Nas, 2018

Nas

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Nas Dropping New Album In June, Produced Entirely By Kanye West

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The album announcement adds to a stacked lineup of forthcoming new albums produced by West, to be released consecutively over five weeks
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
Apr 23, 2018 - 12:32 pm

June 2018 will official mark the welcome return of Yeezy Season. After returning to Twitter earlier this month to spout philosophy and finally announce new music, GRAMMY-winning rapper/producer Kanye West still had one more bombshell to drop on his salivating fanbase: a new album from legendary New York rapper Nas, produced entirely by West himself.

The upcoming, as-yet-untitled Nas album will be the Brooklyn rapper's 12th studio LP, but his first release since 2012's Life If Good, ending the longest creative hiatus of his career since first releasing Illmatic in 1994.

For his own part, West seems intent on making up for lost time, as he has now announced a total of five albums, including his hotly-anticipated eighth solo album and a new surprise collaboration with Kid Cudi as Kids See Ghost, for which the Chicago native assumed all production duties. The albums are set for release once a week for five consecutive week throughout late May and on through June.

Altogether, fans can expect new music from Pusha T on May 25; the new, still-untitled Kanye West album on June 1; Kids See Ghost with Kid Cudi on June 8; Nas on June 15; and Teyana Taylor on June 22.

Details on all five albums, including first audio teases, remain forthcoming.

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Kanye West

Kanye West

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Kanye West's Wyoming Sessions Output Lands Him Atop The Charts

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As promised, June is unfolding an important body of work for a rediscovery of "the Kanye West sound of production"
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Jun 13, 2018 - 3:49 pm

Kanye West's new album, Ye, as well as others he produced during his recent "Wyoming Sessions" are striking a chord with critics and persuading listeners and buyers to press play. For the June 16 Billboard charts, Ye is at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — West's eighth in a row — and for the first time since the chart's 2014 launch, the Billboard Artist 100 has West at No. 1.

All seven of Ye's tracks are in the Top 40. But the bigger story — and a gratifying surprise for some — is what Pusha T predicted in Rolling Stone on May 25 when his West-produced album Daytona came out. "I feel like through this whole month of June you're going to rediscover the Kanye West sound of production," said Pusha T. And that's exactly what's happening.

Ye was released on June 1. On June 8, West's birthday, he released the self-titled album by his new rap superduo, Kids See Ghosts, with his long-time collaborator Kid Cudi. Three albums with seven tracks each, released by a creative giant intending to prove once again his enormity. In an uncharacteristic use of superlatives, Allmusic.com's review of the album Kids See Ghosts said it "not only emerges atop the Wyoming Sessions ranks, but also as a top release in either artist's respective catalogs." The announcement of the two albums was considered hype, and once again the power to follow hype with art is inherent in West.

But the story is still very much in progress. On June 13, West posted the tracklist — 7 again — for the Nas album he produced, due out June 15. There is no title yet but there is high anticipation. Superheroes have their alternate universe, but our rap universe is real, expressing the extraordinary from within. For many fans of both artists, it may seem unlikely the Nas release will disappoint. The mounting possibility of a four-by-seven epic would border on the type of takeover Pusha T predicted — or at very least would be a powerful demonstration.

So there's no pressure on Teyana Taylor, right? Her West-produced release is expected on June 22. The epic saga continues and she might look like the new face in this still-changing story, but this is someone who Pharrell Williams first signed more than 10 years ago, before she began to work with West in 2012. Will all the starpower behind the Wyoming Sessions be a build up to West unveiling his secret weapon, a new star? This is a rap serial drama centered on a big and growing pile of art. Either way, Kanye West's prolific June 2018 is likely to be remembered.

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Kanye West, 2016

Kanye West

Photo: Paul Natkin/Getty Images

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Kanye West Sets Internet Afire By Announcing Release Of Two New Albums

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Yeezus returns with release date announcements for a new solo album and a new collaboration
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
Apr 19, 2018 - 2:47 pm

Amid Kanye West's ongoing social experiment that's seen him writing a book on philosophy by tweeting it one post at a time, the GRAMMY-winning rapper has ignited a firestorm by apparently announcing the release dates of not one, but two new albums, both set to drop during the first week of June.

Kanye West Wins Best Rap Album

Following a lengthy hiatus from social media – during which he ostensibly retreated to the mountains of Wyoming to begin crafting his latest opus with the help of Kid Cudi, Nas, Travis Scott, Drake, and others – Yeezus resurrected his Twitter account, previously dormant for 11 months, and began hurling psalm-like advice and other inscrutable tweets into the social ether.

During a recent interview with his interior design collaborator Axel Vervoordt in The Hollywood Reporter, West expounded further on his newfound Zen, saying "We do these sneakers that sell out and [people say], 'Oh, this is the number one brand' ... and I don't wish to be number one anymore, I wish to be water."

