Future Releases “Good Morning”, Discusses How The Song Heavily Inspired Beyonce’s “Drunk In Love”

It is well known that rapper/singer Future has a knack for making catchy hooks and melodies, which is a big reason why the Atlanta artist has reached such a high level of prominence in the past few years. During a performance at SXSW a few weeks back, Future decided to perform an unreleased track titled “Good Morning” that sounded extremely similar to Beyonce’s smash hit “Drunk In Love”. Well it turns out that Future had a heavy hand in the creation of the track as “Good Morning” seems to be a reference track that Beyonce used for her monster single. Producer Detail is responsible for both songs, so it seem that “Good Morning” got pushed to the side for Future once the music world took notice when Beyonce dropped her ‘secret’ album late last year. While “Good Morning” may have become a successful single for Future, there is no doubt that the song reached its full potential with Beyonce and Future should be happy with those royalty checks. Future discussed the origins of “Good Morning” in multiple interview’s upon the release of the song and he gives us an insightful look into the making of the record, which will not appear on his upcoming album Honest. 

King Los Rips Apart His Freestyle On Sway In The Morning, Releases ‘Zero Gravity II’ Mixtape

King Los is an artist who has been critically acclaimed for his steady collection of mixtapes he has put out over the years, but the Baltimore rapper has yet to release a cohesive studio album. Known for his exceptional skills as a freestyle emcee, King Los put his talent on display recently on the Sway In The Morning show in the ‘5 Fingers Of Death’, which forces rappers to rhyme over 5 different (and usually out-of-left-field) beats. Not once losing his focus or train of thought, King Los slaughtered the microphone as he provided the listeners with one of the better ‘5 Fingers Of Death’ freestyles we have heard in recent memory. Beyond his hard-hitting and strong lyrical raps, King Los also discussed his relationship with Diddy/Bad Boy Records as well as his latest mixtape Zero Gravity 2. There is no doubt that King Los has what it takes to be a premier artist in hip-hop, and we hope he finds the right situation that will allow him to put together a well-crafted album.

The College Blueprint Hosts A Discussion On The State of Boston Hip-Hop In 2014

As we continue our run of news regarding the Boston hip-hop scene, it would be misguided if we did not highlight a roundtable discussion that took place a few weeks ago which detailed that very topic. The College Blueprint show of Boston University’s WTBU radio brought together a qualified group of Boston hip-hop figures to discuss how the genre has progressed in the city and what needs to be done in order for it to thrive in the future. Including the likes of Dart Adams, Dharmic X, Guillermo Antonini, Avenue, Bedlam of Showoff Records and Lindsey Gamble of HITPMusic, the lengthy conversation is a must listen for local rap enthusiasts. A wide variety of topics are covered with the strong opinions of these bloggers/artists/label reps being featured, which makes for an entertaining/informative discussion.

Kid Cudi Speaks On Latest Album ‘Satellite Flight’, His Place In Hip-Hop, And Sobriety In Complex Interview

Kid Cudi has had quite a journey as an artist as he achieved early fame for hits such as “Day N’ Nite” despite his more underground/indie qualities as a rapper. Battling everything from drug addiction to the many frustrations that come with being in the music industry, Cudi has never stopped creating his distinct style of hip-hop and we were recently surprised with another unique body of work from the ‘Man On The Moon’. Last year, Kid Cudi made news regarding an EP that he was working on and he revealed that it could be released at any given point in time. Fast forward to February when reports surfaced that revealed the EP had morphed into a full-length album, and this proved to be true with the surprise release of Satellite Flight. The ten track project is a mix of Kid Cudi produced instrumentals as well as the more standard songs in which Cudi raps on, and Satellite Flight is another untraditional LP from an artist who constantly strives to deliver something original. Complex recently had a detailed interview with Cudi which delved into the making of the album along with other topics such as his sobriety as well as his overall current position in hip-hop. 

CyHi The Prynce Interview and In-Studio Performance On Sway In The Morning; Stream Black Hystori Project

We have mentioned the resurgence of CyHi The Prynce a lot lately and it seems those who predicted that CyHi was well-positioned to have a standout year were correct. After releasing a couple of mixtapes and being a heavy contributor to Kanye West’s album Yeezus, the G.O.O.D. Music lyricist is primed to start gaining more national exposure in 2014 after the release of his Black Hystori project. CyHi paid a visit to the Sway In The Morning show recently to discuss his album as well as details regarding his work/relationships with Kanye and Jay Z. While the interview was an insightful one, it was the in-studio performances of some of CyHi’s new tracks that caught our attention as well as Sway’s. It may have been easy to label CyHi as undervalued, under-utilized, or undervalued in the past few years since he initially burst onto the scene with G.O.O.D. Music, but it seems like now is the time for CyHi to shine. 

