Author Archives: Baseer Ahmad

FYFE – Through The Wire (Kanye West Cover)

Posted by Baseer Ahmad - December 9, 2014
FYFE
Through The Wire (Kanye West Cover)
Buy

After spending a good majority of 2013 at the top of the Hype Machine charts, FYFE has remained relatively quiet throughout 2014, as he gears up for the release of his debut album, Control. With a release date in hand now, the British sensation has decided to celebrate by releasing a quirky cover of Kanye West‘s “Through The Wire.” Anytime someone decides to cover Kanye it makes for a risky proposition, but in this case the College Dropout classic is an especially curious choice considering FYFE is not a rapper himself. We know better than to doubt the crafty musician though, and it’s safe to say he’s delivered one of the more creative takes on a Kanye track we’ve ever heard. FYFE’s interpretation is sparse, yet placating–characteristic of many of his previous singles–and he manages to build a record that has its own identity, while still paying tribute to the original with mixed-in vocals from Yeezy himself.

The young talent had this to say about his inspirations behind the track:

Through The Wire has been stuck in my head for most of the last 10 years. The fact that Kanye West had a track on his last album named I Am A God added a certain amount of pressure to the process, but once I got over the image of him peering over my shoulder whilst I made the cover it came along quite quickly. To Kanye West purists- I’m sorry. To everyone else – I hope you enjoy it.
 Stream the track above, and make sure to pre-order your copy of Control before it hits shelves on March 9th.

Related items:

[Future R&B] salute – Real Cool (Feat. Vanessa Elisha)

Posted by Baseer Ahmad - December 6, 2014
salute
Real Cool (featuring Vanessa Elisha)
Soundcloud

Christmas has come early this year ninjas, as we’ve just been gifted our second song of the week featuring the very talented Vanessa Elisha. This time around, the sultry songstress links up with UK producer salute for a new single off his upcoming Silver Tides EP. The result is a “Real Cool” mixture of intricate, percolating synths, skittering snares and intoxicating vocals that’ll transport you to a state of pure nirvana. After about 250 straight listens, it’s safe to say “Real Cool” might be one of our favorite releases of the week, and we highly suggest you check out salute’s EP whenever it drops via his Dime Club imprint.

Related items:

[Album Stream] JMSN – JMSN (Blue Album)

Posted by Baseer Ahmad - December 5, 2014

Earlier this week, we expressed our uncontainable excitement for the upcoming release of JMSN’s upcoming project, JMSN (Blue Album). Thankfully, we don’t have to wait around until Tuesday to hear it in its entirety, as the crooner has just uploaded a free stream to his SoundCloud profile. JMSN (Blue Album) is the artist’s first full length effort since last year’s †Pllajë† EP, and after one listen, we’d say it’s probably his best since his debut, †Priscilla†. Already one of the brightest minds in alternative R&B, the Michigan native has shown tremendous growth over the last couple of years. The self-titled album is a slight departure from some of the dark, brooding material we’re used to, opting for a soulful sound consistent with more traditional R&B music. His vocal chops are as strong as ever, and it’s pretty obvious at this point that nothing can slow R&B Jesus down. JMSN (Blue Album) makes for a relaxing listen through and through, and we’ll most certainly have this one on repeat until the end of the year.

Stream the record below, and make sure to pre-order a copy for yourself as an early Christmas present.

’JMSN – My Way’
Buy
’JMSN – ‘Bout It’
Buy
’JMSN – Street Sweeper’
Buy
’JMSN – Addicted’
Buy
’JMSN – Addicted Pt. II’
Buy
’JMSN – Waves’
Buy
’JMSN – Ocean’
Buy
’JMSN – Ends (Money)’
Buy
’JMSN – Need U’
Buy
’JMSN – Score’
Buy
’JMSN – Delay’
Buy
’JMSN – All Apologies’
Buy
’JMSN – Price’
Buy
’JMSN – Foolin”
Buy
Related items:

[Hip-Hop] Lil Herb – Knucklehead (Feat. Earl Sweatshirt)

Posted by Baseer Ahmad - December 4, 2014
Lil Herb
Knucklehead Feat. Earl Sweatshirt
Buy

It’s the season of giving, so the folks over at Red Bull have launched a new series called 20 Before 15, in which they’ll be releasing 20 songs in 20 days leading up to 2015. For the fourth entry in the program, they’ve selected a new cut from Lil Herb–yet another “Chi-raq” native who’s had a marquee year for himself in 2014, and seems primed for a breakout. Pairing him up with Odd Future‘s Earl Sweatshirt, the two combine to create a laidback, yet tenacious tune where they reminisce about some of their previous knuckleheaded behavior. Earl performs double duty here, handling the production as well, and the pair originally hooked up for this collaboration down in Austin for SXSW. Stream the track above, and be on the lookout for more from Red Bull in the coming days.

Related items:

[Electronic] Empire Of The Sun – Wandering Star

Posted by Baseer Ahmad - December 4, 2014
Empire Of The Sun
Wandering Star (Dumb and Dumber To Official Soundtrack)
Buy

Well, this was a little unexpected. Who could have foreseen Empire Of The Sun creating original material for the Dumb and Dumber To soundtrack? Though this track has been out for nearly a month, it somehow slipped past our radars until the band uploaded it to their SoundCloud page last night (forgive us for not paying much attention to that film’s music lineup). Like many of their memorable releases, “Wandering Star” makes for an unforgettable ride, full of magical synths and rhythmic kickdrums that’ll instantly get your toes tapping. It’s as addicting a listen as we’ve heard in awhile, and is bound to be a staple in our playlists well into 2015.

Related items:

[NEW] Purity Ring – Push Pull

Posted by Baseer Ahmad - December 4, 2014
Purity Ring
Push Pull
Stream Only

Just the other day, I was randomly listening to some songs from Shrines and found myself thinking it had been way too long since I’d heard anything new from Purity Ring. Well, just as luck would have it, it seems my wishes were finally granted as the band have just released their first original single since 2012. Despite the long hiatus, the group haven’t lost a step at all, and it’s pretty evident they’ve been hard at work over the last two years. “Push Pull” is just as wonderful as you’d imagine: delicate, yet explosive with a touch of anguish found in Megan James‘ vocals. We’re pretty thrilled with the results, and can barely contain our excitement for the duo’s upcoming sophomore effort. Stream the tune below.

Related items:

[Future R&B] Vanessa Elisha – 21 Questions (Cover) (Prod. GXNXVS & Seywood)

Posted by Baseer Ahmad - December 3, 2014
Vanessa Elisha
21 Questions (Cover)(GXNXVS & Seywood)
Soundcloud

What’s already shaped up to be a pretty amazing week for R&B is only about to get better, now that we have some new material from Australian songstress Vanessa Elisha. If the song title seems familiar at all, that’s probably because the singer has taken upon the unconventional task of covering a 50 Cent classic. With GXNXVS and Seywood handling production duties, the trio put a clever new spin on charming ol’ Half Dollar’s treasured love ballad. There’s no question about the quality of this cover, as Vanessa’s scintillating vocals bask brightly among the layered synths and wobbling bass. Though it definitely takes some time to get used to hearing the questions sung from a female perspective, it’s probably safe to say Vanessa has a stronger set of pipes than Fiddy. It’s undoubtably a refreshing take on a timeless piece from our adolescence, and we’re excited to hear what else Vanessa has in store for us as she prepares for her new EP next year.

Related items: