner Hotel, MELBOURNE
Tickets (On sale now)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rivFCwwvoh8
METRO BOOMIN
Metro Boomin has had a better year than most. At just 23 he produced for some of the year’s biggest albums and artists, including three tracks on The Life of Pablo and several more for Future, Tinashe, and of course, his own collaboration with 21 Savage, Savage Mode, which spawned gold and platinum singles. Catch him in Melbourne and Perth:
Friday 13th January: 170 Russell, MELBOURNE
Tickets (On sale now)
Sat 14 January: Villa, PERTH
Tickets (On sale Dec 21)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wtwpUwxQik
FOMO 2017 LINE-UP
Flosstradamus*
Empire Of The Sun
Peking Duk*
JME*
GoldLink*
Metro Boomin*
Hannah Wants*
Slumberjack
George Maple*
Feki
Maribelle
Lastlings
STRICT FACE†
TXNK†
DANCESPACE†
Special Guest Desiigner*
* Appearing in Adelaide
† Only appearing in Adelaide
Friday 6 January | Adelaide Gaol, Adelaide
Saturday 7 January | Riverstage, Brisbane
Sunday 8 January |The Crescent, Parramatta Park, Sydney
Late last year, London On Da Track and Metro Boomin’ teased the world with a couple of Tweets hinting they were thinking of teaming up for a collab project.
In a recent interview with Complex, London On Da Track said that the two producers are actually working on an album titled LondonBoomin’. London was very reserved with the details though, and when asked who else would be featured on the record simply said “can’t tell you.” There are no further details at the moment, but it seems last year’s Tweets were the real deal.
London also revealed that he has been in talks with Drake and has been in the studio with Nicki Minaj as well working on three or four songs with the star rapper that are more on the pop side than the rap side of music. Hopefully, he is helping her finish off the album she teased last year.
There is nobody in the industry he doesn’t talk to he said, except for Taylor Swift, who he would really, really like to work with.
Maybe we can expect Swift, Drake and Minaj to appear on LondonBoomin’? No matter who features on the upcoming project it will be very interesting to hear and see how a collaboration between two producers might work. It is not something we really see often in hip-hop and it could open the door to some pretty interesting avenues.
Image: XXL
Young Buck – 10 Bodies
50 Cent is arguably the biggest name associated with G-Unit (The Game doesn’t count as his affiliation was brief), but it’s Southern MC Young Buck who’s my pick for the best lyricist of the group. There’s a gritty realism to his lyrics, and combined with his Southern twang and colourful wordplay, I’ve always had a soft spot for Buck. Since re-joining G-Unit and making amends with 50, Buck has been slowly releasing new material over the past 12 months, most notably his 10 series of mixtapes. The latest instalment, 10 Bodies, follows the same formula as previous releases, featuring 10 tracks (plus one bonus tune) crafted by a variety of producers coupled with Buck’s introspective and gangster tales.
The majority of beats come courtesy of Buck’s friend and frequent collaborator Bandplay. Buss It Down, Andele and Hit Da Floor are typical trap bangers with Buck rapping about women, gangsters and street violence. It’s the same type of raps Buck’s been peddling his entire career, but there’s a certain familiarity to his delivery that had me nodding along after only a few tracks. Cuts like the Boss Devito produced Empty Mail Box – where Buck dissects the struggles of everyday life – and Back To The Old Me – Buck rapping about turning back to his old gangster lifestyle to survive – showcase Buck’s storytelling credentials that make him one of my favourites. While 50 and Lloyd Banks might be the more popular members of G-Unit, 10 Bodies is another great example of why Buck continues to reign over the two as the Unit’s best MC.
Verdict: Buck comes through with another quality release.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHHluZTuE-w]
Lil Debbie – Debbie
Females in hip-hop have never been in a better place than in 2016. While Nicki Minaj and Iggy Azalea have been positioned as the commercial darlings, there’s a wealth of young up and coming artists deserving of your attention. Lil Debbie is one such artist. The Californian first found fame as one third of now-defunct group The White Girl Mob, along with Kreayshawn and V-Nasty. She went on to release a number of singles with V-Nasty and Riff Raff before focusing on her solo career. Having released a string of EPs and mixtapes over the past few years, Debbie is her long awaited debut.
The 13 track album is stamped with Debbie’s signature rapping style over West Coast ratchet beats that make up the familiar sound. Braggadocios and aggressive, Debbie spits with authority and venom as she declares herself the “Queen” on the track of the same name. Elsewhere she tells the haters to back off on Can’t Sit Wit Us (a track that samples Mark Morrison‘s Return Of The Mack), big notes herself on Damn and gets down and dirty on Turn Em Out. Debbie keeps the guest to a minimum, with Starrah‘s auto-tuned raps joining her on Whoop and Njomza providing the lush hook on the playful Tell Me. It would have been nice to hear Debbie and Riff Raff on a track together again, but overall, this is a big step forward in Debbies growth as an artist.
Verdict: Lil Debbie delivers on all fronts with her debut.
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21 Savage & Metro Boomin – Savage Mode
The pairing of Atlanta rapper 21 Savage and producer Metro Boomin might have come out of left field, but it makes perfect sense. Both are rising stars in the rap world who have latched onto the trap inspired Southern sound that continues to be all the rage. Savage Mode, the two’s joint release, is the perfect platform for both artists to show the world why they are so hyped by the hip-hop press.
Metro’s skill at adapting his production style to the artist he’s working with is key to this EPs success. Savage’s flow can be aggressive, but he usually spits at a leisurely pace, and to illuminate this, Metro has built sparse, 808-tempered walls of sound that allow Savage to paint vibrant pictures with his words. Not only does Metro play to Savage’s strength with his production, but he demonstrates his ability to work with anyone, be they low-key like Savage, bombastic like Kanye West or auto-tuned mumblers in the case of Future.
Savage spends most of the EP rapping about his new found fame and all the wealth and women he now has. Pretty standard stuff, but when you’ve got Metro’s downtempo beats on tracks Savage Mode, Real Nigga, and the slinky piano line of Feel It, it’s hard not to like what you hear. Regular Metro collaborator Future is the only feature, dropping his scattered fire flow alongside Savage for one of the projects best tracks X Bitch. Both Savage and Metro drop their well known catchphrases throughout (Savage’s constant refrain of “21, 21, 21, 21,” and Metro’s “If young Metro don’t trust you I’m gonna shoot you.“), which is always welcoming to hear, particular Metro’s.
While still awaiting Savage’s debut, this is a good indication that he’s on the right track to stardom, while only enhancing Metro’s status as one of raps premier beat makers.
Verdict: Two of the best young guns getting it done.
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REBEL YELL – Mother Of Millions
REBEL YELL is the new solo project from Brisbane upstart Grace Stevenson. If her name sounds familiar, it’s because she’s also a member of all-girl 80s influenced electronic trio 100%. While Stevenson has kept things electric with REBEL YELL, it’s a completely different road she’s traveling down.
Mother of Millions delves into the dark, heavy-hitting world of industrial music. Ghostly synths, fractured drum beats and Stevenson’s distorted, often unintelligible vocals, are all part of the REBEL YELL experience. Take Away is a moody dose of 80’s synths, Ideal Fitness a disturbing Nine Inch Nails meets Apex Twin concoction, and closer Delay a somewhat euphoric techno banger I can imagine playing at 4AM in some illegal warehouse rave. The crowing glory of the four track EP is single Never Perfection. It’s four and a half minutes of almost inhuman sonics that chills to the bone while also providing a feeling of warmth and security. The glitchy synths and pummelling percussion will leave you with an eerie feeling you soon won’t forget.
Verdict: Simply stunning.
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Image: DatPiff
Last week, Future unleashed DJ Esco’s latest mixtape, Esco Terrestrial. One of the most interesting tracks on the tape was the Future and Young Thug collaboration, Who.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gct2TTsQLZg
‘Who’ is just one of the questions surrounding this rather unexpected collab, the others being what, where, when, why and how did they squash this enormous beef they supposedly had going? Not only did they come together for Esco’s mixtape but Wheezy overnight Tweeted and Snapchatted a studio session featuring Young Thug, Future and DJ Esco.
https://twitter.com/wheezy5th/status/747679863738335232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/Thundathundaa/status/747758259927453696
It certainly appears as though whatever beef they had is history. If the two rappers have been back in the studio together on more than one occasion, could we infer that this is the dawn of a wave of collaborative songs between the pair? It also begs the questions of what this feud was even about and whether there even was one in the first place? Did it all start because producer Metro Boomin, who has worked extensively with Future and Thug, only credited Future by name for popularising the mixtape trend? Or was it just a publicity construct like so many other beefs?
When we break down the cause and timeline of the beef, it really goes to show they were fighting over nothing and that they could have been producing quality tracks like Who this entire time.
Last year Metro Tweeted a picture of Future with this caption:
https://twitter.com/MetroBoomin/status/663794583663439872
He then went on to clarify, ending the discussion with:
Moral of the story is, putting out 5 tapes in a year won't make you heat up like Future. That was just his path. It's not for everyone
— Metro Boomin (@MetroBoomin) November 9, 2015
Later that day Young Thug injected himself into the conversation:
Hey @MetroBoomin who u referring to ????
