I have been a Madonna fan since I was 12 years old when her song Borderline reached the Philippines and promptly became a favorite dance song during our school soirees. Throughout her illustrious career though, it is only with her latest album Madame X that she has gone all out to sing about issues that affect our world today – and it does befuddle a long time fan like me, who is used to hearing her sing about sex, partying, having fun, and doing all the other crazy things young people are wont to be doing. So, I admit it was a bit uncomfortable to hear her become serious and sing about songs on gun control, about espousing LGBT rights, which got me thinking, was she trying to save the world, now that she has reached the ripe old age of 61? She did say in one of her interviews to promote the album, that she did what she did in this album because she felt no one was saying anything about these issues – that because of her celebrity status, she felt she had to say something – even if it meant it would be uncomfortable for her fans to hear. I did feel that way. I wouldn’t mind saving the environment or standing up to LGBT rights but to hear it as music is different because I prefer my music to be stress-free and relaxed. It was my sanctuary from the craziness of this world. However, Madonna does have a point. If she doesn’t use her stature to at least make people take notice of these world issues, then all her popularity would just be a waste.

Have you ever come across a work of art and thought to yourself, "If only the whole world will see and experience it the way I have?". That was how I felt when I listened to upcoming Nigerian rapper, Kristal's debut body of work Kristal Clear mixtape. The Kristal Clear mixtape is a collection of all the songs Kristal has ever released. You know that moment when an artist begins to actually work on his own songs after convincing himself that he wants to do music full time? That is actually the type of songs Kristal included in this body of work. Songs in that category are usually not up to taste, are flawed, or are almost always half baked. But these songs are also usually the most precious to these upcoming artists, and hold the most endearing stories of them. The songs in the Kristal Clear mixtape are like that in a way, but are different in an interesting way. While they are his very first works in music, they show so much maturity and experience on his part. The Kristal Clear mixtape is not your regular music project. It is a carefully created body of work that seeks to entertain and educate it’s consumers. It is a crystal clear message for everyone to sit up and adjust to the new ways of doing things that actually work, and it spares no one, not even Kristal himself. It contains 10 tracks made up of two skits, two refixes, and six originals. The project features his boss who also doubles as the project’s executive producer, Yung Roc, and another Nigeria born rapper, Pohzitive of Imo State origin. Production credits goes to producer Dcube Tha Beatkilla, and it was mixed and mastered by Yung Roc at the beats by Roc studios in Imo State, Nigeria.

Chicago's veteran rapper Common has released his 12th studio album called Let Love on August 30th, 2019 under the labels Loma Vista Recordings and Concord Records. The former GOOD Music rapper has accomplished a lot in his hip-hop career such as opening up for N.W.A. and Big Daddy Kane to releasing his debut album Can I Borrow a Dollar in 1992. He survived and went bar for bar against west coast legend Ice Cube when he and Westside Connection (Mack 10, WC and Ice Cube) decided to go at Common for his song I Used to Love H.E.R. from his second album Ressurection, and for those who know Common, he is a smooth and calm dude but he did not back down from Cube with the retaliation song The Bitch in Yoo in 1996. Around 1999, he went and teamed up with soul and alternative hip-hop artists such as Q-Tip, J. Dilla, Erykah Badu, Talib Kweli, Mos Def and more to create The Soulquerians, and after his last album with label MCA Records, Common joined Kanye West's GOOD Music label in 2004. He left GOOD Music in 2011 and went on to do his own personal work such as appearing in numerous movies, writing books and poems, being a strong activist and philanthropist, as well being a pescatarian. Common's resume not only as a rapper but as a whole person, is really enormous with an academy award, an African-American Film award, 4 BET Awards, 3 Grammy awards and so much more. His new album Let Love features guests such as Swizz Beatz, Daniel Caesar, BJ The Chicago Kid, Jill Scott and more. After I was done listening to the 11 songs album, it was like I saw a more loving Common than before, and he was always a loving brother, so let's go over this album track by track.----------------------------------------------

“Since Take Care, I’ve been caretakin’.” – Drake “Redemption”Drake, similar to the likes of JAY-Z, Lil Wayne and Method Man, in regard to the consecutive quality of his albums, reeks with legendary status. His climb to fame, although over a decade in the making, began with one of his first and most notable releases Take Care. Everyone has a favorite Drake album and mine happens to be Take Care. Drizzy creates music in a generation that has a short attention span yet he can curate an album with over 15 records on it and everyone listens from beginning to end. Most musicians produce some of their best music during the infancy of their careers and although Drake has only improved overtime, there's something so classic and raw about this album. I enjoy listening to artists that were born to create music. There's nothing forced about Drake's delivery - ever. It's his effortless approach to music that gifts his records stuck-on-repeat trends. Take Care boasts with 19 records amid features from Lil Wayne, Andre 3000, Nicki Minaj and Kendrick Lamar to name a few. Each feature on this album comes from an artist that's already a legend or a legend in the making. Think about it, artists like The Weeknd, Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar truly began to flourish after this album's release. Now let's be clear, I'm not saying this album kicked off any of the aforementioned artists careers, but I will say that it was a healthy boost. Furthermore, each of the featured artists on this album were noteworthy additives not mere meaningless, poppycock verses or pitchy hooks. Drake's genius was apparent from the beginning and his relentlessness and slightly petty antics over the years have shaped him into the mogul and character we know him as today. From Degrassi to the Grammy’s, he’s a true chameleon in the best way. In my opinion Drake created a new genre of music.