Videos of the Week May 5th

This week's top five was unique in that it starts and ends with Jimmy Kimmel's monologue about the birth of his newborn son. If you don't get at least a little choked up over hearing the sadness in his voice over feeling helpless about the situation as a whole, then you need to check yourself. His story aside, I appreciated his story and how it directly relates the the healthcare bills that are being mulled over by the House this week. Let's just hope the listened and make the right decision, ultimately.

Aside from Kimmel's impactful story, there were a few videos in Hip Hop that had the internet collective pressing play over and over again. J Cole's 4 Your Eyez Only documentary was previously released via other outlets like HBO, but this week it got put on YouTube for consumption from the masses. The word real comes to mind when watching him go to the various cities in the South and hear stories from the people trying to make it through the day-to-day. Watching the documentary and then transitioning to DJ Khaled's star studded video for I'm the One was about as stark of a difference as you'll get in VOTW. Needless to say, everything about it was tried and true Hip Hop from the video girls to the pool parties to the immaculately trimmed hedges.

Making sure EDM got their contribution for the week was Gryffin and Illenium's Feel Good. The video is cool and all, but that candlelight version that features Daya's stunning vocals is officially where it's at. Speaking of where it's at, it wouldn't be a complete week without at least a few shennanigans. This time it came from Fallon's crew who put together a minute long mash up of Star Wars characters singing Smash Mouth's classic, All Star. It's kitchy, but it delivers the entertainment value you'd expect from a novelty like that...#AllStarWars

Jimmy Kimmel Monologue About His Son's Heart Condition

J Cole - 4 Your Eyez Only Documentary

DJ Khaled feat Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne - I'm On One (Video)

Gryffin & Illenium feat Daya - Feel Good (Video)

Fallon Mashes Up Smash Mouth's All Star With Star Wars Movies
Photo Credit: YouTube

J Cole Sees a Future Where We Can All Be Free

As each day passes, I do a brief check of Twitter hoping that the mess surrounding the shooting of Michael Brown will stop getting worse. Sadly, the response keeps elevating and the public outcry keeps escalating. I keep questioning what the bigger message we're all going to learn from this will be. Will it be related to race? Will it be related to the irrational escalation of force? Will it be the misuse of firearms? Will it be better training for officers? It all doesn't make sense yet, but I have faith that Michael Brown's death will not be in vain. It was needless and it was probably the tip of the iceberg of what's going on in a small town in Missouri, but so many people are tuning in now that there's a perfect opportunity for us to fix a problem that has been festering for years.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not half as close to what happened as J Cole has been at times in his life. But I applaud him for acting on his impulse to vent and use his voice to continue the conversation in a positive direction. Below is J Cole's message, which sets up his new track Be Free, which is a painfully emotional tribute to the memory of Michael Brown...#BeFree

"There was a time in my life when I gave a f*ck. Every chance I got I was screaming about it. I was younger. It's so easy to try to save the world when you're in college. You got nothing but time and no responsibility. But soon life hits you. No more dorms, no more meal plan, no more refund check. N*gga need a job. N*gga got rent. Got car note. Cable bill. Girlfriend moves in and becomes wife. Baby on the way. Career advances. Instagram is poppin. Lebron leaves Miami. LIFE HITS. We become distracted. We become numb. I became numb. But not anymore. That coulda been me, easily. It could have been my best friend. I'm tired of being desensitized to the murder of black men. I don't give a f*ck if it's by police or peers. This sh*t is not normal. I made a song. This is how we feel. Rest in Peace to Michael Brown and to every young black man murdered in America, whether by the hands of white or black. I pray that one day the world will be filled with peace and rid of injustice. Only then will we all Be Free."

J Cole - Be Free

Videos of the Week November 8th

Not a lot of interesting music videos this week, but fear not, I found some interesting tidbits to share. James Blake continues to be one the more intriguing artists in the music and he's found a way to firmly entrench himself on my concert bucket list. If you're wondering why, check the video out below.

If you have an hour to blow and want to get a thorough glimpse of Drake's life, you'll enjoy the Q interview. For quick drive-by entertainment check J Cole's inspiring performance of Crooked Smile on Letterman, some great behind the scenes footage of Big K.R.I.T.'s 4eva N a Tour and to top it off a quirky Jason Derulo video with a whole lotta trumpets...

