Paper Diamond hops on as another Weeknd remixer and remakes “Same Old Song” with finely cut bass that rolls over those signature Weeknd vocals. Wasn’t all that much of a fan of the original, but Paper Diamond throws in that mind-numbing bass that gets me every.damn.time.
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Any Weeknd mixer/masher should be all over this. Combining an artist with potential that hasn’t been seen since MJ, as well as the legend himself, makes for one dirty mashup.
JAYBeatz is the first on deck with a “Dirty Diana” collision that carries the two well, but doesn’t live up to what I’d think combining these two would bring. At times, I can barely tell MJ from The Weeknd, JAYBeatz plays off the two nicely, but also doesn’t bring anything spine-tingling to the mix, like his Weeknd/Drake mash. Still like the direction and the ideas he’s bringing, can’t wait for more.
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I keep on thinking that Abel’s albums after House of Balloons will live up to their predecessor, they won’t. I’m not saying Abel will never top it, it’s just not gonna happen in this trilogy. The problem isn’t Abel’s vocals or lyrics, it’s the production. Doc Mckinney & Illangelo are fine producers, I just don’t think they stepped up Abel’s sound in the last two albums. There is a shitload of producers that could do something completely different, completely original with his voice and it’s gotta be Abel’s next step.
That said, it’s still a damn decent album with lyrics that are evolving through simple honesty. Abel has one interesting story, not just because of his quick rise to fame, but how he’s taking it all in. Make sure to check out his “Dirty Diana” cover, as well as the rest of the album (shit.is.poetry). I still can’t believe I never thought up Abel covering MJ, so obvious now.
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Drake’s sophomore album, Take Care, releases on November 15, but here’s a sneak peak from Flow 93.5. Unfortunately, this radio rip of “Crew Love” has those annoying ass watermarks all over it. Once I find a version without ’em, I’ll throw that up, but take a listen to this for now.
*Update: got a legit copy up now. Lovin The Weeknd viiibes. Actually like Drake in it too – usually I have to rely on remixes of Drake to appreciate his flow.
[audio:Crew-Love.mp3|titles=Crew Love (Take Care)]
In this installment, JAYBeatz mashes up Drake’s “The Real Her” & The Weeknd’s “Thursday,” and once again topples both originals. I hear so many Weeknd remixes, yet so many fail to capture where The Weeknd is pushing R&B – JAYBeatz is one in a handful that takes this vision and pulls off a spin of their own. He should really start considering a full-length mashup album featuring these two, it would get mad promoted.
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I’ve always had an affinity for The Weeknd’s vocals, but for some reason or another I wasn’t feeling it in Drake and his version of “Trust Issues.” I guess it took Jaybeatz mashup with “I’m on One” to set me straight. Here’s a tune to just sit back and let these two release our everyday stresses of everyday life.
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With two mixtapes that’ve already dropped this year and one more on the way, Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, has got to be one of the most prolific artists of 2011.
In what I’m guessing is the first single to drop from his third album, Echoes of Silence, “Initiation” is another haunting look into this R&B fiend. With vocal manipulations throughout the track, this shit feels trippier than ever before.
Echoes is expected to release October 24 for Drake’s birthday. Can’t wait to hear how he raps up the year.
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Ill-esha’s remix of The Morning by The Weeknd captures the smooth sexiness of the vocals and adds a downtempo, soulful beat. I especially enjoy the electronic synths that fayde in and out giving the song that airy feel. And her bassline for the chorus is amazing! In the hands of many other dubstep producers, The Weekend’s soft vocal would be drowned out by the dubstep wobbles, but Ill-esha puts her own sounds in harmony with the vocals […]
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I have a feeling that just about every everyone I know is gonna be praising The Weeknd’s second mixtape, Thursday, which just released. And as much as I’m not here to fight or agree with them, I do have one thing that I’ve always wondered about Abel (The Weeknd) and his rise to fame.
I remember thinking to myself a while back, why the hell hasn’t The Weeknd (Weekend at the time) blown up, yet Now that it’s happened, I’m wondering what the hell happened Abel is no longer working with the original producer of “What You Need,” Jeremy Rose. The track was their kickstart and it’s sad, for whatever reason, to hear they’re no longer working together. I’m not saying Doc Mckinney or Illangelo haven’t created their own hot mess with Abel, but “What You Need” just had so much fucking chemistry.
Be as it may, House of Balloons was pretty amazing as a whole. So far my favorite thing about Thursday is, actually, the production. So I guess I’ll just have to see where Abel takes his voice in this one and wherever his heads gone now.
[audio:Heaven-Las-Vegas.mp3|titles=Heaven or Las Vegas]
Another track released for the upcoming mixtape, Thursday, by The Weeknd. Gotta imagine this is gonna be on the mixtape, like “Rolling Stone“, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to move beyond House of Ballons quite yet.
I do like what Abel is puttin out – still bringin that powerful, high-pitched soul, yet still giving us something new by varying up his vocals. However, the beat doesn’t bring all that much for me. It ain’t all that bad, but it sure as hell doesn’t compare to most of the tracks on House of Ballons. It’s good to hear a more upbeat Weeknd, but I’m still stuck in the dark ‘n’ grimey one for now.
[audio:The-Birds.mp3|titles=The Birds (Part 1)]