Music
DJ KHALED: MAJOR KEY
ANOTHER ONE! DJ Khaled is back with his ninth studio album “Major Key” and it’s SPECIAL. The king of collabos brings a slew of recording artists and producers together on fourteen tracks peppered with his signature style. This posse of posse cuts contains a mixture of club bangers, street serenades and conscience rhymes for your discerning ears.
He sets things off right with one of the hottest singles of the summer “I Got the Keys“ featuring Jay-Z and Future.
Courtesy of the abundance of hit makers, Major Key has some other notable tracks that will immediately grab your attention. Nas sounds as nasty as ever on “Album Done“ dropping jewels like “It’s a dub on that, we get government aid/Spend it at they stores, putting’ they kids through college/We need balance, so we can lease and own deeds in our projects/So i’m asking’ Gs to go in their pockets/The racial economic inequality, let’s try to solve it”.
J Cole comes just as correct in possibly the best solo effort on the album in “Jermaine’s Interlude“. The melodic mood of the beat, fitting flow and content will require multiple passes at taking this all in. While his peer Drake will have the ladies bopping to “For Free” and the brothers asking if it’s just me?
Now out of the bulk of musical marriages present in Major Key, the union of Big Sean & Kendrick Lamar takes top billing in “Holy Key”. Powerfully dissected by the vocals of Betty Wright, you won’t be able to find a wasted bar from cradle to grave.
“Don’t Ever Play Yourself” takes things back to the cypher days on the corner when everyone got their bars in and forgot…better yet didn’t need a hook to make it right. The co-conspirators on this assault are Jadakiss, Fabulous, Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe & Kent Jones. You may be surprised who the anchor is on this ship but he holds it down! You be the judge.
Now if that wasn’t enough to convince you to add this to your collection, peep the track listing below. That should change your mind and have you mouthing…WE THE BEST!
Track List
- I Got The Keys ft. Jay Z and Future
- For Free ft. Drake
- Nas Album Done ft. Nas
- Holy Key ft. Big Sean, Kendrick Lamar & Betty Wright
- Jermaine’s Interlude ft. J. Cole
- Ima Be Alright ft. Bryson Tiller and Future
- Do You Mind ft. Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Jeremih, Future, August Alsina and Rick Ross
- Pick These Hoes Apart ft. Kodak Black, Jeezy & French Montana
- Fuck Up The Club ft. Future, Yo Gotti, Rick Ross & YG
- Work For It ft. Big Sean, Gucci Mane & 2 Chainz
- Don’t Ever Play Yourself ft. Jadakiss, Fabulous, Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe & Kent Jones
- Tourist ft. Travis Scott & Lil Wayne
- Forgive Me Father ft. Meghan Trainor, Wiz Khalifa & Wale
- Progress ft. Mavado
Janita’s newest album Here Be Dragons is another in a progression of finely crafted hymns for the empowered. Whether by love, as in the silky “I Do,” or by subverting expectations, in the Beatlesesque “Not What You’re Used To,” Janita draws on lessons learned during a positively unique career that spans decades and continents. We caught up with Janita on the heels of her latest single “When It’s All Up To You” to find out three songs she’d love to have written.
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Elliott Smith — “L.A.”
This is one of my favorite songs by Elliott Smith. I listened to the full album Figure 8 a lot while I was writing the songs on my new album, and it was a huge influence on me both melodically and lyrically. This song in particular has also informed some of the production choices we made later, like the heavier guitars you hear on my song “Not What You’re Used To.”
“L.A.” is incredibly melodic, but there’s an elusive, haunting quality to it. It feels like you’re always trying to reach it, catch up to it somehow. The backing vocals accentuate that feeling. In my mind, the song paints such a vivid picture of the ephemeral, fickle nature of L.A., and the similarly transient nature of the main character. Elliott Smith himself? I don’t know exactly how he does (did) it, but I’m certainly in awe of it.
Radiohead — “There There”
So hypnotic. So badass. Could the production possibly be any cooler? The melody is intricate and beautiful, and I can relate to the lyric from every which angle: as the singer, as the one being sung to, and whether in love relationships, friendships, or with total strangers. The subject matter simply comes up in life in so many ways all the time… I recently tried to express similar notions as I was writing a song, only to remember that it was already done here perfectly. Goddammit.
Punch Brothers — “Julep”
This song is simply magical to me. It’s made me bawl my eyes out at a Punch Brothers concert two separate times. It’s like that viral video that was circulating some years ago of a baby moved to tears when her mom sings a sad tune. I’m that baby when it comes to this song. It simply hits some sort of primal button in me and keeps pressing it until the very end.
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While you’re at it, check out Janita’s video for “Digging in the Dirt,” a funky and faithful rendition of the Peter Gabriel classic.
Jay Som’s Melina Duterte and Palehound’s Ellen Kempner join forces as Bachelor – a musical powerhouse whose new record Doomin’ Sun drops May 28th on Polyvinyl.
Kemper and Duterter recorded the album during two weeks of mutual appreciation in California. Three visceral singles have been released in the lead-up, including the Pixies-flavored “Stay in the Car” and the sprawling “Anything At All.”
Bachelor has also announced the Doomin’ Sun Fest, a one-day livestream featuring Tegan & Sara, Courtney Barnett, Adrianne Lenker, Jeff Tweedy, Japanese Breakfast, Julien Baker, and more.
Two men that look suspiciously alike meet outside a fictitious Brooklyn hot-spot – six feet apart.
MC Krispy E: Very nice to meet you. (squints) Have we met before?
Electronic Device: Maybe?
MC Krispy E: Is the rest of the band joining us?
Electronic Device: (pause) I am the rest of the band.
MC Krispy E: You are Electronic Device? What’s that about?
Electronic Device: Uhm, yeah, it’s like a pen name. You know what that is, right?
MC Krispy E: I have some idea.
Electronic Device: It was actually the name of one of my dad’s companies back in the day before…
MC Krispy E: (looking at his watch) Wonderful. So… it says here you have a new single called “All Things Come to an End” inspired by the death of your brother.
Electronic Device: Yeah, after my brother died I recorded songs as a form of therapy in his old bedroom in Staten Island.
MC Krispy E: And now I read that you have cancer. Am I supposed to feel extra sorry for you?
Electronic Device: Uhm…
MC Krispy E: It sounds like this album is going to be super depressing.
Electronic Device: It’s not, I swear. I was looking for some happiness while recording these songs, there’s not much of an agenda beyond that.
MC Krispy E: What kind of music is it?
Electronic Device: I wasn’t really thinking about influences while recording, but listening back I hear some Concrete Blonde, some Cracker.
MC Krispy: So bands no one is interested in?
Electronic Device: What the hell, man?
MC Krispy: Sorry, it’s almost like I can’t help it. What’s the single about?
Electronic Device: I hate saying what a song is about because everything is up for interpretation.
MC Krispy E: Humor us.
Electronic Device: I can say that “All Things Come to an End” has multiple narrators, some of which are unreliable.
MC Krispy E: (stares)
Electronic Device: And that one day I was at my Dad’s house and when I turned the corner into the hallway my Dad thought I was my brother for a moment, which was super sad because of course I couldn’t be.
MC Krispy E: And then you wrote a whole song about that.
Electronic Device: I guess so. When you put it that way…
MC Krispy E: (yawning) Tell us when the single come out.
Electronic Device: The single is out now. The album comes out in 2021.
MC Krispy E: Well, good for you. And good luck with that cancer thing.
Electronic Device: Yeah, you too.
MC Krispy E: Thanks. What?