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[MUSIC] BEST NEW ARTIST AWARD

[MUSIC] BEST NEW ARTIST AWARD

We had many breakout artist this year some through co-sign and breakout hits and some through amazing debut projects. These are my 5 nominees for Best New Artist Gunna, Lil Baby, Ella Mai, 6ix9ine, and HER. Now they are some honorable mentions such as Juicewrld, JID, and Jorja Smith. They didn’t make the list because of various reasons but I also had to limit the list too 5.

People In Pic

Now starting this list at number 5 is 6ix9ine. He had an unbelievable year nobody can deny him that. From the internet trolling to going 11 for 12( or something close too that) on the billboard this kid had a year like no other. He went from being a unknown to the rainbow hair kid that everybody loves to hate. With hits like “KEKE“, “Gummo“, “TAKA“, and “WAKA” you can see why he’s been making waves through the culture all year. The problem with 69 is for one his legal troubles from past and present. 69 was charged with rape in the past with having sexual relations with a minor. He ended up taking a plea deal to avoid jail time. Recently he and his whole crew ” TreyWay” were indicted on Rico and Racketeering charges with everybody possibly facing life in prison. Also he shouts a lot in his songs so you really have to be in the mood to hear him. When it comes to rapping he’s top 5 worst and he even knows it admitting it during a interview with Angie Martinez.  With his court date not until September of 2019 it’s safe to assume we won’t be getting any new music from him for awhile.

Next on this list coming in at number 4 is Ella Mai. Ella Mai had one of the biggest hits of 2017 with “Boo’d Up“, Then followed that up with her debut album “Ella Mai” in 2018. This beautiful R&B singer has a amazing natural voice with hits like “Naked“, ” Gut Feeling( FT. HER)”, “Trip” and “Good Bad“, her vibe is contagious and will having you wanting to give that special person your whole heart and nothing less. She’s coming in at 4 because honestly there really isn’t a reason expect for the fact that HER has Her beat( no pun intended) HER voice is like no other. Ella Mai is the one of the Young new queen’s and star’s of R&B music and there’s no debate about that. She’s very private which is good and bad, but the star shines very bright and strong with her.

Coming in at number 3 is HER. She had a breakout album that was self tilted in 2017 lead by the single ” Best Part (ft. Daniel Caesar) and also released a two-part album called “ I Used to Know Her” this year. HER is multi talented with not only her voice but she can also play the guitar and even rap alittle which she displayed on ” Lost Souls” the California native talent is unbelievable. HER music is a whole mood but she can sound very depressing in her songs. The second part of “I Used to Know Her” is a whole heartbreak, depressing mood for seven tracks. She also like Ella Mai holds a very private life style even hiding her face a lot in picture and doing very rare radio interviews. HER is strictly for the women not many guys can listen to her and relate too things. HER has the talent to takeover the game and shes already on her way so you better watch out.

First to last place may be a surprise too you guys, but Lil Baby is coming in second place.  Lil Baby run this year was incerbile. It was like everything he touched oozed drip and the whole culture acted like a sponge for it. Three albums one year is unheard of plus all three did good on the charts. He had not one but two Drake features that charted on the top 5 BillBoards. The whole music industry was on a wave because of Baby and Gunna. The only reason why Baby is coming in second is because, I feel like he has a strong chance to flame out the game quick. He definitely gave us a lot of music this year but maybe it was too much. His sound is becoming so familiar on every track that it can get annoying to listen too. QC needs to give him a break next year because if Baby announce another project too soon, it can be the beginning of the  end for him.

Now the winner of this award is none other than Gunna. Gunna had a breakout year with his album “Drip Season 3” and numerous feature especially his verse on Travis Scott Yosemite” track. Gunna flow is very contagious as you can see by how many people billed him for a verse on their projects and songs.  Gunna ability to immerse you into his world of drip is amazing and a whole vibe. But the best thing about him is the potential he has, unlike Baby: Gunna has many different flows he just needs to expand on his topics. He also has to let his fans see him more so they can get a better idea of who he is outside of just watching his page for the drip. Gunna already on his way to being a top 5 artist he just needs to grow with his craft.

