The RX Archives - Page 4 of 12

Aminé And Kaytranada’s Effervescent ‘Kaytraminé’ Is The Summer

May 25, 2023 by newhiphopnews

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

The other day, a DJ friend of mine posted a thread on Twitter pointing out how modern hip-hop isn’t really made for dancing. Somewhere along the way, the prevalent vibe for hip-hop songs became either the murky, muddy, drugged-out sound first popularized by Future or the boisterous, triumphant, standing-on-couches style best exemplified by Rick Ross. You can flex, you can jump up and down, or you can zone out to it, but mostly, folks in the club just stand around looking at their phones or filming other people standing around looking at their phones. Sometimes, there’s twerking.

Fortunately, Aminé and Kaytranada are here to save the day. I immediately forwarded my DJ friend the cover of their new album Kaytraminé (which doubles as the duo’s collective soubriquet), which by the group’s own estimation on Twitter is not just the album of the summer, but the literal soundtrack of it. I’m inclined to agree.

As soon as you press play on “Who He Iz,” the album’s opener, the first voice you hear demands that listeners leave their “cool” at the door. As Kaytranada provides a slinky beat reminiscent of Busta Rhymes’ masterful 1997 solo debut “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See,” Aminé spits rapid-fire, boastful verses in the same vein. It’s hard to resist the urge to shoulder shimmy — again, see the video for the above-mentioned Busta Rhymes classic — and they’re just getting started.

Across the album’s 11 tracks, Kaytraminé gets straight to the point: this is music that they want you to dance to. The star of the show in that regard is, of course, Kaytranada’s effervescent, up-tempo beats. The producer has earned a reputation over the past few years as the bridge between dance music, hip-hop, and R&B, adopting a production style equally influenced by house music pioneers as it is by RZA and The Neptunes.

Speaking of The Neptunes, Pharrell Williams makes an appearance here on the bouncy single “4Eva,” lending Kaytraminé the legitimacy of his legacy as the 2000s’ premier dance floor filler. Kaytranada’s impression of his production idol is beyond adroit; that he transforms the beat-making style of the maestro into a distinctive concoction recognizable as a Kaytra original with Pharrell on the song is an impressive feat, marking Kaytranada as a worthwhile successor. “Eye” is another successful effort in this vein, accented by sound effects from Sonic The Hedgehog and featuring frequent Pharrell Phriend Snoop Dogg.

What’s even more impressive: it’s not all champagne fizz and tropical vibes, yet Kaytraminé never loses the vibe of a consummate summertime album. “Westside,” despite channeling the ambiance of one of Ross’s lumbering, barrel-chested anthems, retains a thread of focus on moving the lower anatomy as much as mean-mugging the haters. “Rebuke,” a mellow, top-down cruiser, is as sure to provoke a two-step when listeners reach their destination.

And look, just because Kaytranada’s beats are the highlight doesn’t mean Aminé is out here slouching on the rhymes. If anything, it’s probably harder to write a good party song — let alone eleven of them — that suits the hip-swinging tempos offered here. Think about what kinds of songs have always gotten toes tapping at day parties and nightclubs throughout the warm months. They’re not often specifically about partying. Take, for instance, Snoop and Pharrell’s slew of collabs. They run the gamut from slick-talking gangsta funk to sensual flirtations with the sort of woman you’d meet at a summertime social gathering, directly addressed to enemies or admirers.

In this, Aminé is also a worthy successor. Whether putting down would-be rivals on “Master P,” preaching self-validation on “K&A,” or lamenting lost love on “Rebuke,” he’s good for winking punchlines and adept vibe-setting. The tightrope act between relatable and aspirational is one he’s long mastered, and he puts it to effective use here. By turns, Kaytraminé evokes the atmosphere of a warm night on the coast with a cloudless sky, a packed, small-room venue with free-flowing drinks and vibrant energy, and a pool party where people actually get in the pool. If that ain’t summer, I don’t know what is.

Kaytraminé is out now via Venice Music.

Rap Needs More Artists Like Deante’ Hitchcock And His Earnest Album, ‘Once Upon A Time’

May 18, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Atlanta rapper Deante’ Hitchcock‘s second album, Once Upon A Time, offers a prime example of what rap needs more of. It’s got a clear, well-executed concept, head-nodding, instantly engaging production, and most importantly, the sort of earnest passion that denotes a serious artist who doesn’t take himself too seriously — i.e., one who’ll stick around and grow with the game long after “cooler” contemporaries have burned out or been exposed as lightweights.

There are some in my line of work for whom the above traits are ridiculous, deserving of derision and mockery. Just look at the reception to Chance The Rapper’s debut album, The Big Day, or the very existence of the term “dad rap.” The idea of maturity in hip-hop music would seem like anathema to an outsider, who might think the entire point of the genre was either aimless rebellion, ostentatious braggadocio, or mindless physical movement.

But from Deante Hitchcock’s 2020 debut album Better, the 30-year-old rapper always radiated self-possession and that above-mentioned maturity (I remarked about it in my review). He’s been likened to a combination of hometown hero T.I. and early benefactor J. Cole, and while there are those who might not consider that a good thing, there’s a reason both of those names ring bells in the wider hip-hop community. Commitment to craftsmanship and easygoing, relatable charisma shouldn’t be considered flaws.

In fact, the artists who’ve proven the most resilient have always had these qualities in abundance. In a genre where the average career peak only spans about five years and hitmakers can turn into has-beens seemingly overnight, the stalwarts who’ve outlasted rap fans’ minuscule attention spans and rapid attrition as hyperactive teens age into responsible adults tend to be those who are most passionate about the craft. The ones who can wrangle a concept, who make you root for them even when they don’t fit into the archetypes of the gangster, the pimp, the scumbag, or one of the other toxic molds rap marketing departments have come up with.

