Drake & A lot more🔀

By the time The Blueprint 3 arrived in 2009, JAY-Z’s relationship to rap had gotten complicated. He’d headlined rock-oriented festivals like Glastonbury and materialized at shows by Brooklyn bands like Grizzly Bear, saying he hoped indie-rock might help shake up what he saw as the stagnancy of hip-hop. The Blueprint 3 positions him as an elder statesman of rap, one who condemn trends (“D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)”), but who isn’t afraid of the crossover moves that made him famous in the first place (the Rihanna-featuring “Run This Town,” the Alicia Keys-featuring “Empire State of Mind”). At one point on The Blueprint 3, Jay claims he’s so tomorrow, his watch says yesterday. But on the precipice of 40, he knows better than to worry about time. After all, plenty of rappers have excelled at the game; JAY-Z wrote the rules.

So where to go? Talking to Oprah the month before the album came out—an event that in and of itself illustrates his transformation—Jay said the trouble with writing music people can relate to is that his life isn’t normal anymore. Thematically, The Blueprint 3 fixates on legacy: building it (“So Ambitious”), defending it (“Real As It Gets”), enjoying it (“Thank You”), and sharing it (“A Star Is Born”).

Maybe Jay has bigger things to think about—Barack Obama once claimed he’s probably the only rapper to get played in the Oval Office. But on The Blueprint 3, his ego won’t let him rest from going after trap rappers (“Real As It Gets”) or smirking while he polishes his reputation. He’s happy to bring new voices to the table—including Drake (“Off That”), Kid Cudi (“Already Home”), and J. Cole (“A Star Is Born”)—but woe be to any who try and take his seat.

With his darkly sparkling vocals, evocative storytelling, and contagious rhythms, Omah Lay is one of Nigeria’s most talked about innovators. The 25-year-old singer and producer’s brand of Afro-fusion effortlessly pulls from his deeply personal history with West Africa’s percussion-heavy highlife genre, as well as his enthusiasm for the popular sounds of his generation—from classic rap to the Afro-beats empire flourishing in his home base of Lagos. Throughout his two inventive EPs, Get Layd and What Have We Done, his lithe voice unravels tales that range from introspective to romantic to gratifyingly explicit, expertly laid over lush and soulful instrumentals. Layered with vivid scenarios and heartfelt confessions, Omah Lay’s rich music not only depicts a young man daring to reveal his grittiest vices and innermost feelings, but also doubles as a fascinating window into Afro-fusion’s bright and expansive future.

ICLOUD LOCKED iphone xr for sale call on #0977051756

YoungBoy's first official full-length, the platinum-certified Until Death Call My Name, was released in April of 2018, and soon charted in the Top Ten of the Billboard 200 album chart. The album included guest appearances from Future, Lil Baby, and Birdman, as well as the Top 40-charting single "Outside Today." Less than a month after the album was released, a mixtape titled Master the Day of Judgement appeared. A trilogy of EPs, 4Respect, 4Freedom, and 4Loyalty, arrived the following August and September. All three were then combined with an additional EP's worth of material as 4Respect 4Freedom 4Loyalty 4WhatImportant. The restlessly prolific artist released two additional mixtapes, Decided and Realer, before the end of the year. In October of 2019, he released the mixtape AI YoungBoy 2, which debuted at number one. Still Flexin, Still Steppin appeared in February of 2020, and reached number two on the chart. He continued his winning streak a few months later with his yet another mixtape, 38 Baby 2, which topped the charts upon release. In addition to a guest spot from DaBaby, the set also featured YoungBoy's mother, Sherhonda Gaulden, holding her own on "Bout My Business." In September of 2020, YoungBoy released his third project of the year and second studio album Top. The 21-song album featured guest spots from Snoop Dogg and Lil Wayne and debuted at the number one spot on the Billboard chart. Closing out the year, he went on a blitz of releases, starting with the crew compilation Never Broke Again, Vol. 1 and extending his chart streak with Top Ten mixtape Until I Return and a collaboration with Rich the Kid, Nobody Safe. ~ Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi

Life Before Fame, arrived in 2015 and was quickly followed by a trilogy of releases titled Mind of a Menace. Shining a spotlight on his gritty and violent upbringing, YoungBoy displayed a talent for wordy bars, combining the spirits of contemporaries like 21 Savage and Boosie Badazz. In 2016, he released the 38 Baby mixtape, which featured fellow Baton Rouge rappers like Badazz and Kevin Gates. Before I Go Reloaded, a collection of previously released tracks, was issued at the end of the year, as the future of his burgeoning career remained uncertain. In 2017, after he was released from prison, he issued AI YoungBoy, which featured the single "Untouchable." The effort debuted in the Top 25 of the Billboard 200. Months later, YoungBoy issued Fed Baby's, a collaborative mixtape with Moneybagg Yo. He quickly followed Fed Baby's with Ain't Too Long, a short mixtape that debuted as a streaming video playlist before landing on the Billboard 200.

🔌