Grammy award winning singer and songwriter Erykah Badu opened up her bedroom to the world during her ‘Quarantine Concert Series’ on March 24, 2020. Many artists and creators have been crippled by this coronavirus pandemic. Tours have been postponed and public gatherings have been wiped out as a result of social distancing. This new normal has created a new landscape for creatives. Many have taken to social media as a creative outlet and an opportunity to reach their fans directly.
Erykah Badu picked up where DJ D-Nice left off with his set. Badu performed a live show with her band via a livestream. It was an interactive experience that cost one dollar and allowed her supporters to choose the songs she would sing. She went through her catalogue of hits, answered a few questions and provided some background on few of those songs. During the livestream she premiered a new song written by her music director RC Williams called ‘”Vibrate On” Check it out below.
*Correction* – Song is not new, was featured on the show Girlfriends.
What do you think about these shows on social media? Would you pay? Share in the comments below.
The rap wars are back on. Joe Budden a former rapper and and consistent agitator has taken to his new role as a “journalist” like a fish to water. He gave his official hot take on Jay Electronica’s album A Written Testimony and it was not all favorable.
“I hate this album. Fuck y’all talking bout. I hate it.” Budden continues “As a rapper I’m telling you he got smacked around” (by Jay Z) he said
As you know, it doesn’t become a beef until it his twitter. It did and the sparks flew. A fan of Electronica mentioned that Budden had never dropped a classic and that’s where it started.
There is always room for amicable rap beef in Hip-Hop. It would be so much better if the rappers took it to wax. Joe Budden is no longer a rapper so I guess that’s off the table.
Is Joe right about Electronica getting mopped up by Jay-Z? Should Electronica keep responding? Share in the comments below.
Donald Glover at Lollapalooza 2019 (Photo credit: Eddy “Precise” Lamarre)
****STREAM HAS BEEN TAKEN OFF GLOVERS SITE—-STREAM MY MUSIC BELOW*****
Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino aka the guy who acts, sing, writes, and raps just surprised the world with some new music. The 12 song project is untitled with no tracklist. The project was launched at Donald Glover Presents.
“Feels Like Summer” from his film Guava Island featuring Rihanna reappears on this release. Glover also partners up with 21 Savage and Arianna Grande on some solid collaborations. We have yet to see what else come from this. This is perfect quarantine music and we appreciate Donald Glover for breaking the monotony if just for a day or two.
Jay Electronica (Photo source: instagram @jayelectronica)
After 10 years of anticipation Jay Electronica has finally released his debut album, A Written Testimony. The project is touted as his first solo effort, however rap icon JAY-Z joins Electronica on nearly every song. Having your label boss who happens to be one of the worlds best rappers on your album has to be a cheat code. It really doesn’t matter because the chemistry between Electronica and Jay is unforced and natural.
The bulk of the album was produced by Electronica. The minimalist approach Electronica takes fits his delivery and allows his poetic cadence to shine. The other producers included on the release are No I.D., Alchemist, Swizz Beatz, AraabMUZIK, Alchemist, Khruangbin, G. Ry and Hit-Boy
Electronica went into seclusion after signing with Roc Nation in 2010. The anticipation for his album was high but soon took the road of Dr. Dre’s Detox, meaning it probably was never coming. On February 7, 2020 Electronica announced on twitter that his album was finally coming and it would be out “in 40 days”. The anticipation was reset and Jay Electronica’s legend was resurrected.
Lyrically Electronica is as sharp as ever. He explains why it took so long for his debut to come on “Ezekiel’s Wheel” “Sometimes I was held down by the gravity of my pen/Sometimes I was held down by the gravity of my sin/Sometimes like Santiago, in crucial parts of my novel/The only logical option was to transform into the wind”
His verses serves as a look inside the mind of a recluse. The words appear as the spirit of an author who has penned a memoir sharing his most personal thoughts.
The JAY-Z we hear on this album is the one who once rapped on his album Kingdom Come “Truthfully I want to rhyme like Common Sense (But I did five Mil)I ain’t been rhyming like Common since”
JAY-Z is a certified billionaire and we get revolutionary JAY on this project. On “The Ghost Of Soulja Slim” JAY-Z raps “Now here’s some jewelry/No civilization is conquered from the outside/Until it destroys itself from within, pen/Put a pin in that/We’ll come back when I fin/You can’t talk how I talk/‘Cause you ain’t been where I been,Young”
A Written Testimony comes to us as the world struggles with the corona virus pandemic and the United States in the grips of a national emergency. Electronica encapsulates the moment perfectly in one line. “What a time we living in/Just like the scripture says/Earthquakes, fires and plagues, the resurrection of the dead” he raps.
Stand out tracks are “Ghost of Soulja Slim”, “The Neverending Story”, “Ezekiel’s Wheel (feat The Dream) and “A.P.I.D.T.A.”
A Written Testimony is clearly classic material. The only thing that would have added to this project is more Jay electronica. For that reason it gets 4 and a half stars.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
What do you think of A Written Testimony? Was it worth the wait. Share in the comments. Listen to A Written Testimony below.
Da Baby decided to observe International Women’s day by hauling off and slapping a female fan in a club. A video circulating social media shows Da Baby leaving a packed club. On his way out a fan is seen extending a phone towards him with the flash on. The phone appears to touch his face. Da Baby’s immediate reaction was to slap the woman with vicious force and keep walking out the club as if nothing happened.
You can hear the woman scream in the background. You can also hear another woman say ” He slapped the f–k outta her.”
