Potholes In My Blog

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1. Watch Drake’s Previously Unreleased “We’ll Be Fine” Video
2. Ryshon Jones – “Three Kay” P. Thelonious Martin
3. 2014 Grammy Award Nominees Revealed; Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell and Jay Z Lead The Way
4. D.W – Smooth Operations [EP]
5. Vic Mensa – “Suitcase” F. Chance the Rapper
6. Allan Kingdom – “The Dwelling/Good Problems” [Video]
7. Best Downloads Of The Week (12/6/13)
8. Stream How To Dress Well’s Diverse “Stay The Night” Mix
9. Fa†e – “The Last Stop” F. Blu [Potholes Video Premiere]
10. Spacek Signs With Ninja Tune, Drops New Single

Watch Drake’s Previously Unreleased “We’ll Be Fine” Video Posted: 07 Dec 2013 01:52 PM PST All you diehard Drake fans out there no doubt recall that Take Care‘s “We’ll Be Fine” was seemingly set and ready to have a video released for it. But for whatever reason, the trailer was never followed up by the full clip and the Earth kept spinnin’, Drizzy released a new album, etc… That changes today. Apparently director Mikael Colombu felt it was time to share his work with the world and has revealed the entirety of “We’ll Be Fine”. There’s a catch, though, and it’s that you only hear portions of the actual song in the video. It’s been replaced by a classical (or is it opera?) tune, though snippets of the track pop up here and there. Oh, as for the video itself? It’s an interesting one, that’s for damn sure. You can watch the video below and buy Take Care here.

Ryshon Jones – “Three Kay” P. Thelonious Martin Posted: 07 Dec 2013 06:14 AM PST Hailing from Philadelphia, rapper Ryshon Jones bolsters his increasingly significant position on the radars of rap sites with the release of "Three Kay". The Thelonious Martin-produced track is deeply layered with whirling organ notes, cymbal crashes and samples. Jones' delivery toys with the structure of the tempo. At points, he seems to nearly fall off beat before regaining footing thanks to a detectable magnetism. I'm definitely curious to hear more from Ryshon, and it's always nice to see what Martin's cooking up. Listen to "Three Kay" right here.

