Top 10 Rap Albums - February 2012 Dive in for February's hottest new rap albums

2012 is off to a sluggish start. I skipped January -- as I've done for six years now -- because it's typically the weakest month of the year. There's no bigger insult than trying to convince a music lover to buy a bunch of middling projects by Z-grade emcees. That said, February isn't allout flames, either. But it offers the first real spark of the year, led by Big K.R.I.T.'s latest project, 4eva N a Day. Also out this month: new albums from Too $hort, Copywrite, and 40 Glocc. Peep game.

10. 40 Glocc - 'Big Bad 4-0: New World Agenda'

 Is there room for a tough-talking G-Unit rapper named after a semi-automatic pistol? 40 Glocc is willing to find out. His first proper LP has suffered more pushbacks than John Legend's hairline. This month, 40 will try again and he'll need all the luck money can buy.
Guests: Chamillionaire, Paul Wall, Prodigy, Cee Lo, Twista, Yo Gotti
Release Date: February 28, 2012

9. Too $hort - 'No Trespassing'

 This is album #19 (if you exclude collaborative projects, EPs, etc.). Number Eighteen was light on guests. This time, Short Dogg brought some famous friends, notably Fif and Snoop. And yes, that silly thing to the left of your screen is the official artwork. Only a rapper of Too $hort's caliber could get away with a circa 90s, No Limit-esque cover in 2012.
Guests: 50 Cent, E-40, Kokane, Snoop Dogg
Release Date: February 28, 2012

8. Knowledge Medina & Numonics - 'Never Enough'

 Numonics is the producer. Knowledge Medina is the MC. Together, they map the sound of hopelessness with depth and attitude. Numonics conceived the EP's mood in a hospital bed, while recovering from a heart attack. Their tale of triumph over tribulation fuels much of Never Enough.

Guests: Reks, Co$$, J NiCS, Jon The Barber
Release Date: February 7, 2012

7. Madlib - 'Medicine Show 13: Black Tape'

Still drunk on Madlib's 12-album Medicine Show series? How about a hangover treat? The revered beatmaker has summoned a 13th release as a bonus tape to round out the series. It's sixty minutes of Madlib stomping all over the playground.
Release Date: February 28, 2012 

 

6. Tyga - 'Careless World:Rise of the Last King'

No introduction needed for this Compton rapper with T.I. swagger. Just a disc full of hip-hop party anthems. Careless World is Tyga's second album and his first as a Young Money artist. He's joined on the album by mostly YMCMB cohorts. Beats by 40, Jess Jackson and others. For fans of Big Sean.
Guests: Pharrell, Soulja Boy, J. Cole, Big Sean, and every member of Young Money/Cash Money
Release Date: February 21, 2012

5. Ski Beatz 24 Hour Karate School Presents: Twilght Zone

 Producer Ski Beatz reloads his 24 Hour Karate School series with an 11-track album, his third in two years. The slick keys and thick drums on Twilght Zone will likely up your love for Ski.
Guests: Curren$y, Mac Miller, Murs, Tabi Bonney, and Olamide Faison
Release Date: February 14, 2012

4. Ja Rule - 'Pain Is Love 2'

The Prince of Rap & B returns with the sequel to his multi-platinum album. Part Two reunites Ja with 7 Aurelius who helped mold his sound in the early oughts. Seven produced PIL 2 in its entirety and calls it Ja's “most provocative and his most personal album to date.”
Guests: Kalenna Harper (of Diddy-Dirty Money), Leah Sigel, and Anita Louise
Release Date: February 28, 2012

3. Planet Asia - 'The Black Belt Theater'

Here it is, Planet Asia's long anticipated kung-fu album. Many rappers are quick to describe their albums as movie-on-wax, but Asia is one of the few with the chops to deliver. "I wanted to make the album like a movie, something you would see in a theater," he says. "That's why it has so many features. All the guests feel like different characters in the movie." That guest list is a mixbag of usual suspects (Strong Arm Steady, Talib Kweli), newbies (Fashawn, Torae), and plain weird surprises (Paul Wall). The album is produced almost exclusively by little known boardsman Dirtydiggs, with Oh No and Khrysis chipping in here and there.
Guests: Raekwon, Ras Kass, Camp Lo, Strong Arm Steady, Fashawn, Willie The Kid, Torae, Nio Tha Gift
Release Date: February 28, 2012 

