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 a new collaboration by Lil Boosie and the Coles (J. and Keyshia), a moving political track from Mike Posner, a Meek Mill and Travis Scott record dedicated to the late rappers Chinx and Lil Snupe, and an upbeat dance track from The Chainsmokers.
Off his forthcoming Touchdown 2 Cause Hell project, Lil Boosie has released his new record ‘Black Heaven’. The track stands out, not only because it shows a more soulful side of Boosie, but also because he recruited not just one, but two, of the Coles (no relation of course). Boosie, J. Cole, and Keyshia Cole together make for an unlikely but amazing collaboration in the new song. Touchdown 2 Cause Hell drops in a week (May 26th).
Listen to Boosie BadAzz’s (Lil Boosie) new London On Da Track produced track ‘Retaliation’. Boosie’s new record is off his upcoming Touch Down 2 Cause Hell project, which is schedule for a May 26th release.
With seven albums in just eight years, Rick Ross has another banger in his catalog with Hood Billionaire. Released through Def Jam, Slip-n-Slide Records, and his label Maybach Music Group, Hood Billionaire doesn’t reinvent the wheel or show us anything that we haven’t seen from Ross since his debut in 2006, but he certainly isn’t slacking. If you love Rick Ross than you will love this album. If you haven’t been a fan in the past however, don’t expect Hood Billionaire to win you over. Just because Ross has changed on the outside (having lost over 100 lbs.), he hasn’t changed on the inside, musically at least. Depending on who you are, Hood Billionaire either brilliantly sticks with a theme and a certain sound or it is too repetitive and everything sounds the same (it is all about perception for this one). Fortunately for myself however, I can always go for some more music from the “Teflon Don”.
“It’s the King b*tch” those are the word one typically expects to hear from OG southern rapper and self declared King Of The South, T.I. . He is one of those rappers who has managed to stay relevant and keep his game at an elevated level while also holding the thrown of King essentially unchallenged. T.I. has had some slips, most notably No Mercy, but it was the late entry Trouble Man: Heavy is the head in 2012 that showed TIP hadn’t left, he just took a short break. Looking to follow the success of his previous effort T.I. is dropping Paperwork in the 4th quarter of 2014 but also leaving a free one time stream up via Itunes Radio. However much like No Mercy, Paperwork is burdened by an over-saturation of guest verses and similarly to Trouble Man it is stretched thin trying to cover various styles in rap. With a blazing start, mediocre middle and solid closing tracks the saving grace of the album is T.I. himself so rarely lets down with weak verses.