Raury’s debut album, All We Need, is just a week away (October 16th via LoveRenaissance / Columbia Records). And in anticipation of the forthcoming LP, and the follow up to Raury’s Indigo Child project, the ‘God’s Whisper’ rapper/singer from Atlanta has released All We Need‘s collaboration with Mississippi’s Big K.R.I.T. The record is titled ‘Forbidden Knowledge’ is produced by Malay.
Stream ‘Forbidden Knowledge’ below and check out our behind-the-scenes photos of Raury’s latest music video for ‘Friends’ here.
We are going out on limb here, but Hopsin is probably not a big fan of autotuned raps of Future, Young Thug and Fetty Wap, if his new music video for ‘No Words’ is any indication. “Man rap today fucking sucks bad,” Hopsin says in the track’s intro. “They’re not even saying words anymore, they just got a hard ass fucking beat to trick dumbasses like you to make you think you like the shit.” Full of cars, guns, and women, Hopsin does his best worse impression of rap today in his new video.
iHeartRadio is bringing back their “Jingle Ball 2015 Tour” this year and it’s bigger than ever! Hitting stops in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., Miami, Minneapolis and more, iHeartRadio is bringing some of music’s biggest artists to a city near you. Fans catching one of the tours multiple dates will be treated with performances from The Weeknd, One Direction, Calvin Harris, Alessia Cara, Selena Gomez, 5 Seconds of Summer, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas and many more, and you can get ticket information at the links below.
Check out the Jingle Ball dates, locations, and full lineups now!
Alternative rapper and Ventura, CA native Kyle has returned with his sophomore album Smyle; the follow up to his 2013 debut album Beautiful Loser. Now, will this new album live up to the standards set by his first one, led by it’s singles like ‘Keep It Real’ and ‘Fruit Snacks & Cups of Patron’? I have no idea, because before yesterday, I had no idea who this guy is. Coming into this album, with no particular expectations, I was curious if Smyle would be a fun and up-beat project that could live up to its name.
The album kicks off with ‘The Force’, which is the intro track and pretty much sets the mood for the entire album as an upbeat ego-trip. While the record itself isn’t sonically bad per se, it’s still an average song with a piano laden melody and a trap beat background. The next track pick this up a bit with, ‘Feels Good.’ In this song, Kyle is having something of a conversational with an unnamed girl. Somehow, he’s able to not only prop the girl up on a pedestal, but he also spends a great deal of time propping himself up to her. From the verses down to the production it sounds laced with some Big Sean influence, which is by no means a bad thing. You’ll definitely have fun with this song.
One of the highlights of the album comes in the form of track 3, dubbed ‘Summertime Soul.’ Any Frank Ocean fan will appreciate this song, as it sounds like the kind of record Frank would sing behind. Kyle’s vocals aren’t necessarily remarkable, but the production and songwriting make this tune infectiously fun. The next track, ‘Don’t Want To Fall In Love’ is…at least conceptually, the exact opposite of the song preceding it. In the previous song, he’s asking for the undivided attention of the object of his affections, but in this one, he’s the object of someone else’s and he doesn’t seem to be want to be. ‘Don’t Fall In Love’ is one of the better efforts on this LP with a dilemma I’m sure we can all relate to at some point in time.
This is the point in the album that album that gets a little rocky. ‘Endless Summer Symphony’ pretty much merges the concepts of the first two songs into one record. Kyle goes on, talking himself up, while also courting a girl at the same time. The weird thing is that I actually enjoy this more than the other two tracks; which basically makes me feel that they both could have been left on the cutting room floor and this one could have been the album opener instead. It sounds good…but in the context of the album is a bit redundant.
Halfway through the LP Kyle begins to address his haters in sort of a tongue in cheek manner on ‘Really? Yeah!’ He knows that he’s that dude but the song itself exudes a corniness that would only have to be made in complete self-awareness. Turns out I was right and during the song he references just how cheesy people will think this song is. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to save it, because not only is the chorus a bit grating but…no…that’s just it. I loathe the chorus…Really, yeah?… Really, no.
The second half of the album is kicked off by an interlude (titled ‘Deepest Part Of Me’) that somewhat gives us a break from Kyle and his antics. The next record though, ‘SuperDuperHero’, I admit, made me feel some type of way. As an avid comic book reader, the references made in this song, poking at some of my favorite heroes was a bit annoying. This song is one I could see doing well on the charts if it were made by a more commercial rapper and would no doubt appeal to a lot of people. Personally, it didn’t appeal to me, though.
