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Download: The Weeknd – Echoes of Silence

Head over to The Weeknd‘s website or this direct link to download his new highly anticipated mixtape Echoes of Silence. This is the third mixtape R&B singer Abel Tesfaye has released this year, following the critically acclaimed House of Balloons and Thursday. Tesfaye has also recently appeared on his fellow Canadian comrade Drake’s new album Take Care. Two choice cuts (the latter of which is produced by Clams Casino) are included below.

MP3: The Weeknd – “Montreal”

MP3: The Weeknd – “The Fall”

Clams Casino and the “Just For Now” Sample

It’s rarely the case that a hip-hop producer can single-handedly carry an emcee through a track. But such is the case with New Jersey’s Mike Volpe, better known by his stage name Clams Casino, who first turned heads after his collaborations with Soulja Boy and Lil B began making rounds on the Internet. With a keen sense for smooth vocal samples, Clams Casino creates dreamy, ethereal soundscapes that swallow you up and carry you away before the first crash or hi-hat even drops. And the best part of it all? His music works with or without an emcee over top.

That’s something you can’t find with new-age (pardon the pretentiousness) producers. Sure, T-Minus creates synth-laden beats with a similar loftiness, but the soundscape doesn’t even come close. Face it – a track like “She Will” needs Drake and Lil Wayne to fully function.

What may be more impressive is how all of his fantastic beats come together. “I’m God”, perhaps the defining song so far in both Clams Casino’s and Lil B’s careers, takes it roots in Imogen Heap‘s breathtaking “Just For Now”, a song that sounds nothing like “I’m God”.

MP3: Imogen Heap – “Just For Now”

MP3: Lil B – “I’m God” (Prod. by Clams Casino)

That same song, “Just For Now”, was even been sampled by Clams Casino more than once. ASAP Rocky‘s “Bass”, believe it or not, comes from the very same sample. Originally intended for Lil B, Clams Casino actually reworked the beat after the Based God decided that one part of the song was a bit too fast for him, ultimately resulting in yet another song from the same sample entitled “I’m The Devil”. That part was thus taken out, slowed down, and given to Rocky.

MP3: ASAP Rocky – “Bass” (Prod. by Clams Casino)

MP3: Lil B – “I’m The Devil” (Prod. by Clams Casino)

Simply put on your headphones and slip away into the music…

MiaoMix Monday #6 [Actor-Rappers]

With Childish Gambino and Drake releasing their new albums today, I thought it would be fun to make a playlist composed of actor-rappers. Interestingly enough, both of these artists began their careers as fairly well-known actors: Gambino currently acts on NBC’s Community, writes for 30 Rock, and more, while Aubrey Drake Graham famously got his start as a child actor on Degrassi. The following playlist contains some rapper-turned-actors such as Mark Wahlberg and Will Smith as well as other actor-turned-rappers like Method Man. You can listen to the full MiaoMix below. Some popular movies or TV shows that the rappers acted in are in brackets. Also, if you enjoyed Method Man’s “World Gone Sour (Lost Kids)”, you should check out the music video after the break.

Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch (Three Kings, The Departed) – Good Vibrations

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, I Am Legend) – Summertime

Snoop Dogg (Starsky & Hutch, Down For Life)  – Gin and Juice

Ice Cube (Boyz n the Hood, Friday) – It Was A Good Day

Mos Def (Be Kind Rewind, The Italian Job) – Mathematics

Drake (Degrassi: The Next Generation) – Club Paradise

Childish Gambino (Community, Mystery Team) – Heartbeat

Method Man (The Wire, How High) – World Gone Sour (Lost Kids)

Listen: Drake – “The Ride (feat. The Weeknd)”

When Drake‘s sophomore record Take Care leaked a few days ago, one of the most talked about tracks was unfortunately not included in that version. That track, “The Ride” actually serves as the album’s closing track and features vocals from Drizzy’s good friend and fellow Toronto native, The Weeknd. Featuring production by Jamie xx, “The Ride” is almost 6 minutes long and features Drake dropping a number of great verses, slow falsettos from Abel, and solid production from Jamie xx. It’s a great combination that not only sounds good on paper, but is also actually even better when it reaches your ears.

Check it out below in all its glory and be sure to purchase Take Care once it is officially released on November 15th.

MP3: Drake – “The Ride (feat. The Weeknd)”

Stream Childish Gambino’s ‘Camp’

If you aren’t currently hooked on the Take Care leak or ASAP Rocky‘s new mixtape, there’s still plenty of new rap music to keep you busy. After premiering a new track, “Heartbeat”, on radio station Hot 97 earlier in the day, Gambino decided to team up with NPR and release his entire album for streaming online. Praised for his lyrical wit and his Internet-famous punchlines, Gambino has drawn numerous comparisons to Young Money ringleader Lil Wayne and seems poised to steal away some of the spotlight from DrakeCamp will be out November 15th.

STREAM: Childish Gambino – Camp

What do you think about the record? Let us know in the comments.

Tracklist to Drake’s ‘Take Care’ Revealed


Drake‘s highly-anticipated sophomore effort, Take Care, now has a confirmed tracklisting courtesy of the Microsoft Zune market. The album will be out on November 15th via Young Money, following a delay caused by sample-clearing issues.

