Drake- “Started From The Bottom”
Drake dropped the first single from his next album a bit early for us. Haven’t heard a single from Drake in a bit, but Drizzy brings us a dope track that is sure to get people talking about him again. The beat and hook of “Started From The Bottom” (produced by Mike Zombie) goes hard, contrasting sharply with the softer Drake we heard on Take Care. Check it out below and see what you think.
Drake - "Started From The Bottom"
Remix: Kendrick Lamar- “Swimming Pools (At Dawn We Rage Edit)”
I’m generally not a fan of any trap music, but this particular remix really caught my attention. At Dawn We Rage executes what I would consider a perfect trap remix here; the end result is something I would actually play at parties over the original version. They do a great job of keeping most of the main track intact while just adding extra synths and percussion. Check it out below.
Drake- “Look What You’ve Done” Take Care (R.I.P To Drake’s Grandmother)
“…my father living in Memphis now he can’t come this way,
Over some minor charges and child support that just wasn’t paid.
Damn, boo-hoo, sad story, black american dad story”
As you may already know, Drake’s sophomore album Take Care leaked on Sunday night. The album exceeded all my expectations; it really is amazing. I highly recommend pre-ordering it. One of my favorite songs on the album is “Look What You’ve Done”. This song is a dedication to his family, and how they helped him become who he is today. The instrumental is merely piano music with no drums or beat, which makes the song very emotional and beautiful. On the first verse of the track, Drake talks about his mother and their relationship, including an explanation of a fight they had. The second verse is dedicated to his uncle (or aunt, we still don’t know for sure); he talks about how he encouraged Drake to always follow his dreams. The song ends with either his mother or grandma talking about him (there is much debate about this across the internet, but I think it’s his grandmother) This is one of the realest songs you’ll hear in hip-hop; Drake shows us once again how great he is at connecting emotions to his music.
Download: Look What You’ve Done (Left Click, “Save Link As”)
Read the lyrics to “Look What You’ve Done” on Rap Genius.
At the end of this song there’s a voicemail from Drake’s Grandmother that says.
Hi Aubrey, I’m here sitting with my son having a little talk
And he knows how to get in touch with you now
To let you know how grateful I am for your help
In keeping me in this, in this comfortable place
All I can say, Aubrey, is I remember the good times we had together
And the times I used to look after you
And I still have wonderful feelings about that
So God bless you, and I hope I’ll see you…
A$AP Rocky ft. Drake, 2 Chainz, & Kendrick Lamar- “F*ckin Problem”
This is the moment you realize that these 4 rappers are moving away from being hip-hop rookies to being the top rappers in the game. A$AP Rocky’s “F*ckin Problem” features Drizzy, 2 Chainz, and K Dot, on a beat pr0duced by Noah “40″ Shebib. 2 Chainz chants “I love bad bitches that’s my f*ckin problem” on the chorus to this one, while A$AP, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar all destroy their verses. Check out the track below and expect to hear this rotating on the radio soon enough.
Rihanna- “Diamonds”
Rihanna rolls joints with diamonds. “Diamonds” is Rihanna’s lead single to her upcoming 7th album, which still remains untitled. The song is catchy and radio-ready as we always expect from Rihanna.
Imagine Dragons- “It’s Time” (Passion Pit Remix)
I immediately got excited when I heard that Passion Pit remixed this song. Passion Pit is one of my favorite indie artists, and their electronic remixes never disappoint. “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons has been getting a lot of play on Alt Nation and other rock radio recently, and is a great, catchy, feel-good indie song. Passion Pit’s remix of the song is awesome and a lot better than the original (in my opinion). This song is a must download for fans of either band. Imagine Dragon’s debut album Night Visions was released on September 4th; buy it on iTunes.
Kanye West, Jay-Z & Big Sean- “Clique”
Kanye, Big Sean, Jay-z, and Hit-Boy (on production) come back together with the latest Cruel Summer single, “Clique”. The beat on this track is insane; the second I put it on I knew I needed to turn it all the way up. “Clique” is perfect to be played at clubs and parties, and it doesn’t sound like ANY other songs being played at the club right now (lets be honest, those Lex Luger beats get a little old…). Add Ye, Sean, and Hov on that beat and the song becomes yet another jaw-droppingly GOOD single. G.O.O.D. Music always manages to obnoxiously exceed all my expectations. Cruel Summer drops on September 18th… I have nothing to say to you if you miss out on this one.
Muse- “Madness”
Here is the first official single to Muse’s upcoming album The 2nd Law, set for release on October 2nd. The song isn’t as experimental as the dubstep release “Unsustainable” was, but it comes pretty close with a synth bass underlying the whole song. As the song progresses, it gradually becomes more of a rock song… and an amazing one at that. Check “Madness” out below and see what you think.
Dada Life- “Rolling Stones T-Shirt” (Steerner & Tjernberg Arena Remix)
Upcoming Swedish electro artists Steerner & Tjernberg are back with this must download remix of Dada Life’s “Rolling Stones T-Shirt”. This track is absolutely unbelievable and definitely the best collaboration between the two artists I’ve heard so far. I think DML said it best: “while they are both stellar on solo productions, they are unstoppable together…” Back in January we were lucky enough to conduct a brief interview with Tjernberg, and its great to see the progression in his music and its exposure. Make sure to stream and download the track below; you don’t wanna miss out on this one. Also check out Tjernberg’s last single “Smutsig.”
Update: The massive remix already hit the download limit on Soundcloud (no surprise there), so I provided you guys with a free dl of the remix below.
The xx- “Chained” ( Panic City Remix )
San Francisco EDM artist Panic City released this remix of “Chained” by The xx, and it is hands down the best remix of a song by The xx I’ve ever heard. Panic City somehow turned this mellow indie track into an amazing, massive, melodic house track. Listen and download the track below, and also check out Panic City’s Soundcloud for some of his past releases.
(source: dml)
