It's been a big 2 weeks for hip-hop. Jay-Z released his third 'Blueprint' to success and Kid Cudi attempts to transform the game with his out-of-this-world style. I got my hands on a copy of both official albums, and took part in some serious sampling of hip-hop's finest this weekend.
In honor of Kid Cudi taking hip-hop in a new direction, I've upped his two tracks produced by RATATAT. The guitarist produciton duo from NY has been tearing up the underground for a while now with their instrumentals and rap mashups, but it is very nice to see them get full production credits on a major rap album. On top of that Kid Cudi brought MGMT in to feature on one of the tracks! Genius move. I also love that he broke Man On The Moon down into five acts. This is a move I anticipate catching on for official CD releases in the future, as the sale of whole albums is slowly becoming extinct. It is also rumored that Dr. Dre might have been doing a similar act breakdown for his upcoming Detox album with Denzel Washington doing the narrative...now that is an album I am anticipating.
Regarding Jay-Z, I've always thought him to be a little overrated. He is an absolutely amazing rapper, and he is definitely in the top 7 of all time, but he is NOT the best. His lyrics aren't as intricate as Eminem's or as meaningful as Nas or 2Pac's. On top of that his selection of beats has always been below par in my eyes. His flow is one of the greatest, but I'm sick of him letting us know it every song. Stay classy when you're at the top, we don't need to hear you brag about how good you are Jay, we know you're good. Maybe mix up the material a little bit while you're at it. I just thought that by the time you're at Blueprint 3, you'd have some more meaningful subjects to write on. However, there is a single that has stuck out to me and I give Jay props for having the imagination to collaborate with Empire of the Sun (this inspired solely from hearing Standing on the Shore at the end of an episode of Entourage).
EDIT: I had to go back and add the track Young Forever. This is one of my favorite Jay tracks in a while. You're sure to recognize the hook, and it was a great way for him to end the album.
Speaking of sick, I'm on my second day of the flu. It's made it's way to Florida, and I visited the multicultural disease center that is Disney World over the weekend. I'm really hoping this is the normal flu, and that I'm not swineing. Onto the tracklists and some songs to sample:
Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon: The End of Day
Pre-Order Album HERE
Act 1: The End Of The Day
01. In My Dreams (Cudder Anthem) 3:19
02. Soundtrack 2 My Life 3:55
03. Simple As... 2:31
Act 2: Rise of the Night Terrors
04. Solo Dolo (Nightmare) 4:26
05. Heart of A Lion (KiD CuDi Theme Music) 4:21
06. My World Ft. Billy Cravens 4:03
Act 3: Taking a Trip
07. Day N Night (Nightmare) 3:41
08. Sky Might Fall 3:41
09. Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part 1) 4:20
Act 4: Stuck
10. Alive (Nightmare) Ft. Ratatat 4:06 (MP3) - Click To Stream
11. Cudi Zone 4:19
12. Make Her Say Ft. Kanye West and Common 3:36
13. Pursuit Of Happiness (Nightmare) Ft. MGMT and Ratatat 4:55 (MP3) - Click To Stream
Act 5: A New Beginning
14. Hyyerr Ft. Chip The Ripper 3:32
15. Up Up and Away (The Wake and Bake Song) 3:47
Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3
Purchase Album HERE
1. What We Talkin’ About (feat. Luke Steele of Empire of the Sun) (Produced By Kanye West & No I.D.) (MP3) - Click To Stream
