Pusha T, one half of The Clipse, releases his G.O.O.D. Music debut in the form of Fear of God, a 13-track offering laced with Pusha's signature style. With an album on the way, Fear of God gives fans a hint of what to expect from his debut solo project, which he cites as a "whole other monster". With production from Kanye West, The Neptunes, The Bizness, and guest features from Rick Ross, Kanye and 50 Cent, this is one mixtape not to miss.
Check out the full stream of Fear of God below, or download it here.
Ed Banger's very own SebastiAn released the visuals today for Embody, the latest track from his long overdue debut album, Total, which should hopefully see the light of day in May. The video for Embody, directed by So Me, follows on from the extremely explicit and over the top epileptic imagery video for Total.
Enlisting the assistance of So Me, responsible for videos such as Duck Sauce's Barbara Streisand, MGMT's It's Working, Kanye's Good Life, and Justice's DVNO and D.A.N.C.E., the video captures the poppy head bopping beat mixed perfectly, as we travel with a dancing kid who lives through the music.
Talking about the video, SebastiAn said "It's important to take the audience on a journey. People want to dance and be removed from their daily duties." So with that in mind, check out the video below, and escape your daily duties for three minutes. You can pick up the Embody EP on March 28th.
One Mere Thought continues the sombre tone, yet like the Biggy post, this should be viewed as a celebration of life, and a chance to look back on the history of another Hip Hop great.
I woke this morning, checking my Blackberry in bed, as I usually do, to skim past a few R.I.P Nate Dogg messages, presuming it was some stupid joke going about I carried on until message after message came in with the same tragic news. Nate Dogg, the Long Beach crooner who shot to fame as part of 213 with Snoop Dogg and Warren G, passed away on March 15th after several years of health problems at the age of 41. After suffering a major stroke in 2007 that left him paralysed on his left side, Nathaniel Hale then suffered a further stroke the following year, and current reports are claiming his death was a result of complications from these strokes.
Numerous artist took to Twitter to show their sympathy including Snoop who left a series of messages: "We lost a true legend n hip hop n rnb. One of my best friends n a brother to me since 1986 when I was a sophomore at poly high where we met." He later added "I miss u cuzz I am so sad but so happy I got to grow up wit u and I will c u again n heaven cuz u know d slogan...all doggs go to heaven yo homie n baby brotha bigg snoopdogg!! (sic)". While Ludacris expressed many people's feelings with his tweet, "There is a certain void in hip hop's heart that can never be filled. Glad we got to make history together. RT @SnoopDogg: RIP NATE DOGG".
With a fantastic back catalogue and numerous stand out features, check out some of my favourite Nate Dogg tracks below and pay your respects to a hip hop legend that left too soon.
14 years ago today, Christopher Wallace was shot and killed in Los Angeles, in what was believed to be part of a label feud, however the murder remains unsolved. A number of trending topics have appeared on Twitter in memory of the artist, and no doubt millions of people around the world have been playing his music all day.
I wanted to pay my tributes with one song, but while I was listening to his music today I realised his catalogue is far too diverse to pick just one song. From Juicy to Hypnotize, party and bullsh.t to Big Poppa...his back catalogue, for such a short career, is incredible. I've chosen to post an incredible mashup project from Wait What, a San Francisco DJ/Producer, who released the mix last year as a tribute to Biggie's Life After Death album. The Notorious XX blends the sounds of Biggie, with the melodic beats of The XX, and what's better, is you can download the whole thing for free. Check it out below and remember a hip hop legend.
I've been meaning to post this for almost a month now, I held back until the third and final part was released...which was last week, yet I only sourced it today.
Game Changers is a promotional series from Atlantic Records, highlighting the roster of new talent emerging from their label. The series looks at four musicians, who are in essence, changing the game. Moderated by Billboard editor Danyel Smith, the round table discussion sees Lupe Fiasco, B.o.B., Janelle Monae, and Estelle discussing touring, discipline, when and how they became game changers, and a lot more.
Shot in three parts, it is fascinating to enter the minds of four very talented musicians from various musical backgrounds. The energy in the room is evident and it is clear to see the connection between each artist involved in the discussion. What surprises me the most, as an avid Lupe fan, is his involvement and openness, considering his ongoing creative battle with Atlantic (see LupeE.N.D. Blog). However, it is inspiring to listen to the intelligence of Janelle Monae, the humour of Lupe, Bobby's fresh faced approach and Estelle's British perspective.
