Filed under: Editor Picks, Emerging Artists | Tags: Wale, Asher Roth, Drake, Lady GaGa, Talib Kweli, Common, Dr. Dre, Yael Naim, Back to the Feature, Wiz Khalifa, BKS, Mark Ronson
"New Soul" stands out on Back to the Feature
PREVIEW: Download Wale’s “New Soul” MP3
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Emerging Artists: Wale, New Wale Single Chillin’ f. Lady GaGa
Surprisingly, my favorite song off Wale’s star-studded Back to the Feature mixtape is not one produced by Mark Ronson and doesn’t even feature Talib Kweli, or Lady Gaga.
“New Soul” comes last on the mixtape, and there’s no better impression he could leave his audience with. Of all the hip-hop freshmen Wale gives a shout out to on “New Soul” — Asher Roth, Wiz Khalifa, Drizzy Drake — Wale is undoubtedly the most promising. As the BKS-produced beat samples Yael Naim’s hit “New Soul,” Wale brilliantly knocks all of hip-hop’s new souls and set himself apart. He recognizes the current Drake craze, and dismisses it by rapping, “Slow and steady wins this race / F*ck leading.” It’s almost comical that releasing a mixtape every year since 2005, like Wale, is considered “slow and steady” nowadays.
Filed under: Emerging Artists, Free 4 All | Tags: Chester French, Clinton Sparks, Common, Diddy, electro, Harvard, hip-hop, Interscope, Lady GaGa, Love The Future, mixtape, Pharrell, Talib Kweli, Vampire Weekend, Wale
Anxiously awaiting Chester French’s new album Love The Future (April 21, Interscope)? Do you have no clue who Chester French is? Either way, you must peep their free new mixtape, Jacques Jams, Vol. 1: Endurance. This star-studded jump-off is replete with retro appeal, but don’t let that fool you. Heavy electro and hip-hop influences give this mixtape a smooth shine and fresh new-car smell.
Curated by Boston native Clinton Sparks, the mix’s guest list includes such established and emerging figures as Diddy, Pharrell, Common, Talib Kweli, Bun B., Kardinal Offishall, Lady GaGa, and Wale. The list goes on! Stay posted, these Harvard grads are the Massachusetts answer to Columbia’s Vampire Weekend. Hey Bandersnatch, try getting these dudes soon before they’re too hot to handle!
– Trevor Kiv, Web Editor
Bandersnatch Music Series & University Union Presents….
WALE
with The Legendary UCB Go-Go Band
+ Special Guests:
COLIN MUNROE & J. COLE
Wednesday, April 1st, 2009
The Schine Underground
Doors @ 7:30PM
Tickets: $5 w/ SU/ESF I.D., $10 w/o
18+
DON’T BE A FOOL, COP SOME TICKETS @ SCHINE BEFORE THAT SHIT’S GONE!!
Get ready party people; the first single from WALE’s seemingly long awaited Interscope debut is here and it BUMPS.
Perfectly suited for the much anticipated summer party scene, “Chillin” boasts some tight M.I.A.-esque vocal stylings from labelmate Lady Gaga, who made a huge splash with a debut of her own last year, The Fame.
Needless to say this dope new track will be all over the place soon, so grab it here and be the first one Chillin’.
– Trevor Kiv, web editor
Ray LaMontagne – Gossip In The Grain
If you get past the fact that this album is the perfect cure for the sleep-deprived it’s an ideal backdrop for fall weather. Ray’s soulful melodies and genre flexibility are at full force on this album. He moves with ease from soul balladeer to country singer to folk hero.
This album starts off with “You are the Best Thing”, an Al Green-esque soul remedy feel. The horns make the track with their hard hits and growing intensity. His voice however, feels a bit misplaced, as his mellow soothing voice doesn’t quite keep up with the fiery horn section. This is not representative of the rest of the album where he sticks mostly to his folk and blues roots, rarely straying from acoustic guitar and light drums.
Unlike his 2006 release “Till the Sun Turns Black” he is less musically involved and acts more as a singer with a backup band as opposed to singing with the music that surrounds him. The beautifully toned electric guitar is missing and his jazzy feel has run away. Overall, this album would be great for driving upstate to watch the foliage or to fall asleep with a loved one but on a musical level I can’t really find the value. Ray needs to step back and regain control of his music.
Best Track: You are the Best Thing
hott traxxx: W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E. (featuring JUSTICE)
Mark my words: WALE is the premier rapper of the future. Hailing from DC, Wale has been honing his rhymes and rhythms since ’05 with prolific intensity that cannot help but remind me of the passion seen early in the careers of hip-hop gods WEEZY F. BABY or even MR. WEST himself. It is precisely this excitement and charisma that caught the attention of notable producer MARK RONSON, who helped him launch a a viral digital mixtape, helping him secure a Nike endorsement and peak interest from Interscope execs. The future for WALE appears to be as bright as ever; after officially signing on to Interscope, he started his own blog and received featured slots on many high profile albums such as THE ROOTS’ Rising Down and a new project in the works headed by none other than the death-defying Travis Barker. Believe me when I say Wale is about to BLOW UP HARD.
- Trevor Kiviat
