"if you had a twin, i'd still choose you"

photo by Rihanna (@badgalriri on Instagram)

Last month everyone's favorite "bad gal" from Barbados, Rihanna, released "Work," the lead single to her long-awaited eighth studio album, ANTI. Despite mixed reviews from critics, the mid-tempo Drake assisted dancehall and reggae infused record was met with commercial success, topping charts and invading dance-floors and SnapChat stories around the world.

Jennifer Lopez, the undisputed queen of "booty," gave Rihanna and Drake one of the best gifts any artist could ask for by twerking to "Work" during an installment of "Ew" on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Today, Rihanna and Drake continued to fuel the buzz around "Work" by dropping, not one, but two videos for the song. 

The first video, directed by Director X, takes place at a sweaty party at "The Real Jerk" in Toronto and it is everything you hoped it would be. Plastic cups and Red Stripes bottles litter the floor, everyone is whining like their life depends on it, girls are fanning themselves with "Work" flyers, Drizzy is posted up in a OVO sweatsuit (you know he was sweating), and Rihanna is in the middle of it all. 

The second video, directed by Tim Erem, is slightly less eventful and only features Rihanna and Drake. Drenched in neon-pink light in what looks like someone's living room (but is most likely a soundstage), Rihanna and Drake simply vibe off of each other for roughly four minutes, delivering a plethora of GIF-worthy moments.

Following the release of the video, I'm pretty sure "The Real Jerk" will have lines out of the door and Google will see an uptick in people searching "How to Whine." 

Happy Listening (watching),

Robert

"you vandalize my perception but can't take style from me"

photo by The Grammys (@thegrammys on Instagram)

This year, the Recording Academy and CBS made the bold decision of broadcasting The 58th Grammy Awards live on both coasts on a Monday night. Unfortunately this year's broadcast did not fair so well, The Grammys received its lowest ratings in six years. Despite the low ratings, tweets about The Grammys were viewed over two billion times and I thought it was a pretty good show overall.

From Kendrick Lamar's five wins to Lionel Richie's star-studded and talent-filled tribute, there were an array of amazing moments at music biggest night. Below are my favorite moments from the show. 

5. Tori Kelly and James Bay's Duet

Best New Artists nominees Tori Kelly and James Bay wowed the audience at the Staples Center and charmed their way into the hearts of millions around the world using only their voices and guitars with a mash-up of their songs "Let It Go" and "Hollow."

4. Demi Lovato's "Hello"

Demi Lovato performed "Hello" as a part of the tribute to Lionel Richie. Backed by John Legend on the piano, Lovato solidified her position as one of pop music's most powerful vocalists.

3. Alabama Shakes winning"Best Rock Performance"

It was a big night for blues rock band Alabama Shakes. They brought home three Grammys including one for "Best Rock Performance." Shakes' lead singer Brittany Howard, who is the spitting image of her mother, put a smile on my face with her acceptance speech, so I had to include this moment.

2. Lady Gaga's Tribute to David Bowie

Though her performance has been met with mixed reviews from critics, Bowie's fans, and Bowie's son, Gaga's tribute to David Bowie was one of the most talked about moments of the night. While it did seem a little rushed, and slightly cluttered, Gaga sounded great and the performance marked the return of the "weird" Gaga who has been M.I.A. for quite some time.

1. Kendrick Lamar proving that "We Gone Be Alright"

Kendrick Lamar was the biggest winner of the night, taking home five Grammys, including "Best Rap Album." During the show, Lamar delivered an extremely power and visually stunning performance of his songs "The Blacker the Berry" and "Alright." Lamar began his performance by walking out as a member of the chain gain, then rapped his heart out in front of a bonfire, and ultimately finished in front of image of Africa with the word "Compton" inside of it.

Hopefully next year's Grammys will have just as many incredible moments as they did this year.

Happy Listening (watching),

Robert

"back to high school love, the kind without the drugs"

From working in New York to saying my goodbyes in D.C. and finally moving to Prague (after patiently waiting for almost five months), January was an incredibly jam packed month for me. In order to do it all with a smile, I had to have a playlist to serve as the soundtrack to long drives through the suburbs, hours of packing my entire life into two suitcases, and getting dressed for my first nights out in Prague.

With slow, sultry jams by Niykee Heaton and Sofi de la Torre and club bangers by GOLDHOUSE, Karen Harding, and Mike Posner (who, unlike he claims in "I Took A Pill In Ibiza," is no longer a one-hit wonder), my January playlist is a wild, slightly confusing ride.

Below are the fifteen songs that I endless played to start off, what will hopefully be, an amazing year.

