XXXTENTACION - SAD!

This series of posts are in tribute to XXXTentacion - Credit to the Photographers -

I only did edits as a part of the tribute for these posts.

For fans, friends and family of, XXXTentacion, let’s keep his legacy alive

by sharing his music and art.

Long live Jah!

New Edit of Poetry CD Back Cover for DIVA/CASSONE

 

Click here to visit the DIVA/CASSONE CD page on Amazon = Thank You!

Drake's SCORPION is Breaking All Sorts of Records ...and Barriers

I thought I lost count when I watched this week's Hot 100 countdown. Not at all hating, but I just don't get it. 27 songs in the Hot 100 - that is almost a third! 7 in the top 10. That is 70%. He has been #1 with 1 of 3 songs non consecutively most of this year, save 3 or 4 weeks. I know he is good, but really? There used to be payola back in the day with radio stations. I just wonder with technology and streaming all being a big part of what charts. It makes me wonder sometimes. This would have never happened back in the day. Not even with The Beatles, Elvis, Michael Jackson or Mariah Carey in her hey day. 

That being said, one does have to take notice of this great accomplishment.  All five of his studio albums have topped the charts and this one, every one of the double album's 25 tracks charted in its first week of release.  I can't find fault in the smart push by his team and record execs for making sure music stream users 'encountered' his album and were able to give it a listen upon its initial release.  Nobody comes close to the ground he is breaking with each passing release.

It will be interesting to see how Grammy voters respond.  He deserves to finally get some recognition in the top General field categories ie Album and Record, maybe even Song of the year.  It took Grammy awhile to even nominate him, let alone give him a win.  He has 3 Grammy wins out of 27 nominations to date.  While I am not his biggest fan, I do appreciate his artistry and respect his ability to attract such mass appeal from a very broad fan base.  

Maybe the industry will not look upon his efforts with jealousy and embrace, even reward his efforts when awards season rolls around.  Sure, he will get a ton of fan base awards like American Music Awards and industry one like Billboard Music Awards, but I am now more interested to see what the Grammy voters do.  Streaming is obviously the future of the industry and rewarding him would be a huge nod to that notion as well.

Just some random thoughts on the current music industry fodder.

--Antonio Cassone

GRAMMY WATCH – Rap Music Categories: My Picks and Predictions

Here are my picks and predictions for the Rap music categories for The 58th Annual Grammy Awards.

Best Rap Performance
• Apparently
      J. Cole
      Track from: 2014 Forest Hills Drive
      [Roc Nation/Columbia Records]

• Back To Back
      Drake
      [Cash Money Records]

• Trap Queen
      Fetty Wap
      Track from: Fetty Wap
      [300 Entertainment/RGF Productions]

• Alright
      Kendrick Lamar
      Track from: To Pimp A Butterfly
      [Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath Records/Interscope Records]

• Truffle Butter
      Nicki Minaj Featuring Drake & Lil Wayne
      Track from: The Pinkprint
      [Young Money/Cash Money]

• All Day
      Kanye West Featuring Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom & Paul McCartney
      [Def Jam Recordings]

My Pick: TRAP QUEEN (Don’t Judge me.)

My Prediction: ALRIGHT – I am just going to say, I don’t know what all the fuss is… his use of the “N” word is 50% of the lyrics.  I just don’t get it.  That being said – this is a Record of the Year nominee, so it only makes sense for him to get the win here.

~

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
• One Man Can Change The World
      Big Sean Featuring Kanye West & John Legend
      Track from: Dark Sky Paradise
      [Universal/Def Jam]

• Glory
      Common & John Legend
      [Def Jam Recordings]

• Classic Man
      Jidenna Featuring Roman GianArthur
      [Epic Records]

• These Walls
      Kendrick Lamar Featuring Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat
      Track from: To Pimp A Butterfly
      [Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath Records/Interscope Records]

• Only
      Nicki Minaj Featuring Drake, Lil Wayne & Chris Brown
      Track from: The Pinkprint
      [Young Money/Cash Money]

My Pick and Prediction: GLORY (Lord, PLEASE let it win and Thank God for this Song in this category.)

~

Best Rap Song
• All Day
      Ernest Brown, Tyler Bryant, Sean Combs, Mike Dean, Rennard East, Noah Goldstein, Malik Yusef Jones, Karim Kharbouch, Allan Kyariga, Kendrick Lamar, Paul McCartney, Victor Mensah, Charles Njapa, Che Pope, Patrick Reynolds, Allen Ritter, Kanye West, Mario Winans & Cydel Young, songwriters (Kanye West Featuring Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom & Paul McCartney)
      [Def Jam Recordings; Publisher(s): Please Gimme My Publishing/EMI Blackwood Music Inc./MPL Communications Inc./TYLER BRANT PUBLISHING/WB Music Corp./ Hard Working Black Folks Inc./Top Dawg Music/Excuse My French Music/EMI Blackwood Music Inc./Monarch Music/Abou Thiam Publishing/Victor Kwesi Mensah Publishing Designee/ALLEN KYARIGA/EMI Blackwood Music o/b/o Papa George Publishing/Kaya and Ethan Music/Primary Wave Brian/Noah Goldstein admin. by Reach Music Publishing/Ritter Boy LLC/Mario Winans Publishing Designee/Broken Locks/Songs of Universal Inc./Jabriel Iz Myne /Universal Music/Patrick Reynolds Publishing Designee/Smooth Thug Music/Noel Ellis Publishing Designee/Justin Combs Music Publishing administered by EMI April Music]

• Alright
      Kendrick Duckworth, Mark Anthony Spears & Pharrell Williams, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
      Track from: To Pimp A Butterfly
      [TDE/Aftermath/Interscope; Publisher(s): WB Music Corp., TDE Music, Hard Working Black Folks Publishing, EMI Music Inc., More Water From Nazareth, Sounwave TDE Productions, SonyATV]

• Energy
      Richard Dorfmeister, A. Graham, Markus Kienzl, M. O'Brien, M. Samuels & Phillip Thomas, songwriters (Drake)
      Track from: If You're Reading This It's Too Late
      [Young Money/Cash Money; Publisher(s): Sandra Gale/EMI Music Publishing, 1damentional publishing LLC/Sony/ATV Tunes, LLC, Matthew O'Brien/otek north/WB Music Corp./Jack Russell Music Ltd./Notting Hill Music Ltd.]

• Glory
      Lonnie Lynn, Che Smith & John Stephens, songwriters (Common & John Legend)
      Track from: Selma (Music From The Motion Picture)
      [Universal/Def Jam; Publisher(s): Paramount Pictures/Pathe Productions Limited]

• Trap Queen
      Tony Fadd & Willie J. Maxwell, songwriters (Fetty Wap)
      Track from: Fetty Wap
      [300 Entertainment/RGF Productions; Publisher(s): RGF Publishing, Zoovier, BMG Gold Songs, Tony Fadd Beats]

My Pick and Prediction: GLORY – see above category comments…lol.

~

Best Rap Album
• 2014 Forest Hills Drive
      J. Cole
      [Roc Nation/Columbia Records]

• Compton
      Dr. Dre
      [Aftermath/Interscope]

• If You're Reading This It's Too Late
      Drake
      [Cash Money/Young Money]

• To Pimp A Butterfly
      Kendrick Lamar
      [Aftermath/Interscope]

• The Pinkprint
      Nicki Minaj
      [Young Money/Cash Money]

My Pick: THE PINKPRINT – Just because the Rap field is such a man’s world – it’s time for a woman to get the big one here, but it’s just not going to happen, I feel… and here is why…

My Prediction: TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY – Again, Lamar is in the top General field in Album of the Year, so it only would figure he would get the prize here. Not my personal favorite this year, but hey 11 nominations is nothing to scoff at. He is bound to win something.

THE 58^TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS will be telecast live on CBS, Monday February 15, 2016 at 8PM/EST – PM/PST.  For everything GRAMMY, including a Full List of this year’s Nominees visit their website at http://www.grammy.com/

Check us out on YouTube – Please Subscribe (It’s Free!)
http://www.youtube.com/cassone2007
Check out Antonio Cassone’s Author Page on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003OC3MME
Thank YOU!

GRAMMY WATCH – Country Music Categories: My Picks and Predictions

Here are my picks and predictions in the Country Music categories for The 58^th Annual Grammy Awards.

Best Country Solo Performance
• Burning House
      Cam
      Track from: Welcome To Cam Country
      [Sony Music Entertainment]

• Traveller
      Chris Stapleton
      Track from: Traveller
      [Mercury Nashville]

• Little Toy Guns
      Carrie Underwood
      Track from: Greatest Hits: Decade #1
      [19 Recordings/Arista Nashville]

• John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16
      Keith Urban
      [Capitol Records Nashville]

• Chances Are
      Lee Ann Womack
      Track from: The Way I'm Livin'
      [Sugar Hill Records]

My Pick: JOHN COUGAR, JOHN DEERE, JOHN 3:16 – Go Keith Urban!

My Prediction: TRAVELLER

~

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
• Stay A Little Longer
      Brothers Osborne
      [EMI Records Nashville]

• If I Needed You
      Joey+Rory
      Track from: Country Classics
      [Gaither Music Group]

• The Driver
      Charles Kelley, Dierks Bentley & Eric Paslay
      [Capitol Records Nashville]

• Girl Crush
      Little Big Town
      Track from: Pain Killer
      [Capitol Records Nashville]

• Lonely Tonight
      Blake Shelton Featuring Ashley Monroe
      [Warner Bros]

My Pick and Prediction: GIRL CRUSH – Hands down!

