Grow the Game®

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on reddit
Share on whatsapp

Music Monday: A Dose of Summer Hip-Hop

Editor’s Note: With summer well underway, we wanted to up your weekly dosage of music, so we decided to double our music offering to you. Each Monday, Michael Allen will take the morning detail, and Nate Fritts will continue to knock out the night hours. Everybody wins!

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

As the self-proclaimed LaxAllStars resident Hip-Hop head, I felt like kicking off my first Music Monday with a taste of what I’ve been listening to recently. All three of today’s artists have been members of XXL’s Freshman Class. In the future, I’ll be sure to mix it up a bit.

J. Cole – “Power Trip (Feat. Miguel)”

As many of you may know, J. Cole released his sophomore album Born Sinner (2013) last month. I have to say, I was expecting great things from this project and Jermaine did not disappoint. Born Sinner has been in my everyday rotation since it dropped. “Power Trip” was released back in February as a single and is among the many gems you’ll find on the album. J. Cole is not only a furious rapper but also a ponderous thinker.

Mac Miller – “REMember”
https://youtu.be/_jIxsERbUV4

Another project that dropped the same day as Cole’s Born Sinner was Watching Movies with the Sound Off by Mac Miller. I’ll be the first to say that I was extremely hesitant to listen to WMWTSO after I was turned off by his recent work. He’s changed quite a bit since his early mixtapes such as K.I.D.S but seems to be headed back in the right direction. He states in the track “Watching Movies” that he’s just “tryna make better music.” This album happens to feature a few of my favorite artists such as ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Action Bronson, and Earl Sweatshirt. One track that impressed was “REMember”.

Joey Bada$$ – “Hilary $wank”
https://youtu.be/KE2UxURy3ms

Finally we a track from 18 year old Joey Bada$$ aka OG $wank. Joey dropped his mixtape Summer Knights last week in anticipation of his fall album B4.DA.$$. While Joey may be short on years, he certainly isn’t on talent. I’m really enjoying the horns on his track “Hilary $wank”.

Feel free to shoot me an email and let me know what you’ve been listening to. You might just see it on Music Monday.