Nicki Minaj- The Pinkprint- Full Album Review

On the 15 of December, rapper Nicki Minaj released her highly anticipated The Pinkprint, worldwide. With Nicki’s first two albums containing almost polar opposite sounds to them (from hip-hop to dance pop), the rapper managed to convey a wide array of different sounds and feelings on this cohesive body of work. Minaj also managed to show a hugely different side of herself, with just the album opener, “All Things Go”, pertaining to the rapper’s damaged connections with different members of her family that she has been attempting to rekindle since she hit fame. The album is full of high profile features such as former “Bang Bang” collaborator Ariana Grande. Also included on the album is another former collaborator, this time on the famous “Flawless Remix”, Beyoncé. The two stars came together to create a track that did everything but scream smash hit. Other tracks such as “Only” feature label mates such as Drake and Lil Wayne. 

The first single off the album, “Pills N’ Potions”, features a more pop sound with a hook sung by Minaj herself. While it only managed to find a niche audience and failed to provide the exposure a lead single is meant to provide, the second single, “Anaconda”, featured a viral video that skyrocketed the track to number two on the Billboard Hot 100. This became that artist’s biggest single to date, beating out her previous high point, “Super Bass”, which fought its way up to number three in the year of 2011. Follow up singles “Only” (urban single) and “Bed of Lies” (pop single) have already garnered critical acclaim, joining each and every single’s positive reviews from critics worldwide.

Overall, this definitely is one of my favorite albums of 2014. The cohesive 22 track work displays all sides of Nicki, sides revealed in ways never before on this heartfelt work. From Chris Brown to Skylar Grey, from hard rap to soulful ballads to straight up pop jams, you would be hard pressed to not find something you can enjoy on this diverse, solid album that manages to span all genres, serving all of her fans in one body of work. I would recommend any hip-hop enthusiast to pick up the album today!

Nicki Minaj ft. Skylar Grey- Bed of Lies Review

On Saturday, the 15th of November, Nicki Minaj released her highly anticipated 3rd single (Dual release with urban track Only) Bed of Lies, featuring Skylar Grey, to digital retailers worldwide. How does this track, recently promoted at MTV's EMA awards, stack up to previously released singles off The Pinkprint? Find out after the jump.

Bed of Lies is a piano led track, with Skylar Grey nailing the vocals of the chorus and bridge down easily. The singer manages to bring a sweet and sensitive sound to the track, which allows us to easily jump into Minaj's first verse. The two rap verses featured in this track are more thoughtful in content rather than what was featured in previous singles, such as Only and Anaconda. This, along with Skylar's vocals, make the track very reminiscent to Pills N' Potions, the first single released from this era. However, with an overall more mature sound to it, Bed of Lies turns out to be similar to a grown up, big sister like sequel to Pills N' Potions, lyrically and vocally.

All parts of the song lyrically excell, with the track being centered around someone (widely believed to be Minaj's old partner Safaree Samuels, whom she had a ten year relationship with) who has broken the rapper's heart, with the lyrics surrounding their turbulent relationship.

Overall, this incredible track is already being widely considered as the best single released off of The Pinkprint thus far, and could end up finding itself being a top ten hit. Tell me what you think of the track in the comments below, and I'll see you in the next review!

Karmin- No Flex Zone (Remix) Review

On Friday, the 26th, self proclaimed Hip-Pop duo Karmin released a remix to the hit song "No Flex Zone", along with rapper Watsky, in their first collaboration. How does the trio fare on the track with an already large base of remixes to compete with? Find out after the jump.

The rap heavy track features a solid, haunting instrumental side of things, paired with flawless verses from Amy and Watsky, Trading verse for verse, line for line, the two both manage to pull their own weight as they battle it out throughout the three minute track. With Amy taking the lead on the short chorus, singing takes the back-burner on this remix, giving the two a chance to flex (ha) their rap vocals throughout the majority of the song.

The song features slick, clean production, allowing for the vocals and instruments to work wonders together on this quick paced track that delivers what it promised. With a stunning visual to go along with this near perfect remix, I really suggest any hip-hop fan to check the song out on iTunes below.

What did you think of the new remix? Post in the comments below, and I'll see you next time!

Nicki Minaj- Anaconda Review + Listen

I've been obsessed with this song since its release, sorry about not posting earlier. Let's hop right in to the review of Nicki Minaj's Anaconda.

