hip-hop

Magna Carta Holy Shit.

No, I’m not calling Jay-Z’s newest album shit. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

I have never been so hyped about a new hip-hop/rap album. Kanye’s recent Yeezus got me excited, but I’m calling it right now, Magna Carta Holy Grail will be rap album of the year. J Cole’s Born Sinner is of the same caliber, with great music as well, but MCHG… Damn.

Seen all those Samsung commercials promoting it? Heard the background music? Those teasers do not do this album justice. Of course, you get a glimpse of the production process. But once you hear the album, you’ll be blown away. I know I was.

Here’s the tracklisting for you.

Holy Grail (feat. Justin Timberlake)
Picasso Baby
Tom Ford
F*ckwithmeyouknowigotit (feat. Rick Ross)
Oceans (feat. Frank Ocean)
F.U.T.W.
Somewhereinamerica
Crown
Heaven
Versus
Part II (On The Run) (Feat. Beyonce)
Beach Is Better
BBC
Jay Z Blue
La Familia
Nickels and Dimes

Here’s my advice. Don’t hesitate to download this album. This is going to go down in history as one of the best rap albums of all time. Jay never disappoints.

Top 30 Favorite Songs of All Time: #25 “Headphones On” by Skiggy Rapz

(Pronounced skih•jee raps) Skij…-who? He’s Dutch!

“There are only two things I can’t stand in this world… People that don’t tolerate other people’s cultures… And the Dutch.”–Nigel Powers in Austin Powers: Gold Member

Just poking fun. This song made the list because no one knows Skiggy Rapz, who am I kidding. I barely even know any other song besides this, and I feel like I should get to checking out the rest of his beats since I love this song so much.

The song has a really summer vibe, and when I finally compile enough skateboarding footage, this will be used in my video part. (Who knows, it may be posted here sometime. Maybe.)

I don’t even think this is one of his more popular songs. But whatever, it’s one of my favorites.

Earworm: “Never Gonna Give You Up” by The Black Keys

So the past weekend was all about the Grammy’s, and The Black Keys was one of the many winners of the night.

They’ve been one of my more favored bands for a while now, purely based on how raw their sound is. They’re truly a rock band.

Today, during my Portfolio class, I listened to this gem and it’s been stuck in my head since.

The jazz, the rock, the amazing vocals… Just ecstasy.

No, this is not a Rick Roll.

Earworm: “Child of the Rain” by The Omen (prod. by JDiablo)

I’m sorry, for all you people that love our blog and especially look forward to my posts, even moreso, my Earworms. (Although The Big Cheese’s posts are fun to check out, so yes, check those out.)

Today’s Earworm is a little gem that I found on the ever-so-dreaded Tumblr. Tumblr is a very dark place. I hate it so, but I love using it for cool pictures and fun posts. Anyway.

The song is called Child of the Rain. It’s an underground rap track.

Like I always say, guys. My music library expands constantly. Every single day my tastes change.

The beat is nice and smooth, the lyrics are very fluid. It’s on repeat right now.

Go on. Have a listen. (CAUTION. EXPLICIT LYRICS. Also, in no way do The Big Cheese and I promote the lifestyle that may or may not be represented in the song. Enjoy life cautiously.)

Earworm: “Pyramids” by Frank Ocean

If you’ve been following my Earworm posts, I have an array of musical tastes. Impossible to decide what my favorite genre is, endless possibilities as to what I’ll listen to next. I’ve been following Frank Ocean and the rest of Odd Future for a little bit now, and Frank just performed on SNL.

He recently took a ride on the fame train and skyrocketed to fame as a solo artist with the release of his debut album, Channel Orange (and the ridiculous controversy that surrounded it. Who cares about his sexual orientation. He’s still a human). He was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2012 MTV VMA’s, but was snubbed by British boy band One Direction. Where was Kanye when you needed him?!

I never though I’d truly get into the whole R&B, rap, hip-hop, smooth type music again, but I’m finding bits and pieces to be really good. I don’t regret anything.

What I’m getting at here is that you never know what you might like listening to. My ears enjoy a lot of different sounds! And this song is one of the best songs out there, in my opinion. One of the best songs off of Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange, in fact.

(WARNING: NSFW. SKIP THIS ONE AND LISTEN TO THE SECOND EMBEDDED VIDEO ON THIS PAGE IF YOU ARE IN A WORK OR SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT!)