In anticipation of her new album, AIM, rapper M.I.A. has shared her new record ‘Freedun’, featuring former One Direction artist, Zayn. A song which M.I.A. teased a year ago, Zayn was a great add to the record, on an unexpected collaboration.
“Whose world is this? The world is mine, so bring it on.” – M.I.A. on ‘Freedun’
If the rest of the album is anything like ‘Freedun’, than AIM is definitely not a project to sleep on this year, and you can get it for yourself on September 9th. The new album already marks M.I.A.’s reunion with her ex and producer of her huge hit single, ‘Paper Planes’, and with features from Zayn, Dexta Daps and more, AIM is shaping up to be a great add to the rapper’s discography.
Stream ‘Freedun’ below while you still can, and pre-order M.I.A.’s new LP, AIM, now.
Common’s Chicago AAHH! Festis returning to Union Park this September, and after the release of the festival’s initial lineup (Jeremih, The Internet, Sir The Baptist), the festival has added some additional big names. Joining the previously announced AAHH! Fest artists this year will be Chicago’s own Vic Mensa, The Roots, comedian Deon Cole, Bilal, Malik Yusef and more. That isn’t all either, as other big names are still to be announced.
The two-day festival will run from September 24-25 and it isn’t just a great music festival either, as it’s also Common’s dedication to bringing education programs and jobs to Chicago, by raising funds to support the Common Ground Foundation and Donda’s House, the charitable organizations of Common, Kanye West and Rhymefest.
Get your tickets now at AAHHFest.com and check out our photos from 2014’s AAHH! Fest below.
In perhaps the most unexpected and dopest collaboration of the year, ‘Paper Planes’ rapper M.I.A. has announced her new single, with a very big collaboration. Joining M.I.A. for her new record ‘Freedun’, which releases tomorrow, is none other than former One Direction stand-out, Zayn. Ever since his new album and breakout single ‘Pillow Talk’, we have been excited for anything Zayn is involved in. So when teamed up with one of the best female rappers of all time, ‘Freedun’ is sure to be a hit.
Not only can you hear their new record tomorrow, but M.I.A.’s new LP, AIM, is just over a week away (scheduled for a September 9th release). The new 17-track album will feature Zayn, Diplo, Dexta Daps, and a must have for your iTunes.
Check out the single art for M.I.A. and Zayn’s new collaboration below and pre-order M.I.A.’s new album, AIM,here.
Kanye West and Taylor Swift have had a rocky relationship ever since his “Imma let you finish” moment at the VMAs years ago. And just when it looked like the two were good (friends even), things got crazy when Kanye released his new album, The Life of Pablo, with the record ‘Famous’, where Kanye claims he feels like “Taylor (and Kanye) might still have sex.”
That’s when all hell broke lose. Taylor was publicly upset, then rumors swirled that Swift actually gave Kanye the green light for the lyric, then Kim Kardashian West posted video evidence of a phone call where Taylor is okay with the lyric, then Taylor claimed she wasn’t aware of the “making that b*tch famous” part of the song and threatened legal action over the posting of the phone call. It’s not clear exactly what to believe, but many viewed the whole situation as a big W for Kanye and a big L for Taylor, helping Kanye’s public image and damaging Taylor previously perfect image.
But despite coming out ahead and despite Taylor threatening Kanye with a lawsuit over the release of a phone call which she previously denied even happened, Kanye has just shown love for the ‘Bad Blood’ singer on Twitter. Sharing a photo of a t-shirt that blends Kanye’s album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and Swift’s pop LP, 1989, Kanye writes “unity love”.
Let’s just hope that the two can finally make up and make some dope music together one day, so everyone wins.
Fans who follow Niykee Heaton know that she has been gearing up for another big headlining tour, and today the wait is over, as Niykee has announced her new “Centerfold Tour”, which kicks off in just over a month. Making its first two stops in Athens, GA on October 6th and 7th, Niykee will make stops in Chicago, Nashville, LA, New York, Tampa and practically everywhere in North America until the tour concludes December 16th in Austin, TX.
Tickets for the ‘Bad Intentions’ singer’s tour will go on sale to everyone on Thursday, September 1st (10:00 am local time), with a limited number of VIP packages available to fans. Don’t be fooled by her looks either, Heaton is much more than a pretty face and her collaborations and covers are just a couple examples why.