In other words, Deante’ Hitchcock should remind you of names like T.I. and J. Cole, as well as other Atlanta mainstays like Big Boi and Killer Mike, and deeply rooted grown-man rappers such as Common and Phonte Coleman. His peers are names like Denzel Curry and Big KRIT, who appears here on “Callin’” alongside Westside Boogie, another rapper who taps into his emotional growth and sharp-eyed environmental observations to flourish. And yes, he’s got the charm of an early Chance The Rapper, who despite being semi-written off by fans, deserves more respect for both his technical skills and business success.

Once Upon A Time, which tracks Hitchcock’s growth from club-crawling player to committed family man, is the prime example of why he belongs in such esteemed company. From the party-ready “Woah!” to the introspective “U Were Right I Was Wrong,” Hitchcock deconstructs and expands on what mid-2000s-era rap writers would have called the “for the ladies” track. While each song prescribes a different mood and premise, they are all unified by the context of the sort of song that would have represented a brief break in the gun talk to baldly — and occasionally, badly — appeal to any potential female fans.

That Hitchcock avoids dipping too deeply into the saccharine schmaltz of that subgenre of songs — save on “Drunk AF,” which sounds like something Chris Brown would have done around 2010 — is an impressive indicator of his talent and how earnestly he’s considered the subject matter.

When I interviewed Deante’ last summer, he said of this project, “If you look at the legends, the Drakes, the Jay-Z’s, the Waynes, all of them guys, the thing that separates them – because all of them are technically inclined, they’re skilled at what they do, all of them can rap their ass off, get crazy with it – but they also have songs that the world can sing. And I mean, being a rapper, a lot of people will hit me up and be like, ‘Bro, you be rapping your ass off.’ I’m very appreciative of that. Because that’s the skillset I’ve honed for years. But bro, I want hits.”

There are plenty of songs here that could be considered hits — “Zodiac,” “Thinking ‘Bout You,” “Late Night” — but the fact that the quieter, more thoughtful moments — “2 Special,” “Royal” — are just as sticky testify to the effort Hitchcock made, and the growth he’s experienced since Better. And that sort of authenticity and passion is just what hip-hop needs. With the genre being increasingly infiltrated by soulless AI creations, algorithmically-written bids for TikTok viral hits, and disaffected, cynical interests more focused on sucking the culture dry for profit, that there are artists like Hitchcock still making this kind of effort is heartening. The rap business needs more like him.

Once Upon A Time is out now on ByStorm Entertainment and RCA Records.

IDK Breaks Boundaries On The Eclectic, Jazz- And Racing-Themed ‘F65’

May 11, 2023 by newhiphopnews

IDK is one of the most creative rappers working today. But more importantly, he knows how to apply that creativity to his new album F65. The follow-up to 2022’s Simple expands the sonic palette but retains the incisive focus, pairing IDK’s unique outlooks with experimental production that pushes the boundaries of the familiar.

F65 feels like an evolution of IDK’s 2021 album USEE4YOURSELF, which now seems as though it was a dry run for the kind of eclecticism the Maryland rapper wanted to embrace then, but only recently mastered his impressive well of creativity enough to grasp. While he may never truly shake some of the most common criticisms against him (I mean, he can’t change his voice, but he can certainly use it better than his doppelganger Kanye), he certainly transcends them here.

The binding theme of F65, as you could probably guess from the cover, is Formula 1 racing. However, there’s also an unexpected thread throughout: IDK’s burgeoning appreciation for classic jazz. As he explains in the interlude “Champs-Élysées,” this stems from his grounding practice of “driving fast” playing jazz. The unusual pairing of energies is perfect for IDK, whose entire life and career have been shaped by the pairing of paradoxes.

Contrasting truths and the tension between them are the core of IDK’s personality. He’s a self-declared middle-class kid who embraced the streets in an effort to live up to social expectations of Black masculinity. While he details that experience on his debut album IWasVeryBad, he reiterates and distills those motivations here in the thundering “Paperchaser.”

He also attacks the question of the friction between the above-mentioned expectations of Black masculinity and the fear of femininity on “Pinot Noir,” ceding his spotlight to Saucy Santana and Jucee Froot. This is a duo I’d love to hear more of; Santana defies conventions by being a loudly-out gay man while embracing many of the dynamics of gangsta rap. Yes, he carries a purse, but he also carries a gun in that purse. Watch your tone.

While IDK is far from what you’d consider a “conscious” rapper, he shows his awareness of systemic and social problems in far subtler ways. The F1-themed interludes focus on commentary revolving around Lewis Hamilton, a champion driver who nonetheless feels the strain of being one of the only Black drivers on the circuit. He’s faced discrimination in spite – or perhaps because of – his success, while carrying the weight common to all pioneers in traditionally white spaces.

That isn’t to say that IDK doesn’t address the tribulations of Black life head-on when he needs to, though. “Mr. Police” is a prime example, borrowing the familiar refrain coined by NWA decades ago; in typical IDK fashion, however, he turns the song into a jazzy deflection of the more casual racism involved in his interactions with the law – the most common kind, the ones that don’t end in bloodshed, but cost Black folks in other ways.

If there’s a thesis here, it’s in IDK’s love of his Blackness. From dipping his toes into a dizzying variety of Black musical genres – Afrobeats, Jersey club, the aforementioned jazz – to sampling a cluster of classics from Black canon – Michael Jackson’s “Can’t Help It,” Carl Thomas’ “I Wish” – IDK gives a musical lesson in Black history. He talks up his love for Black women on “Still Your Man” and “Superwoman,” receiving advice on life and love from no less an authority than Snoop Dogg. By the final song, “Freetown,” a four-minute jazz instrumental, the message is clear: It’s all Black, and we shouldn’t be limiting ourselves to any one genre or interest. We are many things.

F65 is out now on Clue No Clue / Warner Records.

IDK is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Jack Harlow Goes Back To His Old Ways With Newfound Wisdom On ‘Jackman’

May 1, 2023 by newhiphopnews

jack harlow jackman review — Atlantic Records

Maybe it was the lukewarm reception to his last album, Come Home The Kids Miss You, or maybe it was the backlash to his casting in a remake of White Men Can’t Jump, but Jack Harlow seems fed up. On his newest album, Jackman, he goes back to the old Jack, only this time, with a chip on his shoulder and more to say than ever. Oddly enough, this more combative stance suits him, positioning him perfectly to address some of his recent controversies and distance himself from one of the most common complaints about him.

In a recent trailer for the FX show Dave, the show’s protagonist Lil Dicky engages in a tense (but comedic) confrontation with fellow white rapper Jack Harlow. While the episode itself hasn’t aired yet, it’s the origin of their on-screen beef is, like most things in the show, inspired by real life. The two men, both white rappers with oodles of curly hair and off-kilter senses of humor, are often compared, and Harlow especially seems to bristle at such connections.

That’s probably because, unlike Dicky, Jack has taken rap seriously from the beginning. At least, at the outset of Dicky’s career, it seemed that the elder rapper treated hip-hop — and his presence in it — as something of a joke. And while Dicky captured the public’s hearts with his obviously dedicated flow and sharp wit, Harlow never approached hip-hop as though he were an outsider. But the two entertainers have ended up at a similar place, albeit from disparate paths.

Rap fans seem to regard both with an equal measure of curiosity and skepticism. Although he’d been independently releasing mixtapes for several years before “What’s Poppin” took over the charts in 2020, most fans were introduced to him by that song. And, as so often happens in the post-blog rap era, many of those fans apparently regard him as an interloping, overnight success. In short, they sort of see him as Lil Dicky 2.0, just using rap to get over until he can move on to bigger, “better” things.

Jack’s resentment of this assessment is no clearer than in “It Can’t Be,” which tackles those accusations head-on. “It can’t be that I simply make ear candy,” he muses. “Especially when the industry could just plant me / Especially when I didn’t grow up on Brandy” — a nod to the non-controversy last year in which it was revealed he didn’t know R&B singers Brandy and Ray J were siblings, another mark against him in the eyes of fans who view him more as a cultural tourist than a hip-hop purist.

Likewise, Jack employs his observational gifts to highlight and subtly satirize the sizable and growing portion of the fan base that actually is engaging in the tourism, appropriation, and exploitation of hip-hop in the album’s intro, “Common Ground.” While the song stops short of outright judgment, it is lightly antagonistic, the way a good journalist should be when interrogating a subject (Jack has plenty to say on that count here). While this isn’t his first time addressing this disconnect, it’s done more bluntly — and more deftly — here.

Unlike Dicky, these were always tools that Harlow had in his bag. But, to tease — or torture — the metaphor a little, there was one other element that Jack needed to put these tools to good use. Any carpenter who wants to acquire their license must first complete an apprenticeship and put in their hours as a journeyman. In short, what Jack Harlow needed was experience and time to make full use of his technical skills, to hone them to the point that a Jackman would be possible.

“Gang Gang Gang” highlights this. A concept track which the rapper poses as a series of conversations catching up with friends back home, he’s horrified to learn that some of his closest friends have turned out to be bad eggs. It’s effective because he doesn’t pull back to make any larger political points, he keeps the focus on the discomfort and disbelief he feels and his internal struggle to reconcile the kids he knew with the monsters they grew up to be — and how to let them go. It’s a conversation more of us should be having with ourselves if we’re honest.

The glitzy, Neptunes-inspired production of Come Home — which was timely in its own right, but rubbed day-one fans and newbies the wrong way — is gone, replaced by the earthy, soul-looped backpack rap of Harlow’s youth. (An interesting catch-22 is that, had this been his second album after the success of That’s What They All Say, he’d have been undoubtedly written off as a self-serious, one-note backpacker. He had to release the glossy, celebratory Come Home in order to be taken seriously). Instead of R&B hooks and flashy features, Jackman is just 10 two-minute songs, each digging deeper into subjects he’s always touched on but with more maturity and insight than we’ve previously seen.

The funny thing is, he’s always had this in him. Jackman is, after all, his full first name. Little has changed but the circumstances. Harlow is now just a little more weathered. He’s grown into himself more as a man (it’s easy to forget, he’s just 25 years old; his brain is literally still not finished cooking from a biological standpoint). Jackman, the album, is Jackman, the person, completing his journeymanship. He knows what he’s doing now and maybe now, we’ll trust that. He may not ever shake the Lil Dicky comparisons, but now even those listeners who only scratch the surface will know he’s no joke.

Jackman is out now on Generation Now/Atlantic. Get it here.

Skyzoo Gets Into ‘The Mind Of A Saint’ With His Masterful Concept Album Inspired By ‘Snowfall’

April 20, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Last night, the series finale of Snowfall aired, bringing the winding six-year epic to an ironic conclusion. The finale also brought the story of LA drug kingpin Franklin Saint full circle, ending the narrative much as it began – albeit with its protagonist in a much different state, ten years later. (It’s also a full circle moment for yours truly; I quit my old job to work at Uproxx full-time in order to shoot some sponsored content for Snowfall back when it debuted in 2017.)

That story fascinated Brooklyn rapper Skyzoo so much, he wrote a whole album about it. The Mind Of A Saint came out back in January, but much like the show itself, I didn’t get around to engaging with it until much later. With the overload of content coming out on a seemingly daily basis, the project got lost in the rush.

Fortunately, thanks to the series finale airing this week, I had the perfect opportunity to revisit the project – and I’m so glad I did. On The Mind Of A Saint, Sky plants himself into Franklin’s Converse All-Stars to deliver what he believes is the album that Franklin himself would make if he pulled an Eazy-E and switched from the drug business to the music one.

