Bibi Bourelli : Boy (In Studio)

Bibi Bourelli. A rising voice in the urban music scene. Having already proven herself as a writer, for the likes of Rihanna, Bibi is now showing the world that she can use her chords too.

The raspiness of her voice in this EP is refreshingly authentic. And with her equally authentic lyrics, she sure does know how to flaunt her talent. The lyrics, however, did lack some of depth – and understandably so – it was only a 4-track EP called Boy, after all. But the sheer power Bibi possesses with her voice emanates off every line of this album. The singular guitar supporting the might of her voice keeps the balance. It seems Bibi herself is oblivious to the power she possesses in her voice – sometimes even going off key while the guitar comes in and out of play.

Still, Bibi’s first project since her 2016 EPs ‘Free The Real’ (pts. 1 & 2) – shows a different side to her – one that made her vulnerable but also showed her strength.

Flying Lotus releases two songs with Thundercat and Brendon Small

The talented multi-instrumental, rapper, DJ and music producer Flying Lotus just released two songs: North Star3 and Your Friends are Dead. After releasing several songs on SoundCloud in the past week, including a remix of the Twin Peaks Theme song, it seems FlyLo has been on a new-music-release-streak.

Since his last studio album, the critically acclaimed You’re Dead!, Flying Lotus has focused more on his film career, releasing a film called Royal and announcing his next film: Kuso – a film which he will also be writing the original score to. But he also had a big part to play in Thundercats’ 2017 album – Drunk! – yet another creative mesh of amazing sounds.  As the incredibly creative and experimental artist we know him to be, we can expect much more from Flying Lo in the years to come, but for now check out these SoundCloud tracks:

 

 

 

 

The 10 Coolest Hip Hop Albums of the 2000s

Let’s face the truth: The period between 2000 and 2010 was not a great time for music. Let alone Hip Hop. But even in the most troubled times of musical creativity, there are always a few gems that can stand out and have a lasting impact.

In the 10 years that followed the millennium, popular music took a massive shift towards RnB and Hip-Hop – these genres went from being an obscure ‘new trend’, to dominating the entire music industry. Many of the artists that started in the 90s pushed through into the 2000s and turned their music careers into empires. Many of them still producing incredible hits today – more than 20 years later.

Here are 10 Hip Hop albums of the 2000s that we will never forget:

1. Stankonia by Outkast (2000)

As an album that debuted at no. 2 on the Billboard 200, and one that was met with widespread critical acclaim, Stankonia definitely deserved the top place on this list. Making use of experimental sounds including Rock, Gospel and Psychedelica, Outkast was one of the first Rap groups to step out of what traditional Hip Hop was supposed to look like. André 3000 adopted a new rapping flow – one that caught Big Boi and producers completely off guard. In spite of this, Stankonia has become one of the most iconic Hip Hop albums and is definitely an iconic album of the 2000s.

2. College Dropout by Kanye West (2004)

As Kanye Wests debut album, there was an immense amount of pressure on him to perform well – as a rapper. Prior to the release of college dropout, Kanye West had only been a producer, having produced hit records for the likes of Jay-Z, Mos Def and Ludacris. Work on this album began in 1999 and by 2004 it was complete. Upon release it became an instant success and received widespread acclaim. Five of its singles became hits and the album gave Kanye West a Grammy for Best Rap Album.

3. Madvillainy by MF DOOM (2004)

MF Doom is like a ghost: you’ll only see it if you believe in it. His reputation as an insane lyricist is usually only recognised by the truest of Hip-Hop explorers. On release Madvillainy did not receive commercial success, but its critical acclaim was immense, attracting the attention of very prominent music critics who praised both the intricate and complex lyrics as well as the simple production and arrangements.

4. Phrenology by The Roots (2002)

Phrenology by The Roots is perhaps one of the most conscious albums on this list. Deriving its name from an pseudoscience that attempted to create a between the shapes of peoples head to their intelligence and character, The Roots explored themes Hip-Hop culture, as well as what it means to be an African-American using musical influences from neo soul, soul and RnB – thanks to the contributions of artists like Talib Kweli, Jill Scott and Musiq Souchild.

5. Food and Liquor (2006)

Considered by many to be Lupe Fiasco’s best work Food & Liquor is a very well produced album which explores the themes of racism, Islam and poverty. Debuting at number 8 on the Billboard 200, the album did receive commercial success.

6. Be by Common (2005)

Having been produced mostly by Kanye West, Commons 6th studio album, Be, was a massive commercial success. In its first week it sold 185,000 copies and debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200. It also received critical acclaim and received a perfect XXL score from the Hip Hop publication XXL.

7. Tha Carter III (2008)

If you don’t remember Tha Carter three from 2008, you were either asleep or just not paying attention. The album produced four singles that achieved chart successes and sol more than 1 Million copies in its first week – now certified triple platinum.

8. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)

Theres a reason Outkast had to be mentioned twice in this post. They had a truly powerful impact on Hip Hop in the 2000s. As a concept album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is a two disc album each being led by one member of the group. The album has been certified 11 times Platinum by the RIAA having sold more than 11 Million copies.

9. The Documentary (2005)

As The Games best selling album to date, The Documentary dominated the Hip Hop scene upon its release and drifted all attention back to the West Coast. The album sold over half a million copies in its first week and debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200. With big names as producers on the album like Dr. Dre and Kanye West, The Documentary received most of its critical acclaim for the production.

10. Paper Trail (2008)

Considered to be T.I.’s most critically acclaimed albums, Paper Trail debuted at number one on The Billboard 200 and had two number one sigles. It featured artists like The Dream, Usher and Justin Timberlake and truly shot T.I. into worldwide fame.

 

Please leave a comment below and let us know if we missed anything out!

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Playlist #1

For the first playlist on MaadWave, we give some jazz, some oldies, and some other stuff.

 

1. The River – Son Little
2. Patterns – Simon and Garfunkel
3. Sivas Ellerinda Sazim Çalinir(Katip Arzuhalim Yaz Yare Böyle)
4. Hallelujah – Alicia Keys
5. Because of You – Theo Crocker
6. Rachid Ouiguini – Toumani Diabaté & Sidiki Diabaté
7. State of Mind (Live) – Raul Midón
8. Shaped by Who We Knew – Laura Misch
9. Gold – Andreya Triana
10. Youth – Daughter

Apple Music Link/Spotify Playlist Link

East Coast vs West Coast: A Short Story of the Hip-Hop Beef

In the 90s violence plagued the Hip Hop community and divided a nation. This war between east and west coast, went on for years and ended in blood shed claiming the lives of two of hip hops greatest.

The Notorious B.I.G.

Tupac Shakur

To understand what happened, you first have to understand that in the world of Hip Hop, you represent your city. Generally, if you’re from a state in the east, you rep the east coast, and if you’re from the west you rep the west coast. Two prominent record labels during the 90s were Bad Boy records, founded by P. Diddy and with the Notorious B.I.G. as its major artist, and Deathrow records, a label started by Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and the D.O.C, three major producers in West Coast Hip Hop at the time. Their major artist – Tupac.

Once you understand this, you can understand how two major artists in the music industry went from being good friends, to starting a war that would span three years and turn hundreds of thousands of people against each other.

How it all started is, to many, still a source of argument. While there are many theories as to what caused it, it is generally agreed that the first spark of came from Tim Dog, a New York based rapper who was unhappy with the growing popularity of West Coast Hip Hop. He released the song called ‘Fuck Compton’. The Hip Hop community saw some responses come from artists like Snoop Dogg releasing Fuck with Dre Day and Everybody’s celebrating and $20 Sack Pyramid, both featured on Dr. Dre’s album, The Chronic.

After this track was released tensions grew between the two coasts, with increasing amount jealousy by the East Coast since the west coast was doing so well in recent years thanks to records like Straight Outta Compton, Doggystyle and The Chronic. Then one day in September 1994, Notorious B.I.G. released Ready to Die and brought back all the attention to the East Coast. Tupac himself loved the album, citing ‘Party and Bullshit’ as his favourite song. For a few months Pac and Biggie visited each other and were good friends. It seemed, all was well in the world of Hip Hop.

 

All that changed on November 30, 2016 when Tupac was shot 5 times, outside of a recording studio in New York city. He survived, but accused Biggie and Bad Boy records for the shooting since he was in the building at the time. Biggie and P. Diddy denied all allegations. In spite of this, Biggie released the song, ‘Who Shot Ya’ with some lyrics which seemed to be referencing the Tupac shooting.

A year later, Tupac was released from prison on other charges, and the first thing he did was record and release the song Hit‘em Up taking hits at Biggie Smalls. This song caused huge controversy in the music industry because of its explicit nature. Hip Hop moguls like Chuck D and  Kool Moe Dee said 2Pac had gone too far with Hit ‘em up and that it caused some of his fans to turn on him.

At this point the beef between the two artist became a full blown war between the two coasts, further exacerbated by the flashy news reports in the media. Not only many of the artists in the industry turned on each other, but also hundreds of thousands of fans.

It was only a few months later, that both Biggie and Tupac seemed to have gotten past what had happened, with both focusing on their careers and increasing their wealth. But the media and the public did not stop.

Eventually, on the night of September 7^th 1996 after the Bruce Seldon vs. Mike Tyson boxing match with Suge Knight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, Tupac was shot in a drive by shooting. Only a year later Biggie Smalls was also shot in a drive by and died. Two Hip Hop legends were gone.

