SEARCH FOR: THE ULTIMATE DRAKE ALBUM

“There’s just so many different sounds and vibes that I fell in love with, and as a creative and curious person, I can’t help but want to make all of them“ -!llmind Give credit where credit is due, and always give people their flowers while they can still smell them. While we often look towards the future and the next hot thing, we can forget about some of the amazing creators that came before us. With Hip-Hop recently celebrating 47 years of existence, it forces us to take a step back and look at where we came from, where we’re at now, and where we are going in the future. If there’s one thing for sure, legendary music producer !llmind has the resume and the work ethic to prove that he is belongs in the past, present, and future of the genre and of the culture, as a whole. !llmind being born in New Jersey puts him very close to New York – the home of Hip Hop itself. As he stands now, he currently has a production credit list that spans over almost two decades worth of material – ranging across various underground artists, well-known legends such as Jay-Z, …

When you think about all of the different levels of fame and notoriety that are able to be achieved throughout the entire Rap or Hip-Hop industry, there are very few artists that seem to reach the final level. This level of recognition is almost divine and people who get to this point seem to me to not be human because of how legendary their presence has become. Some of these artists, in my opinion, include names like Kanye West, Young Thug, Drake, Jay-Z, and of course, Future, amongst a few others. It’s artists like this that have no worries when dropping new music, typically, because they’ve got so many fans that even if the song or album isn’t great, they’re going to be praised regardless. I feel like there’s a flaw with this sort of system because not everyone is set up for success like they are, but that’s an argument for another day. Future proved his dominance yet again earlier this year with the release of High Off Life, which topped charts and wowed fans yet again, and one of the most popular songs “Ridin Strikers” has now received a brand-new visual to accompany it. The instrumental is built …

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? …

One thing that has been abundantly clear in Canada, its that hip hop is no longer a Toronto exclusive when it comes to exporting artists ready to compete on a global level. At the top of the charts currently, you can find some of the most talented Canucks to ever come out of the Great White North and there is no clear sign that our musical exports will stop dominating American airwaves any time soon. While a majority of Canada’s biggest star’shave emerged from the country’s cultural capital, there has been a crazy emergence of talent coming from cities that don’t have Drake as a resident. We have begun to see artists emerge from all over Canada, but none seems more poised for global domination than Vancouver’s Boslen. At the intersection of talent and hard work, you can find Boslen and his team plotting their next moves to continue to grow his brash, energetic brand of music. Boslen began to turn heads with the release of his debut EP BLACK LOTUS last year, the 7-track project served as a strong introduction to what he is capable of sonically. Since then his passion and drive have been turned up a level to …

Nearing the end of any year — nevermind a decade — blogs get crowded with lists about the objective “best” projects of the year. Even Lyrical Lemonade has one. But looking toward the end of the 2010s, we decided that we’d try something a bit different. For just about all of our writers, the 2010s capture the period of growing up, per se. As such, the music to come from the past decade is what has shaped us into the people that we are. Taking this into consideration, we asked 5 writers to each list 3 albums from the 2010s that had the most personal impact on them. Not the “best” albums, or even necessarily the hits. Just 3 albums that spoke to them on a personal level. Below is the result. Enjoy, and feel free to share with us your own 3 picks on social media! – – – Brodie Harvey If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late – Drake (2015) Of all artists on this list, it would be hard to argue that anybody had a better 10 years than Drake. This project, in particular, was wildly impactful on the decade as a whole. It came at a time …

“Stand up for my own. Even if I take this walk alone. I bow down to the king upon the throne. My life is His, I’m no longer my own” -Kanye West on “Closed on Sunday”, 2019 The ideology of change is something that most people do not cope well with, or accept so openly. People are afraid of those around them changing into someone they never thought they’d see. Some people are afraid of those around them changing to become better than they are doing. Also, people are afraid of change within themselves—in fear of being placed in unfamiliar territories within their life. One area in the culture that change can be extremely neglected and frowned upon can be the music industry. Kanye West happens an individual who has gone through many changes all throughout his life, musical career, and his overall legacy on this earth.  Retroactively speaking, Kanye started out as the kid in Roc-a-Fella who was just known as the beatmaker of the clique. What came afterwards happened to be one of the most impactful artists of this generation. Had he not wanted that change for himself, he would have painted himself in a box early on …

Post by Lee Mcintosh “I was thinking about not making CDs ever again… Only streaming. The Yeezus album packaging was an open casket to CDs. R.I.P.” -Kanye West via Twitter, 2016 In an era where technology is always evolving every day, many of us never thought we would see the end of the CD era. A lot of us were born into the CD era and will never forget that feeling of going to the store to buy your favorite artists newest album to add to your ever-growing music collection. These tweets only being three short years ago, the time has now come. With the rise and dominance of streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music & Tidal, artists no longer feel the need to have to release traditional physical albums anymore. Although CDs are close to being 100% obsolete, there still is a system in tact that allows artists to still sell albums amidst the new era of streaming music–designed to make life much easier for artist and aspiring artists alike. However, some may believe this system is still flawed, and many believe that we still do not have all the information about it. The current debate stands if music …

ILLYMINIACHI is a 23-year-old artist based in Vancouver that I immediately became a fan of after recently being put on his music. Being one of the front-running emcees in Van City’s buzzing scene, it was crucial to get him for a quick Q&A as well as share his next single MiCasa dropping just hours ago. Laced with production from WIthinroots, the wavy instrumental was the ultimate bounce for ILLY who rode the beat with his smooth lyricism & vocals on wanting Lambo’s, taking your girl and so much more over the 3-minute arsenal of bars. With an already stacked catalog of songs on all streaming sites, the up-and-coming talent is looking to keep the momentum in his corner and continue to watch his stock rise with each release. Having said that, get familiar with ILLYMINIACHI by peeping his MiCasa record immediately and read-up on him in our featured Q&A below!   _ J: First off, give our readers a brief introduction of yourself and where you’re currently based out of? IL: My name’s ILLYMINIACHI. I’m from Vancouver, BC and I am a new wave rapper. Originally I’m from Nigeria and moved to Ottawa before calling Vancouver my home. _ J: …

Luke Almighty is one of the best producers coming out of the city, you just don’t know it yet. Even I was unaware until a few months ago, but then I started realizing that every time I heard a song that he worked on, it was always a banger. He has been responsible for lacing artists such as Adot, Freako, Duffle Bag Buru, Pollari, Supa Bwe, Roo$ki, Monster Mike, Warhol and more with some of the best instrumentals that they have rapped on. Although you might not be familiar with the young creative just yet, I assure you that he is only a couple years away from being considered one of the best producers from Chicago. Take a few minutes of your time to learn a thing or two about him below, and be sure to keep up with his movement by giving him a follow here!     — EM: Before we dive into the questions, give our readers who may not be familiar with you a brief introduction of yourself. LA: So I’m From Aurora, Illinois. Born and raised. Since I was young I was also really into Music. My parents always made sure I knew who I was listening …