Kendrick Lamar And ScHoolboy Q Cover Billboard In TDE Story- Success Of ‘Oxymoron’ & Potential Kendrick Album In 2014

A few years ago, the label out of California named Top Dawg Entertainment was just a blimp on the radar screen in the world of hip-hop. Fast forward to present-day and TDE is arguably the most powerful force in rap music showing no signs of slowing down. Kendrick Lamar has quickly risen as one of the most well-known and highly respected rappers in the music industry based off the success of his album good kid, m.A.A.d city. TDE has been able to ride the wave of his success to showcase the rest of the TDE members who are just as deserving of national exposure. Next in line to officially ‘blow up’ was ScHoolboy Q and based off his No. 1 status on the Billboard charts after the release of his Oxymoron album, it appears TDE has executed their strategy perfectly. While the rest of the crew that includes the lyrical mastermind Ab-Soul, veteran Jay Rock, talented up-and-comer Isaiah Rashad, and singer SZA all have projects in the works, it is Kendrick and Q who have the rap game’s full attention. 

Talib Kweli Announces Upcoming Joint Album With 9th Wonder, An Analysis Of His Hip-Hop Worldview In Today’s Digital Age

Talib Kweli is a legendary emcee who has a well-spoken demeanor that usually translates to thought-provoking interviews. This is demonstrated in his chat with the folks with KMEL in San Francisco in which he discussed numerous topics including his latest album Gravitas, the role social media plays in hip-hop, and an upcoming joint project with producer 9th Wonder in the works. That last part of news was a first-time announcement from the independently proud Kweli and it came as a great surprise for many underground hip-hop fans. While the details surrounding the project are scarce, Talib provided plenty of gems in the interview that showcased how a successful veteran rapper such as himself navigates the industry in today’s digital world. 

Pharrell Unexpectedly Announces New Solo Album ‘G I R L’, Set To Be Released On March 3rd

We all knew that Pharrell had been staying busy after having one of the most successful years of his career in 2013. However, it comes as a big surprise that Pharrell is about to bless us with a solo album….in less than 2 weeks! While we are aware that The Neptunes hit-maker is never too far away from a studio, this announcement was a rather shocking one as Pharrell will be releasing the project titled G  I  R  L on March 3rd. Although Pharrell has collaborated with a lengthy list of notable artists recently, the album will be his first solo album since In My Mind which was released back in 2006. G  I  R  L’s lead single will be the chart-topping song “Happy”, which is #1 on iTunes right now and #2 on Billboard Hot 100. There is no doubt this album will be highly anticipated in the coming weeks and we cannot wait to hear what Pharrell has in store for us. 

Nas Speaks On Upcoming Xbox TV Series “Street Dreams” Based On His Life

As Nas begins to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his classic debut album Illmatic, reports have come out that XBOX Entertainment Studios is working on a half-hour series loosely based on the Queensbridge emcee’s life in the 90’s. Tentatively titled Street Dreams, the series would be set in the Queensbridge housing complex that Nas grew up in and would be focused on his journey as an aspiring emcee. The series is set to be written and directed by Jonathan Levine, who took home the Audience Award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival for The Wackness. Nas confirmed the report in an interview with Rolling Stone and spoke on how important it is to him that the show is 100% authentic.

What To Take Away From The Drake vs. Rolling Stone Controversy

While Drake is currently considered as one of the top-tier artists in hip-hop, his relationship with the media and the press has been one filled with trials and tribulations. From his back-and-forth jabs with Chris Brown about Rihanna to his comments about Kendrick Lamar’s “Control” verse, more often than not Drake comes across as overly sensitive and emotional. And after a recent interview with Rolling Stone that was made public this week, it appears that Drake has not fully learned from his lessons. From controversial comments about some of hip-hop’s biggest stars to misguided quotes about the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman after the publication’s release, the interview took a turn for the worst as things were taken out of proportion once the power of social media took over. While Drake is not on Kanye West’s level in terms of “ranting”, he tends to make costly public relations mistakes when he should just let his music do the talking for him.