Tag Archives: kid cudi

[16 To End 2016] Ninja Ash’s Best Of The Year

Posted by Ash El Gamal - December 31, 2016

As many grievances as 2016 brought, it’d be a lie to say it wasn’t an incredible year of music. Perhaps, that’s how it always works–the best art comes in the worst of times. Music has always been my primary coping mechanism and I couldn’t be more thankful for all the artists that made this year bearable and, quite honestly, pretty damn fun despite it all. These are the songs that soundtracked my best moments and lifted me up during my lowest–I hope they can do the same for you. Happy New Year!

Solange
Cranes In The Sky (Kaytranada Edit)

Soundcloud

No song quite captured the struggle of depression in a more captivating manner than Solange‘s ‘Cranes In The Sky.’ Kaytranada‘s edit makes it glow even more.

Moses Sumney
Lonely World

Soundcloud

2016 was a well-deserved breakout year for the incredibly talented Moses Sumney. “Lonely World,” with its intense progression, would be my song of the year if I had to pick one.

Autolux
Change My Head

Soundcloud

Autolux were easily one of my favorite discoveries of the year and “Change My Head” is them at their most potent–haunting, grungy and catchy with raw, dynamic percussion.

Moderat
Reminder

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Moderat‘s III was my favorite album of the year and ‘Reminder’ exemplifies the super-group’s incredible production in both its stark lows and explosive highs.

Mick Jenkins
Drowning feat. BADBADNOTGOOD

Soundcloud

This is just a beautiful protest song in so many ways. From Mick Jenkins‘ versatile rapping and singing to Badbadnotgood‘s flawless live instrumentation, it possesses a unique balance and thoughtfulness that few similarly themed songs display. Make sure to check out the entrancing music video as well.

Blood Orange
E.V.P.

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This one’s for Prince! Blood Orange couldn’t have given us Freetown Sound at a better juncture.

Kaytranada
Glowed Up (feat. Anderson .Paak)

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Two of 2016’s all-stars team up for pure gold capturing Kaytra’s intriguing cadence and Anderson .Paak‘s soulful flows.

Innanet James
Summer Prod. The Kount

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Innanet James‘ introduction to the music world comes with this no-fucks-given summer anthem that also highlights The Kount, a candidate for best new hip-hop producer.

Kid Cudi
By Design (feat. Andre 3000)

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Kid Cudi, Plain Pat, Pharrell & Andre 3000…yeah, could’ve guess this one would be in my 16 before I even heard it. Can’t stop listening to this one.

A Tribe Called Quest
We The People

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A message of inclusion that came when I needed it and from exactly the crew I wanted to hear it from. RIP Phife Dawg!

Rufus Du Sol
Innerbloom

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“Innerbloom” is truly Rufus Du Sol‘s manifesto–an epic that captures the essence of their endlessly playable 2016 release, Bloom. This song also spawned one of the best remixes of the year from What So Not.

Kenton Slash Demon
TT

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Kenton Slash Demon continue to enamor me with their trippy, textured take on dance music. ‘TT’ manages to feel both ethereal and ready for the dance floor.

Frank Ocean
White Ferrari (Jacques Greene Edit)

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The original version of “White Ferrari” may be my favorite track from Frank Ocean‘s emotional masterpiece, Blonde–capturing both its most and least accessible elements. Montreal producer Jacques Greene released nothing but phenomenal productions this year but this remix of Frank takes the cake.

Ross From Friends
Gettin’ It Done

Soundcloud

Aside from having the best name in dance music, Ross From Friends flipped everything I thought I knew about house music on its head. “Gettin’ It Done” certainly makes you want to dance but the lo-fi sonics teamed with a masterfully utilized soul sample create a vibe unlike anything I’ve heard before. If you dig this one, check out this mind-blowing live performance from Ross & crew.

Mall Grab
Father

Soundcloud

Mall Grab wins the award for my favorite house discovery of 2016 and this take on the sample from Kanye’s “Father Stretch My Hands Pt.1” was a staple in my DJ sets this year. While I love Kanye’s version, his cringe-worthy opening line disqualified it from any best of lists.

Billy Kenny
Work Me (Justin Jay Remix)

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Werk into the New Year!

[Hip-Hop] Kid Cudi – All In (prod. Mike Will Made It)

Posted by Ash El Gamal - April 15, 2016

Kid Cudi
All In

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It’s been a tumultuous last couple years for Kid Cudi‘s followers. While some fans, such as myself (an admitted Cudder Stan), rocked out (all puns intended) to his latest material, the majority seemed to absolutely hate it. Like, really really hate it. To the point where comment sections on any new Cudi were pretty much exclusively riddled with “I WANT THE OLD CUDI” or “SPEEDIN BULLET 2 THE TRASH CAN”–I won’t lie I laughed out loud at the latter.

Anyways, recently it appears Cudi has linked back up with Kanye, making a brief but extremely impactful appearance on TLOP, and the rest of his old, beloved crew. A few weeks ago, we got “The Frequency,” a collab with Plain Pat, executive producer of Cudi’s debut mixtape, and it received glowing reviews even from those who despised his new direction. Just a few minutes ago we get yet another new tune from the man on the moon and it’s likely to reignite the fandom that seemed to be dwindling for many.

