Above are some official behind the scenes photos of the video shoot for "Diamonds" - nope, not Rihanna's, but French Montana's (That's the sound of every male reader banging their fist on the desk).
Anyway, the video was shot in Miami and features cameos from DJ Khaled & Ace Hood in addition to featured guests J. Cole & Rick Ross. The video should drop soon (and likely confirm my "same ole, same ole" reaction to watching another hip hop music video).
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.
“I feel like the essence of what it is to be an artist has been lost ... The work ethic of some of these younger artists that I'm coming across is embarrassing.”
In a recent interview with AOL, singer-songwriter Ne-yo called out some fellow R&B artists. The 30-year-old entertainer, who recently dropped his 5th studio album, R.E.D. on the 6th, explained that artists today have it easier with the use of shortcuts like Youtube and autotune.
The smooth-talking crooner discussed how he has a great appreciation for classic R&B artists like Marvin Gaye who he described he would love to play in a movie if given the opportunity.
“I think Marvin Gaye's story is incredible. I got the opportunity to sit down with Barry Gordy not too long ago and just talk to him about what it was like back in those days. Marvin Gaye was a drummer. He wasn't even an artist, he was the drummer for everybody else and then they decided to give him a shot. I just feel like his story is really incredible.”-Neyo
Growing up, I was exposed to such classic acts. I could sing along to pretty much any Motown song. I now realize how these great artists, from Marvin Gaye to Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, have been so crucial to the development and recognition of R&B as a genre for the real true artists.
An element of that artistry has been lost with a lot of today's artists. (I’m starting to sound like my father!) An average voice can be covered with auto-tune and a bangin’ beat that you can dance to. Mediocre writing is no longer an issue. You can hire a writer, or 3, to handle that for you. A lot of artists aren’t producing their own music like they used to either.
But this isn’t to say that musicians now, aren’t working as hard as they used to back in the day. As the style of music is changing, every track doesn't need a singer who can belt out every note or background tracks with live bands. With more and more people trying to make it into the business, I have all the more respect for those grinding 2 times as hard so that they can stand out. Youtube and mixtapes have allowed for some of today’s biggest artists to get where they are (Justin Bieber, J. Cole, Drake, etc.), so Youtube's shining stars shouldn't be thought of as taking the easy way out. It's becoming more and more difficult to stand out, so I wouldn't discredit those getting it how they can.
Ultimately, I think we should pay homage to those who came before us in this industry and paved the way for these young artists. Take a minute to appreciate them for their amazing artistry, their raw and natural singing capabilities, songwriting skills and unique and creative production.
Ne-yo is right to a certain extent. Yes, some artists aren’t what they once were, but that isn’t to discredit them and their dedication. A lot of the young people today are far different than the artists of the Motown era, but they’re still artists nonetheless. The essence of artistry hasn’t been lost. It’s evolved.
Hats off to Ne-yo for staying true to this multi-faceted, classic, Marvin Gaye-style artistry. Make sure you go out and cop his R.E.D. album to hear it in full effect.
What do you think about artists today in comparison to those back in the day?
So for those who don’t me I’m RiP and I’ve been with Gowhere for about a year now blogging. For those familiar with the site every now and again Tibs might post a song and add somewhere in the post *Tibs Fav. so we came up with idea that we all should do something similar. So every Tuesday I’m going to be posting RiP’s Favs from the previous week. They aren’t going to be in any particular order, but are just my favorite’s songs that were posted on the site that I think you all should definitely be giving a second listen. So with that being said here are my favorite tracks from the past week.
Off of his next project The Memoirs Of Gilbert Gaston which is set to drop early December, Illi gives us one of his most catchy songs to date. Production on this is really solid as usual from Rel Elite, but as the song says I’m not trying to say 2 much.
Big Boi in my opinion is one of the most under appreciated artists in hip-hop, and his verse on this song and the song period is another example of this. The beat is crazy, A$AP Rocky killed the first verse, and I find myself looking forward to another Big Boi album.
I haven't always been a fan of J. Cole, but once I did become one he hasn't had to many misses in my opinion. The song has a real somber vibe to but I still found myself nodding my head hard as hell and I think you all will to.
I'm not completely sold on The Weeknd yet, I loved House of Balloons but wasn't really feeling his other two releases that much. This song is very much down the lines of House of Balloons. His album Trilogy dropped today so make sure to go grab that.
Lastly is the beautiful Alicia Keys. Its really hard to go wrong with adding a Alicia Keys track to any list of top songs. She is really coming back strong and this song is only furthering that. If this "Brand New" Alicia Keys is anything like the old one then we can expect some crazy music from her in the future. Shout Out to Swizzy just cause.
I'll be posting this list every Tuesday (hopefully) so please feel free to comment with any disagreements and/or suggestions. If I don't get to your comments on here make sure to hit me up on the twitter. Peace