~

Best Country Song
• Chances Are
      Hayes Carll, songwriter (Lee Ann Womack)
      Track from: The Way I'm Livin'
      [Sugar Hill Records; Publisher(s): Highway 87 Music admin. by BMG/Chrysalis]

• Diamond Rings And Old Barstools
      Barry Dean, Luke Laird & Jonathan Singleton, songwriters (Tim McGraw)
      Track from: Sundown Heaven Town
      [Big Machine Records/McGraw Music; Publisher(s): Songs of Universal, Inc./Creative Nation Music/Twangin and Slangin Songs/Country Paper/Pulse Nation/BMG Gold Songs /Glassbean/We Jam Writers Group]

• Girl Crush
      Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose, songwriters (Little Big Town)
      Track from: Pain Killer
      [Capitol Records Nashville; Publisher(s): Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp./Songs Of Crazy Girl Music, Songs of Universal, Inc., Hoodie Songs, HillarodyRathbone Music admin. by BMG Rights Management (US) LLC]

• Hold My Hand
      Brandy Clark & Mark Stephen Jones, songwriters (Brandy Clark)
      Track from: 12 Stories
      [Warner Bros Records; Publisher(s): Songs of Parallel/Vista Loma Music admin. by Amplified Administration and Harlan Howard Songs]

• Traveller
      Chris Stapleton, songwriter (Chris Stapleton)
      Track from: Traveller
      [Mercury Nashville; Publisher(s): WB Music Corp./Ken Tucky Music]

My Pick and Prediction: GIRL CRUSH – such a great, catchy melody.

~

Best Country Album
• Montevallo
      Sam Hunt
      [MCA Nashville]

• Pain Killer
      Little Big Town
      [Capitol Records Nashville]

• The Blade
      Ashley Monroe
      [Warner Bros.]

• Pageant Material
      Kacey Musgraves
      [Mercury Nashville]

• Traveller
      Chris Stapleton
      [Mercury Records]

My Pick and Prediction: PAIN KILLER – Looks like a BIG night for Little Big Town, but don’t count Chris Stapleton out here either.

THE 58^TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS will be telecast live on CBS, Monday February 15, 2016 at 8PM/EST – PM/PST.  For everything GRAMMY, including a Full List of this year’s Nominees visit their website at http://www.grammy.com/

Check us out on YouTube – Please Subscribe (It’s Free!)
http://www.youtube.com/cassone2007
Check out Antonio Cassone’s Author Page on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003OC3MME
Thank YOU!

GRAMMY WATCH – New Age and Jazz Music Categories: My Picks and Predictions

Here are my picks and predictions in the New Age and Jazz music categories for The 58^th Annual Grammy Awards.

Best New Age Album
• Grace
      Paul Avgerinos
      [Round Sky Music]

• Bhakti Without Borders
      Madi Das
      [Kuli Mela]

• Voyager
      Catherine Duc
      [MG Music Ltd]

• Love
      Peter Kater
      [Mysterium Music]

• Asia Beauty
      Ron Korb
      [Humbledragon]

My Pick and Prediction: LOVE

~

Best Improvised Jazz Solo
• Giant Steps
      Joey Alexander, soloist
      Track from: My Favorite Things
      [Motema Music]

• Cherokee
      Christian McBride, soloist
      Track from: Live At The Village Vanguard (Christian McBride Trio)
      [Mack Avenue Records]

• Arbiters Of Evolution
      Donny McCaslin, soloist
      Track from: The Thompson Fields (Maria Schneider Orchestra)
      [ArtistShare]

• Friend Or Foe
      Joshua Redman, soloist
      Track from: The Bad Plus Joshua Redman (The Bad Plus Joshua Redman)
      [Nonesuch]

• Past Present
      John Scofield, soloist
      Track from: Past Present
      [Impulse!]

My Pick and Prediction: FRIEND OR FOE

~

Best Jazz Vocal Album
• Many A New Day: Karrin Allyson Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein
      Karrin Allyson
      [Motema Music]

• Find A Heart
      Denise Donatelli
      [Savant Records]

• Flirting With Disaster
      Lorraine Feather
      [Jazzed Media]

• Jamison
      Jamison Ross
      [Concord Jazz]

• For One To Love
      Cécile McLorin Salvant
      [Mack Avenue Records]

My Pick: MANY A NEW DAY: KARRIN ALLYSON SINGS RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN

My Prediction: FOR ONE TO LOVE

~

Best Jazz Instrumental Album
• My Favorite Things
      Joey Alexander
      [Motema Music]

• Breathless
      Terence Blanchard Featuring The E-Collective
      [Blue Note Records]

• Covered: Recorded Live At Capitol Studios
      Robert Glasper & The Robert Glasper Trio
      [Blue Note Records]

• Beautiful Life
      Jimmy Greene
      [Mack Avenue Records]

• Past Present
      John Scofield
      [Impulse!]

