Red, Rauchy, Reloaded Rihanna

Rihanna turned into a superstar not so long ago thanks to hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, singing her to his label. This 22 year old fashion forward and now icon has been through the good and bad phases of fame and with that behind her she continues to make music.

With five albums under belt, its only fair to move with the strong Rhirhi wave and let her reinvent herself with every album she releases, effortlessly. 'Loud' is her recent project and its not what one would expect from her last album, 'Rated R'.

The latter was dark and was a perfect venting session for herself but not her fans. Rihanna decided to also jump on the bandwagon and follow the dance inspired sounds. She moved away from her reggae debut sound to sounding more like The Black Eyed Peas.

'Only Girl (In the World)' is the albums first single which is a club song and a cross over hit which is dominating chats and air waves. Followed by the more publicised collaboration 'Whats My Name ?' featuring former lover, Drake. 'Whats My Name ?' is a beautiful song, its even better that Drake didn't attempt to sing, but its another great collaboration done well in relation to Rihanna's career in 2010.

Another hit, 'Cheers (drink to That)' is another lazy summer song, perfect for the responsible party lifestyles we all have. The producers dumped Avril Lavigne sound which makes 'Cheers' a bit annoying. 'Loud' is not only composed with only potential club hits but also slow and sexual music.

'Skin' is a more 'raunchy' and slow also in that light is S&M which raises eyebrows with lyrics like ''Sticks and stones may break my back but chains and whips excite me''. Following her major hit of the year with Eminem with 'Love the way you lie' part 1 which is found in Shaddy's album, 'Recovery,' sees a more slow and more vocal part 2. Rihanna now features Eminem with a more mellow sound but a direct lyric approach like Love the way you lie part 1.

Nicki Minaj also makes an appearance on 'Raining Men' which join the Trinadadian Tobagan n Barbados to a coastal babes a wet collaboration. Another songs which i think should have been deleted are 'Man Down' and 'Fading' were a waste of material, although Rihanna did attempt a reggae comeback which now makes her sound ridiculous. The disappointment to this album is that she didn't include more of her ballads which she crafts then beautifully.

Most songs were penned by her and had full creative control of 'Loud.' Rihanna's image really reflects her music, from her lack of clothes and her 'too much sexy image' also draws a "loud" attention. This is album is loud is creative and smartly written with producers like StarGate, The Runners, Polow da Don, Tricky Stewart, Soundz and Alex da Kid.

Mr West and his Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye West needs no introduction in the music industry but his portfolio will include hits for the likes of Jay-Z, Foxxy Brown, Goodie Mob, Lil Kim, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey and many more.

Kanye has proved that hip-hop has the potential to grow, creatively. Kanye helped to transcend hip-hop with his most critised album '808 & Heartbreak' to his most recent album, 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.'

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is a dark-introspective, funny and bold album. Despite the 'Good Friday specials' that Kanye committed to deliver to his fans, he still managed to pull through another amazing album. He basically committed to releasing a single that might be featured in this album every Friday. Although the album received mixed reviews its still an amazing album.

The albums first single 'Power' featuring vocals from a neo-soul artist Dwele is the albums first single. The single didn't receive so much radio love as expected but did do well on the charts. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy sound moved away from his last release '808 & Heartbreaks' to what sounds like all of his album 'College Drop Out,' 'Late Registration' and Graduation combined. On production, Kanye seems untouchable especially working some of the best in that field.

'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' is composed of 13 tracks which make a 70 minute of Kanye's dark humor and a long list of collaborations. Kanye is always known to collaborate out of the hip-hop scene. 'The Blame Game' featuring John Legend which seems to be an open letter to his former lover, Amber Rose (model and socialite) which gets too graphic and raw with actor and comedian, Chris Rock at the end.

Followed by his somewhat an apology to his fans about his recent behaviour including his incident with Taylor Swift. 'Runaway' featuring Pusha T is an amazing song driven by the piano Kanye gets sincere and a bit emotional. Kanye does sing but not as much as he did on '808 & Heartbreaks'

'Monster' featuring Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver is a brilliant song but the title did cause a major stir between MC Hammer, Jay - Z and Kanye. MC Hammer wanted to expose Jay-Z and Kanye as members of the Illuminati on Halloween of 2010 via the social network, Twitter. The title of the song is not pleasant but how the featured artists give their all to execute one of the best songs in this album.

'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' is well crafted, every song sounds like a hit including 'All Of the Lights' which sees a long star stared artists. Also something that Kayne hasn't done in a while is include a poem or poet in one of his songs. 'Who Will Survive In America?' is a beautiful but too raw poem on how Gil Scott-Heron sees America from what is was too how it has turned out.

Kanye is also known and credited for his smart sampling, his credits run form Manfred Mann's Earth Band (So Appalled produced by Swizz Beats), 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow' performed by Smokey Robinson (Devil in a New Dress), Black Sabbath with Iron Man (Hell of a Life produced by No I.D.), 'In High Places' by Mike Oldfield (Dark Fantasy) and many more sampled songs.

