mixtape maestro (2.0)

In it’s original context, Wale’s Tribe Called Quest “Award Tour”-referencing “World Tour” manages to be a better-than-average banger, with producers Cool & Dre spinning a triumphant, modern blaxploitation beat that’s every bit as energetic as Wale’s excited rhymes about the ups and downs of being an on-the-come-up rap star. A perfect choice for a single, everything about it bristles with a “you WILL like me” infectious hunger similar to Kanye West’s early output, and having Jazmine Sullivan around doing the soul-diva hook-chick thing makes for a nice cherry on top (even if she is a bit under-utilized here).

But we would be lying if we didn’t admit to digging this slickly polished Urban Noize remix a little more. Their decision to once again thaw out The Whispers’ “And The Best Goes On” as a backing sample choice is a brilliant move, the song’s feel-good ’80’s R&B-funk a nice compliment to the globe-trotting lifestyle Wale is going on about (And don’t worry, you’re not alone if you’re moved to dorkily chant “Welcome To Miami” at least once when listening to it).

Pick up the MP3 below, as well as Urban Noize’s remix to the R. Kelly/ Keri Hilson duet, “Number One”.

Wale’s debut Attention: Deficit is now set for a November 3rd release.

DL: “World Tour (Urban Noize Remix)” (alt)

DL: “Number One (Urban Noize Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized 80's, cool & dre, jazmine sullivan, retro, the whispers, urban noize, wale

The Game & Ne-Yo had a decent enough single already in their pocket with L.A.X. album track, “Gentleman’s Affair” (sure the very colorful lyrics would have needed to be cleaned up, but still…); so why is the set’s fourth release instead falling on “Camera Phone”, a “bonus cut” that was only found on the album’s more expensive “Deluxe Edition”? Siiiiigh, Reason No. 5,067 why today’s music industry is in such bad shape.

Nevertheless, the cheek-inked West Coast rhymer and Grammy’s new favorite R&B nice guy show off more of their solid “opposites attract” chemistry on this unfortunately-titled, but still favorable, cut, bobbing and weaving throughout the beat’s uzi-fire drum rattle and liquidy soul noise as they cavort through the night in their respective expensive rides, gleefully stealing other men’s women while agreeing to pose for pics for the ladies’ cells.

“If I’m on her screen saver/ That mean later we gone,” Ne-Yo devilishly warn-croons to the beaus-at-home (That’s not very gentleman-ly, Mr. Yo); meanwhile, just when you thought Game had grown past littering his lyrics with those numerous name-drops, he somewhat sours a slick, rapid-fire flow (amusingly reminiscent of 50 Cent’s “AYO Technology” vocal pattern) by ripping through a listing of his ideal R&B pin-ups (“She so Ciara, so Eve/ So Mariah, so Be…”).

Industry and Game vents aside, this smooth collabo, like the aforementioned “Affair”, kills, while also triggering the gut feeling that an announcement for yet another “Best of Both World”-styled duet LP (that’ll probably never ever actually reach fruition, like all the others) is just around the corner.

Snatch up the equally hot Urban Noize remix below:

DL: “Camera Phone (Urban Noize Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized ne-yo, the game, urban noize