Tuesday, December 18, 2012

THE TOP OF THE TOP



So Damn Damn Damn! its been a crazy year! and its been an even longer time since i gave ya'll some love on this blog, but i promise I'm back in the game, but i wanted to give you guys and dolls my opinion and suggestions for my top 5 albums of 2012. this year it is urban as hell, lol, very R&B and Hip Hop heavy, so you better love some flava!!!!!!! so lets get down to buisness.


Big Boi: Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors. This album blew my mind, and although its not flawless, its near perfect in my eyes. it flows good with the exception of two songs, but its worth ur buck, or bucks ;) it features some of my favorite artist like KID CUDI, Little Dragon, and the highly underrated  Kelly Rowland (Destiny's Child). 

HOT TRACKS FROM THIS TITLE
She Hates
CPU
Apple Of My Eye
Mama Told Me



RIHANNA: Unapologetic, NOW i am a DIE HARD marine from the rihanna navy, i think she can do no wrong, BUT les be annas! TTT (talk that talk) was a weak ass album, and though i like a buttload of songs off that album, i know when to say, man riri you need to up ur game, and i think this bitch knew and she brought it with this album. it flows from one end to the end starting off with a sick David G. track "Phresh Off The Runway" and ending with a coldplayesque bow out "Half Of Me" if you are not even a fan of Rihanna, you will find something off this album. she went less sexual and more fun on this return and I'm in love.

Hot Tracks From This Title
Phresh Off The Runway
Numb
Pour It Up
Jump
Stay
Get It Over With



Frank Ocean: Channel Orange, If I Had To Pick The Top album of the year, it would be this, channel orange has thought, and heartbreak, and i have been through it this year, i connect with it, not so much the songs about crack rock, but the songs about unrequited love lol. from the intro to the outro this album delivers, if you like soul and story telling, this songwriter is a genius.

Hot Tracks From This Title
LOST
PYRAMIDS
BAD RELIGION
SUPER RICH KIDS
CRACK ROCK


BRANDY: TWO ELEVEN, Brandy had been out of the game for a minute, but damn did she comeback with this album, its a mix of new and old "B Rocka" she worked with Mike Will Made it, Frank Ocean, and Chris Brown, on this album and it all came together perfectly in my eyes, i enjoyed this album a lot this year and i am so happy to have this woman back in my ipod.

Hot Track From This Title
So Sick
Slower
Let Me Go
Put It Down (feat. Chris Brown)
Hardly Breathing
Do You Know What You Have?
Can You Hear Me Now?


Big Sean: Detroit, This one is free people, Why? Cause its a mixtape, and a damn good one at that, this is a great work and a fun and creative collection of music. and for nothing it feels so guilty to have. out of all the hip hop records this year this stood its ground. 

Hot Tracks from this title
24k of gold
Experimental 
Guap
Sellin Dream feat. Chris Brown
RWT

So Hope You Like My Picks for 2012!!!!!!!!! lemme know! follow my ass on Facbook: bayley whitehead
and TWITTER @bayjock and Instagram: bayjock

look forward to getting ur feedback!


Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Dawn Richard Armor On!!!!!!





So I have to say, if you are a fan of smoky vocals and sick as fuck ambient beats, jump on itunes and buy "ARMOR ON" by former member of DANITY KANE, now i can't say i was skeptical of this album, because i was a huge fan of "Diddy-Dirty Money" not for Diddy, but for the "dirty" i thought they rocked every track, and the direction seemed very different for a project manned by the Big-Shot producer, now listening to "Armor On" i can safely say, i think Dawn had more sound control. the album is heart felt from Intro 2 Outro, and has several hit sandwiched in between. "Bombs" seems to be the biggest and first hit off the album, i think its a bit mainstream, but i dig it. she even has a video that i have posted at the bottom. Now i hate to compare, but i feel greatly that her vocals are very close to Brandy's and i am a huge! fan of hers, so in a way, this album is what i would want from Brandy, so its a little bit of a fix for me, while i wait for 2/11 (Brandy's upcoming album) and in the process, Dawn has proved her ground and has made me a fan. Dawn has announced that her major solo debut project will be a broken up trilogy of albums entitled "GoldenHeart, "BlackHeart", and "RedemptionHeart". "GoldenHeart", the first of the trilogy is expected to be released in 2012. On June 19, 2011 a buzz track entitled "Stuck On Mad" was released to the public. Followed by a release of a remix to Frank Ocean's Novacane. The remix which was co-written by songwriter Intyce, hit the net on June 21, 2011 and reached over 5000 downloads within a few hours. Intyce was enlisted as one of the writers for Richard's solo debut. SMFU (SAVE ME FROM U) was released on the internet 31 October and is set to be on the first album. The video was premiered on 106 & Park on January 5, 2012. This album is set to have an concept of a alter-ego named NEON. The concept has not yet been discussed. Before GoldenHeart is revealed, Dawn will release Armor On as an introduction to the concept, the fan favorite Heart Music and of course the husky alto vocals that swoon her audiences. Armor On was released on March 27, 2012. Her current single is Bombs.