'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' is one of the most sold recodes of 2010 which overall makes this is an ingenious piece. The old Kanye West is back with a bang followed by his old friends, controversy and success.

From Writer to Hitmaker, say hi to Bruno Mars ....

Remember the name - you're going to be hearing a lot more of it.

Bruno Mars is the man behind the year's biggest hits: K'Naan's 'Wavin' Flag', Cee Lo Green's 'F**k You', Travie McCoy's 'Billionaire', B.O.B's 'Nothing On You', and Flo Rida's 'Right Round'.

Now, on his debut album, the prolific songwriter proves he can sing too.   

Born Peter Gene Hernandez and nicknamed after the famous chubby wrestler Bruno Sammartino, on 'Doo-Wops & Hooligans' he showcases the major influences he grew up listening to: mostly doo-wop music by the likes of The Temptation and Three Tops.

But, as is to be expected from the man whose songs ruled the charts in 2010, he also incorporates pop, reggae, and soul influences. Some old school R&B and rock 'n roll elements also come into place, reminding you of Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and The Isley Brothers.

In fact, his songwriting skills can be compared to Raphael Saadiq's and his singing to Jason Mraz, but he balances the two with his fusion of sounds and instruments.

To help craft his sound, Bruno hooked up with ersatile producers such as The Smeezingtons, Claude Kelly, Needlz, and Dwayne 'Supa Dups' Chin-Quee. The guest roster is remarkably short though - Cee-Loo and B.O.B. show up on 'The Other Side', while Damian Marley appears on 'Liquor Store Blues' - but that's clearly to leave the focus on Mars himself.   

His falsetto voice blends in well with every one of the diverse songs, be it the catchy first single 'Just the Way You Are' or the dark-romantic 'Grenade', making 'Doo-Wops & Hooligans' a perfect album if you want to reminisce about old school R&B and pop-rock. 

The Last Analogue Nites with a Legend, Thandiswa Mazwai

When I heard Thandiswa Mazwai would be performing at the last Analogue Nites of 2010, I knew it would be a once in a lifetime experience to watch a legend perform.

The chilly Joburg night took off with DJ Kenzhero and his famous soul mix but there's always been something new and exciting with Kenzero over these past months. He's been including South African '80s bubblegum music in his mix, while the other resident DJ1D has never gone wrong with old school kwaito and new age hip-hop. How the two genres mix is beyond understanding but it sounds way too good.

The venue filled pretty fast with music fans and celebrities like Lupe (from Metro FM), Noni Gasa, Claire Mawisa, Shaka Sisulu, Anele, Kaos Matu, and Thapelo Mokeona. Eventually the doors had to be closed, which never happens, due to the sheer number of people wanting to catch the iconic singer Thandiswa.

But first, recent winners of etv 'Popstars', Nne-Vida, warmed the stage with songs that will be featured on their upcoming album. Although their first song sounded like a badly produced Afrikaans track, with the beats and vocals not synching in most parts, they followed it up with a good party starter, paving the way for the main event.

Thandiswa started her memorable performance with 'Nizalwa Ngobani?' from her debut 2004 album, 'Zabalaza', which provided most of the evening's material. While she was on stage, Simphiwe Dana joined her for an epic out of the blue collaboration that quashed all rumours of the two talented ladies' 'beef.'

Ending her performance with 'Ingoma', taken from her latest release, 'Ibokwe', she kept on saying goodbye before singing the song again with more jazz and just bass.

As soon as Thandiswa stepped off the stage, DJ1D got on the decks and took the early Friday morning of 2010 to 1996. He played the 'break-out' song from Thandiswa's first band, Jack Knife, moving to Boom Shaka's 'Thobela', 'Thebe', 'Ungwawa Kum' and many more hits from a decade ago.

You would think, with an hour-long set of old school jams, ladies in heels would be sitting down, but no. It was only later, when more commercial tracks were, played that slowly people finally decided to go home after what must have been the best Analogue Nites of 2010.

Evil Boy - This is too much !!!

Die Antwoord have been one of those bands that S.A has been proud of, so far they have made history in more than one way.

Now touching a bit to what disturbed me, "Evil Boy", their new song with some kid and a massive hard on rapping about dildos and doin' the nasty on someones daughter... my jaw was on the floor and i could feel my brain being fried.

Oh well enough about my trauma and the need of a shrink, here are the lyrics of Die Antwoord - Evil Boy:

VUIL-GEBOOSTED GANG$TA (turbo-boosted ill)
YOOO EVIL BOY!
WHY IS YOUR INCANCA (penis) SO BIG?

ALL THE BETTER TO LOVE YOU WITH!
NO GLOVE NO LOVE!
IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME
TAKE YOUR DIRTY HANDS OFF MY UMTHONDO WISIZWE! (penis of the nation, pun on this)

HAPPY! HAPPY! JOY! JOY!
CRUSH! KILL! DESTROY!
GOOI! (bring it!) CAR-CRASH RAP STYLE!
AH MAN THAT'S WILD!
EVIL BOY RAP TIME!
PEOPLE GOOI ZAP SIGNS! (throw up offensive hand signs)
FULL FUCKIN FLEX! FRE$!
MEGA-ZEF! GO!

