jGerson
jGerson: Nas is about to land his sixth number 1 album this week with the critically acclaimed Life Is Good. I personally wanted to hear more joints with legendary producers, but the majority of the album is pretty fly. Tracks like “Cherry Wine” featuring the late Amy Winehouse, “Bye Baby,” and “Daughters” have been in steady rotation in my iTunes, so for that I give Life Is Good the nod for this week’s staff pick. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the Talib Kweli/Curren$y/Kendrick Lamar collaboration “Push Thru.” Everyone brought their A-game on the track and S1 did his thing behind the boards by supplying a chill instrumental that complimented each artist. Also, if you haven’t peeped the latest installment of “The Ill Mind Of Hopsin” you are missing out. I’ve left the video down below so everyone can check it out. If this track/video is any indication of what’s to come, dude has a bright future ahead of him.
Talib Kweli “Push Thru” featuring Curren$y & Kendrick Lamar (prod S1)
J Harmony: This week marked the release of one of this summer’s most anticipated tracks, Rick Ross’ “3 Kings” which features Dr. Dre and Jay-Z. With a title like that, Rozay set the bar pretty high for himself. With all the hype I expected something lifechanging to pour through my speakers. While that didn’t happen, “3 Kings” is definitely a solid track that has grown on me quite a bit since my first time hearing it. Until G.O.O.D. Music’s “Cruel Summer” comes out, Ricky’s got the summer on lock.
Earlier this week, Brooklyn group Phony Ppl released their 7-song EP, nothinG special., which features a dope collaboration with Theophilus London. For those unfamiliar with the group, Phony Ppl consists of numerous musicians, singers, producers, and rappers who fuse hip-hop, jazz, R&B, rock, etc. in their music. They’re definitely worth giving a listen.
Also worth noting is the recent pairing of Tyler, the Creator and chillwave artist, Toro Y Moi. During the week, a rough version of their collaboration, “Hey You,” surfaced on the internet and I must say, it was pretty smooth. It’s good to see Tyler experimenting with different sounds and working with popular cross-genre artists.
Rick Ross “3 Kings” ft Dr. Dre & Jay-Z
Tyler, the Creator & Toro Y Moi “Hey You”
Phony Ppl “morninG after pill.” ft Theophilus London
Serge Fleury: Like I said last week, I’m trying to get back on my movie flow. So this weekend, I went to check out The Dark Knight Rises, and I wasn’t disappointed. Despite the senseless massacre that happened at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado at the hands of James Holmes during a midnight screening of the film, people out here in NYC still came out in bunches to check it out, and I ended up waiting another hour and a half to see it, because it was completely sold out. If it is true that director, Chris Nolan is not making another Batman movie, then this was a good way to end the trilogy that he started. Make sure you go and check it out when you have a chance.