NOTEWORTHY TRACKS: BOMBS, HEAVEN, FAITH & SCRIPTURE






Tuesday, April 3, 2012

BAYLEY VISIONehead

watch it

Dumb & Dumber 2




Bust out the orange and periwinkle tuxedos, folks. Peter Farrelly revealed over the weekend that filming will begin for the sequel to Dumb and Dumber’ this September, with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels set to reprise their roles as America’s favorite bone-headed duo. And just so no one confuses this follow-up with the incredibly unfunny prequel “Dumb and Dumberer,” Farrelly further clarified that “We [the Farrelly brothers] did not do ‘Dumb and Dumberer.’ That was a studio thing.”
Sean Anders and John Morris, who previously wrote ‘Hot Tub Time Machine’ and ‘Mr. Popper’s Penguins,’ are penning the script, but don’t put all of your dead parakeets in one basket just yet. According to a source close to the production, “it’s not greenlit yet.” Surely though with the social media furor that the ‘Anchorman’ sequel announcement created, this long-awaited sequel will get its day in the sun.

The Resurrection Of Brandy



Brandy is definitely in her zone. Following the release of her underrated, under-promoted 2008 album, Human, the former teen star retreated from the spotlight – a place she’s been centered since her first meeting with Atlantic Records at 15 years old. After several years of personal strife, including sagging sales of Human and severing ties with her recording label, Epic Records, the 33-year-old talent is ready to shed her skin and start anew.
“I think a lot of the struggles I’ve had are what I needed to go through to get to another place,” she says. “Everything is pretty sudden. One day I just woke up and I changed my mind about everything. I felt like I wasn’t fulfilled. I was acting simultaneously with singing as a kid, and I just felt like I have this talent, why am I not using it? Why am I not trying everything and doing everything I can do?” Snapped back to reality after a near four-year hiatus from her solo career, Brandy is back to basics with the upcoming release of her sixth album, Two Eleven, releasing in June. The LP, which features production and writing from Sean Garrett, Bangladesh, Rico Love, Frank Ocean, Drake and Noah “40” Shebib, comes on the heels of reality show stardom with her family (VH1’s Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business) and hand wave appearances at red carpets. Her public standing shrunk; her star dimmed.