— Young Thug ひ (@youngthug) November 10, 2015
A nigga music couldn't ever sound nowhere near mines…. ((IM MICHEAL)) he's ((TITO))
— Young Thug ひ (@youngthug) November 10, 2015
It's ok to ride a nigga dick, but don't agitate another one lil nigga
— Young Thug ひ (@youngthug) November 10, 2015
Future’s response came in the form of a couple of cryptic tweets, stating “I pray the real live forever and all the fake get exposed!” and “Don’t judge me by my past, I don’t live there no more,” which could be in reference to almost anything – but was taken as a shot at Young Thug, who responded with, “I have nun in the world against Future I listen to his music… His music makes me happy and I hope he continues to bless me and others with it.”
As far as all of this reads, some very subtle seeds may have been planted but this was hardly a full blown conflict. Young Thug genuinely seems to like Future and it was difficult to conceive how anyone would assume there was any aggression from the former towards the latter, who never once claimed he was singlehandedly responsible for popularising mixtapes. If anyone had issues here it’s Thug and Metro, whose bold statements first ignited the exchange.
Then a few months later came this exchange:
Midnight eastern
— FUTURE/FREEBANDZ (@1future) February 3, 2016
https://twitter.com/youngthug/status/694995765685526528
Yo bitch wish u was me…in real life
— FUTURE/FREEBANDZ (@1future) February 3, 2016
Yo family/team wish u was me lil nigga….
— Young Thug ひ (@youngthug) February 3, 2016
New Deal Alert @AppleMusic
— FUTURE/FREEBANDZ (@1future) February 3, 2016
I hope Apple save u lil niggas…. Or church !!!!
— Young Thug ひ (@youngthug) February 3, 2016
That was it? A spot of shit-talking over Twitter? Not even a single diss track from either camp to solidify this as real beef? The whole narrative looking back seems ridiculous. People from all walks of life talk smack on social media at their friends and even hip-hop superstars aren’t afraid to rib each other and have a laugh. We’ve truly reached a low point if two artists can’t throw good-natured shade in a public forum without everybody jumping to the conclusion that they despise each other. Real friends run each other down far worse than this.
Whatever the story of the past year, and not being well-acquainted with either Future or Young Thug means we’ll never know the entire truth of it, it is great to see and hear good music coming from two rappers at the top of their game.
Image: Ben Watts / GQ
Until recently, the majority of public opinion comes from mainstream media. Industry experts, professors and politicians provide their own opinions, in turn helping to form those of the masses; however, in the social media age that we live in, anyone and everyone is able to share their thoughts instantly across a number of incredibly far reaching networks.
These alternative points of view help to create a more in-depth dialogue about issues as trivial as memes, as universal as ethical issues, as controversial as politics and religion and as topical as race relations and immigration. Artists, as an umbrella term, are a group of people that have always engaged in this dialogue. A painter painting, a writer writing, and a musician making music, all respond to issues and themes in some shape or form.
In the digital age, this participation in conversation has become less passive for artists and much more direct. Rather than relying on their work to speak for them, creatives can now give their own opinions directly to their audience via a number of channels of communication. Recently and more frequently, one of these channels of communication has been via lectures and discussions, most often at universities and in video series.
It was just last month that the Red Bull Music Academy hosted a roundtable discussion with some of hip-hop’s biggest producers – Zaytoven, Sonny Digital and Metro Boomin. The Atlanta boys discussed their musical origins, the process of sampling, labelling genres and their careers over the course of an hour and a half. The full interview was only posted a number of hours before writing this article and has already racked up several thousand views, but would videos like this have been so successful only a few years ago? Would people have been as responsive to the ideas and experiences of producers, rappers and everyone in between?
Definitely not, but let’s take a look at why that’s changed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkJbkixcpcU
Let’s get this out of the way early: the rise and prevalence of social media is a huge contributor. We live in a time where I can know everything that Drake is doing and has done at the push of a button, or at the touch of my thumb. Being able to keep up to date with what any artist you’re interested in is doing means that they appear in our news feeds, and consequently our lives, much more.
Articles being written about what they’ve said or what they’ve done means they’re on our minds as often as our friends. From there, it’s only a small jump to people that maybe aren’t as interested in them as someone else. No doubt almost every person alive today knows about Kanye in some form, and they’re more likely to be even a little interested in what he’s got to say (even if a lot of it is wildly outlandish). Social media is its own universe though and most of what is said online isn’t particularly insightful and intelligent, so let’s make a big distinction here. Yes, social media is the way in which most opinions are shared and spread, but let’s take a look at how hip-hop and in depth discussion, academics, and education are overlapping.
Over the last year alone, a number of huge names in hip-hop have held lectures and classes for students at some of the world’s most renowned universities. Harvard has seen Pusha T quizzed about his role as new president of G.O.O.D Music and the dispersal power of music platforms, Chance The Rapper was there last May discussing streaming and police brutality and J. Cole visited all the way back in 2013 to talk about his upbringing.