2014 Grammy Award Nominees Revealed; Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell and Jay Z Lead The Way Posted: 07 Dec 2013 06:00 AM PST Last night, the Grammy Nominations Concert was held and, as you can tell from its name, the event included the revealing of all the nominees for the 2014 award show that takes place on Sunday, Jan. 26. And for those unfamiliar with how they choose what to nominate, the committee looks at albums and songs released between October 2012 through September 2013. Now that we have the specifics out of the way, we can take a look at the artists up for the most awards. Several acts we cover regularly are up for a bunch: Jay Z is nominated for nine; Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell, and Justin Timberlake for seven; and Drake and Daft Punk for five. Not bad, eh? OK, I know most people (myself included!) like to poop on the Grammys, but I can always get behind artists like these getting recognized for their work on such a huge stage. I have shared the categories we care about the most here at Potholes below, though you can peep the full lineup at the Grammy website. Song of the Year “Just Give Me A Reason,” Pink f/ Nate Ruess “Locked Out Of Heaven,” Bruno Mars “Roar,” Katy Perry “Royals,” Lorde “Same Love,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/ Mary Lambert Record Of The Year “Get Lucky” Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams “Radioactive” Imagine Dragons “Royals” Lorde “Locked Out Of Heaven” Bruno Mars “Blurred Lines” Robin Thicke f/ T.I. & Pharrell Williams Album of the Year The Blessed Unrest, Sara Bareilles Random Access Memories, Daft Punk good kid m.A.A.d. city, Kendrick Lamar The Heist, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Red, Taylor Swift Best New Artist James Blake Kendrick Lamar Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Kacey Musgraves Ed Sheeran Best Rap Performance “Started From The Bottom” Drake “Berzerk” Eminem “Tom Ford” Jay Z “Swimming Pools (Drank)” Kendrick Lamar “Thrift Shop” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/ Wanz Best Rap/Sung Collaboration “Power Trip” J. Cole f/ Miguel “Part II (On The Run)” Jay Z f/ Beyoncé “Holy Grail” Jay Z f/ Justin Timberlake “Now Or Never” Kendrick Lamar f/ Mary J. Blige “Remember You” Wiz Khalifa f/ The Weeknd Best Rap Song “F***in’ Problems” Tauheed Epps, Aubrey Graham, Kendrick Lamar, Rakim Mayers & Noah Shebib, songwriters (ASAP Rocky Featuring Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar) “Holy Grail” Shawn Carter, Terius Nash, J. Harmon, Timothy Mosley, Justin Timberlake & Ernest Wilson, songwriters (Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl & Krist Novoselic, songwriters) (Jay Z Featuring Justin Timberlake) “New Slaves” Christopher Breaux, Ben Bronfman, Mike Dean, Louis Johnson, Malik Jones, Elon Rutberg, Sakiya Sandifer, Che Smith, Kanye West & Cydell Young, songwriters (Anna Adamis & Gabor Presser, songwriters) (Kanye West) “Started From The Bottom” W. Coleman, Aubrey Graham & Noah Shebib, songwriters (Bruno Sanfilippo, songwriter) (Drake) “Thrift Shop” Ben Haggerty & Ryan Lewis, songwriters (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz) Best Rap Album Nothing Was The Same, Drake Magna Carta…Holy Grail, Jay Z good kid, m.A.A.d. city, Kendrick Lamar The Heist, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Yeezus, Kanye West Best Pop Duo/Group Performance “Get Lucky,” Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams “Just Give Me A Reason,” Pink f/ Nate Ruess “Stay,” Rihanna f/ Mikky Ekko “Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke f/ T.I. & Pharrell Williams “Suit & Tie,” Justin Timberlake & Jay-Z Best Dance/Electronica Album Random Access Memories, Daft Punk Settle, Disclosure 18 Months, Calvin Harris Atmosphere, Kaskade A Color Map Of The Sun, Pretty Lights Best Dance Recording “Need U (100%)” Duke Dumont f/ A*M*E & MNEK “Sweet Nothing” Calvin Harris f/ Florence Welch “Atmosphere” Kaskade “This Is What It Feels Like” Armin Van Buuren f/ Trevor Guthrie “Clarity” Zedd f/ Foxes Best R&B Performance “Love And War” Tamar Braxton “Best Of Me” Anthony Hamilton “Nakamarra” Hiatus Kaiyote Featuring Q-Tip “How Many Drinks?” Miguel Featuring Kendrick Lamar “Something” Snarky Puppy With Lalah Hathaway Best Urban Contemporary Album Love And War, Tamar Braxton Side Effects Of You, Fantasia One: In The Chamber, Salaam Remi Unapologetic, Rihanna New York: A Love Story, Mack Wilds Best R&B Album R&B Divas ,Faith Evans Girl On Fire, Alicia Keys Love In The Future, John Legend Better, Chrisette Michele Three Kings, TGT Best Traditional R&B Performance “Please Come Home” Gary Clark Jr. “Get It Right” Fantasia “Quiet Fire” Maysa “Hey Laura” Gregory Porter “Yesterday” Ryan Shaw Best R&B Song “Best Of Me” Anthony Hamilton & Jairus Mozee, songwriters (Anthony Hamilton) “Love And War” Tamar Braxton, Darhyl Camper, Jr., LaShawn Daniels & Makeba Riddick, songwriters (Tamar Braxton) “Only One” PJ Morton, songwriter (PJ Morton Featuring Stevie Wonder) “Pusher Love Girl” James Fauntleroy, Jerome Harmon, Timothy Mosley & Justin Timberlake, songwriters (Justin Timberlake) “Without Me” Fantasia Barrino, Missy Elliott, Al Sherrod Lambert, Harmony Samuels & Kyle Stewart, songwriters (Fantasia Featuring Kelly Rowland & Missy Elliot) Producer of the Year, Non-classical Rob Cavallo Dr. Luke Ariel Rechtshaid Jeff Tweedy Pharrell Williams

D.W – Smooth Operations [EP] Posted: 06 Dec 2013 08:23 PM PST One of my favorite producers from the UK at the moment, D.W, drops yet another EP of loops. This time under the title Smooth Operations – and it is indeed smooth. From the get go, your going to get hit with a total of 6 brief cuts of off-kilter instrumentation that will get your neck snapped if you are not careful, so be cautious. I gotta feeling he’s going to someone to definitely look forward to as we embark on our upcoming journey through 2014 based on the rate he’s sharing quality beat-tapes like it’s nothing. You can give Smooth Operations a spin and purchase it at your own price below. Purchase: D.W - Smooth Operations [Bandcamp]

Vic Mensa – “Suitcase” F. Chance the Rapper Posted: 06 Dec 2013 04:56 PM PST With the buzz at an all time for Chicago’s rising hip-hop scene, Vic Mensa and Chance the Rapper continue to capitalize. Teaming up for yet another cruise-worthy track, the two have absolutely no problem chopping up a refreshing tune together. “Suitcase” is produced by Cam Osteen, a name you might remember landed on Acid Rap for a number of noteworthy cuts. There is no word on where “Suitcase” will land, but lets hope this means Vic and Chance both have some new projects on deck for us to look forward to. Stream “Suitcase” below.

