"About the Money" ft. Young Thug- T.I.

(Photo-Zach Wolfe)

I'll admit when I read the pairing for new track "About the Money", I was taken aback. Sure both of the MC's making an appearance call Atlanta home, but they're in entirely different orbits. T.I.'s an unflappable commercial rap force; the dude with enough cache to get Andre 3000 features and Justin Timberlake hooks. Young Thug meanwhile is erraticism personified; a wild-card who'll either end a line with a pinched-off scream or fade away with an exasperated sigh. Thinking it could work would be as ridiculous as saying an MF Doom/Jay Z pairing would succeed simply because they both hail from NYC. When it comes to rap collabos, "location, location, location" isn't the only thing that matters. 

And that simple fact is confirmed by "About the Money", T.I.'s latest effort that may be making an appearance on his ninth studio album Paperwork. Though the London On Da Track beat is built on a foundation of: clomping bass, rickety stereo-pans, and wobbly church organ, there's nothing shaky about the Tip/Thug partnering. They've both got money squarely on their mind. Thug's making so much he's "bustin out the bando," as he squeaks in his lead-off verse. If he's going to remain in "label limbo," he'll continue to sling for as long he can. There are no contract disputes when it comes to hustling. But if the grind were a suit and tie profession, T.I. would be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. With Thug there's a question as to who's in charge, while Tip makes it abundantly clear who the "head honcho" is. And if there's any question about his credentials, he's quick to "put some bricks in a Bronco." No matter how much they're separated by tax brackets and commercial success, Thug and T.I. can bond over being unafraid to do some serious dirt.

Paperwork is slated to drop later this year through Columbia.

What's New(s)?

T.I., Katy B cover "Drunk in Love"

With the number of covers of Beyoncé's giddy "Drunk in Love", it's only a matter of time before I somehow end up on a remix. Last week alone yielded the official "Drunken Love" remix, along with takes by Kanye West and the Weeknd. A little more than two weeks ago we saw Future hop on and offer up his own slurred reworking of the tune. 

Today that ever-widening list expanded again with performances by rapper T.I. and dubstep/R&B singer Katy B. Somewhat paradoxically, B's version which co-mingles with a cover is the more organic of the two with only piano and the soft pattering of drums to prop it up. T.I. meanwhile snarls over a hyper-kinetic "EDM remix" where vocal samples stutter ad infinitum and the music seems to shift gears every 30 seconds. If its on anything at all, odds are it isn't alcohol.

"Drunk in Love"- Katy B

Morning Phase streaming now

Early returns on Beck's 12th studio album Morning Phase have been nothing short of laudatory. Today, courtesy of NPR, one of Spin Magazine's "50 Albums You Gotta Hear" has been made available for streaming. Beck has been touting this record as a spiritual companion/sequel to 2002's Sea Change and from the first few string-laden moments of "Morning" which drift into rustic guitar you know exactly what he means. I haven't had time to process everything yet, but what I've heard is absolutely gorgeous and fully deserving of the Sea Change comparisons. 

 

As mentioned last week, Morning Phase is just one of two LPs Beck hopes to release in 2014. The other, which has an extremely tentative fall release date may or may not be a dance record and feature the omnipresent Pharrell on it.


For news updates throughout the day, follow @AllFreshSounds on Twitter and check back in tomorrow for more of the newest in new(s).

"On Fire and Ice Cold"

As previously mentioned, T.I. was planning on dropping a new "party record," this week. Well consider the party on now, as The King has dropped the slinky-single "Pyro." T.I. describes the track as a "straight party record, it's nostalgic of those crazy nights, early mornings (but) just turned up." The "party record" is slated to appear on T.I.'s forthcoming album Trouble Man, which will drop early next year. 

"Pyro"- Trouble Man

 

The King Has A Title

 The Rubberband Man has a name for his new album.

It's gotta be better than No Mercy, right?

It's official the "King of Southern-rap," T.I. has decided on a name for his new album. Entitled Trouble Man after a Marvin Gaye song of the same name, the record is T.I.'s eighth and his first since being released from his 10-month prison bid. In addition to making up his mind on the album title, T.I. promised a new "party record," called "Pyro," which will be released in the coming days.

While waiting for "Pyro," enjoy the Big K.R.I.T. feature "I'm Flexin," a song I think is far-better than any on the tepid No Mercy T.I. put out last year. In reality, he has nowhere to go but up with this record.

"I'm Flexin" ft. Big K.R.I.T.- T.I.

"Hold It Now"

The video for T.I.'s insanely-catchy cut "I'm Flexin" is out now. The video is a typical southern-rap display with plenty of shots of T.I. and featured underground rapper Big K.R.I.T. riding around Atlanta. As of now, T.I. hasn't announced anything concrete about future albums, so in the meantime just do a little "flexin" of your own.

"I'm Flexin" ft. Big K.R.I.T.

The King is Back

T.I. the self-proclaimed "king of rap."

T.I. has been on a tear since being released from prison in August.

Another week has gone by, and we have yet another offering from T.I. The newest track to be released from the Southern-rapper is "Hear Ye, Hear Ye," and features Pharrell, curiously referred to as Sk8brd. The cut continues the recent hot-streak T.I. has been on since being released from prison, which has seen a song with Young Jeezy and a remix of "N****s in Paris" by Jay-Z & Kanye West. T.I. has also released a song with fellow Southern-rapper BIG K.R.I.T. entitled "I'm Flexin." According to Rolling Stone, these tracks may be for an upcoming release, which could be entitled Kill The King. Until more details from "The King" come forward, feel free to blast these great songs as much as possible.

"I'm Flexin" ft. Big K.R.I.T.