Music

#TBT Mixtape: Nicki Minaj – Playtime Is Over

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Nicki_Minaj_Playtimes_Over-front-large

In April or May of 2007 (my sophomore year of college,) I was riding in the car with my then-boyfriend, excitedly listening to Lil Wayne‘s new mixtape The Drought 3, when I heard a really dope female voice on “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop.” Interest piqued (as I always appreciate a dope chick,) I picked up the case to see what name was listed, and made a mental note to Google “Nicki Minaj” when I got home later that day.

After some Googling in my dorm that night, I landed on her MySpace page, and I was excited to see she was SUPER fly, and had a few more really good songs as well. Being the random person that I am, I sent her a message and told her how much I was feeling her stuff, and asked how I could get my hands on more. She wrote back pretty quickly and was super sweet, thanking me and letting me know her debut mixtape would be dropping in about a month. She even left one of those ridiculous glittery “showing love” GIF’s on my comments that we all used to use. LOL!
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#TBT Mixtape: Ty Dolla $ign – Beach House

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Ty_Dolla_ign_Beach_House-front-large

Ty Dolla $ign released his Beach House mixtape in October of 2012, hosted by DJ Ill Will and DJ Mustard. This would go on to be the first of 2 installments in the Beach House series, followed by his debut EP of the same name in January of 2014, as well as a tour.

The 13-track mixtape featured hits like “My Cabana,” “4 A Young” and “Know Y I Came,” (all 3 of which are in my “Top 25 Most Played” on iTunes) as well as collabs with IAMSU!, Kid Ink, Joe Moses, Dom Kennedy…and even production by PartyNextDoor, way before the OVO co-sign!

Y’all know I love Ty Dolla $ign everything, but this body of work is definitely my favorite from him as a whole…so far. His debut album, Free TC, will be arriving later this year, and I know that’s going to be insane too! Get Beach House below, plus a few music videos from the project as well.
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(Video) Dip Set Hits Hot 97 To Freestyle + Announce Reunion Tour

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Marisa Mendez x Dip Set 2015_LifeIsTremendez

It’s been so long overdue, but finally all members of the iconic Dip Set crew are on board for a REAL reunion, and an album is on the way. It will be warmed up first with a mixtape though, hosted by LIT Digital DJs‘ Funk Flex, DJ Mustard, Swizz Beatz and DJ Khaled.

Stopping by Flex‘s show on Hot 97 last night, Cam’Ron, Juelz Santana, Jim Jones and Freekey Zekey dropped off their new song “Have My Money,” while also spitting some bars off J. Cole‘s “Fire Squad” beat (for Lz and Jim) and “The Roc (Just Fire)” beat for Killa – which was a blast from the past, since that’s a Just Blaze beat from Cam‘s 2002 classic album, Come Home With Me.

The 15-city tour dates have not yet been announced, but the guys did reveal it will start with an NYC stop first at the Best Buy Theatre, and that they’ll also be at Flex‘s sneaker expo during All Star Weekend. The latter, however, is just to meet fans and sell Dip Set merch, NOT a performance.

Check out video from their Hot 97 visit below.
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Music Video: Machine Gun Kelly – Till I Die

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Machine Gun Kelly - Till I Die

Back in November, I headed out to the Midwest to join Machine Gun Kelly and his EST team for the Cleveland premiere of his first-ever movie role in Beyond The Lights. During my 3-day stay, he also shot the video to his new single “Till I Die,” and I fell in LOVE with this track!

Going back to the places in Cleveland that mean the most to him, the visual to MGK‘s 216 anthem goes from the streets of some of the most notorious areas of the city, to the very first house he and his friends ever lived in together, to the club where he toasted to life and celebrated his movie role with the people he came up with (aaaand me, LOL.)