Things start to pick up again with ‘All 4 U’, because Kyle switches back to his R&B sound; which I think he does far better than pure rap. This song is perhaps the most straightforward love song on the joint and who doesn’t love them a good love song? Now, I don’t know if this is intentional or not, but I hear a lot of Ryan Leslie/Frank Ocean-Isms in his delivery. Intentional or not…this song is dope.
The next track, ‘Remember Me’, is another solid song that details a breakup that seemed to have been brought forth by an unrequited love and even features Chicago’s Chance The Rapper. The production is somber and Kyle turns off the braggadocios lyrics to deliver one of the best songs on the album. It’s perfect for a back end song.
The album still manages to end things off on a high note, which, with a name like Smyle is imperative. ‘All Alright’ reminds Kyle and us listeners that no matter how bad things get, everything’s still alright. Not exactly a groundbreaking song topic by any means…but it gets the job done. The track closes the album and with it, another chapter in Kyle’s life. Let’s see if he comes back with a third LP with that same optimism.
All-in-all Kyle’s efforts with Smyle are pretty solid. Sure there were a few hiccups throughout the project, but the number of good tracks throughout the album made up for it. With certainty I can say that if Kyle ever becomes as big as his confidence suggests that he is, the whole world will see it too.
Following the likes of Miley Cyrus and The Flaming Lips this week, rapper Kendrick Lamar has announced a mini-tour of intimate club performances of his own today. Titled “Kunta’s Groove Sessions”, Kendrick Lamar will soon kick off an 8-city tour of 8 intimate performances. King Kunta himself took to his Instagram to make the announcement. Stay tuned for more information and tour dates.
Following her appearance hosting the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, Miley Cyrus has announced a new U.S. tour where she will be giving a number of intimate performances. And when we say “intimate performances” the men of the world need not get their hopes up, because what we mean is she will be performing at a number of smaller venues throughout the city, which you definitely won’t want miss. Miley will be touring as part of her side-group, “Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz”, where she will be joined by The Flaming Lips as her live band. This tour will kick off in Chicago on November 19th at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago, and will also hit stops at The Fillmore in Chicago, New York’s Terminal 5, the House of Blues in Boston, and more.
Check out the tour dates for Miley’s new tour below and look out for tickets here on October 7th (they will go fast)!
These are the highlights of this past week in music! Hopefully you can bump these tracks on your way to work to brighten up your Monday mornings, and to stay up-to-date on today’s music. This week we have another new collaboration from Kyle and Chance The Rapper, a punk inspired record from Kid Cudi, and a new cover by Childish Gambino.
Today we traveled to Camp Randall Stadium for the Big 10 opener of the 19th ranked Wisconsin Badgers and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Staying undefeated, the Hawkeyes took home the Heartland Trophy in this hard fought rivalry match up. Although both teams looked sloppy throughout, the game went down to the final seconds as Wisconsin failed to convert in the redzone on 4th and 2, down by less than a touchdown.
Read our game recap here and check out our photos Iowa’s Big 10 victory below.
Madison, WI — Today’s battle for the Heartland Trophy consisted of two very evenly matched teams – both in style and productivity. The name of the game for Wisconsin (3-1) and Iowa (4-0) is to make your opponent beat you between the trenches. Run until your opponent wears out, begins to cheat, then drop back and throw one deep.
But one of many similarities between these two programs is the ability to stop the run. Going into today’s game Wisconsin didn’t allow a single touchdown the past three weeks, and no Iowa opponent has been able to score a single rushing touchdown.
The Badgers won the toss and elected to receive. It didn’t take long to realize Badgers head coach Paul Chryst isn’t scared to deviate from the previous week’s game plan – even after a dominant performance.
Unlike the strategy against Hawaii one week earlier, Wisconsin sought to balance the run with quick passes, running just four times and passing for five on their opening drive.
Dare Ogunbowale started things off with a two yard run up the middle. Film would suggest another run to setup a third and short situation for Stave. However, Stave dropped back and threw to Alex Erickson for a first down. Knowing the toughness of Iowa’s defense, Chryst opted to pass on second and long throughout much of the game in an attempt to avoid as many third down situations as possible.
This strategy worked well against Iowa in the opening drive as the Badgers were able to put three points on the board.
Iowa decided to stick to the strategy that has worked for them all season. Having a superb quarterback in C.J. Beathard, they are a situational offense.
When second and eight or more, the Hawkeyes pass 80% of the time, and they pretty much stuck to this formula the entire game. Like opponents in previous weeks, it worked well against Wisconsin as the Hawkeyes were able nail a 27 yard field goal on their second drive.