And unsurprisingly, it works extremely well. Sure, Skyzoo’s got that whole brusque New Yorker demeanor – not to mention an accent that marks him as a native of the Big Apple far more than a hard-R-slinging South LA resident – but aside from the modern quirks of his densely-packed delivery and modern rap mannerisms (as opposed to the more straightforward flows adopted by Angelenos in the ‘80s), his unique storytelling style captures the essence of the series perfectly.

Across the 10 tracks, Skyzoo channels his love of sports and pop culture references into the show’s 1980s setting, only using metaphors he knows the protagonist would use. This includes nods to geopolitical happenings like the Iran-Contra scandal on “Eminent Domain” and local sports heroes like the Lakers’ Norm Nixon on “Straight Drop.”

Meanwhile, tracks like “Bodies!” and “Apologies In Order” recount events from the show itself, like a rap recap. Sky litters the former with the names of the characters in the series who meet their demises from Franklin’s machinations, all while detailing the kingpin’s mindstate: “Manboy deserved it, Khadijah deserved it / Tyana shouldn’t have been in that car, that wasn’t worth it / Andre deserved it / I mean, in the beginning, he didn’t but then he went and got all this pretend purpose.”

Even more impressively, though, Skyzoo indirectly uses this conceptual approach to the album to turn the lens onto the ills of society that continue to create the conditions for this criminal mindset to this day. “Picture opportunity skipping over who you be,” he mourns on “Eminent Domain.”

Then, “Views From The Valley” presents the stark contrast between LA’s various enclaves and how seeing wealth just out of reach can make someone desperate to change their fortunes: “Never blink, and turn all this shit into more than I could ever think /Not a stereotype to let me sink, let me link / Between where I’m from to where I’m placed at /And pray over this blizzard I’ma whip up on my way back.”

When he pulls back for a bird’s-eye view on “Panthers & Powder,” it doesn’t feel like a betrayal of the concept. Instead, it reads like something Franklin knows implicitly, even if he wouldn’t know how to articulate it out loud – at least, until he decided to dedicate himself to a craft like rap, in which case those connections might become clearer.

The most impressive moment on the album, though, comes near its own conclusion (which, unfortunately, was written before the final season of the show even aired, leaving Sky’s interpretation of those events unwritten). On “Purity,” Sky imagines Franklin’s fateful meeting with a young Nipsey Hussle and his older brother Blacc Sam as toddlers. By this point in the show, it’s 1986, so it would be entirely possible for a real-life Franklin to have met the boys’ father.

It’s a clever way to double down on the album’s (and the show’s) themes; that for every action, there’s a reaction, that the consequences of a scheme often far outweigh the merits, that legacies are built and destroyed by the mundane encounters we have every day, and that a system that fails its most vulnerable will stay failing everyone within it.

Nip, like Sky’s imaginary Franklin, found his way out of the hustler’s lifestyle through rap; like the show’s Franklin, though, he couldn’t really escape the realities of the twisted social structure of America, which has determined that some lives have more value than others – even when they traffic in the same immoral industry (just watch the show, you’ll get it).

Like the show that inspired it, The Mind Of A Saint is a fascinating glimpse at the realities of the drug trade and its impacts on the community around it, without the glamorizing that comes from other, similar examples of trap and gangster rap. Because Sky posits from the outset that this is a fictional character’s narrative, he can get intimately close but remain artistically distant.

It’s an example of hip-hop at its highest form, a literary work worth digging into to exegete heady themes and an entertaining display of smart, surprising wordplay. It’s what KRS-One set out to make with Criminal Minded and an extension of Jay-Z accomplished with American Gangster. It’s a concept album that actually sticks the landing – something that is so rarely accomplished in any genre. And, with the final season finally out in the world, there’s still some story left to tell – a perfect excuse for Skyzoo to drop a deluxe.

<a href="https://otherguysmusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-mind-of-a-saint">The Mind of A Saint by Skyzoo & The Other Guys</a>

The Mind Of A Saint is out now. Get it here.

Davido Proves That He’s Worthy Of A Crown In Any Era On The Conquering ‘Timeless’

April 13, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Davido 'Timeless' artwork for review — Davido Music Worldwide/Sony Music

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

The video for Davido’s “Unavailable,” an early highlight from his fourth album Timeless, begins with a radio message that announces the long-awaited return of the “King Of Afrobeat.” That figure is Davido himself, who went two and a half years without a project and minimal releases outside of that.

Though that isn’t all that long, the absence was noticed as his contemporaries – Burna Boy and Wizkid – elevated to new heights. Burna dropped an award-winning album while Wizkid released a magnum opus while newcomers in afrobeats arrived to define the new class of artists that would lead the way.

Five years ago, Davido was at the forefront of afrobeats’ mainstream takeover, firing off records like “If,” “Fall,” and “FIA” that were played so frequently that fans grew tired of them being the only afrobeats records to play in outdoor spaces. To start 2023, Davido was that same star but had yet to insert his defining project into the massive ring that afrobeats created for itself in this current decade.

That’s what makes Timeless the perfect title for Davido’s fourth album. Yes, it continues the theme of time that served as the foundation of the afrobeats singer’s last two albums, A Good Time and A Better Time, but by definition, it accurately describes Davido’s music in today’s afrobeats space – “not affected by the passage of time or changes in fashion.”

With Timeless, Davido proves himself to be a limitless artist with enough strength to always find a way to finish at the top. The same singer who arrived with the electric and raw “Dami Duro” can use that same joy and energy in a different way for another party-friendly record, like “Unavailable,” more than a decade later. Between the two records, the similarities and differences are clear, above all, they speak to the timeless nature of Davido and his artistry.

Timeless caters to those who were assured that its awaited arrival would be nothing short of monumental while also sneering at those who had doubts about its potential. Davido re-emerges from one of the lowest points in his life as a rejuvenated man with a new sense of appreciation, value, and vigor. Defeat is not a part of Davido’s ministry and it’s a message that couldn’t be any clearer on the album’s opener “Over Dem.”

He boasts about his ability to win no matter the circumstances, singing, “Over dem all / If dem wan turn Goliath / I be David for life / Oluwa dey my side.” Davido delivers these lines with such certainty and little doubt that not only are we convinced of his strength, but it’s also enough to make listeners believe in their own. Davido re-establishes this connection with a higher power just three songs later on “Godfather.”

“All of thе blessings wey dey come my way / They are all from God,” he sings with the certainty and confidence that only the God he sings of could supply. “And if dem try to talk / E go burn them like hot water oh.” To loosely translate: “All of the blessings that come my way / They are all from God / If they try to talk against them / It’ll burn them like hot water.”

As much as he flaunts his strengths, Davido also embraces the losses and the moments of uncertainty. A broken heart and questions for the woman who split it in two are the foundation of “E Pain Me.” Davido croons his pleas to this woman, begging for their return and showcasing the pains of a loss that he can’t seem to wrap his head around. “Wetin I no do for you? / Shey you promise say you no go let me go?” Davido asks. “And last night you told me that it’s all over / E pain me oh.”

The trend continues in the second half of the album with “For The Road,” a record that swaps sadness for disappointment while still finding itself in the realm of love. It’s upended by a well-played double meaning that comes alive with his request for one last night of intimacy “for the road” with a girl who has no desire to be confined by the limitations of a relationship – in other words, she’s “for the road” in Davido’s eyes.

Davido bravest moment in the face of loss comes through “LCND (Legends Can Never Die),” a song dedicated to the people he’s lost in his life, which presumably includes his three-year-old son David Ifeanyi Adeleke Jr. Davido proves that he found life through death, a concept that couldn’t be more representative of the theme behind Timeless.

Davido’s Timeless stretches its arms to touch on areas that pertain to the singer and the world he finds himself in. It boasts the confidence of a man who considers his music and impact to be timeless as well as the fight and focus to prove this case to those who doubted. It’s crafted with the precision that will have it be remembered as one of the best afrobeats albums to come out of the genre’s most spotlighted era while offering moments where Davido is forced to accept his time with an experience was paused, or worse, cut short, whether it be through love, friendship, parenthood, or his career.

The lesson here is to value the time with something or someone while you do have it. With that, Davido is able to produce the tunnel-visioned “Precision,” the besotted “No Competition” with Asake, and the infatuated “In The Garden.” With Timeless, Davido reduced the force that is time into a feather-like obstacle that a king like himself can effortlessly knock down.

Timeless is out now via Davido Music Worldwide/Sony Music. You can stream it here.

Myke Towers Tells Us About His Genre-Bending Album ‘La Vida Es Una’ And Collaborating With J Balvin

March 24, 2023 by newhiphopnews

After solidifying himself as one of Latin music’s top rappers, Myke Towers is proving there’s no limits to his flow with his genre-bending album La Vida Es Una. While delivering more reggaeton and Latin trap bangers, the Puerto Rican artist also dabbles in Afrobeats, R&B, and house music influences. Towers shows that he’s an all-around Latin pop star on his LP, which features J Balvin, Daddy Yankee, Arcángel, and Ozuna.

Towers made his debut in 2020 with his first album, Easy Money Baby. The LP boasted his breakthrough hit “Si De Da” with Farruko. After scoring multiple reggaeton hits, he returned to his Latin trap roots with his 2021 album Lyke Mike. As an established force in both genres, Towers is now pushing his flow to new places while embracing a global sound that his fans around the world can enjoy.

“Lyke Myke was something more for me,” Towers says. “With this album, I’m thinking more about my fans, what they want, and the kind of music they want to hear live. I made this album being more conscious of what people are looking for from me.”

The album’s title translates to “You Only Live Once” in English and Towers embodies that feel-good energy throughout the 23 tracks. Over Zoom, he caught up with Uproxx about what he wants his fans to take from La Vida Es Una, his big collaborations, and what’s coming next.

Why did you decide to name your album La Vida Es Una?

I gave it that name because lot of things have happened like with the pandemic. It makes you think, “There’s not a lot of time to follow your dreams, so have to give it your all.” They say you that you have take advantage of your time here and enjoy it. I’m always conscious of things like that. That you only live once.

In addition to reggaeton and trap, you explore genres like Afrobeats, R&B, reggae, and house music album. Why did you decide to branch out into those genres?

I wanted to take risks on a musical level and do things that I’m not used to. I’m at a level where I have a lot of fans so I have that responsibility to please them. I can’t limit myself. Thanks to them I’m at where I’m at now. I’m doing the music that I like to do with a mix of what my fans are asking for. With this album, we’re separating the Myke Towers with the “y” from the [Mike] with the “i.”

You collaborated with J Balvin for the song “Celos.” What was that experience like working with him?

I have a lot of respect and admiration for Balvin. He’s a guy that’s super humble. For example, if you write to him in a DM on Instagram, he will respond to you right away. That’s something that you don’t expect from him at the level of fame that he’s at. I’m always like a little boy asking many questions with people like him because I like to learn. We had a great time when we shot the music video together. The other day we went to an Afrobeats concert together. Balvin is a leader. He has my respect.

You salute reggaeton pioneers Don Omar and Tego Calderón in “Don & Tego.” What inspired you to make that homage with Arcángel?

The song “Bandoleros” by Don Omar and Tego Calderón is an anthem to me. It’s always playing around the world. There hasn’t been a time since that song has come out that it hasn’t been played anywhere. And as artists, they’ve inspired me like Arcángel. The name that made the most sense for me was “Don & Tego. ” I feel like this song was something that was missing in the streets. A very street reggaeton song that that we liked back then that inspired us. We made that with this song and I know when people listen to it, they’re really going to like it.