EVERYBODY GO HO! LIKE A THUNDERCAT
I'M ALL UP IN THE CLUB IN MY UNDERPANTS
NO SHIRT ON COS IT'S FUCKIN HOT!
LET'S GO DIPLO PUMP IT UP!
GIRLS WANNA SAY HELLO TO ME
FROM THE ZEFSIDE TO THE FUCKIN OVERSEAS
I'M LOOKING AT WHO'S LOOKING AT ME
LOOKING AT YOU LOOKING BACK WHO CAN THAT BE?
WHEN I'M ALL UP THIS
BITCH YOU KNOW WHO THE MOTHERFUCK IT IS
ROLL THROUGH THE CLUB LIKE A
TIKOLOSHE (little hairy African demon man with a giant horse penis)
NINJAS HUNG LIKE A FOKKEN HORSE
YEAH GIRL! I'M A FREAK OF NATURE
SIGN MY NAME ON YOUR BOOB FUCK A PIECE OF PAPER
IF YOU FEELING ME:COOL...NOT FEELING ME:FUCK OFF!
WIES JY? FOKKOL! UMNQUNDUWAKHO! (Who are you? No-one! Fucking asshole!)

[HOOK]

MAMELAPA UMNQUNDUWAKHO! (Listen here, you fucking asshole)
ANDIFUNI UKUYAEHLATINI! (I don't want to go to the bush with you)
SUKUBAMMBA INCANCA YAM! (don't touch my penis)
ANDI SO STABANI! (I'm not a gay)
INCANCA YAM YEYAMANTOBI! (This penis is for the girls)
INCANCA YAM ICLEAN! (My penis is clean)
INCANCA YAM INAMANDLA! (My penis is strong)
NDIYINKWEKWE ENKULU! (I am a big boy)
ANGI FUNI UKUBA YEENDOTA! (Don't want to be a man)
EVIL BOY 4 LIFE! YEBO! (Yes)
EVIL BOY 4 LIFE!

[HOOK]

YO-LANDI VI$$ER SO FANCY LIKE THIS DOPE ASS BEAT
ROCK THE MOTHERFUCKIN MICROPHONE WITH NO PANTIES
I'M A BAD ASS CHICK YO MY BLACK MAGIC
SPELLETJIES MAKE ALL THE BOYS GO: DAMN THAT'S SICK! (Little games)
LIE DOWN ON THE BED BOY LEMME LIGHT THE CANDLES
UH UH! DON'T TOUCH! YO-LANDI JUST TOO HOT TO HANDLE!
BLIND-FOLD YOU TIE YOUR HANDS UP WITH THE HAND-CUFFS
EVEN THOUGH YOU LYING DOWN, I CAN MAKE YOU STAND UP
SPIRITS IN THE ROOM TICKLE YOU LIKE A SNEAKY PRAWN
FUCK A PEN AND PAD I WRITE MY RAPS WITH A OUIJA BOARD
DRAW A PENTAGRAM ON YOUR CHEST WIF MY LIP-STICK
VISIONS IN THE MIRROR HEAVY ZEF FUTURISTIC
LEMME TAKE YOUR PANTS OFF LET'S SEE WHAT YOU MADE OF
GO THROUGH YOUR POCKETS NO WE NOT GOING TO MAKE LOVE
GO THROUGH YOUR WALLET, WOO! WHAT ALOT OF PAPER!
WHAT A FUCKIN SUCKER! SEE YOU LATER MASTURBATOR!

[HOOK]

I WENT FROM FOKOL TO SO FOKKEN HOT RIGHT NOW I'LL PUT YOU IN YOUR PLACE (nothing)
MOTHERFUCKER SKRIK WAKKER WE COMING THROUGH PUMPING YOU FULL OF BASS (wake the fuck up)
FOK RUSTIG EKS APOKALIPTIKAL FUCKING YOU IN THE FACE (fuck chilling out, I'm apocalyptic)
ZEF CHERRIES TJOON MY: SPIEG MY FOKKEN HOL NAT (Zef girlies tell me to spit their bums wet)
FUCK EVERYONE EYES ON THE PRIZE WHEN I GO FOR THE JUGULAR
SURPRISE ME OR FOKOF AND DIE IF I REMIND YOU OF HOW MUCH YOU SUCK (fuck off)
EVERYONE'S SO FOKKEN SO-SO, YO WE BEEN SENT TO FUCK YOU UP ZEF TECHNO MOSH-PIT GANG$TA NOMMER EEN KIND (number one child)
EVERYTHING YOU RAP ABOUT COMES TRUE IF YOU GOT SOME FREAKIN BALLS BUT MIND YOUR TONGUE WHEN YOU RHYME ON THE DRUM, GAAN VRA VIR BIGGIE SMALLS (go ask)
I GOTTA ROCK IF YOU MOTHERFUCKIN LIKE IT OR NOT, YO
IS YOU READY FOR THIS HO$TYLE TAKE OVER? BOW TO THE FOKKEN MASTER
MY SLANG IS BANGING I'M FREAKING THE FUCK OUT OF MYSELF, YO I'M MY BIGGEST FAN
COS BUDDY WHEN YOU MAN DOWN NO FOKKEN HANDS OUT WHEN YOU REALLY NEED A HAND
MACHINE GUN RAPPER, LEKKER BUDDA-BUDDA MOTHERFUCKER, YO I'M BIGGER THAN
KOOS KOMBUIS SE MA SE FOKKEN POES (Koos Kombuis' mother's vagina)

