In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Nicki Minaj addressed the chocking and death of Eric Garner by a NYPD officer and her opinion on why black artists sometimes choose not to speak out against racial injustices. Specifically Minaj cited the backlash Kanye West received after his famous “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” quote, when addressing a televised audience during the destruction of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
2014 was Rae Sremmurd’s year. In the summer, Rae Sremmurd (rappers Swae Lee and Slim Jimmy) released their first single ‘No Flex Zone’ through EarDrummers Entertainment (producer Mike WiLL Made-It’s Interscope Records imprint), making the track one of the summer’s anthems and an instant favorite on the internet. To kick-off the fall, the Mississippi rappers proved their doubters wrong by the release of their equally successful track ‘No Type’, making the duo two-for-two on making rap hits and quieting any one-hit-wonder predictions. Months later, and in just one week on January 6th, Rae Sremmurd is releasing their debut album SremmLife (available now for streaming), when rap fans did not know their name less than a year ago.
Earlier today, Hot 97‘s “Ebro in the Morning” hosted rapper Macklemore for a great discussion on race and white privilege (specifically in the music world). Among many topics, Macklemore addresses police brutality and whether he believes that his music is embraced by white radio and the Grammys because of his skin color. Macklemore also talks about the new J. Cole album and his text apology to Kendrick Lamar. Watch the hour-long and thought provoking interview below.
Every since the rap world was introduced to the Mississippi-natives Rae Sremmurd, the duo has been hitting the ground running with their very successful tracks ‘No Flex Zone’ and ‘No Type’. Now we have the group’s debut album SremmLife which is 11-tracks and features appearances by Nicki Minaj, Big Sean, and Young Thug and production by Mike Will Made It.
Earlier this week, Wale gave fans his Festivus mixtape in anticipation of his upcoming The Album About Nothing. Today we have the video for the first single from Wale’s new album, titled ‘The Body’ with Jeremih. Check out the video below and catch Wale on tour (kicking off January 1 in Maryland).
Some may argue that 2014 has not been the best year for albums. However no matter which side of that argument you are on, we have compiled our list of the 30 albums of the year that you NEED to listen to. From the up-and-comers like Raury and Vince Staples to the pop icons like T. Swift, our list has everything you need from 2014’s year in music.
Check out the first N.E.R.D. (Pharrell, Chad Hugo, Shay Haley) song in 5 years, as the legendary trio joins for their track ‘Squeeze Me’, off the upcoming Spongebob Squarepants movie (not a typo). Stream the new track of the movies upcoming soundtrack below.
Get ready to catch Raury in a city near year. Earlier this week, the acclaimed up-and-comer announced part one of his tour, kicking off January 6th in Alabama. Raury will be accompanied by Tay Jasper and 6lackbear. Stay turned for more dates and check out the tour dates and the tour’s trailer below.
Check out the collaborative project by Wale and A-Trak, titled Festivus (staying consistent with Wale’s Seinfeld theme). The project features 11 tracks and recruits the likes of Chance The Rapper, Ab-Soul, A$AP Ferg, Pusha T and more. Festivus will certainly get fans excited for Wale’s upcoming, The Album About Nothing (coming March 31).
The Early Registration 