Another Day, another Lupe Fiasco leak. After releasing his response to the controversial Kendrick Lamar verse, the Chi-town emcee has remained relatively quiet on the … Continue reading
Although most of the hyped material from The Great Gatsby soundtrack has already been released, at least one song has remained at the forefront of just about every fan’s mind. Well, there’s no need to wait any longer. Thanks to NPR, we finally have the chance to listen to Jay-Z‘s contribution to the soundtrack, along with the full album stream. Given the title of the track, it’s pretty obvious what to expect from Hov. The song is full of boastful, braggadocious rhymes and even includes a few quotes from the movie to help explain how Jay’s infatuation with decadence and wealth matches up with some of its characters. The Great Gatsby soundtrack will be in stores next week on May 7th, while the film hits theaters a few days later on May 10th.
What is it about Jay-Z that allows him to blend in so seamlessly with just about everything? I’m not a huge fan of mashups, but I swear all the best mashup projects I’ve ever heard have involved Hov in some way, shape, or form. While pairings with your favorite bands (see: The Beatles, Linkin Park, Coldplay, Oasis, AC/DC, The Verve and Radiohead) have all been pleasant surprises in the past, none of those could possibly prepare you for this.
As one of gaming’s true masterpieces, Chrono Trigger was revered for its unique artwork, revolutionary gameplay, breathtaking story, and of course, its legendary soundtrack, which was composed by the talented duo of Yasunori Mitsuda and Nubuo Uematsu. As a self-professed hip-hop head and video game nerd, 2 Mello has collided the two drastically different worlds to craft one of the most bizarre mashups of all time with Chrono Jigga. It takes an entirely different level of creativity to envision a project such as this, and Mello is able to prove this is more than just a gimmick.
Instead of simply slapping a few bars over some catchy music, 2 Mello often re-imagines some of our favorite Jay-Z works, and breathes new life into them, as all great mashups should do. Take for example, “Ignorant Scene.” It’s not just about finding an upbeat tune to fit with Jay’s “Ignorant Shit.” Rather, Mello explores some of the intricacies hidden in Jay’s verses, and pairs it with the unconventional choice of “Wind Scene,” to allow us to see the classic in an entirely new light. The album is littered with great examples like this.
Take a quick peek at the sample we’ve gathered for you below, and make sure to download the entire project over HERE when you’re done.
When it was first announced that Jay-Z would be executive producing the soundtrack for The Great Gatsby, we knew big things were to follow. There’s no way we could have ever expected this though. The tracklist alone was enough to get us salivating, but now we have a real sample with “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got).” Featuring the odd trio of Fergie, Q-Tip and GoonRock, the dance floor ready number effectively merges jazz age sensibilities with modern flare. The song exemplifies what’s already been exhibited in all the previous trailers for the film: the extravagance of the roaring 20’s combined with a contemporary edge meant to appeal to younger audiences in 2013. If you enjoyed your first true taste of the Gatsby soundtrack, make sure to check out the album sampler below, along with the full tracklist after the jump.
Jay-Z made headlines last week when he unveiled his “Open Letter” to the world. While the song was meant to tackle all the scrutiny surrounding Hov, it ironically created even more controversy when a few lines about President Obama forced The White House to provide some answers about his trip to Cuba. Blessing the record for part two is another artist whose close association with the President has caused some problems in the past. While the issue in question happened nearly two years ago, Common wants to let us know he still hasn’t forgotten the insults spewed at him during that tumultuous period. Let’s see if anything sprouts up as a result of this iteration of the track.
After Jay-Z released his “Open Letter” earlier this morning, Kanye decided he couldn’t let his big bro have all the fun today. Yeezy made his return to Twitter for the first time in months this afternoon to let everyone know:
Our family Hov brought that real hip hop shit this morning so me and Pusha wanna keep that feeling going
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 11, 2013
Soon after, we were given this unique new single from Pusha T. I say unique, because I don’t believe I’ve heard a beat quite like this ever before. It really takes a good pair of headphones to hear all the subtleties and nuanes in the production. This will presumably be featured on Pusha’s upcoming solo debut, My Name Is My Name, due out later this year.
Images recently surfaced of Jay-Z, Timbaland, and Swizz Beatz all working together in the studio. As it turns out, they were helping Mr. Carter pen an “Open Letter.” With this new track, Hov approaches some recent issues the only way he knows how: by addressing them head on. He covers topics ranging from his recent anniversary trip to Cuba, to the sale of his stock in the Brooklyn Nets, and even chilling with President Obama. This doesn’t seem like it will live on any forthcoming album from Jay, as it really just serves a reminder to everyone why he’s on top.
