On Tuesday, North Carolinian lyricist J Cole took to social media to announce that his new album, titled Off-Season, will be coming out on Friday, May 14th.
In the post, he shared what appears to be the album artwork along with the caption: “Just know this was years in the making.” According to our calculation Off-Season will be Cole‘s 10th album.
I have to start by saying that this is what they call an opinion piece. In other words, everything that I write in this article is mainly reflecting my opinion based on my history of listening to both Jay Z and Nas, especially during the period when they were engaged in their clash.
Knowing how passionate I am about what happened between them, I will force myself to keep this short (only a few lines) because if I don’t, this could become a book.
So basically what I want to say about Nas and Jay doing a collaboration on DJ Khaled‘s new album is that it is really great for the genre. These are two of the most respected lyricists in the hip-hop industry and they had a fierce battle, which resulted in a lot of hip-hop lovers (myself included) taking sides. So it is really good to see them coming together to show unity and maturity.
That being said, I have never personally gotten over the way Jay attacked Nas (lyrically), while Nas was focused on his mother’s illness. To me that was so low and wrong, and it was then that I lost a lot of respect for Jay Z. Additionally, I have always felt that Nas crushed him in those back and forth clashes. To me Nas is the more superior lyricist.
However, both men have moved on and I guess I should too, but it’s hard. Click here or on the image above to check out the official video for “Sorry Not Sorry,” performed by Nas and Jay Z.
Despite the pandemic in 2020, dancehall / soca lyricist E.G. had a fairly good year, this is as it relates to his career as a recording artist. Though his music is normally centered around partying, clubbing and more uncontroversial content, he felt compelled to do a record about the racial tension that was dominating the news at the time.
As such, last Summer, while there were ongoing protests against systematic racism in America, England and parts of Europe, E.G. recorded and released “Stand With The Protesters.” As the name implies, the very controversial record outlines why he sided with the thousands of people who were marching in the streets on a daily basis demanding change. The success of the song led to a remix featuring Mr. AMG, Ras Xtr3me and J Shadda, which was released in the Fall. The new version received a wider audience and helped to grow E.G.‘s fanbase.
Now, as the police killings continues in the United States – where E.G. is based – he has decided that going forward he will be doing a lot more songs addressing social issues; these will be done in addition to his usual club tracks. To that end, he has launched his own record label, Tripple S Music, and has begun construction on the Tripple S Recording Studio.
The implementation of the new label and studio is to ensure that his creativity is not stifled, putting him in a position to quickly release socially sensitive songs as the issues arise.
The American hip-hop trio Digable Planets have announced that they will be doing a virtual performance via Sessions Live on Saturday, May 15th.
The group, which is composed of rappers Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler, Mariana “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira and Craig “Doodlebug” Irving was formed in the late 80s but came to prominence in the early 90s with their jazz rap style, an alternative to traditional hip-hop.
Underground hip-hop lovers are in a frenzy after hearing Redman‘s new single, “80 Barz.” The veteran MC, who was raised in New Jersey, used approximately three-minutes to show these up and coming rappers how it’s done.
Click here or on the image above to check out the video, which was uploaded a few days after the song was published.
In the 4th quarter of 2020, hip-hop artist Common added his voice to the global conversation about racial injustice and systematic racism with his album “A Beautiful Revolution (Pt.1).” As he has done throughout his career, Common not only addresses the ugliness being done to Black communities around the world, but he also highlights the beauty of Black love.
That beauty is on full display in his new video, “What Do You Say,” a record that features Paris A. Jones (better known as just PJ). Click here or on the image above to check out the visuals and remember to like, comment and share.
Last week Tuesday, Khrysis released his long awaited fourteen-track album “The Hour of Khrysis.” The project features a slew of hip-hop lyricists, namely: Busta Rhymes, Pharoahe Monch, Sa-Roc, De La Soul, Rapsody, and that is just to name a few.
When it comes to pure hip-hop production with ranges in soundscape from gritty to jazzy, there aren’t many more renowned in the underworld than beatsmith, Khrysis. The Durham, NC producer who is signed to Grammy Award winning super producer 9th Wonder’s, Jamla Records is one of seven producers on the labels production team, The Soul Council.
Click here to stream and download “The Hour of Khrysis” from your preferred music platform.
MARIA JACKSON 27 MAGAZINE 