NA NA NA NA NA!
YOU CAN'T FUCK WIF THIS OU (man)
BLAH BLAH BLAH! WHATEVER!
WATCH A MILLION FUCKIN KIDS GO:
NA NA NA NA NA!
SUPER FOKKEN FRIS FLOW (fuckin' buff)
NINJA, WANGA AND YO-LANDI VI$$ER
VS DIPLO

The Son Of Chico Dusty, Big Boi

As one half of hip-hop duo OutKast, Big Boi helped create music that blended jazz, funk, and soul with poetic rhymes and an outlandish fashion sense.

As a member of Purple Ribbon All-Stars he collaborated with rappers like Konkrete, Bubba Sparxxx, Sleepy Brown, and Rock D.

Now, finally, the man born Antwan Andre Patton has created an album all his own - even if 'Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty' doesn't sound all that different from his day job with Andre 3000. The quirky fast-paced rhymes, sonic experimentations, collision of jazzy elements and mellow old school beats, collaborations, and rock flavours are all here.  

So the first single, 'Shutterbugg', features Cutty with co-production from hitmaker Scott Storch, while its follow-up 'Follow Us' showcases Vonnegutt with the light sound of the electric guitar. 'Hustle Blood', penned and produced by Sean Garrett, is slow and romantic with Jamie Foxx making a guest appearance, while 'Turns Me On' is positively upbeat.

Other songs that stand out are 'Daddy Fat Sax', 'General Patton' featuring Big Rube, 'Be Still' featuring Janelle Monáe, and 'Back Up Plan.' Throughout, he still includes old-school rapping but has used fresh beats to give the songs a more modern feel.

It's a typically eclectic mix but Big Boi holds it all together with his diary-like lyrics and musings on The United States of America, his upbringing, and the music industry.

Despite taking three years to record, being pushed back multiple times, and moving from one producer to the next, 'Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty' is far better than anybody might have expected.

Not quite on the same level as the recent offerings by Drake and Rick Ross, Big Boi's solo debut offers good competition to anyone releasing a hip-hop album right now.

Analogue Nites featuring 340ml showing music unites

Analogue Nites is old school meets new school with a touch of hot music and a relaxed crowd. Nothing beats it as a way of saying goodbye to dusty August and hello sunny September with fine company.

This is the second of the monthly events to be sponsored by Peroni - and with sponsors come great prizes. So, while you're sitting relaxing with your cold one, the promotional girls take your name for the competition where you stand a chance to win Versace sunglasses.

You can also take a picture of you and your date and get it framed, a lovely gesture to remind yourself of the great time you had. And, as always, Moyo's in Melrose Arch is the ideal venue.

Like any other nite, the in-house DJs Kenzero and 1D start up the party with their hip-hop, rap, soul, and now reggae mixes. DJ Kenzero starts up with slow hip-hop jams and then moves to playing reggae, with remixes from Bob Marley's 'Turn Your Lights Down Low'. But, while Kenzero's mixes are getting too predictable, 1D has the ability to adapt and his mixing of reggae and hip-hop gets better each time.

They get the crowd warmed up for the main event: 340ml. A band originally from Mozambique, they're made up of four really laidback characters - Pedro da Silva Pinto on vocals, Paulo Chibanga on drums, Rui Soeiro on bass, and Tiago Paulo on guitar - who specialise in providing good vibes.

Performing songs from their two albums, 'Sorry For The Delay' and 'Moving', the SAMA-nominated collective seduce the audience with 'Shotgun', 'Good Things Happen to Those Who Wait,' and 'Fairy Tales.' They keep teasing the crowd with their most commercial and famous track, 'Midnight', as the bass guitar player keeps repeating the bassline before most of their songs. Eventually the crowd lose their minds and sing along with 'Midnight' when it is finally performed.

As soon as 340ml were done with their performance, the DJ went back to playing hip-hop, mainly focusing on Drake, playing most of his new album and every hit song featuring him. At 2am the party is still going with the crowd seemingly having forgotten that it's a Friday and work starts in a couple of hours.

Best not forget though that the next Analogue Nites will be on 30 September. And it will be on fire.

