"Yeah I Been Dancin' With the Devil"

Chalk another one up for the good guys! And by good guys, I mean yet another successful Hip Hop and EDM collaboration. On Cash Cash's new one they not only got Neon Hitch to provide a stellar hook, but they got top notch verses from Bussa Buss and Bobby Ray. Full disclosure, Devil is just as much pop as it is EDM, but the tempo and build up/drop create a fun mash up of genres and sounds. I'm confident you'll find it head nod worthy and at the very least you'll appreciate the high octane delivery from Busta Rhymes that will take you back to late 90s/early 2000s when he was at the top of his game...#Devil

Cash Cash feat. Busta Rhymes, B.o.B & Neon Hitch - Devil

Jodeci Makes a Comeback Against Domestic Violence

Man, when was the last time you hear a new track from Jodeci? The tastemakers of 1990s R&B have not released a track for over 18 years, which probably dates a portion of the people reading this post. For those who have not heard of Jodeci, you need to catch up here, here, and definitely here.

Classics aside, I can think of no better comeback message than sending a clear message against domestic violence. Maybe the NFL should adopt this as a theme song rather than releasing commercials that come off a bit contrived? Kudos to Jodeci and Bobby Ray for putting together a lyric video for Nobody Wins that is as in your face as it is helpful. It doesn't get more in your face than putting the phone number in a huge font with big bold red lyrics that bring attention to the issue. On a music note, hopefully this sparks a rejuvenation of R&B in 2015. The genre as a whole has lacked star power lately, so it would be nice to have some of the heavy hitting, brand name players come back with vengeance...#NobodyWins

Videos of the Week November 21

Following a similar trend from last week, the top 5 features a healthy mix of Hip Hip and EDM with a splash of Fallon. The splash of Fallon came with the help of the legendary Roots crew as they did their best U2 impression. It must be nice to have the talent on board to cover for U2 when they cancel on you last minute. Most late night shows would be up a creek, but for Fallon it's an opportunity to channel his inner Bono.Update: Get well soon Bono.

On the EDM front, the TommorrowWorld After Movie clearly led the way. Thirteen minutes plus of festival highlights with all the colors, fireworks, and dancing had me hooked. Kudos to Absolut for the sponsored remix video of Magic!'s addicting track Rude that was redone by Zedd. Switching gears to Hip Hop, B.O.B. and Trey Songz finally came through with some visuals for their subtly cocky anthem Not For Long. They make a mean team when they get together. And last but definitely not least, Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson gave us all an in-your-face dose of throwback funk. I'm quite happy that everything from the outfits to the dancing matched the throwback sentiment of the track...#UptownFunk
Jimmy Fallon Playing Desire as U2

Tomorrow World After Movie

Bruno Mars feat Mark Ronson - Uptown Funk (Video)

Magic! - Rude (Zedd Remix) (Video)

B.O.B. feat Trey Songz - Not For Long (Video)

Photo Credit: YouTube

"If You've Got the Wrong Impression, Girl Not For Long"

The prospect of Bobby Ray releasing what sounds like a lead single from an upcoming album is downright exciting. The grown and sexy track featuring Trey Songz's vocals over cooled out synths found a way to hit the spot on first listen. Although the track is a full on easy-listening experience, the lyrics tell another story.

I'll put it this way, it takes a lethal mix of audacity and confidence to walk into a room and successfully step to a woman without regard for whether she's single. Not For Long puts into perspective the type of game Hip Hop artists possess and seek to instill in every listener. I've always found Hip Hop as a whole to be a great way to learn how to talk quick or at least walk with enough swagger to end up on the winning team by the end of the night. If you're wondering what exactly I mean by that, you should give this one a listen as you join me in hoping that it means more music from B.O.B. to come...#NotForLong

Videos of the Week July 25th

Plenty of silly with a substantial dost of Hip Hop in this week's top 5. A bit of a toss up between silliest videos with The Rock/Jimmy Fallon and Nardwuar/Chad Ochocinco coming in neck and neck. One casual observation is that Jimmy Fallon needs to step up his leg crunch game because he was getting put to shame by Dwayne Johnson.

