A TON of heat in this update, starting w/ my boy Trey Songz who comes thru w/ a nice song, not unlike previous hits “Wonder Woman” and “Missin’ You”, in that it’s not really an uptempo track and not really a slow jam. It is a quality track, which is the theme of this post. GCH & Estelle hook up for a nice track as well, along with some more great rhymes coming from the Wale track (Michael Phelps and Brett Favre name-drops were real clever), more clever name-drops in the club-banger by Pitbull, & don’t forget Cassidy. I’m also feelin’ the lil’ snippet by Ne-Yo as the StarGate produced beat, along with lyrics that many can relate 2, will likely transition into another big radio hit for Ne-Yo! This is def an update where u don’t wanna skip DLing so judge for urself! Enjoy!
Producer: The Runners - FULL, CDQ, Rumored track off the upcoming album, We Global*Tibs Fav.™
Here’s a quick update for ya before I just straight up crash (was traveling again all day, so apologies for the late update), but above is the latest collabo btwn superstars T-Pain & Kanye West! Autotuner galore here, but still makes for a solid track anytime Kanye is involved. Add in DJ Khaled shoutouts tho and for those who just hate on the autotuner altogether… ur goin 2 hate this track. Below, peep the fresh Estelle video premiere as well as the Ace Hood / Trey Songz video premiere! Larger update 2 come later in the day (Tuesday). Enjoy!
My brief hiatus is finally over, (haha, been mad busy the last couple days, sry!) and as I’m sure many ppl know by now, our hometown Chicago Bulls made it official last nite, making hometown prince Derrick Rose the number 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft! As u can imagine, I’m beyond excited for Rose (nice suit btw, Derrick) in Chicago and the entire city is buzzing about the homecoming of the best Chicago high school player in years! Yes, it’s off-topic but as big basketball and Chicago fans, it is quite an exciting day for us and an exciting weekend as well with the Crosstown Rivalry starting up again as well as the Taste Of Chicago (see below.) And Chicago remains the theme for this post as I gotcha all caught up on the latest music from some of Chicago’s finest MCs (props 2 FSD & Boogz!) NEW, unreleased (quite possibly records from years ago, however) music featuring Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West (pre-accident), Rhymefest, Mikkey Halsted, Bump J as well as Chicago’s finest R&B group, One Chance! A bunch of Tibs Favs 2 be had below, as the listener can really see the talent of Lupe & Kanye at such a young stage in their careers with the below trax. Also make sure 2 get the A-Trak / LUPE version of “Me & My Sneakers” in the post below.. straight up ridiculous! I threw up a lil’ Kidz In The Hall video as well as they just completed a tour out in Europe! Below that, MORE NEW music featuring some of the mainstream artists with Usher covering One Chance, Nas, Joe Budden, and maybe my favorite track outta that bunch, Gym Class Heroes collaborating w/ The Dream! Plenty 2 DL and plenty 2 like, so check it all out below! Enjoy!
Above are a couple Chicago tidbits with the hilarious rap battle between the famous managers of the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox - Lou Piniella and Ozzie Guillen. Both are funny for their own reasons and a quick view of that 30 second commercial spot that’s been airing here will simply show u how. (Cubs lose 2day but still up 3-1 in the season series!). Also, it warrants mentioning that the world’s largest food festival starts 2day - the 28th annual Taste Of Chicago! The festival features food from the various, unique restaurants around Chicago, dipping into all forms of ethnicity, and also includes many outdoor activities. The one most relevant 2 u Chicagoland readers is the musical performers each day of the Taste (June 27th-July 6th) and the notable ones include Estelle on July 2nd, Joss Stone on July 1st, and Stevie Wonder 2morrow on June 28th! So if u are planning on going 2 the Taste, but don’t know which day yet, maybe one of those would be a good time for ya! It’s a good time for everyone and a good time 2 vacation 2 Chicago! And maybe you’ll see us there!
