DC's poster boy Wale is preparing to drop his fourth studio album, The Album About Nothing, a week from tomorrow. Today brings us a preview of the work to come as his single "The Summer League" featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Kanye West has surfaced. Listen to the groups encouraging pleasantries below and pick up Wale's The Album About Nothing on March 31 on iTunes.
VibeRotation 15 /
InTheRough's VibeRotation playlists continue with number 15. The newest member to the collection carries a contemporary theme as it features music released mostly within the last three months. It pays homage to one of 2015's early projects, Joey Bada$$'s B4.DA.$$ with a track that deserves more air time, same story for Drake's "Madonna". West Coast styles flow throughout playlist highlighted by a new track from Jhené Aiko that released yesterday. Atlanta group Two-9 and Timbaland signee, Tink appear as I have certainly joined their fan clubs, especially after listening to B4FRVR and browsing the young lady's ample catalog. Some house influences are sprinkled in as well. Give VibeRotation 15 a spin below and be sure to follow ITR on SoundCloud!
K-Swiss + Diplo + You = "The Board" /
K-Swiss, the brand synonymous with the game of tennis, and DJ Diplo are collaborating on a new project entitled, "The Board". The world renowned DJ who has worked with many of today's mega-stars will lead a collective of 100 creative and connected people who will help redefine the K-Swiss brand. Members accepted to The Board will gain access to experts in design, branding, marketing, and business as they traverse a six-week curriculum program. The experts will educate members of The Board who will then be tasked with applying their creativity and new knowledge to the K-Swiss brand in areas such as sneaker design, brand positioning, and other business development opportunities. It will be interesting to see who is actually selected to become a part of this endeavor as well as how much power they will have in terms of the direction of the company, but I do applaud K-Swiss for creating an interesting solution to an image problem that has nagged the heritage brand for years. Check out the video for the program below.
Nick Young and 2 Chainz in Latest 'Most Expensivest Shit' /
Los Angeles Lakers guard Nick Young, AKA "Swaggy P", joins 2 Chainz and GQ in the latest edition of "Most Expensivest Shit." In the episode, the two stars head to RIF in Los Angeles, a sneaker shop that has been covered by other urban culture staples such as Nice Kicks and The Hundreds. Browsing a collection that would make the biggest sneakerheads on the planet gasp, 2 Chainz and Swaggy P are privy to an inventory that included the Nike Air Mag, original Yeezys, and Air Jordan Retro IV collaboration with Undefeated and Nike. Just purchasing the shoes in the video would cost a whopping $46,000, after retail of course. Check out the video above.
Earl Sweatshirt - Grief /
Joey did it, Kendrick did it, Lupe did it, now it’s Earl’s time. Due March 23rd, Earl Sweatshirt’s project “I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside” was announced yesterday after some controversy regarding his label and the announcement of his album on iTunes. Accompanying the minor twitter rant was a music video for a single from the album, “Grief”. The song is filled with anxious but pointed bars directed at other wack rappers and the industry, as well as the pitfalls of even the lesser-celebrity lifestyle. While this thematic content isn’t new territory for the Odd Future affiliate, “Grief” and it’s lo-fi production sets our expectations for the content of this album to be focused around Earl’s experience so far in the rap world, and the choices he’s made in light of it. With some of the most creative and colorful lyricism in popular rap and Hip Hop today, Earl has set the bar high for himself, and we really look forward to whichever creative direction the young artist decides to go. However, as Hip Hop seems to be the focal point of the music environment in 2015, Earl’s success is directly dependent on how he sounds relative to his peers, such as Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Both of whom broke Spotify records for total streams in a day with their most recent projects, “To Pimp A Butterfly” and “If You’re Reading This It's Too Late” respectively. Whereas just last year fans were clamoring for the next track to bump, it’ almost difficult for listeners to keep up with the newest releases, and even more difficult for artists to make an impact and stay relevant. Check out the track below.