J.Cole – Crooked Smile (Live On David Letterman)

James Blake Performs Measurements at Terminal 5

Big K.R.I.T. – 4Eva N A Tour (Behind the Scenes Pt. 1)

Q Presents Drake Uncut

Jason Derulo - Trumpets (Video)


Photo Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week September 20th

Yea, there's a little somethin' for everyone on this week's videos. Although I was tempted to post all Drake videos this week since he's in all out media mode with Nothing Was the Same coming out soon, I opted for a more diverse spread. Most notably, Avicii's new one All My Life, which is more of a character drama than anything. I couldn't help but post Drake and ScarJo's charades act on Jimmy Fallon and J Cole's thoughtful Crooked Smile video. Not sure if you noticed, but I am posting anything and everything Skylar Grey touches, including the behind the scenes to her upcoming video for Back From the Dead. And for the whip cream, who can resist some Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs?...
Avicii - You Make Me (Video)

Drake & Scarlett Johanssen Play Charades on Jimmy Fallon

J Cole feat TLC - Crooked Smile (Video)

Dillon Francis feat TEED - Without You (Video)

Skylar Grey feat Big Sean - Back From the Dead (BTS Video)


Image Credit: YouTube

"All This Capitol, It's Like I Left the Caps Lock On"

It's only fitting that Drizzy leak a couple freebies the day that tickets for his Would You Like a Tour? goes on sale. Like many, I was F5-ing the sh*t out of the Ticketmaster website this morning and copped a set of pretty nice seat for his visit in October. It looks like I'll be seeing him live three weeks after his new Nothing Was the Same album drops on September 17th.

Out of the four tracks that were posted to OctobersVeryOwn this morning, the quick favorite is his freestyle with J Cole that pays homage to Jodeci. The lyrical assault is very two albums ago, so when I heard the line "Drizzy still got some 06 in him", I nodded in agreement. These creative, lyrical gymnastics sessions set the bar for freestyles circa 2010. What I mean by that, is that Hip Hop has evolved (or devolved depending on how you look at it) into a genre that is still all about rappers making claims about why they're better than you, but now they do it in much more creative ways. You don't hear too many freestyle battles anymore, which is a shame, but at the same time, it's an indication that Hip Hop artists don't need to be able to freestyle to be successful anymore. As a quick sidebar, that's why Eminem became so popular and continues to be one of the best because he has the ability to come up with freestyle content instantly and when he's in attack mode, his delivery is unmatched. Yet, his delivery is only half the reason why he's been so successful because his other-wordly wordplay is what made him the living legend that he is today. His multiple generation spanning skill set has almost single-handedly helped shape and influence this next wave of rappers who make it a point to ramp up the wittiness and wordplay when on the mic.

As a long-time fan, I appreciate the track below and it really helps balance out the "man, I'm not sure I'm as big of a fan anymore if all his tracks are going to sound like Started From the Bottom" sentiment. In short, I hope y'all appreciate it as much as I did...#NothingWasTheSame

Drake feat J Cole - Jodeci Freestyle

"Just Copped a Maroon 5 No Adam Levine"

Now that J Cole's upcoming album Born Sinner has all the sudden become readily available on the internet, it's time to start dissecting it a bit. I'll start tonight by posting his subtly aggressive lyrical assault on Forbidden Fruit. If you can get past the vulgarity and sexual references, there's a lot of lyrical creativity through metaphors and wordplay that will probably get overlooked. If it were up to me, I would have been thrilled to hear Kendrick pitch in more than just a hook, but you can't always get whatcha want.

Born Sinner is scheduled to hit iTunes on June 18th, so if you're on the fence about purchasing, feel free to stream the whole album here. I don't have an informed enough of an opinion to pass judgment, so stay tuned for more to come...#BornSinner

J Cole feat Kendrick Lamar - Forbidden Fruit

J Cole Says Be Proud of That Crooked Smile

The only way to conquer negativity is with never-ending positivity. That opinion may as well be the tag line for J Cole's new single below featuring TLC. In fact, Cole recently sat down with Esteban Serrano of Fuse to talk about the inspiration behind the track...

Money may get you a lot of things in life, but it doesn't always buy you happiness because with money comes envy and scrutiny. The type of scrutiny that would make anyone self-conscious about their looks. The world could use more songs like Crooked Smile that empowered people to be themselves in a world full of hate. Keep the positivity comin' and take'em to church Cole! Only two more weeks til one of the most highly anticipated albums drops...#BornSinner

J Cole feat TLC - Crooked Smile

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)

It's About to be a Cole Summer

With Born Sinner on the horizon, the forecast for this summer just got a little bit Coler. Even though his newest track below isn't supposed to make the cut for his new album, it did surface on his latest mixtape, Yours Truly 2 EP. I wouldn't call the track single worthy, which is why it probably got cut, but nonetheless, it serves as a reminder of much more to come in the next month before Born Sinner drops on June 25th...#BornSinner

J Cole - Cole Summer

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)

Born Sinner on a Power Trip

Seems like Hip Hop artists are in the giving mood these days with free singles and free EPs. The latest of which @JColeNC let loose with a nice five track Yours Truly EP. The EP will serve as more of a hype generator for Cole's upcoming sophomore album Born Sinner, due out later this year.

