Echoes Of Silence *Review'd*

His third mixtape may be more experimental and different than his previous two. On Twitter, Abel stated, "I hope they don't hang me for my decisions on Echoes of Silence"

D.D begins with smooth harmonies and a high pitched sample in the background. Nobody could ever begin to prepare for what comes next. A different Weeknd approaches the mic and immediately resembles a young Mike Jack. Sure enough by the chorus we come to find out that D.D stands for none other than Dirty Diana, a Michael Jackson classic. The Weeknd suprisingly accomplishes his portrayal of the late Michael. Amazing way to start off your record kid. 

Next song, Montreal opens with more homeade harmonies from Abel. The drums hit and a filtered sounding Weeknd sings about what Montreal means to him. This headbanger get's you moving either in the bedroom or on the dance floor. One way or another it's going down, basement. Interesting sounds make up the next track. Almost like an 80's kung fu movie. Mandolin plucks and flutes make up the beat accompanied by the modern sounds of The Weeknd's drum kit. 

Outside has Abel almost crying about a woman in his life. I believe he started the emo grunge sound last year when he released House Of Balloons. Nobody knew what to do with it, but listen and love it. 

XO / The Host is my favorite track up to this point. I'm sensing a mixture of sounds from his previous tracks, The Zone and Loft Music from House Of Balloons. Throughout the song Abel sing-raps about the infamous XO that their crew reps. XO interludes by slowing up the beat and transitioning into The Host, which is The Weeknd. 

Initiation was leaked by Abel himself a couple months ago. Still such a dope experimental track. Interesting how they engineered the pitch to frequently go up and down. The lyrics depict his more private sessions with girls I think. 

Same Old Song is not the same old sound. Again they include some sort of mandolin plucking sound. It really goes nice with the album. There is honestly nothing bad I could say about this album. In less than a yearThe Weeknd managed to complete 3 hall of fame records to begin his career and end 2011. Here's a clue about the song. The same old song means the same old girl. ;) 

The Fall begins with The Weeknd's signature adlibs. He borrows influence from Drake periodically, vise versa though. Mid song you sense this when he raps. "my cup full of Texas, flowin' on that OVO jet yeah I said it, was forced to be reckless was forced to make records so you don't gotta ask who's next." Abel get's cocky with it, and shows why he is #1 in R&B, Indie, Emo-Pop, and any other genre you can think of. Ok now I myself am getting carried away. The producer flips the beat a bit at the end of the song. 

Next is Next. This song has hints of MJ inspiration. although the song sounds uptempo, the vibe is more emotional. "You just want me cause I'm next..." goes the chorus. The story about a woman in love with Abel solely because he is #NEXTINSHOW. After this emotional rollercoaster starts to settle, a mellow piano riff closes the song. The title track 


Echoes Of Silence blends well with the previous track. The song has been stripped down to just a piano and his 'emocals'(trademarked). This could be a personal message to a special woman in his life or maybe for all women in general.

Thus concludes the three-part trip that is TheWeeknd 2011. This album is amazing and can't wait to hear what you have in store for everyone in 2012. End of the World Music?

Rare Performance

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The Weeknd Gives Thanks To His Fans By Releasing Futuristic Visual Of 'The Knowing'

Well today was full of good times, family, and The Weeknd releasing a late music visual for the track The Knowing, off his debut album House Of Balloons. The concept is interesting and fresh to begin with. Created by visionary Mikael Colombo, the concept is a sci fi battle of the sexes, futuristic experience. The Weeknd and Lamar of XO crew are actually featured in the visual, or at least high quality animated characters. You must watch this film in HD. Enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving from #nextinshow

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Drake Isn't Mad That 'Take Care' Leaked * Album Review *

"Listen, enjoy it, buy it if you like it...and take care until next time." - Drake (Twitter)

With less than 2 weeks until Drake's most anticipated album of the year releases, the worldwideweb decided to leak the project. Don't worry, this "unintentional" marketing scheme should work to Aubrey's advantage. By leaking album this creates a strong buzz for the artist which will then climax on November 15, 2011 the official release date. Previously scheduled to be released on the rapper/singers birthday in October, the album was pushed back a month due to complications with sample clearances. It could have been due to the title track 'Take Care' featuring pop diva Rihanna and contains samples of The XX. Without further a due i bring to you, the early, yet classic album review of Drake's Take Care.

