Hip-Hop | This Week in Hip-Hop and My Head…

Posted by on May 19, 2013

hoodieallen

It’s been a very exciting week for hip-hop. As A stated earlier, Yeezy is back, and out to prove a point with his lyrics, which has historically always made for the best hip-hop. I was talking with a friend yesterday about my deep love for Kanye, and I think it stems from his ability to simultaneously appease all aspects of the consumer in me. The College Dropout, and, really every album of his, features a lot of the glossy rap that constitutes most of my weekend playlists, yet is consistently rich in introspection and social observation throughout. That alone seems to be a major recipe for success in modern-day hip-hop — it’s the line that promoted Drake to major wealth and superstar status (the fact that he was capable of separately creating albums like So Far Gone and Thank Me Later is still bafflingly impressive), and has allowed rappers like Macklemore and Logic to find popular success — they smartly release radio-friendly songs, but disperse them throughout projects that please their loyal fans and are otherwise heavy and meaningful projects.

Since Yeezy’s been covered, I’ll skip over to a few others songs that highlight how well some newcomers are able to tread this line — and put out songs that can be equally enjoyed by a frat boy on Saturday night who is already a dozen Pong beers deep, or the hip-hop fanatic who spends their Sunday afternoon analyzing lyrics on RapGenius with the track on repeat. I’m not here to judge — hip-hop should be loved by all.

Hoodie Allen — Make It Home (feat. Kina Grannis)

It’s been really exciting and interesting to follow Hoodie’s path over the past four years or so as he’s developed his sound, taken chances, inevitably made mistakes, and ultimately found himself here. After his success skyrocketed last year behind All American, he released a new mixtape, Crew Cuts, three months ago for free. Both of the aforementioned projects have been decidedly pop-heavy, an intentional move to generate support through his capacity for making pop-friendly songs. While somehow it feels so, it isn’t really a departure from his original sound, just a continued acknowledgement that he values that aspect of his talent as much as any other. Recently, however, he was called into the studio at Fuse with fellow indie-success Kina Grannis, who has earned a large following on YouTube through her covers and, sparsely, originals. Faced with the challenge of writing alongside a talented songwriter, Hoodie turned inward a little more, and the result is one of my favorite Hoodie tracks I’ve heard in years. Like “Cake Boy”, “No Interruption”, and some of his other widely-loved yet hollower releases, it’s catchy, melodic, and sharp — but it’s also reflective, and thus relatable and compelling and all of these other things we love to experience when listening to music. Here’s the live footage from their performance at Fuse.


Mike Stud — Bad Habits (feat. Kinetics & One Love)

Last week Mr. Stud released his new full-length, Relief, which surrounds this terrific song. One Love’s production on it is so unlike anything else on the project, and has his trademark sense of melody that puts me in a state of captivation for hours anytime I hear something new. As for the writing — there’s a reason that anytime Kinetics gets a verse on someone’s track he also does the hook. He has this innate sense of how to both employ the pop potential of any given track, and also capture an emotion or sentiment that is easily accesible with a dash of more depth than the standard radio-destined track. This song just has a great feel, and is a standout from Relief that everyone needs to check out, whether Mike Stud is your cup of tea or not.


 

Hip-Hop, Videos | Hoodie Allen – Cake Boy (Prod. by !llmind)

Posted by on February 11, 2013

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It’s been nearly a year since Hoodie Allen carved his niche in the wildly diverse music industry with the release of his chart topping EP, All American.  Since, Hoodie has been working tirelessly on his next album, Crew Cuts, which will be a free, full length release on February 20th.  Hoodie has said this will be his “most diverse and interesting project to date” and his first single, “Cake Boy,” proves just that.  The self dubbed, “braggadocios, lyrical tongue twister produced by legendary hip hop producer !llmind” will invite you to live out the fantasy life of a cupcake delivery boy…surrounded by a crew of HB10’s.  Hoodie tells me, if you like sexy girls and you like the Food Network; this is your music video. Hoodie Mob, will you be feastin’ on this freebie?

Video directed by Jakob Owens & D-WHY.  Oh yeah, I see you @RadicalSomething!

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iTunes: Hoodie Allen – Cake Boy (Prod. by !llmind)

Hip-Hop, Videos | Hoodie Allen – No Faith In Brooklyn (ft. Jhameel)

Posted by on April 10, 2012

In lieu of Hoodie hitting top 10 in both of the hip-hop and iTunes albums, he dropped off the visuals to the other standout track on All American. Hoodie is one of the most deserving guys so go buy his EP and support not only him but also good music! Check the visuals and grab the EP!

BUY ALL AMERICAN HERE

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Hip-Hop, Pop | Hoodie Allen – No Interruption [Video]

Posted by on March 29, 2012

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There comes a time and place for every successful artist to break into the iTunes market.  100k FB fans, 45k Twitter followers, three mixtapes, and one free EP later, the very deserving Hoodie Allen releases the first single off his upcoming EP, All American, due out April 10th with an official iTunes release.

“So this is something completely new for me. I’ve built most of my following online based around 2 ideas –1. free mixtapes and 2. creative use of sampling. With this new project, I’ve worked really hard to expand upon the sound that my fans love while actually creating all the songs from scratch.” – Hoodie Allen

After listening to this new single and watching the video, it’s evident that Hoodie’s “No Interruption” promise runs deeper than his relationships.  Locking himself in the studio, this completely original track features production from RJF and WNDRBRD, the whitty rhymes we’re used to, and one heck of a hook.  It sounds like someone has been taking vocal lessons… #AllAmerican

Purchase on iTunes: Hoodie Allen – No Interruption (Prod. by RJF and WNDRBRD)

Below is another mix Brenton Duvall released earlier this week of Hoodie’s “Moon Bounce” off Leap Year.  Take this one for free after you buy “No Interruptions”.

Hoodie Allen – Moon Bounce (Brenton’s Hotel Drum Refix)

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