 

Eventually, the hip hop community decided it was time to put the killings to an end and held a peace summit in 1996. This summit was convened in Mosque Maryam by the honourable Louis Farakhan who still continues the summits to this day.

Album Review: Michael Kiwanuka – Love and Hate

With his latest release, Love and Hate,  Michael Kiwanuka has truly shown that an artist can grow and develop while still staying true to his sound.

Many of the songs in Love and Hate have melodious instrumentals while still maintaining an original old school sound to them, like something you would here from a 1960s Motown record. Though Kiwanuka is emulating an old sound that (surely) everyone loves, he does it in a very original and creative way. Many of the songs, for example, have modern effects dancing flawlessly with violin ensembles to create a balanced sound.

The tone of the album is certainly sorrowful and deep, a tone he most likely took on in order to expose his emotional side fully to the world. Backed by choirs, Kiwanuka sounds much less isolated in Love and Hate than his last album, Home Again. The lyrics are an inspiring reflection of his struggles, his racial identity and the part that spirituality plays in his life.

Throughout all of the intricacies on the album are his vocals – raw and full of heartbreaking conviction. You truly believe him when you hear his voice. From the start Kiwanuka was destined for critical success. Though his name has not become one of households, he manages to grab the attention of anyone listening to this modern day triumph, he can call his own.

Album Review: Konnichiwa – Skepta

 

Grime- the newest type of Hip-Hop on the scene, is gaining traction faster than ever. Though not fully adopted by American audiences, it’s quickly becoming extremely popular among the young Hip-Hop crowd in England, with a special place in the heart of many of London’s young and rebellious.

Skepta is quickly rising to the top of the Grime scene, building his reputation as one of the baddest rappers in this new evolution of Hip-Hop. Having teamed up with various other Grime artists, including his brother, JME, Skepta has bumped out some big hits, having several of his tracks reach the UK Top 40 Chart.

After a five year hiatus, Skepta dropped his latest album Konnichiwa, a multifaceted album where he raps both about about the struggles he faced on the path to worldwide success, as well everything he’s learned since achieving it.

The highly anticipated album titled ‘Konnichiwa’, named after a Japanese greeting was released on May 6th, 2016. The expectations for this album were high, especially after the incredible year he’s had in 2015, having performed with Kanye West in London and featured with Drake.

How did I end up in Japan the day my album drops? I named my album like 2 years ago.

— SKEPTA (@Skepta) May 4, 2016

Skepta did not disappoint. In Konnichiwa, Skepta truly managed to stick to the classic Grime sound, that we’ve all come to love. The only difference is that he brought a new aura of intensity to this album that we haven’t seen in his other albums.

The LP is honest, crude and consistent throughout, even though three of the tracks, including ‘Thats Not Me’ and ‘Shutdown’, were released in 2014. Skepta managed to seamlessly integrate them into the tracklist. With anti-authority themes, alpha-male attitude and explicit lyrics, Skepta managed to convey his emotions effortlessly into this album.

This album may be the final stamp to Skepta’s claim to becoming the king of grime. And even though Skepta’s got love for all of his fellow peers, it seems, he is fighting to make it to the top.

 

Now check out Skepta’s award winning music video that cost him £80 to make:

 

 

Why Nina Simone is important in 2016

Two tragic events that happened in 1963 changed the face of modern music forever.

The first- the murder of American Civil Rights activist Medgar Evers in front of his home in Jackson, Mississippi. And the second, a truly tragic event, was the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, that killed four young black girls and partially blinded a fifth.

The next day 5,000 people marched from the Masonic Temple to the Collins Funeral Home in Jackson in their honour. The procession was lead by Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and other notable civil rights activists.

Events like these are becoming increasingly common in 2016, with countless young Afro-Americans across the U.S. being shot for no reason. But what happened in 1963, and indeed what is happening today- is not only a matter of extreme concern for everyday people, but also for musicians, artists, political leaders and cultural leaders alike.

Going back to the 1960s, the U.S. saw one of Americas greatest civil rights movements. Afro-Americans across the United States began to fight for their human rights and against all forms of segregation and racial inequality. Today, (in 2016!) people of African descent in the U.S., and all over the world are still being discriminated against.

The death of Medgar Evers had a profound impact on Nina Simone. Even though she exhibited great interest in social injustice from a very young age, she never openly expressed her views until the death of Evers and the four young girls. When this happened, she released her first politically charged song Mississippi Godamn(With a great cover by Andra Day). This was the first song among a vast number of protest songs, all of which have inspired dozens of artists ever since.

Today, themes that Nina Simone introduced into popular culture more than 50 years ago are again becoming an important part of music. The reason for this is likely due to the rising tensions between white and black people in many parts of the western world.

