Feel like getting overwhelmed this morning? Then you’re in for a real treat. Possibly still feeling the highs of a Miami Heat victory in the NBA Finals (even though he couldn’t get in on the celebrations), Drake decided to share four very different new singles with us last night. Although only one of them will probably make it to the final cut on Nothing Was The Same, they’re all worth a listen.
“The Motion” is easily the best of the quartet, with a sound that’s very reminiscent of the late 90’s/early 2000’s and contains a feature from Sampha (of SBTRKT fame). Meanwhile on “Jodeci Freestyle,” Drizzy and main man J. Cole show that they’re both ready to take over the game, if they haven’t already that is. Given the lyrical content, we’re assuming this was recorded very recently (possibly after their show in NY?), which makes the song that much more impressive.
Similar to previous remixes of “Round of Applause” and “Tony Montana,” Drake decides to bring his Southern side out as he tacks a fresh verse onto “Versace,” a new single from Atlanta natives Migos. The final premiere comes from PARTYNEXTDOOR, the first signee to Drake’s October’s Very Own label. Drizzy feels right at home on this one as he lends a guest verse to the sultry, laidback tune.
Download all four songs for free, and be on the lookout for Nothing Was The Same, which will be in stores September 17th.
Although Born Sinner has already leaked, J. Cole hasdecided to share a bonus cut with us which will be featured on his Truly Yours 3 EP, set to be packaged as an additional disc with the deluxe edition of the album. With 50 Cent holding down the chorus, and fellow Dreamvillain Bas chipping in with a verse of his own, Cole and crew cover all facets of life as a New Yorker. All in all, it’s one of the better tracks we’ve heard from Cole over the last few weeks, and it makes you wonder why it never made the final cut for the album. It also might’ve been cool to get a verse from 50 squeezed in there as well. We honestly haven’t heard him prominently featured on anyone’s material in quite awhile.
If you haven’t heard J. Cole’s new album yet, you can check out a full stream after the jump. Just make sure to have your pre-orders ready when Born Sinner drops on June 18th. Continue reading →
With J. Cole holding some high-tech listening sessions for Born Sinner across the nation earlier tonight, you had to figure that a few songs would leak shortly afterwards. Tonight we get the most anticipated collaboration off the album, as KendrickLamar links up with Cole to bring us “Forbidden Fruit.” While Kendrick is only present to help out on hook duties, “Forbidden Fruit” still makes for a smooth number, utilizing a familiar sample of Ronnie Foster‘s “Mystic Brew,” which you may recognize from the A Tribe Called Quest classic, “Electric Relaxation.” Listening to the lyrics, it seems like this track may have been a late addition to the project, as Cole makes reference to dropping his album the same day as KanyeWest. Speaking of which, make sure to grab a copy of Born Sinner when it hits shelves on June 18th.
J. Cole brings back that old school sound as he links up with TLC (T-Boz and Chilli) for the second single off of Born Sinner. Cole takes this opportunity to flaunt his imperfections, while also encouraging others to embrace their own. It’s great seeing him take a stand against the materialism prevalent throughout this country, while proving you can still be successful and loved without altering your appearance. Look out for more positive messages when J. Cole’s Born Sinner hits shelves on June 18th. R.I.P. Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes.
With Born Sinner nearing release on June 18th, J. Cole decided to hit us up with his latest preview, “Niggaz Know.” Cole provides us with some strong lyrical content on this cut, although we can’t say that wasn’t expected. After recently revealing the tracklist for Born Sinner, it was quickly noted that the record doesn’t contain any rap features at all. We think that was purposeful, as Cole prepares to step out of Hov’s shadow once and for all. Will J. Cole’s sophomore effort be a classic? Find out on June 18th when Born Sinner goes head to head with Kanye West‘s Yeezus.
This week hasn’t been very kind to me folks. From nagging injuries to a nasty lingering cold, I’ve spent most of my week resigned indoors as I try to recover. Despite all of those hurdles though, I’ve managed to push through to bring you all the tenth edition of the Hip-Hop Dojo. Last week was all about introducing you guys to new artists, and while we do have a few fresh names around here again, you should be familiar with a majority of the lot. I won’t be able to elaborate on every track today, but I would like to point out some of the standout material from this week’s collection. We just hope this playlist can serve as a nice break from the Arrested Development marathon we all know you’re currently having.
