January 27, 2017

Album Review: Kehlani Gets Personal on Long Awaited Album "SweetSexySavage"

January 27, 2017/ Ben Frohman

SweetSexySavage, the long-awaited debut album from R&B songstress Kehlani, was released Friday. The album follows a long list of singles, and of course, the Grammy nominated mixtape, You Should Be Here, which was released in 2015 to much critical acclaim. The much anticipated album, which announces her presence in powerful and raw ways, boasts lyrics dealing with love and embraces the notion of being a sweet, sexy, and savage woman.

The lengthy track listing of eighteen songs offer appealing in-house production and catchy lyrics that draw in the listener. In the “Intro”, Kehlani brings in an uncredited woman who recites words from her heart, which is a common theme that follows throughout the album. She tackles her emotional past, life lessons, and how she has found herself. “Keep On" addresses how she feels about a guy who takes her back after all she has put him through. "Piece Of Mind" shows her trying to distance herself from all the stress and feelings that go into relationships.

The sexy songs "Distraction" and "Undercover" provide hits fit for the radio and boast strong vocals and repetitive verses. The album also offers "CRZY," which gives an unapologetic outlook of how the young singer deals with negativity, and how she sees a silver lining. The Savage comes out in the songs, "Not Used To It," "Too Much," and "Do U Dirty," where she sings in a more lewd and raunchy way.

The record showcases sweet and intimate ballads like "Everything Is Yours", "Escape," "Personal," and "Hold Me By The Heart", where she puts it all on the line and delves into the romantic love aspect of life. She thanks her fans in the emotional song "Thank You" and ends on the silky R&B song, "I Wanna Be."

SweetSexySavage is a phenomenal debut album that solidifies Kehlani’s place in the music industry. Coming out from a year full of drama, including cheating rumors, and a suicide attempt, this project shows that regardless of your situation, you can turn it around for the better. With SweetSexySavage, Kehlani created a passion-filled album that reveals a fragile, yet strong and confident artist who is destined to rise to the top.

Kehlani will embark on a massive world tour this February. Get tickets to see Kehlani in a city near you over at Ticketmaster.

January 17, 2017

Boston Calling Announces Biggest Lineup Yet

January 17, 2017/ Admin

The Boston Calling Music Festival, held for the first time at the Harvard Athletic Complex, will take place from May 26th to the 28th.

The rain or shine event is unlike any other in Boston, as the city provides a different surrounding and feel to an outdoor concert. Since debuting in 2013, the concert extravaganza has been praised for it’s versatility and high quality, offering past musicians like Sia, Fun, and Kendrick Lamar. This year it seems to be no different as the festival's new location has allowed the line up to double in size, with 45 artists who will take the three outdoor music stages. The venue is presenting a variety of artists that are multigenerational, entertaining, and diverse. The impressive line-up includes Mumford and Sons, Tool, Chance the Rapper, Cage The Elephant, The 1975, Major Lazer, Run The Jewels, and Tegan And Sarah just to name a few. For those looking for eclectic and new material, Bon Iver, The Xx, and Solange will all be playing new music and providing fresh sounds to eager audiences. Solo artists that are set to perform include Lucy Dacus, Mondo Cosmo, and Tkay Maidza. Local acts will also be showcased as Buffalo Tom, Cousin Stizz, The Hotelier, Piebald, and Vundabar are slated to take the stage. The artists are sure to deliver hours and hours of music and passion to those in attendance.

A film experience by Natalie Portman is scheduled to be shown as well, which will introduce a film festival portion. The music scene offers food vendors, beverages, and a lively atmosphere to attendees as well.

Early Bird three day admission tickets are on sale for $245 plus fees, the regular admission will go on sale for $269 plus fees after the Early Bird tickets sell out. The spring event is set to be the largest one yet and is prepared to deliver exhilaration and talent for three days straight.

December 12, 2016

PHOTOS: Jingle Ball Tour Brings Music's Biggest Stars To Boston

December 12, 2016/ Admin

Ellie Goulding performs during Boston's Jingle Ball tour stop on December 11th, 2016 (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up).