Anaconda, the followup to the under-performing Pills N Potions, shows off a completely different side of the self proclaimed Rap Queen. The song features a tastefully executed sample of the number one single, "Baby Got Back", giving the track a perfect beat for Minaj's laid back rap verses. While the energy fluctuates through out the song's four minute run, the twerk anthem always manages to keep it danceable, and had me goin' in within the first listen.

The track features laid back verses, uptempo, rapid fire pre-choruses, and a "Look at her butt" led chorus. There's not much to describe this song with, other than with the word "fun". The track is a party anthem that is already all over the radio, and should be dominating for weeks to come.

Nicki Minaj- Pills N Potions Review

After a number of promo single including Boss Ass Bitch and Lookin' Ass being released over the past few months, the official lead single of rapper Nicki Minaj's highly anticipated third LP The Pink Print was released on Wednesday the 21st. How does the song compare to the numerous amount of promo tracks that preceded it? Find out after the jump!

The song starts off with a hard, haunting drum beat, coupled with a piano to round out the instrumental side. Minaj then starts in on the track, softly singing in a manner we've yet to hear from her, that honestly, sounds beautiful, before jumping into the hook, which features more R&B centered vocals. We then jump into the first verse, which features laid back heavy rap vocals from Nicki. The speed of the rap picks up slowly throughout the verse right up until the end, before we jump right back into the pre-hook the song began with. We continue this pattern once more, before the song comes to an end.

The song, while not exactly new rap-wise, is something we really haven't heard from Minaj. The powerful ballad centered hook is surprising coming from her, but her voice works it beautifully. The song also triumphs lyrically, as the song is centered around someone who has obviously betrayed her, but she won't hold grudges. The lyrics are laid out perfectly, and the track really tells a story.

Overall, this is not what I was expecting from the female emcee. With the plethora of heavy rap promo tracks we've received in the past few months, a rap/ballad hybrid was not what I was expecting. However, the track is formulated excellently, and the instrumental track works seamlessly with the vocals. I could easily see this being played on the radio, however, it is different enough from most radio songs today that it could stand out amongst the many pop tracks we hear today. This, in my opinion could be one of her biggest crossover hits today.

Iggy Azalea- The New Classic Review

On the 21st of April, Iggy Azalea released her debut album "The New Classic" in the US. A follow up from her hit singles such as Work and Fancy, the album hit the #1 spot on iTunes in less than 24 hours. Did the album live up to all the hype it was surrounded by? Find out below.

In all 4 singles from the album, Iggy's had a sick, unending flow that could make heads spin. However, on the album's opening, Walk the Line, the speed is put on the back burner for most of the song, with the chorus being almost rap/sung. A strange song for Iggy, and an even stranger song for the opening of her album, we then move into Don't Need Y'all, which features quick paced verses, but again, a slow chorus. While still an interesting track coming from Iggy, it fits her better than the opening "Walk". However,  the song quickly grows monotonous, and drags on a bit before we move into the next track, 100. This song features a more upbeat, drum heavy instrumental track, which couple with Iggy's fast paced rap vocals perfectly. However, these rap verses once again trump the actual, boring chorus, that's honestly completely unnecessary for the track. 

Change Your Life, the third single from the record is featured next, and so far is the most hard rap centered cut off the album. In my opinion, "Change" was an excellent, radio ready single choice that originally turned me into a fan. "Change" is followed then by Fancy,  Iggy's break out hit in the US. Check out my full Fancy review here. Fancy is quickly followed by New Bitch, which features a bit more laid back rap vocals and a perfect, upbeat instrumental. The track is, out of all tracks so far, the most single ready (besides already released singles), which is saying a lot. New Bitch is followed by Work, the debut single from Azalea and the lead single off The New Classic. Work features impeccable, high speed raps, a dance-able instrumental, and a chorus that has made me literally sing the entire thing every time I mention the word work. No matter who I'm talking to. It's like, a serious problem. Workworkworkwork.

After Workworkwork, the album starts to pick up more with Impossible is Nothing, which features more of a flow from Azalea. However, the next track Goddess, features a drum led, almost African feeling beat, which couples with Iggy's harder hip-hop oriented rap vocals perfectly. The next track Black Widow, also features a hard beat, sick vocals, and an electro-esque hip-hop beat, along with a singable chorus that's stuck in my head even as I'm writing this review.