His Ross n his Boss n his BACK as Teflon Don

Rick Ross may have started his working life as William Leonard Roberts II, a Florida corrections officer, but he's made his way to the high rollers suite with hits like 'Hustlin', 'The Boss,' 'Magnificent' 'Maybach Music 2' and 'Speeding' featuring R Kelly.

Now with four albums under his belt, his latest, 'Teflon Don', is a step up from his disappointing 'Deeper Than Rap'. With more rights than wrongs, it deservedly debuted on the US albums chart at number two, only held off the top spot by the currently unstoppable Eminem.  

Taking close on a year to record, its pedigree is impeccable. Producers called up for duty include No I.D., J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Danja, The Inkredibles, Kanye West, and Clark Kent who all do well to hide any obvious samples. And every single song features a big name guest.   

Ne-Yo shows up on the pretty average first single, 'Super High', while the upbeat Swizz Beatz-influenced 'No. 1' features Diddy and Trey Songz. The subtler and heart-filled 'Tears Of Joy' featuring Cee-lo on vocals, shows a softer side to Ross who seems to be telling his life story.

'Aston Martin Music', featuring Drake and Chrisette Michele, is equally impressive, leading a field of other chart contenders including 'Free Mason' (with Jay-Z and John Legend on board), the Raphael Saadiq showcase 'All the Money In The World', and 'Live Fast, Die Young' featuring Kanye.

Only 'Maybach Music', which makes its third appearance on a Ross album, is unwelcome, although this installment does feature a different feel thanks to Erykah Badu's vocals, and rapping from T.I. and Jadakiss.

With 'Teflon Don' his first album without Lil Wayne and most of his former Slip 'n Slide Records members, Ross has clearly decided to improve his content from "rap coke" to "hip-hop rap". He's stepped out of his comfort zone and is heading to the top. 

The-Dream needs to dream good quality music

Born Terius Youngdell Nash, this singer, songwriter, and producer has penned some of the best pop songs of recent years. Together with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, The-Dream has been responsible for hits like Rihanna's inescapable 'Umbrella', B2K's 'Everything', and Beyonce's huge anthem 'Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)'.

This success allowed him to step out into the limelight himself with his 2007 debut album 'Love Hate' creating a buzz. But it was the follow-up, last year's 'Love vs. Money', that saw him make his name as a performer thanks to the successful singles 'Rockin' That Thang' and 'My Love' with Mariah Carey'.

His third album in three years, 'Love King' clearly aims to keep that momentum going - by recycling lyrics and beats. The result: songs like the title track (and lead single) sound overly familiar without ever matching his best work.

Lyrically too, he is on well-worn ground, moving from light, inconsequential love songs to the explicit extremes of mimicking R Kelly.

On the relatively fresh-sounding 'Nikki Part 2' he explains the rollercoaster ride that is his love life. And while 'Make-Up Bag' (featuring an inconsequential rap from T.I.) could just be about a bag with make-up in it, when he starts singing "If you ever make ya girlfriend mad/ Dont let ya good girl go bad/ Drop five stacks on the make-up bag" it's clear there's more going on. Has he bought someone's love to keep them? Has he been a cheating dog?

Questions like these loom large over 'Love King', especially in the light of recent revelations from his not-so-private-life - filing Christina Milian with divorce papers nine days before their baby is due; caught canoodling with his assistant.

Personal lives do affect one's work - on several songs he plays the unfaithful lover rather too convincingly - and can reflect it in a bad light but, lifestyle indiscretions aside, The-Dream remains a talented songwriter and producer.

He does need to find a new groove though. Despite claiming - like Jay-Z - that this is his last album, his next offering should be a real tell-all about his love life. There's clearly plenty of material for him to work from and it's likely to sell millions like Usher did with 2004's 'Confessions.'

Victory

The name DJ Khaled is synonymous with hits like 'I'm So Hood,' 'We Taking Over,' and 'Brown Paper Bag'.

He's worked closely with Fat Joe aka 'Crack', the whole of Terror Squad team, and just about half of the hip-hop industry. And he's the president of record label Def Jam South.

Not bad for a man who broke into the scene in 2006. On 'Victory', his fourth album in four years, he proves yet again why he's been so successful: he sticks to one formula, the working formula. He can't rap to save his life but produces beats and sources some of the best talents the American music industry has to offer.

So even though his music is easy to recognise, his ego isn't so huge that he won't work with big producers (such as The Runners, The Inkredibles, Drumma Boy, and Schife) and big stars.

Take 'Fed-Up'. The album's first single, the 'hood-dedicated song that's all about hustlin' and being being sick and tired of being sick and tired features Usher, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, and Drake.

'All I Do Is Win', in turn, features T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, and Rick Ross. It's the perfect club song – unlike the poorly produced 'Put Your Hands Up' that should have been taken back to the studio and be reworked.

'Killing Me' is another highlight; a reggae track boasting a chorus that sounds like Lil Wayne's 'A Milli', it features heavyweights Buju Banton, Busta Rhymes, and Bounty Killer.

