Black Hippy Presents... Kendrick Lamar

Black Hippy Presents... Kendrick Lamar - #Section80

On paper, Kendrick Lamar sounds more like Simon & Garfunklel than a budding 23-year-old Compton rapper: Kendrick lives his life sans weed, gang interaction, and gunplay... "straight A" high school student, he tells of social/political commentaries through song (rap), plus Mr. & Mrs. Lamar are still happily married. Bursting onto the Underground Hip-Hop scene in 2003 and subsequently releasing 3 honorable mixtapes under the nickname "K.Dot," the aptly-named Kendrick Lamar EP was then released in 2009. In Sept. of the following year, O(verly) D(edicated) mixtape was released and met with much critical/fan praise.
Following numerous 2010-11 guest appearances, rumblings started circulating that Lamar was shaping up his debut offering - a "street album" [refined mixtape]. Over the span of a few months, 5 lead-up singles from #Section80 were slowly leaked out to the masses. Short reviews of the 5 tracks are featured down below... with "Ronald Regan Era" and "Tammy's Song," in particular, showcased above/below, respectively. #Section80 was made available for $7.99 on iTunes [US-UK] @ the stroke(s) of midnight Sat. July 2.

Track #2: "Hol' Up" - Liberated by Dave @ Top Dawg Ent. in the final days of June, "Hol' Up" really is a simple composition; Built atop a simple Soundwave-crafted horn sample and lingering, weaving drum pattern... Kendrick slinks in and out of the pockets, making sure to dodge the [female] "Da da da" hook. The smooth, fine balance was EQ'd and mixed by Ali. And then before you know it, the track abruptly ends, just shy of the 3-min. mark.

Track #5: "Tammy's Song" (Her Evils) - Promo Single #5 of 5 and it's accompanying clip was debuted over @ Drake October's Very Own (OVO) in the early-morning hours of Fri. July 1. The overall vibe of the music video matches the sparse, stuttering beat of the track. Sub-titled (Her Evils), "Tammy's Song" seems to be one in a string of character trait describing tracks... which might add up to some sort of running album arc/concept.

Track #7: "Ronald Reagan Era" (His Evils) - "A mutual friend said he was diggin' the music, and he blessed me to get these [RZA a cappella vocals]. I was sittin' on them for a while, like, "Damn, I got some RZA joints up in my hard drive. That's incredible!" So, I didn't want to touch 'em just yet unless it was right. So, I was sittin' on them for a while, then I was like, "You know what? This is the perfect sound right here." My dude Tae Beast did the beat, and it came together, man. It was magic!"
Kendrick told MTVNews' Rob Markman.

Track #16: "HiiiPoWeR" - The initial offering of the set, produced by J.Cole, and essentially the #HiiiPoWeR Team mantra. This is the debut track from Kendrick & J.Cole... As they're currently preparing beats and rhymes for a collaborative mixtape, which will be released after "Cole World" (Sept. 27). Watch the accompanying Fredo Tovar & Scott Fleishman-directed music video.

"Sex with Society" - Centered around the odd yet repeating refrain, "Life's a bitch... But I'ma keep the pu$#y wet," this piece is laid over a sparse, creepy beat. While NOT featured on #Section80, this track seems to set the tone for newbies of Kendrick's sound and even sets the stage for the album. Very well done stab @ a promotional/teaser single, via THC prod.

[W]reckless, Topless American Youth: Lana del Rey - "Born 2 Die" (Britney Spears Birthday 30)

Lana del Rey [Lizzy Grant] effectively became 2011's "It Girl" with the release of her phenomenal debut single, "Video Games" (Stranger) . Like many struggling singer-songwriters, Grant has been signed, dropped, and significantly changed her public image since bursting onto the scene (2009). With that said, it can be assumed that Lana del Rey has collected just as many "haters" as she has avid supporters. To be perfectly honest, the only other artist I can think of that made this much commotion... garnered so much wide-spread buzz/hate and critical acclaim -- right out of the gates -- with just one track is Britney Spears . And maybe in this post- Mike musical era, that's the true synthesis of Pop Culture: Britney Lynn Spears . After months of repeated teasing and speculation, Lana del Rey 's major label debut, Born 2 Die will [finally] be released this coming Jan. 30-31, 2012. Pitchfork reports that it will feature "Off to The Ra

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Lindsay Lohan essentially embodies exactly "What NOT to Do In Hollywood :" Fame, fortune, success... sex, drugs & Rock "N" Roll . Within a fairly short period of time, Lohan somehow managed to obtain a plentiful helping of POWER @ a very young age. This gradual rise-downfall was captured on film; Between 1998-2010, she portrayed a wide array of roles across the silver screen in movies including: Mean Girls, Bobby , Herbie Fully Loaded , Georgia Rule, Machete , and Freaky Friday . Between rapid-paced film shoots, Lindsay Lohan also found time to record 2 Pop Rock albums for Casablanca , Speak (2004) and A Litter More Personal-Raw (2005). Needless to say, Lindsay Lohan has gotten roped up in a lot of troubles and woes with the law over the last 3-5 years... a vicious cycle of drugs, arrest, court, rehab, "daddy issues," jail time [Repeat]. That's the pure basics of it - But Google that shit for additional info, if necessary. Towards the end of

All-around Breakdown: Sean Martin Discusses Debut Instrumental EP Introducing The Magician As No More Magic (Residual Effects)

Sean Martin is a multi-versed musician, producer, and tattooer hailing from Connecticut. As a guitarist, song-writer, and/or producer he has worked with a variety of well-known artists including Hatebreed, Cold Cave, Wear Your Wounds, Umbra Vitae, Twitching Tongues, Cage, Kid Cudi, House of Blow, Head Automatica, XO Skeletons, Jet Fueled Horses, Handsome Boy Modeling School, and more. His versatility and flexibility within music allows him to blur the lines in-between the confines of Hardcore, Electronic, Metal, and Hip-Hop. Martin is, also, a skilled tattooer at Brass City Tattoo located in Oakville, Connecticut promoting the traditional approach to the craft. Founded by Martin himself between 2020-22, No More Magic combines ominous melodies with downtempo beats to create a dizzying dream-like atmosphere. Paying homage to the golden era of Hip-Hop while forging ahead down its own dark road. For fans of Portishead, Massive Attack, and DJ Shadow. No More Magic's Introducing The

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