The Weeknd

Strictly speaking from the vantage point of the hip hop community, there has consistently been a few singers who earn the respect of fans and real hip hoppers alike. An early example includes R. Kelly. For years, he was the premier R&B figure in hip hop, laying down choruses for the most successful rappers in the world such as Jay Z and Snoop Dogg. More recently, Frank Ocean has skyrocketed to success taking a slightly different route. While he began in the hip hop group, Odd Future, he isn't exactly the collaborator that R. Kelly was. His debut album release, Channel Orange, featured only a few collaborators and made huge waves in the hip hop blog circuit as well as being featured on late night television, various award shows, and Saturday Night Live. Now that his buzz is dying down a bit, who will be the next big name in the R&B - hip hop cross over? One artist has risen above the rest, popping up on sites like 2dopeboyz.com, and hiphopdx.com, as well as making appearances in XXL Magazine and The Source. I am referring to the increasing popular R&B artists and producer, The Weeknd.

Co-signed by fellow Canadian Drake, this Ethiopian-Canadian singer has only been around in the public eye since 2010, when he started uploading videos to YouTube leaving the masses to ask, "Who is this guy and where can I get his music?" Less than 6 months later, the trilogy began. In 2011 The Weeknd launched three mixtapes within one year; House of Balloons in March, Thursday in August, and Echoes of Silence in December. The mixtapes were met with a lot of positive feedback and critical success including two nominations for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize, for House of Balloons and Echoes of Silence. After only about a year off from any major releases, his debut studio album, entitled The Trilogy is set to drop in less than two weeks. The album will contain remastered versions of previously released tracks from his three mixtapes, hence the title, as well as three new tracks. This unorthodox approach to a debut album certainly breaks the mold, but then again, what has The Weeknd done that doesn't? His style has a distinct dark side to it, while unadulterated truth bleeds through his lyrics. It's hard not to listen to songs like "Enemy" and "Rolling Stone" and not immediately be sucked into his world. A somber tone saturates every lyric giving the listener a mixed bag of emotions ranging from sympathy to respect. With such a high level of dedication to his craft, a truly unique approach to the industry side of things, and a simply angelic voice, The Weeknd is destined for greatness. Go pre-order The Trilogy scheduled for release on November 13th and if you are unfamiliar with his work, check out the music video for "Rolling Stone," off of Thursday, for a taste of what you've been missing.

(Rolling Stone - The Weeknd)

(The Weeknd Trilogy - November 13)

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