Allan Kingdom – “The Dwelling/Good Problems” [Video] Posted: 06 Dec 2013 12:34 PM PST The new talent coming out of Minneapolis/St. Paul these past few months has been impressive and among the crop is Allan Kingdom, who caught our attention with his “Mediocre.” video. The rapper/producer appears to be destined for big things, based both on his refreshing music and apparent connection to Plain Pat. And as we’re moving into 2014, Kingdom remains planted firmly on the map with his new two-part video, “The Dwelling/Good Problems”. It mashes together the two tracks off his Talk To Strangers release by showcasing his weirder side and the part of him that likes sorta-dancing in white outfits. You can watch the video below and get the album here. [via]

Best Downloads Of The Week (12/6/13) Posted: 06 Dec 2013 11:53 AM PST We haven’t started posting our year-end lists just yet, but El-P went ahead and beat us (too) with his own list. That same day, Jay Z celebrated his 44th birthday and decided he’d do a list, too, but this was of his own albums from best to worst. Yeah, pretty cool. Too bad that his teammate in The Throne didn’t have as good of a week, but at least we finally heard all of Kanye’s interview on Juan Epstein. We also got the news that Q-Tip is apparently co-producing Ye’s new album, which could be awesome. In other news, there were some rad new video clips we saw like: Kendrick Lamar recording a new track with Dr. Dre; the Modern Funkmaster documentary on Dam-Funk; Vic Mensa’s f_cking ill freestyle on Showoff Radio; J-Zone making a beat from scratch; and a lost 2Pac interview turned into an animation. Yeah, those should keep you busy for the next *checks the posts again* hour or so. Enjoy! Oh! And shouts to Steve “Beat” Spacek on his new deal with Ninja Tune. Now for the best single drops of the week: Madlib – "Hold The Organ" Nocando – "Little Green Monsters" Curtiss King – "Workaholic" F. Astro & Waju Kanin – "Winner Circle" F. Kendrick Lamar Sean Price & M-Phazes – "Dump In The Gut" Jamall Bufford – "Silencers" F. Magestik Legend Sides of Chaz (Toro Y Moi) – "Sweet Tea" Elaquent – "Aurora" F. ESTA Topaz Jones – "Divas At The Disco" XXYYXX – “Chaser” Ladi6 – "Diamonds" (Oddisee Remix) There were several choice album and EP streams that we posted this week, too, that I’d like y’all to take note of: Christian Rich - In Between Various Artists - Classic Drug References Vol. 1 Childish Gambino - Because The Internet Sadsic - Sadsic David Straange – Mortal Contour 7 Days of Funk (Snoopzilla & Dam-Funk) – 7 Days of Funk Click below to grab the Best Downloads of the Week.

Stream How To Dress Well’s Diverse “Stay The Night” Mix Posted: 06 Dec 2013 11:47 AM PST That’s a butt. This is a new mix from How To Dress Well. Teaming up with Safe House USA, the multi-talented artist put together a fantastic collection of tracks, with a load of unique twists and turns. Included on the track listing are a number of notable classics like Craig David’s “Fill Me In”, along with some newer tones from Sampha and Grimes. And since this is a How To Dress Well mix after all, many tracks that were before upbeat are now left dripping in moody melancholy. And we absolutely love it. Stream the mix below. How To Dress Well x Safe House USA Jeremih: Fuck U All The Time [HTDW Edit] Drake: Own It [HTDW edit] Craig David: Fill Me In Grimes: Skin [HTDW edit] Jhene Aiko: From Time [HTDW edit] Sampha: Can’t Get Close [HTDW Emo Rock Drums Edit] Mariah Carey: Open Arms Ian Isiah/ Deafheaven: Freak U Down/ Irresistible [HTDW Total Genius Total Mashup] Jimmy Eat World – Just Watch The Fireworks Rihanna ft. Future: Looooooove Song

Fa†e – “The Last Stop” F. Blu [Potholes Video Premiere] Posted: 06 Dec 2013 11:02 AM PST If you have been to Potholes in the past month or two, you have no doubt run across the work of young West Coast producer Fa†e. That’s particularly true most recently, as I showed his debut album, The Night Bus Home, a good amount of love—well deserved love, mind you, because dude is really on to something. His sound is both modern and old school, a balance that plenty have attempted to grasp. Where they have fallen short, though, this guy’s definitely succeeding. That’s apparent on the single “The Last Stop”, which features a hungry guest verse from Blu. The song also now boasts some abstract visuals directed by Julius Dettmer. His vision is one that harnesses the trippiest elements of the beat to truly bring them to life while also highlighting certain portions of Blu’s rhymes. You can watch the video below and download the single on Soundcloud. Hell, you should have the whole album already, which you can snag on Bandcamp.

Spacek Signs With Ninja Tune, Drops New Single Posted: 06 Dec 2013 10:09 AM PST It has been a long time since we last heard from Steve Spacek, but today he breaks his silence with a pretty big power move. First off, he inked a deal with Ninja Tune under the moniker Beat Spacek. It appears Spacek will drop a full-length album next year, but today we are excited to hear a stunning one-off track in “Alone In Da Sun”. With a woozy synthesizer and some melancholy melodies, Beat Spacek picks up where Spacek left off with all of his incredible solo work. And expect more of that very soon, as it looks like early 2014 will be very fruitful for this legendary artist. [via] Stream “Alone In Da Sun” below.