Monday, February 2, 2015

Best Songs of the Week: Vic Mensa, Royce da 5'9″, Your Old Droog and Jodeci

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By Preezy January 30, 2015 3:46 PM Larry Marano / Jamie McCarthy / Stefan Zaklin, Getty Images

Here at The Boombox, we pride ourselves on delivering the best in hip-hop and R&B on a daily basis. From industry veterans to new artists, keeping our readers up to date with the latest music is our priority. But at times, a simple post doesn’t do a particular song justice and its importance may get lost in the shuffle. We’ve decided to present our Songs of the Week column to highlight the tracks we feel are the most noteworthy releases you need to hear.

Being that three is the magic number according to the gospel that is Schoolhouse Rock (which happens to be a guilty pleasure at The Boombox), we’re putting you on to three tracks from Vic Mensa, DJ Kaytranada, Royce da 5’9?, Your Old Droog, DJ EFN, OC, Reks and Jodeci that are more than deserve a spin or three. Press play below and feel free to leave your picks in the comments section.


Iconic '90s R&B group Jodeci will forever have country in the hearts of hip-hop fans. After more than a decade of being disbanded, the original bad boys of rhythm and blues surprised a number of fans when they decided to officially reunite while performing at the Soul Train Awards show in 2014.

The B.o.B.-assisted one-off 'Nobody Knows' was a pretty solid attempt, but the Carolina natives truly hit their stride on the recently released ballad, 'Every Moment.' Featuring production that sounds like it was snatched from a vintage DeVante Swing beatmaking session, the sound may be familiar, but is far from dated. 'Every Moment' gets our nod of approval and is one R&B cut from the past week that you sure don't want to sleep on -- for nostalgic and quality purposes alike.

Canadian producer Kaytranada has been one of the most buzzing boardsmen in the music world as of late. Leaning more towards synthesizers and trippy sounds than grungy samples, he has cultivated a following for his infectious remixes of popular songs, as well as cooking up his dance-influenced brand of audio crack for the likes of Mobb Deep, Mick Jenkins and Vic Mensa.

The Montreal music man has an upcoming album, 'So Bad,' set for release later this year, which he announced in December of 2014. Last week, we got our first taste of what the LP will have in store in the form of the Vic Mensa collab, 'Drive Me Crazy.'

Picking up right where they left off on their last collaboration, 'Wimmie Nah,' the two create magic. Mensa does his part with a stone cold (and albeit, admittedly Drake-ish) flow and his charismatic energy. Kaytranada shows us how they give it up sonically across the border.

DJ EFN Feat. Your Old Droog, Royce Da 5'9, OC & Reks

A few high-profile tracks were released in the past week, including bangers by heavyweights such as Lil Wayne and Migos; Young Thug and Rich Homie; and Big Sean, Drake and Kanye West ('Blessings'). But the selection that piques our interest this week is the lyrical miracle, 'Revolutionary Ride Music.'

The latest leak off of Miami-based DJ EFN's upcoming album, the song features an impressive roster of wordsmiths, including veterans Royce Da 5'9", OC and Reks, as well as rising rhymer Your Old Droog, and all come well-equipped with their respective brands of verbal weaponry.

Rewind-worthy rap is in the middle of a glorious revival as of late and 'Revolutionary Ride Music' is a great example of what's to come.

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