Blowin' Up: Headlines

Here's another piece of Drake's sophomore album "Take Care." I like it more than the other two track's I've heard, but I still think he's missing something. The track isn't bad, but it doesn't excite me either.

Either way, I know the song will get played. Drake's a big name in hip hop and he has a faithful following, so I guess we'll just need to get use to the song or suffer through it.

Remember These Songs?

This is the music I know and love. I'm going to be gone for a couple of days, so I'll leave you with this half hour block of 5 seconds from every #1 song of the past 20 years. Enjoy!

Best TV Theme Song

I was talking about this show the other day, and I've determined this may be my favorite theme song ever. It was easy to remember, represented the show perfectly and was unique to the show. What more could you want? Not to mention the show was great!

Have We Reached the End of the Branch?

Pop star turned rocker turned country singer turned mother. What hasn't Michelle Branch done? I know! Made a successful comeback.

Here's he first solo effort in a while. She also had the song Sooner or Later a while ago. The song didn't do phenomenally, but it still gets played every so often so I guess it's not a complete flop. I heard her newest song on the radio the other day, which leads me to believe she may be on her way to another mini comeback. Who knows?

Blowin' Up: You Make Me Feel

When I first heard Cobra Starship in 2006 I never thought they'd have a big hit. I liked them, and they had a stand out track on the Snakes on a Plane soundtrack. While I enjoyed them, I didn't think the majority of listeners would.

In they proved me wrong with Good Girls Go Bad, and I thought they were really lucky to have that hit song. I wasn't expecting much after that.

One again, I think they're going to prove me wrong...

I actually really like this song. It's been stuck in my head all weekend, and the music video is pretty cool. It features Sabi, who I don't know, but she's popping up on a lot of tracks recently. I don't think this song will withstand the test of time but it's good for the time being.

Haterade: Justin Beiber

I've tried to avoid Justin Bieber on my blog, because his fans would behead their own mothers if Justin asked them to. But I don't want this to go unnoticed.

Since Amy Winehouse passed away, celebs have expressed their condolences via Twitter. Not all celebs though. Justin Beiber decided to make the day about himself.

Justin's Tweet is in the middle. It's a shame that he feels the need to make a mockery out of anyone's death. I didn't predict Amy Winehouse would die, but I do have a prediction for you. Justin's career will be short lived. The more chest hairs he gets, the more fans he will lose. Maybe Justin think he'll live forever, but his career certainly will not. Amy Winehouse's career could have continued because she has talent. Justin is only a temporary fad. Once he ages, another teenage idol will replace him.

Classic: Believe

Here's a #1 single that never fails to catch my attention. Recently, Billboard praised this song as one of the best moments in auto-tune history. Well, I think this is one of the finest moments in Cher's career, and her career spans half a century.

This song is also one of my guilty pleasures. I usually have no shame in the music I listen to, but even I  have to swallow my pride with this one. Regardless, I am willing to admit over the Internet that I like this song. A lot.

Goodbye Amy

Hopefully you've already heard the news that singer Amy Winehouse passed away this morning at the age of 27. For music fans, this is very sad news.

Amy had a lot of problems with drugs and alcohol and this was very publicly profiled. While she gained fame for her amazing vocals, this fame was short lived. Rather than being know as an upcoming talent, she was known for her drug use. Although she did have a troubled life, I really think that the lack of support from the media made matters worse.

While the cause of death it still said to be unknown, it's mostly likely drug related. Just a month ago, I wrote a blog saying that she needed help after she was booed off stage for a sloppy performance. After this, she canceled her upcoming tour. This could have been an opportunity for her friends to intervene, but I guess they didn't.

Now we are left with her catalog of music. While small compared to other artists, her songs are still good listens.

Haterade: The Game

If I could give one piece of advice to The Game it would be this: don't bite the hand that feeds you. He used to work with 50 Cent and his clan G-Unit. But The Game went on the radio and dissed 50. Like an self-respecting business man would do, 50 dropped the game from his label. Now I don't have huge amounts of respect for 50, but this is definitely a decision I agree with.

After getting dropped, the Game was the last person to realize that we were only interested in him because he worked with 50. Without 50, no one gave a rat's ass. So Game tried to make more music, and no one gave a flying fuck.