Produced by 808-master Mike Will Made It, “All In” has booming percussion but doesn’t losing site of Cudi’s spaced out sound. Cudi delivers some seriously amazing vocals reminiscing on past regrets and pouring his heart out as he always does. Even though some may see this as just a return to the Cudi of the past, it’s actually more of a step forward for him. For those who actually did take the time to listen to his more recent projects, you’ll recognize how much they cultivated him as a vocalist.

Kid Cudi returns at an interesting time when artists like Future and Young Thug have developed a crooning of their own. Even though Cudi’s style is completely different, it seems like it might just be the perfect time for him to re-emerge as a superstar.

Hip/Hop

Lollapalooza 2015: Our Top Takeaways [Event Review]

Posted by Baseer Ahmad - August 7, 2015

As with any music festival, after Lollapalooza is over, it always takes us a few days to digest everything and snap back to reality. For locals, the festival serves as a three day escape within our own city. For outsiders, it provides them with a completely unique way to experience Chicago. The magic of Lollapalooza is simply unmatched, and despite a weather scare on the final day, Lollapalooza 2015 turned out to be just as memorable as years past. On the next few pages we’ve broken down some of our lasting impressions from Lolla.

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[NEW] Kid Cudi – Confused

Posted by Ash El Gamal - August 1, 2015

Kid Cudi
Confused

Soundcloud

After a few weeks of teasing on social media, Kid Cudi‘s returns late at night with the first single from his forthcoming album, Speedin Bullet to Heaven. As promised, “Confused” features all live instrumentation carrying a distinct grunge vibe bringing to mind his cover of Nirvana‘s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” one of the strongest tracks from his WZRD album. However, it feels like Cudi’s improved in adopting the style with more polished instrumentation than ever (he plays all the guitar and bass himself) resulting in an interesting combination that falls somewhere between 90s rock, psychedelia and Cudi’s one-of-a-kind vocals. As its name suggest, the release is a song about inner turmoil, conflict and torment. It’s Cudi at his most vulnerable, which for loyal fans at least, always feels like his best. It’ll be interesting to see how the general public responds but we’re definitely digging this.

Although there’s no set release date for the album, it seems highly likely that it’s just around the corner. While you wait, give this a late night or early morning listen and let us know what you think.

[NEW] Kid Cudi – Love

Posted by Ash El Gamal - March 3, 2015

Kid Cudi
love.

Soundcloud

Kid Cudi has been showcasing his versatile talents outside of music recently–from starring in acclaimed Sundance films to joining the cast of Comedy Bang Bang. Even with a budding acting career, though, he recently announced that he’ll be working on the long anticipated next chapter in the Man on the Moon series with the same team of collaborators who helped created his classic debut. This morning, Cudder took to Soundcloud to sneak release a new loosie titled “love.” Keeping the throwback vibes alive, Dot Da Genius, the producer behind “Day and Night” among other hits, adds to Cudi’s own production featuring a Ratatat sample making the perfect backdrop for his signature swooning, uplifting vocals. The chorus on this one erupts into stadium-worthy proportions and the layering of Ratatat guitar riffs add to that epic sound. Hopefully we’ll hear MOTM3 sooner rather than later but this should do a great job holding fans over until then.

[Hip-Hop] A$AP Ferg – Talk It (prod. Clams Casino)

Posted by Ash El Gamal - November 25, 2014

asapferg
" Talk it " Produced by: Clams Casino

Soundcloud

A$AP Ferg‘s debut album, Trap Lord, was one of the most pleasant surprises in hip-hop last year making his follow-up a highly anticipated project. In preparation for his sophomore album, Ferg will be dropping a mixtape on Black Friday and tonight he let loose a particularly exciting collaboration from the tape. Teaming up with innovative producer Clams Casino, the Harlem emcee goes avant-garde with a stream-of-consciousness flow over a minimal, distinctively eastern-influenced beat. As Ferg vents about a variety of topics ranging from the ongoing injustices in Ferguson to his personal relationships to his fans, the beat gains intensity until the song goes full instrumental allowing Clams’s ominous production to take center stage. Ferg’s flow on this cut brings Kid Cudi to mind with its melodic rambling qualities adding yet another dimension to his already versatile repertoire. Give this one a spin above–Ferg Forever drops this Friday.

[NEW] Kid Cudi – Satellight Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon (Album)

Posted by Ash El Gamal - February 25, 2014

’Kid Cudi – Balmain Jeans (feat. Raphael Saadiq)’

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’Kid Cudi – Too Bad I Have To Destroy You Now’

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In true ninja fashion, Kid Cudi just sneakily released his highly anticipated prequel to the next chapter of the MOTM series on iTunes. On first listen, Satellight Flight continues Cudi’s spacey, introspective and theatrical narrative all the while progressing his newfound production prowess with several lengthy instrumental portions. Don’t expect to hear much rapping from the moon man, but also keep in mind that this is more of a precursor to Man on the Moon Pt. 3 than a feature album in itself. From an artistic perspective, musicians like Kid Cudi deserve more respect than they receive for attempting to do something larger than just release a series of singles.

It is difficult not to think of Beyonce‘s spur-of-the-moment release as a catalyst for this kind of roll out. It will be exciting to see how this pans out and who else follows in Queen Bey’s footsteps. Check out a couple tracks above and head over to iTunes to cop the whole project.

Hip/Hop

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