Watsky, known best for his raps made famous on the internet and his spoken word poetry, is much more than a rapper/poet. A man who constantly pushes his own limits due to his fear of being pigeon-holed, George Watsky is an artist who cannot be put into just one category. Watsky and I sat down shortly before his performance for a sold out crowd at The Metro in Chicago to talk about a number of different topics, from fellow Bay Area rapper Lil B to more deep topics within the music and entertainment world, specifically his views on the price of music (which has been a hot topic in music for the past month).
Last night we went to Watsky’s All You Can Do Tour featuring Kyle and Anderson Paak. Performing for a sold out crowd at The Metro in Chicago, fans were treated to three great energy filled sets. Before the show we spoke with Kyle (‘Keep It Real’ ‘Don’t Want To Fall In Love‘) as he met his Chicago fans, telling us about he was humbled by Childish Gambino reaching out and including Kyle’s track ‘Fruit Snacks’ in Gambino’s short film, Clapping For The Wrong Reasons. Next, before he stepped on stage, we sat down with Watsky for an interview about his thoughts on the price of music, his video for ‘Whoa Whoa Whoa‘, and even Lil B the Based God (coming soon).
Based off recent listing and ad uploads from Amazon and iTunes, J. Cole’s third studio album is on the way and scheduled for a December 9th release. The album will released on Roc Nation and Columbia Records andis titled 2014 Forest Hills Drive and we have the first look as to the meaning behind the title.
According to reports by the New York Times, the mobile phone application Uber (which allows private drivers to offer taxi-like services to users) is expected to announce a partnership with the music streaming application and website Spotify. This will not just be a business transaction partnership that doesn’t affect customers’ experiences, as the deal will allow customers to play their own Spotify playlist during their Uber drive.
For our Hate It or Love It series we take a current hot topic in music news that polarizes reasonable minds in the music and entertainment world, and we have one of our writers advocate for one side of the argument and have another one of our writers advocate for the other side (trying our best to always stay fair and balanced). One of the biggest topics in music news this past month is Taylor Swift’s decision to pull her music off the popular streaming service Spotify. While Swift issued an op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journalstating “Music is art” that should be paid for, Spotify’s CEO agreed, but noted that they have paid artists over $2 billion dollars in royalties.
Last night, singer-songwriter Tahliah Debrett Barnett (better known by “FKA Twigs”) performed for a sold out crowd at The Metro in Chicago, IL. On tour in promotion of her debut and highly acclaimed album LP1, FKA Twigs gave fans a stunning and brilliant 13-song set. The show was kicked off by an opening performance from producer-singer Boots (the man highly responsible for Beyonce’s latest self-titled album) and ended with a promise from FKA to come back to Chicago soon. If you slept on your opportunity to see her last night, or if she is coming to a city near you, be sure to see why she is already selling out venues throughout the world.
On Thursdays we review albums that are considered “classic”. This week it’s the classic album that pushed gangsta rap to new heights, 50 Cent’s Get Rich Or Die Tryin’. This is certainly one of the best debut albums by a rapper (in the conversation with Nas’ Illmatic and Kanye West’s The College Dropout). The 2002 album, released by Eminem’s Shady Aftermath and Interscope, was made popular by the radio hit ‘In Da Club’ (and bonus track ‘Wanksta’) but received its vast critical acclaim by the realness and vividness in 50’s gangsta rap.
In a recent interview rap group Rae Sremmurd (‘No Flex Zone’), comprised of Swae Lee and Slim Jimmy, announced that two new projects are coming soon. Coming first will be the ‘No Type’ rapper’s EP SremmLife, which we can expect in “a month or so”, before the end of the year. This will get fans ready for their debut album, which Rae Sremmurd announced will come out in January 2015.
After previously releasing a lyric video for her new single, Azealia Banks has now released her official video for ‘Chasing Time’ in promotion of her album Broke With Expensive Taste (out now). The stunning black and white video, directed by Marc Klasfeld, made its worldwide premiere today on MTV and will be aired throughout the day.
Listen to Stromae’s collaboration on the new Hunger Games soundtrack. This one is titled ‘Meltown’, and features the talented Lorde (who curated the soundtrack) as well as HAIM, Pusha-T and Q-Tip. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Pt. 1 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is available next week.
The Early Registration 
