This year is going to be full of surprises. Every category in the General Field (Best New Artist; Album/Record/Song of the Year) has been expanded from five to eight nominees. In past years, we could rely on traditional voting patterns to make strong predictions. Now, this expansion of the field, coupled with the increased blurring…
Tag: the weeknd
30 Most Anticipated Albums of 2019
Happy New Year! While 2018 was a stellar year for music (read my best albums and best songs lists), I’m even more excited for what 2019 has in store. From the blockbuster soundtracks to the grand return of some of music’s biggest names, 2019 is sure to be a huge year for music. So, without…
2019 Grammys Nominations Predictions: The R&B Field
Best R&B Performance Locks “Boo’d Up” (Ella Mai), “Best Part” (Daniel Caesar, H.E.R.), “Love Lies” (Khalid, Normani) As the field stands now, these three songs are the surest bets for a nomination. These three records make up the triad of the biggest R&B hits of the year. Ella Mai’s “Boo’d Up” was massive and her…
Album Review: Nicki Minaj, ‘Queen’
There is no longer a debate as to who is the best female rapper, her name is Onika Tanya Maraj, professionally known as, Nicki Minaj.
Album Review: Travis Scott Takes Us to ‘ASTROWORLD’
It has been almost two years since Travis Scott’s last solo album. That record, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, was not only a #1 album but also one of the best hip-hop albums of the ’10s. Understandably, the hype for his next album was at insanely high levels. Between Birds and his most recent record, ASTROWORLD,…
Top 15 Albums of 2018 (So Far…)
15. Swae Lee, Swaecation This “album” is actually one-third of Rae Sremmurd’s massive triple album, SR3MM. The album is composed of Rae Sremmurd’s third album and each member’s debut solo album. Sawecation is the strongest of the three albums. Somewhere in the haze of alternative R&B, pop, trap, and rap, Swae Lee crafted an album that is not…
Top 30 Songs of 2018 (So Far…)
30. Cardi B, “Get Up 10” (from Invasion of Privacy) If there was a female version of Meek Mill’s perennial “Dreams and Nightmares,” it would be this fiery and impassioned opener to Cardi B’s debut album. The track details Bardi’s astronomical rise to fame with lines like, “Look, they gave a bitch two options: strippin’ or…
The Weeknd Brings Back the Balloons with ‘My Dear Melancholy,’
On his surprise new EP/mini-album, The Weeknd has finally found the perfect balance between his pop superstar sensibilities and his dark and moody roots. My Dear Melancholy, documents The Weeknd’s relationships with Selena Gomez and Bella Hadid; the title as apt, Abel wallows in his pain and self-pity. My Dear Melancholy, is at times vindictive, but mainly…
You Should Be Hearing These Songs Everywhere This Spring
Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton, “Say Something” As Chris rises slowly and steadily with his own single, “Broken Halos,” “Say Something” will be the song that saves Justin Timberlake’s Man of the Woods era. The lead single, “Filthy” failed to make an impact, but this country-pop has the potential to conquer pop and country radio and…
The Black Panther Soundtrack Is The Best Album of the Year
The movie hasn’t hit theatres yet, but the Black Panther soundtrack, curated by Top Dawg Entertainment and Kendrick Lamar, is a masterpiece. The album is at once forward-thinking and retrospective. The themes shift between the comic book world of Wakanda, the mind and emotional conscious of T’Challa/Black Panther, black nationalism, black pride, and swaggering bravado. With…
