Sexual tension takes center stage in Justin Timberlake’s latest music video for “TKO,” the second single off The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2. Elvis’ granddaughter actress Riley Keough stars opposite Timberlake as she takes him for a not-so-pleasant ride. The clip is visually stimulating but not nearly as engaging as JT’s previous efforts “Mirrors,” “Tunnel Vision,” and “Take Back the Night.”
Late Night host Jimmy Fallon has another viral hit on his hands. In what always proves to be a perfect comedic pairing, Fallon invites Justin Timberlake to a conversation filled with Twitter’s most prolific symbol, the hashtag. So now when you see people walking the street tapping their fingers and saying hashtag you’ll know where it all came from: this bit of genius.
Justin Timberlake is about to drop the second half of his 20/20 Experience so here’s what you got to know. First of all, The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2 contains 11 tracks total and you can stream it all today over at iTunes. It’s up for preorder at iTunes today as is The 20/20 Experience – The Complete Experience which contains the 21 tracks that span the two albums. Target will once again sell an exclusive deluxe edition that contains two bonus tracks not found in the “complete” edition, oddly enough; the “complete” version also does not contain the two bonus tracks featured on the first 20/20 album.
Jump after the break to hear the second single off 2 of 2 titled “TKO;” it follows the Michael Jackson inspired “Take Back The Night.” Also below is a behind-the-scenes clip with JT and his producer/collaborator Timbaland; a 20/20 making-of documentary is teased. The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 releases September 30. Continue reading Justin Timberlake’s next ’20/20 Experience’ drops Monday→
Here we have the music video for “Holy Grail,” the Justin Timberlake assisted track that gracefully eases listeners into Jay Z’s recent release Magna Carta… Holy Grail. Director Anthony Mandler was clearly given creative freedom during the construction of this visual spectacle. The track is heavily remixed here with verses out of order (Jay spits his rhymes before JT’s hook rings, for example) and certain parts are slowed down significantly. It’s hard to say if this version is better than the original creation, but there’s no denying that this newly polished version works. It’s like listening to the song again for the first time, and in my opinion, that’s an interesting experience.
Watch Jay rap in a ghoulish mansion and JT croon amongst the flames in the clip embedded above. In a sharp move, Hova teamed with Facebook to exclusively launch the “Holy Grail” music on the social network.
JT keeps the party going with his latest music video for his new 20/20Part 2 single “Take Back The Night.” The creatively-edited clip bounces back and forth between Justin dancing in the street, headlining his Legends of the Summer tour in Yankee Stadium, and tearing up the dance floor at a NYC nightclub. Go on, listen to the MJ-inspired track again, this time with some fun and sweaty visuals.
JT is on a roll. Shortly after dropping a music video for the third single off his new hit record The 20/20 Experience he debuted the first single off his sequel album The 20/20 Experience — 2 of 2. The MJ-influenced tune is called “Take Back The Night,” it’s produced by Timberlake, Timbaland, and Jerome “J-ROC” Harmon, and it’s embedded above for your listening pleasure. 20/20 Part 2 has been given a street date of September 30 and the iTunes preorder page reveals it will contain (at least) 11 tracks.
“I originally recorded a massive amount of material and decided on the 20 tracks that I wanted on the album over a year ago,” JT says in a press release. “But, when I was mixing and going through all of the songs there were so many that I loved — I couldn’t resist… I had to throw in something extra on the 2nd half.”
“Tunnel Vision” is a fine choice as the third single off Justin Timberlake’s new album The 20/20 Experience. Like “Suit & Tie” and “Mirrors” before it, it contains that infectious flow with executive producer Timbaland’s signature touch that emits freaky sound effects you can’t help but groove along to. Above, eye the dual nature of the track’s single artwork; it’s JT, no, wait, it’s a naked woman! The song’s music video grows naturally from here, featuring a cool, quick-on-his-feet Timberlake whose dance moves embody Timbaland’s beats with perfection and many, many naked women whose breasts are supple with desire. “I got that tunnel vision for you / I got that tunnel vision, I only see you,” croons JT. Look out for Timba, too; he’s in there! The racy, intoxicating clip awaits after the break. Continue reading Justin Timberlake’s “Tunnel Vision” music video strips & strides (NSFW: nudity)→
Justin Timberlakemade a splash selling over 70,000 copies of his recent release The 20/20 Experience. Kid Cudi finally released the follow-up to his 2010 record Man on the Moon II with Indicud, a collection of tracks with notable featured guests and production by Scott Mescudi himself. will.i.am continues to prove he can exist musically without his Black Eyed Peas group with #WILLPOWER. Daft Punk elicits nostalgia of the ’70s with their highly anticipated album Random Access Memories. Ever heard of pop artists Mindless Behavior and the bluesy Beth Hart? You might want to check out their respective releases All Around the World and Bang Bang Boom Boom.