Past collaborators like Akon, Brisco, Trick Daddy, Fat Joe, and production duo Cool & Dre don't make a return, but that creates a space for the struggling Jim Jones and less established names like Ace Hood, Lil Boosie, and Young Cash.

Somewhat appropriately then, DJ Khaled has explained the album's title reflects the way he inspires people with his music.

Despite lacking female singers and rappers, 'Victory' is already a winner. 

Eminem - Recovery

Contributed by: Mmapaseka Modibane

Seven albums into his career, Eminem has delivered one of his best works yet. 'Recovery' finds the troublesome and talented rapper focused, relaxed, and back at the top of his game.

After breaking five years of writers block with last year's average 'Relapse', the king of disses, comebacks, and crossover hits is on a road to, yes, recovery.

The man born Marshall Mathers has changed - but not much. He still raps about his daughter, his ex wife, and problems with drug addiction, but 'Recovery' shows the familiar subjects in a new light. His most emotional record yet, it finally reveals what this talented man went through without judgment.

"I almost made a song dissin' Lil Wayne/ It's like I was jealous of him 'cause of the attention he was gettin'/ I felt horrible about myself," he even confides in 'Talkin' 2 Myself'.

"I just wanna thank everybody for bein' so patient/ Bearin' with me over these last couple of years while I figure this sh*t out."

Almost as refreshing as this admission of self doubt is his choice to collaborate with people outside his inner circle. Of course Dr Dre is still around, but Eminem has recruited other producers like Alex da Kid, Just Blaze, Boi-1da, Jim Jonsin, and DJ Khalil - as well as bonafide pop stars.

Pink shows up on the heavily rhythmic 'Won't Back Down' but it's Rihanna who really surprises on 'Love The Way You Lie', one of the best collaborations of Eminem's career. "[The song] I did with Rihanna is one of those tracks that I felt like only she could pull it off, only she could do it," he explained and, judging from the results, he's right.

Not quite as good is his collaboration with Lil Wayne - 'No Love' - which samples the beats of Haddaway's 'What Is Love', but the hard-hitting 'Cinderella Man' (about second chances and abuse), 'On Fire', 'Seduction', and 'W.T.P. (White Trash Party)' help explain why the album has sold over a million copies within three weeks in the USA alone.

'Recovery' truly lives up to its name.

Say Something or SHUT UP!!!

In the past, well who is counting. Ive went from rock bottom, teary eyes, dissapointing moments, temptation and lastly denial. All of that has changed, for good.

Im the strong friend you know you can lean on, call at 3 am to talk about "i think my man is cheating" an the friend who hides booze cause she has a big bag. Thats me, the team player. Now how do u tell my friend that her man is a creep, a good lying creep?

Im stuck between a rock and a hot place. The Creep has mastered his game to unmentionable perfection. Now as a friend do i step in n say "Ba ho ja direthe" or do i just SHUT UP n wait for all hel to break loose?

My instincts are strongly leaning to "SHUT UP" but my heart says tell her. What if all this drama stays with me? What if im the one who will be in kak? Im not ready for my debut warm klaap encounter.

In most cases like these, one needs to be aware!

MPK,1

Change

Finding yourself is something that can take forever, i mean things that you loved when you were a kid to a teenager to now are all different and some are just ridiculous when you look back, but they made the person you are today.

Some of us are the loving kind (me included), we give love, when we are in a relationship we give it 100%, our work 100%, friendships 100%, God 200%(or whoever you praise), we have so much to give that its normal to love someone and not nag about their flaws.

I once overheard my brother telling his friends that "mosadi ke motho o mongwe oreng ha a rata monna abe a morata ka pelo yothle" meaning women are the only human beings that give love to their partners with an open heart regardless of past experiences. Its true and funny enough we do this all the time even to the blokes that have hurt us a gazillion times, not (hopefully) because we think we can change them, but we have HOPE!! (keep hope alive, LOL)

I just realised that im scared of being alone, ive been alone for the past 14 year due to Gods will so it kinds terrifies me to think that the i'll be alone till the end of time. Its not that ive built the great wall of china with three layers of stainless steal around me but simply its hard to find a decent guy. Not only that, im a buddy not a lover to some, i like it but loneliness is my fear.

With all of that i found me, the strong, independent, smart, funny, loving, sexy, self. It didn't take me two months to be where i am, it took a while, even now im still discovering things about myself and some of them are a bit disappointing.

But hey its life you cant have them all, to embrace my single-hood, i make me happy, i make sure before anything or any one i encounter i must first be sure if i want to do it, second, will i be happy and thirdly what will i learn from this?

Its not an easy task but hey, someone has to do it. Ladies, please take time to find out more about yourself in any aspect as you can discover. Learn to love you the way you are, if theres something you don't like,change it or shut up...

