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FUTURE

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The Weeknd

If February is any evidence that the music is going to get progressively better, then this might be the best year ever for the Hip-hop/Rap/R&B genre. January was an active month for the hip-hop/rap world which saw albums from PnB Rock and a highly popular album in Culture from Migos. It was also scattered with amazing single releases from J. Cole(High For Hours), Riff Raff( Test Drive ft. Wiz Khalifa), and Wale( Running Back ft. Lil Wayne). February was also a special month for hip-hop culture as we received albums from some of the top names in the genre as Big Sean( I Decided), Nav( NAV), and Future whom went complete beast mode by releasing two of his own( FUTURE, HNDRXX). Future made history last month with the release of his two albums in consecutive weeks as each of the two albums reached the #1 spot on the Billboard 200. No other musician(s) in the history of the Billboard 200 has ever replaced themselves at the #1 spot and held the #2 spot as well. Future is cementing himself for a long run at the top of the rap game. Big Sean finally released his followup to the popular Dark Sky Paradise, with I Decided which included some high-profile features like Migos and the rap-god Eminem. February also saw the prominent up and coming rapper Nav release his debut mixtape NAV, which was eagerly anticipated by Nav’s growing fan base.

Other loosies or single releases that hit the streets during the month of February include “BagBak” by Vince Staples, presumably off of his upcoming project that is coming soon. Another song, similarly titled, “Bit Bak” by Birdman & Young Thug is a promising sign that the Rich Gang label is going to drop off a decent album. Juicy J also dropped off two songs that will likely appear on his upcoming album, Rubbaband Business: The Album, “Ain’t Nothing” which taps fellow Taylor Gang members Wiz Khalifa and Ty Dolla $ign for verses and the hook; “Gimme Gimme” featuring Slim Jxmmi who makes half of Rae Strummerd

I’ve personally curated a playlist of the twenty songs that I believe to be the best commercially released music from the month of February. I make a point to say commercially released because many artists still release music in between albums but do not make the songs or mixtapes available on streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, etc. If I chose to include non-commercially released music then i would not be able to create a composite playlist.

Enjoy!

If you like music videos here are a couple of official music videos released in February that I personally thought were downright awesome videos to accompany the song.

The Weeknd – Reminder

Migos – Deadz ft. 2 Chainz

Future – Draco

The “Brown Boy” is poppin’!

In the song, “Some Way”, Nav claims to be, ” the first brown boy to get it poppin’.” When he says this , he is referring to his Punjabi ethnic heritage and the fact that there is not another popular musical artist who is also Punjabi. Nav does indeed have the hip/hop culture poppin’ right now after the release of his self-titled debut mixtape, Nav. When I wrote last about Nav a few weeks ago, it was believed that Nav had two projects on the way and he has delivered last week on Febuary 24th. The Weeknd is the lone featured artist on this mixtape on the song “Some Way” which was released one week before the mixtape. Other songs that were released prior to the mixtape’s release include: “Myself”, “Up”, and ” Ten Toes Down”. All of these songs had me eagerly awaiting the release of this mixtape as I have progressively liked Nav more and more with each song he releases. The majority of the production of this song is attributed to Nav with the help of a couple other lesser name producers along with heavyweight Metro Boomin’ serving the beat in “Up”.

Artwork for NAV

The same day that Nav released the single, ” Some Way”, Nav signed to The Weeknd’s record label, XO Records, along with parent company, Republic Records. The announcement for the mixtape came on that same day as well as Nav fans all over rejoiced. Now that this project is on the streets. Nav is already looking forward to his next project which is titled, Perfect Timing. Nav released a tweet on February 22 stating that he and Metro Boomin’ are working on the new project and claimed they would release it as soon as it is finished. This is exciting news as Nav is quickly gaining momentum and figures to enter the summer strong and make a huge impact on the hip-hop nation.

With my bro @MetroBoomin working on our album titled "Perfect Timing" and we're releasing it as soon as it's done! Thank you to my fans! #XO

— Nav (@beatsbynav) February 22, 2017

Here it is! Give the mixtape a listen on Spotify! Leave your opinion in the comments!

My Top 5 songs from Nav

1. Myself

2. Some Way (featuring The Weeknd)

3. My Mind

4. Up

5. Lonely

Overall Rating for Nav

4.75/5

Wait didn’t he already drop an album last week?

That is what most people who aren’t fully tuned into the rap/hip-hop culture are thinking or have probably said when they learn that Future has released his second album in as many weeks. Seven days after his album release, FUTURE, sent shockwaves through the music industry by releasing another album: HNDRXX. HNDRXX is loaded with seventeen songs and features the “Starboy” The Weeknd and the beautiful Rihanna. Production of the album was done by Metro Boomin’, Southside, and Detail among many other producers. Future released two projects(Purple Reign and EVOL) in a three week span last year in February but this time in just 7 days proves that Future is in beast mode right now.

Album Artwork for HNDRXX.

Future is also embarking on a lengthy tour this year beginning on May 5th. He has recruited some of the biggest names in hip-hop & rap to accompany him along the way. Migos, Tory Lanez, and Kodak Black with Young Thug and A$AP Ferg also performing at a small selection of shows. The closest show to the Wisconsin area is at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Chicago. This is a must see event if you are a dedicated hip-hop/rap fan!

Nobody Safe Tour

Here is the album! Give it a listen!

My Top 5 Songs on HNDRXX

1. “Comin’ Out Strong” featuring The Weeknd

2. “Solo”

3. “Fresh Air”

4. “Hallucinating”

5. “Selfish” featuring Rihanna

My Overall Rating: 4.75/5

What do you think of HNDRXX? Leave your opinion in the comments and lets have a conversation.

This man is from another planet.

Future proved on Valentine’s Day that he has much love for his fans as he took he announced a new album that is self-titled: FUTURE LP ,that was released later that week on February 17th. This was the first album that we have seen from Future since the release of EVOL last year in February. Future has released very little of his own music since then but has featured on some of the biggest songs from last summer like, “I Got the Keys” by DJ Khaled, “Campaign” by Ty Dolla $ign, and “X” by 21 Savage among plenty of others. Production on this album features some of the biggest producers in the hip-hop world: Metro Boomin’, Southside, and Zaytoven are among the more notable names on the tracklisting. Since Future packed his second studio album, Honest, with plenty of high-profile artists he has had very few to zero featured artists on his albums and mixtapes. This album is no different as there are no featured artists and when there is one it usually is a top tier artist. DS2 only featured Drake on “Where Ya At?” and EVOL only featured The Weeknd on “Low Life”.

Album Artwork for FUTURE

I knew that this album was going to be special as it didn’t have any other artists featured in any songs, meaning that Future was confident in that the album was good as is and didn’t require any outside assistance. Future seems as if hes out to prove that he is one of the best and he doesn’t need to rely on featuring other artists by keeping his track listings all to himself. Future exudes a great amount of confidence in himself and his raps throughout this album. The song “When I Was Broke” is the best example of this confidence as he states, “You see i made it, you witnessed progression; I was talkin’ like I knew I was destined; I’m a boss and I won’t ever regret it; Whether you like it, you gotta admit it.”

“You see i made it, you witnessed progression; I was talkin’ like I knew I was destined; I’m a boss and I won’t ever regret it; Whether you like it, you gotta admit it.” – Future on “When I Was Broke”.

Something I found surprising was how soon before the album’s release that Future announced the album. Most often times when an album is coming out the artist announces it many weeks even months in advance to spread the word and hype as much as possible. This is done to maximize exposure to the public with the hopes to make as many album sales as possible. This low-key announcement is only something that someone like Future can do because of his popularity and high status in the rap/hip-hop game today. I also thought that Future could have at least one feature in my opinion, if i was Future I would have considered artists like The Weeknd, Nav, or Migos as all are hot artists right now.

My Top 5 songs from FUTURE

1. “Mask Off”

2. “High Demand”

3. “Zoom”

4. “I’m So Groovy”

5. ” Poppin’ Tags”

Overall Rating: 4/5

Music Videos from FUTURE

“24hrs and you know it’s… “going to be a good year for him.

This intro has become sort of a signature for the up and coming rap/hip-hop artist out of Atlanta, who usually completes the phrase with the name of the producer or artist that has featured or collaborated on the song with 24hrs. 24hrs rise to stardom has been for the most part mysterious as very little is known of him outside his music released on Soundcloud and his social media accounts on Twitter : @2fourhrs and Instagram. Sometime around October of last year was when I first experienced 24hrs music with the song, “Not Impressed” featuring Gucci Mane. At first listen I didn’t really gravitate to his sound but as I’ve listened to more of his music in the time since then I have become more appreciative of his sound. The song that made me fully aware of 24hrs potential as a musical artist was the song, “What You Like”, featuring the help of Taylor Gang members Wiz Khalifa and Ty Dolla $ign whom each provide banging verses.

