After about a year of heightened anticipation, Rakim Mayers – better known as A$AP Rocky – has unveiled his debut album, Long.Live.A$AP. Released on January 15 by A$AP Worldwide, Polo Grounds Music, and RCA Records, the album has made a rather big splash in the urban world and has earned the artist a multi-million dollar record deal, the likes of which have not been seen since 50 Cent began his successful career about a decade ago.
Quickly rising through the cracks of the underground rap world, A$AP Rocky’s debut album has earned him a seat the top at the top of the charts. Long.Live.A$AP features two promoted singles – “Goldie,“ which is the lead single off the album, and “Fuckin’ Problems,” which features guest appearances from rappers Drake, 2 Chainz, and Kendrick Lamar. The two tracks are quite different from each other in terms of style, energy, flow, and lyrical content, but are both very well produced. In fact, the entire album is well structured with heavy emphasis on production value. A$AP’s beats are unique to that of many other rappers, which is perhaps why many have flocked to his music; it’s a new sound.
Unfortunately, guest artists and featured producers aside, A$AP Rocky’s material is perhaps the weakest aspect of the album. A$AP offers next to no lyrical inventiveness, nor is there any actual substance to his lines. He spends most of his verses re-hashing well-worn hip-hop tropes “ bragging about his high-fashion tastes, his glamorous life, and supposed street cred, the latter a frequent source of controversy.
Pop trio fun. has announced their headlining tour this summer with support from Tegan and Sara. The North American tour will begin in Toronto, Canada on July 6 and finish in Charlottesville, VA on September 26. This tour will hit a lot of summer-friendly outdoor venues, some of which are the band’s largest venues to date. Currently, the band is finishing up a tour of the US before heading off to perform for the rest of the world for a few months.
Continuing the hype they’ve built in the last few years, Fearless Records’s For All Those Sleeping have just released their first music video off of their sophomore album, Outspoken. The first single, titled “Mark My Words” is accompanied by a comical video including a preface and conclusion to the video (both sections do not include music), and the entire video can be seen here.
Now with two videos under their belt (one from their first album, Cross Your Fingers), the band seems to have taken their image in a new direction. Originally, we’ve seen the band with brightly colored deep v-neck tees and the punk/hardcore vibes emitted from their first music video and overall presence. Now, it is apparent that the band has turned up the metalcore swag – check it out and see for yourself.
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With an album on the way for release later this year, Pusha-T has given us all something to hold us over until then. He has released an 11-track mixtape titled Wrath of Caine, which features contributions and support by Rick Ross, Wale, and French Montana. The mixtape also features production from Young Chop, The Neptunes, and Kanye West. Check out the entire mixtape here!
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If you’re a fan of Dance Gavin Dance, Emarosa, Ghost Runner on Third, or supergroup Isles and Glaciers, then you’re probably aware that Jonny Craig is the frontman for each band. Having released his own solo material on the side, Craig is now headlining his own tour, featuring support from Kurt Travis, Hail The Sun, and The Seeking. The dates and locations for the tour are listed after the jump.
Rise Records has recently announced the newest addition to its roster. The newly formed Bleach Blonde is set to release their full-length album later in the year with engineering and production assistance from Kris Crummett (Drop Dead Gorgeous and Dance Gavin Dance). The band is composed of a few members of Drop Dead Gorgeous, and other musicians from the SoCal area. Be on the lookout for a “mainstream sound with an underground twist.”
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