VIDEO: Kendrick Lamar ft. Rihanna - LOYALTY.

Despite the fact The Niftian awarded DAMN. with our highest praise of 5 Tapes, I personally am not the biggest proponent for Kung Fu Kenny's latest project (stay tuned for the BITM Podcast Ep. 4 for more on that).  Nonetheless, the videos Kendrick Lamar continues to crank out are some of the most creative visuals of his career.

Again, K. DOT links up with Dave Meyers, one of the most prolific music video directors in history, to bring us the video for "LOYALTY." ft. Rihanna.  For the uninitiated, Dave Meyers is responsible for such classic videos as Missy Elliott's "Work It," and "Get Ur Freak On," Outkast's "B.O.B.," and "So Fresh So Clean,"  Jay-Z's "I Just Wanna Love U," and even Kendrick Lamar's own "HUMBLE." video from earlier this year.  Kenny has been enjoying an enormous amount of success as of late as his album DAMN. was just awarded with a double platinum plaque, and it's a safe bet that the amazing visuals from "LOYALTY." will help further those numbers.  Peep the video below and stay tuned to BITM for all things Hip hop.

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VIDEO: Vic Mensa - Rage

Chi Town emcee Vic Mensa is getting set to drop his first LP, The Autobiography, on July 28th. Since his solo mixtape in 2013, Innanetape, Vic has been on a meteoric rise. That same year he joined Cole and Wale on the What Dreams May Come Tour. The next year he made the XXL Freshman Class. Meh, but an accomplishment nonetheless. After a few Kanye collabs, he signed to Roc Nation in 2015. A couple of EPs later, he is now set to make his Roc Nation studio album debut.

Last month Vic dropped the 4 track EP, The Manuscript. It was meant to serve as an appetizer to The Autobiography. The first EP track, "Rage", will also appear on his LP as a bonus track. "Rage" is a beautifully polished track with great harmony and a strong message. Vic says that "'Rage' is an epic about my life and my perspectives on my position in the world. And overcoming gravity. Just fighting against gravity and trying to continuously rise upward. And it’s a message I want to give to people because kids commit suicide because they get torn down by the things that seem impossible to overcome, and I’ve felt like that a million times. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve felt like ending it all. But ‘Rage’ is that light through the darkness." The track (especially the chorus) borrows themes from Dylan Thomas' poem, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night. Both poets analyze death and pain, but both works also champion fighting against the hardships of life.

The video shows literal manifestations of this theme. Vic is flying in a private jet that is crashing into the ocean. The strongest visuals come as Vic raps in the plane that is tearing apart around him and as he plunges into the ocean. The song is also littered with strong metaphors and poignant visuals. But Vic does a great job with the video and keeps it focused on one a strong theme.

And some bonus knowledge for yall. The Autobiography release date of July 28th is also the same date as Peru's independence day. I'm sure yall already knew that. So, enjoy the day with Mensa and big ol plate of lomo saltado and a cold Cusqueña.

Peep the cinematic video below.

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SINGLES: Joey Bada$$ - 500 Benz, Too Lit, and Love Is Only A Feeling

Happy Independence Day from the BITM family. Hope yall had a fun and safe holiday. But if you just stayed home and passed out as the fireworks started going off (like me), then we got some left over pyrotechnics for you that dropped yesterday, July 5th.

Joey Bada$$ is still riding high off of his critically acclaimed studio album All-Amerikkkan Bada$$. Not only did we give the album an amazing review, but the Badmon made it into another podcast discussion. And yesterday, out of nowhere, the Pro Era capo posted on social media that he was dropping 3 tracks. All three tracks are produced by Statik Selektah. That combo alone should make you run down the tracks below. If not, do it anyways. The pairing of Statik and Joey is easily becoming one of my new favorite emcee/producer duos.

Peep all three singles below.

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