Today (August 30), LL Cool J shared another taste of his first album in a decade. On his latest single, “Murdergram Deux,” LL Cool J linked up with Eminem to remind rap rookies that the veterans can still lyrically kill beats.
Between their verses, LL Cool J and Eminem pulled out ever sharp-witted trick in the hip-hop book. From swift cadence flips to multi-layered metaphors, “Murdergram Deux,” is a rap masterclass.
“What? A supa-dupa switch / I can’t understand a single word you’re saying / I think you have syrup brain, ’bout to finish you like polyurethane / All that molly probably sure to drain your spinal fluid from your vertebrae / This the Murdergram and I brought my murder game / My sh*t fire, that is why you log on it like Duraflame,” rapped Eminem.
LL Cool J follows that stanza with a fiery take of his own, rapping: “Murdergrams, turn over your ambulance, thirty bullets in advance / Candlelight and crying fans, we go in and buy a land / Slide up behind you, testing my rifle / Give blessings to my disciples, professional I’m a sniper / Like eight miles away, me and Marshall doing murders.”
The two emcees weren’t the only certified rap veteran to craft the record. Behind the scenes Q-Tip served as its co-producer and recording engineer to transport vintage hip-hop instrumental styles to present day.
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of August below.
Smith’s classic album XO is getting a majorv inyl reissue for the first time, and it’s a big one, featuring “all the B-sides and assorted tracks that were released on the various singles, promos, and international editions.” This edition was previously released digitally in 2019, but now you can pop it on your record player (as long as you snag one of the 4,000 pressings made available).
Short N’ Sweet has only been out for a few days, but the success of singles “Please Please Please” and “Espresso” have already made it one of the year’s biggest albums. The vinyl options are great, too, as there’s an understated blue pressing as well as a more in-your-face picture disc.
Porter Robinson — Worlds 10th Anniversary and Worlds Live At Second Sky 2019
Mom+Pop
Robinson made a splash with his debut album Worlds, and ten years on, he has reissued it with lovely holographic cover art as a 2-LP edition. Furthermore, there’s also Worlds Live At Second Sky 2019, which marks the first-ever release of the concert audio from his Second Sky festival.
Elemental Music has been rolling out its Motown Sound Collection over the past few months and one of its latest offerings is a Jackson 5 classic, Get It Together. This is a slick-looking one, as it featured red vinyl and a die-cut cover. Also available from Motown this month is Smokey Robinson & The Miracles’ Make It Happen (Mono edition) and More Hits By The Supremes (Mono edition).
Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals — NPR Tiny Desk
Anderson .Paak
Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals have one of the biggest Tiny Desk concerts: The YouTube video is one of NPR Music’s three to top 100 million views. Now, it finally has a home in your record collection, as it’s been pressed on vinyl for the first time.
Sam Smith — In The Lonely Hour 10 Year Anniversary Edition
Capitol Records
Sam Smith became an instant star with their 2014 debut album In The Lonely Hour and its signature hit “Stay With Me.” That was ten years ago now, and Smith has celebrated with an anniversary reissue that includes an exclusive new song called “Little Sailor.”
Young Jeezy — The Recession (Vinyl Me, Please Reissue)
Vinyl Me, Please
Among Vinyl Me, Please’s exceptional monthly releases for September is Jeezy’s 2008 favorite The Recession. This edition is pressed on stunning onyx-colored vinyl and comes with a new listening notes booklet.
“Nasty” has become a 2024 favorite, and there’s more where that came from on Tinashe’s new album, Quantum Baby. The vinyl edition is aesthetically understated but effective, as the LP is pressed on black/brown vinyl that plays well off the cover artwork.
A couple weeks ago, GloRilla hopped on Instagram to share a video of herself topless (but covering her breasts with her hands) in promotion of her remix of Rob49 and Skilla Baby’s “Mama.” Some fans apparently didn’t like what was going on there and there was speculation that GloRilla’s label put her up to the stunt (as HotNewHipHop notes). Now, GloRilla insists that’s not the case.
