Common's "Universal Mind Control"

Common's new album Universal Mind Control will be released on December 9th. The album has undergone a few release date changes and it seems that the December date will be the last straw. Common seems to be embarking on a new, creative chapter in his music career, as witnessed with his current single, "Universal Mind Control." The track was produced by The Neptunes and has a techno, dance sound to it. This is not Common's first time experimenting, however, or working with The Neptunes. Remember 2002's Electric Circus album? That was probably Common's most experimental work to date. Back then, he was dating Erykah Badu, which some say influenced his sound on the album. The album sold under 300,000 copies, but it actually received a lot of positive views. On the album, he worked with longtime producer and friend, J Dilla (R.I.P), James Poyser, ?uestlove, and The Neptunes. I am glad to see that he is working with The Neptunes again on the Universal Mind Control album. They actually produced a major chunk of the album! Kanye West also put his magic touch on the album on about two songs, but needless to say, this album screams Neptunes production. Take a look at the tracklisting below:

1. "Announcement" - Featuring Pharrell
Produced by The Neptunes
2. "Universal Mind Control (UMC) - Featuring Pharrell
Produced by The Neptunes
3. "Runaway"-Featuring Santogold
4. "Make My Day"- Featuring Cee-Lo
Produced By Mr. DJ
5. "Punch Drunk Love"- Featuring Kanye West
Produced by Kanye West
6. "Gladiator" - Featuring Pharrell
Produced by The Neptunes
7. "What A World"- Featuring Chester French
Produced by The Neptunes
8. "The Eye"-Featuring Pharrell Williams
9. "Changes"
Produced By Mr. DJ
10. "Party Shit"
11. "Dreaming"
Produced by Alex Kresovich

Indeed, just judging from his current singles, "Announcement" and "Universal Mind Control," Common's sound is far different than the "Common Sense" of the past. Working primarily with the collective known as The Soulquarians, which consist of ?uestlove, Dilla (R.I.P), Q-Tip, Bilal, D-Angelo, James Poyser, Mos Def, etc., he is now toying with different elements now. Do you think this new album will have the outcome that Electric Circus did? Do you think that it will venture too far away from the foundation of Hip-Hop? I believe that the album will be just as good as Electric Circus, but I am undecided on how well it will sell. I definitely think that it will do better than Electric Circus, just judging from the everyone's comments about his single, "Universal Mind Control" even though most people aren't really feeling "Announcement." Honestly, I do not think it will sell that well, but, hey, I could be wrong.

Common's last two albums Be and Finding Forever featured mostly production from Kanye. On this new album, of course Kanye has much of a lesser role. Check out this in-depth interview with Common, which may make it clear to you why he worked with The Neptunes this time around. Common describes the inspiration for this album and talks about what things were like in the studio with The Neptunes. He states that he and Pharrell drew ideas from each other. Check it out though. It's a really good interview and I hope you enjoy it! The video was recorded a little before we found out the new release date for his album. Therefore, when he talks about the album being released in November, the album will actually be released in December now. Before I conclude, I have to say that I do miss Dilla and Common working together. I believe that if he was alive, Common probably would've had his production on this album too. They were actually really close friends and J Dilla loved to be different too and explore with his music production. Like Water For Chocolate is definitely my favorite Common album. R.I.P Dilla aka Jay Dee!!


Common on KUBE 93's Sound Session from DJ Hyphen on Vimeo.

Kanye West - Heartless .. Coldest Winter - YESS!!

Heartless.. I love the song but the music behind it is sub par which is really surprising for Yeezy.. But, I am starting to pick up on the 808 production with heartbreak lyrics hence the title "808's and heartbreaks.."It makes sense hah.. Coldest Winter is jamming!! JAMMING.. love it.. I am definitely liking what I hear so far from this album.

Kanye West - Heartless

Kanye West - Coldest Winter

Kanye West "808's and Heartbreak" rumors from the label

I recently spoke to a Def Jam rep that sat in on a listening session of Kanye's new album 808's and Heartbreaks. He told me that the whole album was filled with auto tune singing and that Kanye continued to describe the album as a mix between Andre 3000's "The Love Below" (a legendary classic of epic proportions) and Common "Electric Circus" (a disappointing album that I thought was wack). I am not sure I understand the connection Ye is trying to make but I am assuming this means his album is Prince inspired which always seems to be a good thing in music. Kanyeezy also stated that 808's and Heartbreaks was something he was inspired to do and that he still plans on releasing a more hip-hop influenced album summer 2009. NO ID is working on this album too with Ye. Are you all ready for some holiday auto tune? Expect this album early December. Above pic = Kanye with No ID

Could Beyonce been influenced by this "walk it out" video

Three dancers all lined up with a simple white background dancing in sync. Don't get me wrong the two videos Beyonce just dropped are probably the dopest videos I've seen all year. This is a pretty funny coincidence though:

Music Is My Business Seeks to Change the Industry...

Check out Aaron Arnold in this segment of Music Is My Business. He is a young enterprenuer who went from interning for Diddy to becoming a CEO of Music Is My Business. With the company, Aaron hopes to change the way that business is handled in the music industry.

Expect Andre's Album Before A New Outkast Album..

