After releasing two rap albums and a rock album, Kid Cudi is returning to his roots with Indicud, his upcoming fourth studio album that promises to prominently feature Cudi the rapper. “Just What Iam” was produced by Cudi himself and it features guest artist and long-time Cudder collaborator Chip tha Ripper who now likes to be called King Chip. During the hook Cudi makes it clear: “I need smoke.” But I thought he quit smoking… Preview the track below and snag it for keeps at the download link.
By now you should know who Skylar Grey is. After helping Diddy-Dirty Money, Dr. Dre, Lupe Fiasco, and T.I. make hit songs, the mysterious Grey is ready to shine all on her own. Prior to dropping her official single later this month, she has released a standalone track for her fans called “Dance Without You.” She told AOL Music: “I wanted to release “Dance Without You” as a free download because everyone has been so patient waiting for my solo material. It is just a little teaser before my official single comes out later this month, and a taste of what’s on my album.”
Get your taste of the Alex Da Kid production below; preview it in the audio player, download it at the link. Anticipate the debut single “Invisible” coming this month. The album Invinsible is expected to drop this fall.
The debut single from Kid Cudi’s rock band 2 Be Continuum is here! Cudder has been teasing the track since yesterday on Twitter. First he warned his fans, “Tomorrow, be ready.” Next he hinted, “10pm, the debut.” And after a minor delay (“Delay delay!!! Workin on some last minute fixes, sorry to leave you guys in suspense all day but i gotta make sure everything is right first. Gimme a few. Update soon!!!”), he dropped a MediaFire link into his feed and “Perfect Is The Word” was let out into the wild. The lonely stoner introduced it like this: “KiD CuDi & Dot Da Genius “Perfect Is The Word”.” Formally known as Wizard, 2 Be Continuum is the spin-off band Cudi and friend/producer Dot Da Genius formed earlier this year. The track definitely sounds like it came from the same mind that created the Man on the Moon records, but you’ll notice more guitar and less rapping. Sample the first slice of wizardry below.
Update: Cudder hopped on Twitter to announce a second new track is on the way. It’s called “No One Believes Me” and it will be featured in the upcoming vampire flick Fright Night. Cudi says, “Look out for the soundtrack and video soon.”
In between his debut album Asleep in the Bread Aisle and his upcoming sophomore attempt The Spaghetti Tree (due out later this year) Asher Roth collaborated with rapper Nottzz to produce the 8-track Rawth EP. “Gotta Get Up” is a track from that 2010 release, and this here is the corresponding music video. In it we stumble around a neighborhood with the “I Love College” rapper and now he’s donning a hobo-ish persona with his long blond locks and scraggly golden beard. Director Luke Tedaldi does a fine job at using unconventional filters and effects to warp Asher and his surroundings in cool ways. Check out the vid above, and download the Rawth EP for free right here.
French electro house producer David Guetta just released the first single off his upcoming, still untitled fifth studio album due out this summer. “Where Dem Girls At?” features his “Club Can’t Handle Me” partner Flo Rida and adds rising star Nicki Minaj to the mix. The result is nothing spectacular nor surprising from Guetta, but the bouncing bass and synth-y goodness should get you moving and that’s all that matters, right? Preview the track, then download it below.
If you haven’t heard of Pusha T it’s about time you figure out why he’s the hottest up-and-coming rapper out there right now. He’s one half of Clipse and he’s the newest member of Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music family. Recently he’s been featured on West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy showcasing his skills on tracks like “Runaway” and “So Appalled.” It’s time for him to shine on his own, and so he’s finally released his much anticipated mixtape Fear of God. The 13-track collection plays very much like an EP and features artists Kanye West, Rick Ross, 50 Cent, and Kevin Cossom. On the production side, Pusha’s teamed with West, The Neptunes, Hit-Boy, Tha Bizness, Nottz, and The Inkredibles.
Download the free mixtape right here. Look after the break for the album art and track listing.
California Gurls. Teenage Dream. Firework. Still have at least one of these Katy Perry songs stuck in your head at some point every day? Get ready for another extremely catchy-Katy tune to probe your brain. This week the pop star released an official remix of her fourth single off Teenage Dream. It’s called “E.T.” and she managed to attach rap overlord Kanye West to the bass-heavy track. His second dirty verse includes this rap: “Tell me what’s next, alien sex? I’m-a disrobe you, then I’m-a probe you. See, I abducted you so I tell you what to do.” Yeah, you won’t find the smart quips we’re used to hearing from ‘Ye off his smashing record Twisted Fantasy here, but it’s definitely worth a listen. Better you preview it here first, then decide if you want it for keeps. A music video featuring Perry and West is in the works.