SpeakSonic delivers with this week’s bite-sized album reviews.
Justin Timberlake’s ten track The 20/20 Experience is out now. It’s available for digital download at iTunes for $10.99, but if you consider yourself a true JT fan you will make the trip to Target to purchase the deluxe physical version that includes two bonus tracks ($13.99). Oh and by the way, the standard version, the deluxe version, and the vinyl all feature different artwork. (And there’s more where this came from; Timberlake has confirmed that a 10-track sequel album is in the works to complete the “20/20” listening experience.)
Accompanying the grand total of 13 new tracks and the previously release music video for the Jay-Z assisted “Suit & Tie” is a new music video for the album’s second single “Mirrors.” The song is arguably the best cut off the release, and its music video does it the ultimate justice by telling a touching and engaging about an elderly couple exploring their long and journeyed relationship. The clip opens with a dedication to JT’s grandparents William and Sadie; his grandfather passed away last year after making it 63 years with his now-widowed wife. The Floria Sigismondi-directed music video does a fine job at interpreting the song’s lyrics:
Cause I don’t wanna lose you now/I’m lookin’ right at the other half of me/The vacancy that sat in my heart/Is a space that now you hold…And now it’s clear as this promise/That we’re making two reflections into one/Cause it’s like you’re my mirror/My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me.
That’s the hook and the actors who are portraying JT’s grandparents put on a believable performance as we watch their relationship blossom by a jukebox and a pool table. The video takes some twists and turns but by the end you should come to a realization of what it was all about: finding your soulmate and having the power to let go when the time comes (at least that is my interpretation). Intriguingly JT lets the story play out and is absent for the majority of the clip; he doesn’t turn up until the 5:45 mark when he catches the ring released by “his grandmother” (she’s letting go of her departed husband of so many years) to continue to legacy of love. He’s trapped in a fun house of mirrors and dances his way out of it in a fashion only JT can maneuver. A great song matched with a compelling music video; can’t really ask for more than that these days.
So how’s the album overall? For that I will guide you to SpeakSonic’s album review that covers the bases; spoiler alert: it garners a rave review.
Update (3/29): In its first week of sales, The 20/20 Experience quickly shot to #1 on the Billboard 200 selling 968,000 copies. This makes JT’s latest effort the best-selling album of the year so far outpacing Mumford & Sons’ Babel which has sold 658,000 to date. 20/20 also performed well in digital sales in week one with 452,000 downloads making it the third-largest debut indigital ever only behind Lady Gaga’s Born This Way (662,000 in 2011) and Taylor Swift’s Red (465,000 in 2012). JT’s third solo album is also his most successful debut, sales wise. His previous releases FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006) and Justified (2002) sold 684,000 and 439,000 copies, respectively, in their first week on the market.
To promote his upcoming new album The 20/20 Experience, the versatile Justin Timberlake visited Late Night with Jimmy Fallon for an entire week. So when Friday rolled around and viewers hadn’t seen a new installment of “History of Rap” yet you knew it had to be coming. And it did!! Fallon, Timberlake, and The Roots collaborated for a fourth time to span the history of rap to produce one entertaining medley that you never want to end. Before the performance begins, JT admits “But this is the last time…” and JF finishes his sentence “until the next time we do this” and then JT echoes that hopefully meaning that this in fact won’t be the final musical trip around the beat-driven genre.
And now, without further ado, I present “History of Rap Part 4.”
That post title–it’s like music to your ears. Justin Timberlake and “Suit & Tie” featured artist Jay-Z are headlining a tour together. The “Legends of the Summer Stadium Tour” starts July 17 in Toronto and ends August 17 in Miami travelling through a total of 12 North American venues (the others include New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Hershey, Detroit, Baltimore, Boston, and Philadelphia). Tickets go on sale next week on Thursday, February 28 at Ticketmaster.com; if you RSVP to the event on Facebook you can gain access to presale tickets one day earlier. Also, if you obtain tickets using the Live Nation app you can snag tix on the 27th as well. All dates excluding the stop at Yankee Stadium will be available to the general public starting 2/28; New York sale information is “to be announced soon.” Jump after the break to view all the tour dates.
In addition to a summer tour, JT is exposing his brand in other ways. On March 9 he’ll be hosting Saturday Night Live for the fifth (!) time and he’ll also be serving as the evening’s musical guest. And from March 11 through 15 he’ll be featured on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Justin Timberlake shows off the moves we’ve missed in a music video that’s all dressed up in black and white and directed by The Social Network helmer David Fincher for the Sexy Back singer’s latest single “Suit & Tie.” Rapper Jay-Z breaks out a smoking cigar for the occasion and makes a cameo, too.
JT’s third solo studio album The 20/20 Experience is due out March 19; preorder at iTunes today.