Another reggaeton G.O.A.T that you collaborated with is Daddy Yankee. What was the experience like working with him in “Ulala (Ooh La-La)”?

The legend allowed me appear on his album [Legendaddy] and now he’s appearing on mine. For me, that was like earning the respect from the leader of the genre. For him to be on my album, that’s above and beyond. My respect from D.Y. was earned in levels. First, he gave me advice before he was collaborating with me. He saw my process [in the studio] and told me — he knows how to identify what’s strong and what’s not. That’s why I’m sure of myself.

I love the R&B sound the “Cama King.” This is my first time hearing about Chita. Why did you decide to feature her on this song?

[The song’s producer] Tainy is a visionary. When I told him I was missing a female voice on this song, he said, “I know who would be good for this. Calm down.” When I heard what Chita sent, I went crazy. I didn’t meet her in person but I told her thank you for collaborating me with. I hope this is a blessing for her as much as it is for me. She’s a female Argentine artist and the women are killing it right now.

“Aguardiente” is a song that stands out to me because it has a really Colombian vibe.

I made that song with Sky. He’s Colombian. He one’s of those producers that I click well with. Every time we get together, we come out with classics without forcing anything. [The alcoholic drink] Aguardiente is something that’s clearly from Colombia and I wanted to make a song with that. It goes hard.

What do you want people to get out of this album?

I want people to get the message that sometimes we worry about things that aren’t worth it. We have to remember that you only live once. With what I do, I want to motivate people as well. Even though it seems easy, it’s not easy. I go through things as well. It might not be the same [problem] as yours but we’re going to get to a point where we can relate. With this album, I want to unite people when we sing it live together. It’s something to enjoy. I want them to do with it what they want, to dedicate it to who they want to dedicate it to, and to go out and enjoy it. When I’m in your country to perform, we’re going to sing everything together.

What do you want to accomplish next?

Thanks to God we’re making moves that we’ve never done before. Little by little, I’m taking my name, my island, my music, and my movement to new heights. I want to make an impact with young people. That’s where I’m inspired. I want them to feel that Myke Towers is with them. I want them to feel like they’re a part of my movement.

La Vida Es Una is out now via Warner Music Latina. Listen to it here.

Myke Towers is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Lil Keed Was A Fascinating, Versatile Chameleon Of Rap

March 21, 2023 by newhiphopnews

lil keed talk to em 2 review — Ralph Ordaz/YSL Records

On “Muso Kuso” from his new, posthumous album Keed Talk To ‘Em 2, Atlanta rapper Lil Keed sounds suspiciously like his mentor Young Thug. From the guttural, yowling flow he affects alongside guest rapper Nav, to the nasal, high-pitched whine he tacks onto the ends of his bars, he near-perfectly duplicates the YSL impresario’s most distinctive vocal traits. Normally, this kind of thing might not even be notable for a trap rapper operating under the banner of an older, more experienced contemporary.

But just two tracks earlier, Keed appeared to be set on channeling the more brusque, blunt-ended style of trap rap pioneers like Jeezy and Yung Joc. On “Go See,” the album’s blustering, boisterous intro, Keed sounds like he stepped out of a time machine freshly arrived from a decade earlier. And on “Bags To The Sky,” the bridge between the two tracks, he’s a SoundCloud rapper, floating along on a cotton candy beat as he delivers a signature chirpy chant of a hook, giving his take on the briefly dominant sound of the late 2010s.

These three tracks perfectly encapsulate and preface a project that displays all of Keed’s fascinating, chameleonic versatility, his way of refusing to settle into one recognizable style for an entire project. The second installment of his Keed Talk To ‘Em series – and unfortunately, the last – is as freewheeling and loose as its title suggests. Here is a rapper at play, trying out and discarding new styles as he sees fit, showing off, and getting down. It’s perhaps a glimpse behind the scenes of the album recording process that circumstances forced into being an album itself.

You often hear rappers talk about recording hundreds of songs in the course of creating a new project, then having to whittle that daunting number down to a playlist that could reasonably be finished in an hour or on the average commute. And while many of those sketches never see the light of day – barring the leaks that have become increasingly common in the digital era as hard drives go missing and hackers waylay file exchanges – this is what often takes place in those sessions: Play.

In the 50 years since rap was first recorded for mass consumption, dozens of unique approaches have been developed, copied, modified, and evolved from the relatively straightforward rhyme schemes of old. And rap has also slowly absorbed traits of outside genres as it incorporated new technologies and production styles that allowed for greater experimentation. The landscape is truly sprawling, and oftentimes, an artist wants to try out all those toys in the toy box before settling on the one or two that will come to define the sound of a song, album, or catalog.

The time to do this is mostly behind closed doors. Hip-hop is as much a branding exercise as it is a musical genre; the most successful artists have clearly defined, easily recognizable cadences, vocal tones, beat choices, and even ad-libs. You just know when you’re hearing a Jay-Z verse – even a verse that was merely penned by him and performed by someone else – or an Eminem screed or a sermon by Pastor Future. And as much as that’s how artists build their legacies and set the foundation for long careers, any veteran artist can also tell you, it gets boring.

This is why someone like Common does an album like Electric Circus or Kanye West drops 808s & Heartbreak. However, the reception for such experimentation can vary wildly – just look at the two examples mentioned above. So, for many artists, there’s more benefit in experimenting out of the spotlight, fine-tuning any planned musical shifts, and only gradually showing off that versatility in the interest of slowly evolving into a different kind of artist or sharing a different side of themselves.