We start things of with New Jersey native MoRuf, a recent college graduate who decided to celebrate by crafting a song about it. Looking forward to the road ahead, Mo hopes to dodge some stormy weather as he seeks the clear path towards success. Next up to the plate is DevineCarama who hopes to enlighten his listeners through his lyrics and his flow. Da YoungFellaz hope to take us on a trip to “New Rich City” with their latest effort. This marks the second straight week that the duo has been featured in the Dojo, and we hope that streak continues going forward. Our fourth selection reminds us of a lesson Bay Area emcee A-1 taught us a few weeks back. On “Funeral Season” Statik and crew provide us with a few more details about the spike in violence that occurs during the hot summer months. BunB and Hit-Boy in particular come through with some surprisingly stellar verses.
A good chunk of this week’s compilation comes to us from Chicago. In fact, two of the best works lyrically are featured back to back: the first one being F.Stokes‘ “1954” and the second being Psalm One‘s “Queen Until.” We also can’t ignore our newest piece from the SAVEMONEY clique. The ensemble provides us with bars for days as they absolutely tear through the seven minute remix of Giftz’s “Nino.” Another phenomenal number comes to us from Waldo who “Finally” makes his Hip-Hop Dojo premiere. The Michigan emcee certainly impresses on the mic as he spits over a lush, atmospheric instrumental from Sango. Our final offering from Chitown comes courtesy of Julian Malone, who preps us for the release of his upcoming Diff.Rnt mixtape with the first single, “Tokyo.”
Tate Tucker‘s “Fire” wins the title of smoothest track of the week, but Bas‘ “Lit” might be a close second. Featuring a sample of Miguel‘s “Do You” and an excellent guest verse from J. Cole, “Lit” definitely stands out as one of the top tracks to drop this week (seriously, I can’t emphasize enough how clutch that Cole feature is). Interpolating the chorus of the Fresh Princeclassic, Blu wants to remind us exactly what time it is (even if it might not feel that way in certain parts of the country) on “Summer Time.”
Now I don’t normally feature freestyles on here, but there’s something about Drake‘s “5 AM In Toronto” that brings the best out of every emcee that touches it. A few weeks ago we shared JoellOrtiz‘s rendition of “5 AM In Brooklyn,” and today we bring you Voli‘s “5 AM.” The Jersey representative definitely brings his A-game as he steps up to the mic on this one. When you first press play on Lecrae‘s “Round of Applause” it might sound like your average trap banger, but if you pay close attention to the lyrics, you’ll realize the true message behind the song. The track is all about emerging from the stereotypes that many of these rappers fall victim to, and proving that it’s possible to be successful through hard work and education. That provides a perfect segue to our next selection, as Goodie Mob attempts to provide us with “Special Education” of their own. Featuring the vocal stylings of Janelle Monáe, the newest single from the legendary quartet is sure to make your headphones explode with its whirring, hard-hitting instrumental. The track also proves that Cee Lo can still rap his ass off, as he completely demolishes the beat with his tremendous wordplay.
Snow Tha Product is the only artist to be featured twice this week, and for good reason. If you don’t know about Snow yet, it’s still not too late to jump on her bandwagon. The Mexican-American emcee absolutely bodies tracks with her rapid-fire flow, proving she can hold her own on both “On. Now” featuring Trae Tha Truth and “Cali Luv,” a record produced by The Cataracs that includes a sample of Tupac‘s classic “California Love.” The next selection I’d like to highlight is from Travi$ Scott. Kanye’s latest protégé recently released his Owl Pharoahmixtape, and this particular track was too good to pass up. “Dance on the Moon” has a very KidCudi-esque vibe to it, mostly thanks to TheophilusLondon‘s vocals on the chorus. The final track on our playlist might be the most upbeat (and the most random) of them all. Featuring the unlikely pairing of 2 Chainz and Macklemore, Clinton Sparks brings us an energetic number all about chasing paper and having a generally good time.All in all, it’s a perfect way to wrap things up.
We hope you guys enjoyed our tenth edition of The Hip-Hop Dojo as much as we did! As always, you can send all of your submissions/suggestions to baseer@themusicninja.com.
(As a bonus, I wanted to direction your attention to a fun little video I’ve included below. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air will always have a special place in the hearts of all hip-hop fans, so I feel it’s my duty to alert you of any mini-reunions of the show’s cast.)
After dropping off “Cole Summer” last night, J. Cole serves up another treat with the sequel to February’s Truly Yours EP. Like the previous installment, the six-track EP is composed of previously unreleased material and songs that were left on the cutting room floor. With features and production from 2 Chainz, Young Jeezy, Bas, JakeOne, and CaneiFinch, this iteration is even better than the last. If this is the material that didn’t make the album, you have to wonder what Cole has in store for us when Born Sinner comes out on June 25th. Grab the free download here.
