J. Cole’s Born Sinner Leaks Online

If it was not enough to have J. Cole’s  “Power Trip” both stuck in our head and on repeat on our favorate radio stations, tracks from the album will be blasting from cars all summer. J. Cole’s second studio album Born Sinner Leaked online a mere week before its official release date June 18. The album release date is also the same date of Kane West’s Yeezus, the 8th studio album by the  veteran MC .  The album leak has created a buzz that puts Born Sinner as a must have summer album.

Cole’s first single off the album “Power Trip” has been the official intro to summer jam and an instant hit. The track that features R&B singer Miguel has women swooned and men admitidly falling in love. The album itself is complete with powerful reflective tracks, skits, interludes and funny voices curtrsery of Kendrick Lamar. The album title track “Born Sinner” featuring James Fauntleroy is a higly insightful track of Cole’s life before enter the music industry and after. He admits that like us all he was born sinning but he tries to live better than that.

If Kanye West is a Self proclaimed God among men then J. Cole is the everyman of mankind placing our stuggles and successes to  a beat complete with background choir. “Born Sinner” opens with Villuminati, refenceing the music industry and the illuminati controversery. Track five, “ Forbidden Fruit featuringKendrick Lamar will have fans vibing to and reciting “Coleis King” and this album his crowing moment. “Forbidden Fruit” refrences the orginal sin of Adam and Eve, complete with 23 psalms quote. Cole’s lyrics on this track are pure genusis,“Forbidden Fruit/watch for the Adam’s apple/what you eat don’t make me sh*t/who you F*ck don’t make me cum/price on my head wont make me run/trying to kill but it can’t be done/put two and two together/ Cole here forever”. Despite the lack of promotion from his lable under Jay-Z and his compartlivly small fan base, Cole continues to deliver great music and spit from the heart.

Read more at: http://theurbantwist.com/2013/06/12/j-coles-born-sinner-leaks-online/

Stream the album here: bornsinner.com

This Girl is On Fire!!

Who else but Alicia Keys is stealing our hearts and ears again with another great album. This is a great "come back" album from the 31 year old new mother. The album features a variety of songs from various ranges of New York songstress voice and emotions  I was very excited to hear the "soul" sound return in the new album after her last very pop sounding album "The Element of Freedom".

With the exception of the music production from her husband Swiss Beats on "New Day" and "Fire We Make" with Maxwell, the album features no other artists. But it lacks nothing, the love songs make even the frozen heart-ed fall head over heels.

I love the entire concept of the "Girl on Fire" album to celebrate women who are On Fire, in their, careers, school, in who they are! Track 2 "Brand New Me" much like the empowering track "Girl on Fire" supports the ReCreation of self as stronger and more confident. My favorite line from the single "I'll never be perfect but at least now i'm brave, now my heart is open I can finally breathe, don't be mad its just a brand new kinda free, that ain't bad I've found a brand new kinda me, don't be mad its a brand new time for me"

While I must admit that I am a bit biased because she is my favorite musical artist but in all honesty this is a great album and I recommend it to everyone.

My Grade- A

Album Review: Rihanna Unapologetic

While I am a Huge Rihanna Fan, I was unsure if "Unapologetic" would be a great album or just mediocre. The album is actually pretty good, I'd say that the album is about equal to the quality of "Talk That Talk". I really love the artistry of sound that Rihanna plays with on the album.

She stays true to her island roots on tracks like "No Love Allowed". We  hear a softer side to the Barbados born vocalist in tracks like "Half of Me" and "Love Without Tragedy/Mother Mary" where she is actually surprised by her fame and also asks for forgiveness of her sins from "Mother Mary, Mr. Jesus". And of course, Rihanna wouldn't be Rihanna without her pop and edgy songs that have helped to carry her to fame like the treasured single "Diamonds" and "Phresh Off the Runway".

A great surprise to the album was her collaboration with Singer Chris Brown in  "Nobody's Business". I predict this track to be the next great single off the album, it proclaims that the love between her and her lover is just that "Nobody's Business". Whether we like it or not Chris Brown and Rihanna are going to be together and they are going to make music together and every time they are big hits.

Overall I give the album a B on the standard school grading scale, I  recommend the purchase of this album as a keeper!