Common Already Has The Believer in the Works...

Common's upcoming album Universal Mind Control is generating a lot of buzz it seems with the news that The Neptunes were going to produce a majority of the album. Many are comparing UMC to his album Electric Circus, which was Common's most experimental album to date. In working with The Neptunes, Common's aim is to please party-goers so the album will definitely will make you dance. Prior to the release of Universal Mind Control, many of us heard that Common was going to release an album The Believer. Then, we heard that the title of his upcoming album was titled Invicible Summer, which eventually turned out to be Universal Mind Control. Well, according to Common, The Believer will still be released. In fact, it will be the title of his next album and he is already developing plans for the release. In a recent interview with MTV, he stated:

"The Believer is definitely gonna be an album." "It's gonna be the next album. I was ready to make The Believer, then I started working on an EP called Invincible Summer [click to read]. Then I was like, 'OK, Universal Mind Control — that's the name of the single.' Like we said on the song, 'If you wanna dance, let's dance.' That's what that whole concept is like: Whatever you want the people to do, you create the music for them to do it."

I did a little research and actually found a tracklisting for The Believer album. Remember this was supposed to be released before UMC, but Common was inspired to go into a different direction. He made a comment to MTV news basically stating that the current state of the government influenced UMC. He needed to release and just break loose. Anyway, here is the tracklisting:

"Lost Alley (Coltrane's Reprise)"
"The Believer (Feat. The Philadelphia Experiment and Joshua Redman)"
"To Find Mecca is Within... (Feat. C.L. Smooth and Q-Tip)"
"Moonlight (Feat. Christina Aguilera)"
"The Cause"
"Nirvana is in the Blunt"
"Chicago School (Feat. Kanye West, Twista, Do or Die and R. Kelly)"
"Sinewave"
"@1AM (Feat. Roy Hargrove, Nas, Guru, and Greg Osby)"
"Green Room (Freestyle)"
"Empty Threats (Feat. Kool G Rap, Rahzel, Joe Budden and Talib Kweli)"
"Skyline (Feat. Estelle)"
"Stay Good"
"Ghetto Purgatory"
"Diagnosis (Skit)"
"Requiem for a Love"

Just by looking at the tracklisting, I can see that this album would've definitely been one of those classic hip-hop albums that Common is known for. There seems to be a lot of features on the album, primarily from classic hip-hop artists. And it looks like there is a touch of jazz on this album, which is cool. I am looking forward to UMC, but I am already excited about The Believer. I am pretty sure that once it is released, this tracklisting will be a lot different. I am sure there will be a lot of changes.

Kanye West - Robocop

call me crazy but I fuck with this.. the mix is horrible.. I am sure you all will realize it is actually hot once it is mixed for the album.. Apparently Jazz legend Herbie Hancock is supposed to put keys on here too?? so I read here: http://stereogum.com/archives/new-kanye-west-robocop_030481.html

Kanye might be taking rap music to almost a punk rock type lane.. I like it.. haha

Incredible old footage of Pharrell working with Justin Timberlake.. Can't believe they got this on film

This is what a real producer is people.. utilizing everything in the room, keeping it live, creating a vibe, and working WITH the artist.

I knew I recognized the song but listen back.. Pretty big rip here.. Kanye should have just called this a cover song

Tears for Fears - Memories Fade



Kanye West - Coldest Winter



I just don't know how I feel about this.. He basically just covered Tears for Fears and I like there version a lot better.. Kanye's is still jamming but now I just think of this as a cover song..

Has the recession been effecting music?

Lately I've been hearing a lot of people getting mad at records that glorify getting paid because of the state of the economy. All I can say about that is ok, whatever, there have always been songs about getting paid so just don't listen to them if you don't like them. Clearly, the recession so far hasn't had much effect on music. TI just sold 500,000 copies in 1 week which was more than his last album pre recession. Jeezy did 250 his first week. Lil Wayne is almost at 3 million. 2008 has been a huge come back year for hip-hop artists. So my question would be to you: do you think the recession over time will have an effect on the quality of music on mainstream radio? I would hope it would help considering if you're riding around stressed about paying a mortgage and jobless the last thing you should want to hear is crank that spiderman.. But then again, music has a very young consumer base so I guess it will be up to the kids.

See them on Stayondeck before they blow up!

We at Stayondeck love promoting good music. I love this song! Producer Justice(of Phoenix&Justice) produced this song featuring an up and coming talented rapper out of Chicago, Reno Chinati.

Kanye Explains His Experimentation On Album...

Kanye West has always been creative and unique, but he claims that he is taking this to a different level on his upcoming album 808's and Heartbreak, which will be released on November 25th. He recently his experimentation in a recent radio interview. He stated:

"People heard "Heartless" and thought it was safe. They were like, 'Kanye's over here. It's all good now.' As you see, nobody's safe. I'm coming for the spot. It's a lot of people with number one spots right now, and I'm coming back for my spot. I'm not really playing right now. I think people might have thought I was playing games or just doing something real Avant-garde. But I'm coming to make the best music I can possibly make."

