Music Tuesday: Drake, live sessions from London and more
Update 11/16: Pardon us, we got our musicians mixed up. Please see below for Killa Kela & Eklips performing a Swedish Mafia House cover, not the other way around.
Last week we featured some buzz videos, celebrated the Puerto Rican hip-hop duo Calle 13’s big wins at the Latin Grammy Awards, and got hip to the latest and coolest by SPIN Magazine’s editors. And, oh yeah, we debuted the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ newest video yesterday. But hold onto your seats: it just gets better for music on YouTube this week.
Got Drizzy?
Drake is something of an enigma -- a pop star who publicly proclaims his support for underground acts, a rapper who will admit to making “sex-driven, chauvinistic” music. (That’s some kind of self-awareness.) He’s also pretty talented. We asked him to curate the YouTube homepage today, and he took to the task with a list of videos that influenced (and in many cases are sampled on) his new album Take Care. The album was delayed by nearly a month so he could clear all the samples, and you’ll see some of them today, including Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up,” which he turned into an R&B song (!?) with help from The Weeknd. The playlist also features Jon B, who is sampled on “Cameras,” and a very special mash-up cover by YouTube darlings VanJess24.
Last week we featured some buzz videos, celebrated the Puerto Rican hip-hop duo Calle 13’s big wins at the Latin Grammy Awards, and got hip to the latest and coolest by SPIN Magazine’s editors. And, oh yeah, we debuted the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ newest video yesterday. But hold onto your seats: it just gets better for music on YouTube this week.
Got Drizzy?
Drake is something of an enigma -- a pop star who publicly proclaims his support for underground acts, a rapper who will admit to making “sex-driven, chauvinistic” music. (That’s some kind of self-awareness.) He’s also pretty talented. We asked him to curate the YouTube homepage today, and he took to the task with a list of videos that influenced (and in many cases are sampled on) his new album Take Care. The album was delayed by nearly a month so he could clear all the samples, and you’ll see some of them today, including Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up,” which he turned into an R&B song (!?) with help from The Weeknd. The playlist also features Jon B, who is sampled on “Cameras,” and a very special mash-up cover by YouTube darlings VanJess24.
The Mahogany Sessions
We recently re-discovered the UK channel The Mahogany Sessions, which records intimate a cappella performances in and around London. Yes, rather like an English La Blogotheque -- and they’re similarly devoted to introducing you only to music they absolutely love. They also get some pretty rousing spectacles going: you need to see Killa Kela & Eklips performing a cover of "One" originally by Swedish House Mafia, a cappella while strolling in a London park.
Simian Ghost: Bicycle Theme
Is there room for yet another chillwave act in the world? We sincerely hope so, because Sweden’s Simian Ghost sure make some pretty videos (and songs).