Man Crush Monday: Post Malone

(Image via nme.com)

The 22-year-olds sophomore album titled, beerbongs & bentleys is jam-packed with an 18-song tracklist. Featuring a couple we already know the words to; “Candy Paint” and “rockstar”. Post Malone makes a rap album that almost doesn’t feel like rap at all.

Malone carries his own weight on this album; although he has some stellar features (Nicki Minaj, G-Eazy, YG, Ty Dolla $ign…) Songs like, “Rich & Sad”, “Psycho,” “Zack and Codeine,” and “Better Now” have that addicting Post Malone sound. Some beats are pop, while others are harsh hip-hop.

He’s unlike other rappers, as we hear on the acoustic ballad, “Stay”; which seems to already be a fan favorite. Malone’s wavering voice glides alongside a smooth acoustic guitar. He sings about the struggle to maintain a relationship; “Tell me that it’s all okay, I’ve been waitin’ on this all damn day, call me in the mornin’, tell me how last night went, I’m here, but don’t count on me to stay.” Never have I been able to listen to a rapper sing an acoustic ballad like this and still like it.

This album has been in the works for a couple years now. Malone tweeted in late 2016: “beerbongs and bentleys isn’t a song…. It’s a whole project. also a lifestyle and it’s coming.” Time definitely did this project justice. Full hip-hop albums are hard to love in their entirety, but Post Malone has managed to make each song stand on its own full of bubbly choruses and insanely cyclical beats.

According to forbes.com, beerbongs & bentleys already destroyed the record for the most streams of songs on an album in the U.S. All 18 songs were played 48 million times in just the United States.

 

To see Post Malone live, click here!


 

Live Review: Quinn XCII & SZA

The Detroit native performed for a college crowd in a haze of vape smoke and waving arms. Playing songs from his latest album, The Story of Us, like “Fake Denim,” “Always Been You,” and “Flare Guns”. Students sang along to every word as Quinn hyped up each track; bouncing around and showing his love for Syracuse, NY.

 

Image via my assistant: www.instagram.com/abigailjudiith/

 

I was thoroughly impressed with Quinn’s live vocals. He actually wore himself out near the end and became a little hoarse; which is a testament to how hard he goes at each show. His band consisted of a drummer and keyboardist; simple but did a fantastic job at perfecting each tune. The three seem to have a fun friendship as they all danced and smiled with eachother.

Catch Quinn on tour here.

 


 

SZA walked on stage and the crowd went wild. The voice recording intro to her Ctrl hit, “Supermodel” played while fans screamed along the words. Big hair, camo pants, and a tiny off the shoulder top that kept exposing her chest made up the litte SZA; a dynamo in her own right. Playing all the favorites off her explosive album, Ctrl, left fans smiling and screaming for almost an hour. The singer addressed the crowd a handful of times, talking about her admiration for students getting their degree and trying hard to succeed. Admitting her stoner ways before singing “Drew Barrymore” and intro-ing the Kendrick Lamar-assisted “Doves In the Wind” by explicitly saying, “I wanna talk about pussy.”

The Missouri native amped the crowd up as the bass blasted behind her. She twirled and gyrated freely onstage while singing her biggest hit, “Love Galore”. The setlist also included “Go Gina,” “Normal Girl,” “The Weekend,” “Broken Clocks,” and “Garden (Say It Like Dat)”.

She professed her love for the crowd and then hopped offstage with the biggest smile. But just as the band was about to pack up, she came over the mic and said “WAIT, do you wanna do ’20 Something’? We should sing it together.” A song about getting older and living life in your 20’s. Her vocals were impeccable as she ended the song singing “God bless you, God bless you” over and over, just how you hear it in the song. She stops and says, “I couldn’t leave without saying God bless you.”

I would see SZA again every night for the rest of my life if I could.

 

To see more videos & pictures from these concerts, visit my Instagram 🙂


Live Review: Cashmere Cat

The Norwegian DJ/producer Cashmere Cat, otherwise known as Magnus August Høiberg, came to The Westcott Theater this Thursday. Cat has quickly become one of the most sought-after producers in the industry. Working with big names like Ariana Grande, Diplo, Major Lazer, and more.

Starting off the show with what sounded like an action movie soundtrack, Cat made fans wait quite a while to see him on stage. Once he did arrive, he jumped right into his track “Night Night” featuring Kehlani. The crowd got krunk to water droplet drops while the purple-hued lights set the tone for the night.

The 30-year-old played fan favorites like, “Adore,” “Mirror Maru,” “9 (After Coachella)”, and “Trust Nobody”. Adding an extreme remix onto every track left the crowd pulsing, especially when he spun out an EDM version of “Bartier Cardi”. He also played crowdpleasers like “God’s Plan,” “Do You,” and a sweet cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.”

After watching him play, I now understand where his name comes from. Magnus paws at the records like a house cat with a string toy. Later in the night, he perches on the DJ table, waves at the crowd, and continues to nonchalantly bop his head to every song. Cat puts on an EDM show unlike any other, featuring video game melodies, suspended beats, and altered vocals.

 


 

Man Crush Monday: Khalid

(Image via georgeherald.com)

The 20-year-old seems to be everywhere in the past couple months. His big smile and vintage style remind you of a cool big brother. Following the stellar 2017 release of his debut album, American Teen, the Texas native has been releasing collabs and features left and right. His easygoing voice seems to blend well with just about anybody as he hijacks every song and makes it that much better.

Singer/songwriter and mysterious pop star, Billie Eilish grabbed him for a track called “Lovely”. Eilish’s angelic voice has a certain darkness that Khalid compliments beautifully on this one.

 

Khalid recently released a new single titled “OTW” featuring 6LACK and Ty Dolla $ign. This one feels more hip-hop than anything else he’s put out. Spitting some slow raps, the singer finds his groove on this one. Ty Dolla $ign’s verse brings “OTW” to a new level that I hope Khalid dives more into this year.

 

R&B upcoming sensation, Sabrina Claudio also borrowed Khalid on her new sultry single, “Don’t Let Me Down”. Khalid takes the second verse making it swoon-worthy in seconds. A swift drum beat leads while the two serenade eachother.

 

Alina Baraz is no stranger to working with Khalid and recently released her album, The Color of You. “Floating” starts out with flawless harmonies; Khalid hits all the lows while Alina hits the highs. The song sounds like it could easily be found on a Khalid album.

 


 

Ari’s Return

(image via soundsblog.it)

The pop singer is back after a much-needed break from social media and the public eye following the tragic Manchester concert bombing last May. Grande has reportedly finished her fourth studio album which has been described as a “personal masterpiece”… of course.

Today is finally the day. We get a taste of what she’s been hanging onto for quite some time now. Grande’s new single “No Tears Left to Cry” is an obvious reference to what happened last year. Fans at a listening party in London said the song brought them to tears. A source told The Blast that people “openly wept at how she alludes to the bombing and how incredible the song is.”

At first listen, Grande’s echoing vocals immediately steal the show, singing, “right now I’m in a state of mind, I wanna be in like all the time, ain’t got no tears left to cry.” A runway-esque beat leads the song to easily mimic tracks off the singers debut album, Yours Truly. Despite popular belief, “Tears” isn’t sad at all. It’s a beautiful medley showing resilience and happiness.

Watch the video below: