Happy Sunday everyone! I hope everyone has had a productive week and a relaxing weekend! The weather is definitely getting colder and gloomier now so it’s the perfect time to bring out the winter vibes playlist. This is the kind of weather I usually listen to even more R&B, slow jams, softer music in general. As always, I’ve created a playlist reflecting this season and will be adding more and more music as the days go on. Here are some of the songs I’ve added to the playlist recently.
Pardison Fontaine – By Myself
This is one of my favourite Pardison Fontaine songs! Before being known as Meg Thee Stallion’s boyfriend, Pardi already established himself as a successful writer and artist. If you haven’t heard his music before, I suggest starting with this song and working your way backwards! He’s very talented.
Yung Bleu Ft. Kehlani – Beautiful Lies
I can never seem to get tired of this song! Such a beautiful combination of voices! Kehlani never misses on features and Yung Bleu just has the perfect voice for songs.
Drake Ft. Lil Durk & Giveon – In the Bible
I feel CLB was one of those albums that you had to sit on. My feelings on the album now to when it first came out have changed dramatically! I really think a lot of the songs on the album have massive replay value, even more so than on his previous album. This particular song is one of my favourites on the album and for me, I liked the range of Drake’s voice on this. You hear rapping Drake, deep sounding Drake and high notes Drake. Durk and Giveon made the perfect pairing on this song however, Durk’s verse was extremely disappointing.
Young Thug Ft. Future & Bslime – Peepin out the Window
Thug and Future always make bangers and this song is no different. Perfect song for the playlist!
Ladipoe Ft. Fireboy DML – Running
Ladipoe is one of my favourite artists at the moment! He has a very unique sound. This song is one of my favourites from the EP.
Kanye West Ft. Jay – Z – Jail
You already know any song featuring Hov will be on one of my playlists. I like the slow-paced feel of this song and how Hov switches his flow to accommodate the laid back theme. It’s also great to hear Kanye and Hov on music again. Hopefully, as Jay Z says, it is the “return of the throne” and we will hear more music from the pair.
Have a listen to the ‘Winter Warmers” playlist below:
Hey Everyone! Day 100000000 of quarantine, I hope you’re all doing well and keeping safe while following your government’s guidelines! Today’s post is dedicated to all the music I’ve been listening to and loving in the past 2 weeks! Some are from established artists and some from upcoming. Please give them all a try, there should be a song here for you!
I’ve got a few ideas for the blog that should be coming into effect within the next couple months so pleas stay tuned! If you enjoy the site, please share and pass on to friends. I’m grateful for all of you!
My top playlists picks:
Promise – Gara (2020) – Produced by Randsombeatz
I stumbled upon this guy and since then I have been addicted to his music! If you are an afrobeat fan, this is the perfect song for you, Even if you’re not, have a listen. The song is from a British Nigerian artist that goes by the name of ‘Promise’ hailing from London. His music is usually a fusion of afrobeats, dancehall and UK rap. Usually when I hear a British artist that does afrobeats, I sometimes get disappointed because on occasion I feel the actual African essence is sometimes missing from their sound. This is definitely not the case for Promise. His music hits the spot in terms of that special authentic African sound. I was more disappointed that he only had 3 songs for me to listen to! Hopefully this is the beginning of a long career for him! I will be first in line waiting to hear more great music from him. (Check out his song ‘Promise‘ too, another one of my favourites)
Chris Brown x Young Thug – Go Crazy (2020) – Produced by KanielTheOne
Chris Brown and Young Thug recently released their joint album called ‘Slime & B’. I was pleasantly surprised with this tape, I feel their voices blended really well throughout and I think they both were able to showcase their individual talents too. This particular song stood out to me as a summer track and has now even been made into a dance challenge! The beat is a perfect pick me up and I can see this being a big song this summer.