Da Baby recently had charges dropped against him in Miami. He was accused of beating up and robbing a concert promoter. He no stranger to violence. In 2018 the North Carolina rapper shot and killed a man inside of a Walmart while DA Baby was shopping with his family. 19-year-old Jalyn Domonique Craig was killed in the altercation. All charges against Da Baby were dropped.
Another violent situation Da Baby was inviolved in surfaced in 2019. An online troll approached Da Baby in a mall taunting him and ended up on the short end of the stick,
We have yet to see how this most recent altercation will pan out. However; it seems as if violence finds this young man wherever her goes. Maybe it’s time for him to chill on the tour dates for a while.
The inspiration behind Jadakiss’s fifth solo album Ignatius is an emotional one. He created this project to honor his close friend and colleague Ignatius “Icepick Jay” Jackson who passed away in 2017 due to colon cancer. Jackson was instrumental in Jada’s career as well as others such as Eve and Swizz Beatz. Jada created this album as an opportunity to speak his last words to his close friend, his brother.
Ignatius is not the grimy sound many may be looking for. This project is more polished and feels more like something you can ride to rather than ride out to. “Me” is the closest one will get to hearing early 2000 Jada and even then he laments on his friend. “I’m in a group meeting they took Pick from us now it’s just Louch, P and (ME)” That particular song is nostalgic because he raps around the sample and uses it as base of his delivery.
In an interview with The Breakfast Club Jada points to why Ignatius sounds the way it does. “I tried to do a lot of the features that he (Icepick Jay) would always be in my ear (about)” Because of that this 13 track venture features Pusha T, John Legend, Rick Ross, Dej Loaf and Ty Dolla $ign.
Stand out tracks are “Me”, “(NYB) Need Your Best” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, “Kisses to the Sky”featuring Rick Ross and Emanny” “Huntin Season” featuring Pusha T and “Keep it 100”
In 2020 it’s great to hear and inspired and sharp Jada. Ignatius is a solid project. The live instrumentation that was done in post production makes for something more mature and musical.
What do you think of Ignatius? Does Jadakiss still have it? What’s your favorite song? How would you rate this project? Share in the comments below.
J Price has a storied history when it comes to rap music. He is the mastermind behind creating arguably one of the most important rap groups of all time with the Geto Boys. Prince has managed to stay involved in the music industry for decades. J Prince is the reason Drake never responded to Pusha T in the infamous beef between a few years ago. Prince said if Drake would have responded the beef would have escalated.
In 2020 J Prince finds himself in the middle of a contract dispute between Megan the Stallion and her label 1501.
Megan Thee Stallion filed a lawsuit against her record label 1501 Entertainment and its CEO, Carl Crawford,to be released from her contract. Despite earning the label $7 million in revenue, the lawsuit claims the rapper (whose legal name is Megan Pete) has only received $15,000. J Prince is named in the lawsuit and denies that Megan is telling any truth in the matter. He went into detail on Instagram.
G Herbo has delivered one of the strongest sophomore projects in recent time with PTSD. The so-called sophomore jinx does not appear to be an issue for the Chicago rapper. PTSD is the follow up to his 2017 offering Humble Beast. Herbo has come into his own.
Lyrically Herbo maintains his street edge and it’s more polished. He comes right out of the gate blasting. On ‘Intro” Herbo raps “I do it for the haves and the have nots, all he had was a half and a glass pot, gotta race till he the first one with the last rock, every day you see his face just like a mascot, trapping out the Honda, no he never had a stash box, stuck to armed violence, that was at the last spot”
Herbo’s voice and delivery carry the pain and authenticity of someone who has experienced trauma on multiple levels. This vulnerability is most evident on “Gangstas Cry” featuring BJ the Chicago Kid. He laments about losing a friend to the violence that’s had a grip on the city for many years. “I stayed up the longest when my n—- died, I poured up some more so I could stop from crying. Relapsed after quitting like my second time, but I know I wanna numb the pain that’s inside” Herbo raps.
The title track “PTSD” featuring the late Juice Wrld, Chance the Rapper and Lil Uzi Vert is a glimpse inside of the minds of these young stars. The chorus is haunting and emotional. Hearing Juice Wrld sing the chorus sounds like a plea for help ‘I made it on my own, the said I’d be in jail or dead, I’ve seen my brothers fall over and over again. Don’t stand too close to me, I got PTSD”
Herbo’s unguarded approach is what makes this project so relatable. The stand out tracks are “Gangbangin”, “PTSD” “Lawyer Fees” and “Intuition.” Herbo gave us a classic and continues the tradition of Chicago rappers providing substance.
G Herbo cover for rolling out (Cover art by: Lonnie Edwards)
G Herbo is having a great weekend so far. He just released his latest project ‘PTSD’ and made the cover of rolling out magazine. The Chicago rapper has been on the media circuit heavy as of late. He has been promoting his album and speaking as an advocate for mental wellness.
Herbo’s interview with rolling out was insightful and speaks to his growth as an artist and a person. “Coming from where I come from and having my accomplishments [doesn’t] come easy,” he says matter-of-factly. “A lot of people don’t see it. I had to mature and behave a certain way to even get this far. It’s been about me adjusting and maturing.”
His maturity is evident on PTSD and reflected in songs like “Lawyer Fees” featuring Polo G. Herbo takes account for his position in life and how it affects his actions and the relationships around him.
Chas of Rebel Wyld gave an extremely powerful and moving performance of “One Eleven” and “Two Can Win” at Charlie Coffeen Presents Dilla Donuts Orchestra With Special Guests.
Precise 