Author: J_Salzer
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Posts by J_Salzer
Hip-Hop, Pop | Upper West – Common Ground
Posted by J_Salzer on June 19, 2012
Upper West is back with their first solo(well, technically duo) release since their sucessful mixtape release, West Side Stories. This song shows off the typical Upper West style; you always know what you’re going to get when you listen to them. Their sound is always poppy, like something you would hear on the radio(but not bad). But as opposed to mainstream garbage which usually consists of constant pleading to call me(maybe), the boys of Upper West have harder hitting lyrics, often delivered by Doug, that actually serve a purpose, and try to relay a message. This song was released as a “thank you” to the fans that have helped Jessie and Dougie reach 10,000 fans, so thank yourselves for making this song happen.
Hip-Hop, Videos | I.O.U. – Lovely People (Video)
Posted by J_Salzer on June 17, 2012
I know this is a little late. But I’ve owed I.O.U. a post for a while. I enjoyed their first mixtape, said I would post it, and then totally forgot about. Then enjoyed this video, and totally forgot to post it. So I hope this post can win me back the favor of the northern duo of I.O.U. Choosing an interesting Beatles sample, the rap-rap duo of I.O.U. create something special with this J-Kill filmed piece. The first verse starts at around :45 seconds, and then is slowly and smoothly delivered by the first half of I.O.U, Andrew Buckner.It is then taken over by the other half of the two man team, Isaiah McNeill, delivering a much more thought-provoking – but still keeping the slow and smooth style, verse. Just take a second(or 3 minutes) out of your day to check out these two lovely people.
Facebook // Twitter // Official Site
Make sure you stop by their pages to download their latest mixtape and get the latest updates.
Hip-Hop, Mixtapes | XV – Pop Culture (Mixtape)
Posted by J_Salzer on June 15, 2012
Best mixtape of 2012. I know that’s not the best way to start out a post, but I had to make my feelings known to everyone before I embarked on the journey of trying to illustrate my feelings on this mixtape into a somewhat concise blog post. Wow that was a long sentence. Sorry, I’m rambling. Back to the mixtape. XV’s “Pop Culture” is absolutely off the charts, his beat selections are perfect, and his lyrics are witty, well delivered, and hard hitting. He goes from emotional songs, like “The Kick,” to high energy songs like “Her Favorite Song,” without missing a beat. He has some amazing features, including BoB, Schoolboy Q, and Emilio Rojas. On the production side, he lists his favorite beat maker, The Awesome Sound, along with Xaphoon Jones to craft the canvases he paints his pictures on. It’s an incredibly well rounded and diverse mixtape, and I think it has something for everyone.
XV’s “Zero Heroes” was my favorite mixtape of 2011, so let’s hope “Pop Culture” holds it’s spot as my favorite mixtape of 2012.
Hip-Hop, Rap | Hit-Boy – Jay-Z Interview (Official Video)
Posted by J_Salzer on June 10, 2012
I hadn’t gotten around to watching this video because I thought it was an ACTUAL interview with Hit-Boy about Jay-Z…turns out, Hit-Boy titled the song “Jay Z Interview.” So sorry for the tardiness of this post. If you are not familiar with Hit-Boy, he produces for the likes of…well…everyone. Hit-Boy is signed to Kanye’s West’s GOOD Music, and the grammy nominated beat maker tries his hand at rapping in this video. His lyrics and wordplay is incredible, and his flow seems almost…Kanye like. I did find it interesting that he didn’t produce this track himself. Even if Hit-Boy’s career as a rapper doesn’t take off, he can always fall back on making dope beats.
Freestyle, Hip-Hop | Childish Gambino – The Backroom (Freestyle)
Posted by J_Salzer on June 9, 2012
Everybody’s favorite(and only) acting, producing, screenwriting, rapper stops by the BET Backroom to drop a great freestyle. After watching the 15 second ad for some strange new show featuring Cedric the Entertainer, I was understandably in a pretty pissy mood. But after hearing this, and seeing Gambino’s sweatshirt, I was immediately put in a better mood. He murders some random BET beat with a few random DJ scratches in cold blood.
Also, Kendrick stopped by The Backroom to annihilate a funeral like beat with a quickly spit 64 bars. At some point, you have to start questioning how much of this is ACTUALLY freestyled, but anyway, check out Kendrick’s freestyle here, and Donald’s above.
RnB | Frank Ocean – Pyramids
Posted by J_Salzer on June 8, 2012
I don’t need a snappy intro or hook to draw you in with this song. The song is by Frank Ocean, and that’s all you need to know. Frank doesn’t fail to impress with this one, the first single off of his upcoming album, Pyramids, is a hit. Heads up, the song is 10 minutes long, and it gets a bit repetitive at some points, but damn, is Frank Ocean a talent, this song perfectly showcases his songwriting and vocal abilities. He seems to have cut his public affiliation with Odd Future to a minimum, which shows he’s taking his career as a singer seriously, even if he might not be having as much fun as Taco, Jasper, Tyler and the rest of the gang. After hearing Pyramids, I can’t wait to hear his debut album, Channel Orange coming soon.
Frank Ocean – Pyramids:
Hip-Hop | Mac Miller – Thugz Mansion (Tupac Cover)
Posted by J_Salzer on June 3, 2012
I’m not sure how I feel about this. Malcolm McCormick taking on one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all times. Blasphemy, right? It’s an incredibly tricky thing taking on songs by dead artists, and I’m not sure that this was done correctly. I believe Mac overstepped his bounds by trying to cover a song from the greatest of all time. It was clearly done out of respect, but how respectful was it? Let’s talk, find us on twitter, in the chatbox, on facebook, or in the comments section.
Mac Miller – Thugz Mansion(2Pac Cover):