In a recent Instagram Live broadcast (archived here), Glo explained:
“I be saying motherf*ckers talking about… y’all had so much to say because […] I was dancing to my song holding my titties. Don’t worry about what me and my titties doing. B*tch, I bought them. […] ‘Oh, the label is making GloRilla do this.’ B*tch, the label ain’t making me do sh*t. A hoe gonna be a hoe. […] Y’all just be swearing muthaf*ckers make muthaf*ckers do sh*t. Like, everything I do, I be wanting to do it. Y’all got to learn how to just mind your business sometimes.”
Meanwhile, Glo recently admitted she wasn’t quite sure about Megan Thee Stallion when they first met, telling her, “I first met you at your Hottieween party last year, and I ain’t gonna lie, I was kinda shy. You were just acting like you weren’t drinking that night. I was like… in my head, I’m like, ‘This b*tch ain’t acting like she ain’t drinking,’ like, ‘What’s up with this b*tch?’”
Last night (August 29), Sabrina Carpenter tweeted, “this one’s for nicki.” Some think this is Carpenter helping Minaj reignite her feud with Travis Scott.
As HotNewHipHop notes, back in 2018, Scott’s Astroworld prevented Minaj’s new album Queen from reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. At the time, Minaj criticized Scott for using album bundles to increase his sales numbers, saying on an episode of Queen Radio, “What we’re not gonna do is have that Auto-Tune man selling f*cking sweaters. Telling you he sold half a million albums, because he f*cking didn’t.”
Meanwhile, Carpenter’s new album Short N’ Sweet was released on the same day as Scott’s rerelease of Days Before Rodeo. So, some have come to the conclusion that Carpenter’s tweet is a reference to her and Scott competing for the No. 1 spot, with Carpenter seeking vengeance for Minaj.
Minaj acknowledged Carpenter’s tweet on Instagram Live, saying, “Shout out to Sabrina Carpenter, shout out to all the Sabrina Carpenter fans.”
Steven and Ian begin this week’s episode by talking about a big potential reunion in the rock world. Of course we’re referring to… TV On The Radio! The band appears to be teasing something right now, which the guys assume is probably their first concert dates in five years. After that, they of course talk about the return of Oasis. Steven is very pumped, but will he actually pay through the nose to see them in Europe? Maybe he will to take his mind off the disastrous state of his Fantasy Album Draft team. It looks like Ian is on the way to yet another easy victory this quarter. The guys then transition to a conversation about Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, who release a new album, Wild God, today. Steven is yay on Cave, but what about Ian?
In the mailbag, a listener asks about the phenomenon of “rawdogging” on airplanes and whether the guys ever listen to music without doing anything else. Then they answer an email about whether they like prog rock, and Steven gives a very detailed answer.
In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks up the UK act Seefeel and Steven goes for veteran singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne.
New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 204 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.
One of those songs is “Tailor Swif,” a hypnotic single that finds Rocky reminiscing about his days as a stick-up kid, running the streets of his hometown, Harlem, and contrasting that with his modern, high-fashion lifestyle. By the way, that misspelling is intentional — it’s a reference to his penchant for putting that sh*t on, not a just an off-kilter shout-out to the pop idol.
Rocky’s still revealed very little about the album to date; while it was initially scheduled to be released today (August 30), he unceremoniously pushed the album back again, although he did tell Billboard that no less a luminary than Tim Burton “was f*cking with it heavy.” This surprised Rocky, but I mean… he does kinda dress like Beetlejuice, doesn’t he? They have similar vibes.
As far as when the album is coming out… who knows? Maybe he and his wife/girlfriend/children’s mother Rihanna have a bet going to see who can terrorize their fans the most before people give up on waiting for new music from either. Maybe they’re plotting a joint release, just for the lulz. In any event, you can check out “Tailor Swif” above.
There’s no esoteric numerology to the title of Chance The Rapper’s new single, “3333.” In fact, he explains where the number comes from right in the second verse; it’s the number of tickets he sold to a recent gig at the Minnesota State Fair– which, as it turns out, is a massive undersell for a venue that houses 14,000. However, he didn’t let that deter him. Despite being asked if he wanted to cancel, he went ahead and rocked out anyway, playing songs from his hit albums and his upcoming album Star Line for an enthusiastic crowd that still sung along to just about every word.
