Fukk Sleep (Official Music Video)

“F*ck popo, police, enemies, fake homies/ Can’t forget that I’m a OG, betta act like you know it.”  With that said, allow me to re-introduce myself--my name is Frendy! Sorry, I know that was a bit corny, but I’m extremely happy to be back writing for y’all. My regular readers would know that I often take breaks from the blog to recharge, and I must say, my latest one week hiatus was much needed.  There’s really nothing more important to me than delivering quality content, so just know that I have plenty more tricks up my sleeves for your inspirational needs.

Speaking of quality, the self-proclaimed PMF A$AP Rocky released an imaginative music video for his Testing stand-out cut “Fukk Sleep,” featuring FKA Twigs.  On paper, the combination of such artists sounds (as Mal from The Joe Budden Podcast would say) crazy.  Fortunately, the sonic outcome is eargasmic.

Produced by Object Animal & O Creative Studio, the Diana Kunst-directed visual opens up with an unconscious Rocky and Twigs in a contraption that disintegrates them into a world of their own, where they are causing major havoc.  The treatment isn’t far off from the duo’s reality as they are both unabashedly riding their own respective waves.

Check out the edgy clip below:

Who Hurt You?

Other than his surprise feature on the remix of fellow Canadian crooner Jessie Reyez’s smash hit single, “Figures,” and Anderson .Paak’s band Free National’s banger “Beauty & Essex,” Daniel Caesar has been laying low for the most part of 2018.  That is until now. Recently, the Freudian soul singer released a brand new single, which revealed a mildly wilder side of him we’ve never heard (or seen) before.

Titled “Who Hurt You?” The T-Pain-assisted jam finds Daniel singing about his infatuation with a bootylicious stripper from Atlanta who goes by the name of Priscilla. (I know, he took a page right out of Pain’s book.) Now, you might be confused at why the song is coined in such a mellow manner, but after a few listens, it can be inferred that the former dreadlock artist (yup, he chopped them off) is simply finding solace after a heart-wrenching heartbreak.

Check out the Jordan Evans & Matthew Burnett-produced scorcher for yourself below, and let me know if my deep dive is valid or not.

Tha Carter V Gear

Lil’ Wayne fans worldwide are rejoicing after hearing the “Young Money Millionaire” proclaim he will be releasing his long-awaited, Tha Carter V, album on his birthday aka today, September 27th. Unfortunately, the project is nowhere to be found, which ultimately means that its official premiere date has been bumped up to Friday (cross your fingers).

What we can be sure of getting, though, is some good ol’ products, commemorating the highly anticipated project. The merch collection will consist of Weezy-centric gear conjured up by 14 designers. The first at bat is Kanye West’s longtime collaborator, Heron Preston.

Preston’s tee displays an airbrushed portrait of the megastar rapper on the front, with bright pink “The Carter V” branding positioned at its center, and of course, the designer’s name “Heron Preston” at the bottom. On the shirt’s back, Wayne’s famous “A Milli” line, “What’s A Goon To A Goblin,” is showcased in a bold green airbrush, while “The Carter V” branding is located at the bottom.

Like what you see? Then, head over to Tunechi’s online shop to cop. Damn, I almost forgot to mention these shirts are only available for 24 hours. Hope you were one of the lucky ones!

Got Friends (Official Video)

I wrote about this Miguel-assisted bop from Goldlink in a previous post, but since the single’s accompanying visual finally came out, I wanted to revisit it (y’all don’t mind, right?…good).

The music video for “Got Friends,” directed by Christian Sutton, is a movie in every sense of the word. I expected only a bit of dialogue from the fine ass featured female characters, also known as “two Hershey's Kisses and a Twix,” before the appearance of the musicians mouthing the lyrics of the song. Instead, the clip goes on to showcase an interesting storyline with a shocking plot twist!

There’s no need for me to say more, check out what transpired below:

Jay-Z's Got The Keys

DJ Khaled couldn’t have made a better choice than enlisting Jay-Z to lay down his meticulous bars on “I Got The Keys,” featuring Future. To keep it a buck, I really didn’t like the song—the hook was a bit much—but I did appreciate Jigga Man’s boss talk! If I had to listen to anyone in the Hip-Hop industry rap about having “keys,” it would be Bey’s boo. Heck, the man seemingly has a cheat code to life, and his latest achievement makes yet another valid case for that assumption.

On Monday, Jay and Beyoncé received the Key to the City of New Orleans for their humanitarian work. While on their On The Run II tour stop in the Big Easy, the ballerific couple was surprised by New Orleans’ mayor LaToya Cantrell with the acknowledgment. “The Carters recently launched scholarship funds that will benefit cities on their tour,” writes mayor Cantrell under an Instagram photo of herself and Mr. Carter smiling with the framed key. “The #CityofYes embraces you both with love!.”

Damn, I don’t even think Master P got one of those bad boys yet from his hometown. Should he be concerned?

6lack's East Atlanta Love Letter

Staying true to his elusive nature, 6lack (damn, writing that name is equally hard as saying it) fled the scene after releasing his successful 2016 debut album, Free 6lack, to go on a seemingly never ending tour run, which left devout listeners distraught from the lack of new tunes. This year, the multitalented crooner has returned, not only with a clean cut (in the words of The Joe Budden Podcast crew, “he got a mean rebrand”), but a long awaited sonic body of work!

Coined, East Atlanta Love Letter, the rising hyphenate’s sophomore effort is filled with heartfelt tracks dedicated to his hometown patnas (use the urban dictionary for the meaning), friends, current lover, and of course exes. My favorite joint from the project is a song that was released just a few hours before it actually dropped called, “Pretty Little Fears,” featuring the incomparable J. Cole.

Man, 6lack and Cole both blacked on the smooth tune with their potent pen. Y’all might have to replay the song a couple times just to catch a few double entendres! Check it out below:

Tribe (Music Video)

"Is J. Cole Haitian?"  That's exactly what I searched on Google abruptly after viewing Bas' music video for his latest single "Tribe," featuring the Dreamville general.

Shot in Florida's Little Haiti, the Andrew Nisinson-directed clip finds the two rap pals reppin' my home country like no other as they're having a blast with the neighborhood's lively locals.  Unfortunately, Jermaine and Bas aren't fellow Haitians, but I'm extremely happy to see how much the two are embracing the culture.  Hey, after all, we're all one "tribe" anyway.

The vibrant track is from the 31-year-old Queens lyricist's album Milky Way, which dropped today!  Before you go and cop that, check out his latest vid below:

Nav and Trav Are Champions

As soon as I finished writing my previous post (see below), I gave Travis Scott's latest album Astroworld a proper spin, and I must say, it's truly one of the best projects released so far in 2018.  Kylie Jenner's baby daddy's winning streak continues as he is featured on the new scorching single from NAV.

Rightfully titled "Champion," the celebratory chune is from the XO rapper/producer's debut album Reckless. Its visual, directed by fellow XO member Amir "Cash" Esmailian, finds the two multitalented acts living splendidly in Hawaii with their all star crew.

Check out the clip below:

Stop Trying To Be God

Travis Scott wasted no time to unleash the cinematic clip for his Astroworld cut "Stop Trying To Be God."  Truth be told, I haven't heard the Houston emcee's latest offering yet, but from the sound of the aforementioned song, it seems promising.

As soon as my ears picked up on Cudi's heavenly hums, I knew this particular track would be awesome.  Also featuring James Blake, Earth, Wind & Fire's Philip Bailey and the legendary Stevie Wonder on harmonica, the mellow tune is all about Scott's budding god complex. 

Directed by Dave Meyers, the song's accompanying visual showcases a plethora of biblical imagery.  Check out the madness below:

It Is What It Is

The homie Diggy has just unleashed his first official single in a whopping six years!  A few articles ago, I mentioned that the multitalented 23-year-old rapper was gearing up to deliver some brand new sounds and he absolutely stayed true to his words.