Theres nothing thats unattractive like a woman with issues with herself and complains to others. Learn to believe in yourself, you have one life to live and make sure when you look back, its the kinda life you wish someone could relive and be proud of. Your life is like a painting, a masterpiece thats painted with life's experiences, your job as the painter is to reflect what you would LOVE to see, i don't think anyone is happy to see sadness.

Lets find those whimsical brushes and paint paintings that we could be proud to hang in our houses even in the toilet.

Hip-Hop's New Breed-Khuli Chana

If Kanye West and Nas found a way to cheat science and have a lovechild, his name would be Khuli Chana aka The Motswakoriginator.

Born and bred in Mmabatho, he first broke onto the scene with Morafe - one of South Africa's biggest and most respected motswako bands - and their hits like 'Dula', 'Lekwalo To Motswako', 'The Whole Thing' and the unforgettable 'Here We Stand'.

Now Khuli is riding solo. Opening a serious gap within the new taste of South African hip-hop, his debut album, 'The Motswakoriginator' is a breath of fresh air. Not too much conscious rap. No bubblegum garbage lyrics. Not too overtly motswako. Instead, it's well crafted and brilliantly produced, featuring such hot names as TowdeeMac and Kay-G of Morafe fame, IV League, Octave Couplet, and Jazz Worx.  

The collection opens up with 'Futhumatsa' simply meaning "Warm-up" which is what he does to you before blowing you away. Lyrically this guy is deadly. His flow is flawlessly amazing; his rhymes and punchlines are on point. And he knows how to move you with music.

The up-beat dance-along 'Tswakstikem' will have you clearing the furniture out of your way; 'Sthandwa Sam' featuring Towdee Mac quite rightly dominated the airwaves; 'No More Hunger pt.1' featuring Mr "Make the circle bigger" J.R is a hit waiting to happen; the soulful 'Freshe' is simply mesmerising; the kwaito-flavoured 'Kasi Yami' has mass appeal; and his Kanye-rivaling sampling skills come to the fore on the excellent 'Break Me Off' (even though there's someone's mama on the floor).

Clearly showing the talent Khuli has been suppressing when he's with Morafe, 'The Motswakoriginator' fully embraces the whole point of a solo album: go all-out. This is a one-size-fits-all collection - it has humour, amazing lyrics, and good beats - from the new hip-hop heavyweight slowly climbing to the top.

HHP, don't look back - Khuli is on your tail… 

The Brave Fool, Thank U, Mr F

When something is too GOOD to be true, it usually is. Here i was, lashing on how i will NEVER love again only to realise im in-love with life and its ups and downs.

But i was talking bout loving another human being like i did with Mr M, (please im smart enough to to snitch on myself, LOL). Me n Mr M, were amazing together (so i thought)then the whole thing happened and had a DIVA BREAK UP MOMENT, i pulled myself towards myself when Mr F came into the picture, we are not lovers, just friends (no benefits either). His a smart,no intelligent man, has a warm heart, amazing, motivating, i mean this is an ideal man for most single ladies out there and i just love being his friend.

Well, we all know the heart has no respect for difficult situations and how sometimes it makes more sense to leave things the way they are. I started to get all warm and fuzzy like it was spring in my stomach while im wearing a ching-chingler on the outside. I cared like i shouldn't and it made it hard to focus on the game at hand, ME. I dont care who you are, how old you are, how much money you have but loneliness will creep on you like a motherF^&%$*.

From feeling totally alone to having someone who cares about you, its silly not to feel ANYTHING for this person. Time and time again, i reassured myself that this is just fun, "Who will get hurt, not me." I'm an idiot (im only gonna admit this once in my life-time) how can i be this blind, how can i let my insecurities create a part of me that i dont benefit from? I let past experiences ruin the good life i long for.

Im taking charge, im not gonna let another good deal slip through my fingers, im not gonna let myself live in fear, im not gonna let myself miss an opportunity to say I LOVE U, and mean it, im not gonna be ashamed to text i miss you. It takes a fool to fall and never get back on track but it takes a BRAVE fool to crawl to happiness, im that BRAVE FOOL, im crawling to my happiness, i deserve it....

Love, Mmapaseka aka MpKaY

Happyness & Smiles

They say you have to make yourself happy at all times, regardless how much crap could be going down in your life. Michael Jackson sang Charlie Chaplin's "Smile", it was until his death i knew about the song and realised, iv been doing this for close to 14 yrs. Its not easy but when you do get something to smile or laugh about, its pretty worth it.

I read the newspaper (thanks to Twitter i dont have to buy it) and theres so much going on, drugs, sex, alcohol, crazy presidents and youth presidents and other things we are so opinionated about that create so much buzz, its insane. All those are complaints, perceptions on how the world will end, the economy, poverty, crime, sexism, you name it, you've probably read about it and its ridiculous.

When was the last time you picked up a newspaper and read something good ? , when was the last time a leader, lead? When was the last time someone mean it when they said "I'm a good role model"? When was the last time you smiled not because its pay day but your just because your happy?