As part of a yearly holiday tradition, iHeartRadio's Jingle Ball tour roared through Boston's TD Garden with an A-list lineup. This year's star-studded bill included Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes, Diplo, Ellie Goulding, DNCE, Tove Lo, Alessia Cara and Daya, plus a Special Guest appearance from Niall Horan.

Check out photos from the red carpet and performances below:

Red Carpet:

Shawn Mendes:

Ellie Goulding:

Diplo:

Alessia Cara:

DNCE:

Niall Horan:

Ariana Grande:

Tove Lo:

Red Carpet photos by Robert Jaczko, performance photos by Ben Esakof.

December 12, 2016

Concert Review: Mac Miller Brings "The Divine Feminine" to Life

December 12, 2016/ Adam Guttadauro

Mac Miller performs in Boston on December 11th, 2016 (Mike Zahar/Roman's Rap-Up).

On Sunday, December 11th, Mac Miller performed at the iconic House of Blues in Boston, Massachusetts in front of a completely sold out crowd of over 2,500 people. The night started off with fans flocking through the doors attempting to get the best spot possible to watch the 24 year old emcee perform his newly released album The Divine Feminine.

Mac Miller’s DJ, Clockwork, took the stage to begin the night, and delivered a thirty minute set of today’s hits as well as his own original songs, to mixed review by the crowd. While most of the crowd was enthused, there were quite a few people who felt as though his originals were overplayed.

Up next, another DJ opener, The Whooligan, took the stage and effectively got the crowd incredibly excited. He was able to keep everyone in the place dancing with a combination of original hip-hop from artists such as Biggie Smalls, Outkast, and Tupac, and radio hits from today from artists such as Drake, Lil Yachty, and many more. The Whooligan did an excellent job blending the smash hits of the past with today's and received incredibly high praise from the sold out crowd at the House Of Blues.

Following a 40 minute break of house music playing, something magical happened. Six big pillars displaying neon lights began to turn on, and an aggressive strobe light routine that seemed inescapable overtook the crowd. As those strobe lights would fade out, the silhouette of a man appeared on the stage. As he stepped forward, that man turned into Mac Miller and immediately sent the entire crowd into a frenzy. Mac began the night serenading the crowd with the Ty Dolla $ign assisted hit “Cinderella” which is a slower song. This shows even the average listener the maturation that Miller has made over his career.

The ability to make a commercially successful love album in hip-hop is one that not many artists have, especially in today’s market. The ability to perform a commercially successful love album, however, is one that not many artists have today. Miller demonstrated his veteran status as a performer by showing that he can transition from performing slower songs about his new obsession with love on tracks such as “Stay” and immediately jump into more up tempo songs that got him famous in the first place such as “Bird Call”.

Mac’s celebrity peers also came out to personally witness the rapper’s captivating performance, including British pop-star Niall Horan, who had performed at a different concert in Boston just hours before.

The crowd went along with whatever Mac did throughout the night, slowing down and dancing when he did his newer slower songs, and bumping and jumping and rapping along on those moments where Miller would resurrect one of his older hits such as “Loud” and “Knock Knock”.

Overall, Mac Miller’s performance on the Divine Feminine tour was an hour long display of the mind and places Mac has been mentally throughout his career, and where he is currently. Miller performed songs he made while he was in dark places, happy places, and while was immersed in love with his current girlfriend, pop superstar Ariana Grande, who was in attendance at the show. Mac showed true showmanship galloping across the stage and interacting with the entire crowd. He took on the biggest challenge imaginable as a performer, and that is to perform slower songs to the masses who know you for up-tempo, “frat-rap”, style songs and he was able to succeed with ease.

November 13, 2016

Photos: Young Thug & 21 Savage Co-Headline Sold-Out Tour

November 13, 2016/ Admin

Young Thug performing on the "HIHORSE‘D" Tour at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium on November 11th, 2016 (Robert Jaczko/Roman's Rap-Up).

Fashion-Rapper extraordinaire Young Thug and frequent Drake-collaborator 21 Savage brought their "HIHORSE‘D" tour to Boston's Lowell Memorial Auditorium Friday night.

See photos from the show below: