JumpinJack AJ

Ahhhh, Rest in peace, Apache. I always loved the production of this. MADONNA - Beautiful Scars Rebel Heart (2015)

If that's it, I'm not surprised, but let's acknowledge that is this the first time EVER that the Live At Nassau Coliseum is being released on CD. Previously it was only every available on the vinyl single, coupled with "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble" (1988 Remix). Plus, the TLAC Remix of "Lovely Daze was only available on non-US CD singles. With the buzz of FP recording new music, it's good that this is coming out and will be in places like Walmart.

ED SHEERAN - The Man X (2014)

As long time fans, it's not too likely we'll see pictures we haven't seen before, but it'll likely have an insert with additional photos in it. I'm not sure if this is correct, as I found it on Oldies.com, where it says the album was released in January (which it wasn't). Based on the title, it sounds like they are referring to the previous greatest hits compilation. "All the charting singles, The Very Best of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince contains just about everything that any disc jockey played by the duo, including lighthearted smart-ass favorites like "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble" and "Parents Just Don't Understand," silly topical fluff like "A Nightmare on My Street" and "I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson," surprisingly durable minor hits like "Brand New Funk" and "The Things U Do," and even Jazzy Jeff's nimble instrumental flipping of tracks by Bob James, the Mizell Brothers, and Marvin Gaye ("A Touch of Jazz"). One significant track that doesn't appear is "You Saw My Blinker," a rare example of cranky bitterness from the otherwise wisecracking, punchline-delivering Fresh Prince."

I was thinking the same thing. This was the perfect event to kick off the new season. I wish it were an hour and a half long.

The Family Affair album was only released on his website back in 1998. I love the album, though it's a true Hip-Hop/Gospel album in the sense that he isn't rhyming on every song. Sometimes I just wanna hear the Hip-Hop songs on it. I a dubbed copy that was advertised as the real thing, so I'm hoping to find an affordable REAL copy some day. A handful of these songs were on his Too Tight album he did with 2Pac and Deathrow. He re-wrote some of them and tweaked the production some on the tracks that moved to this album.

TLC - This Is How It Should Be Done OoOoOoOhhh... On The TLC Tip (1992) For those of you who are fans of Marley Marl and didn't know, this is one of two tracks he produced for TLC.

USHER + CHRIS BROWN - All Falls Down (Usher's upcoming album) (2015)

BLANCA - Sunshine Who I Am (EP) (2015)

I haven't seen additional pictures yet. I got this from the official 2Pac Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/tupacshakur

Not sure why the video isn't showing in the post, but the link will take you to the video on her YouTube channel.

I'm unaware of any news as to if Jazzy is involved in the project, but I still feel this belongs here. "Jill Scott hasn't dropped a new album in four years, since 2011's The Light of the Sun—but no longer shall that be! Her fifth studio album is on the way, and now we have new music from it in the form of the swaying, horn-drenched "You Don't Know." The video for the tune is above, a collaboration between Scott and director Nzingha Stewart, it features Scott doing her powerful thing in a nightclub setting. Keep your eyes peeled for the Questlove cameo, too." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHyxrR0dxfo

Wow, I love this. Coincidentally, I popped Too Legit To Quit in the CD deck on the drive home today. I hate that one of the emcees with one of the biggest hearts is looked down on by some because of his massive success in the late 80's and early 90's. This is a beautiful song. The simplicity is perfect and unlike anything he's ever done before. Touching lyrics, and understated sound with live instruments, and great soulful vocals on the hook. I'm so happy with this new song.

This is pretty dope. In 1996 2Pac was working on a script for a film called All The Way. He jotted down his dream cast and put him and FP in the leading roles, and even refers to him as "Fresh Prince." He also lists Jada, Bill Bellamy, MC Hammer, Heavy D, Ice Cube, MC Eiht, Robin Givins, Marky Mark, Marlon Wayens, Chris Tucker, Everlast, Ricky Harris, the group Illegal, Mac Mall, Richie Rich, Arsenio Hall, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Scarface, Yo Yo, Treach, Sticky Fingaz, Freddie Foxx, R. Kelly, K-Ci, Mary J. Blige, Snoop, Vesta, Luke, Pattie LaBelle, Method Man, Rakwon, Shyheim, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield. That would pretty much be the dopest cast ever...lol. I especially like that it really shows who 2Pac respected. Notice the lack of Deathrow artists. It's mostly classic emcees and emcees who had mainstream success. If anyone ever thought there was tension between FP and 2Pac since Jada was one of 2Pac's best friends, I'm pretty sure that's been squashed with this. It shows that they were cool enough that he believed FP would accept the role. At the time that he wrote this, Independence Day probably hadn't even been released, which says a lot. Here's a page from the exhibit that's currently at The Grammy Museum in LA. Apparently pages from the script are on display as well.