Lil Keed had two great advantages going for him in that respect. The first was timing; he had the good fortune to come into his own as a rapper just when streaming and the internet have been eroding the barriers between subgenres of rap. Taking it even further, because so many young rappers are developing their craft in the spotlight as a result of SoundCloud, Instagram, and song leaks, fans are much more receptive to big musical shifts. The other great advantage Keed had was being signed to one of the more nurturing artistic environments in the music business today.

Young Thug, who once paid Lil Baby an impressive sum to give up trapping and stick to rapping, allowed Keed to try things. You could just about hear the support he was being given on projects like Long Live Mexico and his Trapped On Cleveland mixtapes. As much as Keed operated in the mode of modern trap, he never felt restricted. He didn’t need to sound like Thug or Lil Baby or Young Scooter or any of his influences. He just did, bouncing from track to track employing whichever flow felt right on the beat. It makes sense; this is what Young Thug always did, so of course, he’d allow his artists similar freedom (the freedom he was often criticized for enjoying at a similar phase of his own career).

Keed is able to take this even further, veering dangerously close to boom-bap traditionalism on “Lost My Trust” with Cordae, getting introspective on “Can’t Fall Victim” and “Self Employed,” and even taking a gospel-R&B tack on album closer “Thank You Lord.” Keed stood out because he was so unconstrained by the boundaries that usually box in other rappers. He could do anything, so he did. It’s a shame that the world was deprived of the opportunity to see what he would do given the tools and toys that will undoubtedly continue to be added to hip-hop’s ever-growing repertoire of styles, sounds, and new technology.

Keed Talk To ‘Em 2is out now via YSL and 300 Entertainment.

Lil Keed is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Eladio Carrión Tells Us About His Star-Studded Album ‘3MEN2 KBRN’ And Collaborating With Lil Wayne

March 17, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Eladio Carrión is ready to make Latin trap global with his new album 3MEN2 KBRN. After solidifying himself as one Latin music’s leading rappers, he proves that his knockout flow can hold up alongside the icons of American hip-hop. Carrión’s latest LP includes features from Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, Migos’ Quavo, and Future.

Carrión has set himself apart from other Latin rappers thanks to his bicultural influences. He grew up living his life between the states and Puerto Rico. Throughout his career, Carrión has teamed up with Latin superstars like J Balvin, Rauw Alejandro, Arcángel, Bizarrap, and Karol G. He broke through in 2019 thanks to Latin Grammy-nominated hit “Kemba Walker” featuring Bad Bunny.

Like his Walker tribute, Carrión continues to salute sports superstars who inspire him like with the fierce “Mbappé” remix featuring Future. He also teams up once again with Bad Bunny in the swaggering “Coco Chanel.” 3MEN2 KBRN is Carrión unleashing his full force as a Latin trap star alongside his idols and close friends.

“As a kid, growing up, listening to these artists, and now collaborating with them, it’s a dream!” Carrión says about his album’s all-star ensemble.

In April, Carrión will be performing at both weekends of Coachella. That will lead up to his Sauce USA Tour, which kicks off in May. Over Zoom, Carrión caught up with Uproxx about his latest LP, the mind-blowing collaborations, and hitting the road in our latest Q&A.

What was the experience like to blend the Latin and English rap worlds on your album 3MEN2 KBRN?

I just keep trying to build that bridge between Latin and American culture because I’ve been influenced so much by American hip-hop, but you know I do Latin music. It’s just that: making that connection stronger.

How did the “Gladiador” remix with Lil Wayne come together?

Bro, I manifested the sh*t out of that. Ever since I made the track, I always said, “I’m going to drop it, but if Wayne wants to hop on it, I’m doing the ‘Gladiador’ remix any time he wants to jump on.” Thank God, he got on it for the album. It was perfect.

What did you think when Lil Wayne was down to team up with you?

That’s my favorite rapper! He’s the reason why I go hard on this so much with my punchlines. He’s the reason why I’m picky with my bars. “Gladiador” is one of my favorite intros that I’ve done in my life. Just having him on that song specifically and knowing that it was meant for him and that he liked it. That he heard it and said, “Oh sh*t!” It’s a very big thing for me. He was amazing!

What was the experience like to work with Future on the “Mbappé” remix?

We met in Miami. We linked up over there. We talked for awhile. I had to go back in the studio to do my stuff and that’s when he killed it in his studio and recorded it. And we did the video the next day. It was dope! We closed out [Bad Bunny’s restaurant] Gekkō. There were a lot of people there. It was super cool.

What did you think when 50 Cent decided to feature on the song “Si Salimos”?

I couldn’t even believe it! 50 doesn’t record with anyone. He’s on his producer vibe right now. For him to take time out of his day to really kill that track — because he killed it — it means the world to me.

After years of grinding in the music industry, how do you feel to have an album with your idols on it?

That’s where you have to keep on grinding. That’s where the grinding gets harder. I’m just ready for more work. I’m going to keep on upping the bar.

What was the experience like to reunite with Bad Bunny for the song “Coco Chanel”?

It was cool! I went to LA. We met up. We were locked in for a couple of days. It was just cool to keep up with him because he’s a very busy person. I’m very busy too. To have a couple of days to sit down to talk and just make music, it was super dope to put something out with him again.

By having Quavo and Rich The Kid with yourself and Ñengo Flow on “Peso A Peso,” you’re definitely bringing the worlds of Latin and English rap together.

I think that’s one of the songs that people are going to most like because beat-wise and just how Quavo killed it too. He spoke Spanish. Rich spoke Spanish too. Ñengo killed it! I think that’s going to be one of the easiest songs for both the Latin side and American side to digest because the beat sounds kind of Latin and trap. It’s going to be one of the biggest hits of the album.

How do you feel to be performing at Coachella this year?

I feel amazing! For them to consider me, to go there off of Latin hip-hop, it’s a big thing. People who usually go there are more like pop singers. Just to be like an underground artist, to go there, it’s amazing.