From Work and onward, the album really starts to pick up, and reflects on previous singles from the album in a more accurate light than the previous half of the record.

I had a lot of hope, and expectations for this album to live up to before it was released. However, when I heard the first half of the record, I was worried I was going to be disappointed. However, the fun yet hardcore rap centered latter half of the album (along with the singles) met, and exceeded my expectations, and overall, I'd recommend this album to any general hip-hop fans.

What did you think of the album? Did it meet your expectations? Post your thoughts in the comments below, and I'll see you next time!

Rating: 

Nicki Minaj- Lookin Ass Ni--a Review+Downloads

Hey everyone, after almost two months due to lack of new music, I'm back with a new review, this time featuring one of the Hottest MCs in the Game, Nicki Minaj.

After reining in the New Year freestyling over PTAF's Boss Ass Bitch (at the same time garnering them a record deal), she continued her stream of guest features on Young Thug's Danny Glover, proclaiming that she has a mixtape and an album in the works for 2014. It seems as if these works are going to see the light of day quicker than we thought, as the new track Lookin' Ass Ni--a, expected to be a single off her 2014 album, The Pink Print, also appearing on Young Money's Rise of an Empire, was released Wednesday, the 12th. This adds another song to her current stream of new tracks, all strengthening the fact that The Queen's back, and she's "back on the prowl", in her own words. So, is this new track worth all the hype that it's been released to? Find out below.

Warning, video is definitely NSFW.

The song actually starts off pretty well... ok, with the first 40 seconds being predominantly focused on the word ni--a being repeated over, and over, and over again, within the first verse of the song. While this would be ok, the fact that the song doesn't even clock in at 3 minutes makes it take away from the song to a degree. However, after that we move into the second verse, featuring hard, rapid fire lines delivered by Minaj, coupled with an equally hard, bass led instrumental track. The energy doesn't drop off until the end of the verse, but we quickly jump back into the second verse, featuring the same intensity as the previous verse, at some points containing the most intense parts of the song. However, shortly after that and an about 30 second instrumental outro, the song ends.

While the song's good, its short duration is upsetting. However, given the other tracks and verses we've been given in the past few months, we have been getting a consistent stream of solid new tracks, with this being no exception. The instrumental and vocal tracks blend well together, making overall a hard rap track that is reminiscent of her early works, something her fans are sure to love.

Feel free to download the track below on iTunes or Amazon, and I'll see you all in my next review!

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis- White Walls Review

Hey everyone, in early October Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' new single off The Heist, White Walls, will be released, which is sure to dominate the radio upon its release. Check out my review of the new single down below!

White Walls starts out as a mid tempo track with a smooth, yet nothing to brag about instrumental track. The song starts out very relaxed, to the point that I forget that I'm listening to it... while I'm listening to it.  However, after the chorus (sung by singer Hollis... yeah idk who she is either) Mackelmore picks up the speed of his laid back verses, and gives the song some life, also adding some hard bass and some uniqueness to the instrumental track, giving the song a totally different tone. After hearing the chorus again, Schoolboy Q (yeah still idk) arrives with a guest verse, and while it's an overall good verse, it wasn't necessary at all, and the song would have been fine without it. After that, we hear the chorus two more times (accompanied with a few extra instruments) before the song concludes.

Overall, this song is well... not bad! I liked it, and while it wasn't exactly one of the stand outs of The Heist (I would have preferred Gold as the new single) I'm sure it will (just like all the other singles) dominate the radio, and I'll definitely keep it on that channel when I hear it.

Jessie J- Excuse My Rude Review

            

Over the past week British singer Jessie J unveiled the fourth song from her upcoming second album. Check out a review and download links down below.

Over the past few weeks Jessie J has unveiled three other songs from the upcoming album including Wild, which while it was ok, didn't really wow me, It's My Party, the bubblegum pop song that just didn't feel like Jessie J at all and really underwhelmed me, Magnetic, the power ballad which restored my faith in Jessie J after the mess that was It's My Party, and now the new upbeat urban pop track Excuse My Rude. Excuse my rude is reminiscent of Do it like a Dude and Wild  as the beat is fierce and flows well with Jessie's on point, fierce, hard vocals. Another great up to this song is that it features Jessie's quick, almost rap like vocals, along with her softer, more soulful vocals. giving the song a lot of variety.

Jessie is absolutely flawless on this track, however, there is one annoying little detail to this song, Becky G. She has absolutely no reason to be in the song, and adds nothing to it.  Her bland rap honestly comes close to killing the song for me. Honestly, Jessie J could have done her verse for her (not to mention make it 10x better) and actually made it worth being in the song.

Overall, this song is a total improvement over (most) of the other songs being released off her sophomore album, and I hope her label will scrap It's My Party and instead go for Excuse my rude.

Chris Brown Ft. Nicki Minaj Love More Download+Review

Oh hey, remember that one time when I didn't post for like 6 years? Stop judging me. Anyways, I'm back now with a review of Love More by Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj.

Love more features a fast paced beat full of marching drums and heavy bass, coupled with Brown's fast paced, smooth R&B vocals. The innuendo filled song offers little variety, only having two verses besides the chorus. However, soon after the track starts to get redundant, Nicki Minaj starts in with a quick paced, swaggerish (which is just as innuendo filled as the rest of the song) verse that's over as quickly as it began.

Overall the song is just... pretty ok. While it's incredibly short (barely clocking in at 3 minutes) the track manages to pack 3 hardcore verses, coupled with a swaggerish, bass heavy beat, perfect for an R&B track. So while the song is good, it is in no way Brown or Minaj's best work, and I expect only moderate radio rotation before Brown moves to his next single.

                                    

Ciara- Ciara Review+Download

On Tuesday, the 9th, Ciara released her self titled 5th album Ciara. Followed up from her less than successful 2010 effort Basic Instinct, Ciara has a lot to prove in her new 11 track album. Does she have what it takes to regain the airplay that her hit singles like Goodies and 1,2 Step had? Find out in the review below.

Ciara starts out strong with club banger I'm Out, which features a verse from Nicki Minaj. Nicki starts the album out strong with a fast paced, hard hitting verse. Ciara doesn't let the energy die there though, delivering swaggerish verses over the bass heavy beat of the summer pop girl anthem.

          

While Ciara starts out strong with I'm Out, from there the album fluctuates all over the place. Featuring beautiful ballads that showcase Ciara's incredible voice like Body Party, and then other songs such as Sophomore, that really don't differentiate themselves except for being just another song on the album. Like most albums Ciara has its ups (Body Party, I'm Out, Overdose) and its downs (Sophomore, Super Turnt Up, Keep on Lookin') unfortunately the downs really outweigh the ups, and throughout most of the album I was just waiting to get to the next song, hoping for something that didn't feel like filler until we get to one of the highs of the album.

However, while most of the album falls into the category of mediocrity, the album does have its high spots. And these high spots really are diverse, and the album has pop, R&B, and and even electric feels throughout its 11 tracks, all of which exceed in their own right.

Overall, this album is a definite hit and miss, with unfortunately, most of it being a miss. However on this album, just like on all of her previous efforts, she is moving closer to finding out what her true sound is, and I would recommend Ciara to any R&B fan.

Are you a fan? Tell me below in the comments, and if you like it, make sure to check it out on iTunes or Amazon MP3 below!

                                    

                                                                                                                                    -Colby

Karmin- Acapella Review + Download links!

Early Monday morning the pop duo Karmin released their first work since their debut EP Hello. The new track, titled Acapella, follows the usual Karmin formula, with a totally different sound to it. Check out a review after the jump. Download links will be available on 6/25, when the single will be released at all digital retailers.



The new track Acapella follows the usual Karmin formula, with Amy doing the bridges, choruses, rap verses... ok everything, with Nick offering a few adlibs throughout the course of the song. However, as opposed to their debut EP Hello, which featured heavy drum beats, guitar synths, and bass, this track is rightly titled, as it tones down the instrumental side of the track and focuses on the vocals. The song features a wide range of sounds including the usual fierce, high paced rap verses, along with the fun pop vocals, all from Heidemann, that we've come to expect from Karmin, which make for a fun song filled with variety. However, as I said before, this song has a totally different feel to it than their usual pop songs, and it takes a few plays to really get used to it. With that said, I believe it will assimilate nicely into mainstream culture and recieve some light airplay.

