This evening, Kanye West announced that he’s changing the title of his album Swish to WAVES. Wiz Khalifa wasn’t a fan of the switch, as he felt the title encroaches on the wavy territory set by imprisoned rapper Max B.
Kanye gave Max B a Twitter nod, but Wiz ~manually retweeted~it, the Twitter fingers equivalent of a nuclear strike.
Freeing the wave is something we can all agree on. Watch our FADER doc At Home With Max B below.
Rapper/producer, Rashad Stark craves for success in his thrilling new video, “Wanna Ball 2.” As Stark goes on about his desire to ball, a mysterious figure mixes up potions in a kitchen illuminated by red lights. The obscure visuals for the track offer a unique portrayal of the magic that Stark raps about trying to tap into. The clip also features rappers Yuppie Lifestyle and Fat Trel and was filmed on location in Stark and Trel’s hometown of Washington D.C.
Fat Trel said an in email to The FADER, “The beat was smooth and I was rocking with da vibe of the record. Didn’t really know the video’s direction but it turned out dope.”
Enjoy the rap fairy tale above.
In case you’ve ever been stuck for ideas on what to do while you wear clothes, once again, the stars have come to your rescue. Kendrick Lamar, FKA twigs, Justin Bieber, Fetty Wap and Joey Bad@$$ have all shared Calvin Klein ads on Instagram for the clothing brand’s #mycalvins campaign, as spotted by Pitchfork. They all look very fashionable, yet comfortable and approachable.
This continues a bumper 2015 for the omnipresent, sext-positive brand.
This morning, B.o.B. released “Flatline,” a track that aimed to give further explanation to his theory that the world is flat. On the song, he takes aim at scientist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, who on Monday publicly explained to the rapper that the world is round. On the songs second verse, B.o.B. also raps: Do your research on David Irving/ Stalin was way worse than Hitler/ That’s why the POTUS gotta wear a Kipper [kippah]/ I’m a man first ‘fore an artist/ Get a lawyer, look up Doctor Richard Sauder.
The lyrics seem to carry at least a bit of anti-semitism, especially in their endorsement of David Irving’s research. Irving is a famous European Holocaust denier. In 2011, a London judge described him as an “anti-Semitic and racist” person who “associates with right-wing extremists who promote neo-Nazism.”
Reached over email from the Scottish highlands on Tuesday, Irving told The FADER that he had never heard of B.o.B. or the song until we contacted him. “I would like to say I have the greatest respect for American rap singers, but can’t quite get the words out,” he said.
According to Irving, his reading of the lyrics suggests that “[B.o.B.] does not quite go along with what the media (and shortly, Hollywood) says about me, quite right.” Irving said he agreed with B.o.B.’s estimation that Stalin was worse than Hitler. “I think that Stalin is credited with 35,000,000 nicks on his bedpost, Hitler only 6,000,0000,” he wrote.
And although Irving was unfamiliar with the terms “POTUS” and “kippur,” he said that he “will now take a greater interest in American rap.”
Representatives for B.o.B. did not immediately return a request for comment.
Kanye West has changed the name of his upcoming album Swish to WAVES, according to a representative. This isn’t the first time Kanye changed the name of the project – its first title was So Help Me God, but that was axed to in favour of Swish. This is by no means the final title, after all, Kanye did make this threat when he first changed it:
Update: Kanye has shared a new track list for the album on Twitter. The revised WAVES now includes an extra track called “ULTRA LIGHT BEAM,†and has been divided into acts. There also a few interesting signatures, belonging to A$AP Rocky, The-Dream and Swizz Beats. Check that out below.
ScHoolboy Q has been quietly working on his follow-up to 2014’s Oxymoron, aside from strong guest appearances on tracks like Tinashe‘s “2 On†and Anderson Paak‘s “Malibu.†This afternoon, TDE CEO Anthony Tiffith posted a clip of a new ScHoolboy Q song and video that may be called “Groovy Tony.†It seems from the dark and stylish clip that Q has doubled down on playing the villain, to the point where he may even be a monster (has his mouth been digitally erased in the video’s opening seconds? Creepy).