Drake Respond's to 'Take Care' leaking via Twitter

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Over My Dead Body
A 40-produced track that kicks in all the right spots. The simplicity of 40's beats amaze me. As simple as they seem, they are very well calculated. A  female singer echoes vocals in the background, then comes in hard with flows on top of flows. The fact that his lyrics are so personal, has always been a key reason why I relate to his music. Before song ends, a short, chopped up sample of a Dj Screw record plays out.


Shot For Me
The album is already taking the route I expected it to take. Shot For Me is a powerful and personal track over another 40 beat. This sound mix with Drake's personality is what i'm labeling as 'emo rap'. It is a style of hip hop and this track is a perfect example of how it sounds. I think it is safe to say that Aubrey invented the rapper/singer and turned it into a worldwide trend. For more 'emo rap' refer to 'So Far Gone', Drake's mixtape that got him noticed by the world. The song finishes with a clever blend into the next song which is Headlines.


Headlines
Besides Marvin's Room, Headlines was the first official radio release. The track was produced by Boi-1da, co produced by 40 Shebib. Drake's last album featured a song called 'Over', which sounds similar to this and coincidentally was his first single for that album as well. Not sure if the song worked as well as they thought, so they quickly released Make Me Proud to keep buzz. That won't be a problem. The next track brings you right back to the classic I was talking about.


Crew Love ft. The Weeknd
The Weeknd was sorta kinda discovered by Drake. Well the story is, The Weeknd and Drake are both from Canada and were destined to meet. Drake promoted The Weeknd's sensational debut mixtape, House of Balloons. Drake is inspired very much by The Weeknd, and it is proven in his stories and style. The song sounds like a Weeknd track and could easily have been from either of his monumental mixtapes. Produced by Illangelo & Doc Mckinney. The two have much in common, but I think at this point groupies are their most common relation. The whole strip club world has recently been brought out in Drake's music in the past months. Just him growing as not only a person, but a MC in the Hall of Fame.


Take Care ft. Rihanna
Rihanna starts off the track with her signature sound. The song has hint of island influence as well. After a vocal silence, Drake comes on. He has perfected a style where he sings a few bars, then gradually the flow will build into a rap and back to singing. Both talk about past relations with people, or could it be subliminaly about each other secretly in love? You be the judge. The title track is produced by Jamie XX from the group The XX. Quincy Jones adds production to the track too.


Marvin's Room / Buried Alive (Interlude)
This should be a familiar track, well at least the first half of the song. The first track, but not official single, to leak from Take Care and was accompanied by a visual that showed a different side of Drizzy. What is Marvin's Room? The song was rumored to be recorded at the late Marvin Gaye's studio, which was actually called Marvin's Room. Another 'emo rap' track. Immediately following the song, another beat hits with slashed vocals from West Coast Rookie, Kendrick Lamar. Then a outstanding performance from Kendrick makes it clear why he was featured on this album. Both leaders of the new school.


Underground Kings
Such a smooth guitar riff makes up this hit song. It's actually a Simon and Garfunkel sample sounding so gangsta when   produced by T-Minus. Here is another example of Drake's creative blend of styles going from rapping to singing and back again. It's like he has so much creativity and personality, that he let's anything and everything come out in his music. It's a little #Based.


We'll Be Fine
On thisrecord Drake get's deep, again. T-Minus produces the track. He is credited for a a few tracks on this album. They have worked together in the past, like on T.I's track 'Poppin' Bottles. Birdman says a few inspiring words at the end of the track.

Make Me Proud ft. Nicki Minaj
Make Me Proud featuring fellow YMCMB labelmate Nicki Minaj is Drake's most recent official single from the album. Released last month, he made a special appearance on Saturday Night Live and performed it alongside Nicki. I think this is a song written for each other. They are both expressing how proud they are with each one's success. Another track produced by T-Minus.


Lord Knows ft. Rick Ross
Just Blaze surfaces from playing video games to prove he still can produce. Featured on the track is 'The Boss' Rick Ross. His signature "ugh" laces the intro to the track. Although this album is a genre close to 'emo rap', much of the album, as you get into the middle of it, starts to go in another direction. It begins to sound like money tracks from Drake's debut, Thank Me Later, like Fancy and Show Me A Good Time. This change is due to the fact that the whole album isn't produced by his close friend Noah Shebib. Different producers make the album diverse to the masses. Although I need a strictly Drake/40 album, this will most definitely do for now. Enter Rozay. Rick Ross has progressed as a rapper a great deal in the past couple years. Maybe a lot had to do with the whole 50 Cent/G Unit beef. Whatever the case, the ball is in Ross's court now and his style is better than ever: Refer to Lord Knows.


Cameras / Good Ones Go (Interlude)
When I read the production credits, I couldn't help but to drop my jaw. Lex Luger on Take Care? It couldn't be true. An unrecognized Luger beat settles in well on the album.The song is co-produced by  Noah Shebib. The song also features, but nowhere to be credited yet, The Weeknd on Good Ones Go Interlude. He claims that the relationship he has is powered by the media. On the Interlude portion, the mood slows down where Drake and The Weeknd take turns performing lyrical murder.


Doing It Wrong ft. Stevie Wonder
A few months back when Drake put on the OctobersVeryOwn Fest, Stevie Wonder made a special appearance to performance alongside Drake. Another piece to the puzzle fitting into place I guess. A great song, and by the end of the song, Stevie blesses the track by adding a horn/recorder section. Produced by 40.


The Real Her ft. Lil' Wayne & Andre 3000
It is now clear that a few weeks ago, the unfinished version of the track was leaked. The song featured Lil' Wayne, but now it is official that Andre 3000 from Outkast is featured as well. Where the unfinished track ended, the official version starts Andre 3k's verse. Such a cold verse from Andre and his poetry brings me back to The Art of Storytelling Pt. 4. Get Familiar.


HYFR (Hell Yeah Fucking Right) ft. Lil' Wayne
Interesting Acronym for a song."Gotta do what I gotta do..." Drake means business on this one. Also featured is The President, Wayne. The song represents all the doubt and speculation within their lives and their simple answer to all the questions, "HYFR (Hell Yeah Fucking Right). Produced by T-Minus


Look What You've Done
The song opens with Drake preparing himself to record, while a muffled sample plays subtly in the background. You expect him to begin singing, but starts off rapping instead. The song is a direct dedication to his mother, Sandi Graham. The raps are very personal and which almost leave you stuck still listening to the lyrics. Produced by Chase N. Cashe and long time friend of Drake. Chase said in an interview with The Source Magazine that it was the “most touching record” and “most heart-felt record” on Take Care. He described how Drake talks about his family, “his journey since he’s gained all this superstardom that he sought out to get,” and how his fame has affected his family. Chase is looking forward to seeing how people react to the song, saying that it isn’t a record that will get you down, but that it has “a bounce to it, it’s something people can still dance to, it’s something that you can still ride to in a car.” He called the track a “self-reflection,” as it looks back on the things Drake has done as an artist and it inspires the listener to reflect on their own life.


Practice
You could never guess how this next track starts off, could you? The sample is chopped and so distinct, derived from the classic booty shaker, Back That Azz Up, by Juvenile. Drake is confusing. On this track I would have expected him to start off rapping, but he fools us again with his 'emo-flow'. In the end the song serves as a 2011 Drizzy/40-influenced redux of the 1999 hit single. Also if you listen close, you can hear faint samples from a Weeknd record. *Co-Production done by superproducer Pharrell Williams.
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Although their are 16 tracks reviewed here, the final release of the album will include a last track called "The Ride" as well as several Bonus Tracks. Support Good Music. Take Care was everything I expected, and I can't wait to listen to the album without having to review each song. It was said that The Weeknd would make 4 appearances on the album. I heard two songs and I believe the other two tracks were songs ghost written for Drake. Could be wrong. His debut Thank Me Later, was a great start to his career, but this album has shown what progression Drake has gone through. His life isn't the same as it was 1 year ago. It's easy to try and compare this album to his previous work or set expectations. The reality is, the album is a masterpiece conducted by 25 year old Aubrey Graham. Your acting got laughs, your music will get you remembered. I will be updated review as the official release nears, so check back with #nextinshow. Thank You, and TAKE CARE. NOVEMBER 15, 2011<br/>

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