Rap’s had more than its fair share of artists who found success and then fell off after failing to recapture the musical magic. Remember how great Big Daddy Kane’s career was before and after Prince Of Darkness? Thought so. For every few that have taken a tumble from the mountaintop, there are others who were able to find their ways back to peak performances. Here are 20 albums which mark the return to form for a few of rap’s best talents. Read the rest of this entry »

Even though SXSW took place in March, the release of Watch The Throne’s official tracklist has offered this footage new life and Vevo is poised to fully take advantage. Read the rest of this entry »

Kanye’s “Monster” video was released several months ago, then pulled after ‘Ye blamed MTV and the man for not accepting its greatness. And now the same video’s back and appears to be the same one that was initially removed. Read the rest of this entry »

Adding the Young Money remix all-stars and tacking on Big Sean shouldn’t be perceived as a big deal when there’s already a family reunion’s worth of artists on the original. Obviously, the version here is rough but Karen Civil proclaims the spicking clean joint should be dropping soon. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Kanye,

It’s me, Justin Tinsley, again. I’m not sure if you read the first letter, but here’s to hoping you somehow come across this. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is critically acclaimed, officially platinum and one of the closest albums in TSS history to come near the coveted 5 Cig mountaintop. Read the rest of this entry »

MSN:

“An epilepsy organization is calling for Kanye West’s latest music video to be taken off the internet over fears it could cause seizures among sufferers. Experts at Cambridge Research Systems claim the video contains flashes that could trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy. Read the rest of this entry »

Life’s been a blur over the past month, so just a few days ago I was searching the TSS archives to makes sure I hadn’t missed Kanye’s “All Of The Lights” video. Ever since the first snippet dropped way back when I knew that this would be epic. So much that I was worried the final product wouldn’t live up to my beautiful dark twisted expectations. It didn’t, but at the same time I check the pulse of anyone who says they don’t like this song. Read the rest of this entry »

Kanye took to Twitter to announce he’s releasing another new long-player this summer. This comes approximately two months after the release of MBDTF and upcoming release of his joint album with Jay, Watch The Throne, which ‘Ye says arrives in March. Oh yeah, the Hype Williams-directed video for “All Of The Lights” will be dropping next week.

Any questions?

Seen: Respect

Artistry is derived from it’s vessel’s drive. Much more than some social media status or community college course requirement, artistry is the passion to see a vision through from spark to flame and the will to conquer any and all adversaries that try to stop you along the way. At one point or another during their lives, most people attempt to be artists, yet their engines lack the horsepower to allow their goals to see the beautiful light of day. Simply put, some people have what it takes while others don’t. Read the rest of this entry »

The New Yorker:

“A couple of weeks before my first visit to Condo’s studio, Kanye West, the rapper, asked him to do a painting for the cover of his new album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. West said that he had seen paintings by Condo, and wanted to collaborate with him. According to Condo, he also said that he was looking for “something that will be banned.” Read the rest of this entry »

Hey, remember when your favorite publication gave My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy a perfect rating? Sure you do. Barely a handful of weeks removed from a ceremonious release that drew blood (and power) from a free music campaign—that trumped all other competitor’s efforts—UStream carnivals, supposed mental breakdowns, mini-movies, bloated inclusion of guest appearances (on one track)…all did their part to seemingly have the music world in a tizzy. Admittedly, our Crew discussion over the album’s status Read the rest of this entry »

Oh where was this lil’ cretin when her album was on its way to Bricksville? Overused, like most new artists, Nicki Minaj still found a way to steal the show and raise the fee for her appearances (just ask Usher, Luda and Trey Songz). But the fireworks were still soon to come, when she was asked to attend the imaginary festivities for Kanye’s illustrious 5th album. Read the rest of this entry »

Just when it seemed safe to bet that Kanye was done for 2010, the Internet gods have granted the world with the “Monster” video. Albeit, this is an rough cut akin to watching a bootleg movie but we know that won’t stop most from clicking play just to see what Kanye and friends did with one of the most charged tracks from Fantasy…. Read the rest of this entry »

In my perfect world, Kanye’s upcoming moves to continue to promote his 4.5 Cig effort would go down like this:

– Drop the video “Monster” on New Year’s Day.

– Perform “All Of The Lights” at the Grammys with all 11 artists.

– Follow up with the video for “Devil In A New Dress.” Read the rest of this entry »

Recently, I read this article about how Amazon was selling My Beautiful Dark And Twisted Fantasy for $3.99. Basically the article read like this:

“Blah blah blah Amazon MP3s are $3.99.”

I immediately scooted over the Amazon to see if I could grab some cheap albums. At this point, buying the physical copies is getting to be a hassle and I just want to put my money up to help support artists. Read the rest of this entry »