Legacy Track of the Week: 2 Chainz ft Quavo, The Trap Choir, & Gucci Mane - Good Drank 2.0 (Trap Choir Version)
“My jewelry look like a lake, today I'm in a Maybach and that car came with some drapes, you know I look like a safe, I put you back in your place, I look you right in your face, sing to your bitch like I'm Drake, 2 Chainz!” One of the best records off 2 Chainz Hibachi For Lunch EP just got revamped with the addition of the Trap Choir… and even if these artists are an acquired taste for some this instrumental produced by Mike Dean is hard not to feel - furthermore this performance is nothing short of legendary. instant classic.
Your Old Droog - Hip Hop Head
“Ayo I met her at a rap show, unfortunately underground, there was no girls, she was the only one around, got so tight when they threw that Drake on, so all night we built on how we loved Raekwon” Produced by Alchemist this is definitely a fire concept record that pays homage to the underground and the old school, where per usual there’s a nice balance of humor and grit that embodies Droog’s style and appeal. This one was released on soundcloud last year, and more recently can be found on the Looseys EP that is likely the precursor for Packs, his second studio album to be released next week.
Your Old Droog ft Rast RFC - No Message
“I feel the pressure, under more scrutiny, and what I do? Buy more gluten-free, cupcakes, bran flakes, and pancakes, never lay no bland takes, y'all know how I handle breaks, the flow gets in there, ya make no mistakes, all the way in some 'Bando' in Orlando, they say that it's Land-O-Lakes” another throwback put on the Looseys EP that's pure comedy and bars for days...
Don Q ft Jadakiss & Styles P - Take Me Alive
“To small to hold a conversation with the illiterate, that'll put the team in jeopardy, you know we got them bricks but the cut that's so separately, 35 hundred a bottle of Chardon Hennesey, feeling heavenly, blowing god's gifts in Beverly, Hills blowin bags of rodeo, fuck all my enemies, fuck around and bust off this gun cause muscle memory, life it's consequences, repercussions or penalties” This one is produced by Scott Storch and has the classic Jada/Styles back and forth rhyme scheme on it, and for that reason alone it’s the best record off Don Q’s latest mixtape Corner Stories
Don Q ft Dave East - It’s All Love
“Stomach growl make you say fuck shootin out the car, I’ma run em down, now these same bars got me over a hundred thou, was running wild, I couldn’t wait til the sun was down, I ain’t dead or in jail, I know my mother proud, haters screw up they face, inside they wanna smile” Dave East lends some bars to another decent record off Corner Stories, which otherwise left a lot to be desired for considering all the internet hype
Juelz Santana ft French Montana & Cam’ron - Dip’d in Coke
“Everybody claim they a real one, everybody ballin til the bill come, everybody blood til it's time to spill some, bitches love Paris so I take em to the Hilton, yes y'all, I stay fresh y'all, life's a chess board, but for this dough I play Connect 4, check after check I collect, tryna collect more, and for a check you get checked off” Santana with the Bandana is back with his patented rhyme scheme and he’s been cookin these last few months, yet this one that’s likely the first single off his new album The Get Back is somewhat underwhelming, mainly due to the fact that it really didn’t need French Montana - specifically not in the first verse of the record that sets the tone. Otherwise Cam gives us 8 light bars in the 3rd verse that he likely wrote on way to the studio.
Smoke DZA - Badabings Theme
“I'm Michael Corleone with the say so, still got love for you ***** but you Fredo, set the paddle boat on fuego” DZA comes through with visuals for the intro record off the He Has Risen album that came out in early ‘16, and honestly it’s right on time.
Ariana Grande ft Future - Everyday
“Oh, he give it to me, everyday, everyday, everyday…” This record off Dangerous Woman released last year just got the video treatment… and for what it’s worth I feel like the visuals were actually needed. Not mad at this.
Bruno Mars - That’s What I Like
“Sex by the fire at night, silk sheets and diamonds all white, lucky for you, that's what I like, that's what I like, lucky for you, that's what I like, that's what I like” What I still believe is actually the least noteworthy record off what’s otherwise an absolute masterpiece, this record off 24K Magic just got the video treatment… and again… it should have been Versace on the Floor, followed by Finesse, and then so many others before this one…
Ed Sheeran - Eraser
“So blame it on the pain that blessed me with the life, friends and family filled with envy when they should be filled with pride, and when the world's against me is when I really come alive, and every day that Satan tempts me, I try to take it in my stride” This mega famous English singer/songwriter just released his highly anticipated third album entitled Divide, and the intro is nothing but passionate raps from the Grammy Award winner himself, which above anything demonstrates just how influential the genre of Hip Hop has become.
Ed Sheeran - Dive
“I could fall, or I could fly, here in your aeroplane, and I could live, I could die, hanging on the words you say” Produced by Billy Blanco this is easily one of the best records off Divide, which otherwise this writer found somewhat underwhelming.
Ed Sheeran - Barcelona
“And you and I, we're flying on an aeroplane tonight, we're going, somewhere where the sun is shining bright, just close your eyes, and let's pretend we're dancing in the street, in Barcelona…” This was originally set to be the first single off the album, and for what it’s worth this uptempo record definitely has a lot going for it… overall this one has Disney/Pixar soundtrack potential written all over it, and by years end I guarantee that it gets that kind of placement.
John Legend & Ariana Grande - Beauty and the Beast
“Tale as old as time, true as it can be, barely even friends, then somebody bends, unexpectedly” Speaking of Disney, John Legend & Ariana Grande were recruited to remake this epic masterpiece for the new adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, and they definitely don’t disappoint… (even though a part of me doesn’t feel Ariana deserves the look, but regardless, I’m just glad this record is back in rotation) <<< it should be noted however, this still doesn’t come close to touching the Peabo Bryson/Celine Dion original, and I highly doubt the new live action film will be able to recreate the magic as well.