Check out the full dates/locations for Niykee Heaton’s “Centerfold” Tour below.
After debuting the video during the MTV Video Music Awards earlier tonight, Kanye West has released his newest music video, this time for his The Life of Pablo record, ‘Fade’. The visuals for the Post Malone assisted track are another hit for Kanye, but unfortunately for a lot of fans, it’s also another TIDAL exclusive. So all the more reason to subscribe, right? If you didn’t catch the video at the VMAs, you can get a free trial to TIDAL and watch the new video now.
Watch Kanye’s new music video for ‘Fade’, here at TIDAL.
Last night ‘Honey, I’m Good’ singer Andy Grammer and the Patrick Monahan-led Train opened up their two-night residency at The Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, IL. Performing for a sold-out Chicago crowd, both Train and Grammer delivered with high energy and performances of some of their best records.
Kicking things off for the night was Andy Grammer; a great singer, a talented songwriter and someone we dubbed as “music’s easiest guy to root for.” Grammer opened his performance on a high note with performances of his breakout single ‘Keep Your Head Up’, as well as his records ‘Fine By Me’ and ‘Kiss You Slow’. Whether he was thanking fans for their votes on “Dancing With The Stars”, even having the crowd get up and dance themselves, or whether he was performing some creative mashups of his tracks mixed with some current radio hits, like a mix of his new single ‘Fresh Eyes’ with The Chainsmoker and Daya’s hit record ‘Don’t Let Me Down’, Grammer found a way to entertain the crowd throughout his whole set. Other highlights of Grammer’s set included his performance of ‘Forever’ (with some hilarious acting in the background from his band), and his closing performance of his big single, ‘Good To Be Alive (Hallelujah)’. Just days away from his co-headlining tour with Gavin DeGraw (another Ravinia Festival alum), Grammer delivered for Chicago tonight.
Next up were the night’s headliners, San Francisco roots rock band, Train. Perhaps known best for their record ‘Drops Of Jupiter’, Train’s engined is powered by much more than just one train track. ‘If It’s Love’, ‘Meet Virginia’ and ‘Bruises’ are just a few songs from the beginning of their set that instantly reminded fans of Train’s star power. Since their debut self-titled album in 1998, Train has been a staple in rock music and tonight was a reminder of just that. Tonight was also a treat for Illinois, because it was a hometown show for the ‘Hey Soul Sister’ performers, as Train guitarist Jimmy Stafford hails from Morris, IL. Highlights of Train’s night-one performance included Monahan performing in the crowd, spanning across the entire pavilion, walking on seats and taking selfies with fans, and of course their encore performance of ‘Drops of Jupiter’. It will be hard for tonight’s performance to top last night’s show, but we’re sure that Train and Andy Grammer are up for the challenge.
Check out our photos from last night’s performance below.
If you haven’t heard the name by now, get ready to know the St. Louis and Chicago-affiliated MC, Smino, as the talented rapper has signed his first major record deal, with Interscope Records. Whether you know him from his collaboration with Chance The Rapper or one of his fan favorite solo tracks, Smino is easily one of our favorite emerging rappers. Up until this point, Smino’s rise has been all him, so with a major label backing him up, Smino is about to make some serious noise in the rap game.
Off his forthcoming album, which is scheduled for a fall release, producer oddCouple has released his brand new single. Recruiting the talents of two of the Midwest best emerging MCs, Chicago’s Mick Jenkins and Milwaukee’s WebsterX, oddCouple’s new record ‘Blinded’ is a must listen.
‘Blinded’ is just the first record off oddCouple’s forthcoming LP, and if it’s a good indication of what’s to come, then he has quite the project in the works.
Passenger’s forthcoming album, Young As The Morning Old As The Sea is due out next month on September 23rd, and to get fans excited for the new LP, Passenger has shared the visuals for his new single ‘Everywhere’. Co-produced alongside Chris Vallejo (Empire of the Sun, INXS), Passenger’s new album will certainly be one to pick up when it hits stores and iTunes next month.
And if a new music video and album weren’t enough, you will soon have the chance to catch performances of those tracks live as Passenger will be hitting the road in 2017 on a big headlining tour. The tour kicks off March 7th in Philadelphia, and Passenger will make stops in Chicago, Vancouver, Los Angeles and many more stops throughout North America.
The Early Registration 