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Sampling is a musical art form. Irrespective of what some may have you believe, the act of sampling can be both as challenging and rewarding as producing original compositions and has had a significant effect on the sound of modern music. “It’s hard to sample and it’s hard to make music… They try to act like sampling’s not music but it’s hard to do correctly,” … Continue reading Discussion | The Science of Sampling
With advances in technology across most areas of music in the past 25 years, it has allowed a lot more people the opportunity to create and circulate their material easily and independently. This has resulted in listeners, chiefly through the implementation of music streaming services, having access to a vast amount of artists and songs that they feel compelled to consume in order to try … Continue reading Discussion | Are We Truly Interested in Full-Length Projects Anymore?
Despite being one of the most prominent and unique emcees during what many consider to be the golden era of Hip Hop and transcending generations by remaining relevant throughout the 2000’s and beyond, Busta Rhymes is not often, if at all, considered for selection as one of people’s top five rappers. With the number of gifted emcees that have emerged since Hip Hop’s creation, it’s a … Continue reading Discussion | Why Isn’t Busta Rhymes In Your Top Five Emcees?
My top ten favourite albums of the year: Anderson .Paak – Malibu “After making a tremendous impression on various tracks on Dr. Dre’s Compton, Anderson Paak consolidates his place as a leading newcomer in Soul/R&B with Malibu. His raspy, sing-rap vocal delivery emphasises the trace of the classic soul sound, aided by his choice of producers (eg. Madlib & 9th Wonder, among others), in order to … Continue reading Albums of the Year | 2016
Justin Timberlake has been fortunate enough to have the majority of his very successful solo career as a musician shaped by two of the most revered producers of the last twenty years, Pharrell Williams (as part of The Neptunes*) and Timbaland. These collaborations have spanned his 4 studio albums, as well as combining on other artist’s songs, with notable contributions including, Snoop Dogg – ‘Signs’, … Continue reading Discussion | Does Justin Timberlake Make Better Music With Pharrell or Timbaland?
Now, before the BeyHive swarm around me in an attempt to protect their Queen Bey, please allow me to elucidate a quite innocent, though seemingly provocative title. The question that forms the basis of this article is simply a thought I had once upon a time, whilst witnessing Beyoncé’s extraordinary run of commercial success between 2006-2013. Aaliyah herself had a similarly prosperous period from 1994 … Continue reading Discussion | Would Beyoncé Be As Successful If Aaliyah Was Still Alive?
Not too long ago, I watched an interview with Pharrell Williams where he made statements regarding featured artists on songs and how they’re presented in this day and age. More specifically, his gripe was with the fact that featured guests today must be clearly labelled along side the song title they appear on (speaking specifically about album track lists), whereas in the 70’s & 80’s, … Continue reading The Importance of the Featured Artist
Allow me to introduce the intriguing case of Azealia Banks. Some readers may know the Harlem emcee for her breakthrough hit, ‘212’, from 2011 that was considered by respectable publications as one of their songs of the year. Though, since this thrust into the mainstream, Banks’ career has not reached the heights that early projections may have been inclined to suggest, as she was released … Continue reading Discussion | Azealia Banks – Social Activism or Publicity Stunting?
So, similarly to what Beyoncé did with her 2013 self-titled album, Drake tried his best to do what is now commonly known as “break the Internet” by releasing his album, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, without any prior warning. With only sparse rumours of a January mixtape circulating, the news of the release, of course, sent Twitter, blogs and pretty much anybody who … Continue reading Discussion | Has Drake Reached The Summit?
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