My Pick and Prediction: BREATHLESS

~

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
• Lines Of Color
      Gil Evans Project
      [Blue Note/ArtistShare]

• Köln
      Marshall Gilkes & WDR Big Band
      [Alternate Side Records]

• Cuba: The Conversation Continues
      Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
      [Motema Music]

• The Thompson Fields
      Maria Schneider Orchestra
      [ArtistShare]

• Home Suite Home
      Patrick Williams
      [BFM Jazz]

My Pick: THE THOMPSON FIELDS

My Prediction: CUBA: THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES

~

Best Latin Jazz Album
• Made In Brazil
      Eliane Elias
      [Concord Jazz]

• Impromptu
      The Rodriguez Brothers
      [Criss Cross Jazz]

• Suite Caminos
      Gonzalo Rubalcaba
      [5Passion]

• Intercambio
      Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet
      [Patois Records]

• Identities Are Changeable
      Miguel Zenón
      [Miel Music]

My Pick & Prediction: MADE IN BRAZIL

THE 58^TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS will be telecast live on CBS, Monday February 15, 2016 at 8PM/EST – PM/PST.  For everything GRAMMY, including a Full List of this year’s Nominees visit their website at http://www.grammy.com/

Check us out on YouTube – Please Subscribe (It’s Free!)
http://www.youtube.com/cassone2007
Check out Antonio Cassone’s Author Page on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003OC3MME
Thank YOU!

GRAMMY WATCH – Americana Roots Categories: My Picks and Predictions

Here are my picks and predictions for these categories for The 58^th Annual Grammy Awards.

Best American Roots Performance
• And Am I Born To Die
      Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn
      Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn
      Track from: Béla Fleck And Abigail Washburn
      [Rounder]

• Born To Play Guitar
      Buddy Guy
      Buddy Guy
      Track from: Born To Play Guitar
      [RCA Records/Silvertone Records]

• City Of Our Lady
      The Milk Carton Kids
      The Milk Carton Kids
      Track from: Monterey
      [Anti]

• Julep
      Punch Brothers
      Punch Brothers
      Track from: The Phosphorescent Blues
      [Nonesuch]

• See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
      Mavis Staples
      Mavis Staples
      Track from: Your Good Fortune
      [Anti]

My Pick: SEE THAT MY GRAVE IS KEPT CLEAN

My Prediction: BORN TO PLAY GUITAR

~

Best American Roots Song
• All Night Long
      The Mavericks
      Raul Malo, songwriter (The Mavericks)
      Track from: Mono
      [The Valory Music Co.; Publisher(s): Big Machine Music/Raul Malo Music]

• The Cost Of Living
      Don Henley & Merle Haggard
      Don Henley & Stan Lynch, songwriters (Don Henley & Merle Haggard)
      Track from: Cass County
      [Capitol Records; Publisher(s): Wisteria Music (GMR) admin. by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp./Matanzas Music]

• Julep
      Punch Brothers
      Chris Eldridge, Paul Kowert, Noam Pikelny, Chris Thile & Gabe Witcher, songwriters (Punch Brothers)
      Track from: The Phosphorescent Blues
      [Nonesuch; Publisher(s): Chris Thile Music, Money Baby Music, Noam Tunes, Silver Hammer Music, Paul Kowert]

• The Traveling Kind
      Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
      Cory Chisel, Rodney Crowell & Emmylou Harris, songwriters (Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell)
      Track from: The Traveling Kind
      [Nonesuch; Publisher(s): Criterion Music o/b/o Coolwell Music/Almo Music Corp. o/b/o Poodlebone Music/Chisel Publishing]

• 24 Frames
      Jason Isbell
      Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell)
      Track from: Something More Than Free
      [Southeastern Records; Publisher(s): Songs Of Emchant]

My Pick and Prediction: THE TRAVELING KIND

~

Best Americana Album
• The Firewatcher's Daughter
      Brandi Carlile
      [ATO Records]

• The Traveling Kind
      Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
      [Nonesuch]

• Something More Than Free
      Jason Isbell
      [Southeastern Records]

• Mono
      The Mavericks
      [The Valory Music Co.]

• The Phosphorescent Blues
      Punch Brothers
      [Nonesuch]

My Pick and Prediction: THE TRAVELING KIND

THE 58^TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS will be telecast live on CBS, Monday February 15, 2016 at 8PM/EST – PM/PST.  For everything GRAMMY, including a Full List of this year’s Nominees visit their website at http://www.grammy.com/

Check us out on YouTube – Please Subscribe (It’s Free!)
http://www.youtube.com/cassone2007
Check out Antonio Cassone’s Author Page on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003OC3MME
Thank YOU!