2. Copywrite - 'God Save the King'

Walking human controversy Copywrite is back with a new batch of songs. This one has all the ingredients of a Copy album: ambitious concepts, fresh metaphors, multi-syllabic flows, robust production, etcetera etcetera. There's also an undercurrent of spirituality running through God Save the King. Yet, as is always the case with anything Copywrite these days, it's non-music stuff that's dominating the conversation. “I don’t want my new Christian audience to buy this album," he tells Allhiphop.com. "I don’t want people to think you can live on both sides of the fence. I’m even putting a disclaimer in the album. I’m not playing around with this." 

Guests: Heltah Skeltah, RjD2, Roc Marciano, Evidence, Torae 

Release Date: February 28, 2012 

1. Big K.R.I.T. - '4eva N a Day'

Mississippi rapper Big K.R.I.T. is wrapping up work on his Def Jam debut, Live from the Underground. That one is set for June (delayed because K.R.I.T. went sample crazy and the label needs time to scale the paperwork hurdle). Meanwhile, he's prepped yet another mixtape to keep fans busy. K.R.I.T. says 4eva N a Day is about the diverse group of people he's met throughout his music journey. "You meet a lot of people and learn about their stories and their lives, what touched them," he says. "I really wanna touch on that." 

Release Date: February 20, 2012

 

 

K'Naan:More Beautiful Than Silence EP {new music}

Each track sounds completely different from the last, and although the record could be a pop smash, his message is never diluted in the melody.

In a mainstream rap landscape where crime bosses like Frank White and Larry Hoover are idolized, and success is defined by the requisite amount of imported cars and “model broads,” a rapper like K’Naan is an anomaly. He’s laser-focused on dreams, peace, and unity for the greater good. He’s already made a global impact, as his biggest song-to-date, “Wavin’ Flag,” became the official anthem of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Some may classify him bubblegum pop at first listen, but his message is anything but carefree. K’Naan bypasses the usual rap fare of gun toting and dope games. Instead, the AK’s he rhymes about are the ones used in a decades-old Somali war. He urges fans to get involved and donate money to benefit Somali children. For this reason, K’Naan’s five-track EP, More Beautiful Than Silence, is one of the year’s most authentic rap collections. Each track sounds completely different from the last, and although the record could be a pop smash, his message is never diluted in the melody.
More Beautiful Than Silence starts out with the Nelly Furtado-assisted track, “Is Anybody Out There?” The folk songbird emerges for K’Naan’s motivational anthem that will rest easily atop the pop charts. The track is a series of tales, similar to TLC’s “Waterfalls.” Mary suffers from depression. Adam is addicted to drugs. One need not visit a struggling nation to encounter these issues, because they’re in their own living rooms. K’Naan gets upbeat on “Nothing To Lose,” for some lyrical play with Nas.The two take listeners on a journey back to the very different blocks where they were raised. K’Naan talks pirates, and Nas talks about Queensbridge’s Vernon Blvd. Amidst the light-hearted bravado, K’Naan is sure to keep boundless dreams the main topic of discussion: “Roll dice to bet on dreams, not dollars.”
He samples Coldplay’s “Lost” on the introverted track, “Better.” Again, where most rappers tend to rap from Goliath’s perspective, K’Naan’s assumes David’s point of view. The underdog will slay the giant, with a steady noble come-up: “Music is my ammo, I’m ready for battle.” The music becomes melancholy on the title track. The haunting lullaby shows K’Naan releasing his demons, as violins, piano keys, and a choir fill the space until the song fades to black.
The final track, “Coming To America,” would seem to be the best moment for light-hearted fare, since it samples the music from the opening scene of Eddie Murphy’s cult-classic film. But it’s surprisingly the darkest of the entire EP with K'Naan expressing, “I ain’t Prince of Zamunda. My life is too gory.” Even though he rhymes about fleeing warfare and poverty, there’s something calming about the track, in that there’s light at the end of a dark tunnel.
K’Naan packs creative melodies, poetic storytelling, and soaring dreams on More Beautiful Than Silence. Core fans will love this musical appetizer, but one can only imagine the impact of his next full-length project. He’s carved a place in mainstream Hip-Hop for message music and validates the comparison to one of rock’s storytellers, Bob Dylan. Since K’Naan’s mission is to inspire global change, he’ll welcome mainstream success; if it gets his message to the ears of more listeners, and encourages them to dream big.

