SEARCH FOR: LIL WAYNE

When talking about some iconic names in the world of Rap music, there’s never a discussion that ends without Eminem’s name being mentioned towards the top. He’s clearly a superstar in every single sense of the word and although some people may claim to lean towards his more classic offerings, there’s absolutely no denying that he hasn’t lost his skills or drive whatsoever. As for Kid Cudi, my personal favorite artist, I could go on for days describing my admiration for his music and stylistic choices over the years. Almost everything I’d say would most likely be something that someone else has said before because he’s been talked about so much, so I feel as if I should just get right into this super duo’s brand-new collaborative song entitled “The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady”. As the beat begins, there is a mysterious aura that takes over the speakers with tiptoeing synths and the tempo of the track is a bit swifter than expected, which seems to add some determination to the offering. When the drums come in, they almost slow the pace down, but this is the perfect landscape for Kid Cudi to come right in and …

It’s pretty obvious that as soon as Jack Harlow released the original version of “What’s Poppin” back in January, it was a success right off the bat. Although he had been making bangers for a few years, this was the song that really turned some heads and changed the trajectory of his career. As a fan, I can’t say how happy I am that this was the case because ever since he’s been one of the most consistent artists with regards to putting out hit after hit. His smooth, energetic flows mixed with some bouncy instrumentals and just simply the party vibes that exude from within him all come together on almost every single one of his songs to truly show his star power. Back to “What’s Poppin”, though. When a song like that becomes as massively successful as it did, artists big and small want the chance to grace the beat and see if they can come up with their own rendition to join in on the fun. While there are countless unofficial remixes that have been released independently, legends like Lil Wayne, DaBaby, and Tory Lanez decided to finally join Jack for the official remix, and I don’t …

Raff Alpha is a hip-hop artist from Baltimore, Maryland. Being a dual artist and producer, Raff’s signature sound is traditional boom bap and soul. Having performed numerous shows, Raff has opened up for Talib Kweli, Jay Electronica, Curren$y, R.A. The Rugged Man, Method Man, Redman, Styles P, Dead Prez, Jay Rock, Joyner Lucas, and more. In many ways, Alpha is the epitome of the phrase ‘your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper,’ despite owning an underdog status throughout his career. Entirely independent, Raff is a part of the creative talent agency “Project FILO,” while also being the founder of his own record label “Omega Academy.” Including mixtapes, Raff has an impressive six projects in his discography: The Soul Goods, Alpha’s Rhyme Book, Positive Pain, Never Surrender, The Alpha Male EP, and his latest album, Archangel Gabriel, released in 2018. In my opinion, Archangel Gabriel is Raff’s best release to date. While the album is very much a spiritual project, Raff’s traditional old school flows remain. Raff considers this body of work to be his most personal, visualizing each track as separate messages from God. The final track, “Momma Tonya’s Prayer,” is a recorded prayer from Alpha’s mother. Despite the year following being a quiet one for Raff, the Baltimore …

One thing that I love seeing is icons in the culture transition and become greats in other avenues, and that’s exactly what the GOAT Lil Wayne has been doing with his new platform “Young Money Radio”. Lil Wayne has only released about seven interviews up to this point, but they have all been great conversations and it shows just how big this platform could be. Late last night, I found his twenty-minute interview with Dr. Dre, and I couldn’t get enough of it. Lil Wayne the interviewer is that thing that I never knew that I needed, but now that it’s here, I LOVE it. I can only imagine how many great guests Lil Wayne is going to be able to get in the future, I predict that in a few years this will be one of the most prominent interview spaces in the music community. Check out this new conversation below! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y0fDcmLbyY

One positive thought from this whole quarantine situation is that people have been finding ways to be creative and to entertain people, and one of my favorite things that have been birthed from this is the Verzuz battles that have been taking place weekly on Instagram Live. We’ve watched some classic matchups so far in the series, one of my favorite being DJ Premier against RZA, but last week we got another great matchup in Ludacris vs Nelly. This was an awesome watch that had me entertained for some hours last Friday, but during a time where Nelly was having some network connection issues, Ludacris decided to fill up some of that idle time with an unreleased record with Lil Wayne & Timbaland, which he ran back at least five times. Many of the viewers in the chat were giving Ludacris some positive feedback about the track, and here we are a week later, as he has just released the track, officially titled “Silence Of The Lambs”. When you hear of a trio such as Ludacris, Lil Wayne, and Timbaland getting together, you know that it’s going to be special. I shouldn’t even have to tell you the damage that …

FOREWORD In the history of the hip-hop industry, there has never been a more dominant artist than Aubrey “Drake” Graham. The 33 year-old superstar has undergone several re-inventions over the years, much to the delight of his ever-growing fanbase. As much as we have seen him progress, however, the substance in his music carries one glaring constant – heartbreak. It’s no secret that Drake is the master of the introspective love song, and as much as it probably pains him to have to go through experiences that inspire these records, the music has continued to serve as salvation for distraught fans everywhere.  At this point, we owe Drake for giving us all this incredible music at the expense of his own emotional distress. My first thought in paying homage was to curate a carefully-selected 100-song playlist of all his best music. Quickly, I realized that: 1) it’s an impossibly subjective task to narrow down his 100 “best” records, and 2) a playlist that deep is sure to oversaturate the respect we’re trying to pay in this instance. So I took a different approach. I thought to myself, ‘what would Drake appreciate the most from the perspective of a long-time fan? …

There are several different ways to describe someone on a hot streak. Comparable to a LeBron James triple double, or a thirty kill-streak on Call of Duty, Lil Baby is undeniably one of, if not the hottest rapper in the game right now. The Atlanta, Georgia native and Quality Control member turned heads when he released his second studio album My Turn in February, with guest appearances from Lil Wayne, Lil Uzi Vert, 42 Dugg, Young Thug, Gunna, Rylo Rodriguez, and Moneybagg Yo. The chemistry shared between Lil Baby and his chosen features is magnificent like a Lamar Jackson juke. Lil Uzi Vert arguably delivered the most memorable guest verse of the year on “Commercial,” with Lil Baby somehow not being overshadowed on his own part. From “Drip Too Hard,” “Sold Out Dates,” Life Goes On,” and more, it is no secret that Lil Baby and Gunna are a formidable brotherly duo, linking up once more on “Heatin Up.” According to Billboard, in its first week alone, My Turn debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 charts, with a staggering 197,000 album-equivalent units (including just under 10,000 legitimate album sales). Lil Baby is a fascinating artist because he completely understands what he’s best …

If you haven’t heard last summer’s project Chasing Summer by TDE’s rising artist SiR by now, this is the perfect opportunity to check it out. He was able to recruit some massive features for the album including Lil Wayne, Smino, and his label mate Kendrick Lamar, who all brought a different aesthetic and vibe to the record. While he dives into various opinions and experiences related to love, he focuses heavily on the relatable downsides that catching feelings can often result in. On the album’s second song “John Redcorn”, SiR puts himself in the shoes of the King of the Hill character who gets his heart broken in the show. While I’m not very familiar with the cartoon or the plot that this character follows, I learned this after doing some research and the themes SiR touches on seem very similar to that of John. Consistent rattling percussion, touching guitar strums, and toned-down drums offer a calm yet melancholic basis for SiR to get emotional and vulnerable. His voice sounds beyond sad and almost desperate for companionship as he asks why he’s alone, knowing that the person in his mind wants to be with him as well. As he sings, …

Chance the Rapper has always been a favorite artist of mine, and it’s not only because he represents Chicago so well. He has proven time and time again that he can bring talents together to push their own boundaries sonically, as he continues to do himself as his career progresses. Although I’m still pretty firm in my belief that Acid Rap is his best project to date, he has clearly grown and matured with his music as he has gone through major life changes, and that’s something that should be noted. His ability to challenge himself and adapt to any instrumental placed in front of him is nothing short of incredible, and his dynamic abilities as an artist never go unnoticed. While he has some major connections with other staples in the industry, he just has a knack for recruiting musicians of all types to come together and create wonderful music together. The Chicago emcee has been turning to Instagram in order to deliver random snippets as well as full songs as we are stuck inside during this quarantine period, but it definitely gives fans some much-needed entertainment throughout this strange time. Despite a bit of a feud that seems …

Very few artists had the ability to deliver a sort of shock appeal quite like XXXtentacion. Whether he spoke of dark and morbid themes with his lyrics, used his voice as a vehicle of aggression, or used haunting imagery in visuals, he was never one to shy away from intense storylines. Even on his posthumous album Bad Vibes Forever, his voice was kept alive in a way fans had never heard before. Of all the chilling and eye-opening topics covered in this album, “School Shooters” had to be one of the most unnerving songs of them all, and it just received an even more shocking visual. Featuring the legendary Lil Wayne, this song begins with troubling, distorted guitar strums of sorts before some calm yet chilling percussion comes into the picture. X begins the song with a whisper-like delivery, portraying someone who would do graphic, violent things to these school shooters. On the other hand, Wayne looks into the mindset of one of these killers, boasting a frantic flow while talking about the wild thoughts that are bouncing around in their mind. This song is in no way, shape, or form glorifying or advocating for school shooters, but rather looks …