top of page

Oct 30 - Nov 6

Legacy Track of the Week: Tinashe - Ghetto Boy

“Nobody’s gonna hurt you, nobody’s gonna do this for you” The smoothest record off Tinashe’s new album Nightride is what she herself calls a Romeo & Juliet type of record, and with the music provided by British producer Devonte Hynes this one is nothing but heat. Tinashe has had good music and good albums (not classics, but good) on the low for the last few years now, and to date this is one of the most complete songs in her catalogue.

 

Alicia Keys - She Don’t Really Care_1 Luv

“She grew up in Brooklyn, she grew up in Harlem, she grew up in Bronx, she know she was a queen, she lived in Queens” Produced by her husband Swizz Beatz and premiered at the Apple Music Festival in London last month, Alicia Keys calls this the most purposeful and intentional music she’s ever written about, and set in NYC it’s likely autobiographical to an extent. Either way it’s fire front to back with a Nas sample in the middle that puts it into another category.

 

Alicia Keys - More Than We Know

“If I could breathe underwater, every fish would walk on land, if I could fly in the sky baby, then wings would be on me, if words could move mountains, if I could swim the ocean without drownin', if there was pain without hurtin', then the impossible has been found, 'cause baby we can do more than we know, more than we know...” Beyond the meaningful and descriptive lyrics the melody is actually the song’s best quality, and if you told me this was the best record off the HERE album than I wouldn’t argue with you...

 

Common ft PJ - Unfamiliar

“A house is not a home unless we staying in it, stay committed, I used to get around, now I'm staying centered, angels ascended, grounded, stay cemented, the mentality, we all casualties, I can't do this casually, actually you challenge me to balance me, pay dues and salaries, been through truth and fallacies” Common almost sounds like the old Common Sense in this record, and with help from PJ aka Paris Jones (who shows up a few times on Black America Again), this is indisputably one of the better records off the project.

 

Jeezy - Never Settle

“I want it all, champagne like Niagra Falls, and a big boy grill, portraits of Pac on the walls, a two door that go vrmm every time you hit the pedal, got two words for ya, never settle, I'ma leave the bars to Kendrick and Cole I speak that real life, I-75 with them O's know what that feel like” Need a late pass because Trap or Die 3 actually came out last week, but all the same this one is 🔥🔥🔥 as it plays off Warren G’s I Want it All record (classic) and Jeezy actually does this record justice. Play this in the whip, ride out, and enjoy your life.

 

Jeezy ft Chris Brown - Pretty Diamonds

“She the type to say that she ain't fuckin' on the first night, I'm the type of nigga have her naked at the first light” classic Jeezy & Breezy you can’t go wrong…

 

Gucci Mane ft Akon & Chris Brown - Moon Walk

“Caucasian women, Black women, Spanish, Russian, Asian women, fall out when I touch their hand, they rush the stage like Michael did it, live my life like Michael Jackson, made more stars than Michael Bivins, like Michael Jordan, livin' legend, I'm the best that ever did it” Gucci talkin crazy on this and even though his verses are full of painful MJ references that aren’t clever at all… CB’s moonwalkin in the pussy chorus is too classic to ignore.

 

Future ft Drake - Used To This

“Never looking back on it, we did what we did, could never find the time for the people I miss” Future is Future and Drake is Drake on this… but ultimately the beat by Zaytoven is the only thing memorable… still good for the whip tho

 

Alicia Keys ft A$AP Rocky - Blended Family (What You Do For Love)

“Hey I might not really be your mother, that don't mean that I don't really love ya, and even though I married your father, that's not the only reason I'm here for ya” Alicia references her relationship with Swizz Beatz and his children from his previous marriage, as this one is equally heartfelt as it’s feel-good, and A$AP compliments this records well.

 

Common ft Stevie Wonder - Black America Again

“Here we go, here, here we go again, Trayvon will never get to be an older man, black children, they childhood stole from them, robbed of our names and our language, stole again, who stole the soul from black folk? same man that stole the land from Chief Black Smoke, and made the whip crackle on our back slow, and made us go through the back door” The title track off Common’s new album might be the ultimate BLM anthem, where with production by Karriem Riggins (who is a beast that produced the LoveStar record off this album that was released months ago) and a sample of James Brown with a bridge from Stevie Wonder, Common is able to descriptively illustrate the plight of the black American. Common is wise enough to notice (unlike apparently the likes of Lil Wayne), there are racial problems in this country that have never been completely resolved, highlighted by a corrupt justice system that justifies police brutality - and in 2016 has the nation completely divided.

 

Common ft BJ the Chicago Kid - The Day The Women Took Over

“This is the day women took over, no longer over your shoulder do you have to look over, imagine, war is now over, mothers get medals for being courageous soldiers, on dollars, it's Michelle Obama, Oprah and Rosa” Powerful words from the Chicago MC who imagines a world where women held all the power (of course on the eve of a Hillary Clinton presidency), where even while the message is respectable there’s still a level of inevitable corniness that’s involved (it is Common after all); yet on this particular record… the concept works and it’s just fire Hip Hop all around.

 

Tinashe - Lucid Dreaming

“If there's one thing I've learned, it's that it's up to me, if it's my life then nobody gonna tell me how to live it, they can't see the way I see it through my eyes, see nobody gonna know just what they're missing” Written by Tinashe herself (let’s give it up to Tinashe for writing her music when 99% her contemporaries don’t), this one is a smooth intro with a cool vibe that sets the tone for what could be the best album of her career.

 

Tinashe - C’est La Vie

“Finally feeling free for the night, I got no worries, finally got a claim on my life, baby, c'est la vie, I got plenty trees for the flight, think I'll stay a while, I think I'll stay a while, ah, baby, stay with me” Tinashe is not only a dime but she’s cool as shit… her vibe is definitely marketable and she’s got the talent to stay around for a long time.

 

Tinashe - Sacrifices

“Second round, can you last tonight?, spin me round and leave it inside, e-e-extra loud, every time we play, watch me dance around all over your face” Not at all to sound disrespectful but this one might be Ciara-Lite… only cause Ciara’s got multiple records in this lane that are undeniably better… but produced by Metro Boomin I’m not mad at this one and cause it’s Tinashe I’m all for it...

 

Lloyd Banks - History

“Bar flipping for whoever will listen I been your favorite, heard my first verse from hot 97 feel like I made it” An introspective Banks is even better than a punchline Banks, and this is one of the best records off the Halloween Havoc 3 mixtape.

 

Lloyd Banks - Owe It To Em

"I wish the fucking take the problems away, you bugging if you give em any time of your day, don't stray, I think we owe it to em, block out all the bullshit we'll go right to the top" Straight 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

 

Westside Gunn ft Conway - The Cow

"You know what's funny I wanted to quit, after I got shot in my head I seen my face like I'm done with this shit, trying to spit my verses and mumbling and shit, face twisted up looking ugly and shit, that Bell's palsy had me looking like I had a stroke, but every bar raw like a slab of coke, and them same ***** that laugh and joke, is doing bad or broke, and everything I drop is classic dope, this the realest shit in my pad I wrote, this the realest shit that I wrote…” need another late pass because this was on the Hitler Wears Hermes IV mixtape that we wrote about last week, yet somehow we overlooked this record, which features Westside’s brother Conway who absolutely murders this...

 

Styles P - Ghost In the Sky (Remix)

"All praise to the most high, dance with the devil and whispered I hope we both die, ask an angel could a ghost die?" The Ghost spits flames over Solange’s Cranes In The Sky record (classic) and with that combination how could you go wrong…

 

Mickey Factz ft Mack Wilds, Smoke DZA & Currency - Marina

“I promise that nothin' will ever come between us, I'm at the docks, road draggin' like Red Fox fresh out the cleaners, fuck your opinion, it could never mean much, full sale, playing alone Willie Hutch, burn Mary Jane, three bitches feeding me grapes like Daddy Kane, oh you mad? ain't that a shame, use therapy cause jealousy's an ugly thing” Might need another late pass considering Mickey Factz The Achievement: Circa 1982 album came out last week, yet this is one of the best records off the project, where Currency & DZA flex on stellar production from Nottz (who produced all of The Achievement to great results).

 

Lloyd Banks - Money Crime ***

“Cheffing up continuous rapper raps in my melting pot, injuries consecutive, snapping necks 'cause I'm felt a lot” classic Banks, all you need to know…

 

Lloyd Banks - Hunger

“If you ain't dyin', it ain't urgent, I figured out your type for certain, the attention seeking type of person, a righteous man, I like the verses, as fake as practicing now, setting traps as he rehearses, being loud while being low defeats the purpose, a lil wisdom, you can take it or leave it to each's hearses, like the villain meets the circus, a master piece for purchase, violators should have room to relapse, beneath the surface” more 🔥🔥🔥 from Banks who continues to push his pen almost 15 years into the game.

 

Ace Hood - Married to the Game

“Had a visionary since 14 young nigga with a big dream, hit the scene I was 18 with the cash flow ***** all know, spitting all this real shit, record labels gotta deal with it, underrated is an understatement all these haters coming out the pool pit” Ace Hood still out here spittin that go-getter hustler music...

 

Alicia Keys - The Gospel

“Change gon' come, the spirit of Sam Cooke ,when the feds comin', everybody get shook, now we doin' life like Eddie Murphy and Martin, on the chain gang, I was singing into the coffin” Alicia is spittin on this track like a revolutionary and I’m not mad at that at all… she’s cookin on this…

 

Alicia Keys - Work On It

“Some days are hard, there ain't no easy way, no matter how we try, nobody is perfect, but if we just love each other through it all, baby, now that, that makes it worth it” Co-produced by Pharrell and Alicia herself this one has a fire melody and an even crazier instrumental so this one is definitely worth a listen.

bottom of page