I can always respect an artist that is trying to be different and experiment. Everything is so saturated right now in the music industry and a lot of stuff sounds the same. I think a lot of people will embrace Kanye's newest project. In my honest opinion, I don't really think that Kanye has ever stuck to industry standards anyway. If you haven't seen the radio interview, feel free to check it out below:


Kanye West visits Big Boy's Neighborhood from qdeezy on Vimeo.

M.I.A Talks About Being Labeled A Terrorist, The Success of "Paper Planes," Retirement, and More!

M.I.A is a terrific Hip-Hop artist coming out of the U.K. She first came on the scene with her single, "Galang," which was pretty much an international success. From that point on, she has spawned two albums, Arular and Kala. M.I.A music evokes a lot of her experiences growing up in Sri Lanka and eventually moving to the U.K. In addition, her music has a deep political basis as well. Many of you have probably heard her international hit "Paper Planes" from her album Kala, which was released in 2007. The track is dope and has a hot beat. Kala is a really good album and "Paper Planes" gained a lot of attention from fellow musicians to polical organizations. First the video and song for "Paper Planes" was attacked because of the gunshots featured in the song and the use of the word "murder" and bombs. She has also been labeled a terrorist because some have eluded that she was talking about the Liberation Tiger Tamils of Eelam (LTTE), a Sri Lankan terrorist group that has been feared by the United States govenrment and other countries as well. M.I.A describes the accusations as "hurtful" and denies any of the reports. Either way it goes, she is getting widespread notariety and her single "Paper Planes" has recently been featured in the film Pineapple Express. She is currently taking a break from music at the moment as a means, in my opinion, to prepare for motherhood, but reports have reported that she is working on a third album. Check out this in-depth interview, which was conducted only a few days ago. It's really good.

Interview Part 1:



Interview Park 2:

Beyonce's New Album I Am

This is the official album cover for Beyonce's upcoming, double-disc album I Am. The first disc will be titled, I Am and will showcase the emotional-side of the star. Therefore, expect to hear ballads, and more ballads. I am loving her new song, "If I Were A Boy," better than her other single, "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)." The second disc titled, Sasha Fierce, will introduce us to her alter ego. Sasha Fierce will make you want to get on the dance-floor and feature up-tempo tracks. Check out the tracklisting below:

I Am... Beyoncé

"If I Were a Boy" (BC Jean, Toby Gad)
"Halo" (Knowles, Tedder)
"Disappear" (Knowles, Ghost, Dave McCracken, Dench)
"Broken-Hearted Girl" (Knowles, Eriksen, Hermansen)
"Ave Maria" (Knowles, Eriksen, Hermansen)
"Smash Into You" (Knowles, Stewart, Nash)
"Satellites" (Knowles, Ghost, McCracken, Dench)
"That's Why You're Beautiful" (Knowles, Andrew Hey)

I Am... Sasha Fierce

"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Knowles, Stewart, Nash)
"Radio" (Knowles, Jonsin, Love, D-Town)
"Diva" (Knowles, Crawford, Garrett)
"Sweet Dreams" (Knowles, Jonsin, Love, Wilkins)
"Video Phone" (Knowles, Crawford, Garrett)
"Hello" (Knowles, REO)
"Ego" (Knowles, Elvis Williams, Harold Lilly)
"Scared of Lonely" (Cristyle Johnson, Jerkins)
"Why Don't You Love Me?" (Knowles, Knowles, Caine)

From what I have researched, the title to the second disc is not set in stone. Apparently, there is a contest going on for listeners to guess who this Sasha Fierce person is. Most people are guessing that it is Beyonce. It seems pretty much obvious right? I do not really understand what this contest is about, but you can actually participate here and it is sponsored through myspace too.

The CD will include a lot of perks for those who opt to purchase the Deluxe Edition, such as a DVD and extra songs. Her father Matthew Knowles recently unveiled that each disc will be sold seperately for those trying to pinch some pennies. In Scratch Magazine, Timbaland stated that he would be producing most of the tracks on the disc, so I am curious about that statement. The tracklisting that is floating around presently does not include Timbaland's name on any of the tracks. It is hard for me to believe that no Timbaland tracks will be on the album, but this is what I have so far regarding producers. Beyonce did state, earlier this year, that she has recorded over 70 songs so there could've been a lot of changes from that period. Also, there seems to be an absence of features on the album. Kanye and Justin Timberlake were supposed to be on the album, but it looks like they are absent as well. Stayondeck.com will definitely keep you updated on any changes that develop with the album.

Stayondeck is taking a "fundamentally new direction"

If you haven't picked up already, we have changed our focus from an up to date pop blog to an in depth music analysis and behind the scenes info of our favorite artists. We no longer will be following cookie cutter music. Stayondeck will no longer bring you news on artists because of what they wear or who they are signed to. From now on we will only talk about the artists for their music. Why? because I am a grown ass man and I have a brain. There is still a lot of great music in the world and that's what we are here to focus on. We'll be following upcoming releases from Jay Z, Common, Kanye, Andre 3000, Dr Dre, etc. We will also not just be focusing on urban music.. Thanks for reading! also check out my personal blog: thecashmerecartel.blogspot.com