It's been a long time time since Bei Maejor or Maejor Ali released some new music, so the collabo with Jack Johnson was a pleasant surprise. Add to that one of the many videos released by B.O.B. last week off his No Genre 2 Mixtape and you've got a couple of notable Hip Hop releases. The most quirky and interesting video of the week goes to Schoolboy Q who was punked by his DJ when he tipped off a groupie that he liked aggressive women. Hilarity ensues, but it's a small glimpse of what these rappers lives are like on the road...#GroupieLove
Jimmy Fallon & The Rock Create a Workout Video

Bei Maejor feat Jack Johnson - Upside Down (Video)

B.O.B. feat Jason Lambo - The Nation (Video)

Nardwuar Interviews Chad Ochicinco

Schoolboy Q Tells an Intersting Groupie Story

Photo Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week July 11th

As per usual, a bit of funny and strange mixed with great music videos. Let's start with the strange, how about Marcus Tisdale (pretending) to blatantly smoke crack on the streets of San Francisco with little or no reaction from anyone...including law enforcement. Man, the Bay Area takes liberal to a whole nother. Continuing with the odd, it was nice watching Jimmy Fallon look up Halle Berry's skirt do the human hamster wheel just for fun. There's probably good reason why he couldn't keep from smiling and everyone in the band was giving that "ooohhh sh****t" look.

Music wise, a whole lot of well put together R&B with some new Bobby Ray off his recently released No Genre 2 mixtape. Aloe Blacc's version of Hello World is better than the overly harmonious World Cup version IMO. On the serious side, it's tough not to get emotional while watching John Legend's You & I video. Lots of people enjoying companionship and conquering life together, which is a uplifting to see when given the right soundtrack...#NobodyInTheWorld
Comedian Smokes Crack in San Francisco, Nobody Cares (Videos)

Aloe Blacc - Hello World (The World Is Ours) (Video)

Jimmy Fallon & Halle Berry's Human Hamster Wheel

B.O.B. - Follow Me (Video)

John Legend - You & I (Nobody in the World) (Video)


Photo Credit: YouTube

Sometimes Animated Movie Soundtracks Aren't So Bad

When I see "from (fill in the blank animated movie soundtrack)" I'm usually more than a little skeptical of it's potential. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Angry Birds, but in the grand scheme of things, Rio or Rio 2 may be my third or fourth favorite of the series. Yet, when I saw Ester Dean featuring B.O.B., there was an unusual amount of confidence that came over me before listening...

...and that ended up being a well-founded intuition because the song wasn't all too shabby. Yea, it's a little sing-songy, but the calypso rhythms are fun at worst. I'll continue to throw credit Ester's way for her ability to craft songs and sing hooks with the best vocalists out there. Not sure if the movie will be worth seeing, but the soundtrack looks interesting....#Rio2

Ester Dean feat B.O.B. - Rio Rio

Bobby Ray is Constantly on the Come Up

When B.O.B. puts his mind to it and makes soulful, thoughtful music, there aren't many on God's green earth who can compete with him. The most recent example of that is his church organ aided, take 'em to church anthem Get It. To put it frankly, the sample taken from Jimmy Cliff's Many Rivers To Cross provided an excellent canvas for Bobby Ray to assert himself on. Check the sample below...

The fact that B.O.B. is offering the track up for free leads me to believe that it isn't intended to be a lead single off an upcoming album. Still, it's a great listen because the combination of verses and uplifting vibe isn't something you hear everyday. Man, I hope there's a lot more of this to come from Bobby Ray in 2014...#GetIt

B.O.B. - Get It

Big Boi x Third World Means a Reggae Party

I'm still not entirely sure what this whole streak of weekly b-sides that Big Boi has been releasing is all about, but what I do know, is the the remixes keep getting better and better. Never thought I'd associate Big Boi with reggae, but thanks to the help of Third World, he flipped Shoes for Running into a track straight from Kingston. And what would a remix be without sweet cover gif (above) and a trippy video (below)...

