Earlier this month, Kendrick Lamar returned with ‘The Heart Pt 4’, taken from his forthcoming fourth studio album. Now the Compton MC unveiled yet another new single titled. Serving up an infectious piano riff, backed by 808 drums throughout and a hook you can really get behind – ‘Sit down/Be Humble’.
The cinematic video, directed by Dave Meyers displays some effective camera work, while Kendrick recreates The Last Supper and literally going up in flames. Kendrick has yet to announce details of his fourth studio album and follow up to 2015’s To Pimp a Butterfly, however, he has teased April 7th as an important date, so stay tuned. *Update* Kendrick announced his new album DAMN. which is set for release April 17th.
In the meantime, you can catch Kendrick at a string of US dates including The Barclays Center in NY (July 20 & 23).
Having recently completed a world tour, as well as a string of collaborations including, ‘Diced Pineapples’ with Rick Ross, ‘PoeticJustice‘ with Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky’s ‘Fuckin’ Problems‘ with 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar, Drake took to his official blog Friday and surprised his fans with an early release of his new single ‘Started From The Bottom‘.
Produced by Mike Zombie, the single was originally meant to be unveiled at next weeks Grammy Awards, where Drake is up for 3 awards, including Best Rap Album.
“Today is the day to begin sharing my newest work with you. I didn’t feel I needed any interviews or radio or press to launch this song. It felt right to come back to the site that I started on and release it to the people that started here with me.”
‘Started From The Bottom‘ will be the first single to be taken from Drake’s upcoming third album, and will serve as the follow-up to the massive 2011 album ‘Take Care‘ (The Motto, Take Care, Headlines)
Expect a video to drop shortly, along with some upcoming tour news!
With 2013 just around the corner, I wanted to compile a list of my favourite tracks of 2012. Not an easy task, considering the amount of standout tracks throughout the year. From TNGHT’s massive trap anthem ‘Higher Ground‘, to Frank Oceans RnB odyssey in ‘Pyramids‘, below are my top 100 tracks. Roll on 2013 and here’s to another exciting year in music!
American hip hop rapper, Kendrick Lamar, currently signed to Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath Records, is making waves with his new single, ‘Swimming Pool’ (Drank). Having been picked up and signed by Dr Dre, there’s been a lot of hype surrounding the artist, who has proved to be extremely unique and creative in his approach. However, Kendrick is determined to do his own thing, and not interfere with the creative process by reading too much into the reviews. Growing up, he was greatly influenced by West Coast artists such as Snoop Dog, Dre, Pac, DJ Quik, E-40, and as he started creating his own music in the studio, he looked to icons such as JayZ and Nas. Kendrick is part of the next generation of rappers coming out of Compton, and with that, he brings a fresh and interesting sound.
Speaking to Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1, Kendrick comments how ‘Swimming Pools’ was inspired by the 90’s house-parties of Compton CA, where there was so much alcohol flowing, you could almost fill a swimming pool full. Kendrick wanted to journey into that type of lifestyle and make a record, which not only inspired him, but one that allowed him to challenge himself and really stand out from the crowd. He hates how everything today is so ‘trendy’, in terms of flow, and cites albums like ‘Criminals’ and ‘Outckast’ as being the real game-changers, as it puts you in a different space. Kendrick appreciates how they did their own thing, and weren’t confined to what others were doing at the time. It is this same mentality that Kendrick strives for and is the driving force behind his own music.
Having performed at this year’s legendary ‘Coachella’ festival, Kendrick took to the stage with the one and only Dr Dre for ‘The Recipe’. To work with an artist such as Dre, who is still performing and perfecting his craft, was truly inspiring to Kendrick, and one piece of advice Dre gave, always stays with him:
“Always keep the passion, cause when you lose your passion, you start chasing the dollar, and once that dollar weakens, it’s going to weaken you”
His debut album, ‘good kid, m.A.A.d city’, is due out October 2nd. While he plans to tour the US, he also hopes to actively tour the rest of the world, and make a connection with the new generation. Regardless of the hype surrounding him, Kendrick is determined to prove himself, as nothing is for free these days.
RosieDTrax 