It’s been over two years since Kells released his debut album Lace Up and gained international exposure thanks to his mega-hits like “Wild Boy” and “Invincible,” and he’s finally gearing up for his sophomore effort, leading off with the Justice League-produced “Till I Die.” It’s MGK SZN, y’all! Get into the Casey McPerry-directed vid below! (And of course – look out for a cameo by me and my cell phone in the BTS at the end because duh.)
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LifeIsTremendez Presents: 7 Artists To Watch For In 2015

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LifeIsTremendez 7 Artists to Watch in 2015

People send me their music links all day long on social media and in my email, but with a schedule like mine, it’s damn near impossible to ever sit there and listen to it…not to mention the fact that I really don’t care to. Being that I have no interest in being a manager or a publicist, I’m not really scouting for new talent like, ever.

However, there are times when I stumble across new things that I love. Working in music, I meet tons of artists all of the time – some already established, some working their way up. Of the latter, it’s more than just the music that tends to pique my interest, as I pay attention to their social media interaction, their personality, their style, the team they’ve put in place (because NO one can do this on their own,) and their overall brand. There are tons of songs I come across from upcoming artists that I do enjoy, but if the only thing they have going on for themselves is a good song or two, I’m not ready to commit as a “fan” just yet.

That being said, there are a handful of young, hungry artists I’ve met this year, and 7 in particular truly stood out to me. I love putting people on to new music, especially stuff that I am passionate about. Though I’m not an A&R, I do recognize the fact that I’m in a position to shed light on things, and I definitely need people to be checking for these guys! In NO order (though I do go from west to east,) check out our list below of who to watch for in 2015. Remember who told you!
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Mixtape: Dave East – Straight Outta Harlem

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East

Orchestrated by Scram Jones, Harlem rapper Dave East comes through with a gift for fans just before the holiday, Straight Outta Harlem. The 20-track mixtape is a mixture of new songs and new freestyles, and serves as the follow-up to his recently released EP, Black Rose. The kid is working!

Stream and download Straight Outta Harlem below, then head to MTV to check out his latest video, “Around Here.”
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(Photos + Video) Ty Dolla $ign & Jhene Aiko “Hydrate The Hustle” With vitaminwater and The FADER

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LifeIsTremendez_Ty Dolla Sign x uncapped x Philly

I was doing my bi-weekly browsing of DollaSignWorld.com/Tour over the weekend (judge me – I don’t care!) when I noticed a new Ty Dolla $ign date in Philly for Tuesday. The show was a part of vitaminwater and The FADER‘s “Hydrate The Hustle” #uncapped series, alongside Jhene Aiko and newcomer, Raury. Of course I had to be in the building, so on Tuesday night, I headed down the Jersey Turnpike and spent a few hours at The Skybox.

Despite my VIP band that allowed me to watch the show from the upper level without being smushed in the crowd, I had to be front and center to get my fan-girl on, and that I was during the opening act, Raury, followed by the $ign. I’d only heard of Raury prior to last night and never actually heard his music, and watching him live, I can see why the industry is buzzing about him being the “next big thing.” Backed by a full band and mixed in with high-energy performances of tracks from his recent Indigo Child mixtape, the ATL singer that caught Kanye‘s attention also covered a few Nirvana and Queen songs…winning me over with “Bohemian Rhapsody.” (TOTAL childhood memories right there!)

Next up was Ty Dolla $ign, and although I paid attention to nothing else but my own little world as I sang along to every song, according to the recap, the crowd went nuts too. LOL! Hitting the stage in a Pink Dolphin ski mask (that came off after the first 2 songs,) Ty performed a medley of his hit singles and features, including fan-favorite “Irie,” “Or Nah,” the song that gave him his big start, “Toot It & Boot It,” “Paranoid” of course, his “You & Your Friends” hook, “Dead President” off his recently-released $ign Language mixtape and more. I’d share some video that I captured, but they all have clips of me singing and looking kind of ridiculous, so I’ll refrain.

Closing the show was the beautiful Jhené Aiko, who performed a steamy set of ballads (all while barefoot, of course) including “Spotless Mind” and her hit single, “The Worst.” Check out video of Jhene‘s performance below, as well as a few pics from the night!
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