The past few weeks didn’t give us any releases from “A-list” rappers, but that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t any quality music released. Check out these latest releases in music:
Mac Miller – “The Divine Feminine” - Sept. 16
I’ve been waiting for Mac Miller’s new album “The Divine Feminine” since I had a chance to interview him on my Sunday-night show on Gainesville’s Magic 101.3. When talking about his album, Miller said the album would consist solely of love songs, which I found very interesting, and he definitely wasn’t lying. Miller’s relationship with pop star Ariana Grande is relatively new to the public, which is why an album full of love songs makes sense. I’ve become a fan over the past year, and “The Divine Feminine” is an impressive follow up to “GO:OD AM.”
Audio Push – “90951” – Sept. 23
I’ve never heard of Audio Push until recently, but I was seeing a lot of respected artists talk about their album so I decided to give it a listen. Audio Push is a hip-hop duo from California, and while they’ve released a number a mixtapes and an Extended Play, “90951” is their debut album released under Hit-Boy’s “Hits Since ‘87” record label. “90951” has an underground, independent-release feel to it, which is refreshing since a lot of the hip-hop music being put out is starting to blend together. Take a listen to this album if you’re looking for a new artist to get into.
Mick Jenkins – “The Healing Component” – Sept. 23
A lot of people were upset that Mick Jenkins wasn’t a member of this year’s XXL Freshmen class and felt that he was snubbed. Jenkins has been making noise in the game for a few years and finally released his debut album “The Healing Component” on Sept. 23. He has stayed true to his underground roots despite being signed to Cinematic Music Group. Jenkins is a talented artist and his album is definitely worth checking out.
Ty Dolla $ign – “Campaign” – Sept. 23
Ty Dolla $ign dropped his mixtape “Campaign” following the release of “Free TC” last year, which I thought was subpar. The order of the songs on “Free TC” didn’t flow and the entire album was poorly put together. However, “Campaign” is a major improvement from his last release, with great features coming from Future, Migos, Travis Scott, 24hrs, Trey Songz, Wiz Khalifa and more. I enjoyed “Campaign” from start to finish and while I like Ty Dolla $ign as an artist, it’s the first time I can say that about a project of his.
Francis and the Lights – “Farewell, Starlite!” – Sept. 24
Francis and the Lights first caught my eye when they released their video for “Friends,” which features Bon Iver and Kanye West. Since then, they’ve also been featured on Chance The Rapper’s “Coloring Book” album and played at Chance’s Magnificent Coloring Day Festival a couple weeks ago. “Farewell, Starlite!” is really dope album and a strong debut from Francis and the Lights.
Bon Iver – “22, A Million” – Sept. 30
Bon Iver hasn’t released an album in five years but the wait is finally over. Bon Iver released “22, A Million” last week and I considered it a top-five album this year almost instantly. The album is short, running about 30 minutes long, which makes it perfect to listen to on repeat. Bon Iver first gained attention outside of their cult following when Kanye West featured the band on his album “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” back in 2010. Kanye and lead-singer Justin Vernon have worked together on a few different songs and the Yeezy influence shows on this album. Bon Iver tweaks their folk sound on “22, A Million” and they nailed it. This is an album a fan of any genre can get into and is easily has one of the best albums of 2016.
