Is Drake Ushering In A New Era With The Release Of His Eighth Studio Album, Titled “For All the Dogs”?

After months of eager anticipation from his fans, prolific Canadian artist Drake has officially dropped his eighth studio album, titled “For All the Dogs.” Previously, the acclaimed rapper had teased his social media followers with the promise of a release last month, only to face an unexpected delay, the reasons for which remained undisclosed. However, on Friday, October 6, the album finally graced streaming platforms. Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Graham, excitedly shared the news with his dedicated fan base through an Instagram post, featuring a striking picture of himself. “FOR ALL THE DOGS IS YOURS NOW,” he captioned his post, accompanied by a spotted dog emoji. Spanning an impressive 23 tracks, Drake’s latest album boasts a runtime of one hour and 24 minutes, solidifying its position as one of his lengthiest releases to date. This year, Drake has made guest appearances on songs by fellow rappers like J Hus, Central Cee, Young Thug, and Travis Scott. In his illustrious career, Drake has achieved a total of 12 Billboard No. 1 albums. Among these, two stand out from last year: “Honestly, Nevermind,” which delved into dance music and dropped in June, and “Her Loss,” a rap-centric project featuring 21 Savage, released in November. The question remains on whether it’s time for Drake to take a break, or will he be ushering in a new era with this album? In a recent candid interview, Drake has made it clear that his health is now his top priority. During an episode of the show “Table for One” on SiriusXM’s Sound 42, Drake announced that he will be taking a break from music to address health concerns that have been troubling him. Drake opened up about the “craziest problems” he’s been experiencing with his stomach, which have prompted him to make the decision to go on hiatus for what he estimates could be “maybe a year.” In a recent statement Drake said “I probably won’t make music for a little bit. I’m gonna be honest,” he confessed on the show. “I got some other things I need to do for some other people that I made promises to, but I probably won’t make music for a little bit. I’m gonna be real with you. I need to focus on my health first and foremost and I’ll talk about that soon enough.” Drake is undoubtedly deserving of a well-earned respite. In a span of less than two decades, he has shattered numerous longstanding records on Billboard’s charts, and he shows no signs of slowing down. At present, he holds the record for the Hottest 100 hits among all artists, boasting an impressive 299 entries on the chart, which includes an astounding dozen No. 1 hits and an unprecedented 70 top 10 placements. Additionally, he has achieved the remarkable feat of charting 12 No. 1 albums, and it appears that he’s on the brink of adding yet another to his already impressive list of accomplishments. “Drake releases new album For All the Dogs: Tracklist, features and everything we know”. www.independent.co.uk/us. October 6, 2023.October 6, 2023. Drake is taking a break from music: “I’ve been having the craziest problems for years with my stomach”. www.avclub.com. October 6, 2023. October 6, 2023

Outkast’s ‘Speakerboxxx/The Love Below’ Achieves The Title Of The Best-Selling Hip-Hop Album In History

OutKast’s 2003 album “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” has become the best-selling rap album of all time, surpassing 13x platinum with over 13 million units sold. This achievement places the classic hip-hop album, known for hits like “Hey Ya!” and “The Way You Move,” in the top position ahead of Eminem’s “The Eminem Show.” The album was originally a double album, with one solo disc from Big Boi and another from André 3000, marking a significant moment in their hip-hop career. Big Boi celebrated this milestone on Instagram, emphasizing Outkast’s enduring impact. The album was a massive success, with songs like “The Way You Move” and “Hey Ya!” reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outkast won three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, with “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.” Lauryn Hill’s “Miseducation” is the only other hip-hop album to have won that award. “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” is one of only seven hip-hop albums to be certified diamond, signifying sales of 10 million units or more. Other diamond-certified albums include 2Pac’s “All Eyez On Me” and “Greatest Hits,” The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Life After Death,” and Eminem’s “The Marshall Mathers LP.” Lauryn Hill’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” Beastie Boys’ “License to Ill,” and Eminem’s “Curtain Call: The Hits” have each sold 10 million units. Now what’s cooler than being cool? Ice Cold and best-selling of all time, obviously! “Outkast claim title of having best-selling rap album of all time“. www.11alive.com. October 3, 2023. October 4, 2023.