Watch out for that CGI snake around the 1:25 mark. That things comes right into your living room in HD. I appreciated the original cross-genre collaboration, but this track ascended to a much higher level with the added bass and reggae twist. I wish all Mondays started off with free-mixes this dope...#RunTh3World

Big Boi feat B.o.B., Wavves & Third World - Run Th3 World

Videos of the Week January 17th

Definitely a Hip Hop centric top five this week. Not sure about y'all, but I have my DVR set to record SNL this weekend with Drake hosting it. The promo for the show (below) is a bit over the top, but the whole "saddest boy in all of Toronto...no you know what Canada" bit around the 1 min mark with the heavy daytime-tv style dramatic acting was entertaining. I hope he continues to poke fun at himself for the generally accepted reputation of being a sensitive dude.

Really cool get a behind the scenes look and some reflection from K Dot as a promo for the Grammys. In a similar way, I'm excited to see more of Wale's documentary soul-searching trip to Africa. A one minute snip doesn't even begin to tell the story, but it looks interesting. From a user experience (UX) design perspective, it was cool to hear Pharrell talk about the experience he tries to create through his music. People may not realize it, but the producers that care THAT much about the opinion and perspective of the listener tend to be the best ones. Keeping with the UX lens, Bobby Ray's video for John Doe was well done with the storytelling angle he took. Even though it was a tough story to watch, it's much easier to connect with lyrics when I can see the meaning unfold in a real scenario...#JohnDoe
Drake Saturday Night Live Promo

Day in the Life: Grammy Nominee James Blake & Kendrick Lamar

B.O.B. feat Priscilla - John Doe

Pharrell Just Wants You to Jam

Wale - "I Am From" Documentary Trailer

Photo Credit: YouTube via NBC

"Don't Play Girl, Throw That Back"

Every now and again I come across a beat that sinks it's teeth into me and doesn't let go. The beat on B.o.B.'s new one featuring the habitually violent Chris Brown would fall into that category. To Bobby Ray's credit, he produced it himself, which makes me appreciate the yodeling sample on Throwback even more. You just don't hear that much on a Hip Hop tracks, which is a big reason why I continue to resist hitting next track when the track below comes on.

Full disclosure, I haven't taken a full lap around Bobby Ray's new album Underground Luxury, but I am a big fan of his singles so far. Headband was one of my favorite Hip Hop tracks of 2013 and All I Want has continued to get love on cool out playlists of late. I doubt anything he ever releases will ever touch The Adventures of Bobby Ray, but it's a good sign to see that two albums later he's still making engaging, creative music. December 17th ---> #UndergroundLuxury

B.o.B. feat Chris Brown - Throwback

Videos of the Week November 22nd

I'm going with the lead with Hip Hop, end with novelty angle on this week's rendition of videos of the week. Ever since the Rihanna twerk video, I've become fully enamored with T-Pain and B.O.B.'s new single Up Down. Twerking aside, DJ Mustard (who produced the track) is my leading candidate for Hip Hop DJ of the year. Between the beats from Headband and Up Down, it's clear that he's got a knack for getting people to shake it.

