This joint is growing on me more and more. I'm getting some hope about this Ciara album. When I heard "High Price" and "Go Girl," I figured that her upcoming album Fantasy Ride wasn't going to be good. This single definitely has promise. The track was produced by hit-making producer Polow Da Don and features Young Jeezy. It's good to see Ciara getting back on track..
I am a big M.I.A fan and here she is with ex-B.E.T alum Tavis Smiley on his late night PBS Show. Ms. M.I.A. is up for a Grammy folks, which will take place on February 8, 2009. And guest what? The baby is due on Grammy night too!! LOL!! Her hit song, "Paper Planes" is up for Record of the Year. I'm pretty sure you recognize her on the hit "Swagga Like Us" with Kanye, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, and T.I. Too bad she won't be able to preform the song with the rappers on Grammy night. That would've been awesome to see...Congrats to M.I.A! Check out Part 1 and 2 of the interview below:
Nice grown and sexy record.. Has that Miami sound with a classic hip-hop feel. I hope this record does well. I think people are going to have to step up the music in this economy. I really respect dropping a record like this right now considering most rappers would just get a song with T Pain or Dream on the hook and throw lil wayne on there as a feature. Ross just came with a hot record.
Rick Ross - Magnificent feat. John Legend
Jazmine Sullivan - Lions, Tigers & Bears
I had to post Jazmine's new video because I love this song. Her album Fearless was one of my favorites last year and I am so happy she got nominated for some Grammy's. I hope she at least takes a few of them home on February 8, 2009. After all, she did get 5 nominations. Get 'em girl!
It seems that The Dream and Kanye may be working on an album. The Dream is going to release two albums this year titled, Love vs. Money and Love King. So after those albums are released, he and Kanye are supposed to get in the studio to record an album together. Kanye has a track on The Dream's upcoming album titled, "Walking on the Moon." I am definitely interested in seeing what the collaboration sounds like. It should be hot. The Dream will also be working with Mariah Carey on her next album. In the videos below, The Dream has high remarks for the songstress and Kanye as well. You can check out the full interview with The Dream on SkeeTV below:
Okay, so T-Pain is using it, Lil Wayne's using it, Kanye's using it, R. Kelly's using it and, now Diddy's about to drown us in an album full of Auto-Tune. God help us all! This Auto-Tune thing is going to give me a headache seriously! LOL!!
I found a list detailing some of the Most Anticipated Hip-Hop Albums in 2009. It looks like Outkast, Lupe, Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, and Eminem all fall within the top five albums to be released this year. It looks like a lot of people are set to drop projects in 2009. Some of my personal favorites on the list includes, The Clipse, Mos Def, Busta Rhymes, Saigon, Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, Outkast, Lupe Fiasco, and Kanye. It's going to be interesting to see how the year unfolds. Make sure you check out the full list below:
The Most Anticipated Hip-Hop Albums of 2009
Watching that Solange video made me want to reminisce on some Coldplay. This is one of my favorite songs by the group ever. This song was included on their album, A Rush of Blood to the Head. Still to this day, I listen to that album, especially when I just want to clear my head. "Clocks" is just one of those classic, beautiful songs with a great melody. I love it...
Here's some footage of Solange of Yahoo Music performing one of her favorite songs "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay and the performance is not bad. It would be unfair to compare to the original, but I just want to say that Solange is slept on forreal. Her album last year was very good. If you haven't picked up Sol Angel and the Hadley Street Dreams, then you should! That album is one of the best albums I heard in 2008. It was creative and artistic. At first I shunned the album because of her attitude towards her sister and I'm sure many of you did too. When I finally paid attention to it, I had to give the girl some props for making a good, cohesive album, in which she really put some thought into. I really respect her artistic integrity and I am definitely a fan. Forreals though; check out that album. I didn't intend to do a mini album review, but man that CD is good. LOL!!
So the other day I mentioned that Lil Wayne would be debuting a new track titled, "Prom Queen." Well, lo and behold, here it is:
"Prom Queen" by Lil Wayne
I am eager to know what everyone thinks about this. I mean, does Lil Wayne and Rock mix well?
Damn Youtube won't let me embed but this is an all time classic -- Hey Young World Click
and..
Well, I just read an article on Billboard.com regarding Lil Wayne's upcoming album. According to the site, Lil Wayne's next album will be titled Rebirth. Many of us thought his next album would be apart of Tha Carter series, but it looks like that is not true. This new album will have no relation to Tha Carter albums and it will be rock-influenced this time around.
Actually, I am not surprised by the news due to his recent collaboration with Kevin Rudolph and his new love for the guitar. The album has a release date of April 7th, which surprises me somewhat. If anything, I thought we wouldn't hear another Weezy album until later this year.
His new single will be released tomorrow via his myspace page. The track is produced by Tha Bizness and is titled, "Prom Queen." I haven't listened to it yet, but it supposedly has leaked over the internet already. His show in San Diego will also appear on myspace via live stream tomorrow as well.
I had a discussion about Lil Wayne with one of my friends last week and they believe that Lil Wayne isn't going to do as well in 2009 as he did in 2008. Uh.....well, I do not know if that's true or not. Wayne is going to have a lot of competition this year on the charts with the likes of Eminem, Dre, Jay-Z, possibly Outkast, and 50 to name a few. I've heard that a lot of people have been getting tired of hearing Lil Wayne whining and singing on everything, but I'm going to have to hear this new track to give my final take on the matter. Initially, I will say that he's still hot right now and with this new experimentation that he's doing, he's reaching out to a wider audience, which translates into dollar signs. My gut is telling me that regardless of whether you love him or hate him, Weezy is still going to do damage to the charts this year, but that's just my opinion. The question of who will come out on top in 2009 remains to be seen, however.
The New John Legend single.. Video coming soon! I love this song. Real genuine good music, Shout out Scar for penning this one!
Get a chance to check out new upcoming artists in the industry through their weekly grind and ups and downs! Right here on stayondeck.com starting at the beginning of Feb. If you are a new artist submit music to stayondeck@gmail.com for info on how to get more exposure.
This is too funny.. The irony in this too much.. Are they really calling Jeezy and Jay Z racists? I am glad they brought in "syndicated columnist Michelle Malcom for the expert commentary on this (who the fuck is that???) haha.." I love how Society blames Hip-Hop for everything negative. We have free porn everywhere on the internet, movies are filled with violence and obscenities, we export labor to slave factories in third world countries, and out of all those things Fox news wants to do a segment attributing Jay Z and Jeezy for corrupting the youth because someone caught them on camera drunk at an event?? As if they are the only one's saying fuck Bush and campaigning against the war? The irony in targeting hip-hop is that it is one of the true Black American owned enterprises. So by two fox news columnist pointing the finger at "the rappers," they are just adding on to the racism that has existed for years against hip-hop.. Although some how they feel like if they are accusing Jeezy and Jay Z(one of the most conscious rappers of all time) of being racist and out of line that they can get away with it.. This is some horrible propaganda by Fox.
I must admit I was a little skeptical about this D'Angelo album thinking it probably won't come out this year. However, now I am a believer since the "Purple One" or Prince, is now in the studio with D'Angelo. Recently, D'Angelo's new album got the title James River and yes Prince will be on the album. I am definitely excited about it. Reportedly, Raphael Saadiq, Mark Ronson, who is one of my favorite producers, Roy Hargrove, and Gnarls Barkley, will make appearances on the release. Things have become further apparent that this project will be released from his recent collaboration on Q-Tip's The Renaissance with the track "Believe." I would also love to get my hand on some tickets for his official summer tour. And there is no doubt in my mind that he will deliver another hot album, but I think his biggest task will be getting in shape. Check him out back in 2007 below: 
I am sure it will take a lot of work, but I'm sure he will get in shape just in time for his Summer tour.
Check out this throwback footage of Just Blaze in the studio creating "Show Me What You Got" by Jay-Z. Just Blaze is definitely one of the best in the game.
Eminem is making one of the most anticipated albums this year and it looks like we could hear it soon. Recently, 50 Cent stated that Relapse is almost finished and there will be an announcement soon. 50 notes that the news was confirmed when he was recently in Detroit mixing his single "I Get It In."
