#Repost: Saving Yourself By Drowning: A Drogas Wave Reaction

This is not a review. This is a reaction. Lupe Fiasco released his highly anticipated seventh studio album on Friday after leaks hit the internet. Facing leaks of his content is nothing new for Lupe, but his reaction to the leaks have evolved, as he has done as an artist. Wave is an album of evolution and creation. The construction of the album outweigh its lyrical impact and it is in the blueprint of the tracks that Lupe has created something attuned to a love letter to his fans. I heard this album as a black female. I heard this album as a Lupe Fiasco fan. I heard this album as a critic of Hip-Hop. And Lupe Fiasco’s attention and knowledge of his fanbase and himself allowed me to listen to the album as all three.

#NewMusic: Dayne Jordan - "Annoying"

"It's Third Degree, ya heard of we, I'm Dosage, have ya heard of me..."

No stranger to this side of the web, Philly artist Dayne Jordan let loose "Annoying", a track dedicated to the fair weather fans and the conditional support folks. Hit play on your platform of choice and stay for the beat flip. Can we look forward to another Lupe and Dayne collaboration? One can only hope.

#NewMusic: Jake Lloyd - "Daily Interlude" prod. by DSII

We all have those days when you want to rage quit life and Jake Lloyd has perfectly illustrated those feelings of pure exasperation. The Austin based artist, along with producer DSII released a fun, extremely relate-able track from his upcoming project MoonLit Mornings. Take a break from adulthood and stream "Daily Interlude", below. 

Hip-Hop and Anime : “Chouwa Oto” — Origins : Spirits of the Past

The best part of Hip-Hop is that inspiration can come from anywhere. The talents of beat makers and producers are only limited to their imaginations. Hip-Hop and anime have been in a long distance relationship for some time, and rightfully so and while watching some of my favorite animes, I always find myself on YouTube, researching their opening and closing themes. I fully appreciate the way that other cultures hear sounds and interpret their meanings. When reading the lyrics, the songs of animes have some of the most gripping themes, not usually seen in American cartoons.

What a talented producer can do with a sample from some of the best animes is what spawned this idea. It is easy to create from a region with which you are familiar with, but I have seen that the most awesome compositions span cultural identities. Anime Inspiration is here to bring you some of my favorite sounds from around the anime universe.

#NewMusic: C.Shreve the Professor - "Gone" prod. by KevoBeats

North Carolina emcee C.Shreve delivers a new single, his first of the year. "Gone" is a smooth track about dream manifestation and personal accountability to that dream. The road is not traveled for the destination in sight, it is taken for the experiences lived and learned along the journey. While taking the time to understand where you're going, it's just as important to pay attention as to how you get there. Listen to "Gone" and be on the look out for the video, coming soon.

#LongRead: The Duality of Hip-Hop's DNA As Seen Thru Death

From its inception, Hip-Hop was seen as an honest caricature of the culture of Black and Brown
Americans living under the systems of oppression and racism that are the backbone of The American
Dream. It’s ironic the the idiom “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” is a prevalent mantra within the processes of
building the culture, because it doesn’t leave time for REM and dream manifestation. Another line that is
often chanted under the guise of tenacity, ambition and the hustle mentality is “Sleep is the cousin of
death,” but all kinfolk aren’t skinfolk and the cousin that you avoid at family reunions might be the one
that shows up unexpectedly at your door.

#NewMusic: BaSkaveli - "Who Hurt You EP"

Today BaSkaveli from Chicago comes through with a 3-Track EP featuring songs inspired by his Exs.

Album: Frak - "Limewire '03"

Limewire was one of the internet's first bootlegging softwares. It marked an age where anything in the world had become accessible to us through technology. Sampling early 2000's R&B, Frak's album touches on this tech accessibility, and how it has affected us, through our relationships, our physical spaces, and even our egos. - Listen now!