What The Hell Just Happened In Music This Week?

J. Cole plans the release of his third album, Jaden Smith drops a new project, and more.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Earlier this week, Complex dropped two major cover stories for our December 2014/January 2015 issue—and we've still got one more coming out soon. One features inimitable Nicki Minaj, who detailed her upcoming album, The Pinkprint and struggling with fame, while the other stars Wale and Jerry Seinfeld, which serves as a precursor to Wale's The Album About Nothing

J. Cole made headlines this week when the 29-year-old rapper revealed he will be releasing his album 2014 Forest Hills Drive in December. Cole is planning a minimal rollout for his third studio release, a move several artists have embraced after Beyoncé dropped her self-titled album completely out of nowhere last year. However, he's been making the rounds and giving fans some private listening sessions before it drops in full on Dec. 9. 

Jaden and Willow Smith sat down with the New York Times for their first ever joint interview, Migos and members of GBE got into a physical altercation at a strip club, and Solange was married in New Orleans. Check out all that and more in What the Hell Just Happened in Music This Week?

Solange tied the knot with video director Alan Ferguson in New Orleans.

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J. Cole revealed plans to releases his third studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive.

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Wale announced dates for his upcoming “#simplyNothing” tour.

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Footage of Migos and GBE members fighting surfaced, with Quavo allegedly getting his chain snatched.

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Rick Ross shared an early stream of his album Hood Billionaire.

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Jaden Smith released Cool Tape Vol. 2 and gave an intriguing interview with his sister, Willow.

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Date: November 17

Jaden and Willow Smith are two of the busiest teenage artists out right now. Considering their age, each has been releasing music at a prolific rate for much of the year. Jaden just released a three-track album to celebrate Kendall Jenner's birthday, while Willow dropped her own EP. Needless to say, the Smith children have this music thing poppin' for them right now.

But as revealed in their first ever joint interview with The New York Times, they don't really care about whether or not things are blowing up right now—they're two rather autonomous teenagers who are, at juncture in their young lives, wholly concerned with their own thoughts, expressions, and how those two things result in music. To them, that independence has made for better music.

“Caring less what everybody else thinks, but also caring less and less about what your own mind thinks, because what your own mind thinks, sometimes, is the thing that makes you sad,” Willow says. Jaden reciprocated Willow's quote, but also went off to address any questions others may have about whether or not music is a career for him. “That’s another thing: What’s your job, what’s your career? Nah, I am,” Jaden says. “I’m going to imprint myself on everything in this world."

Bold words from a young man, but you can't front on the ambition. “Here’s the deal: School is not authentic because it ends,” Jaden adds. “It’s not true, it’s not real. Our learning will never end. The school that we go to every single morning, we will continue to go to.” As for what they spent their time reading? “Quantum physics. Osho,” Willow says. “The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life” and ancient texts; things that can’t be pre-dated,” Jaden adds.

Either way, the most impressive part of this interview is Jaden's thoughts on duality:


Exactly. Because your mind has a duality to it. So when one thought goes into your mind, it’s not just one thought, it has to bounce off both hemispheres of the brain. When you’re thinking about something happy, you’re thinking about something sad. When you think about an apple, you also think about the opposite of an apple. It’s a tool for understanding mathematics and things with two separate realities. But for creativity: That comes from a place of oneness. That’s not a duality consciousness. And you can’t listen to your mind in those times — it’ll tell you what you think and also what other people think.

Jaden topped off the day by pulling a fast one and dropping his new project, Cool Tape Vol. 2, via his own brand new app, "Jaden Experience." In total, the album features eight brand new songs from the young MC. —Justin Block

Related: Jaden and Willow Smith Are Too Real in Their First Ever Joint Interview With “The New York Times”

Pusha T dropped the Kanye West-produced record “Lunch Money.”

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