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Having already toured with The Game, West Coast rapper Nipsey Hussle is not only well-versed in song but also the industry and ready to debut his first album South Central State of Mind on Epic Records later this summer. Lonely Dear (or Loney Dear as it is often spelled) is comprised of main member Emil Svanängen, who has a tendency to produce entire albums from his own apartment. The recently released Dear John, has been received positive feedback from many corners of the blogopshere, amping this Swedish-born artist for great success. Corneille brings a dose of much-needed soul to his sweet love songs. Recording his first two studio albums in French, he now delivers the perfect combination of sophisticated funk and smooth vocals with The Birth of Cornelius. The Brooklyn-based Team Robespierre released their LP Everything’s Perfect about a year ago and are finally gaining the recognition they deserve for their synth-driven beats and capacity for pure musical fun. J*DaVeY is the duo of vocalist Briana Cartwright (who performs under the name Jack Davey) and producer Brook D’Leau.

Corneille

Is this boy sexy or what?! And he’s a little smoothie too. I’m a smitten kitten. That being said, he’s capable of more than this song and video. They’re both… nice. And the song is undoubtedly very catchy. But someone needs to go John Legend-ise him or something. Take it to the next level. This is his third album now. He deserves more than “slow-moving” water. Also is anyone interested to see what would happen if you threw a reggae beat behind that voice? Damn, that’s a good idea. Who do I have to call to make that happen? Someone get on that.

J*Davey

J*DaVeY has perhaps the most visually interesting video this week. The quick transitions and that huge pointed glowing structure (sculpture?) catch your interest and make you wonder what’s happening. If nothing else they are stimulating to watch. Also it must be said, girl has got a rocking body. And a very interesting haircut. It’s both a mullet AND a mohawk! But otherwise, the song is pretty standard pop although my guess is that it was going for an electronica angle. But there is nothing to unusual or trend-setting about it and the video carries on for about a minute too long.

Loney Dear

So there’s a lot of ways this video has gone astray in my opinion. Number one, the stanzas are too fast and number two, the chorus is far too repetitious. I like to see effort, I want to see song-writing taking place right in front of me! This is jarring but not in “oh that’s suprising!” way. More like an “AH, cut it out!” way. Speaking of jarring, the video makes me dizzy. And nothing happens. Where’s the story? It’s all the same shot but with clothing changes. Oh and sometimes it’s “dusk” and sometimes it’s “evening.” Ahem. What’s going here? WHERE IS HE GOING? WHAT’S THE MOTIVATION? Oh wait. He’s going to… that house. The one we know nothing about. I’m confused.

Nipsey Hussle

Okay so I like this. It’s got a decent beat which provides the track with a good structure and a strong flow. (Yep. The tiny white girl just said flow. Check me out.) Nipsey seems to be coming from a place where he understands old-school rap and isn’t afraid to return to the simple basics of the genre rather than relying on some of the fancier aspects of its more recent inclinations. COUGH- Auto tune. COUGH- Kanye. There are no frills or antics. It’s genuine and authentic. And while his attitude towards women leaves a little something to be desired, at least the girls who make an appearance in the video aren’t dancing around in bikinis while washing cars or some other ridiculous BS like that. So all in all, I would definitely listen to Nipsey again.

Team Robespierre

I guess I could see how this might be interesting to listen to live when you’re dancing, jumping around, getting all sweaty and stuff… but otherwise. Well, it’s just not for me. The production value of the video leaves something to be desired, there’s nothing all that staggering about the vocals, and in terms of the instrumental quality of the music… you see where I am going with this right? I know synth-y beats are “in” right now and I am a big fan of this trend but I think it is one you have to be very careful with as there is a tendency to rely too heavily on the machines. It seems almost too easy and concern for the quality can be pushed aside. I see that happening here. But like I said, I do feel as if this is a group I could see live and form a totally different opinion of so that is something to keep in mind.

And I think my pick of the week actually has to go to Nipsey Hussle with Corneille and J*DaVeY tying for a close second place. Out of all the artists I think Nipsey has got the most talent lyrically speaking. Perhaps we could have a chat about getting him to cut down on the word “bitches.” Just a thought. As always, let me know what you’re thinking in the comments section below.