Good evening and welcome to Volume Seventy-Four of the Monday Blues & Beats. Today might belong to the Maybach Empire, seeing as they hit us with not one, not two, but three brand new jams off the upcoming Self Made, Vol. 3. Only slightly outdone was Cole, with his two fresh cuts of his upcoming sophomore effort Born Sinner. We also have new material from CHVRCHES, Joey Bada$$, Gold Panda, Hodgy Beats and Ellie Goulding covering an Alt-J number…Let’s go!
UPDATE: Added singles from 2 Chainz and Jadakiss
After Cole switched up his release date to match Kanye’s Yeezus, he graces our ears with a two fresh sounds. Look out for Born Sinner June 18 – iTunes Pre-Order Available
J. Cole – Crooked Smile (feat. TLC)
Here’s the second teaser from Born Sinner, with the highly anticipated feature from TLC. It’s been over 10 years since the group has put out new material, but they’ve assured the world they have a brand new album in the works.
This Scottish Electropop trio has yet to disappoint me with their sound and creativity. “Gun” serves as their latest single from the yet unknown debut LP – but i’ll take it.
Jadakiss – Big Boy Dialogue (feat. The-Dream)
This track surfaced a few days ago in low quality, but dropped on iTunes a moment or two ago. Really like what Jada did with this track, a gritty beat from Phonix Beats (aka Darius Barnes) while Dream croons on the hook – fantastic composition. Available on iTunes
2 Chainz – Feds Watching (feat. Pharrell)
2 Chainz premiered his new single at Summer Jam yesterday, little did we know it would include Pharrell on the hook and beat. Watch out for his sophomore LP dropping September 10th.
Rick Ross announced today that the third instalment of the Self Made compilation albums would surface this summer. Along with the announcement came two tracks. Here’s the first, coming from the newest signee Rockie Fresh and boy does this track go. Boi-1da cooks up a heavy hitter, perfect for the young Chicago emcee to deliver some soulful lyricism.
Wale – Poor Decisions (feat. Rick Ross & Lupe Fiasco)
The second MMG joint is headlined by Wale, featuring Ross and an unlikely suspect; Lupe Fiasco. Produced by Jake One.
Rick Ross – Oil Money Gang (feat. Jadakiss)
The third number from the Maybach Empire is from The Bawse himself featuring the OG Jadakiss. This is one of the better Ross verses i’ve heard in quite some time. Produced by longtime collaborators J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. So far, the project is 3 for 3 – the tracks have depth, unique features and three very different sounds.
Ellie Goulding – Tessellate (Alt-J Cover)
Goulding is making sure everyone knows she’s still here by covering Alt-J’s “Tessellate.” The group doesn’t necessarily make the easiest music to cover, but Ellie did it justice.
The latest from the Pro Era corner comes from JB, an urban street anthem with a beat to match from Statik Selektah.
Carousel – Another Day (The Golden Pony Remix)
The Brooklyn boys that go by The Golden Pony give Carousel’s latest happy-go-lucky jam a sunny disco infusion – ready for those BBQ playlists.
Phoenix – Trying To Be Cool (Breakbot Remix)
AHM has posted both Breakbot and Phoenix before, this time around they come as a package deal. BB adds some extra heat in the form of funk.
Off Ink’s new Almost Home EP. Produced by N4 & Ned Cameron
Bonus cut off the Almost Home extended play, Ink goes in hard over this Jahlil Beats concoction.
As Gold Panda prepares to give us Half Of Where You Live (June 11), he delicately tickles our ear drums with “We Work Nights,” in all its Indian-infused glory.
One of the better cuts off Hodgy’s new Untitled EP 2 – which you can download in full HERE
After Dream released IV Play, he comes back with a 4-track FreEP which you can download HERE
Empire Of The Sun – Alive (Zedd Remix)
The Russian-German DJ lends his expertise to Empire Of the Sun’s latest single “Alive.” While it may start of casual, the tempo gets a couple well spaced out adrenaline injections. You can get the remix EP on iTunes and Pre-Order Empire’s Ice On The Dune
I’m a med student and it’s really difficult to stay updated because i don’t have too much free time. I really appreciate the proper tagged songs and the little description. Thanks a lot.
You’re very welcome. I know how it is with not finding enough hours in a day, but this is exactly what the mixes are for. There’s so much garbage to filter through in a week, and I appreciate you coming here for new music.