Since hearing that song in December, my entire opinion of 24hrs has evolved. My hunger to hear more of 24hrs was growing until around Christmas when 24hrs unexpectedly released a small mixtape “Sunset Blvd.”, that only consisted of four songs but four songs that are of great quality in my opinion. The song “Malibu” featuring Post Malone especially stood out to me and has been a current favorite of mine since its release. Give it and the other three songs a listen and you’ll thank me later.

After hitting the rap/hip-hop world with this “mini” mixtape, less than a week later we were treated to more music from 24hrs. This time collaborating with fellow young artist MadeinTYO for a mixtape titled “24hrs in Tokyo”. The title was inspired by combining the two rappers’ names 24hrs and MadeinTYO which is short for Made in Tokyo. This mixtape, while small, still packs a punch with four quality songs. I often prefer when artists release music in the fashion of small mixtapes(6 or less songs) rather than as loose singles or expanding and creating a large mixtape/album. I enjoy when artist keeping mixtapes small and avoid putting more songs as a way to bulk up the project as I believe some of the extra songs tend to be unnecessary and not as good quality. Sometimes having lower quality songs on a mixtape can detract from the overall quality and the quality of the best songs. Quality over quantity any day in my opinion.

Will 24hrs continue this trend of releasing four song mixtapes? We have to wait and see what he has in store for us this year as he attempts to make an even bigger name for himself.

Let me know what you think of 24hrs in the comments and enjoy the music!

“The Don” is back and better than ever.

After remaining relatively quiet for the past two years in his solo work since the release of his “Dark Sky Paradise” in February of 2015, “Sean Don” has made big noise since the calendar changed to 2017. In the two years since “Dark Sky Paradise”, Big Sean has released a minimal amount of loose singles but has a collaboration album, “TWENTY88″, with Jhene Aiko whom is currently dating Big Sean. Big Sean may have released more music in 2016 had he not been victim to a burglary in his Los Angeles home in the fall of 2015. While traveling in Dubai, thieves made off with a safe that was filled with jewelry that amounted to about $150,000 and a hard-drive that contained unreleased music of Big Sean’s. This setback appears to have taken about a year of his career from him but his releases and talent have stuttered one bit.

After a patient wait, fans of Big Sean like myself have been treated to some of Big Sean’s best work yet with the release of, “I Decided” on February 3rd. The album is filled with high-profile features Jeremih, Migos, Jhene Aiko, The-Dream, and rap god/ fellow Detroit native Eminem. Fans were surprised on Halloween of last year with the single, “Bounce Back”, which was later revealed to be the lead single for his fourth studio album. Big Sean seems much more inspirational in this work than he has in past projects. According to Big Sean himself, the main concept behind “I Decided”, relates to the idea of rebirth, which is at least partially a result from the burglary but also from inspiration from old Motown artists and their ability to move people to loosen up and have a good time and have people do better by listening to the music.

If you’re someone who enjoys music videos and especially videos with aesthetically pleasing visual effects then the music videos for his songs, “Moves” and “Bounce Back”. I am more partial to the “Moves” video but I enjoy both and think they both are high quality music videos.

If you haven’t listened to the album in its entirety, I highly recommend doing so. I also recommend listening to the album and every album that you like or want to hear, from front to back without skipping from one to the next or shuffling. This is my favorite thing to do especially when a new album first comes out and maybe only once ever for the particular album but it is enjoyable to see how the album progresses and the story that the artist is telling.

If you aren’t the person who enjoys listening to the full album or don’t have the time to do so, then here are several of my personal favorites of this album that I would recommend you listen.

1. “Sacrifices” featuring Migos

2. “No Favors” featuring Eminem

3. “Moves”

4. “Jump Out The Window”

5. “Halfway Off The Balcony”

Enjoy! Let me know what your favorite song or aspect of this album is in the comments!

For someone who doesn’t follow rap/hip-hop on a daily or even weekly basis it is hard to keep up with all of the new music that is released by lesser-known artists. Because of this i want to expose you to some songs that you may have missed and should definitely consider listening to if you haven’t heard yet. Below is a playlist on Spotify that I have personally curated for your listening pleasure. Feel free to subscribe to the playlist if you would like and explore some of my other playlists if you want to discover even more hidden gems that you may have missed.