Now, he recorded a track dissing Jay-Z. The Game is using other people's names to get himself in the spot light. I guess he's all about the fame and not the game (no pun intended). If he wanted to be famous, he'll get some coverage for dissing other rapper, but it also chips away at his potential to have a serious rap career. I guess at this point all of his potential is gone.

And another reason to hate The Game, his lame face tattoo. He once had a butterfly on his face. Kind of a pussy tattoo, but I would have given him a certain amount of respect for rocking it. Now he has a big tattoo that reads "L.A." on his face. Do you really need to be reminded of your hometown every time you look in the mirror? If you hated the butterfly have so dignity and get that shit removed. Or just deal with it, because no one wanted to see your face when there was no tattoo on it.

Hot Songs

Maybe you stepped outside today. It was hot. Maybe you stayed inside today. It was hot. The world is hot today, so here's five songs about the heat.

5. Drop It Like It's Hot

Remember when dropping your ass to the ground was hot? Yup, times have changed. Now that dance move is called taking a shit. But back in 2004 it was all the rage and so was this song. It's been a while since Snoop had a big hit, but his last one was hot.

4. Fire Burnin'

Last summer Sean Kingston was dancing on fire hot dance floor. This summer he's swimming in the ocean. This song is about heat so hot that the fire department needs to be called. That my be too hot for me. I'm breaking a sweat but not watching a forest fire.

Save Money, Don't Be a "Basic Bitch"

So I was checking out the 2011 VMA nominations, and I saw this song (which I had never heard) got Kreayshawn nominated for Best New Artist. I doubt she'll win, and I don't she'll ever make another splash, but this isn't a bad listen.

Lady Sovereign 2.0?

Blowin' Up: Shots On the Hood of My Car

There are some artists that I follow through thick and thin, and for some odd reason, Ke$ha's one of them. I've praised her in the past, so you might know why I like her so much.

This song isn't just a leak, but it's also rumored to be a new single.

Life of a Wizard

This post is not about Harry Potter. If that's why you're here I apologize for the misleading title, but read the blog anyway.

This song didn't make the cut for rolling papers, and I have no idea why. Now, it's slated to be released on a "joint" album by Wiz and Snoop to accompany and upcoming stoner film called high school. Radios need to start plaything this NOW.

Rebecca Black. A Modern Day Dr. Seuss

So it's here! Rebecca's new single.

She has renewed my faith in 2nd grade English classes, because she is rhyming like a champion. Although I doubt she wrote the song, someone was probably paid thousands to write this.

After listening to this song, I have come to the conclusion that Rebecca wanted her career to be a joke. The song is so bad it's nearly laughable. Not as laughable as Friday though. Rebecca is a little washed out at this point, and I can't see her getting the success she had with Friday this time around.

Overall, I grade this song with a D. She tries, but not hard enough.

Blowin' Up: Jada Fire

Kevin McCall is mainly a producer, but like most producers he wants to move into the actual music scene. If this is his debut attempt, I think he has a good shot. However, any success it has will be likely be due to the fact that Chris Brown is featured in it. Also, you may notice that Kevin McCall and Chris Brown's names seem familiar when paired together. That's because they've collaborated in the past on Deuces.

Oh, and yes, the song is named after a porn star.

What To Watch: Harry Potter

It looks like Harry Potter is not going out without a band. The latest movie has broken a lot of records. Not to mention it's really good.

I knew that Harry Potter was going to do well at the box office, but not this well. The film took in 168 million bucks making it the biggest opening weekend in history. Previously the record was held by 2008's The Dark Knight. Harry Potter also began with weekend with a record. It sold upwards of 30 million in pre-sale tickets. Not a bad start at all.

I've already praised Molly Weasley, but the movie itself deserves some praise. It is great, probably the best film in the series. However, I wouldn't recommend a newbie to see the movie. If you haven't seen the other 7 Harry Potter movies, this one will be way too complicated for you. It's really not a casual watch. But for the fans, this is exactly what they needed. It does the series justice.

Now, I will admit that I am not the biggest fan of the series. I've seen all 8 movies, 3 of them at midnight premiers. But I've never finished a book. While I don't feel fit to criticize the entire series, I feel that my opinion of the movies may be better than most because my opinion is not tainted by my love of the books. But I do like this movie a lot. I may even see it again. And if you haven't already seen it, I think you need to get off you ass and see it.

Featuring...No One

Umbrella is one of my favorite songs of the past decade. I rarely listen to it on my iPod any more, but when it comes on the radio I turn it up. But something's always missing. While this is Rihanna's song, it does also feature Jay Z.

I've noticed that a lot of radio stations are editing out certain artists that are featured in the song. I'm not really sure why they do this, but it ruins the song. When play music on the radio, people want familiarity. They want to be able to sing along, and the void where the featured artist should be is really unappealing. Here's some other examples of what I'm talking about:

California Girls without Snoop Dogg
On the Floor without Pitbull
Just Dance without Colby O'Donnis
All of the Lights without Fergie
Bow Chika Wow Wow without Lil Wayne

It's really a pain, and I think it ruins the song. Song were recorded a certain way for a reason.

American Hero: Molly Weasley

"Not my daughter you bitch!"

In case you've never heard of Harry Potter, Molly Weasley is the mother of Ron, Ginny, and a cornucopia of other sons. In the last book/movie, she defends her daughter's life and utters a swear word. In America, swears are no big deal, but in Wizard World they are! So for this plain Jane to say a curse word is unheard of.

Molly brought up her children not to say such foul language, but her kids could have died so why would she give a fuck anyways?

Oh yea, she saved many lives too. But way to exercise your right to free speech!

Blowin' Up: Up All Night

To be honest, I am a little underwhelmed by this song. I like it, but it has a slow start and ends slowly. I expected a little more.

This is Blink 182's first new single since about 2005. There last album was released in 2003, and the first single from that album, Feeling This, may be my all time favorite song from them. However, I wasn't too crazy about the album as a whole, and this song sounds like it could have been on the album. This sound it's too unique, but I'm glad that Blink is back!

Either way, I know we'll be hearing quite a bit about Blink 182 and their new song Up All Night in the upcoming weeks.

Kidz Say the Darndest Things

This gave me a LOL, but really, should Kidz Pop be allowed to have a Twitter? Their target audience is too young to have Twitter accounts. I never thought Kidz Bop would find a way to be notorious, but I guess they did.

Does Rebecca Black Have Talent?

Everyone has there 15 minutes of fame, and for some people those 15 minutes generate 100 million Youtube hits. Rebecca Black was one of those people. But now her hit song Friday has been taken off of Youtube, and she wants to detach herself from her reputation as the Friday girl.

Rebecca's new single isn't out for another week, but will she be able to strike gold twice?

In my opinion, absolutely not. She may be able to coat tail on some of Friday's success, but I see her career being short lived. I bet the majority of American's agree.

All Demi, No Disney

Firstly, I want to tell you that I am NOT obsessed with female, teenaged singers. My blog my suggest otherwise, but I can't ignore this song.

When I think of a typical Disney song, I think of the following topic: finding love in the big city, being cute and crazy, having two dates to the prom, etc. Demi Lovato's most recent effort is none of those things.

Demi, who has being dealing with personal and public issues recently has been out of sight for a while. Today, she released the song Skyscraper on iTunes, and it shot to number one. It's a perfect song about not being perfect. Much slower than I would have expected, but it works.

I'm really surprised an impressed. They song got little promo, but it seems to be creating a lot of buzz. Perhaps this not-so-Disney song will have a typical Disney ending. I hope so!

Is Legal the New Free?

Last October, online file sharing site Limewire shut down. Now, at the midway point in 2011, music sales have gone up over 8% when compared to 2010. Is legal music making a comeback, or is the record industry just lucky?

Well, I think that there is a certain appeal of supporting your favorite artists. I want to see the acts that I like do well and chart well. After all, if an act isn't successful, their record label may not want them around any more.

I still think there's a shift in the music industry. While music sales are up, less artists sold more than a million copies of their album in 2011 when compared to 2010. The 8% increase includes all music purchases, and that includes iTunes. I think that singles are doing really well, while record are still struggling.

Either way, any increase is a welcome increase.

Can Avril Save Her Era?