I've heard that Chancey is difficult to work with. Teddy, on the other hand seems to have difficulty of keeping his legendary groups consistently together. Teddy seems to always have his heart in the right place though. I think it's silly that he's the best known group member, but has been touring under BS2 since he can't use the name BLACKstreet. Chancey may be the true vocalist, but only legit BLACKstreet fans are trying to see his version of BLACKstreet. ------------------------------------------------ Teddy Riley sues Blackstreet bandmate for $1MBy Selim Algar March 18, 2015 | 2:28pm Chauncey Hannibal and Teddy Riley Photo: GettyHe says it was a stone-cold double-cross — “No Diggity.” ​R​&B legend Teddy Riley claims his former bandmate stole the trademark for their group “Blackstreet” and commingled company funds to squirm out of child support and tax obligations, according to a scathing $1 million Brooklyn federal lawsuit. Riley, 48, who has worked with music megastars from Robin Thicke to Snoop Dogg, accuses ​former partner ​Chauncey Hannibal of sneakily allowing a trademark renewal application to lapse so he could reapply for it on his own and reap financial benefits. The case claims that Hannibal knowingly failed to alert Riley that the trademark for “Blackstreet” was due for renewal so he could pull off the theft. Once the trademark expired, Hannibal secretly applied for it on his own, papers state. “Hannibal trademarked Blackstreet to gain economic advantage for himself,” the suit states. “Defendant Hannibal told Plaintiff Riley that he was going to add him to the illegal and fraudulently filed trademark registration but never did as evidenced by the second trademark registration filed by defendant Hannibal,” court papers state. Riley claims that he even forked over $90,000 to Hannibal to sort out the trademark fiasco but was never repaid. The loss of the documentation will cost Riley more than $1 million, he claims in the suit. In addition, Hannibal also sought to get out of IRS and child support obligations by commingling personal and company cash, the suit states. “Hannibal was using the V​i​rginia corporate entity to commingle funds and secrete assets away from the purview of state child support authorities and tax officials from the IRS, which he was legally obligated for,” court papers state. The former partners, who founded Blackstreet together in 1992, have been warring for years over claims to the band that still performs across the country. Hannibal has blasted Riley in the past for performing as Blackstreet with other bandmates. ​They had a huge hit with “No Diggity” in 1996, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard charts​. The group is slated to perform at the refurbished Kings Theater in Brooklyn on March 28.

Less than a month, y'all. I can't find the tracklisting yet, but here's the cover.

BRITT NICOLE - Set The World On Fire (Neon Feather Remix) The Remixes (2015)

MAT KEARNEY - Just Kids Just Kids (2015)

I just wanna say that this is what I was hoping from her. I love her first three albums. Once the drama started, big dance singles overtook her career, though there are still some good songs throughout her albums. She pumped out at least one album a year until she took this break. I'm looking forward to more substantial lyrics and more musical production. I can't say that her current single is a perfect example, as Kanye West only takes away from the song, but I'm hopefully this album is everything it could be, and that her fame helps continue music's shift back to a better place.

Rihanna On New Album: It Will Be 'Timeless'By Jocelyn Vena | March 17, 2015 8:37 AM EDT Rihanna officially kicked off her next album cycle with the release of her Kanye West and Paul McCartney collaboration "FourFiveSeconds" back in January. With fans anxiously waiting for more details about the singer's forthcoming eighth studio album, she shared that the release will be a departure from what anyone might be expecting. "I've made a lot of songs that are just really, really big songs. From the jump, they just blow up," she told MTV about the album. "And I wanted to kind of get back to - not that they weren't real music, but I just wanted to focus on things that felt real, that felt soulful, that felt forever." Rihanna further noted that the release will have a "timeless" vibe to it."I wanted songs that I could perform in 15 years; I wanted an album that I could perform in 15 years," she said. "Not any songs that were burnt out. I find that when I get on stage now, I don't want to perform a lot of my songs because they don't feel like me. So I want to make songs that are timeless." http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6502357/rihanna-on-new-album-it-will-be-timeless

Here's a rare one...

DEAR MAMA SO MANY TEARS TEMPTATIONS">

I am guilty of sleeping on his stuff. I'll have to pay closer attention with this album, and revisit his previous stuff more closely.

