Big Sean Dark Sky Paradise Review

Play No Games

Released February 24, 2015

 Dark Sky Paradise is the third studio album from Good Music's artist Big Sean. The album lead single "IDFWU," made Dark Sky highly anticipated. The selection of songs that Sean has given us in Dark Sky is pure A1 quality. Dark Sky beats are impressive, accommodating Sean’s' voice and flow. Big Sean has always given fans very solid albums, so I'm not surprised that he delivered. Honestly I didn't like "IDFWU," great beat and extremely catchy, but the song was quite petty and lacked essence in my opinion. "Play No Games" is my favorite song off of the album because, well Big Seam straight snapped on the song. The title of that song is very appropriate, displaying Sean's lyrical side. While having songs like "Paradise" on the album as a nice trap/hood balance. Overall I enjoyed Dark Sky Paradise; this is definitely Big Sean's best album to this date. With that being said I give the album 9 out of 10. Good Job Big Sean!

   Track list to Dark Sky Paradise

1.	Dark Sky (Skyscrapers)
2.	Blessings
3.	All Your Fault
4.	I Don't Fuck with You
5.	Play No Games
6.	Paradise
7.	Win Some, Lose Some
8.	Stay Down
9.	I Know
10.	Deep
11.	One Man Can Change the World
12.	Outro

And The Oscar Goes To (Winners)

Here’s the full list of 2015 Academy Award nominees along with winners in each category.

Best Picture

“American Sniper”
“Birdman”“Boyhood”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“The Imitation Game”
“Selma”
“The Theory of Everything”
“Whiplash”

Best Director
Alexandro G. Iñárritu, “Birdman”Richard Linklater, ”Boyhood”
Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”
Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Morten Tyldum, ”The Imitation Game”

Best Actor
Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”
Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”
Michael Keaton, ”Birdman”
Eddie Redmayne, ”The Theory of Everything”

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, “Two Days One Night”
Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”
Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”
Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”

Best Cinematography
“Birdman”“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“Ida”
“Mr. Turner”
“Unbroken”

Best Foreign Language Film
“Ida”“Leviathan”
“Tangerines”
“Timbuktu”
“Wild Tales”

Best Adapted Screenplay
“American Sniper”
“The Imitation Game”“Inherent Vice”
“The Theory of Everything”
“Whiplash”

Best Original Screenplay
“Birdman”“Boyhood”
“Foxcatcher”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“Nightcrawler”4

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
“Foxcatcher”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”“Guardians of the Galaxy”

Best Original Score
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”“The Imitation Game”
“Interstellar”
“Mr. Turner”
“The Theory of Everything”

Best Original Song
“Lost Stars,” “Begin Again”
“Everything is Awesome,” “The LEGO Movie”
“Glory,” “Selma”“Grateful,” “Beyond the Lights”
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” “Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me”

Best Animated Feature
“Big Hero 6”“The Boxtrolls”
“How to Train Your Dragon 2”
“Song of the Sea”
“The Tale of Princess Kaguya”

Best Documentary—Short
“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1”“Joanna”
“Our Curse”
“The Reaper”
“White Earth”

Best Film Editing
“American Sniper”
“Boyhood”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“The Imitation Game”
“Whiplash”

Best Production Design
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”“The Imitation Game”
“Interstellar”
“Into the Woods”
“Mr. Turner”

Best Animated Short
“The Bigger Picture”
“The Dam Keeper”
“Feast”“Me and My Moulton”
“A Single Life”

Best Live Action Short
“Aya”
“Boogaloo and Graham”
“Butter Lamp”
“Parvaneh”
“The Phone Call”

Best Sound Editing
“American Sniper”“Birdman”
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”
“Interstellar”
“Unbroken”

Best Sound Mixing
“American Sniper”
“Birdman”
“Interstellar”
“Unbroken”
“Whiplash”

Best Visual Effects
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
“Guardians of the Galaxy”
“Interstellar”“X-Men: Days of Future Past”

Best Documentary — Feature
“Citizenfour”“Finding Vivien Maier”
“Last Days of Vietnam”
“The Salt of the Earth”
“Virunga”

Best Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall, “The Judge”
Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”
Edward Norton, “Birdman”
Mark Ruffalo, ”Foxcatcher”
J.K. Simmons, ”Whiplash”

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, ”Boyhood”Laura Dern, ”Wild”
Keira Knightley, ”The Imitation Game”
Emma Stone, ”Birdman”
Meryl Streep, ”Into the Woods”

Best Costume Design
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”“Inherent Vice”
“Into the Woods”
“Maleficent”
“Mr. Turner”

