Tinashe has dropped another song from her upcoming album, Nashe. “Throw A Fit” is a basic-ass song and there’s no other way to describe it. The beat is okay as far as beats go (some parts will remind you of O.T. Genasis’ “Everybody Mad”), but the lyrics are just a bit too unimaginative for my taste. If I didn’t think Tinashe was an talented artist who has given us amazing songs in the past (“Pretend” is a criminally underrated jam), I might be more receptive to this track. But in light of her previous work, this is just not good enough. Check it out below.
This past Friday marked 35 years since Madonna released her self-titled debut album. It might be hard to imagine, but once upon a time — before people knew what she looked like — Madonna was presumed to be black. Her early hits have since taken on lives of their own that almost render them genre-less, but they all borrow from styles that are unmistakably black.
We might call it “pop” today, but Madonna was making post-disco music and she did it well; and, of course, the music-buying public can never resist a white artist making black music, especially when they do it well. Madonna produced one top 5, one top 10 and one top 20 hit, and went on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide. Nobody knew it then, but this was the beginning of an legendary career.
Madonna wrote five of the album’s eight tracks (all by herself), including my favorite, “Lucky Star.” It was the album’s fourth single and biggest hit, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Watch the video below.
RL Grime tapped Miguel and Julia Michaels for this pop/rock/R&B blend from his second album, Nova. The chanting in the background will remind you of Coldplay’s “Paradise.” Check it out below.
On second thought, maybe she’s looking to be loved by anyone and doesn’t care where it comes from — even if its from conservatives who only “like” her out of convenience. That’s the only explanation I have for her decision to cape for Roseanne Barr, who said Valerie Jarrett looks like the “Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes had a baby”. Mo’Nique’s reason for offering support to Roseanne boils down to her appearing on The Mo’Nique Show (her short-lived late night show on BET) when many major black stars supposedly declined because the show was “too black.” She says Roseanne made a mistake and that she won’t put her on “the racist list.”
She also says that her all-knowing husband, Sidney Hicks, says you know who your friends are during hard times, which is why she is going up for Roseanne. My first question would be: Did Roseanne ride for you all these years when you could barely find work in Hollwood? I’m gonna take a wild guess and say the answer is no.
Mo’Nique is full of shit. She’s siding with Roseanne because misery loves company and who better to align with than someone who’s on the Hollywood shitlist you’ve resided on for almost a decade now. I also can’t help but think this is a weird case of the balance theory, where the enemies of your enemies become your “friends”; Valerie Jarrett is a longtime friend of the Obamas, which means she’s probably friends with Oprah, and we all know how Mo’Nique feels about Oprah.
I have spent many years defending Mo’Nique to friends and family because I do think she has been treated horribly by the industry. However, I’m looking goofier by the day because she keeps putting her foot in her mouth. What am I gonna do now, Mo’Nique? Hmm? Since you got your degree and know every fucking thing. Watch Mo’Nique make an ass of herself below.
Jessie Reyez just dropped the video for “Apple Juice,” presumably a track from an upcoming album. The song is sung from the perspective of a person in a relationship with someone who has a dysfunctional past, and as a result, is unable to truly love. The down-tempo track will remind you of Beyoncé’s “All Night” and its video will remind you of her lavish vacations on the French riviera. Check it out below.
Miguel just released this new track that will remind of you of something from one of Prince’s earlier albums — in sound and, ahem, topic. It’s not clear if this song going to be on an upcoming album, but Miguel has confirmed that he will be performing it on the road for The Ascension Tour (which ya boy will be attending! Skrt Skrt). Listen to “Python” below.
The “I’m the One” crew (minus Weezy) is back together for this muhfuckin’ chune. I think we might finally have that song of the summer we’ve all been waiting for — “Nice for What” is nice, but it came a little early, and “In My Feelings” ate through the bottle quickly because you people won’t stop making challenge videos (still my jam, though). “No Brainer” jumps at you immediately and the video is just right. We are thankful.
I’m calling it now: This song is gonna debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 next week. Watch the video below.
“No Brainer” is the second single from DJ Khaled’s upcoming studio album (his 11th one), Father of Asahd (due October 19).
Oh my god, he always wearing red, he a super blood.
First of all, I’m many years late because I had no idea YG was a blood, but those red outfits all make sense now. The A$AP-Rocky-assisted “Handgun” is all about that Draco, and while I can’t stand guns and anything that glorifies them, this song isn’t half-bad. These days, I’m just thankful whenever I hear a rap song that doesn’t have that one trap bassline that they all seem to be using right now. Watch the “Handgun” video below.
For weeks if not months, there have been whispers on social media about a potential collabo between Mariah Carey and Britney Spears. Yesterday, for Throwback Thursday, Mariah posted a pic of her and Britney from 1999 and captioned, “We need a new pic, Brit.” While this could very well be a random posting, it seems a little too timely and the caption comes across very familiar — like they’ve been hanging out recently. Also, it’s not unusual for Mariah to give social media nods to collaborators right before she releases the music they’ve worked on together — she gave Miguel a seemingly random shout-out right before “#Beautiful” dropped.
As far as star power is concerned, we don’t get many collaborations like this. However, I’m struggling to imagine what a song with those two voices would sound like. In the mean time, watch Mariah saying that she loves Britney on an episode of Watch What Happens Live (skip to the 2:00 mark).
You guys don’t show him any respect, but Usher is one of the greatest artists of all time. His accomplishments kinda speak for themselves, but unfortunately, it always takes longer for the industry to recognize contemporary R&B artists — more specifically, black contemporary R&B artists — for their contributions. I already know that Justin Timberlake — a lesser artist with fewer years in the game — will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame before Usher (who actually became eligible for induction a month ago). And if you doubt any of this, I’d like to call your attention to the fact that Janet Damito Jo Jackson (who has been eligible since 2007) still hasn’t been inducted. What a world.
Anyway, the Throwback Thursday selection this week is Usher’s breakthrough hit, “You Make Me Wanna,” released in August 1997. Co-written by Ursh, Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, the mid-tempo jam was the lead single from the My Way album and, along with its video, became the new blueprint for young male artists who sang contemporary R&B and, dare I say, pop. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 100, but it was No.1 in our hearts. Watch the video below.