What can we expect from your performances at Coachella and your upcoming US tour?

A lot of me sweating [and] jumping around. Maybe jumping into the crowd. Having people jump into the crowd. Just mosh pits. Just trap sh*t. A crazy light show. I always give it my all. My fans don’t expect me to do less, so I got to bring my A-game every day.

Bad Bunny is one of the headliners at Coachella this year. Is there a chance that we could see you two on the stage together?

Hey, you never know in Coachella! You never know.

What do you want to accomplish next?

Just get better at everything I do. Keep on practicing my art. Keep on going to the studio. Keep on writing songs and focus on tours to give my fans a good show.

3MEN2 KBRN is out now via Rimas Entertainment. Listen to it here.

Masego Is A Journeyman Who Trusts The Music To Guide Him On His Savory Self-Titled Album

March 9, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Masego 'Masego' review — EQT Recordings/Capitol Records

Masego’s approach to music has always been as smooth as the sweet symphonies that leave the end of his trademark saxophone. His cool demeanor has produced records as out-of-the-box as “Old Age,” as funky as “Girls That Dance,” and as flavorful as “Silver Tongue Devil.” With a smirk and the crack of a smile, Masego can step to the mic and do whatever he wants – successfully at that.

His 2018 debut album Lady Lady was a formal introduction to Masego the person. The 25-year-old singer at the time was full of youth which produced an album that portrayed his witty, flirtatious, and at times, tender-hearted persona. His 2020 project Studying Abroad balanced the highs and lows of love with a tropical backdrop that nearly distracted you from his qualms in romance. Nearly three years after that project’s release, Masego returned with his self-titled sophomore album which is a wonderful blend of the best elements in his discography. With Masego, the “Tadow” singer dances through the unfulfilled aspects of his life while also noting that music will always be the least of his worries.

Masego is the project I’ve always wanted from Masego. Though its 14 tracks have yet to exist in the world for more than a week, the elements that make up its full composition are so strong that when combined, it requires the “magnum opus” title to be bestowed upon it. Give it time and you’ll see that to be true. Studying Abroad is a body of work that resulted from Masego pushing himself out of his comfort zone to learn and experience new blends, tones, and so much more with music. Masego is the result of those learnings when combined with the sturdy foundation that Masego built upon to become the dazzling singer and instrumentalist that we know him to be today. If Lady Lady and Studying Abroad had a missing puzzle piece between them, Masego would be that piece.

This is evident through records like “You Never Visit Me” which combines elements of jazz and funk with the freeing feeling of riding in a convertible on a sunny day with your hands in the air. Its chorus is available for a fun call-and-response moment for an audience because of the changes in Masego’s tone throughout each line. Then there’s “Say You Want Me” which is steered by tropical drums and the same inspiration that blanketed Studying Abroad. It’s flavorful and tantalizing as Masego weaves through elements of afrobeats and dancehall to reel a woman into his bed after she knocked him off his seat. These warm records make up a slim percentage of the whole album, and it’s for that reason that they’re so refreshing and noteworthy when their turn comes on Masego.

Though the music isn’t a concern on Masego, nor is it for Masego himself, there is a bit of grappling that the singer is left to do in other areas of life. The failed reciprocation of love is the overbearing issue for Masego on his sophomore album. “You Play With My Heart” sounds like it’s set at a diner where Masego sits and dwells to no end about a woman who was unserious at best about loving him. Steam from a presumably hot drink floats to his face as he wearily sings about his latest qualms in romance. “You play you with my heart / I lay in the dark,” he croons. “You play with my heart / You were dancin’ with a star.” Moments before, Masego put his wit on display on “Afraid Of Water” for a double entendre that paints a shallow woman with nothing to offer beyond the surface as someone who can’t swim and fears the blue waters. Even when he does find someone suitable for himself, it ends with their departure and Masego’s disappointment as we see on “Down In The Dumps.” Car notes could’ve been paid and trips to Monte Carlo could’ve been taken, yet their premature exit – which has Masego in his feelings – has caused them to miss out on it all.

Right there, another aspect of Masego comes alive. The expectations Masego had for fame are far from reality. “Remembering Sundays” is a weary reflection of the days before the fame when serenity and tranquility were easier to come by. He doesn’t miss it per se, but his current lifestyle has made him more appreciative of it. His quarrels with fame spill into the combative “Who Cares Anyway” for a swing at the so-called tastemakers and critics that have misunderstood and attempted to box in the ever-so-diverse and genre-spanning singer. If you couldn’t tell that Masego is a man of music and nothing more, this record is proof of that. “I mean, yeah, we getting money / Yeah, we getting notoriety,” he quips. “But nowadays y’all looking real, real dumb / I had to say something.” Moments of appreciation for his position aren’t hard to find on Masego. “Sax Fifth Avenue” is a playful pun on “Saks Fifth Avenue” and a salute to his trustee saxophone that has earned him the attention that performing on Saks Fith Avenue could bring. As the album concludes, “In Style” opens the gates for a triumphant and sax-laden ode to the spotlight he currently stands in.

Masego spotlights the musician that is Masego. At nearly 30 years old, the singer is a seasoned journeyman who trusts the music to guide him to his destination. Sure, he’s still working to grasp the elusive concepts of dating and fame, but at least there’s something that can aid him in recognizing and expressing the successes and failures within it. While many use a self-titled project for their official introduction to the music world, Masego waited nearly a decade into his career to do that. There’s probably a good reason for that, but I’d have to guess that it has something to do with this being the perfect encapsulation of everything that makes Masego, Masego. So with every blare of the saxophone, croon of the voice, and witty lyrics, know that Masego has mastered the music, and evidence of that lives within the hypnotizing elements of Masego.

Masego is out now via EQT Recordings/Capitol Records. Find more information here.