Young Thug x Future – Help Me Breathe (2020)
This outro from Chris Brown and Young Thug’s joint album happens to be my second favourite on the tape. This time it features Young Thug collaborating with the toxic king himself, Future. We already know that Thug and Future make good music together based on their joint tape released in 2017. Personally one of my favourite joint songs from them was from Thug’s album ‘Beautiful Thugger Girls’, the song being “Relationship”. With this song “Help Me Breathe”, I feel it is actually quite a sweet one. Both of them talk about the importance of their partners in question indicating that they are giving them life. Check it out below;
Shana – Crush on You (2020) – Produced by Jiffthegeneral
Moving to an RnB theme, this is a new song from a new artist! This debut song is from London RnB singer Shana. With this being her first single I am hoping we hear much more from her in the future. I’m pretty sure this song will have you singing “I’ve got a crush on you” over and over and doing some kind of shuffle. I like the freshness that I get from this song, no gimmicks, just pure good vibes and excellent production. The female (even male) Rnb scene in London isn’t as big as it can be and it’s refreshing to hear more and more newcomers. Have a listen to the song below and enjoy:
Kehlani Ft Jhené Aiko – Change Your Life (2020)
Following on from the RnB theme, I had a listen to Kehlani’s new tape this week and this song for me was one of my stand outs. Jhené and Kehlani on the same song makes complete sense, both queens have the perfect sensual voices to blend with each other. I love Jhené’s verse in the second verse as she sings to the person in question hyping them up while also pointing out that they would be even better together. In verse 3, Kehlani lays it all on the table and when I first heard this verse I replayed it multiple times. “Used-to-be models, IG honeys all shaped like bottles but now you seein’ that it’s more than body, face, and smile. You see me, and you look beyond it, you feel inspired…”. So beautiful. Check it out below;
CE – Who Am I? (2020) – Produced by DCQBEATZ
Another one from CE! I’m a fan of this track for sure, it has a nice vibe to it, the beat is great too. CE raps less on this particular track and lets his singing do all the talking! This will have you singing “Everytime you find me, you try to remind me of who I am” like it’s been doing to me! The artwork is great too! Have a listen below:
Russ Ft Ty Dolla $ign – 3AM (2020)
If you haven’t checked it out already, I have a Russ album review out https://musicandlifeblog.com/2020/02/18/album-review-russ-shake-the-snow-globe/ . Russ has now brought out a deluxe version of the album including this new song featuring Ty Dolla $ign. He teased the song earlier this week and I had a feeling it was going to be a good one. Ty Dolla on any song is always a joy to listen to and you will not be disappointed with this track. Ty’s verse is such a pleasure to hear, the harmonies and rifts as perfect as always. I’m gonna have to dive into the extra tracks Russ has blessed us with but for now, have a listen to this song below;
Some other songs I’ve loved:
Joyner Lucas Ft Will Smith – WillRemix (2020) – Will killed his verse with that old school flow, his verse content was solid and he was speaking facts! Always great when idols jump on the tracks about them.
French Tha Kid – Dream (2020) – Produced by KP Beatz – I recently came across this guy and he’s pretty good. I like the flow switch up on this song. I think he’s got an exciting upcoming career in the works.
DaBaby Ft. Roddy Rich – ROCKSTAR (2020) – I’ve had this song on repeat, definitely my favourite from the album. Da Baby shows himself in a different light here for me, his rapping is solid. Beat is crazy too!
Okay! It’s been over 3 whole years (13 May 2016) since Chance The Rapper dropped his mixtape ‘Coloring Book’ and I figured I would do a post talking about that EP in honor of #ThrowbackThursday. Here are some songs from the tape that I still love and play today.
Chance the Rapper – All We Got Ft. Chicago Children’s Choir & Kanye West
Intro tracks are so important because it is the artist’s chance to showcase a preview of what is to come. Chance even states “Hey, this ain’t no intro, this the entree“. This intro did exactly that. The fact Chance features with one of his musical heroes and use of the choir and the instruments that were used in this song are a reflection of how much work Chance puts into his music and production. The theme “Music is all we got” sits well with me as I believe it is a strong and quite realistic truth.
Chance the Rapper – No Problem Ft. Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz
“You don’t want zero problems, big fella“! Love the intro to this song. This song is dedicated to the record labels that all rejected Chance. One of my favourite lines from the song is when Chance says “Milly rockin’, scoopin’ all the blessings out my lap” as he is now the one that is winning and has the last laugh. 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne fit the song so well too and yet again the production on this song is unique. The background vocals sound like a choir .
Chance the Rapper – Blessings Ft. Jamila Woods
I absolutely love this song. There’s something about Chance singing and singing with a stripped back vibe that is beautiful. Not to mention, the song is very religious as Chance sings about the glory of God. The song seems personal as Chance raves about how since giving his life to the Lord, he has received nothing but blessings and success. Jamila sings “I’m gon’ praise Him, praise Him till I’m gone, when the praises go up, (Good God) the blessings come down“.