If you're reading this its too late Review Drizzy Drake

Drake Legends 

Drake dropped an unexpected mixtape, how interesting because I recently was talking to a friend saying that "Drake have been ghost for a minute." So, I guess we shared telepathy, Drake. As for the mixtape of course there are great songs and the beats are hard as hell, but Drake I wish you would go back to the bars. Drake As for my rating I give it 8 out of 10. Drake talks subliminally about certain rappers and of course the females in his life. Drake also expresses his current situation and feelings about being the leader in the music industry, the ups and downs. My favorite song on the tape is 6pm in New York, and that doesn't surprise me. Drake proved in this song that he's choosing this new style, because in 6pm he showed the old Drake. Also addressing the problems with label mate Tyga, with that dope beat and flow, is what makes this song my favorite. Any time Drake writes a song with a time and a city on it, fans already know that the song will be one to remember. My all time favorite is still 9am in Dallas, that's forever a classic. Drake is a solidified legend, but I just want to hear the metaphors, the entendres, the A1 similes etc... "The lack of effort got me rapping different" Drake himself knows that he's not putting out his best work, as I quote those very words from NWTS. 

There were debates if this was in fact an album, but Drake solidified "if you're reading this," as a mixtape via twitter. The culture and hip hop genre is shifting and I am sure Drake not only knows this, but as one of the causes of the development. It’s official that this is only the beginning of the Toronto era. With all of the ongoing controversy inside of the Cash Money label, fans like myself, question if this mixtape is the last project released under the Young Money/Cash Money label. However Drake is his own verb and genre. This gives fans, like myself anticipation for the album 6 God.  

(Updated) After further review of the Drake's "if you're read this it’s too late," I still believe Drake could be more lyrical. However Drake song writing skills are the Picasso of hip hop songs still. The way songs like Legends are organized to express his growth. Drake's mixtape is quite the perfect balance of tempo for the beginning and ending of a new season. I can foresee the change in this era soon to come. 

Lyrically the order is

5am in Toronto > 6 pm in New York > 9 am in Dallas

Spread The Knowledge, Kendrick Lamar - The Blacker The Berry

Only The Conscious Survives

Audiences including myself are saying, "Hail King Kendrick" once again for this unexpected song release titled, The Blacker the Berry. The hardcore lyrics intertwined perfectly with the intensifying beat, making the song an instant hit to my ears. The music is changing and the culture is shifting, "Only the Real Music is going to Last, All That Other Bull Shit is Here Today and Gone Tomorr..." I quote that not as shot towards Drake, because Drake is an Icon, but just to state the truth. True lyricism and messages are back! Hip hop songs are once again containing meaning pass sex, drugs, and money.

[Verse 3:]

I'm the biggest hypocrite in 2015
When I finish this if you listenin' I'm sure you will agree
This plot is bigger than me, it's generational hatred
It's genocism, it's grimy, little justification
I'm African-American, I'm African
I'm black as the heart of a fuckin' Aryan
I'm black as the name of Tyrone and Dareous
Excuse my French but fuck you, fuck ya'll
That's as blunt as it gets
I know you hate me, don't you?

Kendrick makes a stand in this song; actually the song sounds more like a declaration of war. What are we fighting for? The rights to a culture, no this is not a black or white issue, and based on this song, Kendrick would agree also. The issues we face are humanity issues, and hip hop is a culture. This year the Grammy Awards show did not publicize the rap category, this was the first time they failed to televise the award in 25 years. Why? That’s a rhetorical question, because we all should already know why. Although I was a little skeptical about what to expect from Kendrick on his upcoming album, because of the debut single "I," I now am anticipating the album. Not discrediting "I," because the song was nice, but not spectacular. Overall the song is great, and continues to spread the message inside of the song. #consciousness  

Celebration of the Old Heads (The Grammy Awards 2015)

Annual Grammy

Yes, this was the Grammy for the past generation, not the current generation. Not discrediting any of the performances, because all of the performances were great. Performances included ACDC to open the show, Ed Sheeran, Tom Jones, Kanye West, Paul McCartney, Sam Smith, Madonna, to the uplifting ending by Beyonce, John Legend, and Common. Thumbs up to everyone on their performances, however this is in fact an older crowd, and as a musician I'm ready to see many new faces. I don't know if I'm just getting old or not, but the Grammy just seemed incredibly staged this year. Sam Smith is the highlight artist this year, because his name was everywhere when it mattered. 

As for the wardrobe aspect most people looked stunning. Regardless if fans called Kim Kardashian's outfit a "bath robe," I loved it, she looked stunning and the color was perfect for her skin tone. As for Rihanna's pink cup cake dress, yeah that was awful and I hated it, but she still looked gorgeous. I also loved Katy Perry's, Taylor Swift, Neyo's and LL Cool J's wardrobe. 