Andre 3000 is just one half of the duo that we know as Outkast. In my opinion, he is probably one of the most innovative and creative individuals in Hip-Hop. He is much respected for his lyricism and musical talent. I am sure that many of you are eagerly awaiting his upcoming solo album. There is not much word on the project, but Andre has promised he is in the studio working on the follow-up to The Love Below. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he mentioned:

“It should be dropping by the end of this year or early next year. I’ve pretty much been working with myself. I’ve never really been that big on collaboration. I already have a goal and a direction for the album. I have a concept, and all the soundscapes are already in my head, so I just have to figure out how to get there.”

We can expect the album to drop later on this year or early next year. His partner Big Boi is a little bit further on in the album process. He currently has a single titled, "Royal Flush" ft. Andre and Raekwon. His album Sir Luscious Left Foot...Son of Chico Dusty will be released on October 28th. Unlike the duo's last album effort, their solo albums will be released separately. Don't expect an album from Outkast soon, however. In an earlier interview, Andre stated, "After we do those solo albums, we’re planning on doing another OutKast album. I don’t know how long that’s gonna be; it could be two years."

As for now, it looks like there won't be many collaborations on Dre's upcoming project since he stated that he usually likes to work by himself. He has been featured on a lot of tracks lately ranging from, Rich Boy's "Throw Some D's" (also featuring the Game, Nelly, Murphy Lee and Jim Jones); the latest Devin the Dude single, "What a Job" (also featuring Snoop Dogg); Lloyd's "You" remix (also featuring Nas); and the Outkast cameo on UGK's single. It actually started in October, when he appeared on the remix to DJ Unk's hit single, "Walk It Out" (also featuring Big Boi and Jim Jones). You can also catch him on Big Boi's new single, which I mentioned earlier and John Legend's new single "Green Light." Andre made this statement regarding the song, "It's going to be a surprise for a lot of John Legend fans, because it is a lot more upbeat than John is — than people think John is," Andre insisted. "I was actually happy to hear it. This is a cool John Legend song." I agree that the song is really upbeat and something not typical from John Legend. It's a hot song though! We will keep you informed on any developments on Andre's album, but for right now, there isn't much to tell. He seems to be focused on acting right now. From what I hear, he would love to play Sammy Davis Jr. and Jimi Hendrix, but no decisions have been made on whether he would star in the films.

Jay Z Blueprint 3 is coming! Album info..

As you all know, their will be a Jay Z segment on tonight's show, so with respect, I decided to do a little research on blueprint 3.. From what I hear, the majority of the album is finished. Producers on the album are: Kanye West, No ID (check out his page at www.noidvstraxster.com), and a few others. From what I hear, wether it is Ye's album or Hov I'm not sure but Kanye's new sound has been a lot of dark sounding synths mixed with old school hip-hop breaks and samples. Here is a list I found of the supposed tracks on his album:

01. Wake Up New York (Intro)
02. Most Kings
03. Hades (Lucifer Pt. II)
04. Eternal Jewels (ft. Jay Electronica) [prod. by Jay Electronica]
05. Blueprint 3
06. Lucy (ft. Chris Martin)
07. The Audacity of Dope
08. S.L.U. Pt. 2 (ft. Nas, Andre 3000, and Young Jeezy)
09. Election Night (We believe in Obama)
10. Just Memories
11. Apostate (ft. Eminem) [prod. by Eminem]
12. Oasis
13. My Brothers Keeper (ft. Scarface)
14. Brooklyn Lost
15. Weeds & Concrete
16. Without Rain

Jay says he's "in the zone" with blueprint 3 which is good to hear. I'll definitely be reaching out to NO ID to get his take on this album. He told me all hype aside that American Gangster was a classic and he was right so I'll see what he says about this one.. My only question would be the guest appearances. Don't get me wrong, they all look great but I loved how American Gangster was all Jay with one Beanie verse. Not sure how I feel about Young Jeezy and Chris Martin being on songs but who knows.. If it is hot it is hot.. and those seem to be Kanye's partners so we'll see.. More info coming soon!

New Joint-"Steppin Out Tonight" by Justin Timberlake

Here is a sneak peak of a new song by Justin Timberlake titled, "Steppin' Out Tonight," which is reportedly supposed to be on his upcoming album. I have always liked Justin Timberlake as an artist and even when he was in N Sync because I knew he had talent. I like his work with The Neptunes better, but he is definitely doing his thing. I like what I hear from his new project so far.

Jay Hov Straighten's Out Rumors Regarding DJ Khaled and Fat Joe!

In this video, Jay Z clears up rumors about him, DJ Khaled, and Fat Joe having a beef. He contends there has never been a beef. Check it out...

Stayondeck.com's new direction!!

What's up everyone, we are taking a new direction in the blog posts. Within the next few days we will no longer be a "pop music" news blog. We will change our focus to only good/quality music. We will be spending more time focusing on artists that deserve to be focused on and less time focusing on bubblegum artists that are desperately trying to do anything to make a "hit" with no sense of continuity, creative direction, or inspiration. We will also be trying to bring light to more new artists. We (the world), as a global economy are going into a deep recession and possible depression. Times like this are no time to be promoting "light weight fluff" music. So from now on, we will be devoted only to true artists and people that are taking positive steps in music. Also, we will be expanding the site to not only include rnb and hip-hop artists but various genres of good music. Thanks for reading and get ready for a new stayondeck.com!! Also, make sure you bookmark my personal site thecashmerecartel.blogspot.com.. Thanks and tune in to Spivey's show right here tues @ 8pm!! I'll be there