We are grateful for so much or maybe so little we forget to be grateful to smile and be happy for the little we have, someone around the world is just praying for a drop of water in her/his mouth which will make a huge difference in their lives. Lets not work too hard to a point were you forget to live, smile, be happy, be grateful, forgetting what your working for on earth shall remain.

My philosophy in life is pure simple (hopefully), "live, learn and love." In the process of LIVING, i work, i work hard too. In the process of LEARNING, well, i do just that, i learn from my past, present and (hopefully less in the future) mistakes, to still build the incomplete person i am. I LOVE, simply because life is too short to hate,to revolve my life around negativity will not look good on my 12 yr old looking face and its healthy to love, but you gotta love yourself first.

Happyness is self inflicted, its starts with you, its starts with your flaws which you into pride and its never too late to be happy. Now Smile not becouse your on botox because someone reminded you, its good to do that and it makes you younger, LOL.

Love-MPK

It kills Me

The best lessons in life are free. Some are painful, simple, fun and educational. We find out interesting things about ourselves wen we are down or not when we have been robbed out of our happiness. We have to understand that it takes two to tango (not to ingwaza) and you should always be alert to where you place feet,while dancing.

I danced the night away with my eyes closed and when i opened them i was all all alone, in the dark with awful tunes behind me, thats a sad scene. My epiphany to all of this was, i should lean to dance with my eyes closed again but this time with a partner who dances to the same tune as i do.

My happily everlasting ended today (20 January 2010) at 4:15am. I got an SMS stating the termination of our contract, at that time it got really hot,even though it was chili and cold, my heart stopped beating for a sec and my eyes got really wide from reading such a disturbance. I then reaslied that the reason was because "our relationship was on partime", that hurts more than the "its not you its me" break up line. The other part killed me is that "id he'd be wasting my time and his time if we continue".I then fetch my mp3 player and listen to Melanie Fiona-It kills Me.

This is not how i imaged the great fall, i was unprepared for lift off. I then remeberd the good, the bad and the "WTF" moments and i knew it had to end. So far im sad, mad as hell and emotional-for a robot like me, its impossible-. I didn't cry, i don't see the need for it. It changes nothing but i heard it makes you feel better, RIGHT!

Telling my girls about this is like an episode of "Sex In The City", you get to text, call and reply to 3 different opinions about it, even though they are being supportive, they are blowing this out of proportion. I love them so much.

From this unpleasent ordeal, ive lent not love again, (i know at my age it sounds insane, but for my hearts sake, its for the best) deep inside i think i should call it quits and live with no extra unpaid work called, LOVE.

Love- is the only act no human being is a master of.

yah!!!

I just realised what i asked God 2years ago just happened. I asked him to be loved and to love in-return, i did and i enjoyed it. But one thing i forgot to ask or to include in my prayer was the kind of person i wanted. I asked for a kind, loving and funny guy, thats all right? WRONG!!!

He wasn't a Mens health cover dude but he was all a woman would love to have. (basically he had his flows n thats what made him human, what made him a "problem" was his lack of interest in my life and other stuff) *don't know how long it took me to see that*

He did swip me off my feet and i loved every minute, hour, day, month and a year i had with him. I fell inlove with him, he fell inlove with me ( i was the commercial gf {girlfriend}) and most of his boys new about me and i knew them. It was like getting high with your Dr and it was worth the bill.

I tured into a 98% sister and i got cutt off for 2%... According to him and his paranoid mind i cheated with whom, where when? is all a mystery... I have been accused of a crime, my excuse to this cop sounds like an alibi me n my gradmother sat down fot 5hours plotting. I am innocent till said otherwise.

But this is just the beginning to a healing chapter in my life. We fall in, live in and then fall out. Falling out is always the hard part that looks& feels like a lifetime to get-over some1... For me this will mark the last chapter in dating, PERIOD!. Im going to be a nun. Why? I dont know but im sure there will be a reason.

MPKAY

Mole

A message is created to inform people and hopefully they (the receiver) would be smart enough to understand and reply. We sent and receive these things and its how you interpret it. I mean if i send you a "please call me", you (the receiver) would know what to do, unless your an idiot.

I got an alarming message last night about a certain thing (I'd love to give you details but NO!). We will call this "thing" -mole-... My mole was visible to someone and he, yes he, asked me about it and i explain, he "believed" me and now after a week he thinks my mole is not really a mole... he thinks a certain mosquito bit me and he wants to know if his right. Oh...K...this is me here, i wont say something to please your ears... Im MPK... I make my own rules and "live" by them...if i said its a mole and you saw a mole hen its a mole...if you see something else halla at a sister and i will help me understand.

Its pretty useless reading this and not really understanding JACK! but bear with me, this blog gets better as long as im alive... its better that way.

MNJM

The Beginning

It all starts here, the insane thoughts, ideas, questions and more emotions than Days of our Lives... Its all a matter of time till some1 sees all of this and ask me the most (or least) important question to me @ the time, "Why"?

Don't think you'll find an answer just see how i kinda reflected your problems...

one love, peace and smile dammit...
Mpkay.