Several notable albums were released last month, with the most popular being the release of “Culture” from Migos. “Culture” is the second studio album released by the rapper trio and has debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 Top Album sales for the week of February 18th, which knocked off The Weeknd’s “Starboy” after spending nearly two months at the top ranking. Culture has been successful due in large part to the lead single released ahead of the album, “Bad and Boujee” featuring Lil Uzi Vert, which has captivated the rap/hip-hop world and lyrics(“Rain drop, drop top”) that have been transformed into a popular meme. Other songs such as “Slippery”, “Kelly Price”, and “Deadz” all have great flow with notable features; Gucci Mane, Travi$ Scott, and 2 Chainz respectively.

Another album of good quality to be released in the month of January is “GTTM: Going Through the Motions” by PnB Rock. This album was the first studio album released by the Philadelphia native and peaked at #28 on the Billboard 200; peaking at #7 for Rap albums. This album is packed with several notable features: Wiz Khalifa, Ty Dolla $ign, YFN Lucci, and rising rapper A Boogie Wit da Hoodie.

Other notable music in the playlist includes Lil Uzi Vert, Riff Raff ft. Wiz Khalifa, Ty Dolla $ign, Wale ft. Lil Wayne with “Running Back”, J. Cole, and Post Malone.

Enjoy!

Check back next week for more Rap/Hip-Hop content.

Leave a comment below if you think I missed any songs or if you would make any changes to my playlist! I want to know what you think!

This kid is going to blow up this year.

Nav, an up and coming rapper, who is relatively unknown as he has not released any mixtapes or official albums to date but he has plenty that I can really vibe to and I know you would too if you haven’t heard him yet. Like fellow artists Drake, The Weeknd, and PARTYNEXTDOOR; Nav is one of the few notable artists to represent what is known as the “6” a.k.a Toronto, Ontario. Coincidentally, Nav and The Weeknd each have the same manager and it appears that Nav is attempting to do something similar to what the Weeknd had done during his rise to fame. During his rise to fame in 2011, The Weeknd released a mixtape, “House of Balloons”, which put got his name and his sound out there but not his face as he remained unseen while he was coming up. Nav is taking a similar approach as he has made very few appearances in social media while keeping low-key from the Hip-hop community.

Luckily for us fellow hip-hopheads, Nav has at least one project on the way this year.

On December 24 of 2016, well known producer, Metro Boomin’, released a tweet that announced he and Nav would be releasing a collaborative album in the upcoming year of 2017. I believe this will be the album that Nav officially is introduced to the world as he still is relatively unknown to the average person but with working with one of the best producers in the hip-hop/rap industry in “Metro”, he will rise to prominence.

Me and @beatsbynav dropping our collab album 2017.

— Metro Boomin (@MetroBoomin) December 24, 2016

Nav also released a tweet himself on February 8, stating that his first project is finished. It is unclear whether he was referring to the project with Metro Boomin’ or another project altogether.

Project 1 is finished #XO

— Nav (@beatsbynav) February 9, 2017

We will have to wait and see what Nav has in store for us in terms of music releases in what seems to be a year full of potential for the Toronto rapper. In the meantime, here are a few of my personal favorites of Nav that have contributed to his rise to success.

Myself- Nav

Up- Nav

Nothing On Me-Nav

Ten Toes Down- Nav

Other notable features or verses by Nav on songs by other rappers:

Biebs in the Trap- Travi$ Scott ft. Nav

Re Up- Belly ft. Nav

The Live Beat Blog

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Best New Hip-hop/Rap from February 2017

NAV – Nav

My Top 5 songs from Nav

Overall Rating for Nav

4.75/5

HNDRXX- Future

My Top 5 Songs on HNDRXX

My Overall Rating: 4.75/5

FUTURE LP- Future

“You see i made it, you witnessed progression; I was talkin’ like I knew I was destined; I’m a boss and I won’t ever regret it; Whether you like it, you gotta admit it.” – Future on “When I Was Broke”.

My Top 5 songs from FUTURE

Overall Rating: 4/5

Music Videos from FUTURE

24hrs

I Decided

Best Rap/Hip-Hop of January 2017

Nav

Up and Coming Artists

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