The album is in the mixing phase right now and I am just wondering if we will hear the album next month? Appearances on this album are not totally clear at this time, but it looks like 50 is definitely going to be on the album. Dr. Dre of course will be on the album, as well as Jay-Z and T.I. It will be interesting to see who all will appear on the album once it's said and done.
Will Relapse impact the Billboard charts with a big bang? I believe that it will. Eminem has that universal appeal and usually sells a lot of records. The lead single to the album is unclear at this time. Some believe that it may be "Crack A Bottle," but since the track leaked, it's definitely not set in stone. Interestingly though, a mixed and final version of the track was recently released on January 6, 2009.
The next couple of week's will clearly be interesting. Hopefully, Eminem's album doesn't get pushed back until the end of the year. I've read some Dre interviews and it seems that he's been totally focused on Eminem's album; even putting it before his own. Dr. Dre even says that Eminem's album is reason why we haven't seen Detox thus far. That alone is a good sign that we will hear something from Slim Shady soon.
Jay-Z My President is black Remix LIVE 1-18-09 from pleasedontstare on Vimeo
Hov jamming
Jonathan Davis live Studio Cam
Q-TIP - New Music Video - Man Woman Boogie
New Q Tip - Man Woman Boogie!
Big Sean is living his dream right now. He's the newest addition to Kanye's G.O.O.D Music label. Fresh out of Detroit, this MC is preparing to release his debut album Finally Famous this Spring. The album will feature Kanye, of course, Pharrell, The Dream, and more. In this video, Big Sean explains how he was discovered by Kanye and urges aspiring artists, musicians, producers, etc., to dream big and make it happen. I found this video on Youtube and I hope it gives you inspiration to keep grinding all the way to the top. He's got a mixtape floating around titled, "Finally Famous: The Mixtape," which is actually split up in two volumes.
Big is one of the greatest of all time.. My all time favorite mc list:
1) pac 2) rakim 3) Jay Z 4) dre 3000 5) Chuck D 6) Ice cube 7) Biggie
Since the movie "Notorious" premiered today, I wanted to post some classic Biggie joints to celebrate his life and legacy. I remember when "Juicy" came out, I knew that song line for line. LOL!! That song is just classic. B.I.G, Puffy, and Mase appeared on the song "Mo Money Mo Problems," while Kelly Price can be heard on the background vocals. That video really makes me miss the 90's. Enjoy the videos and celebrate a legend who will always be remembered. I wonder if we will see a Tupac movie next. I'm pretty sure that if it's not in the production phase that it will be soon...
The Dream's upcoming album has a new release date. The album will now be released on March 3rd. It was previously scheduled for release on February 17th. According to reports, his new single will be "My Love," which features Mariah Carey. The single will impact radio next month. The Dream is proving himself to be a talented songwriter and is crafting hits for what it seems to be everybody nowadays.
I am on something new in 09. Every time I post a song on stayondeck it will jam period. Nothing wack from me on here! A little throwback classic for you all quiet viewers that never reveal yourselves haha. Do yourself a favor- when you go out this weekend make sure you drop this hip-hop classic to your playlist:
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Maestro is a talented up and coming producer in the Atlanta area recently nominated for a Grammy for his work on the Carter 3.. His song 3 peat was one of the hardest on the album. All producers reading, make sure you check out his blog because he is always keeping the updates on technology, drum sounds, new plug ins, etc.
Check it out here: Maestro's blog
Yes! He's now guilty of getting those parties started and getting people tipsy off that alcohol. Jamie Foxx released his album Intuition at the end of 2008 and now he's ready to kick off the New Year with a new joint. The R&B singer is getting ready to release his new single "Blame It," which features the Auto-Tune King T-Pain. This will be the second single from his almost certified Gold album. This jam is definitely going to be heard at clubs and house parties everywhere. Every time that I talk about Jamie Foxx's album to anyone, they always mention "Blame It" as being their favorite song. It's definitely catchy. Get ready for the single to impact mainstream radio January 26th and it also will be accompanied by a video in February.
