Cormac McGee
Diet Mountain Dew – Lana Del Rey
20 March 2018
With her debut album, Born To Die, Lana Del Rey became the woman of a thousand think pieces. Her apparent love for sex, booze and drugs offended critics across the spectrum. She garnered hate from people who didn’t think her overt display of these themes had a place in mainstream pop, as well as those who didn’t think she was pushing them far enough,..
Everything Nice – Popcaan
13 March 2018
Popcaan has an unmistakable voice: It’s piercing, high pitched, yet almost calming, dripping out of him like a syrup. It’s helped him stand out among competition and become one of Jamaica’s dancehall kings, especially since his friend and mentor Vybz Kartel went behind bars. For a while, people also thought his voice would limit him, but it’s actually helped him be one of the few dancehall artists to cross over and find success in the Western mainstream, recently collaborating with artists like Drake, the Gorillaz and Jamie XX…
III. Telegraph Ave. (“Oakland” by Lloyd) – Childish Gambino
6 March 2018
TV show “Atlanta” is back one air for its second season, and with it, Donald Glover is on the front page of every culture and entertainment publication (at least in North America). This has me digging through the discography of Glover’s musical persona, Childish Gambino, and brings us to this week’s track: “III. Telegraph Ave (“Oakland” by Lloyd)” off his 2013 album Because The Internet.
Make Me Feel – Janelle Monáe
27 February 2018
Janelle Monáe is back. Last week the singer turned android turned actress teased her upcoming album, Dirty Computer, with two new songs, including our track of the week: “Make Me Feel.” It’s a sugary pop-Rnb blend clearly influenced by her mentor Prince. It’s a fun, sassy and danceable exploration of love and sex…
Dirty Dirty – Charlotte Cardin
21 February 2018
Televised singing competitions like American Idol are supposed to give artists the rare opportunity to go form zero to superstar in a matter of weeks. They promise to find the diamonds in the rough, and offer them record deals, fame and fortune. And sometimes they do — household names like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood launched their careers from reality shows like this…
Without You – Anderson .Paak ft Rapsody
13 February 2018
If you looked up “groovy” in the dictionary you’d probably find a picture of Anderson .Paak. His ability to blend hip hop, soul, jazz and R&B is almost unmatched today. When you put on an Anderson .Paak song, there’s no doubting who it is. Our track this week is Paak’s “Without You” featuring Rapsody…
Broken Clocks – SZA
7 February 2018
I remember first seeing SZA in TDE’s 2013 BET cypher. She didn’t even step to the front to say anything, but still, she was impossible to miss. The only girl in the crew, chilling in the back with big hair and white shorts, she anonymously seemed to anchor them. At different points in the cypher, each of TDE’s rappers (all stars in their own right) pose with her, as if you say, “Remember her.”
Window Seat – Erykah Badu
30 January 2018
As we’ve seen with her recent Vulture interview, Erykah Badu is not afraid of a little controversy. Our track this week comes from the Godmother of Soul herself.
“Window Seat” is the lead single from her 2010 album, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh). It is the perfect slow jam for a Sunday morning, with a twinkling harp and a rhythm that will instantly get you moving. In the song, Badu struggles with her simultaneous desire to get away and relax alone but have someone missing and waiting for her back home.