It’s another month gone by and it’s time for my monthly favorites. Be sure to check out my June Favorites which include music, fashion, and more. This time around it’s just music. Enjoy the playlist below (via Spotify):
Tag: entertainment blog
Video Review: Pharrell x Miley Cyrus, ‘Come Get It Bae
Pharrell has released the visual for his latest single, ‘Come Get It Bae’, and I was surprised to see that it was featuring Miley Cyrus. Before I get into Miley’s appearance, let’s discuss the rest of video. On another note, I didn’t even realize she was featured on the song.
Disclaimer: If you thought the visuals for these songs wouldn’t revolve around women then you must not know that the album was titled G I R L.
Moving on, the video opens up in an audition type scene with different women dancing to the same choreo as Pharrell films tidbits here and there. Every woman adds their own flare to the dance and at certain times it shows the four screens of the women dancing to the same choreo at the same time.
Insert the smiley face mug at 2:04 and here comes Miley Cyrus in her ever so interesting attire. No problem with the crop top and shorts, or even the blazer with an embroidered spider. The thing on her hair is what was not needed. I don’ think she made the song horrible. She added great energy to it. I know she can be a bit outlandish, a lot of the time, but this was a nice fit for her.
At around 2:40, Pharrell gets up to start dancing with the girls who are ALL over him and it flashes between him and the girls and him and Miley.
This song has really grown on me and overall I give it a solid 4 out of 5. I love this more than Marilyn Monroe and I hope it gets some radio play soon.
“Beauty has no expiration date.” Get into the video below:
Keyshia Cole Reveals Point of No Return Artwork
Keyshia Cole is currently on tour promoting her upcoming album, Point of No Return, and the artwork for the project has surfaced. In an interview with Fuse, Keyshia discussed the concept of the album:
“There’s definitely more sexy songs on this album than I’ve ever done. I’m excited to see what the people think about that, so we’ll see how receptive they are to the album. I think it’s a great album and I feel like it’s one of my best albums to date.”
So far she’s released tracks ‘Rick James’ featuring Juicy J and ‘Next Time (Won’t Give My Heart Away), and ‘She’. Pictures from a video shoot have surfaced of a new single featuring 2 Chainz, ‘Ni**as Like You’. Click the links below to see my video reviews of two of the tracks:
Keyshia finishes up the promo tour, August 25th, and theres a rumored release date of September 2nd. More updates to come in future posts.
Video Review: Tameka Tiny Harris, ‘#WTFYGD’
Tameka Harris, better known as Tiny to the world, has been in the headlines of blogs/tabloids for her marital problems with husband T.I. I mean who’s to deny that there were issues between the two from Instagram pictures/comments to the whole Floyd Mayweather/T.I. altercation.
Well, Tiny seems to finally be addressing the situation in a low budget, yet straight to the point song titled, ‘What The Fuk You Gon Do’. When I saw this on Instagram I didn’t really take it seriously and didn’t expect it to be a ballad after the track she released with Shekinah, ‘Cut It Off’. I guess that was fun and games and this is REAL and I love it.
The video starts off with Tiny in the bed with ‘T.I.’, that’s the same set from their show T.I. & Tiny: A Family Hustle. Throughout the video it shows her talking to her girls which includes Shekinah, her BFF Shamra, and T.I.’s niece, plus another person. She’s then in the car driving to someplace that was later revealed in a Mary J. ‘Not Gon Cry’ ensemble. She ends up at a jail talking to her man behind the glass. All I wanna do is stay down for you. The lyrics get no realer because there’s no denying that Tiny has held it down for T.I.with him being in and out of prison over the years.
I really like this and regardless of all the hate that she’s getting for whatever surgery she did get, she has owned up to it and she’s comfortable in her skin. Why care what others think? I really do like her with the blonde hair. Also, I’ve been reading a lot of her being compared to other singers. Tiny is NOT NEW to the R&B game. She’s always had a voice. She’s a singer and songwriter. Google her!
I like the song, the video was eh, but it did the job. Hopefully her next video has better production. I mean, I hope there’s a more to come soon as the video ended with, “To Be Continued…” Check out the video below:
“Weird Al”Scores 1st #1 Album
The numbers are in from last weeks album releases. “Weird Al” Yankovic and Jason Mraz were the two artists vying for the number one spot and the winner is, “Weird Al”. Mandatory Fun becomes Weird Al’s first number one album of his career. The album sold 104,000 copies surpassing the sales of Jason Mraz’s, YES!, which only sold 80,000 copies. Mandatory Fun is also the first comedy album since 1963 (Allan Sherman – My Son, The Nut) to top the Billboard 200 and the largest sales of a comedy album since 1996’s, The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience, which sold 118,000 copies. Although this album is the highest charting of “Weird Al’s” previous works, it is not his debut to the Top 10. His 2006 album, Straight Outta Lynwood, and 2011s, Alpocalypse, debuted at #9 and #10 respectively.
Jazon Mraz came in at #2 with the 80,000 copies sold for Yes! This becomes his 4th Top 10 album although the sales are down from his previous album, Love Is a Four Letter Word, which sold 102,000 in its first week.
As opposed to the previous weeks of the chart, the landscape has changed quite a bit. In at #3 is Rise Against with their album, The Black Market. Taking the #4 slot is Kidz Bop 26. Frozen remains in the top 5 as it slips down three spots from it’s last weeks position at #2. This makes it its 30th consecutive week in the Top 5.
Coming in at #6 is Sam Smith‘s, In The Lonely Hour, which falls three spots from the previous week. It’s followed by Ed Sheeran’s, X, which fell from #5 to #7 this week. Now 50 comes in at #8 and Trey Songz holds tight in the top 10 with Trigga in at #9. Rounding off the top 10 is Blake Shelton‘s, Based On a True Story… ,which surged 53 spots this week.
5 Seconds of Summer just released their self-titled debut and I’m pretty sure they’re vying for the #1 spot. Only time will tell how much the chart changes up again.
Until next time…
Drake VS Lil Wayne Tour Trailer
Drake and Lil Wayne are getting ready to hit the road next week to begin their 31-city tour, “Drake Vs. Lil Wayne”. There has been a video released for the upcoming ‘battle’ as Sage (Lil Wayne) versus the Protege (Drake). Say what you want about their music, BUT this show is sure to be one for the books. To have two rappers of the caliber of Drake and Lil Wayne on stage,at the same time, going song for song, is going to be a sight to see. Check out the clip below:
Maroon 5, V, Artwork + Tracklist
Maroon 5 is gearing up to release their 5th studio album, V, in September and the artwork and track listing has been revealed. The album features a track with Gwen Stefani which was written by Sia titled, ‘My Heart Is Open’. There are three bonus tracks as well. ‘ShootLove’ is Adam’s track from the movie, “Begin Again.” Check out the track listing below:
1. “Maps”
2. “Animals”
3. “It Was Always You”
4. “Unkiss Me”
5. “Sugar”
6. “Leaving California”
7. “In Your Pocket”
8. “New Love”
9. “Coming Back for You”
10. “Feelings”
11. “My Heart Is Open” ft. Gwen Stefani
B-Side:
1. “ShootLove”
2. “Sex and Candy”
3. “Lost Stars”
NEW MUSIC — August Alsina x Nicki Minaj, ‘No Love (Remix)’
August Alsina is no strangers to remix or collaborating with rappers and this time around he enlists the help of Nicki Minaj. This track has been teased for a couple weeks now and the full version has finally been released. I love August Alsina’s voice and this will definitely be making its way to the airwaves. August does his usual singing and Nicki takes a stab at singing before breaking into rapping. She really likes mixing the two. Her verse isn’t extremely long, but it’s definitely what the track needed to make it to the airwaves. Take a listen to the remix below:
This Week In Music (V.17): NEW MUIC + NEWS
Welcome to another edition of This Week In Music. Click the links below to catch up on some of the news/new music of the week thus far:
- Artist Spotlight (V.1): Nyms & Kayne
- OFFICIAL [ALBUM] REVIEW — 1000 Forms of Fear
- New Music Tuesday [7.15.14]
- Pharrell to Curate NBA 2K15 Soundtrack
- Drake Announces New Album Title
- Sia Tops The Billboard 200
- NEW MUSIC — Jhene Aiko, ‘The Pressure’
- OFFICIAL [ALBUM] REVIEW — Don’t Kill The Magic
Now for this edition. I usually start with new music, but I’m starting with news first this week.
Whitney Houston and Aaliyah biopics are both in the works with Lifetime. It is known that Angela Basset will be executively producing the Whitney Houston film as well as Yaya DeCosta portraying Whitney. Bobby Brown will be played by Arien Escarpeta. Well it has been announced that Whitney Houston’s voice will not be used in the film. Her songs will be sung by Deborah Cox. I love Deborah Cox as an artist, but I do not know if she matches Whitney vocally. I think that her voice is beautiful at what she does, I just don’t know if it will match up to covering Whitney Houston. This is not her first time working with Whitney Houston’s voice as the two collaborated for the track, ‘Same Script Different Past’. I’m interested in hearing it regardless. Great opportunity for her. I Will Always Love You: The Whitney Houston Story will premiere on Lifetime sometime next year.
It’s also know that Zendaya Coleman dropped out of the Aaliyah biopic, but the film production must go on and a new leading lady has been chosen. Alexandra Shipp has been casted. and is best known for her roles on House of Anubis, Switched at Birth, and Awkward. The 23-year-old’s rep released a statement on Shipp being casted:
“Aaliyah has always been an inspiration to Zendaya. She was honored to portray her and pay tribute to her. If she is going to do it, she wants to do it right.”
I knew that it wouldn’t take long for them to cast another girl. What shocked me was that this biopic is going to be executively by Wendy Williams/Wendy Williams Productions (Happy belated 50th Birthday) along with Debra Martin Chase. I’m not sure how this movie is going to pan out, but I will be staying tuned and updating as the film evolves. Aaliyah: Princess of R&B (how original of a title) begins production later this month and will premier in the fall. The storyline is based off the biography by Christopher Farley, Aaliyah: More Than a Woman. For me I hope the film will be on point with how close the premiere date is and how far off it is for the Whitney Houston biopic premiere.
In other news, Beyoncé will have a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She is currently slaying fans across the country alongside her hubby Jay Z with the On The Run Tour. Her success never ends and the accolades keep coming as well. Her outfits are ones that are mimicked and admired and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has noticed and her clothing will be showcased at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame exhibit.
Museum curator, Meredith Rutledge-Borger, stated:
“When we looked at the depth of the amount of stuff that she was willing to send, we just thought, ‘The only way we can really showcase these items is to put them in the Legends of Rock area in the museum,’ which really is the spot that we have to pay tribute to legends of rock, which Beyonce has proven herself to be.”
Outfits will include her Super Bowl performance outfit, her gold glove and black leotard from ‘Single Ladies’, her outfit from ‘Crazy in Love’, plus more. Beyonce will be eligible for induction in 2022 as a member of Destiny’s Child and in 2027 as a solo artist.
Lastly, Kanye West has graced the latest cover of GQ magazine with a title that reads: “Kanye West Tells Us How to Grow Up, Survive a Wedding, Stay Outrageous, and Dress Like a God.” He covered GQ before in 2007 for the ‘Man of the Year’ issue. Check out the cover of the fashionisto to the left.
It wouldn’t be an edition of ‘This Week In Music’ without featuring new music. Be sure to click the links above! There’s been a lot of music put out this week and while I would love to highlight it all, I’ll just highlight the music that caught my eye.
Jeremih teamed with Shlomo for a collaborative EP titled, No More. It features six tracks and was a gift from Jeremih to fans on his 27th birthday. Aside from this EP, Jeremih is working on his third album, Thumpy Johnson, which features his DJ Mustard/YG assisted track, ‘Don’t Tell Em’. CLICK HERE to download No More.
Tinashe is still riding high off her Schoolboy Q assisted track, ‘2 On’ as she gears up to drop her debut, Aquarius, in September. She’s teamed with David Andrew Sitek for a track called ‘Xylophone’ and it’s not as hard bumping as ‘2 On’, but it shows that she’s more than just urban music. Take a listen below:
https://soundcloud.com/drpepperstudio/david-andrew-sitek-x-tinashe-xylaphone
NEW MUSIC TUESDAY [7.15.14]
Another tuesday and there’s NEW MUSIC of course. As for albums Jason Mraz, Yes!, and Marsha Ambrosius‘, Friends and Lovers, are both available online and in stores. ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic is back with the parodies on his latest album, Mandatory Fun. Be sure to check out ‘Blurred Lines’ parody, ‘Word Crimes’, below:
Well other than the albums above it seems to be Nicki Minaj Tuesday. Two of her collabs dropped today. The first is her feature with Cam’ron titled,’So Bad’ and the video drops tomorrow (7.16). He posted a snippet of this on his Instagram a while back and the full track has finally surfaced. I really want to see the video before I go into a full review.
The other feature she has is Rae Sremmurd’s, ‘No Flex Zone’, and Nicki SLAYS! She’s really promoting the fact that she can rap and that her mediocre yet clever rhymes on her pop tracks were just an experimental phase. The features don’t stop there. She’ll be featured on the remix to August Alsina‘s, ‘No Love’, which has yet to drop. In the meantime check out her latest collabs below, plus her collab with Future, ‘Rock Star’.
https://soundcloud.com/hottestinstrumentals/camron-so-bad-ft-nicki-minaj
https://soundcloud.com/nickiminaj/no-flex-zone-remix-feat-nicki-minaj
https://soundcloud.com/hiphoppage/future-rockstar-feat-nicki-minaj
Estelle is back with a new track titled, ‘Conqueror’. I really like this track and this is back to what I see her singing aside from her track ‘Make Her Say (Beat It Up)’. This is a different sound for her and goes beyond the traditional R&B sound. Her new album, True Romance, is set to drop November 4th. In an interview with USA Today, she discussed the direction of her latest creation:
“I had to figure out who I was again. I had ask to myself questions like, ‘What kinds of things do I like?’ “This album is about the time in between breaking up with someone and becoming happy again. That time that you’re just existing. No one goes straight to happiness after a breakup.”
The video drops Monday (7.21). In the meantime, take a listen below:
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