FULL, CDQ, 1st single off upcoming, untitled 3rd album *Tibs Fav.™
“It’s going to be a surprise for a lot of John Legend fans, because it is a lot more upbeat than John is — than people think John is. I was actually happy to hear it. This is a cool John Legend song.” - Andre 3000
NEW John Legend above as I’ve been waiting for the full version of “Green Light” f/ Andre 3000 2 drop for a long time now (thx 2 Legend in our CBox & Young Kingz)! This is the definition of a fun song - uptempo beat and fun lyrics, especially from Andre 3000. Definitely not what we’re accustomed 2 from JL, but he said so himself that this 1st single would be something different and ‘3000 supports that with his quote above. With Andre 3000 on board, I can see this hitting the mainstream and attracting more of an audience to John Legend. It is a great pick for a 1st single and I’d expect even better songs for the album, tentatively due in September! Judge for yourself and DL a track that is a MUST-HAVE for your collection! Below is a RMX of Alicia Keys’ latest hit, “Teenage Love Affair” f/ Al Be Back, who doesn’t add that much 2 the song, but it was a great one to begin with anyway. More NEW trax below featuring another heavy one by Nas (and DJ Khaled??? C’mon, everyone wants 2 see a Nas/Lupe collabo waaaay before Nas/DJ Khaled, haha!), LL Cool J, Casely, Danity Kane/Fabolous, & some requests featuring Estelle, The Game, & Busta Rhymes! Enjoy!
FULL, CDQ, Rumored track from upcoming album, Sketches Of A Man *Tibs Fav.
The feature track for 2day is the RMX 2 Dwele’s first single “I’m Cheatin’” featuring fellow Detroit artist, Slum Village! It’s a unique R&B track with Dwele singin’ about cheatin’ on a girl, not with another girl, but cuz the girl is different, while Slum Village adds a nice flavor 2 the RMX. Not sure if the track will be included on the album, but the original sure will and its due out in stores on June 24th! Down below, a couple trax from some hip hop heavyweights - a short freestyle over “A Millie” (what else is new?) but this time by Jay-Z and a new release from G-Unit produced by Swizz Beatz. Also down below, don’t sleep on a HOT R&B slow jam track by virtual unknown - Nathan. He should be grateful for that ridiculous StarGate beat, which is attractive 2 ur ears on first listen. And finally, the video premiere of Estelle’s latest single - “No Substitute Love”, a nice video with some old school elements telling the story of the song! Enjoy!
Producer: StarGate - FULL, CDQ, Track off upcoming album, Here I Stand, in stores May 27th!*Tibs Fav.
Here I Stand leaked out 2day and above are a couple trax that have interested me since seeing the official tracklist due 2 prolly my 2 favorite producers on the boards - Danja & StarGate! Both songs do NOT disappoint and if the rest of the album contains a quality mix of the uptempo beats and slow jams like this, then Usher has another surefire hit album 2 add 2 his long list of achievements. Usher displays what many consider the best voice in R&B in “What A Man’s To Do” while also singing and telling a great story through his lyrics over a nice beat similar 2 other StarGate produced songs - Chris Brown “With You” & Ne-Yo “Go On Girl”. Prolly my favorite of the 2 if I had 2 choose and will definitely be one of my favs of the album, once I hear the whole thing next Tuesday (gotta wait… :D) Below, u can check out a few more NEW trax, most notably the well-timed Nas drop of “N.I.G.G.E.R. (The Slave & The Master)”, in light of the news that he will be changing his album’s controversial title from Nigger 2 a yet 2 be determined name. Enjoy!
Oh yeah, almost forgot… make sure 2 cop The Cool Kids - The Bake SaleEP album on iTunes! Just purchased my copy there since I believe it is only being released digitally… lemme kno if u see it in stores!
FULL, CDQ, Rumored track off upcoming album, Year Of The Gentleman*Tibs Fav.
R&B fans pay attention! Ridiculous amt of trax leakin… Ne-Yo above, ridiculous. MUST-DL right there. U also got the elite droppin their latest below… Usher, Chris Brown, Trey Songz, R. Kelly… and don’t forget about Lloyd, Cassie, One Chance, Sterling Simms, and I even threw in the Madonna “4 Minutes RMX” w/ Flo Rida, haha. I gotta get some sleeep and zShare is taking foreeeverrr, couldn’t get it up here right away… but anyway…… Enjoy!
Oh yes, enjoy a sweet performance by Estelle & John Legend at Ellen… they’re awesome, lovin’ Shine and the story about how JL & Estelle met at the end of the video! Ya’ll will like that, so check it out!
