by Kanye West: I’m so happy there is FINALLY a new track from Mr. West! Knowing there is a new track from Kanyeezy has completely made my week! The track sounds like the old Kanye…you know – the Kanye that rose the charts with albums College Dropout, Late Registration and Graduation. Not so much the recent, gone crazy Kanye with 808s and Heartbreak.

The single is somewhat verbose and you can tell Kanye had a lot to say because at times, it seems like he could just keep going and going and going….But, with him being gone for so long he can really do anything he wants. He really has that much Power! The meaning behind this song is somewhat ambiguous. Some are speculating that Kanye is referencing his own power and arrogance, while others state he is referencing white power that is still prevalent in this country. Only time will tell what the true meaning of the song is or if people will stick to discussing the beat and melodic flow vs. the lyrics.

Me? I’m keeping this joint in heavy rotation. The track is definitely a club banger and I’m marking it as a ‘hit’. More importantly, one track means there are more to come. Good Ass Job is rumored to be the title of Kanye’s fourth album, set to release in September 2010. I’m counting down!

I heard this song a few weeks and immediately liked it. I forgot that I heard this track until I heard it on my cousin’s MySpace page yesterday! I have been listening to it non-stop since then. I love Lady Gaga so it was undeniable that I would love “the creatives” remix of this track. I consider Kanye, Common, and for this track I will include Kid Kudi as a part of “the creatives” as they are original and off the wall in their rhymes. This is a playful track to bring in the summer. It is also a great song to ride to and trust I will do so with my windows down and sunroof back!

by Jamie Foxx ft. Kanye West & Dream: I was listening to a mixtape earlier and this song came up in the queue. I like the background music, but I don’t think I have really listened to any words other than Kanye’s. This should have been Kanye’s track! I’ve tried repeating the track several times and the other artist’s just don’t make the song a hit for me. Rather, I think the track is too mainstream and requires you to overlook the lyrics to focus on the beat, melody, etc. until Kanye comes back up on the closing verse …I stated earlier on @6inchvinyl (one of my Twitter accts) that I didn’t know Jamie Foxx has a new album, Intuition, to be released THIS Tuesday. I knew he had a single out with T.I., but I thought the track was T.I.’s and didn’t make it to Paper Trail. I must say that this a perfect example of HORRIBLE marketing. When Jamie Foxx’s first album was released, he was everywhere! I practically knew the whole album before the tracklist was officially released. This brings an interesting point: Is it better for an artist to release half of his/her album before it is released to get a following? Or, is it better to leave fans guessing until the album drops? P.S. The track is Song of the Day because Kanye’s production and lyrics are hot, but it is also Wiggity Wiggity Whack because Jamie’s verse’s are below par for this to be his song!

by Kanye West ft. N.A.S.A, Santogold & Lykke Li: The rap Kanye is back – well he never left, but it is good to have a track with a different feel from him that doesn’t include his most recent singing! My ears have been intrigued by this hip-hop/rock mix that I have termed urban techno. I can’t wait until this is released as an official track so it can be the song on my MySpace profile. The only thing is that there are 3 additional artists on the track and I can’t tell who is who. Hopefully, they will release a video for the track that displays all these creative masterminds. Until then, I’m on the research hustle to find more information on who these artists are and the albums they have released/are about to release.

by Common ft. Kanye West: This was the second song I heard on a mixtape today and time I heard it, I knew the track would be Song of the Day. Aside from the dope beat and melodic flow, I suggest you reallllllly listen to the lyrics. It seems as though Common raps about a sexual interaction, but does so as a G speaking in code. These are just a few of the lines he drops: “My uhh is in your body. My uhh is in your mind. Check my dictionary, that ass is so defined. It’s slippery when it’s wet girl. I can read the signs. I knock and I knock uhh, can I come inside? I knock and I knock girl, can I come inside?“ That is just a little sample as you have to listen to the track to hear and appreciate the words that only a true lyricist can perform. Common decided to stray away from Kanye and include others to produce this album, Universal Mind Control, and I was a little skeptical of his decision. His last two albums that featured Kanye’s golden touch as producer garnered Gold status for both. If this track is any indication of how the remaining songs will be, I’m sure this album and Common will get the praise they both deserve!

by Kanye West: I consider myself one of Kanye’s biggest fans and have argued numerous people down about the finesse he brings to any track. I thought this album would have been named The Real World or First Job to follow his previous college related themes. Alternatively, he named the album 808s & Heartbreak and I can admit that when I first heard it, I was not impressed. You won’t be impressed at first either if you are stuck in mainstream and expecting the usual Kanye. This album will require you to accept Kanye dropping the occasional club bangers for singing while using the Auto-Tune for his voice and the TR-808 for beats. It took me a good 3-4 listens for the tracks to grow on me and I really like the album now! For some reason, I favor all the tracks with featured artists: Paranoid ft. Mr. Hudson, See You in My Knightmares ft. Lil’ Wayne, and Amazing ft. Young Jeezy. I like Heartless and Robocop too, although they do not feature any artists! I rate the album a 8/10 not because I like every song – because I don’t – but for being unique and Kanye stepping out of the ordinary and setting a new standard that I’m sure others will follow.

I had to come back and add to this post because I am watching a Kanye West interview. He said someone asked him why he was singing instead of rapping on this album. His response was “because I want too!” I will support him ANY day because of his independent thinking. He will do what he wants regardless of what anybody says to him. I respect that!?!

by M.I.A. ft. Jay-Z: Speaking of the cherry on top…Jay is featured on this remix of M.I.A.’s Boyz. The original version was ranked #7 on the Rolling Stone 100 Best Songs of 2007. For the song to be highly ranked, I am surprised that I am just hearing this. I would not have known who M.I.A. is if it had not been for T.I., Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne creating Swagger Like Us. Crazy thing is they sampled her song Paper Planes for Swagger Like Us and I had not heard Paper Planes prior either. So, homegirl has mastered her new strategy: To win big in the States, she MUST have the best artists somehow linked to her songs. Specifically on this track, Jay adds a unique flavor and I like how he doesn’t always perform on tracks that are considered rap. He has proven that he can mix it up with Linkin’ Park and now the British artist who uses the Dappan koothu style of music for this track. Dappan koothu is a musical genre that focuses on traditional dance and folk styles with a major emphasis on percussion instruments. You have just been granted your newly learned fact for the day!

by Eminem: Guess who’s back? That’s right. Slim Shady. Eminem. Marshall Mathers. Whichever name you choose, this man is back and in full force! Sorry this is just a clip, but this is what happens when you hear a track before it’s officially released! If this track is any indication of the other tracks off the same titled album, Relapse, it will be a hot one! This beat is sick and I like how he switches up the sound of his voice. Granted his lyrics are risky, but they have always been. You have to know to expect that from Slim. The rap game is REAL interesting these days…In 2008, we had albums from Lil Wayne, T.I., The Game, Nas, and Young Jeezy while albums from Kanye, Big Boi, and Dr. Dre will come before December 31st. When Em drops an album, the music game will be CrAzY!?! Only thing we will need is an album from Jay-Z to be the cherry on top.

by Kanye West: His first words are “I don’t want to see this on YouTube”. Too late!?! Let’s hope this is still posted for you to listen before he takes it down. You know I love me some Kanyeezy, so I will post this regardless! I CAN’T WAIT until 808s and Heartbreak comes out on November 25th. I haven’t purchased an album in years, but I have to buy this album to help my favorite artist get a millie records sold! From Love Lockdown to now Heartless, somebody must have been hurt by the love bug. At least he got an album out of it! Love Lockdown was good (not too sure about the video tho – it’s pretty whack!) and this song beats hard too! I’m definitely a fan. Like… I would have been on FANatic on MTV back in the day. But for now, since I haven’t met Kanye, I’ll just keep posting his hits!

by Cherish: Not really sure why this track was not on Cherish’s Truth album, but it should have been! Maybe if it was, the album would have had a higher sales record (30K copies TOTAL since May sucks)! Timbaland is the producer of this track and he has made another hit. He done done it again! Done it again! Sorry, I had a Kanye moment … The concept and lyrics of this song are fire! I went back to my old repeat habits and I have listened to this song about 10 times straight. It’s that good. Hope you agree…