"Only One" - Kanye West Ft. Paul McCartney

For those who haven't heard. Kanye West started 2015 with the release of a new song with the iconic Paul McCartney entitled "Only One". You guys can peep song and lyrics right by hitting Yeezy's site. #FromDondaToNori

In early 2014, Paul McCartney and Kanye West first began working together in a small bungalow in Los Angeles. The process that would result in “Only One” began with a simple brainstorming session between the two: With McCartney improvising on the keyboards and Kanye vocally sketching and shaping ideas in a stream-of-consciousness riff. When they played back the recording afterward, something remarkable happened. Kanye sat there with his family, holding his daughter North on his lap, and listened to his vocals, singing, “Hello, my only one . . . ” And in that moment, not only could he not recall having sung those words, but he realized that perhaps the words had never really come from him. The process of artistic creation is one that does not involve thinking, but often channeling. And he understood in that moment that his late mother, Dr. Donda West, who was also his mentor, confidante, and best friend, had spoken through him that day. “My mom was singing to me, and through me to my daughter,” he said, astonished. The small group in the room kept listening: “Hello my Only One…just like the morning sun…you’ll keep on rising till the sky knows your name.” To some, Kanye’s insight didn’t immediately register. But then he explained: The name Kanye, which his mother had chosen, means “only one.” And then it dawned on everyone there: Something powerful and undeniable had occurred through the power of music and of letting go. A message had been passed down through generations.

Odd Future launches 'OF Radio'

It's funny how Cali's own Odd Future is probably the youngest Hip Hop collective and they are setting their own rules. Most rappers in this day are conforming. To set an example for this generation and future generations, the Cali reps decide to launch their own radio station 'OF Radio' through DJ Skee's Dash Radio. The group says "“Most radio sucks so we’re doing it ourselves. We play and do what we want." Thank you OF, thank you so much.

4 Producers Who Mastered Sampling

For those who know me well, I love instrumentals with a passion. Yes, I love lyrics as well but I personal can do with lyrics at all. In Rap, instrumentals are extremely important. A song can be completely trash lyrically but if the instrumental is great, you have a hit. Having a good instrumental can definitely be a blessing and a curse but I'm not gonna talk about that.


Sampling has become a major part of Hip Hop instrumentals in the past decade thanks to these 5 producers I will highlight. It's what Hip Hop & Rap music was built on. Beat beats are what sparked all of Hip Hop's 3 musically inclined elements: Emcee, DJ'ing & Breaking. Hip Hop has some of the best music producers to ever grace this planet but these 4 are the front runners of the sampling game.

Kanye West

Right out of the gate, even before he was a rapper, Kanye West has made sample apart of his process of making music. the way 'Ye flipped samples caught the ear of JAY Z and he immediately started making hit records for the former Rocafella general such as "Izzo", "Heart Of The City", "'03 Bonnie & Cylde" & "Encore". After that, Kanye West began his own solo career, in which he's made some of the most rapped over instrumentals ever such as "Two Words", "Diamonds From Sierre Leone", "Can't Tell Me Nothing", "Power" and many more. Not to mention, each of the song I just named contain a sample. From the smallest Young Jeezy ad-lib sample in "Can't Tell Me Nothing" to something as the man power it took to combine 5 different samples to make "Power". With that being said, Kanye West is one of the greatest sample producer ever.

J Dilla

The late great James Yancey, Jay Dee, or J Dilla will also have a special place in every Hip Hop head's heart as one of the best to ever do it. J Dilla got his start with Hip Hop collective Slum Village as an MC/Producer but later became known for his method of production and distinctive instrumentals. J Dilla has worked with Q-Tip, De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, Common and many more. Jay Dee peak struck when he released his instrumental albums Ruff Draft & Donuts. These projects alone contained samples from A Tribe Called Quest, Eric B & Rakim, David Bowie, Kirk Franklin, James Brown, Ras Kass, Lou Rawls and many many more. They way Dilla used his drums will forever be remembered by the Hip Hop community.

The Alchemist

Well, what can I say about this guy. He's very undercover with his at time but there is no doubt that The Alchemist, who is my personal favorite, is a producer who has mastered the art of sampling. Whether you release it or not, Al has producer some of your favorite Hip Hop tracks such as: "We GonnFra Make It", "Hold You Down", "Wet Wipes" and many more. Al got his start with duo The Whooligans and soon after started to venture out on his own. Producing for the likes of Mobb Deep, Evidence, Roc Marcino, Eminem, Domo Genesis and more, Al has been recognized for his unique use of samples from all over the world. Not only does he use soul samples, he uses samples from other countries. Recently, Alchemist release an entire LP comprised of tracks that only included samples from Russian music entitled Russian Roulette. Pretty good huh? That alone set Al in a different bracket that any other Hip Hop producer ever.

Madlib

Madlib or Quasimoto as some may know him as is different a master of sampling. He got his start in 1998 with Stones Throw records and the took a new route into Jazz & Electric music for a while. However in 2003, Madlib hit his peak with the release of the 2 collaborative albums Champion Sound with J Dilla as Jaylib & Madvilliany with MF DOOM as Madvillian. These 2 projects alone put Madlib at the top of his game. The 2 projects contains samples from The Isley Brothers, Gentle Giant, Cris Williamson, the film Frankenstein, Schoolly D, Lonnie Smith and much more. Recently, Madlib linked up with Freddie Gibbs for the critically acclaimed LP Pinata, which receive much praise by the Hip Hop community as being one of the most Hip Hop records release in a while. Now, that's saying alot huh?

4 festivals Outkast Will Be Headlines

Seems like Outkast is blessing the world with good news everyday. In addition to the news of them announces their renuion/20th anniversary tour and headlining the Governors Ball, they unleash 4 festival line-ups the Hip Hop duo will be attending & headlining this year: The Governors Ball, Hangout Festival, Big Guava & Firefly. Other artists attending these festivals include Wiz Khalifa, Chance The Rapper, Childish Gambino, Hiam, Janelle Monae, J.Cole and many more. Oh the excitement! Check out the line up to each festival name right below. UPDATE: Another festival has been added that Outkast will be attending, which is the Counterpoint Festival in Kingston Downs, Georgia. Check out the line-up below.

Action Bronson Added to SXSW Music Festival

Action Bronson has been added to the list of the hundred performers for the SXSW  Music Festival this March.

The SXSW Music Festival is one of the largest music festival in the world that takes place every year in Austin, Texas.

Sean "Diddy" Combs will also be in attendance to discuss his career, Revolt TV and more.

Eminem's "Berzerk" featured 56th GRAMMY Awards commercial

The 56th annual GRAMMY Awards are on the horizon and we have the very first commercial for it. This year's theme Music Unleashes Us featuring Eminem's MMLP2 track "Berzerk". 56th GRAMMY Awards are set to air January 26, 2014.