2. Thank You (Produced By Kanye West & No I.D.)
3. D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune) (Produced By No I.D.)
4. Run This Town (feat. Kanye West & Rihanna) (Produced By Kanye West & No I.D.)
5. Empire State Of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys) (Produced By Al Shux)
6. Real As It Gets (feat. Young Jeezy) (Produced By The Inkredibles)
7. On to the Next One (feat. Swizz Beatz) (Produced By Swizz Beatz)
8. Off That (feat. Drake) (Produced By Timbaland)
9. A Star is Born (Feat. J. Cole) (Produced By Kanye West & No I.D.)
10. Venus vs. Mars (Produced By Timbaland)
11. Already Home (feat. Kid Cudi) (Produced By Kanye West)
12. Hate (feat. Kanye West) (Produced By Kanye West)
13. Reminder (Produced By Timbaland)
14. So Ambitious (feat. Pharrell) (Produced By The Neptunes)
15. Young Forever (feat. Mr Hudson) (Produced By Kanye West) (MP3) - Click To Stream
In honor of Kid Cudi taking hip-hop in a new direction, I've upped his two tracks produced by RATATAT. The guitarist produciton duo from NY has been tearing up the underground for a while now with their instrumentals and rap mashups, but it is very nice to see them get full production credits on a major rap album. On top of that Kid Cudi brought MGMT in to feature on one of the tracks! Genius move. I also love that he broke Man On The Moon down into five acts. This is a move I anticipate catching on for official CD releases in the future, as the sale of whole albums is slowly becoming extinct. It is also rumored that Dr. Dre might have been doing a similar act breakdown for his upcoming Detox album with Denzel Washington doing the narrative...now that is an album I am anticipating.
Regarding Jay-Z, I've always thought him to be a little overrated. He is an absolutely amazing rapper, and he is definitely in the top 7 of all time, but he is NOT the best. His lyrics aren't as intricate as Eminem's or as meaningful as Nas or 2Pac's. On top of that his selection of beats has always been below par in my eyes. His flow is one of the greatest, but I'm sick of him letting us know it every song. Stay classy when you're at the top, we don't need to hear you brag about how good you are Jay, we know you're good. Maybe mix up the material a little bit while you're at it. I just thought that by the time you're at Blueprint 3, you'd have some more meaningful subjects to write on. However, there is a single that has stuck out to me and I give Jay props for having the imagination to collaborate with Empire of the Sun (this inspired solely from hearing Standing on the Shore at the end of an episode of Entourage).
EDIT: I had to go back and add the track Young Forever. This is one of my favorite Jay tracks in a while. You're sure to recognize the hook, and it was a great way for him to end the album.
Speaking of sick, I'm on my second day of the flu. It's made it's way to Florida, and I visited the multicultural disease center that is Disney World over the weekend. I'm really hoping this is the normal flu, and that I'm not swineing. Onto the tracklists and some songs to sample:
Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon: The End of Day
Pre-Order Album HERE
Act 1: The End Of The Day
01. In My Dreams (Cudder Anthem) 3:19
02. Soundtrack 2 My Life 3:55
03. Simple As... 2:31
Act 2: Rise of the Night Terrors
04. Solo Dolo (Nightmare) 4:26
05. Heart of A Lion (KiD CuDi Theme Music) 4:21
06. My World Ft. Billy Cravens 4:03
Act 3: Taking a Trip
07. Day N Night (Nightmare) 3:41
08. Sky Might Fall 3:41
09. Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part 1) 4:20
Act 4: Stuck
10. Alive (Nightmare) Ft. Ratatat 4:06 (MP3) - Click To Stream
11. Cudi Zone 4:19
12. Make Her Say Ft. Kanye West and Common 3:36
13. Pursuit Of Happiness (Nightmare) Ft. MGMT and Ratatat 4:55 (MP3) - Click To Stream
Act 5: A New Beginning
14. Hyyerr Ft. Chip The Ripper 3:32
15. Up Up and Away (The Wake and Bake Song) 3:47
Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3
Purchase Album HERE
1. What We Talkin’ About (feat. Luke Steele of Empire of the Sun) (Produced By Kanye West & No I.D.) (MP3) - Click To Stream
2. Thank You (Produced By Kanye West & No I.D.)
3. D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune) (Produced By No I.D.)
4. Run This Town (feat. Kanye West & Rihanna) (Produced By Kanye West & No I.D.)
5. Empire State Of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys) (Produced By Al Shux)
6. Real As It Gets (feat. Young Jeezy) (Produced By The Inkredibles)
7. On to the Next One (feat. Swizz Beatz) (Produced By Swizz Beatz)
8. Off That (feat. Drake) (Produced By Timbaland)
9. A Star is Born (Feat. J. Cole) (Produced By Kanye West & No I.D.)
10. Venus vs. Mars (Produced By Timbaland)
11. Already Home (feat. Kid Cudi) (Produced By Kanye West)
12. Hate (feat. Kanye West) (Produced By Kanye West)
13. Reminder (Produced By Timbaland)
14. So Ambitious (feat. Pharrell) (Produced By The Neptunes)
15. Young Forever (feat. Mr Hudson) (Produced By Kanye West) (MP3) - Click To Stream
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