Kaytranada

Drop down and get your eagle on, girl

Chowder for the kitten, Mello Yello lemon

KAYTRANADA, Anderson .Paak. "GLOWED UP." 99.9%, XL Recordings Limited, 2016.

You gotta love those Facebook friendship video notifications. Big Blue just reminded me that six years ago, I met Kevin Celestin (aka Kaytranada), when he and his brother, Louis, nervously registered to perform at Hip Hop Karaoke in Montréal. Looking a spitting image of Kid 'n Play with their backpacks and snapbacks, as soon as they stepped on stage, you could tell these kids were destined for greatness. Their nerves dissipated, raw stage presence took over as they fed off the crowd's energy, and I can only imagine they were hooked from there on out.

The self-styled "Celestics" returned to perform at HHKMTL several times (throwback videos below, pardon the audio quality) sometimes as a duo, other times a solo act, and often with their larger crew.

In the years to follow, the Montréal beats scene, affectionately called "PIU PIU music," took off (check the documentary), Kevin would proceed to work his ass off, make killer beats, tour the world, meet some legendary folks in the music industry, and produce one of my favourite, and Polaris Prize award-winning, albums with 99.9%. That record featured a stacked roster of guest appearances, including this jam with the incredibly talented Anderson .Paak.

Young star in the making

Syd. "Shake Em Off." FIN, Columbia Records, 2017.

Can't stop listening to this one. Been digging Syd since her days with The Internet ("Girl" is one of my favourite tracks), her guest appearance last year on Kaytranada's "You're The One" off 99.9% marked one of the record's best jams, and she's seriously brought it on FIN, her debut studio album.

Who wants to love somebody like me?

Alicia Keys. "In Common." Here, RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, 2016.

2016 is shaping up to be an incredible year for music. While we've been rocked by the loss of several of our greatest legends -- from Bowie to Prince -- the next generation of artists (Anderson .Paak, Kaytranada and Solange, just to name a few) have been releasing some truly meaningful work that, I believe, will stand the test of time.

And it just keeps coming. In anticipation of her new album, Here, out this Friday, Alicia Keys earlier this week released her short film The Gospel, directed by A.V. Rockwell. Roam the streets of Keys' New York City as Rockwell captures everyday moments and stories, get lost in the cinematography that propels you forward, in constant motion, as the film addresses the impacts of police brutality.

I'm looking forward to all the remixes I'm sure are about to drop in the coming weeks of today's track, "In Common," bound to be a club anthem this winter.

I tried to put one in the air

Solange. "Cranes In The Sky." A Seat At The Table, Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, 2016.

The remixes for this track just keep on coming in, and they are good. Real good. First, Kaytranada's banger dropped last week, and yesterday Common released his version with a verse exclusively on The FADER. 

Check out the gorgeous cinematography, choreography, and costume design in the official video below, directed by Alan Ferguson and Solange herself, or visit Solange's website to read her beautiful digital lyrics book via ISSUU.

🎶 Sometimes I don't want to feel those metal clouds 🎶

In an email to The FADER, Common explained just how special the song is to him.

““Every once and a few years, there are certain songs that come out and have the sound of forever. “Cranes in the Sky” is that song for me,” he said. “Every time I listened to it, I keep wanting to hear it again and again. I started mumbling some words to it and then decided I want to write a verse. This is an un official remix simply inspired by the love of art. Check it out.””
— http://www.thefader.com/2016/10/18/common-solange-cranes-in-the-sky-remix

Everybody high five, everybody wanna smile

Chance The Rapper, Knox Fortune. "All Night (feat. Knox Fortune)." Coloring Book, Chance the Rapper, 2016. 

Yeah, it's only Wednesday, but this is how I feel.

Today, Pandora unveiled a new brand that I believe so captures the energy, spirit, and sound of music. Learn more about the rebranding journey and see some of the over 1,000 logo iterations in this Fast Company Co.Design article. Stay tuned for more exciting things to come! ✨

Plus, yesterday Kaytranada dropped two new ill remixes — this one, and a flip of Solange's "Cranes In The Sky," off her latest album.

This track will be my weekend banger. Currently on repeat, just getting a little practice in early.

🎶  Start dancing. 🎶 

I do it for the thrill, for the rush

KAYTRANADA, Syd. "YOU'RE THE ONE." 99.9%, XL RECORDINGS, 2016.

Start your weekend off right with this banger, featuring those sexy, other-worldly vocals from Syd of The Internet and Odd Future fame. And those hand claps. 

Check out the below video, which just dropped earlier this week, directed by Shomi Patwary and made possible by the stellar Canadian entity MuchFACT. Stylistically, Patwary tells Pitchfork that the video "was influenced by the look of black sitcoms from the early 90s -- from Martin to Living Single and UPN sitcoms. The African prince idea derived from the plot of Coming To America."

This is how you hotline bling.