NEW MUSIC; "PADAWA Illrymz Feat Skales and Doctor Frabs @illrymz @youngskales @doktafrabz "

Olowu Bardia Adebola aka ILLRYMZ needs no further introduction as a Nigerian radio personality, model, television host, writer and producer. He is the Producer and host of Radio Outloud with Nokia & Ill; a PAN Nigerian syndicated reality radio show that airs on Beat FM & Cool FM in Lagos, Rhythm FM Abuja & Port Harcourt, BCA Umuahia and Freedom FM Kano. On television, Illrymz is the new host of Nigerian Idol alongside Tiwa Savage. 



Brand new music from  Illrymz, This track is cool, I think you wanna download it for your phone

DOWNLOAD

NEW MUSIC; Blaise – Iya Yin (If You Never Know)

Seen by many as Nigeria’s best female rapper, Blaise steps in with a new fierce joint “Iya Yin”. From what I hear, her mixtape FINALLY drops on the 23rd of March. The Queen is back!

DOWNLOAD

Coming soon; Wizkid Feat Skales- Baddest Boy @wizkidayo @youngskales

The highly anticipated simgle is expected to be out as soon as possible, you can expect this to be a dope, Wizkid is the biggest export in the African entertainment scene and Young Skales is Notorious for his solid punchlines.

NEW MUSIC; Kas – Eh Je Ka Jo {Let’s Dance } Ft Pasuma @Kas_fimile

Nigerian ace music producer features fuji sensation pasuma on this one, its a must listen for all music lovers. Enjoy

NEW MUSIC; Basketmouth - Where You Dey ft. Wizkid & Eldee

As promised, we’re bringing you the brand new joint from BasketMouth Where You Dey which features WizKid & Eldee The Don.
BasketMouth actually flows pretty well. Well that’s what we think anyways, but what are your thoughts?
Enjoy…. E Don Happen When BasketMouth Start Rap, lols

NEW MUSIC; Azonto (Freestyle)- Wizkid @wizkidayo

Nigerian music sensation, Wizkid has done it again- this time with a freestyle ti ko dun rara, LOL, just kidding- you know that aint gonna happen anytime soon, check it out, enjoy and leave your comments

NEW MUSIC; Eva - Crazy Ft Sauce Kid @evaalordiah

Born Elohor Eva Alordiah (August 13), Eva is a Nigerian rapper, dancer, creative writer and photography model from Delta State. She was born in Abuja Nigeria but travelled around the country as a child, from Asaba to Minna Niger state and then finally settling with her family in Lagos Nigeria.Arguably Nigerian best female rapper, she done did it again on this track, featuring the SInzu king himself Saucekid, you will surely enjoy this

 

Rihanna, Cheryl Cole to record duet this week

Cheryl Cole and Rihanna will reportedly record a duet together this week.

The pair have been rumoured to be planning a collaboration for some time and Rihanna is said to have agreed to record a "party anthem" with Cole for the Girls Aloud singer's upcoming third album.

Fresh reports have since claimed that the singers will meet at an LA studio later in the week to work on the project.

"Cheryl's flown to LA to put the finishing touches to her album and is due to meet Rihanna to record their duet," a source told the Daily Star Sunday.

 "It's been a long time coming and something both their management teams have been trying to arrange. But with their busy schedules and Rihanna's tour dates, they haven't been able to until now."

Cole is also said to be in talks to record collaborations with Eminem and Nicki Minaj for her new album, which was recently described as her best yet.

Cole's new single, which is rumoured to be co-written by herself and Taio Cruz, is apparently due for release in March.

New Video; Idris AbdulKareem Naija My country (Jaga Jaga Part 2) @Idris_abdulkarm

Idris Abdulkareem has done it again! He is one artist that never stops addressing issues affecting the masses, Jaga Jaga is still fresh in the heart of every Africans, now here is the part 2, Addressing the Fuel Subsidy removal by the Nigerian federal Government. This is a good initiative by the veteran artiste, and the tune is good. ENJOY!!!