“Headlines”, “Marvin’s Room”, the Nicki Minaj featuring “Make Me Proud”, and the final version of “The Real Her” with an additional verse from Andre 3000 will all be included on the album, while “Dreams Money Can Buy” is not included. Additional guest spots include OVOXO’s The WeekndRihanna, and Rick Ross.

Take Care Tracklisting:
01 Over My Dead Body
02 Shot for Me
03 Headlines
04 Crew Love (feat. The Weeknd)
05 Take Care (feat. Rihanna)
06 Marvin’s Room
07 Under Ground Kings
08 We’ll Be Fine
09 Make Me Proud (feat. Nicki Minaj)
10 Lord Knows (feat. Rick Ross)
11 Cameras
12 Doing It Wrong
13 The Real Her (feat. Andre 3000 and Lil Wayne)
14 Look What You’ve Done
15 HYFR (feat. Lil Wayne)
16 Practice
17 The Ride
18 Hate Sleeping Alone [Bonus]
19 Untitled (feat. Lil Wayne) [Bonus]

Video: Drake Takes Over Saturday Night Live

Drizzy Drake stole the show in more ways than one on last night’s episode ofSaturday Night Live, appearing in two sketches and two song performances. Working with Jay Pharoah on “Weekend Update”, the two dressed up as teenage wolves and rapped about stealing candy from children on Halloween. Even better though, Drake appeared on a hilarious Digital Short with Andy Samberg featuring a number of “interviews” with the musician and actor.

Drake also performed two songs from Take Care: the album’s lead single “Headlines” and “Make Me Proud” with fellow Young Money member Nicki MinajTake Care will be released on November 15th, a delay of about two weeks from the original release date.

Check out all four videos after the break.

“Bag Jackin'”:

Digital Short:

“Headlines”:

“Make Me Proud (feat. Nicki Minaj):

Interview: Phil The Thrill

My favorite thing about talking to artists is just hearing how humble they really are and how much work they’re putting in to achieve their dreams. Hard work definitely does pay off. So last week, I was extremely fortunate to speak to an up-and-coming rapper from Virginia named Phil The Thrill, who has been releasing an EP a month for the past five months, garnering attention from XXL Magazine and SmokingSection.com. On October 25th, Phil will be concluding the series with a full-length mixtape entitled Barely Awake, which you can preview here.

Check out my full interview with Phil below.

Hey Phil, what’s up? How’s it going?

Phil The Thrill: Good, good, good.

I’ve just been reading about Steve Jobs. Man, that’s terrible.

Phil The Thrill: Crazy, crazy. I mean, they knew it was gonna happen eventually, but it was just all of a sudden it seems like.

Yeah… ah, the man’s a genius. So I hear you’re 22 years old and from Newport News, Virginia, is that correct?

Phil The Thrill: Yessir.

Actually, where have I heard of that place from? Is that…Michael Vick’s hometown?

Phil The Thrill: Yeah, yeah. Michael Vick, Allen Iverson.

Oh, okay. How’s the music scene there?

Phil The Thrill: It’s… pretty scattered. This area is known as Hampton Roads, the 757. I’m not sure how familiar you are with this part of Virginia but Missy‘s from here, Timbaland‘s from here, Pharrell‘s from here,The Clipse are from here. So yeah, we have a pretty crazy rich tradition as far as music goes. It just seems like they’ll move away and you know, it’s hard to really get them back to reach out to artists that are coming up now. But as far as tradition goes, we’re definitely on the map when it comes to music, period. And then 45 minutes up the road is where Trey Songz and Chris Brown are from.

Man, that’s nice.

Phil The Thrill: Yeah, man, it’s crazy.

So where did your rapper name, Phil The Thrill, originate?

Phil The Thrill: It’s actually been a name that’s stuck with me. It’s actually been my nickname since I was around twelve years old. I was an athlete playing basketball and football and you know, when little nicknames happen to you when you’re a kid… they’d just be like “Oh, Phil The Thrill!” It sticks and through high school, when everyone would have AIM screennames, I was like lemme use my nickname. It stuck with me then and when I went on to play college basketball, it stuck with me there. So it became my Twitter name and once it sticks, I’m not going to try to change that just because I’m doing music. It’s my nickname and what people know me as. (more…)

Listen: k-os – “Faith Pt. 2 (feat. Drake)”

Toronto MC k-os linked up with his long-time buddy Drake to release a new track named “Faith Pt. 2”. The first version of the song appeared on k-os’s 2010 mixtape, The Anchorman Mixtape, which was mostly recorded while on tour with Drizzy. Now, almost a year later, we have the second version of the track with production from J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. New bars from both and interestingly enough, Drake seems to have returned to his pre-Thank Me Later flow.

MP3: k-os – “Faith Pt. 2 (feat. Drake)”

Trae Tha Truth – “She Will (Freestyle)”

Well, here you go. Trae Tha Truth and his raspy voice going in on one of this year’s biggest beats, the T-Minus produced, Drake featuring “She Will” from Lil’ Wayne‘s Tha Carter IV. Download or stream below.

MP3: Trae Tha Truth – “She Will (Freestyle)”