1. "Skin LP Preview" - Flume

2. "Over (Radio Edit)" - GOLDHOUSE

3. "Bad, Bad, Bad" - LANY

4. "New Bohemia" - Transviolet

5. "Bad Intentions" - Niykee Heaton

6. "London x Paris" - Sofi de la Torre

7. "Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time" - Panic! At The Disco

8. "Devil Side" - Foxes

9. "Too Young" - Post Malone

10. "Holding On" - Disclosure

11. "Say Something - Zac Samuel Remix" - Karen Harding

12. "I Took A Pill In Ibiza - SeeB Remix" - Mike Posner

13. "They Know" - Luke Christopher

14. "All the Ways" - Wet

15. "Party Favors" - Tinashe

Happy Listening, 

Robert

"if the world came tumbling down, you'd still be holding me down"

 photo by Sasha Samsonova (@sashasamsonova on Instagram)

After two bands and six years with Diddy at Bad Boy Records, Dawn Richard (now simply D∆WN) decided to go solo and release her projects independently. 

In early 2013, with full control over her music, image, and career, D∆WN released Goldenheart, the first installment of her "heart" themed trilogy. D∆WN has since become a critical darling and is often celebrated as one of the most innovative artists in the music industry because of her thought-provoking visuals and willingness to tinker with traditional genre lines.

Blackheart, the electronic dance-pop follow-up to Goldenheart and the second installment in her trilogy peaked at Number 2 on the Billboard's Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart and became one of Pitchfork's Top 50 Albums of Year  and one of Rolling Stone's 20 Best R&B Albums of 2015.

Last week, after three years of bearing her "heart" to the fans, D∆WN unveiled "Not Above That" the lead single from Redemptionheart, the last installment in the trilogy. With some assistance from L.A.-based producer Machinedrum, D∆WN proves that she is down for anything, both in the bedroom and in the booth. 

Even though experimental electro-pop dance is nothing new to D∆WN, "Not Above That" is fresh, exciting, and perfect for head-bopping in the shower or going crazy on the dance floor at the club. Either way, the song will be stuck in your head and you'll have absolutely no problem with that. 

Happy Listening,

Robert

"soon as i'm back in the city, they throw a parade"

photo by Drake (@champagnepapi on Instagram)

Since announcing that Views from the 6 would be the follow-up to Nothing Was the Same in 2014, Drake has dropped a mixtape with Future, multiple diss records aimed at Meek Mill, and the international smash hit "Hotline Bling," which along with the visual, has become a pop culture staple.

Despite all of those releases, fans still had no salient news about the release date of Views or any of it's official singles. That is until two nights again when Drizzy sent out this tweet:

OVO Sound Radio Episode 14 tmrw at 3PM PST/6PM EST...it begins.

— Drizzy (@Drake) January 30, 2016

During Saturday's broadcast of the OVO Sound Radio show on Apple's Beats 1, the rapper dropped "Summer Sixteen," the first official single from Views.

"Summer Sixteen" features a fire beat and a gang of playful bars that will probably go down as some of Drake's funniest lyrics ever. The song opens up with a light jab at President Barack Obama, who claimed in a YouTube Q&A that Kendrick Lamar was a better rapper than the 6 God. In the second verse, Drake continues to take playful jabs, but this time at rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West. Drake raps about his pool being bigger than Kanye's (even though Ye's is nice too) and wanting to be on Rock-a-Fella until he turned into Jay.

Though "Summer Sixteen" is dope and will definitely be played at every club for the next few months, I must say that I expected a little bit more. "Sixteen" sounds like something that could have been on the 2015 mixtape If You're Reading This It's Too Late, which is not a bad thing, but I was hoping that Drizzy would be moving forward, sonically.

"Summer Sixteen" is available now on Apple Music and iTunes, with Views from the 6 expected to be out in April.

Happy Listening,

Robert

"it's our paradise, and it's our war zone"

photo by Zayn Malik (@zayn on Instagram)

Last March,  Zayn Malik shocked the world and shattered the hearts of millions of fans around the world when he announced that he would leaving One Direction after five years. Shortly after his departure from the band, Malik revealed that he had inked a deal with RCA Records and planned on releasing a solo studio album in early 2016. 

After an interview with The Fader in November, where the early cuts of songs he had recorded with Channel Orange producer Malay were compared to Miguel and The Weeknd, many began to question whether or not this new sound would appeal to Malik's core following. Would the teen and bubblegum-pop loving fans he gained during his One Direction days be down with low-tempo sultry R&B records? 

Surprisingly, the answer is yes.  

On January 29th, Malik, now known mononymously as "ZAYN" released his debut solo single "PILLOWTALK," which has been met widespread critical acclaim and has received overwhelming support from the One Direction fandom. 

"PILLOWTALK," pairs slightly racy lyrics (compared to that of 1D) with a combination of alternative R&B and electronic beats that complement Zayn's voice perfectly. "PILLOWTALK" sounds like the music Zayn should have been making all along, and hopefully is a sign of what is to come from the singer.

A few hours after dropping "PILLOWTALK," Zayn released the sexy and slightly confusing, kaleidoscope filled visual for the single. His leading lady is none other than supermodel girlfriend Gigi Hadid and the video has racked up over twenty-five million views in just four days. 

Zayn's debut album, Mind of Mine, is slated to be released at the end of March, and I am definitely looking forward to it.

Happy Listening,

Robert