The Music Ninja Presents: Sunday Night Soul

R&B has experienced a bit of a renaissance lately. Artists like Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, and Miguel have been able to breathe new life into the genre in recent years, and now because of the internet we have more talent to choose from than ever before. In order to properly pay tribute to all these new faces in the business, we’ve put together a little soul mix for you to listen to while you wind down your weekend. Now this is unexplored territory for us, so we can’t promise it’ll be a weekly series just yet, but we’ll do our best to keep it consistent. In the meantime, we’d like to kick things off right with an extremely talented group of artists, including names like JMSN, Jhené Aiko, Bipolar Sunshine, Sampha, The WeekndTei Shi and many more! We promise you won’t be disappointed, so kick back, relax, plug your headphones in and immerse yourself in the sweet melodies and smooth grooves provided by tonight’s entertainment.

’Aaradhna – Wake Up Remix featuring Common’
’William Bolton – Passion’
’Bipolar Sunshine – Drowning Butterflies’
’Sean Kongery – Aware (feat. Elias)’
’LIZ – Stop Me Cold’
’Skin Town – Hit Down’
’Sabi – Both of Us (Ft. Ryan McDermott)’
’2AM Club – Evidence’
’Jarrell Perry – Braindead’
’Jr. Hi – Secrets ft. The Weeknd’
’Woz – Early Morning Champagne Ft. Joel Compass EP (Black Butter #52)’
’Candice – Smoker’s Room’
’King Avriel – Prelude’
’Tei Shi – Nature vs Nurture’
’Esty – Pools Full Of Women (Prod. by Jess Jackson)’
’Dawn Richard – Fade’
’Jhené Aiko – The Worst’
’Kristal Lyndriette – Silhoutte’
’Gallant – Manhattan (prod. Felix Snow)’
’Kwabs – Last Stand (produced by SOHN)’
’Sway Clarke II – I Don’t Need Much’
’JMSN – Thing U Missed’
’Sampha – Happens’
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[Album Review] Drake – Nothing Was the Same

’Drake – From Time (Feat. Jhené Aiko)’
’Drake – Furthest Thing’
’Drake – Tuscan Leather’
’Drake – Worst Behavior’

More than just the Adele of the rap game, Drake‘s ability to convey both sensitive and egotism with an ear for solid bars with catchy hooks have made him one of the highest selling artists in the industry. In just 4 years, the actor turned unlikely rapper/singer has achieved more with just 3 albums than most artists accomplish in a lifetime in the industry: sold out shows, millions of records, Grammy’s, and chart-topping singles. Now that Kanye West has chosen to explore more of an indie sound with his latest release Yeezus, Drake has arguably become the game’s new unchallenged crossover star. With his latest release Nothing Was the Same, he returns to the style of spitting about former relationships and braggadocious rhymes, but a little less formulaic than before.

Minus the obvious hits, “Started From the Bottom,” “All Me,” and “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” Nothing Was the Same features a more in-depth look into Drake’s life that further explores the upsides and downsides of fame on his personal relationships. On the opening “Tuscan Leather,” Aubrey takes a minute from crooning over hooks and choruses to deliver a straight rap that includes boasting and a mention of his short-lived fallout with fellow labelmate Nicki Minaj. “Too Much” featuring Sampha (of SBTRKT fame) delves into more personal and somber themes, as Drake spits about how the growth of his fame affects family ties.

Read the rest of the review and stream more from the album after the jump

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[Video] Drake – Too Much (Feat. Sampha) (Live on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon)

Drake
Too Much (Feat. Sampha)

Drake took the stage last night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in order to promote his upcoming third studio release, Nothing Was The Same. Instead of performing one of his many singles he’s already released however, Drizzy decided to premiere a brand new track, “Too Much” alongside Sampha. Dedicating the performance to his friends and family, Drizzy remained calm in front of the mic as the piano melody rolled to a start, with Sampha commanding attention with his gorgeous vocals. Drake seized control not soon after, delivering a savvy verse that exuded confidence and put on display his lyrical dexterity.

It may seem like a pretty bold statement to make after one performance, but this has to be the best song to be released from Nothing Was The Same yet (it’s definitely an improvement over that “Wu-Tang Forever” track at the very least). Look out for Drake’s album when it drops on September 24th, and peep the jump to watch him play charades with Jimmy FallonBlack Thought, and Scarlett Johansson, because why not?


Continue reading

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[Chill] Sampha – Without

Sampha
Without

Probably best known as the voice behind many of SBTRKT‘s greatest hits, Sampha Sisay is getting ready to embark on a journey of his own with the release of his solo debut, Dual. “Without” provides us with the first taste of what to expect from the six track EP, as Sampha’s hypnotizing vocals float beautifully over the ethereal, undulating backdrop. After just one listen, we’re convinced that we’re going to love whatever else we hear from the UK native when Dual finally drops on July 29th.

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[NEW] Drake – The Motion (Feat. Sampha) (Prod. Sampha & 40) + 3 More New Tracks

Drake
The Motion Feat. Sampha

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.

’Drake – The Motion Feat. Sampha’
’Drake – Jodeci Freestyle Feat. J. Cole’
’Migos – Versace Feat. Drake’
’PARTYNEXTDOOR – Over Here Feat. Drake’
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