Are you a Ciara fan? Well if the answer is yes, you are in luck! Her new self-titled album, "Ciara", drops on July 9th, but you can check out a full stream of the album either on iTunes, or in the Youtube video below. Just from a quick listen, I can already say my favorite song is "I'm Out" with Nicki Minaj. What is yours? Let us know in the comments.
Enjoy!
Yesterday, I had the chance to attend Boston radio station Amp Radio's Birthday Bash Concert. Last June, CBS Radio decided to make the switch from an "oldies" station to the new Amp Radio, featuring Top 40 music. In celebration of their one year birthday, they threw a completely free concert for listeners and fans which gathered a crowd of over 50,000 at Boston City Hall Plaza. The concert featured performances by Ariana Grande, Drop City Yacht Club, Timeflies, Sammy Adams, Selena Gomez, and Jason Derulo. I arrived at City Hall Plaza at around 11am (concert time was 2pm). At that time, there must have been about 10,000-20,000 people already, pressed up against the stage I barricade.
I walked around the area until around 1:45, when it was time to find a place to watch the show. Thankfully, I had VIP passes to the upfront party pit so I did not have to brave crowd.
Come showtime, Nickelodeon star Ariana Grande came on stage, and was greeted by thousands of screaming fans. She was wearing a white quinceañera-like dress, and sang only her hit song, "The Way" featuring rapper Mac Miller. Grande was also joined by a group of peppy backup dancers.
Next up was California trio Drop City Yacht Club. They sang a variety of songs that seemed like the majority of the crowd were familiar with. However, when they said their last song would be their biggest hit "Crickets", everyone started screaming and singing along. Definitely my favorite moment of their act.
Now it was time for Timeflies, a freestyle rap/pop group. Personally, I hadn't even heard of them before this event, but I thought they were an immense talent. Amp Radio had done a promo on twitter earlier in the day, where listeners tweeted them the topics that they wanted Timeflies to freestyle rap about. When they brought the topic on stage, it was incredible. They were able to freestyle right on the spot as if they had memorized lyrics. Just amazing!
Boston's home boy Sammy Adams was next on the lineup, and greeted the crowd with his hits "Blow Up", "Only One", and his newest single, "LA Story".
It was now Selena Gomez's time to perform. She came to the stage, and really owned it. The crowd went insane for her. She sang her hits "Love You Like A Love Song", and "Slow Down". But, it was not until her last song, "Come and Get It" that the crowd appeared to be reawakened. It was obvious that there were a large amount of people in the crowd who came to see Selena, based off of the volume of screams during her whole performance.
Last up, Jason Derulo. When he first came on, Amp must have turned the volume WAY up because it seemed to get a lot louder. Jason sang the majority of his hits like "Whatcha Say", "Other Side", and more. Without even looking at the stage, you could tell he took his shirt off due to all of the girls in the audience screaming at the top of their lungs.
Overall, it was a great concert, especially since it was free. I think Amp Radio worked well with local officials and security, as there were no large problems during the show. Everyone there was pleasant, and was there for the same reason I was; to watch the show. Music was great, and there was the station's DJs to entertain the crowd between acts.
So what didn't I like about it? Well, not a whole much. My biggest complaint is how the radio station handled the VIP tickets. Majority of VIP tickets and wristbands were won via call in contests, which were almost impossible to win. I understand that Amp wanted to make it a free show, whether you go VIP or not. But, maybe for next year, they could figure out a way to distribute them more fairly... perhaps a lottery system?
If Amp Radio Boston decides to make this an annual event, you can definitely expect us to be there!
Check out the photo's in the gallery below.
The morning of June 24th brought a new day, along with a brand new album from DC rapper Wale. This is his 3rd studio album, following "Attention Deficit" and "Ambition". Personally, I feel like this time Wale has done it right (not that he hadn’t with the others). This one just feels fresh, and I truly can feel Wale’s emotion behind his rap. Let me break down some of the most memorable songs/parts from "The Gifted."
The first track of the album, "The Curse of the Gifted" really opens the mind of the person listening to let them experience what Wale is feeling. Lines like “I should be loving my accomplishments/But a brand new Maserati got me plotting on another hit/Success is like a never ending battle” really proves that in the game, people are always looking for more, thinking of the future, and never enjoying the moment. Hence the name, The Curse of the Gifted.
Wale then teams up with R&B artist Sam Dew to create one of the most catchy songs of the album, "LoveHate Thing". It is just one of those feel-good songs. Sam Dew provides the smooth chorus, while Wale gives it his all with his killer rap, earning it the title of my favorite song of the album.
The next memorable track from “The Gifted”, has Wale teaming up with two of the rap industry’s greatest, Juicy J. and Nicki Minaj for “Clappers”. First time hearing this blew my mind. It’s the type of track that has that strip club feel, and definitely deserves to be on the playlist at your next party. See the Behind the Scenes video Nicki released for the song below.
The last song from the album I want to talk about goes by the name of “Bad” and features RnB singer Tiara Thomas. This track basically, well, describes how hard it is for Wale to find the right girl. I can assure you that you will walk away from listening still singing it in your head. Wale also provides a remixed version with Rihanna, respectively.
The Verdict: I really like Wale’s "The Gifted". I feel like he has gotten to the point in his career where he can really rap about whatever he wants, and not have to worry about what the critics say. Some of the songs on the album really describe his life and his struggles, while others seem like they are meant mostly for the club, like Clappers (not that it’s necessarily a bad thing). Although, when it comes to that, its like everyone else in the rap game. It seems that it is almost impossible to write a club song with a meaning other than sex. The only thing is that, while I do like the message behind some of the songs, I feel like some of them try to get pity for himself for having a rough life.
In my opinion, this album deserves 8 out of 10 stars.
Overall, I say go out and buy it. You won’t regret it.
Did you hear the big news? Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are teaming up with Talib Kweli and Big K.R.I.T for a 29-city US tour! Tickets are on sale for most of the dates this Friday, June 28th at ticketmaster. Just be sure to buy them ASAP, as they are expected to sell out quickly.
Watch the video below for more info on their latest expedition.
Get ready. Drake released details of his next studio album, “Nothing Was The Same”, dropping on September 17th.
Along with this announcement, Drizzy also released 4 new songs for FREE. The the songs feature the likes of J. Cole, Sampha, and more.
Tickets for Drake’s tour, “Would You Like A Tour” can be found here.
How do you think Drake’s new album will stand up to the other rap/hip hop albums dropped this year, like J. Cole’s “Born Sinner”, or Kanye’s “Yeezus”? Will Drake break any records?
