Brian Josephs
King Chip And Casey Veggies “Lipstick On The Blunt”
It's hard to think of a rapper who would hear Val Venis' intro and think, "This would make a dope sample." Wale would be one. If you thought King Chip and Casey Veggies would be another two, you'd be right. The two sample the chauvinistic intro to "Lipstick on the Blunt," produced by The Sparks Foundation (Emilio Sparks and engineer John Sparkz).
...
XXL’s Songs Of The Week
There’s plenty of new music to sift through. How do you know what is good or bad? Well, that’s where we come in.
Aside from a busy week of interesting news, there’s always a plethora of dope music that drops. Sometimes it’s out of nowhere, and sometimes it is promoted and released right when we expect it. As rap heads, we are a...
REKS Featuring Noreaga And Saigon “Garvey”
REKS got some new work coming up. Eyes Watching God, a collaborative album with Hazardis Sounds, is a concept project featuring a good and evil contrast. It comes with a “God Side” and “Devil Side”; "Garvey," featuring Noreaga and Saigon, is of the "God Side."
Over triumphant horns and a ...
T-Pain Gets Honest On “Look Like Me”
Summer is known as the turn-up season, and T-Pain was doing just that last year with "Up Down (Do This All Day)" — one of his best joints in years. On "Look Like Me," he's slowing things up to be a bit more transparent.
There isn't much going on here but T-Pain staring longingly into the camera as he croons. He's very...
Mystery And Animation Connect On Raz Simone’s “Bow Down” Video
Raz Simone isn't the conventional rapper, but even the video for "Bow Down" is a little left-field for his catalogue. The new clip, directed by Joe Garber and animated by Carina Simmons, is a unique one featuring some magic in the forest.
...
Bun B “Boss S**t”
The Trill OG is back, and this time he's tipping his toes a little bit into EDM. Bun B connects with MiM0SA for "Boss Shit" — a cut off Future Trill Vol 2.
There are very few rappers who can convincingly rock a track called "Boss Shit" over a sometimes maligned genre like EDM. But the b...
Juicy J “THC Believe…”
The "0-100" remixes are finally dying down, but that doesn't mean Drake songs — or any songs affiliated with Drake — aren't still prone to them. At least this time it's coming from Juicy J, who's hits the e-streets with a remix of "Believe" after dropping one over the "0-100" beat.
Juicy J...
Scarface Featuring Akon “The Exit Plan”
Emeritus was originally slated to be Scarface's final album, but fortunately that's not the case. The Houston legend's Deeply Rooted is on the way, and its latest song — "The Exit Plan" featuring Akon — has hit the Internet.
The new single takes t...
360 Featuring Ja Rule “Why Should I Care”
Imagine if Queens takes over the summer. While G-Unit rises, the borough's own 360 brings along Ja Rule for "Why Should I Care."
If you liked Ja Rule when his emotional thug shtick reached its peak in the early aughts, this is your track...
Ryshon Jones Gets Abstract In “American Dreamless” Video
Philly rhymer Ryshon Jones' latest release is a trippy one. The densely constructed "American Dreamless" gets granted a fittingly hard to unpack video.
The clip contains some serious psychedelic imagery, including distorted shots, inverse coloring and and some old-timey animation...
B.o.B Journeys Through The Desert On “Follow Me”
No Genre 2 wasn't simply an album title. B.o.B broke into the mainstream by doing some genre crossing, and he does the same on the No Genre 2 mixtape. This time he dabbles in rock balladry in the video to "Follow Me." B.o.B gets into so...
Death And Guns Reign In Ab-Soul And Smoke DZA’s “Hearses” Video
As the song title suggests, the video for Smoke DZA's "Hearses" features a lot of symbols of death. The dark video — directed by Goldrush — has shots of a cemetery, guns, fire and, or course, a hearse. There's also black-and-white and red filters to add to the overall moodiness.
Smoke D...