NEW MUSIC: SHAKIRA FT. RIHANNA “CAN’T REMEMBER TO FORGET YOU”

Well, here it is folks. After all the hype behind it, the collaboration from the two divas is here. Produced by John Hill (Santigold, Christina Aguilera) and Tom “Kid Harpoon” Hull (Calvin Harris, Florence + the Machine) , the track features reggae inspiration while being uptempo. The video was shot by Joseph Khan in a L.A. mansion and is to be released in the weeks to follow. Now that I’ve said that, I can say what I feel. This is a rip-off of No Doubt‘s musical style circa 2001 (Rock Steady). They just upped the tempo. Nonetheless, it is a cute song. It will do decent overseas as all of Shakira and Rihanna‘s music does. Now I have to address the Rihanna “Navy.” I follow some on twitter and have seen them extremely upset with the song, even some who aren’t apart of the Navy. I have on statement: IT IS NOT RIHANNA’S SONG. She is a featured artist, she was asked to follow the style of the artist whose song it is. This is Shakira style to an extent. Not everything Rihanna does is her own personal work. She collaborated and was asked to conform to this certain genre and she complied, you all are acting like this is her single for her new album. Ok, rant over. Anyways, check out the song below which is Shakira’s first single off her tenth debut album due in March 25th.

I still like “Beautiful Liar” more.

-Brandiinoo, out.

NEW MUSIC REVIEW: BEYONCÉ BY BEYONCÉ

Mrs. Carter could not stand to see anyone else get any attention and got tired of Tamar jacking her style. So what does she do? Follow her husband and release an album out of nowhere with no promotion. I’ll say this, Beyoncé might have a hit on her hands here. She got smart and followed the blueprint of her last successful album besides her debut, “B’Day”. The album contains 14 tracks and 17 videos. She takes some notes from her lessors and adapts the ratchet persona that is so popular these days. Now her Beyhive may say that she is from Houston and that she always has been ratchet but she was not checking for that ratchet card until others were. Honestly, she looks a tad uncomfortable in some of these videos like “Drunk In Love.” You can see ratchet is not her natural state. Now while there are videos with the ratchet aspect like the one mentioned above and BowDown “***Flawless,”(which I just got a new dance from *waves hands*) there are some with artistic nature like “Ghost,”  and “Haunted,” the latter I’m sure some will find some Illuminati references as it’s a bit darker than usual for Beyoncé. I will say, she did a good job with these videos. Now on to the tracks. Now I could sit here and go on and do a track-by-track review but I will just pick a few that stand out.

Jealous – This is her “If I Were A Boy” to an extent. Just goes on to talk about her husband that is always at work and whatnot and how she is jealous. She uses sarcasm in the chorus saying “If you’re keeping your promise, I’m keeping mine” I think I just love the fact that she references “Freakum Dress” in the lyrics. The track, produced by Detail (Lady Gaga, Lil’ Wayne, Brandy) uses a nice guitar rift over a 808. Overall, I see this being a single.

Drunk In Love (ft. Jay-Z) – Even you all don’t know anything, know Jay-Z is the best man ever. Now my blog isn’t biased, but I stan for the man till the death of me. Drunk in Love, clearly a continuation of Bey’s smash hit “Crazy In Love,” was also produced Detail and uses a bit of Hindu type vocals. Lyrics like “Can’t keep your eyes off my phat ass” and Jay-Z line “Hope you can handle this curve, foreplay in the hallway” easily shows the growth in not only their careers, but their relationship. At one time you couldn’t even get the two of them in a room together with cameras, nowadays you have them on a track talking about their sex life. Love at its best. This is on repeat.

Partition – THIS. SHIT. HERE. Excuse my french, but this is SEXY. Makes me want to strip down right now. Now “Yonce” is in the opening of the track and Yonce must be her rap alter ego. And honestly it wasn’t bad at all. “I sneezed on the beat and the beat got sicker, Yonce all on his mouth like liquor.” Catchy. Now the actual track produced by none other than Timbaland himself (alongside Justin Timberlake, Harmon, Key Wane) has a bass line, I’m talking a mean bass line. Beyoncé said : “Aw, he so horny; Yeah he want to fuck.” YES BEYONCÉ. “He Monica Lewinsky’d all on my gown” All this time I have wanted a nasty track from Beyoncé. Her whole career I have wanted one. “Handprints and good grips all on my ass” I digress, I can’t handle it. The video …  I’m clearly taking this post personal.

Mine (ft. Drake) – First let me say “Ok Drake” for the come-up. Beyoncé rarely let’s anybody on her tracks, let alone let someone sing on it. Now this could have easily been a track off “4” and they just added Drake and a new beat on the chorus, but regardless I like it. Drake really did this. Beyonce wanted to show Rihanna how to make a track with Drake. “Fuck what ya heard, your mine. Long as you know who you belong to.” Produced by Noah “40” Shebib(Drake, Lil Wayne, Alicia Key), it is in true Drake nature, in the fact that it starts with one beat then changes midway through the song, like Drake’s entire discography. It’s a nice love song with a hint of island beat to it.

There you have it, Brandiinoo’s take on BEYONCÉ. Now on iTunes, the album description says there is collaborations from Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Now besides Kelly in the “Grown Woman” video, and both of them in the “Superpower” video, there are no collaborations. Now was this shade from iTunes or shade from Beyoncé for not crediting them for their alleged collaboration? For now it’s speculation until I hear that husky man voice from Michelle on a track singing “OooOOOoooOOOo”

-Brandiinoo, out.