Okay, so most of you that read this blog religiously should pretty much know that I'm a die hard Pharrell/Neptunes fan. LOL!!! With that being said, Pharrell is currently in the studio with Usher. Hopefully, making a better album this time around. Usher's Here I Stand was a disappointment to me last year, but that is just my opinion. I liked some tracks on the album, however, namely "Love In This Club." There is no word on how many tracks Pharrell will be contributing to Usher's future release, but hopefully we will hear the tracks that they are working on when the album comes out. Usher's album is set for release sometime at the end of this year, but no official release date has been set. Also, Usher is currently in talks with Ne-Yo about appearing on the album and also Maroon 5's Adam Levine is also in the studio with Usher as well.
Now why is Usher releasing another album so soon? Well, it appears that Usher is disappointed with how his last album did commercially, so he is now back in the booth to make things right. Regardless of how disappointed he is, the album has sold about 2 million copies worldwide, but didn't do as well as Kanye, Lil Wayne, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, T.I. etc, during the first week.
There are new developments from Ciara. Apparently, her upcoming album Fantasy Ride will now be released in April, which is a good month. Why? Because my birthday's in that month. Haha!! Anyway, the album will have some appearances from Missy Elliot, Polow Da Don, Danja, Rodney Jenkins, Justin Timberlake, Ludacris, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and possibly more. There is a new track from Ciara floating around featuring Chris Brown, which may appear on the album. And of course, her new track "Never Ever" features Young Jeezy. The singer recently warned fans to beware of a few surprises on the album. I wonder what they are. I hope the album is going to be good. I wasn't happy with "High Price" or "Go Girl," but her new joint featuring Jeezy is definitely better.
Click below to hear a new song from The Dream featuring Mariah Carey titled, "My Love." The song will appear on his upcoming album Love vs. Money, which will be released on February 17th. I am sure the album will be hot. The Dream is definitely a dope songwriter and this is a nice track. Anyway, here's the track below:
"My Love"
Check out this Jazmine Sullivan performance on the Late Late Show. Girlie can blow!!! She released one of my favorite albums in 2008 and is up for five grammy nominations this year. I hope she wins something because she is truly talented. I am so happy for her! She killed this performance too...
Ahhhhh great! This is just what we need; another excuse for Dre to prolong that Detox album!!! Apparently, The Doc is infuriated because one of his tracks featuring R. Kelly, Bishop Lamont, and 50 Cent was leaked on the internet. The track is titled, "Could Have Been You" and was destined for Detox. According to Dre's camp, the song wasn't mixed or mastered yet so I definitely can't blame the producer for being upset, especially if it wasn't finished yet. Many of the websites that previously posted the song, have taken it down.
From what I have heard, Detox was supposed to come out this year. I hope this incident doesn't delay things even more. I know one thing however, we are all eager for that album to drop. I hope that it's worth the wait...
I have been hearing a lot about this new emcee Asher Roth being the next Eminem. Honestly, this is the first time that I've checked him out. He is supposed to have great lyrical skills and is shrouded in a lot of hype. Many say that he's a breath of fresh air in the Hip-Hop community and will target a new audience. Do you see what all the hype is about? Are you an Asher Roth fan?
Well, a lot of Jay-Z fans were eagerly awaiting Blueprint 3 in 2008, only to hear that it will not be released until 2009. As of yet, the album is supposed to be released next month. However, there is not a set date at this time, which makes me skeptical that we will hear it in February. Kanye is supposed to be producing most of the album. Last year, Timbaland stated that he was going to produce a majority of the album. However, those rumors were squashed when Kanye stated that he would, in fact, be producing the album at the Glow in the Dark Tour. Kanye even flew to Germany where he gave Jay-Z about 15 tracks. After that, most of the album was finished in Hawaii. So far there are a few tracks confirmed for the album. The track-listing includes these following songs at the moment:
Jockin' JAY-Z" Kanye West
"Haters"[15] Kanye West
"Swagga Like Us" Kanye West, Lil Wayne, & T.I.
"Swagga Like Us Pt. 2" André 3000, Young Jeezy & Nas
"History" Tony Williams
"Brooklyn Go Hard" Santogold
I am wondering if we will hear some Timbaland tracks on the album, even though Kanye is producing most of it. Also, I wonder if Kanye's tracks will reflect his new sound that we heard on 808's and Heartbreak or will we see the old Kanye. So far, the tracks that I've heard from Kanye reflects his old sound, but there are still many tracks that we still haven't heard.
AllHipHop.com has received an exclusive report that Atlanta-based producer Jermaine Dupri’s tenure as President of Island Records Urban Music has come to an end. A formal announcement of his departure from the position, which he has held for nearly two years, may come as early as Thursday (Jan 8).
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source close to the situation confirmed to AllHipHop.com that Dupri has in fact been terminated effective immediately.
The Island Records Urban Division was created within the Island Def Jam Music Group a short time prior to Dupri’s hiring in February 2007. In the position, he oversaw the label’s entire urban music operations, reporting directly to label Chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Steve Bartells, President of Island Music and COO of the Island Def Jam Music Group.
Having enjoyed tremendous success with Island Records songbird Mariah Carey on The Emancipation of Mimi, Dupri’s duties also included providing production for the Music Group’s entire roster.
In April 2008, Island/Def Jam announced the creation of TAG Records, a new venture with Procter & Gamble’s TAG brand to be helmed by Dupri. The partnership created a new marketing module that allowed for new talent, like So So Def/TAG artist Q, to be cross-promoted in conjunction with TAG body sprays through print, television, radio, and digital advertising.
No word on how Dupri’s departure will affect TAG Records, nor the roster of artists on So So Def, which has been distributed through Island Urban since 2007.
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I can't say this is a shock. However, JD is a GREAT producer! He has just had a cold streak lately and none of the artists he brought to Def Jame materialized. I am not sure what this means for: Jagged Edge, Q tha kid, Johnta Austin or any other act affiliated with JD. What's the next move for JD? Will another label take him on as an executive? I would think you'd almost have to give a guy like him at least a production/distribution deal with a label but maybe not in this economy and state of music..
It seems like there are a lot of little trendy producers around Atlanta right now but really, most of them are sounding the same to me. My friend Scar played me some stuff he's been working on with Malay (producer for John Legend "Green Light") and I was really impressed. Check out this article on Malay. His music definitely a breath of fresh air:
Ok Playa Kp and Malay article
I definitely didn't write these lyrics haha..
- produced by bill jabr
I have a little cameo in here around 4:41 haha.. shout out to Prowlaman.. His videos are hilarious check out his youtube channel.
so the new Mac book has no keyboard.. I am confused.. what next a stereo with no speakers? haha, since Mac is the music producer's computer check it out:
Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard
For those producers out there, here's a Polow Da Don interview with Open Labs. The footage is outdated as it was recorded back in 2007. In the interview, he talks about the recording process, equipment, and more. Check it out! He's definitely one of the hottest and most in demand producers in the game right now. Some call him the next Timbaland. What do you think?
Okay, here's a new one from Ciara titled "Never Ever" ft. Young Jeezy. Now, you may ask how do I feel about this one? Well, the jury is still out on how I feel. However, I can definitely say that it's better than "Go Girl." I think most people were probably expecting Ciara to make us dance again, but she switched things up a little with this one. I like the song better when Jeezy's verse kicks in, but this is indeed an improvement! I was caught off guard when I heard the hook at first. I was like, "Ahhh lawd. She's trying to remake a classic with Simply Redd's song, "If You Don't Know Me By Now." LOL!!! But I can't tell you right now if I love this or hate this. All I can say that this is an improvement...It is growing on me the more that I hear it. What do you think? Does Super C have a chance with this joint? Look out for her album Fantasy Ride during Spring 2009!
"Never Ever" by Ciara ft. Young Jeezy
Check out the colorful new video from T-Tain ft. Chris Brown titled "Freeze." The song is featured on T-Pain album Thr33 Ringz. As of yet, the album has sold about 279,000 copies. Maybe it's just me, but I am actually surprised the album hasn't sold more. I mean, his last album Epiphany sold over 1, 200,000 copies and he's featured on any and everybody's songs nowadays. However, it was only released a few months ago so maybe it will get close to being Gold or go a little bit over that mark. Do you think the public is getting a little tired of T-Pain?
Check out this Lil Wayne interview with RWD Magazine. In the interview, he speaks on various topics ranging from the election, drugs, etc. I wonder what Weezy has up his sleeves in 2009. Again, Happy New Year everyone!
Here is No Id's original blog: click here
and here is my theory.. is hip-hop dead?
In my opinion, no music ever dies. I just think that every form of music has different artistic peaks. If we look at all the major forms of music in American culture that have been in the pop realm from Blues, to Jazz, to Rock N Roll, to Hip-hop etc. Each form of music experienced a time period when it peaked.. this is not to say that it is dead or won't be revived at some point but I think music definitely goes through artistic bursts as does culture.. The reality of the situation is hip-hop has potentially seen a peak in the pop realm as did Jazz in the 30's and 40's.. Rock n Roll in the 50's and 60's, Funk in the 70's, and hip hop in the 80s and 90s.. Elements of hip-hop will never die in music: dance, dj, graffiti etc. I feel like artistic movements are pure in their early stages where people are involved in something because it is the art that attracts them not just the money or the lifestyle. I definitely believe that there are people still like that but what happens is that the music gets over saturated with trendiness and people get involved for the fame and money before they get involved with passion. I was 10 years old when Common Resurrection came out.. too young to know about it at the time so I am definitely not an old school bitter hip-hop head.. I just recognize classic music and that is a classic album.. As we are nearing another decade I can say that most of the best (not my personal favorite) but the most historically impactful and significant hip-hop albums are from the 80's and 90's.. Not to discount Outkast, Jay, Kanye, Beenie, Dr Dre or anyone that has dropped a bona fide classic hip-hop album in the 2000's but almost all the hip-hop artists (minus the few that we know- kanye etc.) were a continuation of the previous generation.. Hip-Hop isn't dead but it is safe to say we've heard it's better days in the pop realm. My favorite hip-hop artists still doing it - Andre 3000, Kanye, Jay Z..
Soundscan reports that Lil Wayne sold the most records in 2008. His album Tha Carter III sold 2.8 million copies. However, this is the first time that the top selling album of the year has sold under 3 million. Wayne even beat out Coldplay, Kid Rock, Taylor Swift, and AC/DC in 2008.
Beyonce has sold about 1.5 copies of her album I Am...Sasha Fierce, even beating out Mariah Carey, Usher, Ne-Yo, who released their albums earlier during the year. I really wonder if Beyonce would've released her album earlier, if she would've taken that top spot? It's hard to say if she would've been able to pull it off or not, but she definitely wouldn't have fallen too far behind Lil Wayne. If you really think about it, her album was just released in November and is already over that platinum mark so she's doing pretty good. On the hand, Wayne did sell a million records during his debut week and Beyonce sold about 500,000 copies. I think that's a good indicator of what would've happened in that instance. T.I. even had a good year with his album Paper Trail and a top single at that with "Live Your Life" ft. Rihanna.
Some of you may ask what's up with Lil Wayne in 2009? It seems that he has plans to release Tha Carter III: The Rebirth this year. In an interview last year with MTV, Lil Wayne stated: "We want Carter IV to be what everybody wants it to be. This is something brand-new, so we don't want it to be some experimental thing, 'cause some people are not gonna like this. I don't want them to not like Tha Carter IV. But I do have an album coming soon, very soon, and it's gonna be called ... Tha Carter III: The Rebirth. The birth of a new beginning."
There are talks that Pharrell, DJ Nasty, Play-N-SKillz, Cool and Dre, and Street Runner are lined up for the project. In addition, Ludacris is rumored to be appearing on the album. There were talks that Lil Wayne was also going to release an album with T-Pain this year, but I am not sure if that's still going happen or not. The duo was supposed to call themselves T-Wayne and record the album, but talks about that album has died down so I am not sure if that project will become a reality. Either way it goes, Lil Wayne definitely did damage in 2008 and I am wondering if he can pull it off again with his next album. I guess we will have to see.
What do you think?
