Grammys 2014 Recap

  

It's Grammys night, meaning its that time of year when everyone with access to a television and social media account become music journos for a few hours. Missed it? Don't worry, I've done a slim recap of the night so you won't be left out of that water cooler talk tomorrow at work.

Drake Finally Reveals "Nothing Was The Same" Tracklist

Multiple supposed tracklisting leaks for Drake's new album, "Nothing Was The Same", set the internet buzzing for the past few months leading up to the set's September 24th debut. Considering the delay in release dates, it's no wonder that Drizzy fans are giddy with anticipation over the young rapper's third album. Tonight, Drake finally unveiled the official tracklist for the album, setting all rumors straight. "Nothing Was The Same" will feature Jay Z and Detail. Among the listed songs are hit singles "Started From The Bottom", "Hold On, We're Going Home", and one interestingly titled "Wu-Tang Forever." Catch the full standard-edition tracklist below.

Urban Music Stars React to Zimmerman's "Not Guilty" Verdict [Updated]

     Tensions rose all over the country Saturday evening as the infamous Trayvon Martin case came to a close. The case against George Zimmerman struck a chord with people of all ethnicity, as a sort of commentary on racism in modern day America. Zimmerman was found "NOT GUILTY", and the widespread reaction was immediate on forms of social media. From Solange Knowles to Questlove, find out below what your favorite urban artists had to say about the verdict.

Questlove had multiple thoughts he wished to vocalize, but mainly his aim was to bash rioting and keep the focus on the Martin family.

Will.i.am. recalled some lyrics from a decade-old Black Eyed Peas song, "Where is The Love?"

Solange Knowles suggested a peaceful alternative to the social media buzz about rioting that quickly followed the announcement of the verdict.

The Carter Family Business

     This past week, Jay-Z's newest album, "Magna Carter Holy Grail", was certified platinum. While it may not seem out of the ordinary considering the hip-hop mogul's status of cultural relevance, the actual date of certification is more than intriguing. "Magna Carter Holy Grail" has a release date of July 9th. Yet, that same day, the Recording Association of America recognized one million copies of the album being sold. This was possible because of a deal with technology conglomerate Saumsung, as the company bought one million copies of the album to make available digitally three days early exclusively to Samsung Galaxy owners. While the deal was poised to be one of the most innovative ideas of modern music, the marketing ploy ultimately failed to meet expectations as the app (where Samsung Galaxy owners could download the album) crashed within the hour of it's release.

Lady Gaga's #ARTPOP Release Details (UPDATED)

     Rumors surfaced Thursday evening (7/12) that Lady Gaga had a secret album listening party for ARTPOP, the long-awaited sequel to 2011's "Born This Way".  After announcing the album title last year, a number of tour related injuries that caused the Born This Way Ball tour to be canceled were speculated to be the cause of the album's delay as well. Along with the rumors comes a few tentative dates that are interesting to see. The first is 8/19, which is supposedly when a single will be released. A video follows on 9/1, and finally the album will be released in November. These are all just rumors of course, but considering how close the time-span between the announcement of a project and it's actual release date are nowadays, it's possible. And likely. This info comes days after Lady Gaga shut down her Twitter account. Adding fuel to fire, supposed promotional images were also released. Check it out for yourself below.

Lacking #Willpower

                    

                    Three years of waiting, and Will.i.am’s sophomore solo album has finally surfaced. After going through names changes (the tentative title was once Black Einstein), and some less-than-stellar attempts at lead singles (“Check It Out” was planned as a joint single between the BEP front-man and Nicki Minaj),  #Willpower has finally arrived. With the 2008 reinvention of the Black Eyed Peas in what the group described as “the digital afterlife”, Will changed singularly as an artist as well. And what a shame that is. His knack for making innovative hip hop that helped bring the Black Eyed Peas into the mainstream spectrum is absent here, while noticeably replaced with electronic dance music with little novelty to display. Where as Will’s raspy but charismatic vocals used to serve as an asset, his synthetically convoluted voice sounds like a bad advertisement for the T-Pain auto-tune app. From the beginning of the album’s first track, “Good Morning”, the artist’s synthetic crooning let’s you know that he’s still  living in that digital afterlife. Or rather, he’s stuck in it.  The problem is that the sound utilized throughout the album is dated rather than futuristic. While the hashtags and features are pleads of relevancy, the content to back it up is a perpetuated sound that is sonically akin to almost every other generic EDM song. The sound was somewhat inventive in 2008, but is far from new in the current pop atmosphere. However, there are a few guilty pleasures on the album. “This is Love” provides an anthemic dance track that demands blasting in the car and the clubs.