With less than a month left to go, the album cover and tracklist for Kid Cudi’s third solo record (fourth overall) has been revealed for all to see. The album art, like Cudder’s past few music videos, features a baroque-inspired frame. “The album art represents me. A ball of flames in a rose gold frame,” the rapper tweeted.

Indicud features a total of 18 tracks including singles “Just What I Am,” ”King Wizard,” and “Immortal.” And for long-time fans of the once Lonely Stoner, a special track titled “Solo Dolo Part II” featuring rising rapper Kendrick Lamar will increase anticipation for the album’s release tenfold. Other featured artists include Cudi’s close friend King Chip (the artist formally known as Chip Tha Ripper is featured on two tracks), Father John Misty, Too $hort, Haim, RZA, A$AP Rocky, and Michael Bolton. Jump after the break to see the full tracklisting.

Currently Indicud is up for preorder at Amazon and at Kid Cudi’s official online store. His store sells digital and physical copies of the album, as well as the vinyl. On April 23 the hype becomes real.

Update (4/1): Today Indicud popped up on iTunes and is now available for preorder at that popular destination for music. Once you get there, you’ll notice that a previously unheard song “Girls” (Featuring Too $hort) is available for download. That’s the fourth single off the album–preview it at iTunes. Also, after the break I’ve posted Cudder’s first live televised performance of “Immortal” on Jimmy Kimmel Live. (Click here for more…)

There’s new music to hear from artists you might have thought you’d never hear from again. First up is the musical trio Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams, better known together as Destiny’s Child. Before Beyoncé became her own star, she led a group that pumped out hit after hit in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Remember “Independent Woman,” “Survivor,” and “Bootylicious?” Well, apparently there’s more where that came from. Last Friday, Destiny’s Child released their first single since 2004 called “Nuclear.” It’s produced by Pharrell and rather than bouncing back with a thumping beat they’ve invigorated their new image with a soft R&B tune that makes you remember just how well these ladies can harmonize together. “Nuclear” is a track off a brand new compilation album from Destiny’s Child Love Songs. The 14-track album contains romantic-themed songs they recorded between 1997-2004. As you can see in the tracklisting posted after the break, “Nuclear” remains the only new material to be included. Listen to it, it’s embedded above. Beyoncé will reunite Destiny’s Child on-stage when she hosts this year’s Super Bowl half-time show.

To hear David Bowie’s new single and learn about JT’s comeback, jump after the break. (Click here for more…)

Wu Tang Clan leader RZA is about to make his directorial debut with The Man with the Iron Fists, a martial arts film that promises a bloody good time. The cast is led by Russell Crowe, Lucy Lui, and RZA, and the pedigree behind it is high with Eli Roth writing (with RZA) and producing and Quentin Tarantino is credited as “presenting” the movie.

With RZA’s background in mind, it should come as no surprise that the soundtrack for Iron Fists features a lineup of great rappers. They include Ghostface Killah, Talib Kweli, Raekwon, Pusha T, and Kanye West. The track headlined by Kanye West and produced by West, RZA, Tapez, and Boogz is called “White Dress” and it sits above for your listening pleasure. If anything it will take you back to Ye’s College years as you’ll instantly recognize the classic sound.

After the break you’ll find the full soundtrack tracklist plus a trailer for the movie. The music releases October 23, and the The Man with the Iron Fists hits theatres November 2.

Update: The entire soundtrack is now available to stream for free here.

01 The Black Keys and RZA: “The Baddest Man Alive”
02 Ghostface Killah, M.O.P, and Pharoahe Monch: “Black Out”
03 Kanye West: “White Dress”
04 The Revelations: “I Forgot to Be Your Lover” [ft. Tre Williams]
05 Talib Kweli and RES: “Get Your Way (Sex as a Weapon)”
06 Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and Kool G. Rap: “Rivers of Blood”
07 Method Man, Freddie Gibbs, and StreetLife: “Built for This”
08 24 Carat Black: “Poverty’s Paradise”
09 Killa Sin: “The Archer”
10 RZA and Flatbush Zombies: “Just Blowin’ in the Wind”
12 Corrine Bailey Rae: “Chains”
13 Pusha T and Raekwon: “Tick Tock”
14 Frances Yip: “Green is the Mountain”
15 The Wu-Tang Clan: “Six Directions of Boxing”
16 Mabel John: “Your Good Thing Is About to End”

Kanye West is cutting it close, but he’s just going to make it. His G.O.O.D. Music compilation album Cruel Summer is set to hit stores September 18, three days before the sweltering season comes to a close. Since the album is now available to preorder digitally at iTunes, the official tracklist is out in the open. You may be surprised to discover that ‘Ye reached out to artists outside his G.O.O.D. Music label to contribute to the album. Such guests include R. Kelly, The-Dream, and Ma$e. A total of 12 tracks make up Cruel Summer, and five of them we’ve already heard: Mercy, Cold, I Don’t Like, New God Flow, and Clique. Disappointing? Perhaps. Even more so is that Kid Cudi is only featured on a single track (all by himself) and Mr. Hudson is no where to be seen.

Jump after the break to view the full tracklisting. The video embedded above features an animated rendition of the artistic tri-fold packaging. [Preorder a digital copy at iTunes / Preorder a physical copy at Amazon]

(Click here for more…)

G.O.O.D. Music member Hit-Boy is best known for wearing his producer hat; he’s collaborated with Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and A$AP Rocky to design the beats behind “Christmas in Harlem,” N****s in Paris,” “Drop the World,” and “Goldie.” But now he’s ready to step into the spotlight and become a solo artist, his own rapper. Earlier this summer he dropped his first single “Jay-Z Interview” and left the producing to Bink!; it blew up on Twitter as he quickly made a name for himself as a solo rapper in the hip-hop community. This week he shared a new track “Old School Caddy,” and for this one he jumped behind the boards to produce. He is joined by fellow G.O.O.D. Music signee Kid Cudi in the laid back rap that’s spit in front of a smooth-as-butter beat. Listen above. (This release was teased with a 30-second clip featuring Hit-Boy and Cudi, so a full-fledged music video may be coming soon.)

All of this comes ahead of HITstory, the producer-turned-rapper’s first album that’s expected to release August 7. “This album is for the sophisticated ear,” tweets 25-year-old Hit-Boy. Check back here next week for a link to download the free album.

Update (8/7): HITstory is out today. Hit-Boy’s first release contains 11 tracks and guest appearances from Big Sean, Kid Cudi, Chip tha Ripper, Bun B, John Legend, and Stacy Barthe. Download it for free here. Snag the cover art and back tracklisting after the break. (Click here for more…)

Fans of everything Jason Mraz, your time is near. The singer songwriter recently took to his blog to confirm that his fourth studio album will release earlier than previously reported on April 17–that’s less than two months away! Love Is A Four Letter Word contains a total of 12 tracks (just like his previous albums), including the popular single “I Won’t Give Up” and other songs he introduced to fans while he toured around the world. In addition to the album, Mraz will release a live digital EP appropriately titled Live Is A Four Letter Word that contains four tracks recorded from his performance at Spreckels Theater in San Diego, two of which are live versions of songs featured on the in-studio counterpart. The EP drops even sooner on February 28. Jump after the break to view the full tracklisting for both the album and the EP; below that watch the beautifully directed music video for “I Won’t Give Up.” And as a bonus, you’ll also find new live performances from the Today show and the Late Show with David Letterman. (Click here for more…)

Kid Cudi simply could not live up to his promise of delivering his next album (tentatively titled WZRD) on his birthday, January 30. His collaborator and producer Dot Da Genius broke the unfortunate news of delay on Twitter. “We are in the final stages of mastering but we really had to take time and pay attention to the sonics as this is new territory for us,” explained Dot. He continued, “I know it’s late notice, we were trying to keep the date but got wrapped up making this album perfect for y’all.” He dropped the date February 28 as a “rough” estimated time of release. To make up for the delay, Dot did share some good news: full, mastered versions of “Brake” and “Teleport 2 Me” will show up in iTunes on the 30th of this month, along with a track Cudi fans have been waiting to hear for a long time now called “Dose of Dopeness.”

Cudi then took to his Tumblr to share the full tracklisting for the upcoming album. There is only a single featured artist on the renamed track “Teleport 2 Me, Jamie.” See below:

1. The Arrival
2. High Off Life
3. The Dream Time Machine
4. Love Hard
5. Live & Learn
6. Brake
7. Teleport 2 Me, Jamie (Feat. Desire)
8. Where Did You Sleep Last Night
9. Efflictim
10. The Upper Room

When the singles hit iTunes, you’ll know it.

“Paradise” is the followup single to “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall” off Coldplay’s upcoming fifth studio album Mylo Xyloto. It’s classic Coldplay: it’s a sweeping anthem, though softer than “Waterfall.” Take a listen above. Download it here.

Additionally, you can now preorder Mylo Xyloto in physical and digital formats. Remember, Coldplay is packaging the album in a myriad of ways. In addition to selling the standard CD, the band is also offering it up in vinyl ($27.99) and pop-up ($79.99) editions. Eye the tracklist after the break; it includes the previously heard track “Charlie Brown” and Rihanna is crowned the album’s sole featured artist on “Princess Of China.” Mylo Xyloto drops October the 24th. (Click here for more…)

The Kanye West/Jay-Z collab album is almost upon us, or so we think. Although an official release date has yet to be announced, the rap protege and his apprentice have leaked out the official deluxe tracklist and super-duper behind-the-scenes photos from the making of the album. The album includes 12 tracks and 4 bonus tracks, two of which are the previously outed single “H*A*M” and G.O.O.D. Friday freebie “The Joy”. ‘Ye and Z brought along Frank Ocean for two tracks, and Beyonce, Otis Redding, and fellow G.O.O.D. Music artist Mr Hudson are also featured on the album. Eye the tracklist below:

1. No Church in The Wild (Feat. Frank Ocean)
2. Lift Off (Feat. Beyoncé)
3. Niggas in Paris
4. Otis (Feat. Otis Redding)
5. Gotta Have It
6. New Day
7. Prime Time
8. Who Gon Stop Me
9. Murder to Excellence
10. Welcome to The Jungle
11. Sweet Baby Jesus (Feat. Frank Ocean)
12. Why I Love You (Feat. Mr Hudson)

Bonus
13. Illest Motherfucker Alive
14. H*A*M
15. That’s My Bitch
16. The Joy (Feat. Curtis Mayfield)

Check out the aforementioned photos in the gallery below. Preorder the album here; the rumored drop date remains August 2.

Update: DDotOmen.com has managed to get their hands on full list of production credits for the album. Click here to sneak a peek.

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[Via Life+Times]

T.I. just can’t catch a break these days.  Shortly after being released from prison on weapons charges, he was sent back to the doghouse for drug charges.  The King is not longer Uncaged, so the rapper decided to rename his seventh studio record No Mercy.  The tracklist includes some great featured artists including Kanye West & Kid Cudi on the opener “Welcome to the World”, Drake, Eminem, and Pharrell.

1. Welcome To The World (Feat. Kanye West & Kid Cudi)
2. How Life Changed (Feat. Mitchelle’l & Scarface)
3. Get Back Up (Feat. Chris Brown)
4. I Can’t Help It (Feat. Rocko)
5. That’s All She Wrote (Feat. Eminem)
6. No Mercy (Feat. The-Dream)
7. Big Picture
8. Strip (Feat. Young Dro & Trey Songz)
9. Salute
10. Amazing (Feat. Pharrell)
11. Everything On Me
12. Poppin Bottles (Feat. Drake)
13. Lay Me Down
14. Castle Walls (Feat. Christina Aguilera)

Though he’ll be behind bars when it drops, you can expect No Mercy to hit stores December 7.

[Via HipHipDX]

The not-really banned album cover has made its way into iTunes all pixelated, along with the tracklist for Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and here it is:

1. Dark Fantasy
2. Gorgeous (Featuring Raekwon & Kid Cudi)
3. POWER
4. All Of the Lights
5. Monster (Feauting Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver)
6. So Appalled (Featuring Jay-Z, Pusha T, CyHi Da Prynce & Swizz Beatz)
7. Devil In a New Dress
8. Runaway (Featuring Pusha T)
9. Hell Of a Life
10. Blame Game (Featuring John Legend & Pusha T)
11. Lost In the World
12. See Me Now (Bonus Track)

Right off the bat what do you notice?  That’s right–we’ve already heard half the album already!  “Power” and “Runaway” served as the first two singles, and “Monster”, ”So Appalled”, “Devil in a New Dress”, and “See Me Now” were all included in Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Friday collection.  Bummer, eh not so much.  I was definitely expecting an epic, lengthy album, but you have to take into consideration what Kanye has provided fans for the past few months.  The G.O.O.D. Friday collection has us anticipating a new Kanye track every single Friday–and this series will continue past the album’s release until Christmas time.  The album may be lacking in new content, but it cetainly contains the best of G.O.O.D. Friday along with hotly anticipated tracks like “All of the Lights” and “Lost in the World.”  If you don’t play into the leak game, half of this album will be brand new for you to take in and enjoy.  And take note that the contents of the album are subject to change before the release date.  Lost tracks like “Mama’s Boyfriend” and “Chain Heavy” might just find their way onto it.  For now, preview a bunch of the songs by watching Runaway again and look forward to this week’s G.O.O.D. Friday track.  The fifth studio album from Kanye West drops November 22.  His collab EP with Jay-Z called Watch the Throne will follow soon after.  There really is no end in sight.

Preorder information!  The standard version includes all 12 tracks (iTunes) and the deluxe version (iTunes/Amazon) packs all 12 tracks plus the Runaway short film.  (FYI — “Monster” has turned up as the third single.  Preorder on iTunes today to instantly download it.)  You might want to opt for the physical in-store copy; Kanye promises there are five different album covers (including the “banned” one) and they will all ship inside the CD case.

Cudder’s sophomore slam is nearly here.  Want a peek at the 17 song ’scenelist’ for Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager?  Force your eyeballs slightly downwards.

Act 1: The World I Am Ruling
1. Scott Mescudi Vs The World feat. Cee-Lo (Producted by Emile)
2. REVOFEV (Producted by Plain Pat)

ACT 2: A Stronger Trip
3. Don’t Play This Song feat. Mary J. Blige (Producted by Emile)
4. We Aite (Wake Your Mind Up) (Producted by Emile)
5. Marijuana (Producted by Dot Da Genius)
6. Mojo So Dope (Producted by Emile)

Act 3; Party On
7. Ashin’ Kusher (Producted by Chuck English)
8. Erase Me feat. Kanye West (Producted by Jim Jonsin)
9. Wild’n Cuz Im Young (Producted by Plain Pat)
10. The Mood (Producted by Emile)

Act 4: The Transformation
11. MANIAC feat. Cage & St. Vincent (Producted by Anthony Killhoffer)
12. Mr. Rager (Producted by Emile)
13. These Worries feat. Mary J. Blige (Producted by Emile)
14. The End feat. GLC, Chip Tha Ripper & Nicole Wray (Produced by Blended Babies)

Act 5: You Live & You Learn
15. All Along (Producted by Emile)
16. GHOST! (Producted by Emile)
17. Trapped In My Mind (Producted by Dot Da Genius)

As you can see, Cudi organized the tracklist here the same way he did for the original MOTM; it flows more like a “scenelist” where the tracks are bunched into individial scenes and they bleed into each other very much like a movie.  Cudi managed to scoop up some impressive featured artists; there’s Cee-Lo, Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Cage, St. Vincent, GLC, Chip Tha Ripper, and Nicole Wray.  Dot Da Genius, Emile, and Plain Pat return as producers along with new recruits Jim Jonsin, Chuck English, Anthony Killhoffer, and Blended Babies.

You’ve already seen the album cover for the regular and deluxe versions, so how about we detail how they differentiate.  The regular version comes complete with all 17 tracks; the final song “Maybe” is an iTunes bonus track (produced by Dot Da Genius and Rami Beatz).  The deluxe versions comes with all 17 songs plus the “Erase Me” music video and a 30 minute documentary titled “Journey of Mr. Rager.”  If you want that bonus track, preorder MOTM2 in iTunes: standard / deluxe.  And if you preorder today, you will instantly receive a copy of single #3 that is “Mr. Rager.”  Prefer a physical copy?  Amazon’s got you covered: standard / deluxe.

Curious about the movie poster hanging above? (Click here for more…)

After dropping the single Only Girl (In the World) back in September, Rihanna is nearly ready to release her fifth studio album.  Album cover: check (see above).  Tracklist: check (see below).

1. S&M
2. What’s My Name (Featuring Drake)
3. Cheers (Drink To That)
4. Fading
5. Only Girl In The World
6. California King Bed
7. Mad Down
8. Raining Men (Featuring Nicki Minaj)
9. Complicated
10. Skin
11. Love The Way You Lie Part II (Featuring Eminem)

That’s right–RiRi is hooking up with Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Eminem in her latest effort to deliver the pop sound that made her so successful.  After watching her new music video for Only Girl, it’s plain to see Rihanna is ready to walk away from the darkness and back to her fun, cut loose dance anthems.  Get Loud November 12.

[Via Rap-Up]

Rihanna’s next album titled Rated R is gaining tons of buzz as its release is soon upon us.  Rihanna plans on making a big comeback after her public battle with former boyfriend Chris Brown (who is also releasing a new album soon).  Yesterday the full track list was unveiled.  Featured artists include Young Jeezy, Slash (!), and will.i.am.  Look after the break for the full track listing.  If you preorder the album on iTunes you will instantly receive a free download of her first single “Russian Roulette,” a song written by fellow R&B artist Ne-Yo.  Today Rihanna is giving her fans a taste of what’s to come with the new music video for “Wait Your Turn.”  The album drops November 23.

[Via RollingStone; KanyeBlog]

(Click here for more…)

It looks Glee: Season 1 will be split up into two volumes, and it makes sense.  Firstly, when the 4-disc 13-episode DVD box set was made FOX had not yet renewed the show, thereby granting it 9 additional episodes.  Second, although this might sound unfair (but, in fact, it kinda is), FOX has a ton of music rights to pay for; by shipping two volumes of DVDs and soundtracks the network can recoup its money for all the rights it had to pay for over the length of the season (and gear up for Season 2 (which has not been confirmed yet, but still)).  So, in sum: Glee Season 1: Volume 1 – Road to Sectionals DVD will pack the initial 13-episode run.  (It will also include bonus material (ie. behind-the-scenes, audition tapes, performances, etc..)  The soundtrack, Glee the music Season 1: Volume 1 will include all of the main performances debuted during the first half of the season.  Look after the break for the full 18-track listing.

There will be a full season DVD released after the entire first season airs, and purchasers of Volume 1 will receive a voucher that can be applied to that full set.  Glee will be going on a haitus during the holiday season and will return just in time to make sure it finishes in mid-May during the usual TV sweeps period.  The Volume 1 DVD and CD would make great holiday gifts, giving Gleeks and non-Gleeks the chance to watch (or re-watch) the first half of the season.  Purchase the DVD and CD on Amazon and preorder the CD on iTunes.

Now on to the next bit of news.  Lea Michele’s (Rachel’s) Spring Awakening co-star Jonathan Groff will be joining the cast of Glee in the near future.  According to EW, he will be featured in “five or six episodes” and will play the lead male singer of Vocal Adrenaline, our Glee club’s arch-nemisis and biggest competition.  Glee’s co-creator Ryan Murphy calls him a ”miva” (or “a male diva”).  I’m not really a spoiler type but I’ll give you this: EW also claims that Groff “will also serve as a potential love interest for Michele’s Rachel.”

[Via TVShowsonDVD; TV.popcrunch; EW]

(Click here for more…)

Fellow Gleeks I have good news to share.

(1) Glee: The Music, Volume 1 releases on November 3 and will include 17 songs that are/were performed on the hit Fox series.  Some of the tracks include “Take a Bow,” “Gold Digger,” “Can’t Fight This Feeling,” and everyone’s favorite “Don’t Stop Believin.’”  Look after the break for the FULL tracklist.

(2) A Glee musical tour is planned to rollout in Spring 2010, once season one production is complete.  Fox Broadcasting president Kevin Reilly to EW: “We’ve had a tremendous amount of enthusiasm from our music partners.  Certainly if these kids become stars in their own right, who knows? Live appearances. Albums. There’s lots of things that could happen.”

PUSH IT.  PUSH IT REAL GOOD.

[Via EW, here & here] (Click here for more…)