Unexpectant fans 'over the moon' at Cudi's spontaneous drop

Twitter makes it easy
to tell 'your' fans what they
wanna hear.

Marketing an album has never been easy, none more so than in hip-hop.

To generate the necessary hype could well be the difference between success and failure in the times we live in.

There are ups and downs with release dates and all sorts of promos that come with the whole branding scope of a project.

The initial buzz is purely the start, fans take it all in and want to enjoy it now, they don't want a release date, they don't want a tracklist or guest features - they want the music.

They are smart, however, they understand the hype is necessary.  Hell, these days artists are given their ratings by the way they promo their new drops.

Think Jay-Z last year, Hov used his power to manipulate electronic moguls 'Samsung' into working as a sponsor and promoter - in return, Samsung uses tasted MCHG before others.  That advantage in sales and manipulation is kinda scary.

Listeing parties has been another one recently, J Cole and ScHoolboy Q both put their newest albums out to a selective group, maybe in some case invited or prize winning, and audience who cherish those couple of hours taking in the music pre-sale.

The latter was talked as part of a way from benefiting from a leak, 'leaking' your own project, and taking advantage.

Well.. you know where I'm going with this - you might, sorta know.

What if, you're say Beyoncé Knowles, or maybe, like, Scott Mescudi and you need none of this.

Jay posing at a MCHG launch event -
hosted by Samsung GALAXY

Yes we all heard and saw what Queen B did in December, she dropped an album out of nothing, zilch, no promo, hype, dropped out of thin air.

She's married to Hov, she's the queen of music right now, her and Jay are at the top of the game - maybe she just did it cos she's B?

Maybe it takes a hell of a lot balls if you're Kid Cudi, someone who is under a bit of pressure to revert back to what the public wants - and not what his cud fam want.

His 2013 'Indicud' was different..the release process was long, drawn-out, pulled this way and that, rather painful. The listen divided opinions.

This time he's cut it all, Mescudi broadcast on his Twitter feed at 7pm (PST, US time), 23rd Feb, a pic of two tickets advertising an upcoming trip from Copernicus Landing.

This is itself isn't all that uncommon, most would've expected a release date, maybe the tracklist - Cudi had thrown out the album art a few days prior, bar that there was no info.

The artwork is a winner

He tossed the biggest curve ball in the game and upped a link to iTunes and his new project; 'Satellite Fright: The Journey To Mother Moon'.

As I speak - type - Cudi is constantly retweeting praise from elated, jubilant fans, who haven't had to stick themselves through disappointing hold-back dates and recurring bad news.

Instead their 23rd Febraury may feel more 25th December as they continuously hit replay and get their fourth instalment of Cudi taking them into the atmosphere, with the space synthetics in his unique Cudi-style flow.

Positive sounds thus far, what Cudi has done is different - outside of Beyoncé - in the rap game.  You can't say there's no hype.  I wouldn't be sitting here writing this otherwise.

And when's the best time for hype articles?

When the music meets the public.



*Peep the link to 'Hollywood Life's' early review of Cudi's work*

http://hollywoodlife.com/2014/02/25/kid-cudi-satellite-flight-review-fourth-album-best/

Nearly tHere; countdown to OXYMORON is almost up..

On the night the world is getting its first listen to ScHoolboy Q's major debut, I'm sat here, waiting on OXYMORON, alone in a dark room - taking in his last effort 'Habits & Contradictions' one last time before one of the most anticipated drops in a minute.

'Habits & Contradictions' hit iTunes in
 Jan 2012 and has sold 3.9k copies first week

Even after the opening few records, the two years or so since Q - real name Quincy Hanley - has most definitely rounded him musically.

Whilst in his promo that led up to his real breakthrough piece, H&C, the Cali spitter admitted it provided a good insight into his life pre-music, positives and negatives.

That's definitely relevant, you only have to notice the jump from the opening jam 'Sacrilegious' to '2 Raw', the former, Q revealed, were the worst kind of people in the world.

One thing that always stuck from memory was Q's lack of sticking himself in one box, the piece could go from his typically smooth, lingering rhymes over synthetic beats to an up-temp 'Druggys Wit Hoes Again' - an ode to his real debut, 'Setback'.

Apparently, according to 'niggaHs.already.know.davers.flow', listeners already know Q and what he's all

Oxymoron's art features Q's daughter; Joy. Whilst
deluxe is far more dark.

about. They most definitely want to know more.  They are hanging on the anticipation of learning about his family life, his daughter - in true Hailie, Alaina and Whitney style.

There was never a sense of lack of belief, or lack of any care that he wasn't an instantly branded rapper.  Q was not afraid to play the horror genre in 'Nightmare on Figg Street' while 'Raymond 1969' ain't for the faint hearted.

He never let his attachment to TDE distort the direction of H&C, and one can hope the same lays within Oxymoron.

He never kept the fellow upandcoming of his independent piece, A$AP Rocky and Dom Kennedy both laid into memorable inputs.

Oxy will contain joints with Tyler, 2 Chainz and BJ The Chicago Kid.  Sure, it may change the sound up, but Jay Rock and Kendrick Lamar are never far away.

K. Dot is certainly someone Q hopes he won't be far away from, in terms of his own major debut - we're talking in ability and critical response.

The whole attention has been taken away for the West Coast king, even after a year out of the release game during 2013 following GKMC, Top Dawg Entertainment are as close to a real fam as a Hip-Hop label get.

TDE's together with two 2013 newcomers, SZA, who will appear on Oxymoron &
 Isaiah Rashad, who will join Q on his northern-American and European tour.

Yeah, we found out on Twitter from Anthony Tiffith that TDE are due six albums in 2014, I don't recall anything since, Kendrick, Rock and Soulo all threw Oxymoron's distinctive album art up as their Twitter pics - just as they all did for K Dot in Oct 2012.

Have the singles been at the necessary standard for a successful gold album? Is that really what Q is looking forward? We are yet to know.

'Yay Yay' and Kendrick aided 'Collard Greens' were the opening singles, not related to any upcoming albums, dropped on a whim, they blew up in the and had everyone talking, if anything over the final half of 2013, with the disappointing pushbacks and lack of any concrete details - hype slowly dissolved.

Since then 'Man Of The Year' has achieved his highest chart position thus far and on 'Break The Bank' - the albums final pre-release single - he tells Compton label mate Lamar to watch the throne he's aiming for.

Perhaps that is an inclination into his aims?

Suga Free, Kurupt and most notably Raekwon's input on the album have fans and critics alike whetting their lips at potential outcomes.  The blend of veteran experience mixing with someone trying to push boundaries for the first time can be special; reference to MC Eiht on mAAd City.

Q did a lot for Kendrick's recent album-titled gold record, his branded 'Yak Yak' filled up clubs worldwide, while the infamous handwriting on the cover was also ode to Q, a return influence on Collard Greens amongst others could influence success.

Tweet from the top of Top Dawg
announcing their 2014 takeover

Mac Miller knows how Q made a 'better album than Kendrick', this is ScHoolboy's first effort on rap mogul Interscope, to follow such an acclaimed piece as GKMC is unenviable. He may've insisted to Complex Mag "Kendrick left me with no choice but to drop a classic" - but that's all talk, we know that.

Does he believe it can match-up? Following the free 'listen party' tonight the leak will find it's way to the WWW and fly around the globe.

What will the hype be? His previous work has provided no real clue.


We can only Hope tHat Hanley continues the renaissance of tHe game and pusHes TDE closer to tHe top as tHe curtain-raiser for tHeir crowning year..

Though Q will want to be remembered as the main act.