New Video : A Modern Romeo & Juliet

Ariana Grande has dropped a brand new video for her fabulous song Right There featuring Big Sean and it is every inch the perfect love story.
Based on the tragic love affair of Romeo and Juliet minus the fatal ending, Ariana plays the female lead alongside Patrick Shwarzenegger as Romeo and Big Sean as The Priest.
Check out the pretty video below

New Video - Jhene Aiko

Another flawless song from Jhene Aiko titled Bed Peace and featuring Childish Gambino. The video to accompany it pays homage to John Lennon and Yoko Ono and fits really nicely with the song - Jhene looks stunning too.

Halloween Horror : Scariest Music Videos Ever !

With Halloween just around the corner, it seems more than appropriate for to take a look at some of the scariest music videos of all time!
This includes videos that make you jump, scream, squirm and hide behind your sofa (and hopefully not because of the vocals) just like a horror film so make sure you prepare for a fright...

Thriller - Michael Jackson
Of course the late and great Michael Jackson had to grace this list with his ultimate Halloween song Thriller. The video matches the thrilling lyrics of the song with a mini horror film production which includes a dark night, a boy and girl out alone and some zombies doing an infamous dance number.
If you don't hear this in every club on Halloween night and bust out your MJ moves then you haven't really celebrated Halloween properly.

Monster - Kanye West, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj and Rick Ross
A video so freaky that it's almost impossible to find on Youtube so I'll fill you in on the basic concept for those who haven't seen it. The video involves all the artists in a mansion surrounded by female corpses and other female 'monsters', as well as Kanye casually clutching a decapitated head and some weird shots of his face being grabbed by hands.
To add to the shocking video, there are two Nicki Minaj's - if that's not horrifying then I don't know what is.

Yonkers - Tyler The Creator
This isn't necessarily a scary music video but it is very eerie and creepy and will leave you slightly emotional scarred. I don't know which part is more disturbing, the cockroach eating, the vomit or Tyler's angry lyrics.

3AM- Eminem
The perfect horror video and song that could easily be mistaken for a horror movie trailer. Eminem plays a mental patient/serial killer who is escaping and killing everyone in his path and the video also includes shots of him bathing in a bath full of blood.

Wonderland - Natalia Kills

Although it's a charming and fun pop song the video is far more disturbing, particularly the closing 60 seconds. But then again, whenever a music video starts with a warning message you know that some serious ish is about to down.

New Video : Azealia Banks

Azealia is back and although I am no longer a fan of her after her constant Twitter feuds and ignorant comments, I still keep track of her music because she is talented.
Unfortunately I am not feeling this latest track ATM Jam or the video she released today to go with it. The song itself is bland and doesn't seem to go anywhere which fits perfectly with the video which lacks all the energy and entertainment of what we have come to expect from Azealia.
Don't get wrong, Azealia looks great (she should stick with that weave) and the colours and costumes are visually appealing but it's all just a bit . . . safe.

2013 MOBO Awards

This year the MOBO Awards were held in Glasgow, once again, and hosted by the gorgeous Sarah-Jane Crawford and Trevor Nelson.
As much as I look forward to this award show, every year it seems to get less entertaining and is slowly declining into a bit of a joke.
The night included a lacklustre audience, awkward technical difficulties and lacked any real star power from outside of the UK to lift the energy of the show.
With the awards celebrating their 18th birthday, you would expect some big name performances or special appearances. . . but there was no bang, just a hesitant fizzle throughout the night.
Looking back at the 1999 show, for example, Jay-Z, Destiny's Child and Method Man are some of the few who were not only in attendance but also performed that night. This year we were given Rudimental, AlunaGeorge and Fuse ODG, who were all brilliant - don't get me wrong - but they are not on the scale of previous years performers.
I think the awards is slowly losing it's touch which is a shame because the concept behind the night - celebrating music of black origin - is a rarity in the UK and it has so much potential in being a well-respected and highly anticipated night.
Maybe have a comedian host the show alongside a young music presenter like Reggie Yates and throw in a couple more categories to celebrate more genres. Add bigger performances, I mean where was Robin Thicke with the biggest song of the year (he was in the country because he performed on the X Factor the following night) but most importantly, you need a bigger and better crowd.
Take the show back to London, throw in more artists, add some scandal and there you have an enjoyable night.

New Music : Eminem is a Rap God

Finally some brilliant music from Eminem, maybe even one of his best in years, that brings us back to the Stan-era when he was at the top of his game.
The speed yet clear annunciation and coherence with which Em raps is astounding coupled with the genius lyricism we expect from Eminem and a catchy hook we have ourselves a great track.
Very much looking forward to the upcoming album if this is what it holds!