The first song from Goodbye Lullaby, What the Hell, was a pretty big hit for Avril. Got a lot of radio play, and made her relevant after over 3 years away from the music scene.

Then she released Smile, which was a mistake. I've only heard the song on the radio once, and it just isn't as appealing to the general public as What the Hell was. Time to move on and see if Avril is capable of producing another hit from Goodbye Lullaby.

I think her best bet is Wish You Were Here, and she just recently said it was going to be her third single. When the album was first released, this song actually debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 because it got a lot of downloads. Can she turn it into a hit after having Smile flop?

Blowin' Up: So What

Eve's been doing some acting in recent years, and he music career has been lagging. Recently she's released...well...nothing. But here's a new track by her. I like the beat, and it's nice to see more female rappers releasing music. I don't see thing being a huge song for her, but I'm hoping this is a "buzz single" for her, meaning we'll have more new material from her on the heels of this song.

Also, sorry the song is tagged. That happens when you get songs this fresh.

Haterade: Evel Dick

Any Big Brother fans here? If so, hopefully you understand my hatred for this man. His name is Richard 'Evel Dick' Donato. Even though he won season 8 of Big Brother, he is a total loser. CBS portrays him as an outspoken, intelligent player but in reality he is a vile old man and a deadbeat dad. He has no relationship with his daughter Daniele, but all the family has is Big Brother. Without the show they'd have nothing.

During his original season, he tormented house guests. While I love reality television fights, and can even tolerate petty jabs at intelligence and appearance, Dick has said some things that are disgusting, and probably illegal. I don't understand how the show tolerates his jokes about murdering or raping other house guests. It's a good thing he won the show, because I doubt anyone would hire him.

Classic: I'd Do Anything

I was watching the movie The Hot Chick last night, and this song came on at the end. It took me back to my jr. high years when everyone wanted to be "punk." Good Charlotte & Avril Lavigne were the cool acts on the block, and Simple Plan was the "poser" band. Well, at my school at least. Looking back, I hate the punk pop era, but this song really isn't too bad.

Blowin' Up: Big Sean

I know I mentioned his name earlier in a post about Kelly Rowland's new song, but this guy is really making a name for himself in the rap game. His new album sold very well for a debut, so I see a lot coming from him in the future.

I've sampled some of his songs and I can't say I'm wild for them all, but I really like this one. Give it a listen!

New Kelly Clarkson!

Here's the rumored first single from Kelly's upcoming album called Let Me Down. From the sounds of it, she's entering a good era. People that liked Breakaway should like her new material.



I like this song. I'm also a fan of the song Tell Me a Lie, which I posted 2 months ago. I foresee a big comeback for Clarkson in August/September!

Blowin' Up: Victoria Justice

If anyone on Nickelodeon has a chance at a music career, it's this girl. Now people may be starting to think that I'm obsessed with Disney/Nick singers but I'm really not. I just like her songs.

The first time I heard the song Freak the Freak out by Victoria Justice, I reacted the same way as I did when I heard See You Again by Miley Cyrus. I liked the song, but I didn't know who sang it. Once I found out the singer I was surprised, but that didn't change the fact that I liked the song.

Right now Victoria Justice has a song called Best Friend's Brother which is very, very catchy. And Nickelodeon knows how to promote. During every commercial break they play 30 seconds of the song until it get stuck in your head. So there you have it. I admit it. I like Victoria Justice's music.

Half Way There: Top 11 of 2011

So we're almost half way through the year 2011, so I'm going to post my 11 favorite songs thus far this year.

11. Rolling In the Deep

 
So this is Adele's firs song off of her new CD, and at this point it's VERY overplayed. But it's a great song, and it changed her career. It turned her into a household name, and song continues to do well.

10. Donald Trump

Rookie rapper Mac Miller is making a name for himself, and I love the song. While I don't think he's the most entertaining person in the world, I love he's getting more popular.

9. Better With the Lights Off

 

This song is about as 2011 as they come. Seriously, it's based off of one of the worst pick up lines I've ever heard. It features Chris Breezy, and it is produced by the Cataracs. Somehow, it works and I've become addicted.

Biggie: Case Closed or Case Continued?

A man has come forward claiming he was paid $25,000 to assassinate Biggie. It's been over 14 years since he was shot and killed, but little information has been revealed.

So is this a true claim? In my mind, there's a lot of doubt. Firstly, it seems unlikely that there would be 2 confessions in decade-old shootings involving rappers withing the course of a month. About 3 weeks ago, a man confessed to a 1994 shooting of Tupac (not the one that killed him, but it caused Pac to get mad at Biggie).

Additionally, the motive seems questionable. Would 25 G's really be enough to kill Biggie? Knowing he was a big name in the hip hop world, it would be nearly impossible to get away with the crime, although the supposed gunman would have done a good job of it. Everyone would know this would be a very public case that would receive more attention than the average murder.

I also doubt that the public will ever really lay the case to rest. Especially considering some rando shot Biggie. The public wants a story more than answers, and I really think a lot of people will not be satisfied if the shooter is not related to the East Coast/West Coast feuds.

Either way, I'm excited that we may be getting some answers! Hopefully this is a real confession, but I do have my doubts.

Return of a Queen

One of the most innovative artists in hip-hop is spitting on a track again. Last night I watched Behind the Music: Missy Elliott, and she mentioned a new song with Timbaland. Apparently, it was released a couple of months ago, but it hasn't really caught on. I'm surprised, because it's actually a really good song. They song is supposed to be on Timbaland's Shock Value III, which has yet to be released.

 

I've always been a Missy fan, so I'm glad she's slowly releasing new music. Back when Work It was release, I couldn't get enough of it. Her songs are very unique, and she seems like a great person.

Best of luck to Missy!

Another Love the Way You Lie?

This is just an instrumental, and the song is in no way confirmed. But if it's real it's going to be HUGE.
The song is supposedly named Slow Down, and it's by Eminem featuring Jennifer Lopez. The instrumental leaked onto the web this week, and just the instrumental is making me excited. I hope this is real, because I need another Love the Way you lie in my life.

Blowin' Up: Dirt Road Anthem

OK, so I admit that I'm not a huge country fan and I may be a little late on this song because I never follow country artists like I do artists of other genres.

It's nice to see a country artist have a successful song who's not Taylor Swift. This song is currently sitting at #10 on iTunes, and it seems to be getting more popular by the days. I'd also like to add that I like the version of the song without Ludacris, but adding him in makes listen to country music a little less dull.

So this is something different, but it's still getting popular. I do have a lot of respect for country music, but it's usually not my cup of tea. This is a welcome exception.

The Curse of Disney

It seems like every Disney star is working on their music career. Selena, Miley, Demi...and those are only the (mildly) successful ones. But looking at past Disney celebs, it seems most of them slowly fade to nothingness. Look at Hilary Duff. She used to be Disney's #1 girl, but now she has not music or acting career.

While Selena Gomez is riding high, Demi Lovato is trying to make her comeback. She has recently been a topic of controversy, and has been in and out of medical care. It's not uncommon for a Disney star to be caught in a scandal, and recovering can be hard. Demi has a single that's going to be released on July 18, so then we'll be able to see if she can recover. Until then, we have Selena Gomez to keep up preoccupied.

I really hope Nickelodeon star can take over the Disney stars someday. They're much more talented.

Justin Timberspace

So Justin Timblerlake just bought Myspace. I have no idea what he's going to do with an entire social network, but I like that it's creating some buzz for Myspace. I'll admit that back in 2006 I was addicted to Myspace. Ever since the world transitioned to Facebook, so have I. There still is a part of me that wants Myspace to become popular again, but the site really has declined.

No one really knows what Justin's going to do with the site, but he wanted to make it a place where fans can connect with their favorite artists. The problem is, that's what Myspace already is. His vision isn't unique, but he's got time to work on it. I'm sure he's at least boost the website's popularity a little bit.

Drake's Return

 

Drake is working on his second album, and so far he's posted 2 songs. Both of them are of him singing, not rapping. When it comes to singing, Drake is pretty text book. A lot of his songs are set up the same way. I usually don't like these songs at first, but they grow on my.

His first song that's made any impact is called Marvin's room. Honestly, I don't feel like it's anything special. He built his fan base on his raps, so he better deliver some good ones soon.