So much breeze to shoot... How bout a jumbled All-Star weekend prementarant (Preview-Commentary-Rant?), you want my half-assed predictions at this year's Oscars? You got 'em! and we'll take a look at what 2012 may hold in terms of exciting, new albums. Jeremy Lin's future Disney classic continues to write itself as the hysteria has managed to last through it's 3rd week now, with few signs of slowing down, so long as the Knicks don't have the Heat on the slate. The Carmelo transition continues to be a work in progress but there's no question the Knicks are a much more complete squad now than they were less than a month ago, and it's not because Baron Davis is back, as originally hoped.
Hard to believe but we're already at the half way point of the 2012 strike shortened season. Along with the mid point of the season comes the annual all-star game in which the leagues most popular and deserving players square off conference bragging rights at stake East Vs. West. I'd have to say that the fan's vote went the right way this time around with most of the high getters being the most deserving as well as the most popular. James, Wade, Howard, Rose and Melo make up the East's starters. Nearly all no-brainers with Carmelo Anthony being the only obvious exception, gulp, if Lin had been getting burn all season he'd probably have ridden the New York vote wave that Carmelo did. Hard to say who would be more deserving as a starter, Igoudala or Pierce, Bosh maybe? But Carmelo has certainly not been a runaway selection in my opinion. (Aside: Am I hating on my guy? Unpopular opinion alert, but I'd say Tyson Chandler has the New York Knicks MVP to this point in the season, if you watch the games you know what I mean. ) Another interesting Knick/All Star storyline is that with Linsanity being what it's been, it's not hard to see him challenging DWade or DRose for an annual all star spot that would have otherwise assuredly been owned by these two beasts for the rest of the decade. The Asian vote is nothing to be trifled with, ask Yao Ming.Otherwise, Rondo was probably a snub but he's in now with Joe Johnson out. Josh Smith may have been a legit choice as replacement if you wanted to keep a Hawks representative. The Bulls get some long overdue respect with Deng as a second selection. Roy Hibbert gets the Indiana nod, a tribute to how disappointing Danny Granger has been on an otherwise impressive Pacers squad. Unsurprisingly, no Raptor representation, I'd argue Barg's had some early momentum but injuries have derailed that. Is Amare a notable omission, nope, he's been do-do.
Out West the report is much the same as ther3 is little to argue with the vote of Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, and Andrew Bynum. You're lone quibble likely being that Love deserves to start over Griffin but take into account Griffin's popularity, his explosiveness and the fact that it is an all star game and he's the better guy to have in for this type of occasion. Both Lamarcus Alderidge and Marc Gasol are very deserving first time all stars, selected by the coaches, wait, what Marc Gasol? Pau Gasol? Yeah Marc is deserving and the Lakers don't deserve 3 All Stars to the Grizz having 0, for two teams with comparable records.
As far as the rest of the bench this was likely Nash's swan song as an all star but he was still deserving in my opinion over the likes of Monta Ellis, Steph Curry or Ty Lawson. All of these guys including Kyle Lowry as well have a case that they've been snubbed but there's simply not enough guard spots out West. Speaking of Lawson, it's hard to believe there is no Nugget on the squad but their slide out of the playoff picture made it hard for them to make a case for any one player. Utah suffered a similar fate, sliding into the break with it's tandem of Al Harrington and Paul Millsap likely splitting the vote between one another. For solely the 30 sum games of this season's body of work you could likely take one of the Utah forwards over Dirk Nowitzki but when you consider he is the reigning Finals MVP, a perennial all star, and that he is the lone representative from a very good Dallas team that entered the break playing very good basketball and there is really very little to complain about with this years squads. Tony Parker has been the best player on a very good Spurs squad, and Westbrook is and All-NBA type of talent. This should be a very good All-Star game with both teams being loaded with talent I'll take the underdog West on the road in Orlando.
| Pos | Player | Team | No. of selections | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starters | ||||
| G | Chris Paul | Los Angeles Clippers | 5th | 1,138,743 |
| G | Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers | 14th | 1,555,479 |
| F | Kevin Durant | Oklahoma City Thunder | 3rd | 1,345,566 |
| F | Blake Griffin | Los Angeles Clippers | 2nd | 876,451 |
| C | Andrew Bynum | Los Angeles Lakers | 1st | 1,051,945 |
| Reserves | ||||
| F | LaMarcus Aldridge | Portland Trail Blazers | 1st | — |
| C | Marc Gasol | Memphis Grizzlies | 1st | — |
| F | Kevin Love | Minnesota Timberwolves | 2nd | — |
| G | Steve Nash | Phoenix Suns | 8th | — |
| F | Dirk Nowitzki | Dallas Mavericks | 11th | — |
| G | Tony Parker | San Antonio Spurs | 4th | — |
| G | Russell Westbrook | Oklahoma City Thunder | 2nd | — |
| Head coach: Scott Brooks (Oklahoma City Thunder) | ||||
| Pos | Player | Team | No. of selections | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starters | ||||
| G | Derrick Rose | Chicago Bulls | 3rd | 1,514,723 |
| G | Dwyane Wade | Miami Heat | 8th | 1,334,223 |
| F | LeBron James | Miami Heat | 8th | 1,360,680 |
| F | Carmelo Anthony | New York Knicks | 5th | 1,041,290 |
| C | Dwight Howard | Orlando Magic | 6th | 1,600,390 |
| Reserves | ||||
| F | Chris Bosh | Miami Heat | 7th | — |
| F | Luol Deng | Chicago Bulls | 1st | — |
| C | Roy Hibbert | Indiana Pacers | 1st | — |
| G | Andre Iguodala | Philadelphia 76ers | 1st | — |
| G | Joe Johnson | Atlanta Hawks | 6th | — |
| F | Paul Pierce | Boston Celtics | 10th | — |
| G | Deron Williams | New Jersey Nets | 3rd | — |
| Head coach: Tom Thibodeau (Chicago Bulls) | ||||
Dunk Competition: The Dunk Contest as we knew it in our Vince Carter heyday is now unfortunately gone. There was a time when the leagues best got UP for this - Chase Budinger, Jeremy Evans - who!?, Derrick Williams, Paul George are not among the leagues best players or dunkers. That being said, I'll take Paul George and I hope I'm wrong about the dunk being dead. Poet.
*Knicks Guard Iman Shumpert was supposed to take part in this before being injured just nights before the competition, a rumoured dunk over Jeremy Lin on a couch was his winner, shame that didn't get to happen.
3 Point Shoot-Out: A mix of players and shooters fill out this years 3 point shootout, where the Heat's James Jones will defend last years title. Jones goes up against Kevin Love, Anthony Morrow, Ryan Anderson, teammate Mario Chalmers, and Kevin Durant who was a late addition for the scratched Joe Johnson. If players like Love and Durant get hot they could run off quite a number as streaky good shooters. Or maybe you'd give the edge to those whose specialty is the 3 point shot like Anthony Morrow or James Jones. Myself I think I'll take a bit of a hybrid in Ryan Anderson, a guy who has proven him self to be more than just a shooter this season and he's shooting in the familiar surroundings of his home court, I'll take Anderson.
Taco Bell Skills Competition: Fries supreme... er, that's not what this is about. While the other competitions routinely garner more hype, the skills competition certainly boasts the strongest roster. Steph Curry, John Wall, Tony Parker, Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo and Deron Williams all compete in a real who's who of top flight play makers. I wish it was just a game of 3-3 though, rather than an obstacle course, yawn. I'll take Tony Parker in a field so strong I think the same player would win max 3 times out of 10.
The NBA All Star Game isn't the only entertainment on showcase Sunday evening, the 2012 edition of the Oscar's celebrates its achievements in film for the past year, with Billy Crystal once again set to host. Brace yourself, the depth of my knowledge is about to become far shallower, hence, the following will be referred to as my half-ass Oscar predictions. While I do claim to have a pretty good handle on the NBA, league pass and what not, I do not hold the same level of confidence in my knowledge of the film- bourgeois, foreign, or otherwise. While some years I feel I have a handle on the Best Films Nominations at the very least, this year I'm grasping at straws. The odds-on favourite is a silent film!? Really? Well aren't we cultured. I'm sure it's great. I might grow up. I don't know. Most categories I've only seen partial nominations, so yes, these predictions mean dick all. Enjoy.
*Knicks Guard Iman Shumpert was supposed to take part in this before being injured just nights before the competition, a rumoured dunk over Jeremy Lin on a couch was his winner, shame that didn't get to happen.
3 Point Shoot-Out: A mix of players and shooters fill out this years 3 point shootout, where the Heat's James Jones will defend last years title. Jones goes up against Kevin Love, Anthony Morrow, Ryan Anderson, teammate Mario Chalmers, and Kevin Durant who was a late addition for the scratched Joe Johnson. If players like Love and Durant get hot they could run off quite a number as streaky good shooters. Or maybe you'd give the edge to those whose specialty is the 3 point shot like Anthony Morrow or James Jones. Myself I think I'll take a bit of a hybrid in Ryan Anderson, a guy who has proven him self to be more than just a shooter this season and he's shooting in the familiar surroundings of his home court, I'll take Anderson.
Taco Bell Skills Competition: Fries supreme... er, that's not what this is about. While the other competitions routinely garner more hype, the skills competition certainly boasts the strongest roster. Steph Curry, John Wall, Tony Parker, Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo and Deron Williams all compete in a real who's who of top flight play makers. I wish it was just a game of 3-3 though, rather than an obstacle course, yawn. I'll take Tony Parker in a field so strong I think the same player would win max 3 times out of 10.
The NBA All Star Game isn't the only entertainment on showcase Sunday evening, the 2012 edition of the Oscar's celebrates its achievements in film for the past year, with Billy Crystal once again set to host. Brace yourself, the depth of my knowledge is about to become far shallower, hence, the following will be referred to as my half-ass Oscar predictions. While I do claim to have a pretty good handle on the NBA, league pass and what not, I do not hold the same level of confidence in my knowledge of the film- bourgeois, foreign, or otherwise. While some years I feel I have a handle on the Best Films Nominations at the very least, this year I'm grasping at straws. The odds-on favourite is a silent film!? Really? Well aren't we cultured. I'm sure it's great. I might grow up. I don't know. Most categories I've only seen partial nominations, so yes, these predictions mean dick all. Enjoy.
| Best Picture | Best Director |
|---|---|
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| Best Actor | Best Actress |
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| Best Supporting Actor | Best Supporting Actress |
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| Best Writing – Original Screenplay | Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay |
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I've covered the most anticipating upcoming films for 2012. This week I took the same approach to what is on the horizon in the music world for 2012. Unlike the film industry the making of an album seems to require far less people and organization than a movie. I'm noting this because it seems the general public is made far more aware of films and more information is readily available for films. Albums may be a much more personal expression of an artist and as such there is less information depending on the artist's intentions. That said with so many media outlets readily available to mainstream media their are plenty of leaks to offer us a taste of what's to come. Another aspect could be that an album can come together much quicker (In some cases, right Dre), for instance, bands seem to be able to say they're going to go into the studio and that means in 3-6 months they'll have a product available for release. The hip hop scene features a lot more mixtapes and material leaks, maybe that's why album release dates seem forever in flux in this genre. Whatever the cases here are 30 albums/projects hip hop and otherwise that are reportedly on their way over the next 10 months. As always, temper you're expectations and excitement at you're own peril.
30 Most Anticipated Albums for 2012:
30 Most Anticipated Albums for 2012:
30. Dr. Dre - Detox - Ha. The most anticipated album of 2006,2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, you get the point. We''ll see you again in 2013. Beats by Dre.
29. Ghostface and MF Doom - Swift and Unchangeable - Another submission pulled from the long overdue for a release wishlist, this album has been in production going on 5 years now it seems. Always one to pump out the albums without fail, consistently generating creative products, Ghostface has stated that all of his work on this album is complete. The hold up continues to be MF Doom putting the finishing touches on the work. An album that features mostly all Doom production with one track from the late great J. Dilla, maybe 2012 will allow us this blessing.
28. Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded - Nicki Minaj just appeared at the Superbowl! Albeit as a side dish to Madonna's aged yams, that's still a claim that most of the artists on this list won't ever be able to claim, not that many would care, but it is a testament to how much of a pop star she has become despite her raw rap roots. It will be interesting to see what direction she heads next with her sequel to last year's Pink Friday. Dropped on Valentives.
27. Rick Ross - God Forgives, I Don't -Say what you will about Rick Ross - he has no flow, he's a sell-out, he only raps about drugs and eating - he gets good beats and has an all star squad with his Maybach Music Group and I'll listen to this record for the couple of bangers it'll bring.
26. The Weeknd - Wayne's protege Drake's proteges, The Weeknd popped up in a number of notable cameo appearances for Drake in 2012 and seem primed to make the jump if they tie their star to the right ship (read: Drake and Wanye) the could produce one of the big albums of 2012.
25. French Montana/ Machine Gun Kelly - P. Diddy has retooled the Bad Boy line up and the 2012 edition features a couple of mix tape stand outs in French Montana and Machine Gun Kelly, expect them to attempt to each release a solo debut before the years out. Needless to say, Biggie Smalls is not walking through that door, Mase is not walking through that door. Black Rob would in a heart beat.
24. Modest Mouse - TBA - One of my original indie-band innovators I'm always excited for another incarnation from Modest Mouse. Through in rumours that Big Boi has been working on some of the production for this record and I'm even more intrigued. 22. Jay Z - Jay Z too seems to have immersed himself in a hip-hop rebirth as he has a renewed creative drive. Time will tell whether the birth of his new baby girl will inspire him to complete another album or push him further out of the game and into parenthood. It's been awhile since his 2009 solo release and talks of a new solo release for 2012 are certainly in the works.
23. Pusha T - To be honest I donno much about Pusha T aside from a couple of legit cameo appearances for Kanye West but he is on the G.O.O.D. Music label so he has beatsmith Kanye in his corner and a stable of artists to collaborate with. Big Sean's release was first priority but Pusha T is gonna get his time in 2012.
22. G.O.O.D. Music Project - TBA - Kanye's got his dirty digits on so much of this list, it's like it can't possibly all happen, an likely won't all happen, but even if only a few of the projects he touches come out it's a bounty for hip-hop music lovers. With a strong label of competitive and hard working rappers, where the head of the label might be the hardest working, expect a collaborative effort from this highly touted label before 2012 says it's last rites.
21. A$AP Rocky - One of the new kids on the block. LiveLoveAsap was his mixtape last year and it came out to rave reviews, reported to have something in the works for this year so I anxiously await what the best young talent out of Harlem in some time can do on a major label record. (He's with Sony Records)
20. Wiz Khalifa - ONIFC - For the record Wiz hasn't always been a rapper whose content targeted commerical success but that certainly seemed like the recipe on his major label debut Rolling papers in the spring of 2011. Hard to argue with the results if you're in the game to cash in, which is something Wiz has done a lot of of over the past year. With Pharrell and Adam Levine reportedly in line for cameos you can expect that trend to continue. Making the Prodigy H.N.I.C., inspired acronym of ONIFC all the more laughable. If you're wondering the title means, Only N-Word In First Class, Prodigy was talking about the trials of the streets while Wiz contemplates the struggles of surprised looks from the first class. I guess you rap about what you see, count my interest as moderate.
19. Tyga - Careless World: Rise of the Last King - Tyga has been all over the hip hop scene of late with his "Rack City" track blowing up everywhere. You know you've made it when Jeezy, Wale, Meek Mill and Fabolous want to jump on the remix. Throw in Tyga's appearance on the remix of Drake and Weezy's anthem "The Motto" and the timing couldn't be better for Tyga to release his major label debut. This just came out on Tuesday.
18. Nas and Common - Nas.Com - Nas and Common got together on last years banger Ghetto Dreams, which even appeared on Madden 2012. I guess the two felt the chemistry was nice and they'd like to continue to make music together, enough so that they've announced a proposed collaboration album titled Nas.Com. This has the potential to be outstanding, a complete flop and a mere pipe dream all at the same time.
17. T.I. - Trouble Man - One of the rising stars of the South before his incarceration T.I. looks to return and muscle his way back to a piece of the 2012 pie. Anticipated to drop this summer T.I. will be looking to return to the Southern anthems that made him King, both literally and figuratively, back in 2006. Promo singles "Here Ye, Hear Ye" w/ Pharrell and "I'm Flexin" w/ Big K.R.I.T. suggest he's on the right track and the first single is reportedly with Usher so expect something commercial to build the hype this summer.
16. B.O.B. - Strange Clouds - I've no history of interest in the music of Bobby Ray, always finding he veered to close to the mainstream, too close to Bruno Mars for so this is a bit of a surprise for me, but I am looking forward to release of B.O.B.'s Strange Clouds album. I enjoyed B.O.B. on the B.E.T. cypher I caught him on this past year and I checked out EPIC (Every Play Is Crucial) which I found to be quite good, so I'm on board got Strange Clouds whenever it's release date stops getting pushed back and it actually surfaces.
15. The xx - TBA - The xx exploded onto the scene with their self titled solo debut back in the summer of 2009. Their infectious grooves feature fully formed arrangements of sound that are wide ranging and very catching to the ear. Hard to imagine them topping the quality of their debut, in which they showed a maturity beyond their age, but maybe topping expectations is just what they do, this time it'll be far more difficult than last time. Their sophomore effort is said to be 'club inspired' and they hope to have it out in time for the UK festival season.
14. The Shins - Port of Morrow - Can The Shins recapture the Indie magic that dominated air waves back when Garden State became the video soundtrack of the indie music world. Oh, Inverted World was game changing, follow up Chutes Too Narrow was a terrific album, but Wincing the Night Away kind of saw me lose my interest, time will tell if Port of Morrow can bring this listener, and many others, back into the fold.
12. The Killers - Been a fan of The Killers since the days of Hot Fuzz, climaxing with Sam's Town and culminating with Sawdust (loved their take on Dire Strait's Romeo and Juliet, among others), I wasn't a huge admirer of Day and Age. So it's with a subdued moderate interest that I anticipate a 'guaranteed' album in 2012. No date or title has been set but the band reportedly plans to take the things they've done well on past albums and do an album of those terrific things. Music sounds so simple when you put it that way, good enough for me.
11. Frank Ocean - Nostalgia Ultra continues to be one of my favourite R&B escapes from 2011 which only hinted at the possibility and talent of the crooning Mr. Ocean. 2012 should feature a major label debut for Ocean, which could feature some hip hop from Ocean's pals in Odd Future or more of the same and you're not going to hear a complaint from me either way.
10. Lupe Fiasco - Food and Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album - From the realm of things that will likely not happen, please, pretty please can we a legitimate album effort from Lupe Fiasco. What I'm really asking will Atlantic Records finally take the shackles of Lupe and let him record and release the Great American Rap Album that has been his destiny since his original classic Food and Liquor hit the shelves nearly 6 years ago. My 1 caveat being - no more pop hooks, please, I beg.
09. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid in a Mad City - Last year's Section. 80 mixtape was agruably the most critically acclaimed and well received by any newcomer to the hip hop scene in the past 12 months. Lamar has consistently shown an ability to represent the west coast in a socially conscious way, while at the same time remaining loyal to his roots in the streets. Lamar likely won't get the same commercial daps as some other artists releases this year but it won't be for a lack of talent, his content just isn't as uplifting or gratuitous as some of the other artists and why should it me, he's giving an uncompromising view of life in the streets of South Central Los Angeles.
08. Kid Cudi & Dot Da Genius - WZRD - Kid Cudi continues his evolution on a new album with collaboration from Dot Da Genius, judging from the snippets I've heard, don't expect this to be much of a hip hop album as Cudi seems to have gone in a different direction on this one and while it may still be hip hop it certainly falls under a sub-genre. Either way, Cudi is an incredible artist and I'll lend my ear to hear what new sounds he wants to represent his art. Drops in a few days.
07. Kanye West - West is enjoying some of his greatest creative successes of late with My Dark and Beautiful Twisted Fantasy and Watch The Throne both boasting some of the most outstanding production of the past 2 years. Supposedly constantly at work on what will be his next solo project we can only wait with baited breathe. Kanye is a dick sure, but I don't want to be his pal, I just want to hear his beats.
06. MGMT - MGMT- MGMT are reportedly blessing the music world with a new album in 2012. Their debut album Oracular Specatacular blew minds and had everyone dancing to Electric Feel and Time to Pretend. Their follow up Congratulations featured a new direction for them sonically and the album received a slightly under whelming reception. It will be interesting to see if the two young men, continue to evolve musically or if they return to the sounds that made them world beaters. Set to release a self titled album sometime this year, no date set yet.
05. Kanye West and Jay Z - Watch The Throne 2, or maybe Still Watching the Throne, or Watch The Throne - The Legend Continues - Jay Z allegedly claimed that Kanye and himself had more in the tank following the release of 2011's most anticipated record. With 2011's release going so well, it's no wonder that both listeners and creators are keen for the two genius' to get back in the lab.
04. Mumford and Sons - TBA - Mumford and Sons are reportedly hard at work on their follow up to Sigh No More. The band claims to be engaging in the final steps of the process but their is still no title or release date set. The general public certainly awaits with a feverish desire to hear some new music from the Sons. Though there is no real rush for the band as their debut record Sigh No More just finished 2011 as it's top selling rock album, and that was released in 2010 and featured songs from as far back as 2008. Be great to hear some new music from this melodic bunch.
03. Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball -The Boss has been rolling out some of the new single off of his newest album Wrecking Ball set to hit shelves on March 6th. This will be Springsteen's first effort since the passing of his longtime E Street Band saxophonist and good friend Clarence Clemons. The album centers on the current state of the American economy and the recent 'Occupy' movement.
02. Nas - Life Is Good - Nas is in my top all time, so yeah, I'm greatly anticipating his latest effort. "Nasty Nas" and a number of other sonically charged highlights from 2011 suggest that he hasn't lost his edge just yet. Expect Life is Good to be more of the same incomparable flow and militant idealism, the title suggests he may have gained new perspective since his last Untitled ( Nigger) Album in 2008, don't expect him to have stopped speaking his mind though.
01. Outkast/ Big Boi/ Andre 3000 - Now this might be wishful thinking, in fact it surely is, but there have been rumours for some time suggesting there could be multiple 2012 releases from the quirky Outkast duo. Let's start with Big Boi being the most likely to release an album this year. His 2010 solo effort, Sir Lucious Leftfoot, Son of Chico Dusty was one of the best efforts from that year, so I'm all for another solo effort from Daddy Fat Sax. Andre reportedly has also been working on a solo effort, which seems likely because his name has been popping up increasingly more often in recent times. I can recall appearances on Wayne's album, as well as Drake's Take Care, Young Jeezy's recent smash "I do." So he's definitely been getting back to his music. And of course the best thing of all would be if we could get these two old friends back together making a cohesive album. 1 out of 3, I'll settle for, 2 would be unreal and 3 would make the Mayan prediction a welcomed farewell.
28. Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded - Nicki Minaj just appeared at the Superbowl! Albeit as a side dish to Madonna's aged yams, that's still a claim that most of the artists on this list won't ever be able to claim, not that many would care, but it is a testament to how much of a pop star she has become despite her raw rap roots. It will be interesting to see what direction she heads next with her sequel to last year's Pink Friday. Dropped on Valentives. 27. Rick Ross - God Forgives, I Don't -Say what you will about Rick Ross - he has no flow, he's a sell-out, he only raps about drugs and eating - he gets good beats and has an all star squad with his Maybach Music Group and I'll listen to this record for the couple of bangers it'll bring.
26. The Weeknd - Wayne's protege Drake's proteges, The Weeknd popped up in a number of notable cameo appearances for Drake in 2012 and seem primed to make the jump if they tie their star to the right ship (read: Drake and Wanye) the could produce one of the big albums of 2012.
25. French Montana/ Machine Gun Kelly - P. Diddy has retooled the Bad Boy line up and the 2012 edition features a couple of mix tape stand outs in French Montana and Machine Gun Kelly, expect them to attempt to each release a solo debut before the years out. Needless to say, Biggie Smalls is not walking through that door, Mase is not walking through that door. Black Rob would in a heart beat.
24. Modest Mouse - TBA - One of my original indie-band innovators I'm always excited for another incarnation from Modest Mouse. Through in rumours that Big Boi has been working on some of the production for this record and I'm even more intrigued. 22. Jay Z - Jay Z too seems to have immersed himself in a hip-hop rebirth as he has a renewed creative drive. Time will tell whether the birth of his new baby girl will inspire him to complete another album or push him further out of the game and into parenthood. It's been awhile since his 2009 solo release and talks of a new solo release for 2012 are certainly in the works.
23. Pusha T - To be honest I donno much about Pusha T aside from a couple of legit cameo appearances for Kanye West but he is on the G.O.O.D. Music label so he has beatsmith Kanye in his corner and a stable of artists to collaborate with. Big Sean's release was first priority but Pusha T is gonna get his time in 2012.
22. G.O.O.D. Music Project - TBA - Kanye's got his dirty digits on so much of this list, it's like it can't possibly all happen, an likely won't all happen, but even if only a few of the projects he touches come out it's a bounty for hip-hop music lovers. With a strong label of competitive and hard working rappers, where the head of the label might be the hardest working, expect a collaborative effort from this highly touted label before 2012 says it's last rites. 21. A$AP Rocky - One of the new kids on the block. LiveLoveAsap was his mixtape last year and it came out to rave reviews, reported to have something in the works for this year so I anxiously await what the best young talent out of Harlem in some time can do on a major label record. (He's with Sony Records)
20. Wiz Khalifa - ONIFC - For the record Wiz hasn't always been a rapper whose content targeted commerical success but that certainly seemed like the recipe on his major label debut Rolling papers in the spring of 2011. Hard to argue with the results if you're in the game to cash in, which is something Wiz has done a lot of of over the past year. With Pharrell and Adam Levine reportedly in line for cameos you can expect that trend to continue. Making the Prodigy H.N.I.C., inspired acronym of ONIFC all the more laughable. If you're wondering the title means, Only N-Word In First Class, Prodigy was talking about the trials of the streets while Wiz contemplates the struggles of surprised looks from the first class. I guess you rap about what you see, count my interest as moderate.
19. Tyga - Careless World: Rise of the Last King - Tyga has been all over the hip hop scene of late with his "Rack City" track blowing up everywhere. You know you've made it when Jeezy, Wale, Meek Mill and Fabolous want to jump on the remix. Throw in Tyga's appearance on the remix of Drake and Weezy's anthem "The Motto" and the timing couldn't be better for Tyga to release his major label debut. This just came out on Tuesday.
18. Nas and Common - Nas.Com - Nas and Common got together on last years banger Ghetto Dreams, which even appeared on Madden 2012. I guess the two felt the chemistry was nice and they'd like to continue to make music together, enough so that they've announced a proposed collaboration album titled Nas.Com. This has the potential to be outstanding, a complete flop and a mere pipe dream all at the same time.
16. B.O.B. - Strange Clouds - I've no history of interest in the music of Bobby Ray, always finding he veered to close to the mainstream, too close to Bruno Mars for so this is a bit of a surprise for me, but I am looking forward to release of B.O.B.'s Strange Clouds album. I enjoyed B.O.B. on the B.E.T. cypher I caught him on this past year and I checked out EPIC (Every Play Is Crucial) which I found to be quite good, so I'm on board got Strange Clouds whenever it's release date stops getting pushed back and it actually surfaces.
15. The xx - TBA - The xx exploded onto the scene with their self titled solo debut back in the summer of 2009. Their infectious grooves feature fully formed arrangements of sound that are wide ranging and very catching to the ear. Hard to imagine them topping the quality of their debut, in which they showed a maturity beyond their age, but maybe topping expectations is just what they do, this time it'll be far more difficult than last time. Their sophomore effort is said to be 'club inspired' and they hope to have it out in time for the UK festival season.
14. The Shins - Port of Morrow - Can The Shins recapture the Indie magic that dominated air waves back when Garden State became the video soundtrack of the indie music world. Oh, Inverted World was game changing, follow up Chutes Too Narrow was a terrific album, but Wincing the Night Away kind of saw me lose my interest, time will tell if Port of Morrow can bring this listener, and many others, back into the fold. 12. The Killers - Been a fan of The Killers since the days of Hot Fuzz, climaxing with Sam's Town and culminating with Sawdust (loved their take on Dire Strait's Romeo and Juliet, among others), I wasn't a huge admirer of Day and Age. So it's with a subdued moderate interest that I anticipate a 'guaranteed' album in 2012. No date or title has been set but the band reportedly plans to take the things they've done well on past albums and do an album of those terrific things. Music sounds so simple when you put it that way, good enough for me.
11. Frank Ocean - Nostalgia Ultra continues to be one of my favourite R&B escapes from 2011 which only hinted at the possibility and talent of the crooning Mr. Ocean. 2012 should feature a major label debut for Ocean, which could feature some hip hop from Ocean's pals in Odd Future or more of the same and you're not going to hear a complaint from me either way.
10. Lupe Fiasco - Food and Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album - From the realm of things that will likely not happen, please, pretty please can we a legitimate album effort from Lupe Fiasco. What I'm really asking will Atlantic Records finally take the shackles of Lupe and let him record and release the Great American Rap Album that has been his destiny since his original classic Food and Liquor hit the shelves nearly 6 years ago. My 1 caveat being - no more pop hooks, please, I beg.
09. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid in a Mad City - Last year's Section. 80 mixtape was agruably the most critically acclaimed and well received by any newcomer to the hip hop scene in the past 12 months. Lamar has consistently shown an ability to represent the west coast in a socially conscious way, while at the same time remaining loyal to his roots in the streets. Lamar likely won't get the same commercial daps as some other artists releases this year but it won't be for a lack of talent, his content just isn't as uplifting or gratuitous as some of the other artists and why should it me, he's giving an uncompromising view of life in the streets of South Central Los Angeles. 08. Kid Cudi & Dot Da Genius - WZRD - Kid Cudi continues his evolution on a new album with collaboration from Dot Da Genius, judging from the snippets I've heard, don't expect this to be much of a hip hop album as Cudi seems to have gone in a different direction on this one and while it may still be hip hop it certainly falls under a sub-genre. Either way, Cudi is an incredible artist and I'll lend my ear to hear what new sounds he wants to represent his art. Drops in a few days. 07. Kanye West - West is enjoying some of his greatest creative successes of late with My Dark and Beautiful Twisted Fantasy and Watch The Throne both boasting some of the most outstanding production of the past 2 years. Supposedly constantly at work on what will be his next solo project we can only wait with baited breathe. Kanye is a dick sure, but I don't want to be his pal, I just want to hear his beats.
06. MGMT - MGMT- MGMT are reportedly blessing the music world with a new album in 2012. Their debut album Oracular Specatacular blew minds and had everyone dancing to Electric Feel and Time to Pretend. Their follow up Congratulations featured a new direction for them sonically and the album received a slightly under whelming reception. It will be interesting to see if the two young men, continue to evolve musically or if they return to the sounds that made them world beaters. Set to release a self titled album sometime this year, no date set yet.
05. Kanye West and Jay Z - Watch The Throne 2, or maybe Still Watching the Throne, or Watch The Throne - The Legend Continues - Jay Z allegedly claimed that Kanye and himself had more in the tank following the release of 2011's most anticipated record. With 2011's release going so well, it's no wonder that both listeners and creators are keen for the two genius' to get back in the lab.
04. Mumford and Sons - TBA - Mumford and Sons are reportedly hard at work on their follow up to Sigh No More. The band claims to be engaging in the final steps of the process but their is still no title or release date set. The general public certainly awaits with a feverish desire to hear some new music from the Sons. Though there is no real rush for the band as their debut record Sigh No More just finished 2011 as it's top selling rock album, and that was released in 2010 and featured songs from as far back as 2008. Be great to hear some new music from this melodic bunch.
03. Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball -The Boss has been rolling out some of the new single off of his newest album Wrecking Ball set to hit shelves on March 6th. This will be Springsteen's first effort since the passing of his longtime E Street Band saxophonist and good friend Clarence Clemons. The album centers on the current state of the American economy and the recent 'Occupy' movement.
02. Nas - Life Is Good - Nas is in my top all time, so yeah, I'm greatly anticipating his latest effort. "Nasty Nas" and a number of other sonically charged highlights from 2011 suggest that he hasn't lost his edge just yet. Expect Life is Good to be more of the same incomparable flow and militant idealism, the title suggests he may have gained new perspective since his last Untitled ( Nigger) Album in 2008, don't expect him to have stopped speaking his mind though.
01. Outkast/ Big Boi/ Andre 3000 - Now this might be wishful thinking, in fact it surely is, but there have been rumours for some time suggesting there could be multiple 2012 releases from the quirky Outkast duo. Let's start with Big Boi being the most likely to release an album this year. His 2010 solo effort, Sir Lucious Leftfoot, Son of Chico Dusty was one of the best efforts from that year, so I'm all for another solo effort from Daddy Fat Sax. Andre reportedly has also been working on a solo effort, which seems likely because his name has been popping up increasingly more often in recent times. I can recall appearances on Wayne's album, as well as Drake's Take Care, Young Jeezy's recent smash "I do." So he's definitely been getting back to his music. And of course the best thing of all would be if we could get these two old friends back together making a cohesive album. 1 out of 3, I'll settle for, 2 would be unreal and 3 would make the Mayan prediction a welcomed farewell.
I don't really like this song I don't think but there's no denying 3 stacks goes after this beat, giving the track a totally different feel that that scattered noise that occupies the sound before he finishes it.
That's it for another edition of the Top 20 as well as the blog. As always peace, love and go Knicks.
