The collaborations between Martian MC Lil Wayne and silky-smooth singer Lloyd have never ceased to thrill me, so when I heard the news that Weezy had added himself to Lloyd’s girls-as-drugs metaphor “Pusha” I got really excited. And the song mostly delivers, with Lloyd’s lighter-than-air voice and Wayne’s twisted rhymes meshing well enough to make me hope that their “Best Of Both Worlds” all-collabo album will eventually be a reality. Oh, also? The final mastered version punctuates the unfortunate line about Kurt Cobain with a gunshot. Yes. (Lil Wayne thankfully eschews Nirvana-frontman references in favor of talking about drugs a lot. Thank God for small favors, right?) Clip after the jump. More »
R & B singer Lloyd announced the release of his latest one-off single via Twitter today, and as you might expect from its title, “Pusha” engages in more than a few sexy-lady-as-very-potent-drug metaphors. Specifically the singer refers to cocaine here, the high of which is likened to flying super-high on a private plane. All pretty normal, but then the song’s romantic overtones take a turn into the, well, not so lovely. Because what, exactly, does the lyric of “Pusha” rhyme with “cocaine”? Why, “Cobain,” because the woman in question is so dynamite, she “blows [Lloyd’s] brain.” Oh Lloyd. I’m a fan of your silky stylings, but I gotta be honest—likening your intended conquest to a grisly suicide might have an effect opposite from the one you want. Clip after the jump. More »
Regular readers of this site know that I’m a big fan of the Future Of R&B series of mixes put forth by the mix-happy outfit Tapemasters. The set’s 28th installment hit file-sharing sites over the weekend, and it’s a pretty fantastic collection, programmed like the all-new-tracks R & B station in some alternate universe where things are a lot better than this one. It kicks off with a new track by Beyoncé—the ProToolsy ode to making whoopee “Slow Love”—and kicks into overdrive from there, with contributions by Amerie, Lloyd, Ne-Yo, and Mary J. Blige, among others. My five favorite tracks after the jump. More »
R & B smoothie Lloyd left Irv Gotti’s camp last month, and another song hinting at his post-The Inc direction has leaked. “Want To” was produced by the Norwegian team Stargate—the duo behind “Irreplaceable” and “Miss Independent,” among others—and it’s a super-sweet love song in which Lloyd gives the lady in his life the run of an evening’s entertainment plans. (I suspect he’d have a horse in the race between making love all night long and just sitting and talking, though.) Clip after the jump. More »
Falsetto-heavy R & B singer Lloyd is parting ways with Irv Gotti’s The Inc, saying that the partnership has “run its course” and that he wants to take more control over his career. (Although the fact that he said that he hoped Gotti would “understand his position” while discussing the breakup with AllHipHop.com makes me wonder if he’s filed his resignation letter just yet.) In conjunction with this liberation, “Night & Day,” a Jim Jonsin-produced track that I suppose is supposed to represent his artistic growth, has leaked; it’s a slinky slow burner that seems more suited to the later hours than those when the sun is out. [YouTube / AllHipHop] More »
What were the 80 most important musical recordings, artists, trends, events, and performances of 2008? What were the eight things this year that broke our hearts—or, at least, our ears? We’re happy to announce 80 ’08 (and Heartbreak), Idolator’s year-end overview. The list is below the jump.
Last year urban radio was entranced by the hypnotic 4/4 stomp of house music; this year, and much more briefly, R&B seemed smitten with throwback breaks and beats, a nostalgia-triggering retro-bounce sourced either directly from old-school funk records or the sample-heavy hip-hop singles of the late ’80s.
From time to time, we like to round up the all-important, all-summarizing last sentences of the biggest new-music reviews. This time out, we’re taking a look at writeups for R&B crooner Lloyd’s third album, Lessons in Love, which hits stores today.
This nearly-eight-minute remix of Lloyd’s “All Around The World” is pretty much an excuse for every MC on the track–The Game, T.I., Busta Rhymes, Rick Ross, Pitbull, Ace Hood, Yung Joc, Young Dro, and DJ Khaled–to rap over the “Ashley’s Roachclip” beat. More »
This nearly-eight-minute remix of Lloyd’s “All Around The World” is pretty much an excuse for every MC on the track–The Game, T.I., Busta Rhymes, Rick Ross, Pitbull, Ace Hood, Yung Joc, Young Dro, and DJ Khaled–to rap over the “Ashley’s Roachclip” beat. More »
ARTIST: Lloyd
TITLE: Lessons In Love
RELEASE DATE: Aug. 5, 2008
WEB DEBUT: July 23, 2008
Here at Idolator, we have a collective love for the R & B singer Lloyd, whose forthcoming album Lessons In Love drops Aug. 5. That admiration was mainly based on his musical output, which is made up of some of the finest R & B tracks of the last few (maybe more) years. But there’s a whole new reason to have a crush on him now, as this chat he had with TJ Tanner of Neon Limelight shows that his interview technique is as smooth as his falsetto. (Two minutes into their interview, he says to her, “If you look anything close to how you sound you have to be the finest woman alive.” The reason? “I have an album coming out in two weeks. Why wouldn’t I try to win you over?”) After the jump, other choice quotes.
Midnight tonight isn’t the exact midway point of this year, but hey, it’s the last day of its sixth month, which is close enough for roadwork. Or, er, listwork, that is: After the jump, I give you the seven songs that I would be more likely to put on a mix CD than any other, in YouTube/blurb form. Think of it as a post for me and my creaky, prone-to-forgetting-stuff brain to come back to when the year-end listmaking craze hits in a couple of months and an invitation for you to engage in similar Monday afternoon quantifying!
I’m happy to note that more people have joined my campaign for Lloyd’s Lil Wayne-assisted “Girls Around The World” to be the other official jam of this summer, but the crafty R & B crooner has done me one better, releasing another song in advance of Lessons In Love, which is scheduled for August. More »
