The Audacity of Dope

Not sure I’ll ever really need to watch this video again, but the song is mean. Drizzy!

*books ticket to Beach Blast*

I love that Drizzy had everyone thinking this was a(n attempt at a) hard, street record and then when the video drops, we see it open with kids playing soccer and extended comedic scenes with his boys.  Even when it gets a little darker at the end, it’s still centered around laughs with his homies.  Be careful with putting the whole team on though, Drizzy.  Go ask Hammer.

Also, this video solidifies Drake as the unequivocal king of unintentionally hilarious video faces.  He’s gotta be in on it at this point, right?

Right in time for the cold weather…aka…cuffing season.  Choose up!

Even though this was likely one of the first records his fanbase heard, The Weeknd has just released the video for “Wicked Games.” Despite the timing, it’s actually acting as the lead “single” of sorts for his upcoming Trilogy project, which will contain tracks from his 3 EP’s and a few bonus items.  Better late than never!

Abel continues his ascent to stardom with the official visuals for “Rolling Stone,” which serve as a bit of a metaphor for his growing popularity since taking the net by storm last year and signing to Universal a few months ago.  It’s an interesting evolution to watch, especially for someone who started his online promotion by purposely hiding his image and shrouding himself in mystery.  I never realized these lyrics work so well for both the base level relationship concepts he’s singing about and the pressures of maintaining a fan base as he crosses over to a major label.

The video wasn’t the most exciting, but the song itself is still a great record.

I love how Drake’s at the point where he can just release two videos out of the blue with no regard for marketing pushes from his label or anything else to worry about.  It’s similar to Kanye releasing “Theraflu” for no reason right after “Mercy,” just cause he felt that the people needed them both.  So right after “HYFR” comes this more serious, sullen video from Drizzy and a very un-Rihanna looking Robin Fenty.  As far as radio singles go, I’d be hard pressed to think of a record I like more than this one in the past year.

And if you want the inspiration, enjoy the classic from Bobby “Blue” Bland:

There really are no words at this point. Drake is hilarious, whether it’s intentional or not, and he’s still one of my favorite artists. Greatness.

Khat is apparently part of The Weeknd’s mysterious XO crew, so as you’d expect, details on him are pretty sparse. Not surprisingly, he makes a similar “pseudo-R&B meets trip-hop while on X” kind of sound that The Weeknd is killing with as we approach prime cuffing season. More loft music for the nights that you can’t remember, with the people that you won’t forget.

Soundtrack music for the rainy and cold northwest winter…

Download the whole Traphouse project here.

It seems like my Twitter timeline and most of my homies love to clown Drake and I suppose he’s a fairly easy target, but basically, aside from Yeezy, he’s probably my favorite artist around these days.  I’m excited to hear what Take Care sounds like on the 24th (or the week before with the bootleggery) and I have a feeling that as we move in to the heart of cuffing season with a long winter and no NBA, we’re all gonna be listening to a lot of Drake & The Weeknd these next few months.  Don’t fight it.

Ah yes!  After a few months of anxious waiting, we’ve received the follow up to The Weeknd’s House of Balloons in the form of Thursday, a 9 song EP that picks up where his debut left off.  On my first few listens, no, it’s not quite as impressive as Balloons, but that isn’t much of a slight.

House of Balloons is an automatic classic in my book and Thursday has a few moments that live up to that level.  Even the parts that don’t are still dope, but bottom line, either you like The Weeknd‘s sound or you don’t.  There is no middle ground and this tape won’t change your mind one way or the other.

Personally, I love it.

Sexy/Emo/Baller/Depressed music all in one, perfect for the loft and for the upcoming cold season.  I don’t think you’ll find a better 2am soundtrack this winter, but ladies, if you do, please let me know…

Download here.