[audio: Katy Perry – E.T. (Remix) (Featuring Kanye West).mp3]
On this Valentine’s Day the brilliantly talented John Legend released this sweet cover of “Secret Heart,” a beautiful track originally performed by Ron Sexsmith. And now, it’s my gift to you.
Bryan Greenberg, the star of HBO’s How To Make It In America, is about to drop his debut album. It’s called We Don’t Have To Wait Forever and it releases January 18. It’s being described as “a fresh collection of introspective narratives and soulful ballads” and it features a track called “You Can Run” that features Kid Cudi. Back in June Cudder dropped by a live Greenberg performance and laid down a freestyle and joined in on the chorus. In an interview with Complex Magazine Greenberg shares the story:
“I did have one [song] in mind for him and he did it live. He came to my show like a year ago in New York, when I was on tour. He jumped on stage for a little freestyle. When he heard the song he was like, “I really like it and that’s why I’m going to do it.” I was really honored by that. I thought he was going to rap, but he sang. It was cool. He’s really a true artist.”
Looking forward to the second season of HTMIIA? In that same interview Greenberg talked about what’s in store for Ben and Cam. “[The show] hasn’t reached the tipping point at all. I’m going back to L.A. next week and we’re going to do read-throughs of the first four episodes. I’m super excited. It’s going forward a couple of months and the business is growing…it’s like, how does this guy become Ralph Lauren? How does it happen? We take if from the street, like early, early sh– to like…that’s the goal, you know? It’s going to take years to develop.”
Preview the album’s lead single “Walk Away” in the video embedded above. How to Make It In America season 2 is currently in production and is expected to air this summer.
Update: The acoustic-based single “You Can Run” featuring Kid Cudi’s singing voice is now available to stream! Listen to it below and download it here.
[audio: Bryan Greenberg – You Can Run (Featuring Kid Cudi).mp3]
Fun fact. The inspiration for the song actually stems from Greenberg’s character Ben from HTMIIA. “I was kind of writing from the point of view of Ben and being scorned by Rachel and that just being a reason to succeed in life,” he says. “I did notice that a lot of successful people in this world, they always say that it’s about the art or it’s about the work. But when it comes down to it, [what drives them is that] they were made fun of in high school. Or there was a girl that dumped them and they’re trying to get back at them. I was coming from that mentality.”
DJ Earworm never fails to impress with his annual “United State of Pop” track. Again this year he has masterfully figured out how to mash together the top 25 hits according to Billboard Magazine. Ke$ha, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Taio Cruz dominate the five-and-a-half minute track, with some Train, B.o.B., Enrique Iglesias, Eminem, and Bruno Mars sprinkled in for good measure. You can watch the mashup come to life in the music video above, and then download the explosively catchy track right here. Look after the break to find a list of all the songs used in the mashup and some cover art.
After the release of “Chain Heavy” Kanye West put a stop to the G.O.O.D. Friday series and let his highly lauded album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy speak for itself. Last Wednesday, however, a leaked version of a sweet holiday rap hit the ‘Net and marked the return of new Yeezy material since the release of the new album. On Friday Kanye uploaded the mastered version of “Christmas in Harlem” to iTunes. The upbeat track features Teyana Taylor on the catchy hook, one cheerful verse from ‘Ye, and special guest G.O.O.D. Music’s Cyhi Da Prynce. Listen to the track below and download it at iTunes here.
[audio: Kanye West – Christmas In Harlem I.mp3]
Update: Shortly after the original song leaked, Kanye tweeted that another version would be let loose and this one features Cam’ron, Jim Jones, Vado, Pusha T, Big Sean, and Musiq Soulchild, along with Teyana Taylor and Cyhi. Listen to the extended cut after the break, and download it right here. Notice ‘Ye has placed it in the G.O.O.D. Friday section of his website; this is likely the final GF track of the year, but it’s good to know he’s not through with doling out free music just yet. He provided album art with it, and I’ve posted it beyond the break. Happy holidays!
Weezy’s out of prison and he’s hard at work on mixing the next album in Tha Carter series. Take a listen to the Bangladesh-produced lead single featuring Cory Gunz called “6 Foot 7 Foot”. After that download a copy for keeps at iTunes.
[audio: Lil Wayne – 6 Foot 7 Foot (Featuring Cory Gunz).mp3]