A lil’ late on 2days update and I would have made Kidz In The Hall on top for the 3rd post in a row, but I decided 2 spread the love 2 R&B singer Jay Sean for his new jam called “Murder” f/ Thara. It’s got a unique fast and smooth tempo with an addicting chorus, which is a good combination for a hot banger. DL that above and the mix of hip hop and R&B below featuring the aforementioned Kidz In The Hall (again) but this time with the talented U.K. singer Estelle. Also the latest from Donnie Klang, a StarGate produced track by up and comer Atozzio, and a repetitive track by DJ Khaled and like 10 of his friends with Akon on the hook. I guess it’s ok, but nothin’ will top “We Takin’ Over” and Khaled is just going 2 get real stale real quick. Just my 2 cents. Enjoy!
As you can tell above, you can peep the latest in music videos as “We Made It” headlines the group. The song and video were released in the same day! How crazy is that? Well, I had a feeling the video would follow the song very quickly since it was already shot and Busta’s been trying 2 keep his tracks on the down low. Quick note: my main internet connection is unbearably slow and I’ll have some new trax for ya guys 2morrow for sure. Anyway, my buddy and I were talkin’ late last nite about various music topics and one of them was about one of our all-time favorites - John Legend - and his upcoming album due in September. We read this interview below that gives some information about the trax on his album and it is definitely looking 2 be very different than his previous 2 with more pop/mainstream beats and a more fun vibe to his CD. We agreed that it could be a mistake if he doesn’t stay true to himself, but I personally like the direction the album is going and I’m predicting his collabo with Andre 3000 will hit the Top 10. Check out the track descriptions below and full interview HERE!
Green Light ft Andre 3000-sounds futuristic with tapping drums and John singing “give me the green light, give me just one night…I’m ready to go right now” and Andre hopes that “you’re more like Anita Baker than Robin Givens.” Anything with Dre makes us smile.
Satisfaction-producer will.i.am pops out the synthy chords and melodious chorus and John’s asking “can I get me some satisfaction?” over rising keys. Ehn…
Everybody Knows- got some stabbing drums, guitar strums, layered chorus that swells as Mr. Legend sings “I wish we gave it one more try.”
No Other Love ft Estelle- reggae beat, estelle = niceness
Cross The Line-producer will.i.am broke out the Three6 Mafia drums on this one. Ae you guys sure you didn’t hit the strip club John?
Good Morning-ok, John played this joint twice and wouldn’t let us talk or take notes. What we can say is that this jam is all about good morning loving. PARLOUR COSIGN.
Aim High-here we’re back to classic john, through acoustic instruments and surprisingly, The Neptunes produced it. we don’t think the duo made the Once Again credits so it’s good to see The Neptunes and John back together again.
The above live performance is simply a must-see. Lupe straight up rips it word for word on my favorite track from Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool and Nikki Jean provides the nice, soulful chorus. Their energy really gets the crowd going and you can tell as the song progresses 2 the very end. I had 2 watch that another time myself, haha. A few notes on the NEW trax below… really feelin’ the Taio Cruz/Estelle RMX and “War Is Necessary”, which I’m re-posting with the CDQ version. The “Flashing Lights” track is the Glow In The Dark Version, which is not live, but CDQ and features a slight, yet interesting take on the track, that I’m sure sounds 10x better if that is used when he performs it in his show. Finally, the Jay-Z track is an interesting one as he fired back at DeShawn Stevenson in support of his boy LeBron James - in fact, it is one of the strangest, most entertaining feuds (LeBron & DeShawn) that I can remember. There’s a link 2 the full story below the track that is a must-read if you’re interested in the details. Enjoy!
Trey Songz “Hold It” - MORE
but still up 3-1 in the season series!). Also, it warrants mentioning that the world’s largest food festival starts 2day - the 28th annual Taste Of Chicago! The festival features food from the various, unique restaurants around Chicago, dipping into all forms of ethnicity, and also includes many outdoor activities. The one most relevant 2 u Chicagoland readers is the musical performers each day of the Taste (June 27th-July 6th) and the notable ones include Estelle on July 2nd, Joss Stone on July 1st, and Stevie Wonder 2morrow on June 28th! So if u are planning on going 2 the Taste, but don’t know which day yet, maybe one of those would be a good time for ya! It’s a good time for everyone and a good time 2 vacation 2 Chicago! And maybe you’ll see us there! 
