Source: The Washington Post / Getty
Kid Cudi — ILL WHAT I BLEED
Kid Cudi is seeing red with the release of his newest track. After dropping the Star Trek-inspired “Heaven’s Galaxy,” Cudder unveils his newest joint, “ILL WHAT I BLEED.”
The Cleveland star says this isn’t exactly a single from his upcoming album. Instead, he says it’s “just a lil taste from the album while u wait.” It might not be a single, but it is an introspective release that explores criticism.
“No worries, the boy survived,” he sing-raps on the track. “Keep on comin’ out the rubble / Now he’s alive / Walk through fire, I’m unbreakable, a legend, he’s deep / No wonder why them suckers hating just ’cause I’m me.”
Famed director Jason Goldwatch teamed up with Cudi for the song’s music video. It’s a fun look at the Man on the Moon’s travels with dance-filled scenes and neon colored night vignettes.
Brent Faiyaz — Larger Than Life
Brent Faiyaz is living Larger Than Life with the release of his newest album. The 14-song set features a bevy of stars and the crooner’s signature flavor.
Missy Elliott, Coco Jones, A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ant, Babyface Ray, and more appear as guests. Meanwhile, Dpat, Jonah Roy, Mannyvelli, and Spizzledoe, and Sparkheem handle some of the production. Timbaland also shows up on the introductory song, “Tim’s Intro.”
“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to something that’s larger than life,” he says. “Timbo The King and Brent, we larger than life. You didn’t see it coming, did you, baby? Let me show you one more time that we larger than life.” Brent backs him up and sings: “Larger than life.”
Faiyaz usually steers clear of interviews, but he spoke about his musical journey earlier this year. “I wasn’t really patient enough or disciplined enough to approach the music business like an occupation in any way, shape or form,” he recently told Greatest. “I think that’s why the art came out the way it did…Now, I take my sh-t a lot more serious.”
Joyner Lucas — “24 hours to live”
Twenty six years after Ma$e, The Lox, Black Rob, and DMX pondered the same scenario, Joyner Lucas releases a new joint titled “24 hours to live.”
Much like the Mason Betha record, this song is about one’s hypothetical final day. “If you had 24 hours to live, what would you do?” Lucas asks listeners and himself.
Joyner decides he’s going to do a plethora of things on his last day. Among those things? “Take from the rich and then give to the poor,” he raps. “Give them the sh-t that they couldn’t afford / Buy ’em all cribs and give them a tour.”
Lucas may drop “24 hours to live” as part of his next album. Future and YoungBoy Never Broke Again are also set to appear on the album, Not Now, I’m Busy.
Mariah The Scientist — To Be Eaten Alive
Mariah The Scientist dropped Ry Ry World two years ago. Now, she is back with a new body of work. This time around, the rising singer-songwriter unleashes her new LP, To Be Eaten Alive.
The 10-track offering features a few familiar faces, including 21 Savage and Vory. Mariah’s famous partner, Young Thug, also makes an appearance on “Ride.” The two recently released parallel solo singles “From a Woman” and “From a Man” and the former also appears on this LP.
Throughout her career, Mariah has bucked genre expectations and she says that’s still her mission with this new material. “My goal was to make the best possible music,” she recently told Complex.
“I wasn’t looking for it to be too R&B-ish because I don’t wanna be stuck in one category. That’s not really how I feel in every single song. I don’t feel so rhythm and blues; I feel alternative. I feel different ways.”
