Left To Right: J. Cole, 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Lupe Fiasco, Game
Each day Complex scours the music blogs for 5 fresh songs that you should listen to in our 5 O’Clock Shuffle post. Instead of going crazy trying to keep up with your RSS feeds everyday, just head over to Complex.com to stay up-to-date on important leaks and releases.
Today was a big day for new music on the blogs. J. Cole and Lupe dropped dope Internet-only songs. 50’s album leaked. Then Game and Alicia Keys came through with official singles. We know you’re not trying to read anything else, so hit the jump to start listening…
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For a label that has, in its brief existence, launched the careers of some of the most exciting new artists in the music game (including Kid Cudi, The Cool Kids and Kid Sister), Fool’s Gold doesn’t seem to be a very appropriate name—you hear the term and you automatically think of a fake version of something valuable (that, or a horrible Matthew McConaughey movie). But in an industry that’s always hungry for the next big thing, the label founded by perpetual tastemakers DJ A-Trak and Nick Catchdubs is as real as it gets.
Looking to continue on with their Midas touch, the Fool’s Gold crew has teamed up with one of the hottest rappers coming out of ATL, Donnis, to release a proper single for “Gone,” a standout track from his recent mixtape Diary of an Atlanta Brave. We linked up with all three dudes to see how the deal came about, why they choose the song and why Fool’s Gold doesn’t mind finding new talent. Read the interviews below…
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Before Outkast accepted the award for Best New Rap Group amidst a sea of boo’s at the ‘95 Source Awards, no one really knew what rap music from Atlanta was supposed to sound like. Fourteen years later, and a quick listen to the radio might convince you that the only things going down in the “A” are choreographed dances and drug dealing. Twenty two year old, Jonesboro, GA native Ladonnis “Donnis” Crump wants to help change all that. Or, at least, help bring the climate back to ‘95 when you could pretty much rap about whatever you wanted as long as the music was good and the lyrics were dope.
With his 10 Deep sponsored mixtape “Diary of an Atlanta Brave” causing a major buzz in the industry, Donnis came by the Complex office to talk about why he loves New York City, how he managed to snag J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League production for free and why he didn’t sign with DJ A-Trak back in ‘07. And with New York currently in a frenzy over Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 and his Sept 11th concert at Madison Square Garden, Donnis hit us with an exclusive freestyle over Hova’s “Run This Town”. Read on to listen to the freestyle and read the full interview below…
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Each day Complex scours the music blogs for 5 fresh songs that you should listen to in our 5 O’Clock Shuffle post. Instead of going crazy trying to keep up with your RSS feeds everyday, just head over to Complex.com to stay up-to-date on important leaks and releases.
Today we have some vintage G-Funk, instrumentals from the next indie star, and a few other bangers. Listen to today’s selections and download the MP3s below…
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ARTIST: Donnis
ALBUM: Diary of an Atlanta Brave
SOUNDS LIKE: Dungeon Family x T.I. x B.O.B.
FUN FACT: Although born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Donnis didn’t start officially rapping until he was stationed in Japan while on duty with the Army.
WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING IT: Because when you see a mixtape from a relatively unknown rapper with original production by big name producers, it usually means either of two things. 1. The no-name rapper was just signed to the producer’s label or management team, or 2. The producers thought the rapper was sick enough to get a couple beats gratis. We’re not positive, but we’re sure Atlanta native Donnis falls into the latter category. Either way, once we saw a video of him in the studio with Just Blaze and then peeped that his 10 Deep sponsored debut mixtape, Diary of an Atlanta Brave featured production from J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and Needles, we had to see what everyone saw in this dude. And after listening to the eclectic, but steadfastly southern 12 track offering, we can clearly see why everyone wants to work with him…
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL REVIEW & LISTEN TO TRACKS