Chance the Rapper – Same Drugs
This song is quite relatable for many people. Despite the title, the song has no affiliation or relation to drugs. The song is based on the concept that Chance and the woman in question no longer have the same interests anymore. Chance uses the analogy of Peter Pan in this song to describe the situation; “When did you change? Wendy, you’ve aged…I thought you’d never grow up“. The idea that like in Peter Pan, Wendy got on with life and changed/grew up. The song basically focuses on the reality that that with some people, you both move on and take different paths and it is just a part of life. I like that Chance mostly sings in this song as I genuinely believe his singing voice is so unique.
Chance the Rapper – Juke Jam Ft. Justin Bieber & Towkio
This is one of my favourite songs ever from Chance. The flow, the feeling I get listening to this song is unmatched. The song is basically Chance reminiscing about the past and a relationship. Apparently “Juking” is a Chicago term for a form a dance similar to grinding. Justin Bieber’s feature on this song was sensual too, his voice when he sings “We got so much history baby” was perfect for the theme of the song. The song is the type of song you could have on in the background and vibe to as it feels very chilled and laid back.
Chance the Rapper – How Great Ft. Jay Electronica & Nicole Steen
Not much to say on this song but Chance follows the religious theme and delivers this beautiful worship song featuring his very own cousin Nicole. The song gave me chills when I first heard it and the feeling has not gone away. Please have a listen and prepare to be inspired.
Chance the Rapper – Smoke Break Ft. Future
Another one of my favourites from the tape. I like the sound from Future on this song and the way they both compliment eachother. The song is Chance saying how much more free time him and his girlfriend need to make for eachother since the arrival of their baby. One of the most memorable lines is when he sings “We way too young to get old“, words to live by! Future’s verse sounds very shady but one of my favourite lines has to be “Please don’t get lost in the sauce, please don’t get lost in the sauce“. Typical Future lyrics!!!! The production on this song is amazing too!
Chance the Rapper – Finish Line/ Drown Ft. Noname, Eryn Allen Kane, T-Pain & Kirk Franklin
This is the longest song on the tape but is split into two. Part 1; Finish Line is based on the success and blessings Chance has received as he sings; “But who would think the raps would turn into racks? don’t matter, matter fact, it could happen to you”. Chance tries to show that his blessings can happen to anyone with faith. The flow switches up in the second verse where he speeds up while still maintaining his joy at his blessings. all demonstrating his versatility. Part 2; Drown is where Noname talks about how God has been there for her despite the fact she is going through a tough and horrible time. The common phrase repeated in this part of the song is “The water may be deeper than it’s ever been. Never drown“. This is the idea that no matter how hard life gets, never give up and always have faith because God is real and he is all powerful. He will always find a way to get you out the water.
So! Its nearly the end of the week even though with the bank holiday, this has been a quick one! Today’s features for throwbacks are based on current events happening in the hip hop community. I’m sure we’ve all heard the “rap beef” happening between Drake & Pusha T…& if you haven’t, you better update yourself! In the spirit of it, I’ve selected two throwback songs that feature Drake and Pusha!!!
1. Future Ft Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino – Move That Dope
Pusha T is famous for his references to drug dealing or drug taking as previously stated and this song by Future released in 2014 contains a very memorable Pusha T verse. His verse contains famous puns such as “Young enough to still sell dope but old enough that I knows better” in reference to what you do with the drug Cocaine. Additionally in the verse he raps “Pablo, Versace way before Migos” which is a clever reference to the famous drug dealer Pablo Escobar as well as a reference to the famous “Versace” song by Migos. It can be argued that because Pusha T only raps about the same thing that he can not be considered versatile but it could be argued he raps about what is his reality and that could mean he is not fake.
2. Dj Khaled Ft Drake & Rick Ross – I’m on One
Drake has many features on songs and his verses are usually always memorable just like the one in this song by DJ Khaled, realeased in 2011. The first line from the song is classic & is well known; “Uhh, I’m getting so throwed, I ain’t went this hard since I was 18”. Pretty sure everyone that knows this song gets excited just from hearing those words!
3. Rick Ross Ft Drake & French Montana – Stay Schemin
I had to add this song very quickly because Drake’s verse on this song has to be one of his bests. Just gonna add the infamous lines; “Kobe ’bout to lose a hundred fifty M’s. Kobe my nigga, I hate it had to be him. Bitch, you wasn’t with me shootin’ in the gym”. Hands down one of the most memorable Drake lines!
Overall both artists are great in their own right & both have excellent features and individual songs. ‘Rap Beef’ is great for fans but should not be taken seriously as it really just showcases the talents of the respective artists.