I say it'll be a hype generator because the lead single off Born Sinner, Power Trip, just hit iTunes on Thursday. The sheer fact that Cole already letting loose extras from his upcoming album is downright exciting. Album cuts implies finality, which combined with a lead single release leads this blogger to believe Born Sinner is coming more sooner than later. If anybody watched the Grammys they are now very familiar with @MiguelUnlimited, which makes the hook on the track below that much more noteworthy. All I gotta ask is "Would you believe me if I said I was in love?"...#YoursTruly

J Cole feat Miguel - Power Trip

"It's Like Acid Rain in a Hurricane"

I don't care who you are, when you can get Jay-Z to offer you a record deal with Roc Nation, then turn around and release a lead single featuring @JColeNC with production from Stargate and writing by @siamusic, you've got my attention. I hate to make it seem like my blog is a "you gotta know somebody to get in the club" type of website, but since I can only post once a day, I gotta make it good. Unfortunately I get a good amount of music sent to me on a daily basis that doesn't get posted as a result, but no aspiring artist is afraid of competition and I do listen to everything sent my way, so keep it coming.

Anyways, back to the point of this post. It's no secret that associating with certain producers or featuring certain artists who I already have a lot of respect for will definitely help you get posted. With all the star power @AlexisJordan enlisted for Acid Rain, she was able to make her debut on the blog tonight. Best part about it is Stargate even took a piece of @bingo_players' single Rattle on the instrumental, which added a quirky element to the beat. There's no doubt Alexis has a great voice and she showed it off to the max on the hook by hitting notes that only vocalists like Sia could reach. Pretty dope Buzz track all things considered...#RocNation

Alexis Jordan feat J Cole - Acid Rain (prod by Stargate)

"Miss America, Petty Thoughts"

I've repeated stated over the past year that @JColeNC is without question in my top five favorite artists in Hip Hop. I've always struggled trying to pinpoint which of his abilities I have more of a respect for, his lyrical talent or his ability to produce his own music. Part of me appreciates his realness and penchant for storytelling, but what really set him apart from the rest is his ability to take song from start to finish.

And that's even more evident with new lead single Miss America off his upcoming album Born Sinner due out on January 28th. On the track Cole takes a critical angle at things like the government and other Hip Hop artists with lines like, "Rap game changed, this is embarrassing sh*t/Bunch of b*tches posin’ on some old Miss America sh*t." Beat wise, the rolling percussion heavy beat comes off sounding like a formidable march. In essence, the track achieves what it needs to as a lead single by being loud and memorable. It's more than enough to have me excited for his new album...#BornSinner

J Cole - Miss America
|iTunes

Kendrick & Cole - The Jig is Up

I think if you would have told @kendricklamar that he'd sell 241,000 records with his debut good kid, m.A.A.d city, he would probably take it. I can't think of an example in the past decade (other than Drake) where every media outlet went all in on a Hip Hop artist after hearing his debut. In my eyes, much of the success with his debut has to do with the storytelling cohesion his album had, but I don't want to shortchange his ability as a lyricist because that's another big part of what sets him apart from the average Hip Hop artist.

So what do you do when your album is a complete success? You take a victory lap and release a bangin' track produced by @JColeNC.

"The Jig Is Up (Dump'n)" soundcloud.com/topdawgent/ken… … Prod. by @jcolenc & Canei Finch @caneilive [@mixedbyali] #GKMC
— Kendrick Lamar (@kendricklamar) October 30, 2012

If anything the beat on Jig is Up (Dump'n) fills the very small void that reviewers have critiqued regarding "wow" instrumentals. There's so wow in the track below and it's split 50/50 between two of the most talented trendsetters in Hip Hop...#Truth

Kendrick Lamar - The Jig Is Up (Dump'n) (prod. by J.Cole & Canei Finch)

"I Smell Bull***t, it Must Be an Election Year"

Nine times out of ten when a well-known Hip Hop artist collaborates or samples a well-known Indie artist, it's a success. The latest evidence is below where @JColeNC added his own twist to @majorlazer's collaboration with @DirtyProjectors's lead singer @Amber_Coffman. Check the original below...

The common thread for both tracks is the production by @diplo, which has a heavy reggae vibe to it. What it amounts to is an ideal mix of mellow reggae, feel good vocals and on point lyricism, which is not something easily achieved. Dap to all involved in the making of the track...#Carefree

Videos of the Week August 17th

What name do you think of when you hear Hip Hop videos? For me, I think of @HypeWilliams, who has almost single-handedly been steering the visuals for Hip Hop art for the past 20 years. I find it pretty nuts that the first video he directed was back in 1991 and two decades later, he's still churning out awe-inspiring new videos. His newest in the form of @djkhaled's new hot with @rickyrozay and @kanyewest. Sure, you may feel like you're in an earthquake when you watch it, but it's flashy as hell, which has always been his style. Did I catch a Kim K cameo around the 5:14 mark too?

Is anyone as entertained by @nardwuar as I am? Dude is beyond quirky and rappers as a whole don't know what the hell to think of him and his antics. Speaking of antics, I don't know what the hell to think of @charleshamilton's latest MTV interview. You want to talk about a cryptic, otherwordly interview. I'm starting to worry that Charles is one of those special white hot flames the burn so bright and flamboyant that they have a hard time staying lit. I'll let you take that last statement for what it's worth, but I really miss the potential we saw back on the day with tracks like this. I guess if Charlie Sheen can do it anybody can? #DudeIsStillNuts

DJ Khaled feat Kanye & Rick Ross - I Wish You Would (Video)

T.I. - Go Get It (Video)

Narduwar Interviews 2 Chainz

Twista - I Ain't Wired Right (Video)

Charles Hamilton Talks Relationship With J Cole

"Listen Close, Can You Hear the Sound of Love?"

There are very few artists or groups who have been able to successfully pull off a mix of Rock and Hip Hop. When I say that I'm not talking as far back as Run DMC or Beastie Boys, I'm talking recently like doing it as well as @theroots. You can add the track below to the list of successful genre mash ups because @JColeNC and @volitheentity.

You may have noticed this isn't the first track Cole world and Voli have done together. About a year ago they teamed up with @OMEN on Pity, which was on Cole's Any Given Sunday mixtape. You may not have thought much of their original collabo, though, after listening to Sound of Love (below_. The upbeat, head nod worthy beat on the track is awe inspiring and reminds me of @puregold183's track The Seed 2.0. Even better, Cole maanged to incorporate some good ol' country fiddle on the end of the track, which was a cool touch. Although the beat is what makes the track, don't sleep on the Jersey native's ability to deliver a quality 16 to match the intensity of the beat either.

Evidently the track below is set to land on Voli's upcoming album The Wall. Feel free to take a quick listen to the album sampler, stream or download here if you like.

Voli feat J. Cole - Sound of Love (prod by J Cole)

Videos of the Week April 13th

Solid mix of Hip Hop, EDM, R&B and Pop on this week's lineup of videos. @bassnectar's Vava Voom video is like looking into a kaleidoscope with a @lupefiasco image at the end of it. Slightly trippy, not for epileptics, but overall does an adequate job of capturing the craziness of the track. Shout out to Malibu Red for the alarming disclaimer and subsequent product placement in the new @neyocompound video for Burnin' Up. Also noteworthy is @KENDRICKLAMAR talking up Coachella and @drdre's presence at the event. I'm more than a little intrigued to hear how they're going to pull off this Nate Dogg performance from the grave. You can expect that on next week's video post, but for now, stay safe tonight!...#Fridaythe13th

J Cole - Sideline Story (Video)

Bassnectar feat Lupe Fiasco - Vava Voom (Video)

Ne-Yo - Burnin' Up (Video)

Jesse J feat David Guetta - Laserlight (Video)

Kendrick Lamar Speaks on Coachella, Dr. Dre, The Recipe etc.

Videos of the Week March 16th

Slightly Hip Hop heavy on my weekly video report this Friday. I found myself wondering more than once today why in the hell I wasn't at SXSW with all the other sane minded individuals who enjoy music for a living and don't have an 8 to 5. With the music portion about half way through, there have been videos sprinkling in like @BIGKRIT's performance of The Vent. Surely there will be more to come, but until then there's plenty of other commercial videos to tide you over...#HappyStPattysDay

Wale feat Rick Ross & Meek Mill - Ambition (Video)

Big K.R.I.T. - The Vent (Live at SXSW)

B.O.B - So Good (Trailer)

J Cole feat Missy Elliot - Nobody's Perfect (Video)

Classic Reebok Campaign With Tyga & Mike Posner

Videos of the Week

Lots of new media from a lot of my favorites that are releasing albums soon like T.I., Big K.R.I.T. and R Les. Don't sleep on that in studio MPC remix of Drake's Crew Love by @MeLoXTRA. That mix was interesting and dope all at once the way he put the samples together. Also, if you don't at least crack a smile when you watch three year old Marek rocking out and damn near memorizing word for word Sexy and I Know It, then you're no friend of mine. Kids really are under-rated sources for entertainment...#Truth

Ryan Leslie - Good Girl (Video)

Three Year Old Marek Sings and Rocks Out To Sexy and I Know It

MeLo-X: Drake X The Weeknd - Crew Love (Live Re-edit)

Travis Porter Ft. Young Jeezy & 2 Chainz - You Don't Know Bout It (Video)

Big Sean and Kanye Perform on New Years in Vegas

Big K.R.I.T. Vitamin Water Uncapped Mini-Doc

J Cole Talks About Tracks on Cole World (Interview)

T.I. Speaks on His Two Personas (Interview)