Ok so I know I said I was going to be doing my Top 5 songs of the week every Tuesday but things were kind of heavy the past two days but I'm back on top of my game. I'm still going to be using the same time frame of Monday to Moday so that I not cheating. So that being said lets get into it.
I really like the vibe that I got from this song when I first heard it on Fabolous The Soul Tape. It was real chill but at the same time I was still able to give a strong head nod. Minus Fab the song is still pretty dope.
So every song that Big Boi has released leading up to Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors has made its way to my Top 5 songs list and this one is no different. I really rock with this beat, Big Boi killed his verses as he usually does, and Cudi really sounded like the Cudi from his first album which was the best Cudi to me.
First I want to give a shout out to Jamie Foxx for the production. This beat is crazy and I honestly would never expect this from Jamie Foxx. Rick Ross complimented the beat very well and made the overall song that much better. Looking forward to hearing the entire soundtrack.
This is my curve ball of the week. I not really into much of the "Drill" music but when I heard this it sounded more like it meant something to Durk. He wasn't just rapping over the beat but instead telling the personal story of Lil Durk. Need more like this from him.
This is the song that I probably only listen to when I'm driving my car or after a few drinks in the club. I have to be in a certain mood to really enjoy this but when I'm in that mood this will be my shit.
So that this week Top 5. Sorry about the delay and as always feel free to comment. Two fingers to the side.
Was really lookin' forward to this collab but honestly, the "Big Boy's Neighborhood" tags are of the highest obnoxiousness. Totally kills the track and I think it cuts off before Fab's verse gets started. I do like what I hear, but it's hard to really judge.
My advice: keep checkin' back for an update later today. Hold off even the listen for now since a CDQ will assuredly drop soon.
When the genre of hip hop first began to get notice in the 70s and 80s, a certain street style became characteristic of the culture. Artists from Run DMC to LL Cool J could likely be seen rocking Adidas and Kangol. In the 90s, it shifted to jerseys and Jordans. In the early 2000s, it was baggy jeans, Air Force Ones and tall tees. This was about as involved as hip hop artists had gotten with the fashion industry, but as of late, the two industries have become more and more interwoven. Kanye West, A$AP Rocky, Big Sean, Chris Brown all have found ways to incorporate the classic hip hop street style with higher fashion. Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Baleciaga--they're wearing it all.
In a recent interview with Complex Magazine, Big Sean described where things are going for him fashion-wise. He touched on topics such as his collaboration with Adidas as well as how his fascination with higher end fashion has developed. The Detroit native also noted how much of an influence the very man who discovered and signed him to his G.O.O.D. Music label, a fashion icon in his own right, Kanye West, has had on his fashion sense. When asked about Mr. West, Sean explained:
"Being around Kanye, he really takes fashion seriously and just being around him and soaking up the information that he has and talking about it and being around him when we meet up with the editors of the top fashion magazines like Complex and shooting with the top fashion photographers and having that conversation—it does affect your style. And you take what you get from situations like that and you incorporate it into your own."
When Kanye West began to really gain notice as a musician in the early 2000s, he stood out as someone different, not just for his lyricsm and production, but for his unique fashion sense as well. Crowning himself the Louis Vuitton Don, he rocked items that you wouldn't typically see other artists wearing. He continued to expand this persona as a pioneer for fashion in the hip hop world when he started what he called, the Rosewood Movement. He and his G.O.O.D. Music signees were often seen wearing tailored suits and loafers. But he didn't stop there. More recently, West launched his first fashion line, DW, which he debuted during Paris fashion week 2011.
A young artist who is making a name in the music biz, A$AP Rocky, has become known for his classic New York sound and equally so for his unique fashion sense. This past summer, the 24-year-old was featured in GQ. He described, "With clothes, I like mixing what different designers do until it becomes a personal expression of how I'm feeling that day."
Another young artist, known as an R&B crooner who more recently transitioned into the hip hop scene, Chris Brown, too has become known for his unique fashion sense. He's heard a lot of criticism for some of his choices, but Wilhelmina Modeling Agency saw something in Brown, having recently signed him to their artist management division. Taylor Hendrich, director of Wilhelmina's men's division, describes, “Chris Brown is a… multifaceted artist with a unique take on style, and we are excited to translate and extend his brand.”
In the interview with Complex this week, Big Sean further commented on the influence he and Kanye have on each other's fashion sense.
"I'll take fashion tips from Ye, and Ye will take fashion tips from me too. And you'll see it. You can see it in videos, you can see it in what we wear, what he wears, what I wear, and we all influence each other. Everybody."
I think that sums it all up. Hip hop influences fashion. Fashion influences hip hop. We all influence each other. I'm interested to see how far artists will continue to take their fashions and how accepting the fierce fashion world will be of these artists.
In your opinion, what hip hop artist has the best fashion sense? Comment below!
Today's magazine cover is actually covers as XXL releases two versions of its next issue with Big Sean & Chris Brown in your face with all that gold. Catch these on newsstands this Holiday season.
A G.O.O.D. week of accolades for G.O.O.D. Music is capped off by the news that "Clique" has gone platinum, selling one million copies of the single. That's on top of "Mercy"'s double platinum status from last week. Is any other rap clique (pun intended) coming close to that?
Big Sean's deal with adidas has taken one very nice step forward as the Detroit rapper is collaborating with the 3 stripes on a limited edition "Detroit Player" version of the Pro Model II.
The detailed photos above showcase the red with gold accents, complete with some custom odes to the G.O.O.D. Music emcee and his D-Town hometown. The shoe is available on December 1st, but only 380 pairs have been made, and they can only be copped at Detroit's Puffer Reds. I, however, would venture a guess that Big Sean & adidas collab on some sort of online giveaway. Not holding my breath, but I wouldn't be surprised.
Big Sean chopped it up at length with Tim Westwood while out in London recently and of course that means some new details on upcoming projects have come to light. The one I'm most excited for: the revelation that Big Sean was invited to the studio by the biggest rap star to have come out of his city: Eminem!
Other noteworthy tidbits from the interview: Big Sean talks about his current single "Guap", that A-list rappers were cut from the final versions of the "I Don't Like RMX" and "Clique", and that his upcoming sophomore album title has been shortened from Hall Of Fame: Memoirs Of A Detroit Player to simply, Hall Of Fame.
