Photo Credit: Swizz Beatz via YouTube Swizz Beatz is back with his latest EP release Hip Hop 50: Vol. 2, which he recorded as part of Mass Appeal’s celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. The six-track EP features a star-studded line-up of veteran rappers, including Nas, Jay-Z, Jadakiss, and Lil Wayne, along with current rising stars… Read more
As much as people seem to dislike the Grammys and distrust their perpetually scandal-plagued decision-making body, there’s no doubting the authority the awards body holds. Even as viewership remains far below the 20 million+ it once regularly enjoyed, the performances still have the power to make waves, who wins still makes headlines and who loses… Read more
Photo Credit: Courtesy of DJ Khaled There is something confounding about the success of DJ Khaled. Sixteen years, and thirteen albums, into his career, he has yet to release a truly singular piece of work, let alone a masterpiece. To his critics, Khaled simply does what other DJs do but louder and with a more… Read more
Photo Credit: Urban Wyatt “Industry Baby” – the collaboration between Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow – felt like it might be a turning point in Harlow’s career, and not just because of its huge commercial success. While the majority of creative credit goes to Nas himself, it remains true that the song offered a… Read more
Photo Credit: Live Nation Depending on who you ask, Colson Baker – AKA Machine Gun Kelly – is either pop-punk’s savior or the man holding the tickets to its downfall. Despite what his detractors would have you believe, Baker’s take on pop-punk is no worse than most others who have revived the sound for the… Read more
Photo Credit: Tyler, The Creator via YouTube Tyler Gregory Okonma, better known as Tyler, the Creator, is leagues ahead of the competition on the trap-influenced West Coast hip-hop scene of today. When he released Flower Boy back in 2017, it was the first sign that something big was in the making – a huge leap away from… Read more
Photo Credit: Courtesy Republic Records Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye’s After Hours wasn’t just a success, it was a record-breaking triumph. The album’s second single “Blinding Lights” spent over a year in the Top 10 and was recently declared the biggest Billboard Hot 100 hit of all time. Meanwhile, “Save Your Tears” – buoyed by a remix featuring Ariana Grande… Read more
Photo Credit: Collages via Billboard Most people will tell you that the only success that translates financially is “success.” In music, certainly, it’s thought to be almost entirely mathematical: the more records an artist has sold, the more “successful” they are (of course, in recent decades the number of downloads and streams would also have… Read more
Photo Credit: Olav Stubberud G-Eazy has surpassed the idea of being a “rising star” in hip-hop, to being a certified leader. His past collaborations with rap superstars like A$AP Rocky and Cardi B gave him the credibility along with his talent to cement him as a hip-hop heavyweight. Now with his latest album, These Things… Read more
Photo Credit: Image via YouTube/Drake Drake’s latest release Certified Lover Boy starts with the five-and-a-half-minute “Champagne Problems”; which begins with a sample of Masego’s “Navajo” – which, itself, samples the Beatles’ “Michelle”. The LP opener sees Drake fully recharged since his last full-length record of new material – 2018’s Scorpion. Here, the Canadian rapper turns the dial all… Read more