Sexy singer Shakira returns on her latest, self-titled album–her first since becoming a mother last year. Though she’s not quite the pop culture ingenue she was when she emerged in the late 90s/early 2000s, the booty-shaking beauty is still quite the compelling artist. So it’s a shame that so much of what makes Shakira Shakira gets lost on Shakira.
August Alsina isn’t the stereotypical contemporary R&B star. The New Orleans native doesn’t just sing about romantic love and loss, he sings story songs about his hardscrabble upbringing and the street lifestyle he’s seen in his city. And for the 21-year old Def Jam artist, he’s happy to do something that sets him apart from the pack of current R&B mainstays.
With OutKast’s Big Boi making headlines by joining a new high-powered management firm, his partner Andre 3000 seems to also be making some new, attention-grabbing associations. The legendary Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin was honored at a glitzy event at the Ritz-Carlton in New York City in celebration of her 72nd birthday, and the iconic singer revealed that she’s working on new music.
Last week, singer T-Pain shared details regarding his supposed fallout with Cash Money Records and how it affected his anticipated project with label superstar Lil Wayne. Aside from Wayne’s incarceration at the time (due to a weapons conviction in New York City) and T-Pain’s own excessive lifestyle indulgences, apparently a “miscommunication” between Cash Money labelheads Birdman and Ronald “Slim” Williams and T-Pain’s own management team stalled the project.
Schoolboy Q may be experiencing success with his major label debut album, Oxymoron, but the Los Angeles native revealed his mixed feelings about that success in a recent interview. Q spoke to CBS Local affiliate WZMX Hot 93.7. Q says that his popularity is booming, so much so that he’s even been offered his own line of bucket hats (those hats have become a bit of a trademark for Q), but he expressed reluctance with making any more “big money” deals too soon.
Young Money: Rise of an Empire is the second official studio compilation from the YMCMB roster following 2013’s Rich Gang. This set features the expected list of A list stars, both from the label and across mainstream hip-hop. Lil Wayne is the centerpiece, and while this feels like a showcase for the lesser-known talents on the Young Money team, it is noticeable that Young Money mainstay Drake is only featured once.
One of the most original and innovative debut albums in hip-hop history, the masterpiece from the Long Island, NY-based trio of De La Soul was a world-changing album that offered proof that hip-hop was not just machismo and aggression. At a time when hip-hop’s more “gangsta” and “political” strains were at the height of visibility, these three oddballs from the suburbs fired a shot for hip-hop nerds everywhere.
Rick Ross has made his love for 90s hip-hop apparent throughout his career. His latest album, Mastermind, features a tribute to the late Notorious B.I.G. called “Nobody.” While some have balked at Rozay’s Biggie-isms–to the point where they have criticized him for ripping off B.I.G.’s persona–Ross has always maintained that this is his way of paying homage to one of the greats of hip-hop history.
Mobb Deep and The LOX are two of East Coast hip-hop’s most beloved crews. And according to a recent interview with Shade 45’s Sway In the Morning, Mobb Deep’s Prodigy has revealed that the two parties will be collaborating in the very near future.
Rick Ross returns with Mastermind, his highly-anticipated sixth studio album and follow-up to 2012’s God Forgives, I Don’t. On his latest project, Ross continues his musical trademarks–the ones that have served him so well up to this point and helped to establish his persona. Rozay is still very much into excess, he wallows and revels in it. Wealth and consumption are at the forefront of his mind, yet again, and depending on your taste, it can sound either invigorating or woefully tiresome by the time you get mid-way through Mastermind.
ith everyone expecting more greatness from one of music’s most consistent talents, Pharrell decided to whet the public’s appetite by streaming a preview of Girl on iTunes Radio.
Rapper/singer Kid Cudi dropped his new album, Satellite Flight: The Journey To Mother Moon at midnight on Feb. 25. Cudi made the announcement via Twitter,
On his new album Gravitas, Kweli manages to find the middle-ground between hip-hop’s more thoughtful content and it’s more trivial — and he sounds a lot less contrived than he did when he attempted to pull off the same trick on 2013s overly-calculated Prisoner of Conscious. On Gravitas Kweli seems much more comfortable dabbling in different aesthetics — and that results in the most complete album he’s released in a decade.
2014 marks the 25th anniversary of De La Soul’s classic debut album 3 Feet High and Rising. In celebration of their two-and-a-half decades of groundbreaking, innovative hip-hop, the trio of Posdnous, Maseo and Dave are releasing their entire catalog for free download today (February 14th.) The downloads will be available on De La Soul’s official website.
Kanye West’s critically-acclaimed debut album The College Dropout turned ten years old this week, and numerous media and entertainment outlets looked back on the rapper’s first project with fond memories. As for West himself, he tweeted extensively about what his first album means to him and shared his perspective on the last decade of his career.
Hip-hop star Missy Elliott hasn’t released an album in nine years. The chart-topping rapper, singer, songwriter and producer has largely stayed away from the spotlight
The superproducer has announced that he will be involved in an upcoming Jodeci comeback album. MTV News reports that Timbo has confirmed his involvement in a project. Timbaland shared the news via a Hang With video chat from his tour bus.
In 1989, Kane was riding the critical acclaim from his lauded debut album Long Live the Kane, and hit singles like “Ain’t No Half-Steppin’.” But in an exclusive interview, he reveals just how bittersweet the success of his first album turned out to be
Andre 3000 and Big Boi may not be immediately working on new material as OutKast, but the famed emcees are apparently prepping new music for new individual projects. According to Mr. DJ, OutKast’s longtime DJ and co-producer, 3000 and Big Boi are hard at work on new solo material. Big Boi has already released two solo albums, and Mr. DJ says he believes 3000 will release his solo debut sometime this year.
According to a tweet from Kreayshawn, she only earned $0.01 from her debut album’s sales. She posted a picture of her PayPal account, mocking how little she’s made.