According to The Minnesota Star Tribune, Chance made sure to inform the crowd, “I want you to know that whole ticketing thing. I’d perform for one of y’all.” He noted that while on the come-up, he’d performed at shows with 13 performers on the bill — and that they would constitute the entire audience, as well (been there, bro). Those sentiments also make their way into “3333,” a nonetheless joyful tune that finds Chance celebrating just the opportunity to perform for a crowd larger — and more energized for his performance — than those at his early showcases.
Chance’s fortunes have certainly taken a tumble from when he was at the height of his powers after the release of Coloring Book, but before his debut album The Big Day caused him to take a beating in some fans’ estimations. But he’s still here, still humble, still grateful for his successes, even if they might seem less impressive to some people. There’s something inspirational in that — which I suspect is the point. This is why Star Line might not end up grabbing headlines, but will almost certainly endear him to even the skeptics who wrote him off in addition to the fans who never lost faith.
As he builds on the success of his breakout hit “Million Dollar Baby,” DMV singer Tommy Richman has swung hard into a desert theme for his upcoming debut album, Coyote. Besides evoking the canine avatars of the driest climates with the album’s title, he’s also announced a tour, Before The Desert, aimed at getting fans in his hometown, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles psyched up for the project.
To that end, he’s also released a new single, following up “Devil Is A Lie” with “Thought You Were The One.” And in keeping with the desert theme, the video for the song — which finds him pondering similar heartbroken subject matter to his prior singles — takes him to a moonlight cactus-riddled landscape, where he gets cozy with a date under the stars in the back of his vintage Jeep. The video has a collage/’zine feel, which matches the semi-punk presentation of Richman’s rollout to date.
In a press release, Tommy said of the song, “It’s a great example of slowing things down a little bit… It’s not always about the hype songs. I’m versatile.” He’ll get the chance to show off even more of that versatility on September 27, when he releases the Coyote LP via Brent Faiyaz’s ISO Supremacy and Pulse. You can watch the video for “Thought You Were The One” above, and find more album info here.
After taking a social media hiatus earlier this month, Halle Bailey returns as promised with one wild video for her seductive new single, “Because I Love You.” Balancing rapping and singing over a driving instrumental, it’s a strong return to form for the younger half of Chloe X Halle.
Even if you think you know where the plot of this twisty thriller of a clip is going, you wouldn’t be able to guess the surreal snarl in the road ahead. What seemingly starts off as an exploration of a steamy love triangle — with Halle herself playing two of its points opposite The Book Of Clarence‘s RJ Cyler — turns into a true mind bender as “faithful partner” Halle catches “exotic dancer/other woman” Halle with RJ on a romantic night out.
The jilted version of the singer doesn’t just confront the unfaithful partner and his paramour, she hops on the hood to put on a show of her own. But right before Clyer’s disbelieving eyes, he’s confronted by a whole cadre of Halle clones (timed to the choral explosion of her duplicated voices on the track itself). The video ends on this cliffhanger, but whatever the many Halles decide to do to the perfidious paramour, you just know it can’t be good.
“Because I Love You” is Halle’s second solo single of 2024 after the more demure “In Your Hands,” and already seems to be much more warmly received among fans online. You can watch the video above.
After a short delay earlier in the month, Big Sean’s new album Better Me Than You is out now and with it, the comically romantic video for standout song, “Who You Are (Superstar).” As suggested by its title, the song is constructed around a sample of Usher’s 2004 Confessions hit, “Superstar,” with Sean whispering sweet nothings and empowering affirmations to a romantic interest.
In the tongue-in-cheek video, which is inspired in equal parts by the call center-oriented films Girl 6 and Boiler Room, Sean gets help in the above endeavor from an office full of Lothario phone operators, played by comedians Mark Philips, Dylan Patel and fellow musicians Jazz Cartier and Aminé, with veteran actor Taye Diggs, who plays their boss.
Opening like an infomercial, with the boys encouraging women to call in to receive some confidence, the rest of the video follows their in-office antics, as they gas each other up with advice and their own encouraging mantras scribbled on post-its. The ladies calling in range from surgeons to jet-setting bigwigs, calling in from work or workouts.
The overall vibe is right in line with much of the rest of Better Me Than You, which has featured other empowering singles such as “Clarity,” “On Up,” “Together Forever,” and “Yes.”
You can watch the video for “Who You Are (Superstar)” above.
Better Me Than You is out now via FF to Def Entertainment. You can find more information here.
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