10 Favouritest Songs Ever (and I know favouritest is not a word)

In celebration of reaching 1,000 page views for my blog (within the space of three months might I add) I have compiled a list of my 10 all time favourite songs ever !
I must admit that this list is as accurate as possible but I am sure some amazing songs have slipped my mind and being the music fanatic I am there were so many songs that I wanted to include but couldn't for fear of this turning into a top 100.
It is also important to add that this is in no particular order!
Enjoy :)

Venus vs Mars by Jay-Z - My favourite Jay-Z song! Love the beat and the hook and the lyrics...

Like A Star by Corine Bailey Rae - Love it so much I have it tattooed on my arm

Last Night by P Diddy - To this day I cannot understand why I am obsessed with this song but I am

Unbreak My Heart by Toni Braxton - A classic! I am forever singing it in the shower

Shot Caller by French Montana - Had to throw in a song from the 21st Century and this is the only one I                                                         will never tire of

Hey Ya by Outkast - How can anyone not love this song. It never fails to make me get up and dance

Waterfalls by TLC - Brings back so many childhood memories and the message behind the song is so                                          powerful

In The Arms of An Angel by Sarah McLachlan - Whenever anyone sings this on X Factor I well up.                                                                                         The lyrics and vocals are stunning

Pretty Wings by Maxwell - Another stunning song and Maxwell is such an underrated artist so he                                                           deserves a place on this list

Heartbreaker by Mariah Carey - A song dear to my heart because of the memories attached to it

Work and other commitments

My schedule is getting busier and busier by the day and it will continue to do so for the next few months.
My priorities at the moment are university, my new part-time job, my contributions to Birthday magazine every week and my partner; therefore, this blog comes after so many other things in my life including my social life that it is becoming increasingly more difficult to work on.
I do really enjoy writing this blog and I will continue to do so whenever I have time but it is getting harder to post every day...even every week. I am working on a couple of great posts and will try to keep on top of the latest music videos and brand new artists but between now and February things might be running a bit slower until I get on top of my time management.
Thanks for your patience and keep reading :)

Introducing : SZA

SZA is the first lady of TDE who also look after Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q, so she is in good company.
She just dropped the video for her Wondagurl-produced track Teen Spirit and it's a beautiful alternative R'n'B song. Her voice is haunting, the production is flawless and SZA seems very promising based on this first impression.
Her EP S was released earlier this year so take a listen when you have the chance because it's just as amazing as this track.

Artist of The Week : Eminem

After the not so brilliant performance of Eminem's big comeback song Berzerk he has quickly dropped a second song and a video.
Considerably different from the previous video which was high energy and light-hearted, Eminem is back to what he does best - being all sentimental.

New Video, Thanks Tyler

Tyler, The Creator never fails when it comes to being entertaining and controversial and this is often executed through his music videos.
This time Tyler has given us a funny, confusing and very weird video for Tamale . . . so nothing less than we have come to expect from him.
There are floating heads, jumping on a girls bum and a large cat all on hand but there are also some interesting political messages within the video too. One of them being explored within the first 30 seconds - the ridiculous censors we have in place that prevent certain images being shown because, as Tyler puts it, 'people aren't ready to have intelligent conversation before they judge' yet scantily clad women shaking their arse is perfectly fine viewing.
There is a switch in the last couple of minutes of the video (with a magnificent 2 second Pharrell appearance) as the tone of the song becomes more personal and emotional and offers us an insight into Tyler's life, which is a rare but quite nice occurrence.
Overall, another great video from Tyler, The Creator and the song ain't so bad either.

I Luv This

I was already a huge fan of the original track I Luv This Shit by the amazing August Alsina but now that the remix features Trey Songz and Chris Brown it is even better.
Three of the best male R'n'B vocalists of this generation all one song is bound to be a success and it helps that the song itself is great.
Take a listen:

Artist of The Week : Nyemiah Supreme

Nyemiah Supreme is a name you are most probably not familiar with but I'm here to help.
The Queens rapper is Timbaland's new protege and she is set for big things over the next 12 months with her debut EP dropping soon.
The journey begins this week with the release of her debut single and video Rock & Roll from the upcoming EP. The song is, of course, produced by and features Timbaland so you already know that the production is great and the song is catchy. Nyemiah is also a brilliant rapper and fills a niche in the current female rapper market (one that Azealia was supposed to fill but she spends too much time on Twitter spouting rubbish and not enough time releasing good music). Although this track isn't really used to showcase her flow and lyrics, it just seems more like a fun club song to get mainstream attention, her mixtapes prove that she has the ability to compete with the likes of Nicki.
If you're not humming 'la, la, la, la, laaa lala, laaa lala' after watching this video then you were not paying attention!

5 Reasons Why Twerking Needs To Stop

1. Everyone has had a go
Miley, Nicki and Rihanna have all displayed their twerking skills in music videos and hundreds of females have tried their luck on vine. Surely there is no one left on this planet who hasn't had a cheeky twerk either on camera, in the club or in the comfort of their bedroom.

2. Every other rapper things it's cool to now release a terrible twerk song
Wale has Clappers, Busta has Twerk It and then there's Don't Drop That Thun Thun, all because of twerking.
Novelty twerk songs are getting old now, let's get back to other topics like strippers, drugs and how much money you have, please.

3. Other amazing dance moves are being overshadowed
What if you can't twerk but your azonto is amazing, your cat daddy is crazy and your dougie is on point ?
It's not fair that all these other brilliant, and often more impressive, dance moves are being pushed to the side to make way for something that is basically butt shaking.

4. It's becoming a novelty act
Twerking has actually been popular for years and people have been singing about it and doing it since the late 90's. But now that it has entered mainstream society it has lost it's essence and is now just seen a novelty 'cool' thing to do and not so much as a skilled dance movement which, it in fact, is.

5. All the feminist stuff about objectifying women etc.
Although I don't like to rant about feminist issues or promiscuity in music because it gets debated all the time and nothing will ever change (I don't really think I want it to either), but twerking is just encouraging men to look at women as sex objects.
Making your butt cheeks jiggle to the beat of music is undeniably fun and a great work out, however it does just make it harder to defend yourself when a guy grabs you inappropriately because you were shaking it in his face.

All I See Is Signs, All I See Is Dollar Signs...

When a Rihanna video is released, it is never disappointing.
The Queen of Controversy is always happy to shock and delight fans and spectators with her Instagram posts, her celeb feuds and her tumultuous love life so when it comes to her music you can always expect even more ratchet-ness.
Rihanna delivered all that and more in her latest video for Pour It Up in which we see 'strippers sliding up and down that pole' and RiRi twerking on a throne. So just a typical day for Rihanna.
The visuals are dramatic and the athleticism of the strippers is impressive and RiRi looks beautiful as ever in a short blonde wig and very little clothing.
Love the song and love the video. Thumbs up for Rihanna yet again !

You Better Work Bitch !

Britney has released the new video for her single Work and I'm glad to say that it's a lot better than any of her last few videos. Her banging body is back and she looks confident and sexy which is something we haven't seen in a good few years.
It's a shame that the song itself falls flat, in my opinion, there's no substance to it - it sounds like every other dance track you would here in a club except less exciting.
There is still a long way to go until Britney is back to her Slave 4 U days but it's nice to see that she is making swift improvements to get there.
Take a look :

Defending Trap Music : With the example of 2 Chainz

Dumb down for my audience and double my dollars - Jay-Z

I find myself constantly trying to defend 2 Chainz against criticism such as 'he can't rap', 'he's annoying' and 'that's not real hip-hop', because I am a fan of his music.
I don't feel that all hip-hop should be poignant and meaningful because then it just becomes boring. As with any genre of music, hip-hop needs variety and trap music offers this. It's important to have artists who don't take themselves too seriously and aren't always concerned with sending a message or telling some personal, multi-layered story. As impressive and brilliant as that can be, sometimes you just need a ratchet, meaningless hook to get you hyped for the club or lift your spirits when you're feeling down.
This doesn't make trap music any more or less real in regards to its relation with hip-hop just because it isn't inundated with wordplay and metaphors. 

A frequent misconception amongst my peers is the relevance and intelligence of certain artists. 
2 Chainz is not stupid. He graduated from a state university with honors and in interviews he always speaks eloquently and presents himself very well so he obviously is a smart guy. I am sure he is aware of his critics and he could probably quite easily pen a decent verse and prove them all wrong.
But that is not what he represents and it wouldn't be authentic to the character he has created.
Sometimes playing the dumb role can actually be a very smart move which is evident in the success and fortune that 2 Chainz has accumulated in the last 18 months. The fact that he can charge $100,000 for a feature and still has artists like Drake, Robin Thicke and The Game knocking at his door with offers is proof that he knows what he is doing and he is doing it well.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same for some artists like Soulja Boy and Chief Keef because they have never showed me any signs of intellect within, or outside of, their music but hey, they're still rich and famous so they're not completely incompetent. 
But they're music, unlike 2 Chainz, is not entertaining or amusing on any level because I feel that it is a failure in hip-hop...even by trap music standards. Furthermore, they are both young and inexperienced in life and the entertainment industry so I don't feel that they are playing the same smart game as the far more mature 2 Chainz.

Obviously music is subjective and there will always be people who don't buy into, or enjoy, the trap music scene for whatever reason. 
But to accuse 2 Chainz of being stupid or a mockery to hip-hop is inaccurate because, as Malcom X once said, 'the clown never imitates the wise man but the wise man can imitate the clown'.