upscale urban essentials – album and concert reviews, mp3 downloads, interviews
16 May 2012 Leave a Comment
An official video never dropped for Kanye West’s DJ Khaled-assisted banger “Theraflu Way Too Cold,” but, thankfully, visionary Ashley Smith stepped up to the plate to deliver this hilarious clip featuring a young KW impersonator and his jaw-droppingly attractive companion, portrayed by Jasmin Marilena.
6 April 2012 Leave a Comment
This is indeed a G.O.O.D. Friday for sure. Kanye West Week continues with this killer new track from the G.O.O.D. music crew. Fresh off the release of “Theraflu“, Kanye and crew does it again. Lyrically tight and just plain fun, this track will certainly be boomin’ in ya jeep for months to come.
Listen:
More details below from MTV.com:
Kanye West released “Mercy,” the first song from the forthcoming G.O.O.D. Music album featuring Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz last night. Featuring a lot of tough talk and braggadocio from each of the rappers, over a dark, haunting Lifted-produced beat, Kanye’s verse has been getting perhaps the most buzz.
With the movie theme to “Scarface” playing ominously, Ye unleashes in a bout of aggression. “I step in the Def Jam building like I’m the s–t/Tell them give me $50 million or I’m going to quit,” he blasts at his record label. “Something about Mary, she gone off that molly/Now the whole party is melted like Dali/Now everybody is moving their body,” he raps, referencing artist Salvador Dali as well as “molly,” the street term for ecstasy which recently caused Madonna a bit of controversy with Deadmau5.
As the track leaked from radio to the internet, hip-hop aficionados shared their penchant on Twitter. “the internet just went tilt/crashed on this song,” one shared while another succinctly put it, “Kanye is a Demigod.”
This is the second buzzy song Kanye has dropped this week. Earlier he released “Theraflu,” which featured head-turning references to his ex-girlfriend Amber Rose along with reality star Kim Kardashian, who many speculate is dating West. DJ Khaled, who is featured on the track, told MTV that the song was supposed to be for his album but Kanye wanted to expedite the release. “’Ye was just like, ‘This needs to be out now; this is an urgent record.’ “
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5 April 2012 2 Comments
How can you not LOVE Kanye West! Indeed, with the G.O.O.D. Music comp due soon, this week surely is Kanye Week as I have heard it called. We welcome and embrace this. Dropped by Funkmaster Flex on Hot 97 last night in NYC, this cut is sure to rise to the top of the charts, especially considering Kanye confesses his love for a certain reality star known for clockin mad loot for her rump and more recently for dropping a Hump. You do the math.
More from Pitchfork.com:
Less than 24 hours after Kanye West announced his G.O.O.D. Music label would finally get around to releasing its first single—“Mercy” featuring Big Sean, Kanye, Pusha-T, and 2 Chaniz—Kanye has up and dropped his own new single, “Theraflu,” a collaboration with DJ Khaled. Funkmaster Flex debuted the track late last night on Hot 97, and now it’s on the Internet for your digestion at Rap Radar. Produced by Hit-Boy, the track bounces along to a creepy keyboard hook and features Kanye shockingly boasting of things like $6,000 pairs of shoes and name-checking Anna Wintour. Oh, he also praises Wiz Khalifa, claims he fell in love with Kim Kardashian, and tells Kardashian’s ex (NBA player Kris Humphries) that he’s lucky he didn’t have Jay-Z drop him from the New Jersey Nets. Just another day in Kanye.
30 March 2012 Leave a Comment
We love this dope full documentary on THE MC, The Art of 16 Bars. The lyrical part of Hip Hop. For the first time, the worlds hottest MCs show you how to do it. From free styling and writing to how you hold the Mic and how to deal with being on tour. Features: Barry Bergman,Loco Gringo,Jadakiss,Jay-Z,KRS-One,Talib Kweli,MC Lyte,Method Man,Kool Moe Dee,Rakim,Twista, and Kanye West. Narrated by: Method Man.
Review from IMDB.com
After watching this film I am left wondering why this film isn’t getting more attention? This film breaks down the art of the rhyme better then anything I’ve seen out there. What’s really scary is that a film so positive in it’s messages and meaning could be so ignored. Yeah, I know it’s not Beef but come on, this is a great film. Great insights and interviews, Methods narration is funny and insightful, and it’s entertaining as hell! Can’t we support something positive? You’re missing out if you don’t peep this title. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to MC, let me re-phrase that, It’s a must for anyone who wants to MC. After watching it inspired me to put down some hot 16′s.
22 March 2012 Leave a Comment
We loooooooooove this moving tribute by Jasiri X for Trayvon Martin.
Rapped over “No Church in the Wild”, the first track from Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch the Throne album featuring Frank Ocean! Get involved. Watch this and share.
From UrbanCusp.com:
Hip-Hop artists Jasiri X tells the heartbreaking story of Trayvon Martin, a unarmed 17 yr old boy, who was shot and killed by Neighborhood Block Captain George Zimmerman on February 26, 2012. George Zimmerman has to this date never been arrested or charged for the murder of Trayvon.
Demand Justice for Trayvon Martin
15 November 2011 Leave a Comment
Review from Entertainment Weekly:
Kanye West debuted his long-form music film Runaway on Saturday night. It was a dreamy mini-movie with lovely, light imagery and a heavy message — roughly speaking, people aren’t open-minded; they don’t accept what they don’t immediately understand. Take it as a metaphor for how West feels about the acceptance of not necessarily his music, but his public behavior (epitomized by the West-Taylor Swift VMA moment), and you probably wouldn’t be wrong.
It told the story of a phoenix (played by model Selita Ebanks) who falls to Earth in front of West’s car. West, playing a version of himself, tried to introduce her to a world that mystified her, and was mystified by her.The West-directed Runaway used a heavily-saturated color palette; bright oranges, fiery reds, and lush forest-greens dominated. He lingered over his imagery, frequently slowing down the motion for us to observe the phoenix’s most causal gestures. In one bravura sequence, he included a red-dressed marching band that pulled along a giant papier-mache bust of Michael Jackson in its wake. West has said that Runaway contains nine songs from his forthcoming album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and supplies “visuals for all these songs that deserve videos.”
Late in Runaway, the phoenix speaks: “You know what I hate about your world? Anything that is different you try to change, you try to tear it down.” West’s visual and musical sophistication was constantly contrasted with images of the phoenix’s playful innocence, until she finally burst into flames and ascended back “to my world,” as she put it, leaving West’s character desperate, running down the road after her, left alone. Runaway aired simultaneously on MTV, MTV2, and BET; each channel inserted their commercials into Runaway in a cruelly abrupt manner that marred the flow of West’s film.
In an interview that aired immediately after Runaway, West referred to Fellini and Kubrick as influences, and the languidly assured tracking shots and framing in some scenes bore out those influences. He also said the phoenix’s crash paralleled the “crash of my career.” Sometimes it’s best for an artist to just let the work speak for itself.
Given how controversial West’s every artistic gesture seems to have become, I have a feeling we’ll be in for a round of dismissals of Runaway as a pretentious piece. Instead, it deserves to be seen as a carefully modulated art-film made by a man on a mission.
10 August 2011 6 Comments
Soulhead Track by Track Review:
(Ratings 1 lo – 5 high. Comments from staff listening session)
JAY-Z & KANYE WEST “WATCH THE THRONE”
01 No Church in the Wild (ft. Frank Ocean) – 4
“love the intro. wikid beat, solid lyrics. love Frank Ocean from Odd Future”
02 Lift Off (ft. Beyoncé) – 3.5
“Beyonce tried really hard to make this interesting. kanye’s auto-tune mumbling became annoying in the second verse. jay entertained but sounded like he phoned it in. lift off effects novel”
03 Niggas in Paris – 4
“loved the beat and Jay’s first verse. Kanye’s verses were pretty funny and the hook is pretty entertaining and memorable. nice effects.”
04 Otis (ft. Otis Redding) – 3.5
“not a fan of the content but hearing Otis singing with this beat compels regardless”
05 Gotta Have It – 3.5
“love the sample. sounds South Asian. lyrics so so but flow on point.”
06 New Day – 4
“nice boom bap backdrop. love the nina symone nod but could have done without the auto-tune effect. like the message and performance.not sure what the Me and the Rza connect references were all about.”
07 That’s My Bitch – 4.5
“debates about ‘bitch’ aside, we just love the sound of this. sounds really 80′s but flows so nicely. funny, entertaining and clever. tight beat. hot verses from both MCs”
08 Welcome to the Jungle – 4
“tight old school feel. just feel, loop, spit. Nice.”
09 Who Gon Stop Me – 3.5
“lyrically, just ok to us. sample became a bit annoying after a while. i guess this is what happens when ‘Ye stops talking about cars and money. Jay does rip it though and carried this one lyrically.”
10 Murder to Excellence – 4
“love the instrumentation and the vocal sample, although it is a bit derivative of previous work. lyrically strong for both. solid message.”
11 Made in America (featuring Frank Ocean) – 4
“love the melody and the message of this one. Frank does a very soulful job on the hook. Unfortunately, this may not get much radio play but we dig it.”
12 Why I Love You (featuring Mr. Hudson) – 3.5
“interesting message and creative aggressive hook, albeit a bit techy. Jay flows hard here. Kanye seems inspired in his verses by Jay.”
Bonus tracks:
13 Illest Motherfucker Alive – 4
“love the title and the sentiment in the song. sounds eerily like a Rick Ross flow on “Ye’s verse, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We like the grind of this one.”
14 H*A*M – 4
“classic braggadocio. love the simplicity. the title is a little corny but I get it. not a huge fan of hearing Jay-z singing even a little bit.”
15 Primetime - 4
“to the point hip hop. strong beat and instrumental progressions. coming of age tale in many respects.”
16 The Joy (ft. Curtis Mayfield) - 3
“makings of you sample was appreciated but not well used. lyrics are a little deep on this one. didn’t need all of those “uggh” effects either. would have expected more from a Pete Rock/Kanye collaboration”
Overall Rating: 3.8/5.0
Our Favorite Tracks: That’s My Bitch, Illest Motherfucker Alive, Niggas In Paris, No Church in the Wild
Our Recommendation: BUY. Despite our previous ruminations about Otis and its misplaced context, we actually liked the album. Not loved, but liked a lot. The album felt long but had some serious moments. Perhaps we expected a little more from these two titans of hip-hop, but the reality is they did deliver. I wonder what the “Watch the Throne” reference is for? Are we to believe that Jay-Z is trying to transition said throne to Kanye? Maybe as a producer and sometimes deft lyricist, but the KING? We love both of these guys and are happy that they have completed and released this project. We would recommend you listen to it here and make your own decision. In the meantime, watch the ‘Watch The Throne’ documentary. LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW!
Digital Booklet Photos from StraightFromTheA.com:
5 August 2011 Leave a Comment
We discovered this really great, Turntable.fm, site a while back and we’re happy to hear they are gaining some traction.
From BusinessInsider.com
“We’ve been told that Lady Gaga and Kanye West are investing in Turntable.fm.
They’re contributing to the $7.5 million Turntable financing round which was announced weeks ago. BetaBeat reported and we can confirm that Union Square Ventures is a lead investor.
(Kanye West and Jay-Z threw a launch party for the Watch The Throne Tour at the American Museum of Natural History in New York last night. The artists were there, and so were we. We sat behind Busta Rhymes, sup sup.)”
2 August 2011 7 Comments
A special shout goes out to the legendary hip hop scholar and all around solid cat, Dave “Davey D” Cook, for bringing this incredible flip on the recent collaboration by Kanye West and Jay-Z called ‘Otis’ to our attention. In their version, ‘Ye and Jigga flow effortlessly over an agitated classic soul Otis Redding “Try a Little Tenderness” sample. They definitely go in with super excess and chronic brand drops (e.g. Rolex, Mercedes, G450, etc) and current day ‘swag’ appeal. Yes, we know guys, you’re super rich, ballin, kickin it with models and yes “Jay is chillin’ and ‘Ye is chilling”, but what more could you say?….. A LOT MORE….
Public Enemy leader, Chuck D on the other hand uses the ‘Otis‘ backdrop (see above) to bring light to the current reality based condition impacting the country like high unemployment, education, health care, etc. Bravo Chuck! Bravo! In ‘Know This‘, which, when rapped, sounds very similar to NOTIS or NO OTIS (nudge to Jay-Z and Kanye West), our hood CNN anchorman brings the heat. This makes me remember the days when conscious hip-hop ruled and we looked forward to complementing our book knowledge with some street knowledge. We love and support most of what these two titans have been able to accomplish, but we would welcome a broad-based return to some of the positive themes that hip-hop used to embrace.
While we all know what sells and gets played currently, we also know that these brothers wield significant power and influence and if we all share in the motive to improve our collective condition, then change can (and we hope will) come. The irony to me is that the sample, ‘Try a Little Tenderness‘, is actually what a lot of modern rappers need to do at this time. People out here are hurting and now is not the time to be throwing your wealth up in the collective country’s faces at a time of high unemployment and near economic collapse. Many of the kids who listen to this display of excess go back to small apartments in the projects or the streets, wish of better days, and may even go to bed hungry. How about something to inspire them guys? How about you trying some tenderness?!
Again, thanks Davey D and Chuck!
Chuck D. – Know This
Compare for yourself. Here is the Kanye West/Jay-Z song ‘Otis’:
Otis Reading – Try a Little Tenderness (THE ORIGINAL)
We sure hope this new ‘Watch the Throne’ album has the balance, quality, and variety we so sorely need.
25 July 2011 4 Comments
A Brilliant 11 Minutes documentary featuring behind the scenes footage of Kanye West & Jay Z during the making of The “Watch The Throne” album.
19 July 2011 Leave a Comment
This footage is simply incredible and courtesy of Brooklyn Bodega. Q-Tip, in the midst of all the critical acclaim of the recently released Beats Rhymes and Life documentary, is joined onstage by uber producer/rapper Kanye West in this year’s 7th installment of the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival in DUMBO (around the corner from the Soulheadquarters). The festival has featured a wide array of hip hop legends, notables and up and comers. This year was no exception. Well done everyone!
Check out this slide show from BHF ’11
