3 timbo tracks released off of BP3 + "forever"

three timberland-produced tracks off the blueprint 3 were released the past couple days. it makes you wonder what timbo is doing to leak these when all the other tracks haven't seen the internet yet. i feel guilty downloading them but i can't let new jay-z music just sit there without me listening.

the first track that was released was "off that" ft. drake. many people were complaining when they only heard drake on the hook and not on a verse. like everyone else, i wanted to see drake have his own verse but i think he fits in well into the chorus. i like jay's flow on this track as well as his lyrics talking about how he's off all the old trends and on his new shit.

the second track released was "reminder". it sounds like an average timbo beat but fits the song well. the beat is dark and gloomy kinda as he gives a reminder to everyone who he is. he sends an apparent shot at joe budden in the line "remember those button ups, young hov, tell them ordinary joes to button up." i'm not sure if it was a shot at him but maybe. people have been hating on the chorus but i dont think it is to bad. it could be better but i'm not complaining.

the third track released today is "venus vs. mars" and it is definitely my favorite of the three. the lyrics in this one are so smart and the flow is so smooth. the chorus kinda sucks but all the lyrics make up for it big time. he first compares him and his girl to different things such as phones, computers, and basketball players. some of my favorite bars include:

"shawty like pac, me big poppa,
screaming hit em up, i’m screaming who shot ya"

"shawty like pepsi, me i’m da coke man,
body like a coke bottle, I crush it like a coke can"

"thought shawty was the truth, found out she was a cheater,
we were supposed to takeover, i caught her bumping ether"

heres the links to download these tracks: (download em but buy the CD on sept. 11!)
off that
reminder
venus vs. mars

andddd check out the new track "forever" from drake, kanye, lil wayne, and eminem
the hook is from drakes mixtape "so far gone" but all the verses are new and very good
i can't decide which one i like best yet but im impressed by all of them

download it: forever

good lyrics = longevity

in this interview lupe is asked how important lyrics are to him. if you have listened to any of his music you should know that they are very important to him. he basically says that artists that aren't saying anything with their lyrics usually won't stay around for too long but positive lyrics can ultimately lead artists to have long lasting music such as nas or mos def. check out the quick video above.

what you think i rap for, to push a fuckin rav-4?

Jay-Z MTV Music

after a few video teasers, the video for "run this town" was released today. it was directed by anthony mandler. although it was filmed in new york at fort trotten park, mandler said this to mtv news, "I wanted something that didn't fit into 'this is New York, this is a building or a street [you know]', I wanted it to feel more ancient. I wanted it to feel more European but on American soil. I didn't want it to have a framework, like, 'Oh, we're riding in New York.' "

"We wanted you to feel uneasy throughout the piece," he said. "We wanted there to be a constant layer of tension through the piece. Even in the way I shot — where the camera comes by Jay, it doesn't stop on him, it goes to Rihanna — there's kind of this chaos of revealing and covering and concealing. And things happen offscreen that you don't see."

this is one of the best videos i have seen in a long time. mandler did a great job capturing the tone of the song. he made it the video chaotic and rebellious and he definitely was able to keep my eyes glued to the screen. he was able to focus on jay, kanye, and rihanna at different times and in different ways during the course of the video. can't wait till september 11th....

blueprint 3 track list revealed

the album that i have been most excited for all year is jay-z's blueprint 3. the official track list came out today and i was a little surprised by how many features are on there. the features include kanye, kid cudi, drake, jeezy, j.cole, mr. hudson, alicia keys, pharrell, rihanna, and swizz beats. i found it interesting that jay decided to put all these upcoming artists on his own album. drake, kid cudi, j.cole, and mr. hudson have gotten a lot of buzz this summer and i have become a big fan of all of them. when i saw the title "empire state of mind" i was a little upset that nas didn't get the feature but you can't get everything you want. some people will argue that there are too many guest appearances but i think we can all agree that jay has proved himself enough lyrically and can share the limelight with some new artists.

some people are upset that "jockin jay-z", "history", and "brooklyn we go hard" didnt make the actual album but i don't think it is that big of a deal.
the tracks im most excited for are "off that", "a star is born", "already home", and "hate".

blueprint 3 comes out sept. 11, dont forget to pick it up.

XV is the best rapper that you've never heard of

donavan johnson, better known as XV, has the online hip-hop world going crazy. the kansas-born rapper has been getting hype everywhere for his mixtape "everybody's nobody". this is his 6th mixtape. its about time that people start giving this kid credit. XV classifies himself as a nerd being obsessed with video games, comic books, and action figures but his lyrics and style are finally making him stand out the way he wanted to. he says he is playing the same role he did in high school as he is in the rap game, a nobody begging to be a somebody. his next album "the kid with the green backpack" is about how people knew him in highschool. he made up a fictional planet called "planet squaria", which is a place where he says he departed to when he was 15 (hence the XV). i was blown away when i first heard this mixtape. to me he sounded like drake with a faster flow with the creativity of kid cudi and the lyrical talent of someone like kanye or wayne. he has a lot to say his his music and everyone should start listening.

download the mixtape "everybody's nobody" here

heres XV live in brooklyn:

mike posner is cooler than you

mike posner, a junior at duke university, is bringing a new sound to hip-hop. he has a very unique style voice. his sound is popish mixed with hip-hop and r&b. he was originally a producer, but then got sick of just producing and decided to sing over his own beats. he interned at a radio station with big sean's best friend so he produced songs for him on his mixtape and did some songs with him on his own mixtape. in the interview with ihiphop down below, the guy interviewing him says that he can listen to his mixtape while he is with his boys and when he drops them off and picks up his girl, he can leave the same CD in. i think thats a good way to explain his music.

download his mixtape "a matter of time" here

my favorites: drug dealer girl, cooler than me, still not over you, smoke and drive, who knows

check out this performace with big sean:


heres the interview with ihiphop: