Paras Griffin
This week's new music includes Cam'ron, Gucci Mane, a deluxe version of Young Thug's latest, and more.

It's been an emotional roller coaster in hip-hop this week. Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Popa Wu passed away. The cause of the 63-year-old's death has not been revealed. Tekashi 6ix9ine was sentenced to two years in a federal prison; meanwhile, NBA Youngboy avoided jail time after pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges; and someone leaked an A$AP Rocky sex tape, which spurred Twitter-heads to toast the Harlem native's stroke game.

But on the music side of things, music lovers are blessed today (Dec. 20) with albums from veteran MCs Cam'ron, Gucci Mane, Too Short, and the late Sean Price. Millennial artists Young Thug,  SOB X RBE, and NLE Choppa released projects, as well as Doe Boy, and others.

Cam'ron – Purple Haze 2
Children raised in the early 2000s are really excited today: Dipset's general Cam'ron released a personal narrative in the form of Purple Haze 2. The 16-song album serves as the follow-up to 2004's Purple Haze. Led by the single "Believe in Flee," PH2 features Jim Jones, Max B, Wale, Mimi, Shooter and Disco Black. On PH2, and Killa shares untold stories about the Notorious B.I.G., Suge Knight, Wu-Tang Clan, and others. Apple Music|TIDAL

Gucci Mane – East Atlanta Santa 3
One of the hardest working men in the hip-hop, Gucci Mane returns with the third installment of East Atlanta Santa. This week, Guwop got the ball rolling with catchy “Jingle Bales.” EAS 3 comes after the June release of Delusions Of Grandeur, and Woptober II, which dropped in October. Previous Gucci's Christmas efforts The Return of East Atlanta Santa was released in 2016. In 2014, East Atlanta Santa mixtape was released on Christmas Day. Apple Music|TIDAL

SOB X RBE – Strictly Only Brothers
Bay Area rap outfit SOB X RBE fell through with the brand new Strictly Only Brothers, the follow-up to this year's Family Not a Group, a collaborative effort with producer Hit-Boy. SOB caps out at 15 tracks, including the single “Legend” and their latest freebies, “Ain’t Got Time,” and "Sensei." Strictly Only Brothers is the first full-length album featuring their updated lineup. SOB X RBE revealed that Lul G was no longer part of the group. He was later arrested for murderApple Music|TIDAL

NLE Choppa--Cottonwood
At the top of the year, newcomer NLE Choppa created a nice situation for himself with his flaming single, "Shotta Flow." This sparked a bidding war between labels, and the Memphis native settled with Warner Records. To celebrate the reportedly $3 million deal, today (Dec. 20), the 17-year-old released his brand new EP, Cottonwood, named after the Memphis block that bred him. Cottonwood consists of nine songs and features the Blueface, who appears on the "Shotta Flow (remix)." It's also rumored that Choppa's proper debut is slated for a late January 2020 release. Apple Music|TIDAL

Doe Boy-Streetz Need Me 2
Freebandz artist Doe Boy released his album Streetz Need Me 2, a sequel to 2016’s Streetz Need Me mixtape. The 15-track effort, executive produced by Future, features collaborations with Future, Young Thug, YG, Lil Durk, Gunna, Key Glock, NoCap and comedian Mike Epps. For production duties, the Cleveland-bred called on Nard & B, Da Honorable C.N.O.T.E., Yung Lan, Pi’erre Bourne, and others.  Apple Music|TIDAL

Too Short-The Vault
Bay Area veteran Too $hort released a brand new album titled The Vault, a follow-up to The Pimp Tape, which was released in November 2018. Short's 21st studio LP comes with a brief of eleven songs, and features the late Pimp C, comedian Mike Epps, Mistah F.A.B. and Dangerous Crew members Shorty B and PeeWee are among the guests featured on the album. Apple Music|TIDAL

Sean Price & Lil Fame-Price of Fame
Only God knows the heat the late Sean P is sitting on. Today (Dec.20), he and M.O.P.'s Lil Fame via Duck Down Music released Price of Fame, the rapper's second posthumous release. The 11-song project is produced by Fizzy Womack and features Rockness Monsta (of Heltah Skeltah), Smif-N-Wessun, Conway the Machine, M.O.P., Guilty Simpson, and others. Apple Music|TIDAL

Young Thug – So Much Fun
Young Thug is back with the deluxe version of his latest album, So Much Fun. The original release marked the Atlanta rapper’s first No. 1 on the Billboard 200. This deluxe package includes new features with Travis Scott, and Gunna, plus all three artists together on the popular remix of “Hot.” The extensive 24-song opus includes appearances by Lil Baby, Juice WRLD, Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, Quavo, Future and J. Cole. Wheezy, Pi’erre Bourne, T-Minus, and others handled instrumental duties. Apple Music|TIDAL

Curren$y-Back at Burnie's
Curren$y returns with his 9th project of the year with Back at Burnie's, from his Weekend at Burnie's mixtape series. Back at Burnie's hosts features from Young Dolph, Fendi P, T.Y., Jean Lephare, Juicy J, and Rick Ross. Apple Music|TIDAL

J. Period – Best of J. Period
Hip-hop DJ and curator J. Period spent years making narrative-based mixtapes with the likes of Nas, Black Thought and Ms. Lauryn Hill, and now he's returned to remind listeners of his best work. His new EP has exclusive tracks and unreleased remixes with the likes of Common, Black Thought, Rakim, De La Soul, Talib Kweli, Buju Banton and General Steele. Apple Music | TIDAL

Lil Durk and Only The Family – Family Over Everything

After releasing the solo project Love Songs 4 The Streets earlier this year, Lil Durk has returned with his Only The Family Crew – King Von, Booka600, and Memo600 – for a group project, Family Over Everything. Other guests include Polo G, G Herbo, NLE Choppa and Lil TJay. Apple Music | TIDAL

Ro James – "Last Time"

Killy – "Vendetta"

Innanet James – "Hunnids"

"Where or how do you find your joy?"

Nick Cave has celebrated the 300th entry of his Red Hand Files blog by asking his fans a question of their own.

In the 299th entry, a fan, Simon, suggested that Cave mark the 300th File by asking the blog’s fans a question, as opposed to the usual format of a fan asking him a question.

Simon said, “I realise this could be a bit of an everyone-answering-at-once shit-show kinda thing, but this Q&A relationship has worked out more than fine thus far, and I think we’re grown up enough to deal with it sensibly.

“This is a one-time deal – one shot, one question. After this, we’ll be back asking the questions again forevermore.”

Cave replied by thanking Simon for his “encouraging words” and calling his idea “excellent” – he then posted a question, and said he’d print his favourite answer in the 300th issue.

The question is as follows: “I have a full life. A privileged life. An unendangered life. But sometimes the simple joys escape me. Joy is not always a feeling that is freely bestowed upon us, often it is something we must actively seek. In a way, joy is a decision, an action, even a practised method of being. It is an earned thing brought into focus by what we have lost – at least, it can seem that way. My question is, where or how do you find your joy?”

He finished off, “I very much look forward to your answers. It may take me a little while to read them all as I am about to begin tour rehearsals with The Bad Seeds – now, there is an unadulterated, full-blown joy right there! See you in a few weeks!

Meanwhile, Cave’s Bad Seeds bandmate Warren Ellis spoke to NME earlier this month, and touched on Cave’s personal struggles – two of Cave’s sons, Arthur and Jethro, have died in the last seven years. He said, discussing Cave’s recent work, “Clearly, Nick has a very personal slant on these records – particularly the last few. They have been very different to anything he’s ever done. He’s lost two of his kids; that’s something I could never understand. I’ve been around him when it’s happening and made the records with him, but I’ve never had something like that happen to me.

“All that I could do was go in and work with him on the records. You wade in and do what you can, and try to do the right thing by the person. The best that you can do is to be there. It’s been a real privilege to have been involved in those records and to be with Nick.”

 

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds released their most recent album, ‘Wild God’ in August. In a four-star review, NME said, “Once the godfather of goth, now a freewheelin’ preacher of joy, Cave elevates above the grief on this colourful 18th album,” adding, “Bad Seeds records are infamously loaded with gothic doom and gloom. Of course, this ain’t a poptastic LOLfest, and still coloured with the many shades of a life so challenging and weathered. But never has Cave been so freewheelin’ than on the giddy ‘Frogs’, “Jumping for love and the opening sky above” as “Kris Kristofferson walks by kicking a can in a shirt he hasn’t washed for years“. With a lust for life, the once-dark prince is letting the light in.”

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