You can watch the complete series below, and as a bonus, I've placed the wonderful Wondamix of Janelle Monae's Tightrope, featuring B.o.B. and Lupe Fiasco, at the end.
Blogging from a Macbook Pro...I couldn't not cover this, although I should have created my blog with a white background so the Apple advertising didn't look so garish.
Today, March 2nd, Steve Jobs returned to the spotlight to reveal Apple's iPad 2. The new model is not a tweaked or marginally improved piece of hardware, but a completely new design. Graced with the usual Apple hype and marketing, it is evident that the iPad 2 has evolved a lot from the original, with the addition of a lot more features. Personally, I'd have to get a 3G model for it to be feasible, but I do think this is a tablet that could be very beneficial in work environments, particularly with Airplay and video mirroring. I might go as far as saying I'm pretty tempted by it...what do you think about it?
You can check out Apple's sales blurb below as well as checking out the product video above.
Apple introduces the iPad 2, the next generation of its magical device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading ebooks and much more. iPad 2 features an entirely new design that is 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter than the original iPad, while maintaining the same stunning 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD screen. iPad 2 features Apple’s new dual-core A5 processor for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics and now includes two cameras, a front-facing VGA camera for FaceTime® and Photo Booth®, and a rear-facing camera that captures 720p HD video, bringing the innovative FaceTime feature to iPad users for the first time. Though it is thinner, lighter, faster and packed with new features, iPad 2 still delivers up to 10 hours of battery life that users have come to expect. iPad 2 is available in black or white, features models that run on AT&T’s and Verizon’s 3G networks, and introduces the innovative iPad 2 Smart Cover in a range of vibrant polyurethane and rich leather colors.
With the new front and rear cameras, iPad 2 users can now make FaceTime calls to millions of iPhone® 4, iPod touch® and Mac® users so they can see family and friends anywhere there is Wi-Fi. Photo Booth lets you apply fun visual effects, including eight photo special effects like Squeeze, Twirl and Kaleidoscope, to photos captured by either camera. iPad 2 comes with iOS 4.3, the latest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, with new features including faster Safari® mobile browsing performance; iTunes® Home Sharing; enhancements to AirPlay®;** the choice to use the iPad side switch to either lock the screen rotation or mute audio; and Personal Hotspot to share an iPhone 4 cellular data connection over Wi-Fi.*** Additional iPad 2 features include a built-in gyro for advanced gaming; HSUPA support for enhanced 3G upload speeds on iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G on AT&T, and HDMI Video Mirroring that lets users mirror their iPad screen on an HDTV using an optional adaptor.
The innovative new iPad 2 Smart Cover provides protection for the iPad screen while maintaining its thin and lightweight profile. Designed with a unique self-aligning magnetic hinge that makes it easy to attach and remove, the new iPad 2 Smart Cover automatically wakes iPad 2 when it’s opened and puts it to sleep when it’s closed, and has a soft microfiber lining to help keep the screen clean. The Smart Cover also folds into a stand for typing or viewing videos and is available in vibrant polyurethane for $39 or rich leather for $69 in a range of colors, including a (PRODUCT) RED one which helps support the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. Apple also introduced two new apps: iMovie® and GarageBand® for iPad, both available on the App Store℠ for just $4.99 each. With iMovie, iPad 2 users can shoot and edit videos right on their iPad and post their movies to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo and their MobileMe℠ gallery; watch them on their iPod®, iPhone or iPad; as well as view them on their HDTV using AirPlay and Apple TV®. GarageBand turns your iPad into a collection of touch instruments and 8-track recording studio, allowing you to perform with onscreen keyboards, guitars, drums and basses using multi-touch gestures–even if you don’t play a musical instrument.
iPad 2 runs almost all of the over 350,000 apps available on the App Store and there are more than 65,000 native iPad apps available from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. The iTunes Store gives iPad users access to the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of over 14 million songs, over 50,000 TV episodes and over 10,000 films including over 3,500 in stunning high definition video. The iBooks® app for iPad includes Apple’s iBookstore℠, the best way to browse, buy and read books on a mobile device.