Moments like Miley Cyrus grabbing Katy Perry's boobs, Kanye almost pulling another Kanye when Beck received the award over Beyonce, and Malcom Butler’s stage fright makes watching live award shows worth the wait. Good Show! 

The Complete Winners List

Record of the Year 

Sam Smith – "Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)"

Steve Fitzmaurice, Rodney Jerkins & Jimmy Napes, producers; Steve Fitzmaurice, Jimmy Napes & Steve Price, engineers/mixers; Tom Coyne, mastering engineer Label: Capitol Records; Publishers: Sony/ATV Songs LLC obo Naughty Worlds Ltd./Universal-Polygram Int. Tunes, Inc. obo Salli Isaak Songs, Ltd./Universal Polygram Int. Tunes, Inc. obo Method Paperwork

Song of the Year

Sam Smith - "Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)"

James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith, songwriters

Album of the Year

Beck - Morning Phase

Beck Hansen, producer; Tom Elmhirst, David Greenbaum, Florian Lagatta, Cole Marsden Greif-Neill, Robbie Nelson, Darrell Thorp, Cassidy Turbin & Joe Visciano, engineers/mixers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer

Best New Artist

Sam Smith

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance 

A Great Big World With Christina Aguilera - "Say Something"

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - Cheek To Cheek

Best Pop Solo Performance

Pharrell Williams - "Happy"

Best Pop Vocal Album

Sam Smith - In The Lonely Hour

Best Rock Performance 

Jack White - "Lazaretto"

Best Rock Album

Beck - Morning Phase

Best Rock Song

Paramore - "Ain't It Fun"

Hayley Williams & Taylor York, songwriters

Best Alternative Rock Album

St. Vincent - St. Vincent

Best Metal Performance Tenacious D - "The Last In Line"

Best Rap Performance

Kendrick Lamar - "I"

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Eminem Featuring Rihanna - "The Monster"

Best Rap Song

Kendrick Lamar - "I"

K. Duckworth & C. Smith, songwriters

Best Rap Album

Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP2

Best R&B Performance 

Beyoncé Featuring Jay Z – "Drunk In Love"

Best Traditional R&B Performance

"Jesus Children"

Robert Glasper Experiment Featuring Lalah Hathaway & Malcolm-Jamal Warner

Best R&B Song 

Beyoncé Featuring Jay Z - "Drunk In Love"

Shawn Carter, Rasool Diaz, Noel Fisher, Jerome Harmon, Beyoncé Knowles, Timothy Mosely, Andre Eric Proctor & Brian Soko, songwriters

Best Urban Contemporary Album

Pharrell Williams - Girl

Best R&B Album Toni Braxton & Babyface - Love, Marriage & Divorce

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Chris Thile & Edgar Meyer - Bass & Mandolin

Best Dance/Electronic Album

Aphex Twin - Syro

Best Dance Recording

Clean Bandit Featuring Jess Glynne - "Rather Be"

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media 

Frozen

Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez, Tom MacDougall & Chris Montan, compilation producers

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media 

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Alexandre Desplat, composer

Best Song Written for Visual Media

"Let It Go" from Frozen

Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, songwriters (Idina Menzel)

Best Country Album 

Miranda Lambert - Platinum

Best Country Solo Performance 

Carrie Underwood - "Something In The Water"

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

The Band Perry - "Gentle On My Mind"

Best Country Song

"I'm Not Gonna Miss You"

Glen Campbell & Julian Raymond, songwriters (Glen Campbell)

Best Bluegrass Album

The Earls Of Leicester - The Earls Of Leicester

Best American Roots Performance

Rosanne Cash - "A Feather's Not A Bird"

Best American Roots Song 

Rosanne Cash - "A Feather's Not A Bird"

Best Americana Album 

Rosanne Cash - The River & The Thread

Best Folk Album

Old Crow Medicine Show - Remedy

Best Music Video

Pharrell Williams - "Happy"

Best Music Film

20 Feet From Stardom

Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer & Judith Hill

Morgan Neville, video director; Gil Friesen & Caitrin Rogers, video producers

We Are From LA, video director; Kathleen Heffernan, Solal Micenmacher, Jett Steiger, video producers

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical 

Max Martin

"Bang Bang" (Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj)

"Break Free" (Ariana Grande Featuring Zedd)

"Dark Horse" (Katy Perry Featuring Juicy J)

"Problem" (Ariana Grande Featuring Iggy Azalea)

"Shake It Off" (Taylor Swift)

"Unconditionally" (Katy Perry)

Best Instrumental Composition John Williams - "The Book Thief"

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella 

Pentatonix - "Daft Punk"

Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals 

Billy Childs - "New York Tendaberry"

Best Recording Package 

Jeff Ament, Don Pendleton, Joe Spix & Jerome Turner, art directors

Pearl Jam - Lightning Bolt

Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package 

Susan Archie, Dean Blackwood & Jack White, art directors

The Rise & Fall Of Paramount Records, Volume One (1917-27)

Best Album NotesAshley Kahn

John Coltrane - Offering: Live At Temple University

Best Historical AlbumColin Escott & Cheryl Pawelski, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer

Hank Williams - The Garden Spot Programs, 1950

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical 

Beck - Morning Phase

Tom Elmhirst, David Greenbaum, Florian Lagatta, Cole Marsden Greif-Neill, Robbie Nelson, Darrell Thorp, Cassidy Turbin & Joe Visciano, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer

Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical

Tijs Michiel Verwest, remixer

John Legend – "All Of Me (Tiesto's Birthday Treatment Remix)"

Best Surround Sound Album

Beyoncé - Beyoncé

Elliot Scheiner, surround mix engineer; Bob Ludwig, surround mastering engineer; Beyoncé Knowles, surround producer

Best Regional Roots Music Album

Jo-El Sonnier - The Legacy

Best Reggae Album

Ziggy Marley - Fly Rasta

Best World Music Album

Angelique Kidjo – Eve

Best Children's Album

Neela Vaswani - I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up For Education And Changed

The World (Malala Yousafzai)

Best Musical Theatre Album

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical 

Jessie Mueller, principal soloist; Jason Howland, Steve Sidwell & Billy Jay Stein, producers (Carole King, composer & lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast)

Best Blues Album

Johnny Winter - Step Back

Best Spoken Word Album

Joan Rivers - Diary Of A Mad Diva

Best Comedy Album

"Weird Al" Yankovic - Mandatory Fun

Best New Age Album

Ricky Kej & Wouter Kellerman - Winds Of Samsara

Best Improved Jazz Solo

Chick Corea - "Fingerprints"

Best Jazz Vocal Album

Dianne Reeves - Beautiful Life

Best Jazz Instrumental Album 

Chick Corea Trio – Trilogy

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album 

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band - Life In The Bubble

Best Latin Jazz Album

Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra - The Offense Of The Drum

Historic Superbowl 2015

A Superbowl Worth the Watch 

New England Patriots VS Seattle Seahawks
28 - 24 

Here lies the face of Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks corner back, after last night's disappointing lost to the New England Patriots. With 20 seconds left in the game, the Seahawks were at the 1 yard line, and having the best running back in the league, Marshawn Lynch. Any person that watches football knows that you simply run the ball up the middle. However, shout out to the coaches for calling a passing play, which ultimately led to the interception by Malcom Butler. I am too disappointed by the ending of the game. This Superbowl was worth watching, being that both of the contenders earned every point, and battled each other throughout the entire game.     

The Half Time Show

Besides the awesome game last night, Katy Perry gave a very entertaining half-time show. Opening the performance with her hit single Roar, while riding a lion, Perry dazzeled the stage including bringing out acts such as: Hip Hop star Missy Elliot and Legendary Rocker Lenny Kravitz. This multi genre collaboration electrified the stage. Perry's wardrobe was out of sight, and ended with her hit single Fireworks in an air lift to exit the stage! Check it out!

Vant Gotti

Lyrical Trap

Javanti Johnson (born April 17, 1990), better known by his stage name Vant Gotti, is an American Hip Hop Artist and entrepreneur.  He was born and raised on the Westside of Atlanta. Nothing can better describe his music other than what his current fan base considers “Lyrical Trap” music.  Vant Gotti’s ability to explicitly describe his surroundings and environment is almost frightening. He prefers that his fans listen to his life struggles in graphic detail before following in his footsteps.  Growing up, he was influenced by Hip Hop icons such as Tupac
Shakur, Master P, UGK, Playa Fly, and Lil White.  Vant also credits his
father for his love of clear lyrics.  Vant stated, “My father had his
own style of clearly describing the neighborhood through rhymes. And you can see a lot of that in my lyrics.” At twelve years old, Vant wrote and performed his first song. He has the uncanny ability to understand his surroundings and quickly decipher it through lyrics.  Growing up in the heart of zone 4 has not been easy for Vant. And his pain and struggles are clearly depicted in his songs. Vant loves to paint poetic pictures about his environment, because the people in his community inspire him. He believes that most rap artists struggle to paint a clear picture of the streets, because they never lived it. Vant Gotti’s music is raw and in HD, and you will enjoy him as your tour guide. 

Follow Vant Gotti on Twitter
@VantGotti