Producer, DJ, and rapper P-Lo can now add “verified street urchin†to his list of titles thanks to his “In That†video. The HBK Gang‘s “swaggy Filipino†leads his crew around the Bay Area streets, blasting one of the standout tracks from his latest mixtape Before Anything. Are you in(to) that? Check it out above and read our profile of HBK here.
Remember the movie Snow on Tha Bluff? Ralo is a rapper that actually grew up in the Bluff, a neighbourhood on the east side of Atlanta, and he’s bringing us back along with Young Thug in his video for “I Know.†Be El Be, the video director responsible for distinctive Thugger visuals like “Power,†“Best Friend†and “Thief In The Night,†cuts the shots of strip mall mobbing with aristocratic living, and one very distinctive Rolls-Royce. More tracks from Ralo and Young Thug are forthcoming, including a track on Slime Season 3, but till then you can watch “I Know†above.
Like Tink or DeJ Loaf, Toronto singer/rapper Layla Hendryx sings songs that are dulcet in tone but but tough when it’s time to really talk. Her latest release, Out Of Time, is comprised of 11 new tracks that are at once delicate and emboldened: lots of toothy boasts—like when she sings about her burgeoning career on “U Kno Dat,” I’ve got no time to play, I’ve been working so hard lately—floating over airy beats. The project features a number of fresh talents (Huey, Waves, Lord Horus, Brall Beats) and was engineered and recorded by Pro Logic and Pro Logic Studios in Toronto.
“Each song represents a different view on a situation I’ve witnessed or been though,” Hendryx explained in an email to The FADER. “I dug deeper to try and talk about a lot of things in my life, such as, family friends, relationships, etc.”
Listen to Layla Hendryx’s Out Of Time below.
1. Stormzy‘s grime freestyles have a history of scaling the charts. “One Take,” which calls out the BRIT Awards for lack of diversity, might be his next to blow.
2. Bunji Garlin‘s latest parade-bound riddim “Generals” is perfect for this snow-pocalyptic week, whether you’re booking a last-minute trip to a tropical destination or stuck at home in front of an oscillating space heater.
3. Future‘s Purple Rain has been out for more than a week, but we haven’t stopped listening. “Wicked” is our favorite this time around, not least for its sweeping Metro and Southside-helmed beat.
4. News of perennially cool PJ Harvey‘s long-awaited new full-length came with “The Wheel,” a five-plus minute track with cavernous production and lyrics about disappearing children.
5. On his new EP, Teklife cohort Taso included an unheard collaboration with DJ Spinn and the late, great DJ Rashad. “Nothin’s Gonna Stop Me” is dizzying, beautiful, and tinged with an unavoidable sadness.
6. Jamila Woods‘ name popped up this week as one of the women featured on Macklemore’s “White Privilege II,” but it’s her sonically layered, Saba-produced, and deeply empowering solo track, “Blk Girl Soldier,” that we’ve kept on loop.
7. Who is Lil Yachty? Dude’s Soundcloud is full of weird production choices and crooked flows, and his loosey-goosey ode to noncommittal relations,“1Night,” has over three million plays. Probably because it not-so-secretly slams.
8. Shamir is going on tour with Duran Duran, and so he recorded a heart-achingly scaled-back acoustic cover of “Hungry Like The Wolf” to celebrate.
9. Ex-Wu Lyf vocalist Ellery Robert’s LUH project is growing more intriguing by the day; just-dropped “I&I” pairs his famously gruff chops with Ebony Hoorn’s sturdy singing and some immaculate production by Haxan Cloak.
10. Argentinan producer Moro has a new project out on forward-thinking African label NON; visceral standout “Libres,” with its water-bubble samples, conjures images of a submerged Harry Houdini trying to bust out of his shackles.
11. Jahkoy‘s Wonda Gurl-produced, Zane Lowe-premiered “Odd Future” is the Toronto-born and LA-based artist at his most sophisticated and lovelorn, a delay-swaddled serenade that’ll stick with you.
