Only Adding To Our Legend: In The Tapedeck

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In The Tapedeck: Big Sean - Detroit

I step in the booth and change the world like I was voting ~ Big Sean

After saying that he didn't like his debut album, Big Sean hit us with his fourth mixtape Detroit. Released just days after Lil' Wayne's Dedication 4 and named after the city he reps so much, Sean guaranteed to return to his mixtape roots, and it's obvious he has only grown since his Finally Famous series days. With a mix of soulful and trap beats, Detroit has a track for every occasion and a song for everybody.

One of the qualities that separates Big Sean from a lot of newer rappers that have come up with him are lyrics. Like it or not, Big Sean is a lyricist, and Detroit proves it. Opening up with 'Higher' Big Sean laces the hookless song (which flips to the G.O.O.D. Music hit 'Mercy' halfway through) with bars after bars of his trademark witty lyrics. The deep content that is often overlooked also returns on this mixtape after being absent from his album; "less trigonometry and more about taxes, how about preparing us for life instead of lab rat us" as he raps in '24K of Gold'. The highlight of the tape comes at the fourth track 'How It Feel'. Backed by a crazy Barry White sample, Sean Don keeps up the player persona and crafts a song that sounds like it should come with a bottle of champagne. With big name features such as Wiz Khalifa, Wale, and Chris Brown and all original songs; Detroit sounds more like an album than a mixtape, and I'm sure this is the album Big Sean wanted to release from the start.

It's now apparent that Big Sean has become the self-proclaimed ambassador of Detroit in the hip hop world. Since Eminem is still working his Howard Hughes angle, Big Sean has gladly come in and assumed the role of representing Detroit and Michigan as a whole. From naming this mixtape after his city, to making the Lions logo famous again, to hopping on tracks with local rappers such as Dusty McFly and HBK Big Sean is doing what is needed to bring Detroit into the limelight musically. As important as it is to bring Detroit to the forefront, what Detroit really did was show doubters and haters that Big Sean can rap. Not only can Big Sean rap, but Big Sean can really rap, and might be one of the best from this era. So no matter where you stay, listen to these Detroit player rhymes and enjoy it as Big Sean has without a doubt made one of the best mixtapes of the year.

Download Detroit here

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In The Tapedeck: Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE

You don't know how much you matter until you're all alone ~ Frank Ocean

I imagine that's how Frank Ocean must have felt in the days leading to the early release of his debut album channel ORANGE. With the recent news that Ocean was a bisexual, many critics didn't know how the announcement would affect reaction of his album. It seems like the controversy only helped promote the album, which is on pace to sell over 125,000 copies in the first week, despite being released a week early and exclusively sold through iTunes. While the numbers don't lie, public opinion about if the album lived up to expectation, and it definitely did.

Now, let me start off by saying that if you are not a fan of true, traditional music composition you might want to save your $10 and keep this off the iPod. This is the type of music you play at the top of a penthouse suite on a Friday night in Las Vegas with a bottle of champagne on ice by the mini bar. With one of the most unique musical directions I heard in a long time, Ocean's debut has a vintage feel with a new age perspective.

When listening, there's an obvious focus on songwriting and Ocean's voice. With features limited to fellow Odd Future member Earl Sweatshirt, John Mayer, and ~~Outkast,~~ the rest of the project solely relies on Ocean himself. While the production on the album helps propel songs likes "Lost", "Monks", and the ten minute single "Pyramids", it's Ocean's vocals on the slower tracks that really show his strength as a musician. Songs like "Sierra Leone" and "Pilot Jones" display Ocean at his best; stripped down instrumentals that allow Frankie's raw emotions to come out through his lyrics. Nothing shows this better than the standout track of the album "Pink Matter", featuring Andre 3000. Over a quiet string section and a crying guitar, the song showcases nothing more than a man and his music.

When I finished listening to Nostalgia, Ultra for the first time I thought nothing more than Ocean being a promising up and coming R&B singer that seemed to have a talent for songwriting. By the end (and I mean literally "End") of channel ORANGE I felt like I could not even compare him to an R&B singer anymore. Frank Ocean has discovered the art of musical improvisation, similar to the way a jazz singer does. When listening to the vocals they are rarely, if ever, doubled. When singing, there are no ad-libs recorded on separate takes. Ocean simply follows where the music takes him. In the same way as Billie Holiday, Ocean lets the melody guide his voice, which only makes his records that more authentic. Now, I'm not saying that this is Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite or Baduizm, but as far as debut albums go this is more than a solid effort. While it might not be a classic, Frank Ocean has made a debut that can be enjoyed by music fans of all genres. With it's authentic feel to it, channel ORANGE delivers in terms of debut solo projects. I recommend you pick this up, even if it's your only purchase of the summer. With music this honest, the replay value is endless, and should be in every music lover's collection.

You can purchase on iTunes here.

In The Tapedeck: The Weeknd - Echoes of Silence

You just want me 'cause I'm next - The Weeknd

This man Abel has done it again. Right after Thursday dropped The Weeknd said that he would release his third album this Fall, and in typical Weeknd form he waited until the last half hour of Autumn to release Echoes of Silence. As I opened iTunes and put on my Beats by Dre's I was thinking in the back of my mind that he could not do it three times in a row; and once again he lived up to the hype.

The only word that can truly describe The Weeknd's music is amazing. When I saw the first track titled "D.D." I thought nothing special of it, until about 30 seconds in when I realized that he flipped the classic Michael Jackson song (and my personal favorite MJ song) "Dirty Diana". Now usually it's an automatic loss when anyone tries to cover Michael, but "D.D." is probably the best Michael Jackson cover I've ever heard. At nine tracks long, EOS follows suit with House of Balloons and Thursday as it sounds like one cohesive album, and like the others this album is almost flawless. Other standout songs include "Same Song" and "Next". It's honestly mind-blowing that someone who is only 21 is making music on this level, and is doing it so consistently. In this new era of music we're lucky to get one solid effort every couple of years, and duke has done it three times in one year.

So if you haven't heard of The Weeknd now it might be time to find that ratchet and off yourself. He took Drake's Take Care to another level, and it's obvious that he's been rubbing off on Drake. As we can expect more collaborations between Abel and Drake, he should also be signed to a major record label soon. There were even rumors that he turned down a $7 million dollar deal, so a very lucrative contract could be in the works soon.

In the meantime, download Echoes of Silence and just enjoy. I don't think the magnitude of what he's done this year has been fully appreciated. Music like this does not come around very often, and a singer so talented with a sound so refreshing is rare. So as 2011 is coming to a close, if you haven't already download The Weeknd's mixtapes, and it will probably be the best end of the year decision you'll make. He claims in his music that he has next in this game, but in reality he has now.

Download Echoes of Silence at The-Weeknd.com

In The Tapedeck: The Weeknd - Thursday

The weekend on a Thursday?

After months of waiting The Weeknd finally releases his follow up to House of Balloons with Thursday. Dropping last night with only an hour to spare before it was technically Friday, The Weeknd gave fans the next fix to overdose to. The release was so anticipated that the moment he put the download link up on his site, it crashed for more than an hour.

Now how do you follow up a perfect album? The answer is you can't. House of Balloons was a phenomenon that will be damn near impossible to repeat, but The Weeknd comes close to duplicating his debut album. Thursday in one word is amazing. While it is more up-tempo songs than HOB, it still flows perfectly and can be played from track 1 to 9 with cohesiveness. The opening song, "Lonely Star" sets the tone, and insures listeners that The Weeknd is not a fluke and that he is something special. It's hard to pinpoint highlights on the album because all the songs are high quality and refreshing. Drake makes a surprise appearance on "The Zone" showcasing the chemistry that the OVOXO duo have. As I sat and listened to the whole album last night it was like having déjà vu as I kept thinking to myself that this is quality music that can't be slept on.

So please stop whatever you're doing and download Thursday and House of Balloons if you haven't already and you can just thank me later. The Weeknd is so talented and unique that you will have no choice but to xo 'til you overdose.

Both Thursday and House of Balloons are available for download at the-weeknd.com.

In The Tapedeck: Big Sean - Detroit

In The Tapedeck: Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE

In The Tapedeck: The Weeknd - Echoes of Silence

In The Tapedeck: The Weeknd - Thursday

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