Overall I really enjoyed this song. However from the previews of other songs we've heard from the new album I think there were other songs that would have been much safer bets for the lead single that could have got the attention of the mainstream media more easily. However, while this may have not been the best pick for the lead single,  I expect this to a big summer hit among the mainstream teen audience.
       
                                                                                                                                       -Colby

Jessie J- Wild Download+Review

Hey everyone! Jessie J recently unveiled her new single Wild, featuring Dizzee Rascal and Big Sean.  This is her first single to be released after Silver Lining (Crazy ‘Bout You) (2012) from the movie Silver Linings Playbook.  Check out a review of the new single down below. You can download the song on Itunes or Amazon MP3 down below.

Wild sounds like nothing Jessie J has ever done, and it holds true to it's name. It starts out with a very hard beat with a huge emphasis on the bass. The lyrics are the same way, with Jessie J spitting the lyrics like she has a vengeance. However, the mood of the song changes as quickly as it began, with Jessie J softening a bit into a more mid tempo chorus, yet the heavy instruments don't let up. However, the second verse quickly sets in, with Jessie J bringing back the same fierceness from the first verse. However, it cuts off rather quickly as we launch into Big Sean's verse, and even though it isn't very long (about 45 seconds) it manages to be a hit and miss throughout, with some of it not going with the beat whatsoever. However, overall it's a quick, enjoyable rap verse. After that, we go into the chorus one more time, followed by Dizzee's rap. Let's just say British rap is something you have to hear and review for yourself... :) Anyways, after his verse, the chorus plays again, and there, the song ends.

Overall, this is definitely not at all what I expected from Jessie J. However, it has a great new style that fits her perfectly, and I expect to be hearing it on the radio very soon.


           

                                     
                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                           -Colby

*NEW SINGLE ALERT* Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull- Live it Up Review

Hey everyone! Today Jennifer Lopez revealed her (annual) Pitbull assisted track, Live it Up. I'm going to be reviewing the song right here, so let's jump right in!

The song starts out with a beat that is unrecognizably the same as most pop songs today, and starts off with Pitbull's first verse. And while this beat does sound the same as most of today's beats, it works well with the Pitbull's first verse, however, once again, it sounds exactly the same as most of Pitbull's song, but honestly, when does he sound any different? The song has about the same tempo as "On the Floor" and is faster than "Dance Again" and luckily, this song does differ from the above two. Lopez offers variety than rather just singing, she also chants I Hit the Spotlight/ All Night/ Ready to Go/ Give You a Hot Night/ So Tight/ Ready to Go/ (don't quote me on that one, I'm awful with lyrics) very rhythmically as the beat builds up behind her and drops (very un-climatically though) to her singing, followed by Pitbull getting uncomfortably close to the mic and saying "Make love! Don't fight! Let's hook tonight!" and the beat then drops into a banging dubstep interlude, coupled with chopped up Pitbull vocals. Then the song carries on with Lopez's pop vocals, but very quickly goes back to the I Hit the spotlight chant, and the song pretty much just repeats from there with little variety.

Overall, I did enjoy this song much more than their previous two singles, as it actually offers a lot of variety, from pop, to rap, to dubstep, it covers all the bases.

Well, I hope you all liked the review! Tell me what you think of the song in the comments below, and I'll see you all soon!

                                                                                                               -Colby

*NEW SINGLE ALERT* Beyonce Bow Down / I Been On

IF YOU DON'T KNOW I'M ONLY KIND OF REALLY OBSESSED WITH BEYONCE

Photo courtesy: Columbia Records

*Very quick review* And her new single has just been released! Honestly  this is a really biased review.  It really is not a good song, buy it's Beyonce... so...... that makes it good XD. Bey definitely revisited Sasha Fierce for this track, as she immediately starts off extremely fierce, and even starts repeating "Bow Down B*tches" over and over (I'll bow down to Beyonce).  The beat for the 1st part is very techno, and much more modern/less R&B than what Bey usually goes for, but it's a good thing.  The song is actually more like 2 different songs, as shown by the title.  The 1st part is much more compelling.  The second part is a pitched down version of Beyonce rapping, along with her riffing over it.  It's very weird that it's pitched down, but it's Beyonce, so she can do whatever she wants.  Anyways, this is probably just a filler track to make her fans happy, and I'll take it.  Go listen to it here.

https://soundcloud.com/beyoncemusic
                                                                                                                        -Colby