But with Two Eleven, a reference to her birthday (February 11th) and the day her mentor Whitney Houston passed away, Brandy is signifying a reinvention of sorts: she’s signed with a new label, RCA Records, shifted out of her comfort zone and is embracing reality. It’s a near confrontational way to reclaim her artistry. “It’s taken a minute for me to really figure out the type of artist that I am, the type of music that I need to sing to reconnect with my audience. I just know with this album, I wanted it to be as honest and as real as possible,” she says. “Sometimes, you can get caught up in wanting to make hits and wanting to get on the radio and performing on everything that’s out there. I just wanted to stay true to who I was. That’s why it’s taken me so long to figure out the right home for me to put my music out there with. Other than that, I wanted my album to represent honesty and clarity and struggle and pain, as well as love, with a different sound and a different edge. That’s what this album is.” Her first steps back into the pop culture arena came with a handholding counterpart. Fourteen years after their chart-rocking, she-for-all “The Boy is Mine,” Brandy and Monica reunited to record the Rico Love-penned “It All Belongs to Me,” the first single from both Two Eleven and Monica’s upcoming album New Life, due in April. On the sassy back-and-forth, the two unite instead of fight, staking materialistic territory in the wake of a breakup (“That MacBook, that shit belongs to me / So log off your Facebook,” they sass on the chorus). For Brandy, the intention was to release a solo single, but opportunity was too sweet to dismiss.
I was so focused on my project and what I needed to do to get my music back out there, but when an idea like this comes along, this is more than just a song; it’s an event. It’s the reunion of two artists that made history together. It’s bigger than the song itself,” she says. “Of course I wanted to come out first on my own so I can stand on my own two feet, but who knew that this Monica thing would come along? I couldn’t say no to that. That would be stupid.” The duet was more a matter of circumstance than opportunism. When Brandy and Monica paired in 1998, it was during their tempestuous teens, right when their careers were hitting full stride. The song became the best-selling track of that year, and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group. But industry politics turned them on one another. Only once did they grace the same stage to perform the back-and-forth cut: at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards. It took years of maturity to look past their petty squabble, which was admittedly without a basis, for the girls to woman up. After Brandy left Epic Records in 2009 and resigned with RCA Records in August 2011, she found herself at the same label home as her former foe. The imprint asked her if she would consider doing a collaborative cut with Monica, and after reconnecting with the Atlanta songstress, the wheels started spinning.
“The first time, we didn’t know each other. We just went to the studio and recorded the song. There was no chemistry there, really, because we didn’t really have any time to sing with each other,” says Brandy, who has since filmed a video for the song with Monica and performed the track live several times. The two are in talks to do a summer tour together, though nothing is set in stone. “We would be dumb if we didn’t do a tour. Something has to happen in order for that not to happen, something where you’d have to be like, ‘Oh, they called me to be in Avatar 3. Sorry Monica, I gotta do that movie!’ That would be the only thing that would stop me.”
Important to Brandy was keeping Monica close in the weeks following Whitney Houston’s death. Brandy had maintained a close relationship with the late singer throughout the years, and conversed with Whitney and Monica during Grammy weekend in February 2012. They had just spoken before Whitney retreated to her room, where she soon passed. Management insisted that no questions be asked about the loss of her mentor, but Brandy was quick to reference her, explaining that she was important enough to inspire Two Eleven’s title. “Some of the titles I was working with were Rebirth, Reincarnation, Reinvention, Resurrection… I just felt like Two Eleven describes all of that. It’s the day I was born, and each year, I evolve and change with time,” she says. “It also has a whole new meaning to it because I gained my angel. My icon is my angel now. It’s all tied in there and I just think it best represents who I am and the responsibilities I have moving on.” Shying away from the smooth piano-infused sound of Human, Brandy roughs up her sound on Two Eleven, maintaining the powerful productions of previous records but mashing in genres outside of her comfort zone. “It’s definitely R&B, but it has the crossover appeal. It’s grittier, it’s edgier, it’s just different type of R&B. It’s not your regular smooth, soft with the beat type music,” she describes. “It’s just taking risks and hearing how I sound over different types of music, and I wanted an album that different people can listen to. Not just R&B, but pop and hip-hop. I wanted everyone to have something that they can listen to on this album.”


Part of her evolution comes in the form of the team involved on Two Eleven. Normally, Brandy aligns with a particular producer such as Timbaland or Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins to helm the bulk of an LP, and uses additional beatsmiths to color the gaps. But for Two Eleven, she’s piecing together a versatile offering of “gritty” R&B with pop and hip-hop overtones, working with a spread of musicians to expand her sound. Notable contributions come from Odd Future’s resident crooner Frank Ocean, who previously penned “1st & Love” off of Human under his government name Christopher Breaux. For “Scared of Beautiful,” Ocean lends his writing chops for a deeper cut about a woman coming to terms with her beauty. “His music speaks volumes, and I was able to experience that before everyone else knew,” she says. “I always knew he was really special and I just wanted to see how we could vibe, what we could come up with together in the studio this time around. He’s just a genius. I think his songs have so much substance and so much depth, and you need that on an album as well.” While self-imposed, the hiatus from her solo career came after departing from Epic Records, on which she only released. Brandy took the opportunity to breathe – she’d been active in music for more than a decade – and make her home at a label that would back her recordings and creativity – no questions asked. It’s at RCA where she found her footing – “They would do everything in their power to get my music out there” – and got her musical career back on track. But her creative reemergence also inspired her return to acting. As far back as her early teens, Brandy was a screen diva, holding court on television as the star of Moesha and appearing in films such as 1998’s I Know What You Did Last Summer and 2001’s Osmosis Jones. It took a cameo on CW’s 90210 to get her back into character, followed by recurring roles on Drop Dead Diva and The Game. She doesn’t care for reality television anymore and is entertaining the idea of developing and starring in a scripted series a la Moesha. “That’s where I’m from. I was raised on television. I need to continue to keep that up,” she explains. “It’s just like it was meant to be, for me to get back into it and with developing my own show now, I want a show that represents everything that I am and more, and just take risks and challenge myself to be somebody different than who I am, as well. I’m ready though.” Television paved the way for her foray back into Hollywood. In July, Brandy will star alongside Kim Kardashian, Vanessa Williams and Lance Gross in the Tyler Perry film The Marriage Counselor, where she plays a woman named Melinda. Though she wouldn’t go into specifics about her character, she describes Melinda as “running from a past that’s so hard for her to face.” It’s a familiar circumstance for Brandy, who had spent the past few years coming to terms with future while growing from past hardships.


“It may not be the same exact situation or the same circumstance, but no matter what, pain feels the same in any situation,” she says. “I was definitely having to pull from the most painful experiences that I had to connect with Melinda, and that’s a hard thing to do when you’re excited and happy to be doing a movie and working with Tyler Perry.”
With her singing and acting careers in full swing, Brandy looks back on her resurgence over the last year as a blessing. Stating that “positive thinking and including God in everything I do” is the key to success, she’s finally ready to take on new challenges, looking at former mistakes as stepping stones to putting her professional life back on track.
“I’m just excited to entertain and discover more and more about myself, and through these great experiences like doing an album, doing different roles, all of this stuff, it’s just reminding me of why I’m here and why I’m on this planet. I just want to continue to do everything that I’m supposed to do,” she says. “It’s all a gift. I’m just so thankful. I just want to be able to do whatever it is that I’m meant to do. I’m just excited to discover more and more about me, because I forgot. I really forgot. I’m reminded more and more every time I experience things like I’ve been experiencing them over the last year.”

Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday, Roman RELOADED Review




So Its Here, No Idea why she didn't just name is Roman Reloaded, but Nicki Returns with 22 tracks of half shit talking, half pop disaster with SUPERBASS Formula to back it up. The First track is "Roman Reloaded" this track is pretty odd, but i like it, it kinda sounds like a pop hip- hop version of Sweeney Todd with a (IF POSSIBLE) more twisted sound. "COME ON A CONE" this is one of my favorite tracks, the beat is insanity, and the flow crazy-town, especial the "Diiiiiiiick in yo faaaaaace" line, priceless Nicki, you done done it here crazy bitch. "I AM YOUR LEADER" feat, Cam'ron & Rick Ross, I'm diggin this track, and its nice to see Cam'ron back in the game. "Beez In The Trap" feat 2 Chainz is up next, and the beat is old school and perfect, i like the beats like this cause it showcases her rap talents, yes yes i know the bitch can sing, i get it, BUT i like hearing her crazy flows and personality that hooked me from the beginning, i appreciate this song immensely. "HOV LANE" another song where we hear how successful Nicki is, yay! this never gets tired, because she is in the HOV lane, and I'm in the soul train..........okay on to the next cause i don't get this one. "ROMAN RELOADED" up next, this one was the first track i heard, and i must say, waaaaaaaay better when thrown into the album it, makes more sense. not a crazy fan for this track but i love the next one "Champion" feat Nas, Drake, and Young Jeezy, this song is great, it has that beat and colab that is expected and wanted on a hip-hop album, and Nicki gets to showcase her vocal chords at the same time, without boring us all to death with a fist puming commercial whack-off  the follow up track is "Right By Your Side" Featuring Woman Demolisher CHRIS "breezy" BROWN, now this song is bubbly, cute and fun yeah, but the hook sounds alot like Brandy's "FULL MOON" track "WOW" lol seriously, take a listen, its a little odd. "Sex In The Lounge" feat Bobby V. and Lil Wayne is next, now I'm a big Bobby V. fan, so i kinda love this track, i think this is another good match and mix of Nicki's talent, I'm not overwhelmed with sugar and spice, this one is okay in my book! "Starships" which I'm sure is a big hit on the jersey shore, is Nicki's fist pumping feel good song, but it kinda just makes me feel like a girl, lol i mean its not horrible, I'm just not into it, i liked it for one day, and then i burnt out on it, it sounds like everything out there, i think touring with Britney spears and working with MDNA, stealing GaGa's stylist and working with Red One, really went to this bitches head, but play on playa, people eat this Cake up! but once people start counting calories, don't get mad when they go on a Minaj-Diet. "POUND THE ALARM" ummmmmmmm i like the inception horn alot, but is this nicki or gaga ohhhhhh oh ohhhhhhhhh this sounds like Bad romance the remix. "WHIP IT" this is what happens when we tell an artist "Superbass" is a hit!!!!!!! the studio says "MAKE MORE JUST LIKE THAT" and then we have more basses, not as good because now its played out, but you can guarantee the gays and teeny boppers will dub-step they're little 4loco brains out to it! "AUNTOMATIC" continues the electro dance party, so start rolling on ur E and get the glow sticks out! cause the party is goin all damn night.  "Beautiful Sinner" is the following track, this one is okay not too annoying i guess when it all come down to it, I'm not a fan of over poppy Nicki, its just kinda whack to me, and i know she is from theater and she is just having fun, i dig that, so I'm trying not to hate, and this song, is okay after my eardrums have been numbed by the previous tracks. "Marilyn Monroe" is a mellow ballad, with a nice little drum beat, its def poppy,and i can see this playing on a Disney teeny bopper movie trailer, its cute, Next! "YOUNG FOREVER" the intro is sick! very postal service, i dig this song, its great, and i connect to it, its a cute Nicki track, and very poppy, but i like the composition and layout, its like an edgy nursery rhyme. "Fire Burns" this is probably my next favorite track, i love her ability to sound vulnerable and then say things like "You Piece of Shit" fantastic, and i think everyone has felt this way about an ex at one point or another. good job girl! "GUN SHOT" feat Bennie Man, now this was kind of a fun surprise, because i have not heard Bennie man in 4 ever!!!!! this is her island flare song, cant hate on this one. there is a point where she tries to his a high note and fails in a majorly epic way, but big props for not auto tuning ur ass!!!!!! "Stupid Hoe" ok we get it you dont like Lil Kim, You won, we know it, she knows it, lets all move on from this piss competition. "TURN ME ON" Feat ???? Nicki Minaj lol have no idea why this song is on here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"VaVa Voom" is up next this is really the superbass continuation, its exactly the same formula, lol but it works, if its not broke, don't fix it. "Masquerade" is the follow up after, and its no less poppy, but it ends the album, and i feel content with half the album, not too bad, and shockingly better than i thought. it truly is a half n half album, so if you rather hip-hop than pop its all there for you. enjoy "Roman Reloaded" 

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The Hunger/Racism Games



So "Hunger Games" flippin killed it over the weekend. Despite fawning reviews and record-breaking ticket sales, some fans of the blockbuster young adult trilogy by author Suzanne Collins were livid (wrongfully so) by the decision to cast an African-American actress as Rue, one of the supporting characters. who unless you blind is clearly described as having "dark brown skin" in the  first installment.

As Jezebel notes, many "Hunger Games" viewers resorted to sending racist tweets over the fact that Rue (played in the film by young actress Amandla Sternberg) was black.
"Why does Rue have to be black," wrote one ignorant fan, whose Twitter page no longer exists. "Not gonna lie, kinda ruined the movie."
"Awkward moment when Rue is some black girl and not the innocent blonde girl you picture," wrote another user, whose account has also been deleted.
Of course, the occasion of "The Hunger Games" arriving in theaters isn't the first time some fans were upset with the casting. Last year, after the character posters for "The Hunger Games" debuted -- showing both Sternberg as Rue and Lenny Kravitz as stylist Cinna -- reactions on the Internet were equally harsh. Now To Be fair lol which is far from racist, i did NOT see Cinna as Black, but i also didn't know what i thought Cinna Looked like, but to be soooooo surprised The Rue is Black just cracks me up, it only means these people are horrible readers!!!! pick up more books kids, lets learn ya how to read! maybe start off with Huck fin, or tom sawyer, so you can also learn about being a racist bastard.

anyways! "The Hunger Games" is out in theaters now. For more on the racist "Hunger Games" tweets, head over to Hunger Games Tweets, a Tumblr created to "expose the 'Hunger Games' fans on Twitter who dare to call themselves fans yet don't know a damn thing about the books."