The Hawkeyes would then score again after a Stave fumble, giving Iowa the lead 10-3 going into the second half.
The Badgers didn’t have any luck reaching the end zone; Something very different from previous weeks. It would turn out that any scoring for the Badgers was left up to kicker Rafael Gaglianone. His leg seemed to be on point, going 2/3 with all attempts from 42 yards or more.
But down by four mid-way through the third quarter the Badgers knew relying on Gaglianone alone would not win the game. For a moment, it looked as though their luck had changed when Beathard fumbled the ball when scrambling to avoid a rush. Wisconsin recovered the ball with excellent field position.
However, with just two yards to go Stave fumbled the ball for the second time, and the Hawkeyes were able to avoid a Badgers touchdown.
The Badgers were unable to put anymore points on the board but were miraculously still in it late in the fourth quarter. The game came down to the very end. With less than a minute left and deep in Iowa territory, the Badgers had plenty of time to make a play and win the game.
But unfortunately for Stave and company, with 40 seconds left on fourth and two, a failed pass attempt ended the Badgers chances of a comeback win and the Hawkeyes defeated Wisconsin 10-6.
Both teams must address the turnover issue going into their next game. With a total of seven turnovers, both Iowa and Wisconsin fell victim to critical interceptions and fumbles. This is especially significant for two organizations who play somewhat conservative ball to begin with.
It has been somewhat of a slow start to the running game by Wisconsin football standards, but last week the Badgers (3-1) seemed to finally settle into the adjustments made on the ground after Corey Clement’s injury a few weeks ago. The Badgers (3-1) put on quite a show, blowing out Hawaii (2-2) 28-0 and putting up over 200 yards running for the first time this season.
A true test of the run game comes this week in Wisconsin’s conference opener against the Iowa Hawkeyes (4-0). Iowa has allowed 84.0 rushing yards per game and is just one of two teams who have yet to allow a rushing touchdown. With such a dominant run defense, Kirk Ferentz will try to set the tempo by shutting down Wisconsin runners Dare Ogunbowale and Tawiwan Deal as early as possible.
Thus, the key to a Badgers victory this Saturday may very well have to come through the air. After a rocky (and at times abysmal) 2014 season for Stave, the 6′ 5” 225lb senior seems to be playing like a smart, more experienced quarterback. He currently has the highest completion percentage of his collegiate career, and if he can keep from turning the ball over, could capitalize on opportunities from defenses who focus too much on the Badgers’ run attack.
Stave had great success against Iowa the last time these two teams met, going 11-for-14 for 139 yards at Kinnick Stadium. It was a crucial victory for Wisconsin, as defeating Iowa (and Minnesota one week later) secured them a spot in the Big Ten Championship.
Other than the 35-17 loss against Alabama (3-1), Wisconsin opponents have yet to score more than three points a game, with two of Wisconsin’s opponents unable to put any points on the board what-so-ever.
However, the days of playing Miami (OH), Troy, and Hawaii are over, and Big Ten play begins.
Iowa has, arguably, the best quarterback the organization has had in a very long time in C.J. Beathard. He’s efficient, accurate, and can run if need be.
Bearthard’s deep ball, however, isn’t as fine tuned as the rest of his play. He’s missed key scoring opportunities when going deep and has thrown some questionable long-balls. Should he throw one up, expect Badgers backs to go beyond preventative defense and attack the passing game in an attempt to create turnovers.
But as Badgers and Hawkeyes fans know, this game isn’t just about improving your spot in the ranking or getting a conference victory; Its a storied rivalry dating back to 1894. As-of-date, these two teams have met on the gridiron a staggering 79 times with the Badgers leading 44-42-2 (.511).
For Paul Chryst this rivalry is especially significant, having experienced it as a player, offensive coordinator, and now head coach for the Wisconsin Badgers. The rivalry aspect of this game was certainly a part of Chryst’s game preparation.
“Yeah, we’re going to talk about it, and I think it’s important” Says Chryst, “It’s one of the neat things I think that here at Wisconsin we have is we do have trophy games, and it’s part of the history of this program and tradition, and I want our guys to understand it and embrace it, so we’re definitely going to talk about it.”
The Badgers will host Iowa this Saturday at Camp Randall. If history tells us anything, this game will be an aggressive, no-holds-barred meeting between two great football programs.
Prediction: Wisconsin 28, Iowa 13
Game time: Saturday, October 3,11:00 AM CT on ESPN; Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI
Your Music Source for News, Reviews, Interviews and Much More!
The Early Registration 