Over the days since the April 13 interview, West has continued his enigmatic tweets, trading deadpan assertions such as "trend is always late," and "stop lyin about s***. Just stop lyin" with longer missives like, "let's be less concerned with ownership of ideas. It is important that ideas see the light of day even if you don't get the credit for them. Let's be less concerned with credit awards and external validation."

All of which brings us finally to today, where just hours ago West dropped the bombshell(s) across a rapid-fire series of four tweets:

And, of course, the web immediately lit up with speculation.  Already the unofficial Kanye West subreddit has a stickied thread titled ALBUM HYPE, and articles are likely being written or already live on every major music publication as we speak.

According to Pitchfork, West filed trademark paperwork for "Kids See Ghost" for, "coverage of everything from merch to streaming services to films and TV shows," leading us to question whether West's plan for his collaboration with Cudi will come as a follow-up of sorts to his previous GRAMMY-winning supergroup-style teamwork with Jay-Z as heard on Watch The Throne.

Details on official titles for both West's new solo album and his forthcoming matchup with Kid Cudi remain forthcoming, but at the time of this writing, West has also revealed that a long-awaited new album from Pusha T and new music from Teyana Taylor will be released on May 25 and June 22, respectively.

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Eartha Kitt, Santa Clause

Eartha Kitt & Santa Claus

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Poll: What's Your Favorite Holiday Song?

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Holiday favorites contend, with appeal from metal through rap to some obvious choices — each one sparkles in its own way
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Dec 24, 2018 - 8:04 am

As 2018 draws to a close and holiday spirits bring merriment, we invite you to weigh in on a selection of popular holiday songs: Which one do you like best?

Note: The determination of this year's eight selections included a rule not to include tracks from 2017's left-of-center holiday faves. (One exceptional song and another exceptional artist snuck in, anyway.)

While there were plenty of chestnuts we wanted to add, we ultimately chose a mix of classic and genre-diverse tunes that can appeal to every age and background. We hope you enjoy them all!

Polls

What's Your Favorite Holiday Song?

"All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey

"Christmas In Harlem" by Kanye West featuring Cyhi Da Prynce & Teyana Taylor

"I Won't Be Home For Christmas" by Blink-182

"Last Christmas" by Wham!

"Oh Come All Ye Faithful" by Twisted Sister

"Oi To The World" by No Doubt

"Run Rudolph Run" by Chuck Berry

"Santa Baby" by Eartha Kitt

Cyndi Lauper, Snoop Dogg, The Vandals: 11 Left-Of-Center Christmas Songs

Beyoncé

Beyoncé

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

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Beyoncé, Adele Make Rolling Stone's Top 21st Century Songs List

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Missy Elliott, M.I.A., Lorde, Kelly Clarkson, and Britney Spears also have entries on the first list celebrating the songs of the century
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Jun 29, 2018 - 5:04 pm

Rolling Stone loves publishing lists and we are here for it. There's the "100 Greatest Songwriters," "The 50 Greatest Concerts of the Last 50 Years" and now, behold: "The 100 Greatest Songs of the Century — So Far."

We're only 18 years into the 21st century, so it may seem like an odd time to curate a list commemorating a century's worth of songs, since we still have decades to go before we reach the turn of the next century. Yet given the sheer volume of music already released, it seems rather prudent to get to work now.

To curate the list, Rolling Stone let artists, producers, critics, and industry experts weigh in on their top picks before culling the information into one inclusive list. The result captures a wide range of genres and a diverse group of artists. But we'll cut to the chase. Here's the short version so you don't have to scroll.

Topping the list — so far — is "Crazy In Love" by the incomparable Beyoncé, featuring Jay-Z. Currently in the midst of a joint tour as the Carters, their ranking at the top of the list should not surprise anyone who's seen them live. The single also earned two wins at the 46th GRAMMY Awards for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best R&B Song.

Rounding out the Top 5 are M.I.A.'s GRAMMY-nominated "Paper Planes" at No. 2, the White Stripes' GRAMMY-winning "Seven Nation Army" at No. 3, Outkast's GRAMMY-winning "Hey Ya!" at No. 4, and Jay-Z's GRAMMY-winning "99 Problems" at No. 5. Having fun? I am. Let's keep going. Yeah Yeah Yeahs notch No. 6 with "Maps," Kanye West with Pusha T takes No. 7 with "Runaway," Adele lands at No. 8 with "Rolling In The Deep," Lorde locks in No. 9 with "Royals," and the Strokes' "Last Night" wraps up the Top 10.

Other artists featured on the list span Missy Elliott and Kendrick Lamar to Kelly Clarkson and Britney Spears as well as Haim, Cardi B, the Flaming Lips, Grimes, Sia, Lana Del Rey, Daddy Yankee, and Kylie Minogue. If you've been counting along, exactly 76 additional songs round out the list. (I dare you to check the math on that, though artists such as Beyoncé rightly have multiple entries on the list, so you may get me on a technicality.)

So did your favorite song make the list? What do you think is in store for the next 18.49 years?

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