#REWINDREVIEW: KRS-One ‘Return Of The Boom Bap’ (1993)

  This is how you know time must be moving faster these days because at the time of the release of this album, KRS-One was considered “old school.” This was thirty years ago almost to the date that ‘Return Of The Boom Bap’ blessed our ears. It is the debut album for KRS-One as a solo act and although all he did was drop the “Boogie Down Productions” moniker, this album felt like we had never heard this from him. KRS was in a zone on this record and it truly felt like he was in his “second childhood.” ‘Return Of The Boom Bap’ never lets up in terms of song interest and personally over the years the few songs I thought were the weakest initially, have grown to be my favorite tracks. There is a magic to what “The Teacha” has been able to do all these years and as simple as it may be to say he is one of the greatest it’s harder to pinpoint that said magic. KRS is one of the greatest orators in this hip-hop culture and he has been able to activate that trait on all of his releases, even the latter ones that might not have been received well. KRS knows that the ultimate battleground is the live stage so when songs like ‘Uh Oh’ are made it’s not just an album cut but crafted for the audience to be fully immersed in during a live show. This is why ‘Return Of The Boom Bap’ is not only a classic in KRS-One’s catalog but HOP music in general. The whole album could be performed live by itself. From ‘Outta Here’ to the uncontrolled energy of ‘I Can’t Wake Up,’ to the unexpected hit still heard in movies and shows today, ‘Sound Of Da Police,’ KRS amassed a selection of tracks that provide the perfect mix of “Edutainment.” Still available to serve you on the mic with ‘Mad Crew,’ the importance of black women on ‘Brown Skin Woman,’ questioning the religion handed to slaves on ‘Higher Level’ is The Teacha in his most prestigious moment on this release. To make this album more tight nit is the production of D.J. Premier, Showbiz, Kid Capri and KRS himself. A combination of names that in 1993 had no choice but to succeed. If it isn’t obvious by now I’ll say that this is one of my favorite albums, even before I started calling KRS-One the greatest. What did you think of the album? Singles include: ‘Outta Here,’ ‘Sound Of Da Police’ & ‘Return Of The Boom Bap’ Listen to QUANTUM LEAP RADIO every Saturday from 4-6p.m. CST & Thursday from 3-5a.m. CST on 90.1 FM KPFT Houston in HD2 Worldwide @kpft.org/listen/ & TuneIn app (under “kpft in HD2”) Catch past episodes by searching and following @fanlink.to/QuantumLeapRadio

Akon’s ‘Lonely’ Music Video Achieves One Billion Views on YouTube

In the music video for the 2005 song “Lonely”, the scene begins with Akon basking in the adoration of his fans as they give him a standing ovation at his concert. Nevertheless, the applause gradually diminishes, and Akon finds himself standing solitary on the stage. Although a friend extends an invitation to join a gathering of friends, he graciously refuses, preoccupied by a multitude of thoughts. The video then transitions to scenes of Akon reflecting on the actions that led his girlfriend, portrayed by actress Kat Graham from The Vampire Diaries, to abruptly leave him without explanation. As Akon wanders through the town, visiting an abandoned video game arcade and strolling down a bustling boulevard, Graham is depicted crying in separate scenes. She takes a plane ticket, packs her bags, and departs from the home she shared with the singer. The visual concludes with Graham arriving in a taxi and warmly greeting a man who is not Akon with a hug. “Lonely” served as the third single from Akon’s debut studio album, Trouble. The track achieved a peak position of No. 4 and spent a remarkable 20 weeks on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking Akon’s third solo entry on the chart. “Lonely” now joins the prestigious Billion Views Club on YouTube, following the success of Akon’s “Smack That (feat. Eminem)” with 1.1 billion views and David Guetta’s “Play Hard,” in which Akon featured alongside Ne-Yo, also with 1.1 billion views. “Akon’s “lonely” video Joins YouTube’s Billion Views Club”. Billboard.com. September 27, 2023. September 28, 2023.  

#rewindreview: T-Love ‘Return Of The B-Girl’ EP (1998)

  The West Coast B-Girl, T-Love touched down with a quick but heavy debut in ‘Return Of The B-Girl.’ My introduction to her was on D.J. Rhettmatic’s (Beat Junkies) ‘World Famous Beat Junkies Vol.2’ mixtape. The track ‘I’m Comin’ was this sort of spooky mix of raw HOP music with a ladies voice that was mixed and cut to perfection in which D.J. Rhettmatic is a professional at. Still it wasn’t until about a year later that I would hear a couple of other songs from T-Love during the beginning of internet streaming radio in 1999. Those cuts were ‘L.A. To Brooklyn’ featuring Siah & Yeshua Da PoED and the title track of this EP featuring Kool Keith, who at that time I was becoming a huge fan of due to his left of center rhyming and content. T-Love uses this twenty minutes of HOP music to showcase a “no fear” style of rhyming with a voice that commanded respect. Rapping alongside the aforementioned M.C.’s is a task and on ‘Wanna-Beez’ featuring Chali 2na (Jurassic 5) the two’s back and forth on the track makes one realize how as listeners we took for granted the effect of collaborations in a studio verses being emailed in. The record is produced by This Kid Name Miles (yes that’s his name) who provided T-Love with some awesome beats that although are well within the lines of “truskool” HOP music, do not sound the same or get stagnant. My biggest issue with this release as that it was only an EP. This is appreciated these days as so many releases leave listeners fatigued while a record like ‘Return Of The B-Girl’ made you wait with bated breath, only adding value to the project and one’s listening experience. What did you think of the album? Singles include: ‘I’m Comin’ Listen to QUANTUM LEAP RADIO every Saturday from 4-6p.m. CST & Thursday from 3-5a.m. CST on 90.1 FM KPFT Houston in HD2 Worldwide @kpft.org/listen/ & TuneIn app (under “kpft in HD2”) Catch past episodes by searching and following @fanlink.to/QuantumLeapRadio

