Alicia Keys performed a special concert in New York City last night, where she was joined by special guests Jay Z, Nas, and John Mayer.

The multi-Grammy award winning singer was joined by fellow NYC native Jay Z to &nbsp;perform &quot;Empire State of Mind,&quot; on stage in the center of Times Square.&nbsp;<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://twitter.com/TimesSquareNYC/status/785303693709209600&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1476218870524000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEfdiQEtSDuwcWmlgK37N6ANh2bHw" href="https://twitter.com/TimesSquareNYC/status/785303693709209600" target="_blank">You can watch a video of the performance here.</a>&nbsp;She was also joined by friends Nas and John Mayer, who performed a partial cover of Keys&#39; &quot;If I Ain&#39;t Got You.&quot;

Keys also took a moment to express her dissatisfaction with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.&nbsp;&ldquo;[This man] whose name rhymes with &ldquo;Scum&rdquo; has the nerve to talk about grabbing pussy?,&quot; Keys said, &quot;...You know what I say to that?&quot; She then raised her middle finger to the sky and encouraged the crowd to do the same. Trump has recently come under fire for a leaked video in which he reportedly brags about sexually assaulting and harassing women.<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.instagram.com/p/BLXflWKATrk/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1476218870524000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEVn9r_vYjq9lIE17WO4fHASItCSw" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLXflWKATrk/" target="_blank">&nbsp;You can watch video of Keys&#39; commentary here.</a>

The concert is part of Keyes&#39; promotional efforts for her new album,&nbsp;Here.&nbsp;Here&nbsp;was produced by Bronx rapper and Keys&#39; husband, Swizz Beatz, who earlier this year produced a track for Kendrick Lamar as well. The first single off of&nbsp;Here, &quot;In Common,&quot; will be released on&nbsp;November 4th. Her previous album,&nbsp;Girl on Fire, was released in 2012 and earned Keys her fifteenth Grammy award win.

By Michael Lacerna for RAPstation.com

Alicia Keys performed a special concert in New York City last night, where she was joined by special guests Jay Z, Nas, and John Mayer.

The multi-Grammy award winning singer was joined by fellow NYC native Jay Z to &nbsp;perform &quot;Empire State of Mind,&quot; on stage in the center of Times Sq...

Alicia Keys and Jay Z perform "Empire State of Mind" live in Times Square

Lido is a Norwegian rapper, producer, and songwriter, and his much-awaited debut album is finally here.

Gaining prominence for his work with Chance the Rapper and Towkio,&nbsp;Everything&nbsp;features eleven tracks, ranging from impressive instrumentals and vocal tracks, all of which devoid of feature artists which showcases Lido&#39;s standalone artistry.

Unconventional, unafraid, and unpredictable&mdash;words that modestly signify Lido&#39;s latest album; Add those three to his already familiar sense of relentless ambition, and the result is this fresh-from-the-lab magnum opus.

Take the song, &ldquo;Citi Bike&rdquo;, for instance, which consists of numerous vocal cuts and clips, all woven so intricately together in ways no other artist would even dare attempt. &ldquo;Murder&rdquo; takes this concept even further, as Lido makes due with ear-shattering synth chords and high-pitch vocal samples and somehow bends them into something both unheard of and unbelievably contagious.

While the instrumentals prove forces to be reckoned with, Lido&#39;s vocal contributions introduce his knack for introspect lyrics and heartfelt messages: &ldquo;Described by Lido himself as something of a concept album detailing the fallout of a nasty breakup, the album is full of emotional turmoil.&rdquo; These elements can be found especially in the track, &ldquo;You Lost Your Keys&rdquo;.

In essence, the album proves a formidable debut from an artist already well-versed in various facets of Hip-hop. If you liked his previous work, don&#39;t miss out on&nbsp;Everything.

By Jods Arboleda for RAPStation.com

Lido is a Norwegian rapper, producer, and songwriter, and his much-awaited debut album is finally here.

Gaining prominence for his work with Chance the Rapper and Towkio,&nbsp;Everything&nbsp;features eleven tracks, ranging from impressive instrumentals and vocal tracks, all of which devoid of fe...

Lido Finally Debuts with “Everything” 

After three years of silence, Gospel-versed Hip-hop artist Sho Baraka is ready to release his latest project, and Humble Beast couldn&#39;t be any happier.

The Los Angeles-based artist is the indie labels newest member, and after a season of inconsistent lineups, Humble Beast is eager to announce their latest recruit&#39;s debut with&nbsp;The Narrative. The album is scheduled for release on&nbsp;October 21.

The album features guest artists Lecrae as well as fellow Humble Beast artist Jackie Hill, and has also addressed inclusion of a certain Kanye West tribute. While Sho aims to narrate the struggles of Black America, the label provides a more detailed insight pertaining to the forthcoming album:

&ldquo;The theologian rapper confronts controversial topics in&nbsp;The Narrative&nbsp;including social consciousness, issues of everyday life, and the struggles we all face as human,&rdquo; written in the album statement.

&ldquo;He also shows a softer side, opening up about the journey of being a father and the challenges that come with raising children... No matter what the issue at hand, it is all saturated in a Gospel worldview, which informs how Sho wrestles through each train of thought.&rdquo;

Aside from the much-awaited album, Sho will also be joining Propaganda, as they lead the charge to raise social awareness on their Spotlight Tour, which makes it first stop in San Diego,&nbsp;October 21, coinciding with Sho&#39;s Humble Beast debut.

The Narrative&nbsp;is currently open for pre-order via iTunes.

<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-narrative/id1160946247&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1476206797750000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHhCuF9toEOnfRFJAZLIip4NkwKFg" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-narrative/id1160946247" target="_blank">https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-narrative/id1160946247</a>

By Jods Arboleda for RAPStation.com

After three years of silence, Gospel-versed Hip-hop artist Sho Baraka is ready to release his latest project, and Humble Beast couldn&#39;t be any happier.

The Los Angeles-based artist is the indie labels newest member, and after a season of inconsistent lineups, Humble Beast is eager to announce...

Sho Baraka Unveils Humble Beast Debut Album, “The Narrative”

Wiz Khalifa&#39;s Taylor Gang has officially signed under a new banner.

Gaining prominence as one of the industry&#39;s strongest independent labels, following five years of showcasing talents such as Juicy J, Chevy Woods, Ty Dolla $ign, as well the company&#39;s founder, Wiz Khalifa, Taylor Gang is now currently operating under Atlantic Records, and several of its artists are already predicting a &ldquo;stronger run&rdquo; under the new insignia.

&ldquo;Very excited about the deal with the gang,&rdquo; exclaimed Wiz, &ldquo;These guys are my family and friends first. Now we&#39;re gonna take this s&mdash;t to the next level.&rdquo;

On a similar note, Taylor Gang co-founder Will Dzombak shared similar insight regarding the new deal: &ldquo;We are very pleased to expand our business with our partners at Atlantic Records/Warner Music. This is a great step forward for Taylor Gang as we get ready to move into the new year and focus on growth. We are all very excited.&rdquo;

Enthusiasm was also relayed from the opposite party as Atlantic Chairman Julie Greenwald expressed, &ldquo;Wiz is an amazingly talented artist, songwriter and entrepreneur. We&#39;ve been so proud to have him as an Atlantic recording artist for the past six years, during which he also built Taylor Gang into a powerhouse hip-hop brand with a phenomenal fan following... We are thrilled to be partnering with Wiz and Taylor Gang to take this crew to the next level, and welcome them to the Atlantic family.&rdquo;

Members of the gang solidified their excitement with the announcement of their forthcoming collaborative project,&nbsp;TGOD Volume 1.&nbsp;Boss Wiz only relayed with &ldquo;coming soon&rdquo;.

By Jods Arboleda for RAPStation.com&nbsp;

Wiz Khalifa&#39;s Taylor Gang has officially signed under a new banner.

Gaining prominence as one of the industry&#39;s strongest independent labels, following five years of showcasing talents such as Juicy J, Chevy Woods, Ty Dolla $ign, as well the company&#39;s founder, Wiz Khalifa, Taylor Gang...

Atlantic Records Welcomes Taylor Gang, Who Also Announce New Project

Hip-hop meets surreal art with Klaus Layer&#39;s latest instrumental collective,&nbsp;Society Collapse.&nbsp;Released October 7th, Germany&#39;s most enigmatic beatsmith delivers his latest &ldquo;genre-defying&rdquo; magnum opus since 2013&mdash;and all I can say is its definitely surreal.

&ldquo;In a society where unsettling truths about responsibility are given little thought, and short-sighted impulses have become commonplace, it&#39;s east to become disillusioned,&rdquo; wrote Layer in his artist statement pertaining to the new album, &ldquo;This record is a musical manifesto for reclaiming that awareness, personal choice, and inspiration for progression.&rdquo;

Whilst most of modern music sends us parading on the path of parties and luxury, just as retrospect Hip-hop infuses righteous anger into our very bones and sinews, Layer&#39;s brand of beats and sounds had me in a&nbsp;surreal,&nbsp;tranquil state of contemplating.

And being an instrumental album, I settled with a simple equation: Headphones in, album on shuffle and repeat, while I go about on my ordinary work flow. And the results were this: Not only was I enthralled to self-reflective life evaluations, I was &ldquo;lifted&rdquo; into indeed, a&nbsp;surreal&nbsp;world, where my thoughts wandered freely, and the world around suddenly became a little more interesting.

It&#39;s also as if Layer had the precise palette befitting an ordinary person&#39;s &ldquo;a day in the life&rdquo;. Songs like &ldquo;Reason&rdquo; and &ldquo;Rundfunk&rdquo; became the soundtrack to the latest movie wherein I was the main character as I consciously walked through the busy streets of Soho. &ldquo;Supermarket&rdquo; and &ldquo;Francesco&rdquo; were perfect tunes to my usual study sessions as I nestled cozily by the fire in my favorite cafe.

Heck, even Halloween seemed a lot more closer with the eerie sounds of &ldquo;Witch Dance&rdquo;, and for those itching for a touch of conventional Hip-hop, I suggest hitting next until &ldquo;Sleepy Hollow People&rdquo; which features a version with K.A.A.N., dishing out some flavorful verses. As the day ended and I found myself on the train, &ldquo;What a Day&rdquo; had me locked in serene contemplation, both looking back at the day&#39;s worth, and actually looking forward to&nbsp;tomorrow&#39;s&nbsp;mysteries.

This may very well be the official soundtrack to my forthcoming life documentary&mdash;and if that were an actual thing, I wouldn&#39;t think twice about choosing this album.

In essence of the album&#39;s review, I found that Klaus Layer isn&#39;t just a musician. Like his previous music, which transcends the boundaries of genre itself,&nbsp;Society Collapse&nbsp;indeed collapses the walls of mere music, and lifts us into a realm where both audio and visual weaves perfectly to life itself. If you ask me, the man&#39;s a visionary&mdash;and quite frankly, we may need just&nbsp;a little more surreal&nbsp;in our lives.

The album is currently open for streaming via Soundcloud and Spotify, and purchase on iTunes , as well as the Vinyl and Tape option, which can be accessed through the link below.

<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.redefinitionrecords.com/collections/klaus-layer-society-collapse/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1476073732390000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGkTRLhwkcJNOlpfvsaDpyCKnp_Zw" href="https://www.redefinitionrecords.com/collections/klaus-layer-society-collapse/" target="_blank">https://www.redefinitionrecords.com/collections/klaus-layer-society-collapse/</a>

By Jods Arboleda for RAPStation.com

Hip-hop meets surreal art with Klaus Layer&#39;s latest instrumental collective,&nbsp;Society Collapse.&nbsp;Released October 7th, Germany&#39;s most enigmatic beatsmith delivers his latest &ldquo;genre-defying&rdquo; magnum opus since 2013&mdash;and all I can say is its definitely surreal.

&ldqu...

RapStation Exclusive Review: Klaus Layer's “Society Collapse”

Today in Hip-hop, we celebrate the birth of one of industry&#39;s greatest artists of all time, CL Smooth.

Born Corey Brent Penn in New York, CL Smooth gained recognition as a rapper, best known for being one half of the duo, Pete Rock &amp; CL Smooth. Although the pair eventually split in 1995, Smooth&#39;s musicality led him to producing, and went on to produce for numerous prominent artist, as well as release a collection of solos and instrumental albums as well. To this day, CL Smooth is recognized as one of the industry&#39;s most prominent producers.

Despite being a critically-acclaimed producer, Smooth would also indicate his virtuosic side through declining several offers to appear on other artists&#39; albums. The producer, on the other hand, made exceptions with DJ Krush&#39;s&nbsp;Only The Strong Survive,&nbsp;as well as contributing guest vocals to AZ&#39;s single, &ldquo;Magic Hour&rdquo;, Nujabes&#39; &ldquo;Sky is Falling&rdquo;, Supahfuh&#39;s &ldquo;Act of Faith&rdquo;.

In 2006, Smooth released his much-awaited debut album,&nbsp;American Me, which envisioned the rapper&#39;s comeback after an excruciatingly-long hiatus. The album signified Smooth&#39;s skills as a solo artist, and although it lacked Pete Rock&#39;s iconic &ldquo;jazzy&rdquo; touch, Smooth&#39;s hard-hitting hooks and impressive production techniques catered greatly to his first solo entry, and solidified his rank as a soloist.

After releasing his second album, as well as numerous singles and collaborations, Hip-hop came to see the return of Pete Rock &amp; CL Smooth as the two led the charge for the &ldquo;Clean Energy Tour&rdquo; in California, which signified the duo&#39;s iconic reunion.

By Jods Arboleda for RAPStation.com

Today in Hip-hop, we celebrate the birth of one of industry&#39;s greatest artists of all time, CL Smooth.

Born Corey Brent Penn in New York, CL Smooth gained recognition as a rapper, best known for being one half of the duo, Pete Rock &amp; CL Smooth. Although the pair eventually split in 1995,...

Alicia Keys and Jay Z perform "Empire State of Mind" live in Times Square

Lido Finally Debuts with “Everything”

Sho Baraka Unveils Humble Beast Debut Album, “The Narrative”

Atlantic Records Welcomes Taylor Gang, Who Also Announce New Project

RapStation Exclusive Review: Klaus Layer's “Society Collapse”

Happy Birthday, CL Smooth!

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