One of the best songs I heard in 2012. Check out his debut album Every Kingdom.
This video is about as raw as the song. Girls dancing like they might as well still be auditioning. Long.Live.A$AP is dropping January 15th.
As he builds up to the release of his album Blvck Swan Theory, Yonas released this as an appetizer but this mixtape ends up feeling like more than just a prelude. It’s an eclectic ride and the way he weaves between rapping and his understatedly great singing voice leaves me expecting big things from the album when it comes.
Directed by Melina. It’s so dope that Solange managed to create her own identity despite having Beyonce as a sister to live up to. Her new album True is out now.
Outasight and I met in 2009 as he was releasing one of his first free independent albums. Since then he’s consistently put out good music that combines his flair for hip hop infused pop. Outasight makes songs that are so positive and high energy the FDA should qualify them as anti-depressants. Nights Like These is his official major label debut and it continues his momentum as an artist who knows how to get a party started. Check out the video for Now or Never below and download the album here.
It’s never a surprise to hear great new music from Alicia Keys. It’s actually expected at this point but with the release of Girl On Fire she’s set the bar even higher. The way she stretches sonically (When It’s All Over) and continues to share from the deepest place just keeps getting more inspirational (Brand New Me). Collaborating with people like Maxwell, Jamie xx and Miguel definitely doesn’t hurt but it’s clear that Alicia is always at the core of the songs on this new album. Her point of view seems to seep from every note and now we love her even more because of it.
This is just the right amount of weird. Download it here.
Fashawn delivers his most melodic project so far with Champagne & Styrofoam Cups. It goes down smooth just like title suggests.
You can stream and download it here.
In this day of rampant cynicism it feels good to know that there are people who believe that they can make a difference and then really do something about it. I’m honored to know one of those people, his name is Jordan Wagner and he’s the executive director of Generosity Water. Him and his team are dedicated to fixing the clean water crisis around the world. Limited access to clean drinking water, insufficient sanitation and poor hygiene kills more people than wars, famine and AIDS combined, an estimated 3.6 million annually.
Each year Generosity Water throws a fundraising event called The Night of Generosity and I’ve made a point of donating at it for clean water wells to be built in my fathers homeland of Haiti. What’s great about the way Generosity Water works is that they believe in complete accountability and transparency about where donated money goes. This video is a prime example of that.
It’s so incredibly fulfilling to be able to see the well I funded and to see the community who will have clean water because of it. I traveled to Haiti earlier this year and I was reminded of how amazing and deserving Haitians really are. Please check out the Generosity Water website to see how you can make a difference too.