SLUM VILLAGE w/ PHIFE - Push It Along (forthcoming album) (2015)

March 14, 2015 | Published By Amanda Mester2Pac’s Pivotal Classic Me Against The World Turns 20 Years Old (Food For Thought)20 years ago today (March 14, 1995), Tupac Shakur’s Me Against The World was released, and with it came the rapper’s most introspective work of his career. Released during a time of exceptional turmoil for 2Pac, the album signaled a musical changing of the guards, post-Thug Life and pre-Death Row, that manifested itself as an exploration of the anxiety germane to the legal and personal issues enveloping him at the time. After being accused of sexual assault in late 1993, ‘Pac was the victim of an attempted murder the following year (both incidents transpiring in New York City), experiences which shaped the feeling and sound of Me Against The World, the first solo album he released in over two years. Earning conspicuous accolades like being the first artist to debut an album at the top of the Billboard 200 while in prison, Tupac managed to be omnipresent during the album’s release despite (or perhaps bolstered by) being locked away. In an interview included within the 2003 book Tupac: Resurrection 1971–1996, ‘Pac was proud of the fact that the album had surpassed Bruce Springsteen’s Greatest Hits in sales, a tremendous achievement for a Black artist making music deliberately for the hood and particularly poignant considering Springsteen’s international super-stardom and 22-year foothold in music. About Me Against The World, ‘Pac goes on to say, “it was like a Blues record. It was down-home. It was all my fears, all the things I just couldn’t sleep about.” That paranoia, whether brought on by internal or external stimuli, is a dominating force in nearly every track, but also present are moments of nostalgia, sensitivity, and optimism that elevate the album to more than just a one-dimensional piece of work. The album’s intro, a nearly two-minute compilation of soundbites from various news segments, serves as a backdrop for the forthcoming content. Reporters discuss the incidents around his 1994 legal issues, as if to remind listeners of the extenuating circumstances under which he recorded the album. In a stellar example of the re-purposing of others’ work, a concept upon which Hip-Hop is based, the album’s first song begins with an altered William Shakespeare quote. Adapted from Julius Caesar, a story exploring the familiar trope of a man being brought down by his own comrades (“I no longer trust my homies, them phonies tried to do me”), the quote bellows “a coward dies a thousand deaths, a soldier dies but once.” Tupac often included warnings about trusting others, especially the ones who claim to be your supporters, so it’s fitting that of all Shakespeare’s plays, it is Julius Caesar that is alluded to at the top of a song titled “If I Die 2Nite.” Tracks like “So Many Tears,” “Lord Knows,” “Death Around the Corner,” and the title track deal directly with suicidal thoughts and symptoms of depression in ways that make Tupac extremely vulnerable and emotionally exposed. Lines like “now I’m lost and I’m weary, so many tears / I’m suicidal, so don’t stand near me,” “if I wasn’t high, I’d probably try to blow my brains out,” “Am I paranoid? Tell me the truth / I’m out the window with my AK, ready to shoot,” and “the question is will I live? No one in the world loves me” are exemplary of Tupac’s conscious effort to externalize the internal in ways he hadn’t before. No doubt a result of the hardships he was navigating throughout the recording process, what ostensibly would make him appear weak or “soft” in fact fortified him into not just another “thug” rapper, but a man capable of reflection on par with the greatest Blues musicians. In February 1995, Heads all over the world could be found listening to “Dear Mama,” an ode to motherhood and the lead single from the album. Released on February 21, just one week after ‘Pac began his nine-month prison sentence, the song has become Hip-Hop’s most enduring homage to mothers and, by extension, women. In a tinge of unfortunate irony, Shakur was locked up for the alleged sexual assault of a woman, an irony compounded by “Can U Get Away,” a track depicting ‘Pac as a man attempting to convince a woman to leave an abusive relationship. The importance of those two tracks when discussing the vitriolic misogyny far too common in Rap music from that era cannot be overstated. In the former, Tupac made it acceptable for a “thug” to openly love his mother and in the latter, he publicly disapproved of domestic abuse. It isn’t until “**** the World” that he seems to directly address the allegations against him, albeit fleetingly in only one lyric (“Haha, what you say? Who you callin’ rapist? Ain’t that a bitch”). Whether or not this was intentional, there is a level of maturity inherent in choosing not to pen a track devoted to the woman who, according to him, wrongly accused him of a crime that seemed antithetical to his views on women, at least those on Me Against The World. Although not known at the time, Me Against The World would prove to be a harbinger of Tupac’s eventual demise. The final album released before his signing to Death Row Records, it remains a crystallized specimen of unadulterated Tupac, before the influence of Suge Knight and his next home’s sound and reputation. In a calculated move by the Death Row CEO, Knight offered to pay ‘Pac’s $1.4 million bail in exchange for signing a three-album contract with his label. For many, that move is the definitive junction in time when the rapper signed his death warrant, for it was his relationship with Death Row which set the stage for the forthcoming (and some say overtly orchestrated) East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry in Rap music. Two decades later, as we prepare ourselves for next year’s twentieth anniversary of his death, Me Against The World holds up, for many, as the greatest album of his career. Although still replete with the violence that litters his entire discography, the album can, in many ways, be seen as his last album, for never again would Tupac explore the genesis of his pain as cohesively and completely. Nevertheless, the year and half of life he had remaining after March 14, 1995 left an indelible impression on the Culture and despite the tremendous sense of loss since his passing, we have albums like this one that remind us “a real mother****er will pick the time he goes.” Amanda Mester is a writer and editor living in Brooklyn, New York. Follow her on Twitter @CanEye_KickIt