Titled "It Is What It Is," (I bet you said that in your Drake voice), the uplifting track is minimalistic perfection featuring only a choir and violins.  When a lyricist is spitting fiery bars with a positive message an elaborate beat is optional.

Check out the tune's captivating visual below:

Got Friends

"All of my b*tches got friends!"  Fellas, you already know our hearts rejoice whenever we hear those words come out of a beautiful woman's mouth!  Well, Goldlink and R&B megastar Miguel made a song out of that statement to commemorate all of the baddies of the world and their fine ass cliques.

Aptly titled "Got Friends," the feel-good single is the very first track from the DMV spitter since he released his debut album At What Cost in 2017.  No one knows if this song is spearheading a new project campaign for Goldlink but it sure bangs.  The collaborative tune dropped right before the summer started, yet is still potent as we're slowly moving into the cool weather.  Just goes to show that good music is timeless.

Check out the scorcher below:

Potato Salad

A huge smile creeped across my face when I heard the beat used in A$AP Rocky and Tyler, The Creator's new freestyle, oddly titled "Potato Salad." 

Most of you reading this article might be too young to remember, but the riveting instrumental is also found on legendary R&B singer Monica's 2003 hit "Knock Knock."  Reworked by Missy Elliot and Kanye West, the beat dates all the way back to 1976 as it initially appeared on The Masqueraders' single, "It's A Terrible Thing To Waste Your Love."

It's always great when rappers flex their knowledge of music beyond Hip Hop (specifically classic R&B jams).  Furthermore, the juxtaposition of braggadocious lyrics over a soothing sample is the perfect recipe for an eargasmic tune! 

Serving as a teaser for their rumored collaborative WANG$AP album, the visual for the Rap duo's surprise chune appears in a new AWGE 3 DVD.  While we patiently wait for that project to surface, check out the flossy clip below:

Diggy Is Back

Not too long ago, I bumped into the lil' homie Diggy Simmons right in front of SoHo's Crosby Street Hotel.  It was such a pleasant surprise because I haven't spoken to him in years since I stopped working at the BAPE store.  We caught up for a few minutes, but my main concern was his music: "When are you dropping some new joints?"  I asked.  Fortunately, he told me to expect some jams in the coming months.

Fast forward to now, and here he is with a new verse out of the blue!  The young rapper turned actor-model hopped on Atlanta native KEY!'s bouncy tune "Dig it," which actually references Diggy's appearances on his legendary dad's MTV reality television show, Run's House.

Listen to Diggy's scorching bars below:

R.A.N. (Official Music Video)

If you ever find yourself in a little jam with a shorty that you're trying to holla at, just play this new record from Miguel for some extra motivation to seal the deal!

Titled "R.A.N." (an acronym for 'Real Ass N*gga'), the confident-boosting tune is found on the soundtrack for legendary music video director Director X's SUPERFLY remake, which is currently in theaters.

Its visual finds the "Coffee" crooner on some Bonnie and Clyde ish with his old lady.  Being the real n*gga that he is, Miguel takes all the smoke in order to keep his woman out of harm's way.

Check out the Lesean Harris-directed clip below:

Rocky and Skepta Praises The Lord

It's only right that I present this right after the epic interview with my VLONE-affiliated buddy Ryan Mulry.  I like to keep everything cohesive, you know?  In any case, ASAP Rocky has finally unveiled the much anticipated visual for his Testing album standout cut, "Praise The Lord (Da Shine)," featuring the grimiest of emcees himself, Skepta.

The trippy, split-screen and building bouncing visual finds the two rap comrades in their respective hoods, as they exchange fiery bars on the"Shutdown" spitter-produced banger (I'm talking about Skepta, if you didn't know).

Check it out below:

It's a Go for H.E.R and Rapsody

I'm not going to hold you, I found out about this incredible song from listening to the latest episode of Joe Budden's uber entertaining eponymous podcast.  If you're not familiar with the program (I'm judging you if you aren't btw), after Joe and his two close close buds are done bantering about the latest trending topics, they each play their "sleepers," which is basically a potent song that the public may not be up on yet.

I was certainly not aware of Rory's pick titled "Go," the soulful new single from British super-producer Alex Da Kid featuring the heavenly vocals of H.E.R. and the hard-hitting bars of Grammy nominated female rapper Rapsody.  This jam is so good I had no other choice but to share it with y'all. 

Check it out below:

Man Don't Dance

"We can vibe, but man don't dance!"  British Comedian/Rapper Big Shaq has returned to the air waves just in time to provide a new summer banger, ironically titled "Man Don't Dance."

Shaq, who in reality is English funnyman Michael Dapaah, is now a bonafide music star due to his surprising, breakout mega-hit "Mans Not Hot." He hopes to hit the ball out the park with this new jam, and I honestly feel that he might do so.  Big Shaq's latest track features a similar flow to the aformentioned single, but with more potent lyrics and a plethora of jokes.

Check out the single for yourself below:

Aries (YuGo) Part 2 Music Video

It's a shame that I just started listening to Mike WiLL Made-It's Ransom 2 album.  Released on March 24th of last year, the super producer's debut project contains a slew of undeniable hits featuring his Ear Drummer Records crew members and many of today's brightest Hip Hop stars. 

One of my favorite cuts from the album, "Aries (Yugo)," co-starring Pharrell Williams and Station Wagon P was remixed a few months ago. Its added star-studded cast (Rae Sremmurd, Big Sean and Quavo) totally enhances the potency of the song. I'm all about the track's motivating aspect, "just be that n*gga with the bag/so when they say: 'who is that?'/oh, that's the n*gga with the bag/they be like: 'who that rolling past?'/oh, that's that n*gga with the bag," Skateboard P sings on the hook.

Check out the scorching visual for "Aries (YuGo) Part 2" (literally, though, it was shot in the desert) below:

Russ Thinks You're A Sore Loser

Russ is back at it again with his self-empowering ways by releasing a fiery, finger-pointing new track called, "Sore Losers."

By the song's title alone, you can already infer that the multi-talented spitter (oh, you didn't know he produces, mixes, masters and writes all his records?) isn't backing down from any new age rapper who wants all the smoke!

"A lof of kids are poppin' xans and sippin' lean now/A lot of rappers using Instagram to teach how," the New Jersey bred rapper says in the mellow tune. "A lot of kids Od'ed that you don't read 'bout/Cause they don't follow rappers, they just follow fiends now/But I'm the bad guy for callin' it out/I come in clutch with the truth, y'all stalling' it out/I only get in trouble when I say the truth/Which means you gettin' fed lies every day, you fools."

The 5 minutes and 16 seconds track contains no chorus, yet is still intriguing due to Russ' hard-hitting bars on Hip Hop's current roster of gimmicky, drug-promoting players.  Similar to the single's chill vibes, its accompanying visual is pretty raw as it features Russ kicking it with a couple of day ones in a lavish living-room-turned-recording-studio.

Check out the Edgar Esteves-directed clip below:

Come Through And Chill (Music Video)

"I need to feel your essence in my presence if you with it. I guarantee you won't regret you did it," J. Cole raps at the end of his second verse on Miguel's ballad "Come Through and Chill." Well, I'm sure they didn't regret their own decision to finally unveil the music video for the age old, yet potent single!

Directed by Kevin Calero, the visual is released less than a week after Jermaine shocked the world with his new rap album, KOD.  It features the "Coffee" crooner on a chair singing smoothly to a love interest. Cole is found doing the exact thing.  The only difference is that he's spitting some real stimulating bars to a shorty from a pay phone (haha).

If you're fortunate enough to have your significant other nearby, call them over to watch the clip below: