DJ Khaled is back…again. And I must say the album is on par with what he has done before in the past. It’s jam packed with some of the most odd collabs that somehow…work.
Today DJ Khaled dropped his latest album, “Khaled Khaled“, and it proves that he still has a couple favors in the industry. Some of today’s biggest urban stars were featured on the album, and it also features some of music’s legends.
Earlier this week, Khaled announced that the album was dropping today, and followed that announcement up 2 days ago with the tracklist. From the names on the tracklist, I wasn’t really sure what I should expect. Then yesterday, the tracklist was updated, and Cardi B was added.
So needless say, the album has not peaked my interests, and today, as soon as I woke up, I had to put the album on. I would say that I give the album about a 7/10. Where it was good, it was real good. But where it was “bad”, it was really just ok.
My standout tracks from this album are Big Paper, We Going Crazy, I Did It, Body In Motion, and I Can Have It All.
Big Paper – Cardi really showed that she’s been working in her “downtime”. The energy and the lyrics matched and it made a song that was very pleasing to the ear! She got on live last night, and explained how she had to write the song a couple days ago in order for it to make it on the album. And I’m glad she did it, because if this is a taste of what I can expect from her sophomore album, I’m already interested.
We Going Crazy – So like most people, lately I’ve been on a H.E.R. addiction. I like this different vibe for her. It shows her range in what she can do, and how her music isn’t limited to the R&B bangers that she’s known for. Migos for me was fun, but not required. I will say, however, it sounds way better than I envisioned it would when I seen the tracklist.
I Did It – So let me get the shade out the way. I am so proud of making a song that doesn’t mention her sex, or liquor. If she can’t ride a POP beat, I’m gonna want her to explore of the hardcore Hip Hop sound. Post Malone was… acceptable. I have no idea how people ever confused this POP singer as a rapper. Lil Baby had the strongest verse on the song in my opinion. It’s captivating and you can’t help but to get sucked into the verse and bob your head to it. DaBaby was surprisingly good as well. This is probably a better lane for him to explore as well. Hands down top 5 verses for him, and it sounds as if he stepped out of his comfort zone.
Body In Motion – Bryson Tiller on the chorus. It’s….a chorus. Nothing spectacular, nothing special. Lil Baby hops on the track, and he’s back in his regular bag, which is more fitting for this song. Some smooth bars bout fuckin, but it’s something about his delivery that always seems to demand my attention. Roddy Ricch got on track and he delivered a really smooth but fun vibe. I didn’t know what to expect from this track either, but I should’ve known I would love it, as both of them have proven to be great collaborators. Bryson Tiller didn’t really require a verse.
I Can Have It All – Bryson Tiller was doing a lot, and H.E.R. starts to sing and you kinda forget Bryson was ever there. But I’m biased when it comes to H.E.R. these days lol. It’s a beautiful song about coming from something to nothing. Meek left his heart on that track. He spit some of the realest shit I’ve heard in a while, it was so much passion, and hurt in that verse. It came alive and told a story.
But overall, it was a solid attempt. The song that really caught everyone’s attention was “Sorry Not Sorry“, the Nas & Jay Z song that has Beyonce on it (Heyyy!). It’s hip hop history and something that DJ Khaled has talked about for years!
Minaj originally submitted the track — which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in August — to the rap categories at the Grammys, but the decision was overturned by the Recording Academy’s rap committee, according to a source. That group determined that Minaj’s playful and pop-sounding song sampling Rick James’ 1981 classic “Super Freak” should compete for best pop solo performance instead of rap awards.
TheHollywoodreporter
In my honest opinion, this was the right move! The song was produced by a Pop producer and it was also promoted as a Pop song. This isn’t an attack on Nicki Minaj, as it has happened across all genres. Some of the more notable people to have this happen would be Kacey Musgraves, The Weeknd, Iggy Azalea, Lil Nas X and so many more.
However, Nicki took to twitter to share her thoughts, per usual:
I have no prob being moved out the RAP category as long as we r ALL being treated FAIRLY. If SFG has 2B moved out RAP then so does Big Energy! ANY1 who says diff is simply a Nicki hater or a troll. I’d actually LUV 2 c a more street record win- male OR female! IJS rightIsRight 🫡
At this time, Big Energy by Latto, hasn’t been announced which category it will be in. It will likely be in the running for the same Pop awards, based on the fact that Dr. Luke also produced it and the Remix featured Mariah Carey’s rendition of Fantasy, which was also nominated in the Pop category.
R&B showstopper Aaron Fresh has come a long way from when he was first introduced to the word back in 2010. The former Teen heartthrob made a huge splash with his Def Jam debut singles ‘Spending All My Time’ & ‘Dirty Girl’ which was in heavy rotation across BET, MTV, VH1 & Nickelodeon. The Trini native was truly born to do this and as a kid watching some of his idols like Michael Jackson, Usher , Chris Brown & Machel Montano was all the inspiration he ever truly needed. When Aaron hit the stage his electrifying performances compared him to the greats the came before him which is exactly why Nick Cannon and so many others saw the star power in him. In no time he was co-hosting ‘The Night Life’ alongside Nick on Nickelodeon where the also gave him the opportunity to become a special celebrity correspondent on Teen Nick. It was clear that his star was steady on the rise, but as label politics changed his time at Def Jam was over, but that only fueled him to continue his success as an indie artist. Over the years he’s also found success as a songwriter working with K-Pop stars EXO and NU’EST which kept him fulfilled, but his fans were ready for him to return to music. Now he’s back and better than ever with the release of his latest single ‘Tabanca’ as he teamed up with Ronnie Young Jr and Micky Monday on the track. The buzz worthy single is just the re-introduction he needed to show the world his new and refreshing sound. Watch the accompanying video for the track which is only just a taste of so much more in store.