It's been another interesting week in the hip-hop world. AZ announced his plans for a re-release of his critically acclaimed debut album, Doe or Die. You can see my review for Doe or Die right here. In other hip-hop news, Diddy claimed that he "never cheated his artists out of money" on his Bad Boy Records label, while Jay-Z and Eminem announced their plans to do multiple concerts together, starting September 2nd at Comerica Park in Detroit. Hova made other news, as he and fellow Roc-a-Fella artist, Kanye West, released their intentions to make a five-song EP together called Watch the Throne. Last week, West said that he'd be starting "good Friday" series in which he would release a new single every Friday. Watch the Throne will be the collection of the five singles Mr. West and Jigga release, but no release date for the EP has been given as of today.
Finally, Young Money made news once again, and for ridiculous reasons. According to Twitter, artists Drake and Nicki Minaj "tied the knot" on Friday, meaning that they had been married. Speculation between the two artists relationship had existed since Drake had mentioned Nicki on his song "Miss Me ft. Lil Wayne" where he was quoted as saying, "I love Nicki Minaj, I told her I’d admit it / I hope one day we get married just to say we fuckin' did it / And girl I’m fucking serious I’m with it if you with it / 'Cause your verses turn me on and your pants are mighty fitted." Turns out that Drizzy and Minaj were just playing a four month late April Fools as Minaj tweeted on Sunday that their marriage "had been annulled and they would maintain joint custody." Also, Young Money's CEO, Lil Wayne, let leak that his sequel to Tha Carter III, Tha Carter IV, could be released on November 5th, the day he's released from Ricker's Island. With the constant delays in artist's albums today however, (just ask Lupe or Kanye), it's likely this won't be the case.
OK, so now that I got that Young Money bullshit out of the way, time for this week's Sizzlin Sounds. . .
Just missed the cut: "I Do" - Andre 3000
It's surprising to me that Andre, who many argue is OutKast's better half, hasn't really given us much detail about his upcoming solo album. Big Boi mentioned in an interview with HipHopDX.com back in May that Andre had been working on his album, but wanted no one but himself and close friends to hear material. This single is supposedly his first released as a solo artist, not including The Love Below, and it's been getting more and more attention by the week. It sounds reminiscent of an OutKast track, which is good for Mr. 3000, but it's a little too short.
5. "The Blow Up" - J. Cole
Last week I had "It Won't Be Long" on this list, and I probably forgot to include this one. It's another decent track from the up and coming artist hailing from North Carolina. He talks about, you guessed it, blowing up in the rap game.
4. "Oh Yeah" - Diggy ft. Lupe Fiasco & Pharrell
Diggy, for those of you who don't know (which is most of the world I'd think), is the son of Joseph Simmons and also signed a major deal with Atlantic Records earlier this year. Joseph Simons was part of Run DMC, possibly the greatest hip-hop group EVER. Diggy is actually quiet on this song and pretty much lets Lupe steal the show. However, his verse isn't bad and although the beat is whack, it's a baby step for the 15 year-old MC.
3. "Mr. Rager" - Kid CuDi [prod. by Kanye West]
I'm no CuDi hater, in fact I think he brings a great style to hip hop that makes him unique, but this song is not his best. It's getting mad play though, probably due to the fantastic beat by West. Would've liked to have seen more actual rapping than a constant repeat of "Mr. Rager, tell me where you're going."
2. "F**k You Freestyle" - Cee-Lo ft. 50 Cent
Now THIS is a track you'll want to put into your rotation immediately. 50 drops an OK first verse, (which is actually pretty good for 50), but Cee-Lo's chorus is worth a listen just itself. If you're pissed at someone, this would be a great remedy.
1. "Monster" - Kanye West ft. Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, & Bon Iver
May as well just reserve this spot each week for Kanye's newest single, because it is guaranteed to get mad airplay in the next week. I'm not as big a fan of this, especially since the beat is pretty damn weak. Actually, it's not weak, it's terrible. West's verse isn't bad though, and it is worth a listen. Stick to "Power Remix" for much, much better West.
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