Meek Mill Makes Deal With Fans To Share Rick Ross Collaboration Before Official Release

Meek Mill has announced that he’ll unveil his upcoming collaboration with Rick Ross, titled “Shaq & Kobe,” if his Instagram post from Tuesday garners 20,000 comments. The official release date for the track is set for Friday, September 29th. Surpassing expectations, the post had reached 21,000 comments by Tuesday afternoon. In his caption, Meek Mill encouraged fans to comment if they longed for the iconic MMG rap sound, countering claims that rap was in decline. He pledged to share the song ahead of schedule with the hashtag #KOBEANDSHAQ if the comment target was achieved before Friday. Numerous artists in the comments section expressed their excitement for the release, with Bobby Shmurda stating, “I Call the shots 🔥 a boss is one who guarantee we go eat,” and Rich The Kid leaving multiple fire emojis. Meek Mill and Rick Ross have a history of collaborations dating back several years. During an appearance on Drink Champs in May, Rick Ross reflected on Meek’s growth since signing him in 2011, emphasizing how rewarding it was to witness Meek’s development as an artist. He praised Meek and Wale, both of whom he signed, as talented individuals he had recognized as geniuses and exceptionally skilled from the beginning of their careers. “Meek Mill Offers to leak rick ross collaboration ahead of Release”. Hotnewhiphop.com. September 26, 2023. September 26, 2023.

#REWINDREVIEW: Big K.R.I.T. ‘Return Of 4eva’ (2011)

  For me Big K.R.I.T. was apart of that list or upcoming rappers that wiggled their way out of the internet in the latter part of the 2000’s. At this time that scenario turned me off to many acts because it was yet another wave of oversaturation that obviously got much worse since then. It might have been the video single for ‘Dreamin’ that made me finally give K.R.I.T. a listen. This track was not what I expected from younger acts at the time and definitely not what I expected to hear from someone from the state I was born in. What I got with ‘Return Of 4eva’ was not only a treat but glimpse into what the future could behold. At this time I am recognizing the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Joey Bada$$ and finally feeling like I can support younger acts. The common denominator with those three was that around this time they were putting out undeniable material. ‘Return Of 4eva’ is a sonic BOOM and Big K.R.I.T.’s influences are all over this album but only he mixes those influences to create his own original meal. It did not take the Meridian, M.S. rapper to get to his 40’s to talk about real life situations that the common man can relate to. From the ‘Highs & Lows’ of life, the feeling of soundbombing while riding in your car in The South to releasing stress brought on by reality. Big K.R.I.T. planted his flag with this album and although it is a full record with twenty-one songs you often forget the length when heat after heat is constantly playing. One of the most amazing attributes of this album is it’s completely produced by Big K.R.I.T. and is not feature heavy. Fellow Mississippian David Banner makes an appearance while Chamillionaire takes time from tech investments and Joi lends her Atlantic vocals adding to the southern feel of this record. Big K.R.I.T.’s longtime collaborator Big Sant joins him on ‘Made Alot’ which channels U.G.K. but the D.N.A. of Goodie M.O.B. is present and welcome on the most enlightening track ‘Another Naive Individual Glorifying Greed & Encouraging Racism.’ One can understand the acronym this song represents and for me only stamped my approval of K.R.I.T. much like when Cee-Lo broke down the meaning of Goodie M.O.B. on ‘Fighting.’ This album deserves more praise when talking about those early 2010 releases that were more than just place holders on peoples minds and ears for about a week. Big K.R.I.T. is a case study on how knowing what came before you can birth the best of what you have coming. What did you think of the album? Singles include: ‘Dreamin’ & ‘The Vent’ Listen to QUANTUM LEAP RADIO every Saturday from 4-6p.m. CST & Thursday from 3-5a.m. CST on 90.1 FM KPFT Houston in HD2 Worldwide @kpft.org/listen/ & TuneIn app (under “kpft in HD2”) Catch past episodes by searching and following @fanlink.to/QuantumLeapRadio

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