In the past two years we’ve seen various releases of cover albums and re-releases of some of her works appear seemingly out of thin air. Albums like the great, Nina Revisited: A Tribute to Nina Simone are receiving great critic reviews and becoming popular among younger listeners.

Hip-Hop especially has taken a keen liking to Nina Simone’s often provocative lyrics. Artists like Kendrick Lamar and Skepta are integrating an outspoken theme of protest against racial inequality and authoritative governments into their lyrics. And it doesn’t stop there. Though a little bit more subtle Kanye West included snippets of Nina Simone lyrics into his latest album, The Life of Pablo. In the case of Kanye, this begs the question, did he do it because he’s trying to shed light on some of the deeper problems of modern society, or because it sounds dope when sped up and put on top of a thick bassline? We will never know.

Outside of music, we’re seeing Nina Simone more and more in Film. Since the 2015 film What Happened Miss Simone made by Netflix, there have been numerous reports on documentary films as well as movies, like the biopic Nina, set to be released in April of 2016 with Zoe Saldana playing the role of Nina Simone.

Even though the woman behind the music is no longer with us, she has left behind her her hopes, her emotions and her dreams. This continue to inspire us to raise ourselves to new levels of understanding, peace and love.

Thank You Nina Simone.

The 5 Best Music Discovery Tools

Sometimes finding new music can be difficult. It is not so difficult for the avid music listener to completely exhaust all of his sources of fresh sounds. Some people just use their respective music services’ recommended lists, be it Spotify, Apple Music or Tidal. Others just wait around for their friends to tell them what they need to listen to this time.

But when you really want to keep up with trends and keep discovering new sounds you really have to dig deep. Here are 5 of the best tools to discover new music:

1. Streaming Service Recommended Lists

Whether you use Apple Music, Tidal or Spotify, these streaming services pay ex music journalists and cheaters a lot of money to carefully compile playlists and related artists that would appeal to listeners of a certain genre or artist.

These services also invest a lot in algorithms that analyze what songs a person is listening to, and then recommending related songs.

Currently, it seems Tidal has the best recommendations when it comes to new music. New playlists are always being added, keeping you from running out of fresh tunes to bump your head to.

Spotify also goes quite a long way to give their listeners good recommendations. Having recently unveiled a new discovery featuee called Discover Weekly, sending their listeners personalized 2-hour playlists every Monday of the week, it is obvious that Dpotify is trying to stay ahead of the curb.

Then comes Apple Music. Even though Apple Music does have features such as related artists and albums, it lacks in constantly updated playlists. The users of Apple Music often find the exact same playlists being recommended to them.

But what Apple Music lacks in quality playlists, it makes up with great radio. Beats Radio, a service offered to all Apple Music users was unveiled along with the streaming service to great user reviews.

 

2. Blogs

Blogs are another great way to discover new music. Since the Internet blew up, a vast number of great blogs that offer music tailored to your specific taste, have appeared. 

Cutting straight to the chase, here are some great blogs:

Hip-Hop:

• HipHopDX
• Complex Mag
• 2DOPEBOYS

 

House and Electronic Music:

• Your DM
• Resident Advisor
• EDM.com
• ThisSongIsSick.com

…And a few other great blogs:

• PitchForkPitchFork
• Gorilla vs. Bear
• Earmilk

3. YouTube Channels

YouTube is one of our favorite ways to discover new music. Just by being subscribed to the right channels you can find some pretty amazing songs and artists. Some of these channels are really amazing and expose you to whole new worlds of music. These are a must for any music explorers:

• NPR’s Tiny Desk
• Noisey
• OkayPlayer
• Jam in the Van
• Mahogany Sessions

And for some cool stuff check out Playing for Change

 

4. Radio

The good old radio is perhaps one of the oldest ways to discover music. The internet has helped to bring even the most obscure radio stations to the world. Now there are many platforms based around the idea of radio(even though many of them aren’t actually radio, because they don’t use radio waves) that are really great.

To really get into this method of finding music, consider trying out TuneIn, Pandora, Sofa.fm, Slacker or Spotify or Apple Radio

5. Friends Recommendations

Last but not least, there are the recommendations of friends. Though this is the last one on the list, it should not be underestimated. It can perhaps be the best source of new music.

If you are genuinely interested in finding new music and expanding your musical knowledge, make it a point to always ask your friends what they are currently listening to. And really listen to them. Don’t just brush off what they say and go on listening to the same stuff you’ve been listening to for months.

The reason this can be such a great source of new music is because more times than not, you probably have a similar taste in music as your friends and can probably relate with them on some level when it comes to music. So don’t be afraid to show your buddies your interest in their music.

Now all you have to do is open your mind and let the sounds flow.