[MUSIC] MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR

[MUSIC] MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR

The creativity that makes music videos eye catching don’t necessarily come from the director anymore. Now and days all of it is produced by the artist and his friends. 2018 was the staple of this statement with most if not all the good music video being overseen by the artist. In my opinion these are the candidates for Music Video of the Year.

Asap Rocky owns two spots with “Asap Forever” and “Praise The Lord”(ft. Skepta). Then you have Travis Scott coming in with “Sicko Mode” which in like 2 and half songs in one. Which is amazing because the visuals fit right in with his rager mentaily. Then 6Lack comes in with “Pretty Little Fears” which also got nominated for the Grammy’s in the same category. Last but not least rounding the list off is Childish GambinoThis is America” which is also nominated by the Grammy’s in the same category.

Please this is just my opinion I am not a director, so no I don’t understand how hard it is to cgi a skyscraper doing the milly rock so don’t come for me. Now to start ranking each video with “Praise The Lord” coming in at number 5. This video is amazing especially when you realize they were filmed in two different countries. The video is split with Rocky and crew in NYC while Skepta and his crew were in London. You can simultaneously see both places while also noticing how they compare and contrast both cultures. The visual effects are on another level, but the only problem is it would be hard for the normal person to keep with it. It’s a lot going on at once so it’s easy to get lost in the concept of the video, which then makes it seem like Rocky was doing to much. The track alone is good but for the normal person the over the top video will take away from it. Check it down below

Coming in at number 4 is Travis Scott ” Sicko Mode” with 5 beat changes and crazy visual effects. In all honesty the song was ok, the video was crazy, but the moment had more impact. It’s not very often we get two top artist collab on a track like Travis and Drake, but it wasn’t as good as it seemed. The way the track starts sounds and looks amazing but yet again it’s like Travis kinda threw a lot at it and hope for the best. Don’t get me wrong from 00.00 to 1.30 the visuals were mind blowing but after that it became annoying. Outside of the bus part during Drake’s verse I could have done without the rest of it. After awhile it become confusing and wasn’t matching up with the lyrics, looks like a kid that was on his last day of a visual software trial. Then the excessive beat changes also dulled the video because I would be bumping too one then a second later the whole vibe would change. Travis had a amazing concept just didn’t execute it well. Check the video out down below.

Coming in at number 3 is Asap Rocky “Asap Forever” I don’t know who Dexter Navy is but he did a amazing job directing this video. From beginning to end this video is visually beautiful and well put together. Outside of getting dizzy from the camera angles turning upside down this video captures everything ASAP and NY all at once. This is honestly my favorite video for the year too bad it didn’t get the recognition it deserved. Rocky needs to start getting more credit for his work in the music industry because they always low ball him for being into fashion more than music. If it wasn’t for the next two videos Asap Rocky would win this award.

Now coming in at number 2 we have Childish Gambino ” This is America” The video actually outshines the track and made it rise to where it’s at now. Gambino drop this video out of nowhere but it is perfect for the things we are dealing with now. Outside of the lyrics just looking at the video it highlights police brutality, racism, crime, and how guns are treated better than people, even his amazing dance moves were put on display. Gambino does exectiptinal job of depicting a perfect picture of America and everything a black man has to deal with. This video has so many hidden message in it that you won’t be able to catch them all in one view. We as a nation need to see this, it would help put a lot of things in perspective and it did as it was critically acclaimed by many award shows. Outside of the no replay from the song this video did exactly what it was supposed to do show what America actually looks like

Let’s start a drum roll for the award winning Music Video “Pretty Little Fears” made by 6Lack ft. J Cole. This whole video is a mood for the cuffing season, with settings like the fall carnival, late night car rides, and those one on one therapy car talks. This video does a perfect job of catching and maintaining the vibe for the song especially with j cole verse. This Grammy nominated video is second to none meeting all the criteria’s and has amazing replay value as you can play this during any moment in time. I dont know how 6Lack album wasn’t in contention for album of the year but the Grammys usually get that part wrong anyway so that is too be expected. Check out why I think this video should win a Grammy down below

 

[MUSIC] FEATURE OF THE YEAR AWARD

[MUSIC] FEATURE OF THE YEAR AWARD

2018 is almost over and its time for the yearly awards to start going out, and we’re starting with the Feature Of The Year award.

There has been a lot of collaborations happening this year. But only one person has been dominating the charts with every appearance they made on other people tracks. Now for the nominees it is Drake, Gunna, Ty Dolla Sign,  JCole, and Lil Baby.

Gunna and Lil Baby go hand and hand not only did they dominate this year with their own music, but it seem like everybody wanted a feature from them. All of their biggest songs were collab’s between each other and they also released a joint project which was amazing. Their respective sounds you can hear on most if not all the smash hits of this year “Chanel”, “Drip Too Hard”, “Sold Out Dates”, the list can go on forever this was their year without a doubt. The reason they’re not winning this award is because their biggest hits have always been them together.

Every smash hit they had was more of a collab than one just being a feature. Now I know what your’re saying ” Isn’t a feature the same as a collab?” which in some instances it is true, but they have always shared the spotlight together with each sharing a moment between each other tracks. But when I think of a feature its somebody that can work with anybody in any pocket and make that song theirs. If the other candidates were not on this list it would have easily been a tie between the both of them, but the reason why they’re on top is the reason for their downfall in this category.

Next up is Ty Dolla Sign, because the hook king is underappreciated. Everytime TY is singing the hook or ad-lib on a track it’s usually a hit, but I feel like he doesn’t get the recognition for his work. He even released a joint project with Jeremih “MihTy” which is littered with R&B hits. I don’t know if it was poor marketing or something else but that project should have done way better than #60 on the BillBoard. With vocal mastery on tracks like “The Light”, “OTW”, “Psycho”, and “After Dark”, you can see why I feel like he is underappreciated. The reason why he isn’t winning this is because none of the songs reached global success expect for Psycho which was nominated for other awards also. Its like people in the music industry know the kind of talent TY has but it feels like he is still unproven in most people eyes. Now with him having legal troubles ( Facing 15 years with 3 federal charges) Its up in the air for when we’ll be hearing anything from Ty next year.

This may be a surprise but Cole actually had a good year with being featured on other people tracks. Hits like “OFF DEEZ”, “Pretty Little Fears”, “OSOM”, “Boblo Boat”, and “Zendaya” were well received by the community. The only problem is none of them held a moment in time. Honestly Cole would win this award but the winner of this award was featured on almost every hit this year. Not much else Cole could have done.


Now the Winner of this Award is none other than October Very Own Drake. Since 2018 started Drake has been on a run with making other peoples tracks his own while also taking local tracks global. Songs like “Walk It Talk It”, “Yes Indeed”, “Never Recover”, “Look Alive”, and ” Sicko Mode” you can see why nobody was stopping Drake from taking this award.

[MUSIC] LIL BABY STREET GOSSIP REVIEW

[MUSIC] LIL BABY STREET GOSSIP REVIEW

Man Lil Baby been on a run all year, nobody coming close to him expect for maybe Gunna. QC the Label has pretty much took over 2018 with their artist having fingerprints on all the biggest hits of the year while also dropping their own respective projects. Lil Baby is still new to the game but he already released 3 projects in this year alone!!!!! With him recently releasing his debut album ” Street Gossip” this past weekend, he has yet again flooded the streets with some heat.

This album is packed with 13 tracks with features coming from Meek Mill, Gucci Mane, Young Thug, 2 Chainz, Rylo Rodriguez, NoCap, and of course Gunna. This album was a surprise since Baby already has 2 projects out with one still having the streets on fire in “Drip Harder“, this seemed rushed but with Offset also dropping his album before the years out, I guess QC wanted to finish the fourth quarter out strong. The album is exactly what you would expect from a person with a nickname Preachman, a story of the ups and downs of his life. The first track “Global” features an emotional trap instrumental that paints a picture of a man whose been through hell but made it out and enjoying the success of his new life. If you’re looking for the banger its “Pure Cocaine” it features a fidgety flow and an infectious hook while Baby is rapping about his drug-dealing/ hood ways.

The major vibe of the album is on “This Week” its Baby in his pocket that got him here. Quay and Baby have a relationship that should never end, the uptempo beat lets Baby talk his shit while also lamenting his struggle from his younger years.But don’t get it twisted Baby is still the big boss on the block. For the people looking for that usually emotional Baby listen to “No Friends” this also features his new artist Rylo Rodriguez who he has worked with on past projects. The project ends with the best track and something you should be hearing in the club soon. “Dreams 2 Reality (ft NoCap)” is a vibe everybody will understand because we all have experienced what Baby and NoCap talking about “Turn my dreams into reality/ I thought that you would be glad for me/  I can’t believe that you mad at me.” When you come from the bottom no matter how you came up or who you came up with, stranger’s to friends will hate on you.

This album was good but it did feel a little rushed which is disappointing because it didn’t need to be. With the mounting success they already have, QC and Baby could have held this album for the beginning of the year. The worst part about all of this is that Baby sound is starting to sound the same on his projects which could led to an early flame out if he doesn’t slow down. Things have been coming at a rapid pace from QC which gave them some success with Lil Baby, City Girls, and Cardi B. But they also took some losses with Quavo and Takeoff respective solo projects not gaining  the success that was expected. With only Offset solo project left (coming in a few weeks) we will see if they finish the year strong.

 

[MUSIC] DICAPRIO 2 REVIEW

[MUSIC] DICAPRIO 2 REVIEW

J.I.D the name you should know by now because he is next up from the Dreamville team. The East Atlanta native is the best young lyricist in the game right now and it’s not even close. Even his label boss the Goat J.Cole has to come with his best or J.I.D will out shine him like he almost did on this album.

J.I.D latest album “Dicaprio 2” is the second and last installment in the series, and it’s definitely a statement to everybody in the rap game. Usually people with rapid-fire flows are looked down upon in the game today but not with this kid. J.I.D is cut from a completely different cloth than most of these rappers in today’s game. Not many people come close to his wordplay nor flow and even Cole knows that “The first thing is how gifted he was with putting his words together, when I saw his work ethic and his hunger it solidified it. His potential is GOAT status.” That is coming from a top 3 artist of this generation so it has to be some truth beyond it. Then J.I.D released his debut album “The Never Story” in 2017 which should have been in the conversion for top album of the year.

Dicaprio 2 is a 14 track album that has features from Asap Ferg, Jcole, 6Lack, Ella Mai, BJ the Chicago Kid, Method Man, and Joey Badass. This album is led by the single “Off Deez“( FT. JCOLE) that shows J.I.D ablitily to hang and even outshine Cole on this track ( not at Coles level but he’s pretty good). J.I.D makes a bold statement on his first track “Slick Talk” with lyrics ” When im done, please know that I was trying to diss y’all/ Cause if this is a competition, then im setting this bar/ In my city, Who’s with me? I’m in my own lane.” Mind you he’s from Zone 6. The next track “Westbrook” which gets an assist from Ferg is a braggadocious track about both their emergence in the rap game. With Ferg holding down the chorus ” I done came up, I done came up/ All the homies ride, they can’t change us”, then J.I.D makes it known to put the team on his shoulder” J.I.D or call me Willie Beamon/ But I’m bout the team, everybody eatin/ if its down to me , I’ma do some shit niggas ain’t never seen”. Most of us already know he feel like this since he made his comment about Dreamville competing with TDE ” We Gotta Step This Shit the Fuck Up. Becasue them niggas is fire.” J.I.D wants all the smoke and wants his team to be the best ever known.

J.I.D even has the ability to mesh well with some of the young R&B talent on tracks ” Tiied” ( FT. 6Lack & Ella Mai) and “Skrawberries” (FT. BJ the Chicago). Those tracks are definitely directed towards the ladies. “Tiied” is basically blaming the girl for their current relationship problems even though Ella Mai comes back with the truthful rebuttal, while “Skrawberries” is worshipping the girl even in the midst of their struggles they will always love each other. The amazing part about “Skrawberries” is that Mac Miller assisted with curation on the track. Now the one some of you old heads will be yearning for is “Hot Box” which features Method Man and Joey Badass. This track is amazing for the fact that Method Man can flow on it without sounding out-of-place or outdated.

This album is a solid follow-up from its predecessor. Its cohesive and J.I.D did a good job of telling his story of being broke, fame, drugs and who he is as a person. Dreamville is in amazing hands with its cast of players on the team even though their more like fam. Even with J.Cole rumored retirement on the horizon, his team will be just fine without him with J.I.D leading the charge. TDE better watch themselves because J.I.D is making it known he’s gunning for them and the rest of the rap game.