Tag Archives: single artwork

The Weeknd continues his takeover and drops moody new single ‘The Hills,’ music video inside

Abel Tesfaye has come a long way since his free mixtape days. The underground artist, who first exploded onto the scene under stage name The Weeknd with freebies House of BalloonsThursday, and Echoes of Silence in 2011, is no longer a musical phantom. After repackaging the three tapes into the polished Trilogy release, Tesfaye dropped his debut studio album Kiss Land in 2013. “You will continue to get what you fell in love with, and I will continue to give you what you ask for,” he told his fans in a note that released alongside TrilogyKiss Land did not disappoint as it maintained the same stripped down, intimate essence that captivated fans in the beginning.

What came next for the now 25 year-old Canadian crooner? Standalone track “Often” came out of nowhere last summer tinged with Tesfaye’s signature sensuality. And then his sound went mainstream when pop star Ariana Grande invited him to guest on her hit track “Love Me Harder;” The Weeknd co-wrote the ubiquitous track. Now riding the mainstream waves, he appropriately stuck his stylistic R&B brand on the theatrical adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey by releasing the movie soundtrack’s single “Earned It.” That track helped said soundtrack reach the number three spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

Today, Tesfaye isn’t resting on his laurels. In fact, he’s currently in the studio readying his second studio album. The long-awaited followup to Kiss Land doesn’t have a name or release date confirmed yet, but if you’re one to trust Wikipedia, it’s titled Chapter III and it’s set for release later this year. What’s solid is the lead single off said record: The Weeknd dropped “The Hills” on Wednesday, a characteristically moody track that he debuted live this spring at Coachella and SXSW.

The track, which originally went by the name “Mood Music,” is now available to purchase on iTunes and comes accompanied by an enthralling music video. In it, Tesfaye emerges from a bad car wreck, bloodied and disoriented. “I only love it when you touch me, not feel me / When I’m f*cked up, that’s the real me.” Those lyrics continue to peel back layers in order to shed light on his inner demons. The visuals mesmerize, too; after the car explodes into a fireball, Tesfaye stumbles upon an eerie mansion where he ends up in a creepy cliffhanger leaving fans salivating for more. Watch it all go down after the break.

What do you think of The Weeknd’s latest effort? Though his lyrics on “The Hills” resonate with themes that have come before, do you find his ever-improving sound straying too far from his original works? Plug in your ‘phones, take a listen, and sound off in the comments below. Continue reading The Weeknd continues his takeover and drops moody new single ‘The Hills,’ music video inside

The Throne reveals single artwork for “N****s in Paris” & “Why I Love You”

Following the recent success of previous Watch The Throne single “Otis,” Kanye West and Jay-Z (collectively known as The Throne) have released the Ricardo Tisci-designed single artwork for the next two singles (see above and after the break). The art direction follows in the tradition started by “Otis”; American colors red, white, and blue dominate the scene and the rappers’ names, track and album title are inscribed in tiny white capitalized letters across it. Though you must admit that the patriotic theme comes out of focus when you realize that the vertical stripes match those found on the French flag. “N****s in Paris” and the Mr Hudson-assisted “Why I Love You” drop as official singles simultaneously next week on September 13, but that hasn’t stopped radio stations from playing the masterful beats. “Paris” has already debuted at #75 on Billboard’s Hot 100. “Why I Love You” premiered on the French and Swiss Music Charts and UK Singles Chart. Oh and one more thing: according to “Paris” producer Hit-Boy, a music video is in the works for the track that’s got everyone bumping “that sh*t cray.”

[Via Complex 1, 2; Rap-Up] Continue reading The Throne reveals single artwork for “N****s in Paris” & “Why I Love You”

Single: Lady Gaga – “Born This Way”

After posting online teaser artwork and lyrics to her long-awaited and hyped new single “Born This Way,” Lady Gaga finally catered to her mass following of Little Monsters by releasing the track in full before she performs it live at the Grammys this Sunday. In essence the thumping track is an anthem for the gay community. During the outro she whispers, “Same DNA, but born this way.” It’s certainly a catchy tune that will grow on you over time. Interestingly, the song took ten minutes for Gaga to compose. She told Vogue, “I wrote it in ten f—ing minutes, and it is a completely magical message song. And after I wrote it, the gates just opened, and the songs kept coming. It was like an immaculate conception.” Her second album also titled Born This Way is due out this May. Listen to the song above, download it at iTunes here. Hop after the break to see the tease and final cover art. Continue reading Single: Lady Gaga — “Born This Way”

Kanye West’s “Power” single hits iTunes, severed head and all

We already know that “Power” is the first single off Kanye West’s forthcoming album Good Ass Job.  What you didn’t know is what exactly ‘Ye was thinking when he wrote the song.  Though it’s still up for interpretation, I think we can all deduce what was West takes away from his masterpiece single by looking at the George Condo album artwork that’s tagged with the track in iTunes.  At the end of the song West says, “You got the power to let power go.”  It appears as if this severed head belongs to Kanye, and the sword left in it plus the bloody residue represents the death of the old egotistic, power-hungry Kanye and the birth of a new man.  What kind of man that is we still don’t know; but there was no Taylor Swift type incident at the BET Awards last week, where Kanye performed a fantastic rendition of “Power”, and that’s a good start.

Head over to iTunes to download the “21st Century Schizoid Man”-sampled  track and start anticipating the rumored September release of Good Ass Job.