Interesting that Kanye and Kim decided to film a soft core porn for everyone to see. And that wasn't to be outdone by Lady Gaga and R Kelly on SNL either. Whole lot of affection this week y'all, buckle in and I'd even go as far to suggest that a few of these are NSFW. The good news is, for those who don't enjoy salaciousness, Disclosure and Aloe Blacc are here to save the day with a live performance and new video...#PitchforkParis
T-Pain feat B.O.B. - Up Down (Video)

Kanye West - Bound 2 (Video)

Lady Gaga And R. Kelly Perform “Do What You Want” on SNL Disclosure Performs at Pitchfork Paris
Aloe Blacc - Love is the Answer (Video) Photo credit: YouTube

"You Be My Magic Number"

Is it me or has Australia been pumping out some solid EDM of late? First it was The Stafford Brothers, now it's The Potbelleez. On their breakthrough single below featuring Bobby Ray, they mash together EDM and Hip Hop with a pop rock hook. I'll admit, there were moments during the first minute of the track that made me want to turn it to the next track. Their best move to date was including B.O.B. on the track because it forced me to be patient with the track and not write it off as just another electronic track. The Hip Hop, drum and bass element saved the track from being boring and instead made it interesting. Check the lyric video below...
Magic Number hit iTunes yesterday if you're interested in copping it. If you're not into Hip Hop at least give the four second vocal ride out at the 3:03 mark on the track. Dude held his note for more than a few moments there to take the track home...#MagicNumber

The Potbelleez feat B.O.B. - Magic Number

Videos of the Week July 12th

Hip Hop dominated this week's videos with Flo Rida and B.O.B. releasing visuals for their new singles. The more I listen to Bobby Ray's Headband, the more the whistling embeds itself into my brain. Dap is in order for the up and coming DJ Mustard for cookin' up that beat.

In other news, I'm putting it on my bucket list to attend Electric Zoo in NYC at some point. All you really need to know is Avicii is headlining with Benni Benassi and Knife Party. Oh and if you don't get pumped up hearing John Harrison's monologue from Star Trek: Into The Darkness over Derrick Rose highlights, then something is wrong with you...#Vengeance
Flo Rida feat Future - Tell Me When You're Ready (Video)

B.O.B. feat 2 Chainz - Headband (Video)

Justin Timberlake - Tunnel Vision (Video)

Electric Zoo Trailer

Derrick Rose Vengeance

"I'm Callin' Shots, Call Me Don Julio"

I can't remember the last time Tech N9ne collaborated with a high profile producer. That's more of a compliment than anything because most artists need outsourced production to succeed. Not Techa Nina though, he's made a living for over fifteen years sculpting his own "sound" and making a living off of his unique delivery and edgy-Hip Hop. I'll put it this way, Hip Hop in general isn't as entertaining live, but that rule of thumb does not pertain to the show Aaron Yates puts on. I'll never forget Slaughterhouse open for him in the middle of nowhere in Reading, PA.

Anyways, Tech is preparing to release his thirteenth, yep count that, thirteenth studio album. As I mentioned, the production is what caught me off guard on his new one below featuring Wiz Khalifa and B.O.B.. The Drumma Boy produced beat on See Me is on point and sets the table nicely for Wiz and Tech to go in on it. When it comes to lyrical delivery, nobody (other than maybe Twista) can go fast to slow like Tech. I wouldn't be surprised if Tech finds a way to get to twenty studio albums, but even if he doesn't I'll always have the utmost respect for the way Tech has build his Independent empire. Keep a look out for Something Else, which hits stores in about a month on July 30th...#StrangeMusic

Tech N9ne feat B.O.B. & Wiz Khalifa - See Me (prod by Drumma Boy)

Videos of the Week May 31st

This week's top five videos run the gamut of emotion from depression to thoughtful to downright buckwild. The most real video by far come from J Cole who opened up in a very real and accessible way about depression and the impact it has had on him. Not many rappers would be caught dead keeping it that real about personal struggles, but the ones that do like Cole and Drake make the "hard" rappers look insecure. Kudos for keepin' it 100, I'm infinitely more excited for Born Sinner now that I know how rooted in emotion it will be.

I enjoyed B.O.B.'s characteristically tour clip heavy video for his hope filled track Chandelier with Lauriana Mae. Aside from the two aforementioned videos, it's all about partying and more specifically booty. Wild and Hello have a party feel to them, but the slightly NSFW video for Bubble Butt definitely wins the award for most booty per capita in a video this year. Well...at least we're back to accepting as a culture that curvy behinds are the preferred choice...#BubbleButt
Jessie J feat Big Sean & Dizzee Rascal - Wild (Video)

J.Cole - Born Sinner: From Depression To Happiness #OKNotToBeOK (Interview)

Stafford Brothers feat Lil Wayne & Christina Milian - Hello (Video)

B.O.B. feat Lauriana Mae - Chandelier (Video)

Major Lazer feat Bruno Mars, 2 Chainz, Tyga & Mystic - Bubble Butt (Video)

"Day You Can Mess With Me That Would Be Neveruary"

I dropped the ball about a month ago when Bobby Ray's newest single hit the internet while I was exploring Europe. Needless to say, the track is now on the radio, which is what reminded me to finally post it because the whistlin' Dixie style snap beat is addicting. Sure the lyrics are borderline trashy, but what did you expect with a 2 Chainz feature?

No firm release date on B.O.B.'s upcoming Underground Luxury album that is due out this summer. What I do know is that you will find the DJ Mustard produced track at your local gentleman's club. Not sure if the track below has anything to do with him calling his new album "the edgiest project to date", but if you take it for what it's worth, you won't be upset when you see some booties shakin' around you...#UndergroundLuxury

B.O.B. feat 2 Chainz - HeadBand (prod by DJ Mustard)

"I'd Probably Roll the Constitution Up Into a Splif"

I appreciate it when Hip Hop artists do something unique to promote their music. For example, when Bobby Ray teamed up with filmmakers Ricardo de Montreuil and Eliz Eskeranli to combine his new Through My Head track with the visuals to their short movie The Raven. It's a six minute short movie that has a futuristic feel as a fugitive is chased by flying cop cars, only to find out he has some tricks up his sleeve...

Interesting short flick that had me wanting to see more, I'll admit. As far as the song is concerned, it's very political in the way it attacks things like the economy, cost of education and overall quality of living of Americans. The track is set to be on B.O.B.'s upcoming third studio album titles Underground Luxury. Even though it's a little out of character for him to drop political verses, I applaud him for bringing up things that matter. Based on his first two albums, I've got big expectations for #3...#UndergroundLuxury

B.O.B. - Through My Head

Videos of the Week April 26th

Alright now that making promo videos for festivals is becoming "the cool thing to do", it's starting to wear on me. Not only are these awesome festivals generally nowhere near me, now I get to see the highlights and promos for them...awesome! The newest one being the Hard Summer concert taking place in LA August 3rd-4th. The lineup looks to be pretty killer.

Aside from that, there are two entertaining behind the scenes videos below to go with David Guetta and T.I.'s new visual creations. Quick sidebar, I'll be in Paris the next ten days, so apologies if seems like I've all the sudden developed a new music blind spot. I'll do what I can to keep up with the daily routine, don't you worry...#NoDaysOff
Hard Summer Concert in LA Trailer

David Guetta feat Ne-Yo & Akon - Play Hard (Video)

T.I., B.o.B, Kendrick Lamar - Memories Back Then (Video)

Stafford Brothers feat Lil Wayne & Christina Milian - Hello (BTS)

J Cole feat Miguel - Power Trip (BTS)

"I Could Eat You Up, That's Greedy Love"

Good news everyone, Bobby Ray is coming out with a new album soon. If B.O.B.'s upcoming album stays the course as a Rock EP, this track below wouldn't make the cut, but it's available to download for free on his latest F*** 'Em We Ball mixtape. The reason why it's worthy of being sharing is because animation extraordinaire Andrey Shushkov provided a fun story visual to match the sentiment of Greedy Love...
I could see the track making some waves on radio as all the greedy pop lovers come out of the woodwork. Either way the visuals were well scripted and I can at the very least appreciate that. No word yet on when his new album is due out, but I'm intrigued at what it's going to sound like...#HustleGang

B.O.B. - Greedy Love (prod by Sonny Digital)