News broke yesterday that rap legend, CEO, and overall cool dude Dr. Dre signed a new rapper, Justin Mohrle. He is 23 years old and hails from Dallas, Texas, Garland to be exact. Chances are this is the first you have heard of Justin, seeing how under represented the Dallas hip hop community is, and all but a few of his songs have been wiped from the internet courtesy of Dr. Dre's Aftermath label team. But, the day Justin Mohrle (his friends call him JT) inked his deal just may have been the day he signed away his "Average Joe" life. This is not the first time Dr. Dre has molded young natural talent; we have Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, and Kendrick Lamar as prime examples. It remains to be seen if Justin is next on that list, but there are three songs for a reference point. After listening to "Beast", a song that appeared yesterday on his SoundCloud, you can tell the sound is there. He raps and croons with a soothing ease with a dash of chill poise. Add in Dr. Dre's trademark fine tuning and we may have the next great one. D Magazine spent some time with Justin Mohrle and put together an interesting read to gather more information that you can read here. Listen to "Beast" below to acquaint yourself with the Dallas rapper.
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Fashawn's 'Ecology' Release Day Set. /
We’re proud to inform you that Fashawn’s “The Ecology” is set to release officially on February 24th of 2015. If this officiality is as legitimate as that surrounding the last two dates however, there’s no question as to when the album will truly grace Clouds and headphones worldwide. Either way, this afternoon we are greeted with the latest of two singles, “Guess Who’s Back” produced by Beewirks, which offers us a darker sound compared to “Golden State of Mind” released in October. Luckily, after his mixtape with Alchemist, Fashawn seems to be using this album as a way to take his step out from the underground scene into the light. Driven, and getting his reps up, Fash may very well be a common name in 2015. With his dynamic flow largely inspired and cosigned by Nas’ Mass Appeal Records, Fashawn has carved out a platform with which to impress the industry with his work, hopefully earning him a well-deserved seat on the train of recognition that until this point has evaded his grasp despite his efforts. Along with a set track list for the album, check out the two singles below as well as our and Soundcloud account.
The Ecology - Fashawn
1. Guess Who's Back (prod. Beewirks)
2. Confess (prod. Exile)
3. Something to Believe f. Nas & Aloe Blacc (prod. DJ Khalil)
4. Higher (prod. by Exile)
5. To Be Young f. BJ The Chicago Kid (prod. Exile)
6. Golden State of Mind f. Dom Kennedy
7. Letter F (prod. Alchemist)
8. Place To Go (prod. Exile)
9. Man Of The House (prod. Quince Tones & Jo Caleb)
10. Out The Trunk (prod. Exile)
11. It’s A Good Thing f. Aloe Blacc & Choosey (prod. Exile)
12. Mother (prod. Exile)
13. F.T.W (prod. Exile)
Tupac Biopic /
A motion picture portraying the life and career of Tupac Shakur is a must. Other than Anthony Mackie's supporting role in Biggie's biopic, Notorious, hip hop aficionados have very little to satisfy their thirst. Fortunately, the wait is over. In an interview with Collider, producer Randall Emmett revealed that the filming of an original Tupac biopic will begin this summer. History has shown that hip hop films have the tendency to underperform at the box office, but with the backing of Afeni Shakur, Tupac's mother and executive controller of his estate, as well as the undying support from fans, hopefully the film will be a success. Check out the visuals of the interview below and let us know what you think about an upcoming Tupac film.
Your Favorite Rapper Reposted This Image /
In between interviews regarding his less than private relationship with pop phenom Ariana Grande, Big Sean took the time to release the cover of his next LP, “Dark Sky Paradise”. With unconfirmed but hinted appearances from Kanye, Lil Wayne, E-40, DJ Mustard, DJ Dahi, Jhene AIko and more, “Dark Sky Paradise” is described to be the “darkest” of Sean’s works. As a rapper who has traditionally appealed to the wider variety of music fans, Big Sean’s success has existed in the popular market. However, with this project set under a different tone, this may be the album that takes Big Sean’s career as a rapper to the next level. Without a release date in sight, we can expect that this album will be dropped sooner into 2015 rather than later. If anything, we can expect a solid album from a solid artist, who can always produce something for us at ITR to ride to and vibe with. Stay tuned for updates and possible singles, and check out our Big Sean playlist below and on our Soundcloud for some momentum into the week.
VibeRotation 9 /
Music has become an essential part of my life. Growing my iTunes music library on a daily basis has become a hobby of sorts, which I have been able to showcase in my VibeRotation posts. My daily hunger to find new artists and absorb good music requires food: my sources. Whether its from various blogs or the artists themselves, my favorite source is from my friends. I am a college student. Whatever your university, there are many common areas, classrooms, student centers, parties, and kickbacks where music provides the rhythm for thought, conversation, and expression. My friends expand my iTunes library tremendously as I experience artists from their hometowns, they have seen live, that tie to a specific story, the list goes on. Emotion is tied to all of the music we listen to and it is interesting to see all the spirit my friends illustrate with each song played. In all of this, VibeRotation 9 celebrates the human experience that is music sharing. Housed in this playlist are songs my friends and I have enjoyed recently. The music selected pays respect to the entity late A$AP Yams founded, celebrates Joey Bada$$ and the release of his debut album, illustrates InTheRough's LA heritage with songs from Nipsey Hussle, includes new music from Marietta, GA native K.Camp, and more. Enjoy the offering below and be sure to follow ITR on SoundCloud.