araabMUZIK Promo Visuals

Musical talent has so many different avenues that what can be considered talent by most is nothing more than a party trick for others. I'm hoping that no one will think the latter after watching araabMUZIK's promotional videos. The man has been producing beats for Cam'ron, Dip Set and the rest of their affiliates for the past few years, so he's no stranger to a little bit of fame. At the same time, I've yet to see a man use a synthesizer as masterfully as he does. Whereas most people think in words or numbers, it's almost as if araabMUZIK thinks in music. Take a look at how much of a blur his hands are over the boards. I really hope araabMUZIK gets a chance to showcase his talents on a wider scale with more artists, but with performances like these, it's hard to see him being a secret for much longer...

J. Cole - Blow Up (Produced by J. Cole)

J. Cole - Blow Up (Produced by J. Cole)

Can we toss out the 'musical prodigy' title for J. Cole yet? I think it's due time for Cole to get his props as both an MC (we already knew that) AND as a producer. Most heads don't know that most of 'The Warm Up' was produced by Jermaine, or that all of his recent leaks (with the exception of one which slips my mind) were as well. Cole tends to pick hard bass lines with not a lot in the snare department. He also like to include these nice recurring loops with a small melody (think the undertone of 'Who Dat'), which gives his beats a different feel from most of what's out there now. This latest loosie may or may not be (I really think Cole is just f*cking with us now) on the new album, which, apparently doesn't have a title anymore. No worries though. With rhymes like this dropping every so often, October doesn't seem that far away. Cole spits on this track about religious hypocrisy, graduating college with debt and more of his pre-Roc Nation woes. Sh*t, he sounds a lot like me. But let's not get into comparisons here. Just enjoy the track and be on the lookout for more from the Grown Simba...