Lately I have been listening to more albums that were released in the last 2 years (including this year) and surprisingly I stumbled upon some gems! Check out my small list below, hopefully it makes you want to listen too.
Traveling back to South Carolina from Georgia, my uncle was in charge of the music which ended up being a good and bad thing. After countless soundtrack fails, he finally popped in this I AM album from Yo Gotti, released in 2013 and I wanted to slap myself for not listening to it when it first came out! Every song flows and is done spectacularly, not exactly what you would expect from a regular trap artist like Gotti, but it was a great surprise!
MY FAV TRACKS:
Fuck You (feat. Meek Mill)
I Am
Cold Blood (feat. J. Cole)
Respect That You Earn (feat Wale and Ne-Yo)
I have been a Sevyn Streeter fan ever since her name was Se7en and was a part of the group Rich Girl. I always wondered who the strong female vocals were in the background of Chris Brown songs and now I know who the powerful beauty is. And she does more than just write songs and do back up vocals! Her EP Call Me Crazy But... is absolutely one of my favorite works by a female artist in 2013! Her relate able lyrics about love and heartbreak and her strong and silky voice makes you feel like you're in a room with all your gal pals talking about your guy problems over ice cream and pizza.
MY FAV TRACKS:
COME ON OVER
B.A.N.S.
SHATTERED
nEXt
I am in NO WAY shape or form a huge R&B fan when it comes to males singing (unless it's Maxwell, Frank Ocean or Ryan Leslie.. but then again, they aren't technically R&B...) However, I must give props where they are due and Trey Songz definitely has a gem on his hands with his newest album TRIGGA! Originally, I listened to a stream of the album after it's July 1st release just to hear what his music was sounding like these days and after the opening track Cake, I just couldn't stop. Seriously, I tried. If he isn't nominated for thousands of awards (including a GRAMMY) then I know something is horribly wrong with people's ears.
MY FAV TRACKS: (its so hard to just pick 4)
Cake
Disrespectful (feat Mila J)
Dead Wrong (feat Ty Dolla $ign)
Yes, No, Maybe
All I have to say about Junglepussy's debut album Satisfaction Guaranteed is YASSSSSSSSSS. YAS. YAS. YAS. This headstrong, Brooklyn native never disappoints me when it comes to her music! I can't even explain how much I love this women, just... just please take a listen to the album. If you're anything like me, you'll love it!
MY FAV TRACKS:
NAH
FUCK TEXTING
CURVE 'EM
MI NUH CARE
You may know Mack Wilds from his acting gigs on The Wire, 90210 and Red Tails, but who knew that the lovely lover boy could sing his cute little heart out! I certainly didn't and I was very surprised when I saw him promoting his album New York: A Love Story in late 2013! He even came to Claflin University (literally 5 miles up the road from me) during homecoming to perform songs from NYALS! I am so angry with myself for not buying tickets to see this beautiful NY native perform live. I now understand why he was nominated for a Grammy for his work with this album, it literally takes you on a love journey via his smooth voice and sweet, tempting lyrics. And he even remade Michael Jackson's Remember The Time.
MY FAV TRACKS
WILD THINGS (feat Method Man)
KEEPIN' IT REAL
SOBER UP
DUCK SAUCE