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Game Of Thrones Book One



A Game of Thrones is the first book in the amazing Saga   A Song of Ice and Fire, a series by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on the 6th of August in 1996. The novel won the 1997 Locus Award, and was nominated for both the 1998 Nebula Award and the 1997 World Fantasy Award. The novella Blood of the Dragon, comprising the Daenerys Targaryen chapters from the novel, won the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Novella. In January 2011 the novel became a New York Times bestseller and reached #1 on the list in July 2011, now i don't wanna just throw stats at you, but man, i have been little enthused for a book since i finished Lord of the rings, waaaaaaaaaay back when i was in middle school, now yeah i loved Harry Potter, yeah i got into Hunger Games, but rich story telling that immerses you into the world, is unlike any feeling a reader can have, its easy to be intimidated, i grant everyone that looks at those books and turns away that right, but if you miss this saga, you truly are missing out on an absolute great adventure.




I am currently on Book One (Game Of Thrones), half way done, and it is probably my favorite series ever written, i loved lord of the rings, like no other, i have collections of bobble heads, action figures and special editions, all in my closet like the geek of geeks, but there is something about George R.R. Martin's brain and patience with telling a story that hooks me, I'm addicted to every word, every page, i have an app on my iphone!, to get myself more familiarized with it, i bought a shirt online! i am a fan of one week!, and i am only going to geek out more! lol i suggest you read the series if you are curious. Just do it!!!!!!!



Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The Artist: My Review




So In November I had The Pleasure of seeing the Artist, and before i get into How fantastic the film was, i wanna say, GO SEE IT! now i was super duper gassed and excited about this film, and wasnt sure if my date was gonna like it, but i went foward with it, got my popcorn and candy, and sat down, and was ready for this amazing experience, i cant really explain what its like to see a silent film, within an audience that you know is used to watching "Talkies" its very different, almost tense, uneasy, its just interesting. but frame to frame i fell in love, the music, the acting, the visuals, its like watching talent from a different perspective, i almost felt like this was footage from the golden age of film, until i see john goodman and james cromwell, then i was brought back down to earth, and even more perplexed, that someone could capture the very essence of "Chaplin", and "Keaton" the fathers of silent film, and to bring the storyline, of the struggle, these silent actors had, with the coming of sound film, was genius, and i know we have seen it before, but this was deeper and more nostalgic, amazing. i wanna thank you Michel Hazanavicius, for making this flawless film, and taking me on a jouney that blew my mind and spirit. i loved it a thousand times over. 




THE WEEKND





I have recently been listening to "the weeknd" more just because the sound is infectious, and im sickly in LOVE with "Echoes Of Silence" especially "INITIATION" production-wise, it is put together flawlessly in my eyes. bravo/kudos, keep it up, my ears are horny for you.
Abel Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), better known by his stage name The Weeknd (pronounced weakened), is a Canadian recording artist and record producer of Ethiopian descent. Songs recorded under The Weeknd name first leaked in late 2010, though the identity of the individual behind the project was initially unknown. The Weeknd released a nine-song free album, House of Balloons, on 21 March 2011. This album is a part of a trilogy which includes Thursday, released on 18 August 2011, and Echoes of Silence, released on 21 December 2011. The song "High for This" was featured in the promo for the final season of the HBO show Entourage On June 16, 2011, House of Balloons was named as a longlisted nominee for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize. On July 6, the album was named as one of ten shortlisted nominees but eventually lost to Arcade Fire's The Suburbs. On December 21, 2011 at 11:07 p.m. EST Tesfaye released his highly anticipated third album Echoes of Silence. The Weeknd's site crashed shortly after due to the large number of downloads. The Weeknd quickly provided a Hulkshare link to keep the album available while the official site was down.
Since hitting the scene, The Weeknd has received praise from a number of musical publications, including those of MTV, BET, Rolling Stone, XXL, The Source and 2DopeBoyz, who have all dubbed him the "Songbird of his Generation", as well as the "best musical talent since Michael Jackson" (John Norris, MTV).