Unexpected duo makes noise in week of expected outcomes

Since Friday, ears of hip-hop listeners were blessed by Future, Young Thug and Wiz Khalifa, as well as up-and-coming duo Majid Jordan. Even More material from the often active Future, Young Thug, and Wiz Khalifa, but up and coming duo Majid Jordan came with the gem.

“Madrid Jordan” by Majid Jordan

Released: Feb. 2

Genre: Pop/R&B

4/5

Toronto Pop and R&B duo Majid Jordan released their debut commercial full-length recording under Drake’s label OVO Sound. The young singers and producers did not disappoint, creating a moody yet upbeat sound on each track. Tracks like “My Love” and “Something About You” carry out the vibe of upbeat romanticism over danceable instrumentals. The record could have used more variety, but some of the slower cuts like “Pacifico” and “King City”, an ode to Toronto, fulfilled the aspect of darkness. After an impressive EP in 2014, Majid Jordan should see some serious success from this release from the commercial and underground scenes. He could soon be in the same category as other Drake prodigies like Partynextdoor and ILoveMakonnen.

Download: “Something About You”

“I’m Up” by Young Thug

Released: Feb. 2

Genre: Hip-hop

3/5

Young Thug was slated to release his “Slime Season 3” mix tape before a conflict arose with fellow Atlanta emcee Future over releasing too much music. Thug subsequently changed the title to “I’m Up” and kicked it off with “F Cancer” as a tribute to his good friend rapper Boosie Badazz who recently beat cancer. Thugger takes his typical generic trap style when selecting instrumentals for this project. The back half of the record was more promising with bangers like “Hercules” and “Bread Winners.” He raps about his typical topics of drugs, women and money. There are some fun tracks on “I’m Up,” but it’s too repetitive and not creative enough for Thug. Eventually Young Thug needs to focus in and change his formula because releasing countless average mix tapes becomes uninteresting to fans. Thugger needs to take the approach of quality over quantity in order to release a body of work as good, if not better, than 2015’s Barter 6 of Jean-Philip Grobler. Download: “Hercules”

“All I Need” by Foxes

Released: Feb. 5

Genre: Pop

4/5

In her second album, Foxes is grounding her sound and hopefully making a name for herself in the pop scene. “Devil Side” brings a synth-pop, electro vibe to an overly auto-tuned music generation. Although her music doesn’t cover any topics unexplored by the genre, her style, as heard in the 70s-esque “Body Talk,” makes the sound more unique. Comparable to Sia, her scratchy, echoing voice leaves you wanting more. A majority of the album has these redeeming qualities, but the song “Wicked Love” should have been cut. The child-like chorus sounds like something that belongs on Disney Channel. Although this one song broke the streak of great songs, Foxes still deserves a listen as her unique sound will definitely top the charts

Download: “Devil Side”