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kanye west

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Video: Jay-Z & Kanye West – “N*ggas In Paris”

Well, I guess this right here was inevitable. Kanye West and Jay-Z‘s Watch The Throne megahit “N*ggas In Paris” now has a seizure-inducing music video, composed mostly of live footage from Kanye and Hov’s recent US tour. Flashing lights, mirror image effects, Kanye and Jay dancing… it’s all there.

Thoughts?

If you aren’t feeling creative, feel free to copy and paste one of the following suggested comments:

  • That shit cray!
  • Ball so hard…
  • I don’t even know what that means.
  • blah blah blah something about the Illuminati
  • If you just so happen to be named Aubrey Drake Graham, you can use this one: “I’m just feeling like the throne is for the taking… watch me take it!”

Kanye West’s Behind The Scenes of the ‘Watch the Throne’ Tour

Say what you want about his ego, but Kanye West has carved a legacy for himself that has extended far beyond producing albums. And seriously, how many people truly know someone as unique as Ye? I’m willing to bet not many, and if you’re one of the few that think you do, I don’t believe you.

I mean, this is the same man who almost died in a near-fatal car crash and recorded his very first single two weeks later with his mouth wired shut. This is the man who has repeatedly stood up for his own work after losing out in major award shows. And finally, this is the man who raps about Manolo and Guiseppi Zanotti (seriously… Google that).

So you know it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to look behind the scenes of Kanye and Jay-Z‘s Watch the Throne tour. If you can’t (or simply don’t want to) watch Ye and Jay perform “N—as in Paris” eight times in a row with Kanye wearing a kilt, you can at least see what goes on in his head, away from the lights and away from the fame. It’s insightful and for the first episode, it’s also free. Watch here.

More information about VoyR after the break. You can also watch footage of “N—as in Paris” being played eight times in a row, taken from the Chicago show.

“There are music fans. And there are true fans. Which one are you? Fans download the single. True fans know the whole album. Fans trip on the myth. True fans understand the reality.

VOYR is your all-access pass to behind the scenes at Kanye West and Jay-Z’s Watch the Throne tour. It’s a daily video document of all of the actual hard work that goes into living life at Kanye’s level. It’s not about models and bottles. It’s about working hard, from the moment the sun rises, until you just can’t push your body any further. If you want hype, just stay with the music mags and blogs that you already read. If you want to understand the reality of this business from the inside, come inside. We’ve got a seat for you.

Five episodes a week. Live from the tour. And you’ll join a community of hustlers that understand how the industry works and are ready to take their involvement to the next level.

This is just the beginning. Join us.”

Stream: The Roots – ‘undun’

It’s sad to admit that nowadays, leaks are almost inevitable. Unless you devote every living moment towards protecting your music from being leaked or don’t allow any advanced listens — I’m looking at you Kanye and Jay — your album will probably get leaked. After releasing thirteen records, it seems The Roots know what they’re doing and a few days ago, partnered with NPR to offer a free stream of their latest, undun, a strikingly powerful album about the fictional Redford Stephens, a poor Philadelphian kid who gets tangled up in the drug trade.

With help from Sufjan Stevens (his song “Redford” inspired the character’s name), Just Blaze, Big K.R.I.T., and more, The Roots’ first attempt at a concept album is an inspiring and beautiful piece of work. You can listen to the whole thing at NPR right now, with the album available in stores everywhere on December 6th via Def Jam.

undun Tracklist:

01. The Un
02. Sleep
03. Make My (feat. Big K.R.I.T.)
04. One Time (feat. Phonte & Dice Raw)
05. Kool On (feat. P.O.R.N.)
06. The Other Side
07. Stomp (feat. P.O.R.N.)
08. Lighthouse
09. I Remember
10. Tip The Scale
11. Redford (For Yia Yia & Pappou)
12. Possibility
13. Will To Power
14. Finality

Watch: Kanye West and Jay-Z Live in Montreal

Unless you’ve been living underneath a rock for the past few months, you’ve probably already heard about the hip hop superduo of frequent collaborators Kanye West and Jay-Z and their first full album together, Watch The Throne. Well, now you can finally “watch the throne” in high quality from your very own home, as Montreality has posted HD footage of the duo’s energetic performance in Montreal.

After watching a few questions remain on my mind: is this mainly a Kanye show? Or is it Hov’s show? Was it worth such a high cost? And is Kanye wearing a skirt?

Check it out for yourself below.

Bon Iver Wins Q Award, Discusses Future Collaborations

Q Magazine dished out honors yesterday for its Q Awards, in which Bon Iver received a well-deserved award for “Best New Album”. After receiving the award, Vernon discussed his recent collaborations with Kanye West and James Blake, stating that they were “awesome” and hinting that there was more to come. On his recent collaboration with Blake, Vernon stated that the two were “mutual fans”, that “it became pretty obvious” that the two should work together, and that the two would be doing “a lot in the future”. Check out Darcy’s review of the new Bon Iver album right here and click read more to check out the short interview with Q Magazine. You can also watch Bon Iver perform on BBC’s Later with Jools Holland (via P4K).

Other award winners include Coldplay with “Best Act in the World Today”, WU LYF with “Best New Act”, Lana Del Rey with “Next Big Thing”, and Snow Patrol with a peculiar “Best Classic Song” award.

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…)

Mixtape: Domo Genesis – Under The Influence

It’s not the full-fledged follow up to Rolling Papers, but yesterday we got a brand new free mixtape from Odd Future‘s stoner-rap specialist Domo Genesis. His latest project, Under The Influence, is a fourteen track mixtape featuring Domo rapping over some of his favorite industry beats, including Kanye West‘s “We Major”. The whole affair sounds quite out of place in the rest of the OF catalog, firmly cementing Domo’s place as the explosive collective’s most laid back member.

Odd Future’s de-facto leader Tyler, the Creator makes an appearance as Ace on “Whole City Behind Us”. While Under The Influence, isn’t quite as polished as Tyler’s Bastard mixtape or Earl Sweatshirt‘s EARL, it’s still a great piece of work. You can download the entire mixtape below. A few choice cuts are also included below as previews.

DOWNLOAD: Limelinx

MP3: Domo Genesis – “Guess Who’s Back”

MP3: Domo Genesis – “Whole City Behind Us (feat. Ace)”

MP3: Domo Genesis – “Shine”

Malkovich – “Palms” [MP3 + Video]

If you’ve been ‘watching the throne’ lately, you’ll know that hip-hop’s best have been putting out some grandiose tracks. Jay-Z and Kanye West‘s video for “Otis (feat. Otis Redding)” certainly cemented that in our heads, with the two veterans trashing a $350,000 Maybach and having some good-natured fun.

Malkovich flips this all in his new video for “Palms”, a track dedicated to the L.A. neighborhood of the same name and his home for eight years. The very same place where Snoop Dogg caught his murder case many years back. That Palms.

MP3: Malkovich Music – “Palms”

Featuring the local residents, the homeless, and even a US flag mural (in reference to “Otis”), “Palms” is a deep, reflective ode for the working class with an old-school vibe. You can check out the music video below.

Video: Common – “Ghetto Dreams (feat. Nas)”

Director Matt Alonzo gives Common‘s “Ghetto Dreams (feat. Nas)” the video treatment, releasing the official video earlier today. One of my favorite collaborations this year that doesn’t involve Kanye West or Jay-Z, this track has me really excited for Common’s The Dreamer, The Believer, out November 22. The black-and-white clip above really does the song justice, depicting the street life and ambitions of the two rappers. Bria Myles stars, as does Rick Ross‘s beard. You can purchase “Ghetto Dreams” on iTunes now.

First Impressions: Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch The Throne

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Watch The Throne, probably one of the most hyped-up releases in quite a long time, has finally arrived. The work of rap superstars Jay-Z and Kanye West, the album reportedly took nine months and three attempts to create and fine-tune. Does it live up the hype? Is it the newest classic?

We decided to post our track-by-track impressions as each of us listened to the album for the first time. As we each finish, this post will be updated with our individual opinions. Right now, you can check out three sets of first impressions below. More to come soon!

PURCHASE: STANDARD | DELUXE

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