Joey Badass gave a lecture at New York University for Black History Month, Killer Mike made an appearance at MIT to talk about race relations, Stormzy was at Oxford talking domestic violence, and Kendrick’s got a storytelling class based on his work at Georgia’s Regents University. It’s a long list, but there are many more that we don’t have the space to mention. So, why?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JPVNA44CQs
There’s no doubt that rap has become the mainstream. Look no further than the charts, where Drake’s One Dance and Desiigner’s Panda are sitting comfortably at Billboard number one and two respectively. While rap had previously been labelled as aggressive and intimidating, seen most obviously in criticisms of artists such as Wu-Tang Clan and N.W.A, it’s now, at long last, a respected artform.
As a result, rappers are now enjoying a time in the mainstream that was previously only enjoyed by pop and rock musicians. For this reason, their music is being appreciated both on a base level and at a deeper level. Though many fans listen to hip-hop and appreciate the way it sounds and the intelligent bars being spit, as has always been the case, there are those fans who wish to understand lyricism on a different level and to look at it in relation to the person’s own life.
Hip-hop is largely an artform born out of struggle. The marginalisation of black youth, the hardships of growing up in often problematic families, and the documenting of the gangsta lifestyle – these are all themes which have run through the veins of hip-hop (though not all hip-hop of course) since its inception. As these real world struggles become more and more a topic of mainstream concern, rather than pushed to the side as they have been for so long, hip-hop becomes a seemingly endless resource for the understanding of these themes.
The opinions and experiences of its proponents thus become invaluable to people trying to better understand what they, and many people like them, have gone through and experienced. Coming from these backgrounds and essentially having to become masters of business to survive properly as an artist also gives them a very unique perspective on the industry in general. They’ve experienced it all first hand, and their opinion is invaluable both in understanding how music operates currently, and the direction that it will be moving in.
While it goes without being said that each artist speaking or lecturing is giving a very different point of view on contemporary topics of discussion, the inclusion of these people in the dialogue offers opinions that have been so far lost for so long. Hip-hop is the telling of stories that many of us haven’t experienced, and it’s this first hand knowledge that will help in the solution to some of the problems that many rappers and producers alike have faced.
What will the rappers of tomorrow be lecturing on at Harvard in 20 years time? We’re looking forward to finding out.
Image: Rolling Stone
New York veteran Uncle Murda‘s Future assisted 2015 banger, Right Now, gets the remix treatment today. Murda’s recruited fellow New York MC’s Fabolous and Jadakiss for the Metro Boomin produced trap number. While the original is an awesome tune in its own right, I think this official remix tops it thanks to the help from Fab and Jada.
Fab opens things with his punchline filled flow, keeping things relevant with the bars, “Camera man tryna TMZ me, side piece tryna PND me,” in reference to the Kehlani and PARTYNEXTDOOR situation from a few weeks back. Murda adds a whole new verse shouting out his featured guests while Jada brings things to a close with a short but enjoyable stanza.
Future only shows up on the hook, but does get the chance to utter the now famous line, “If Young Metro don’t trust you, I’m gon’ shoot you,” which is always a pleasure to hear. Hearing Fab and Jada on the same track also gives a small insight into what they will sound like on their upcoming Freddy Vs. Jason project.
If you’re digging Uncle Murda’s sound, be sure to secure a copy of his surprise mixtape, Yellow Tape (King Kong & Godzilla). The surprise release is a joint effort with Maino and available to download for free at DatPiff.
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Image: HotNewHipHop
In honour of the 19th anniversary of The Notorious B.I.G‘s death, the internet has exploded once again with tributes to the late rapper. Many of these tributes take on the form of mashups, with the rapper’s verses playing over a prominent, modern producer’s beats. Last year, we heard the incredible FKA Biggie mashup EP which had Biggie mixed in with FKA twigs, and now this year we have the same, but over Metro Boomin.
Titled Ready To Boom, the excellent mashup comes courtesy of producers MICK and Chi Duly, and is half an hour of Biggie’s best rhymes over Metro Boomin’s best beats. All your favourite tracks are here, including Juicy, Ready To Die and Dead Wrong– albeit some may be slightly skewed to fit the tracks. Nevertheless, Biggie sounds even more menacing over Metro’s huge trap beats, if that was even possible. Particular highlights include Juicy playing over Kanye West‘s Waves, and Come On playing over Drake and Future‘s Where Ya At. Check it out below:
The whole thing is available for download here, and will be on heavy rotation around these parts for quite some time. We’re still not over FKA Biggie, so this is a very welcome addition indeed!
The Notorious B.I.G was shot dead on this day 19 years ago, and the crime has never been solved. To pay your respects to one of hip-hop’s biggest game changers and most influential artists ever, check out our Flashback Friday piece on his album, Ready To Die.
Image: Pigeons & Planes