On 'House of Balloons,' the Weeknd Best Warped Genre With This Track

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• The Weeknd’s ‘The Party & the After Party’ Paved the Way for our Genre-less Future
• 'Challengers' Heats Up: How Zendaya's Star Power and a Sexy Love Triangle Could Give Gen Z Its Next Movie Obsession
• What is The Weeknd  (Abel Tesfaye) Ethnicity?
• California communities are banning syringe programs. Now the state is fighting back in court
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• Digital Album
• Kratom products have gone unregulated in California, unnerving both fans and critics

The tracks eventually got the attention of fellow Toronto artist Drake, who linked to the songs via his blog. Before the year was out, the songs were getting great write-ups on the music-hipster bible Pitchfork and in The New York Times. The Internet buckled under the strain of demand when the Weeknd followed up their highly praised "What You Need" with a free full-length mixtape a few days ago. That clamor shouldn't have been surprising; this is music that feeds off elements drawn from R&B but uses them to crack open a world that skews away from that fundamental starting point.

The Weeknd’s ‘The Party & the After Party’ Paved the Way for our Genre-less Future

The reissue was accompanied by a limited edition line of merchandise designed by architect Daniel Arsham. For a time after House of Balloons, many artists — from Usher to Rihanna — found inspiration in the Weeknd. Every song is House of Balloons 2.0,” he boasted to Rolling Stone in 2015.

'Challengers' Heats Up: How Zendaya's Star Power and a Sexy Love Triangle Could Give Gen Z Its Next Movie Obsession

He was able to dim a broad swatch of music with his spectral impulses, in part indebted to Beach House’s atmospheric sound. Today, the Weeknd’s use of their music on House of Balloons feels both like a work of fandom and reclamation. Modern rock and pop exist because of Black innovation but have been seen as white genres in the broad imagination. The key to pop ubiquity has often been the melding of sounds and cultures and historically often involved what looked like white artists borrowing — or stealing — from Black ones. On House of Balloons, like Michael Jackson and others before him, the Weeknd bent rock and pop to his will, and made us reimagine their image.

What is The Weeknd  (Abel Tesfaye) Ethnicity?

And I felt like it was the most unbiased reaction you can get to the music, because you couldn’t put a face to it. Especially R&B, which is a genre that is heavily influenced by how the artist looks. On March 21, 2021, the tenth anniversary of the mixtape’s release, it was finally added to streaming services.

California communities are banning syringe programs. Now the state is fighting back in court

Emergency radio dispatchers reported the victim as a man in his mid- to late 30s who was shot multiple times and called 911. Several other callers also reported hearing gunshots in the area, according to the dispatch reports shortly after the shooting. A security guard was shot multiple times Monday morning outside the home of a record-label executive who has worked with the Weeknd and other well-known musicians.

Slamdance Film Festival Leaving Park City for Los Angeles in 2025

House of Balloons received widespread critical acclaim, and it is considered by many to be one of the most influential R&B releases in recent years, specifically the 2010s. Preceded by a string of low-profile buzz single releases throughout 2010, the mixtape attracted significant interest due to the then-anonymous identity of the individual behind the Weeknd. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, House of Balloons received a weighted average score of 87 based on 16 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". It is widely regarded as a major influence on contemporary R&B music, being credited for pioneering alternative R&B. Musically, House of Balloons mixes R&B with elements of rock, electro, and hip-hop.

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5 Deep Cuts from The Weeknd - American Songwriter

5 Deep Cuts from The Weeknd.

Posted: Tue, 21 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

He and other members of the team were featured on the cover of Billboard in early 2021. Although The Weeknd is signed to Republic Records, he has his own record label, XO, that’s a subsidiary of Republic Records. Finding good outdoor entertainment space can be hard when you live in the city, but this rooftop oasis checks all the boxes. Semi-shaded wet bar, multiple lounge areas, and a grill area make this one of the best parts of this fantastic rental. An open floorplan allows for easy movement between the kitchen, dining room, and this luxurious living room.

10 Best The Weeknd Songs of All Time - Singersroom News

10 Best The Weeknd Songs of All Time.

Posted: Wed, 20 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

In December 2011, Metacritic determined that House of Balloons was the third best-reviewed project of the year. Additionally, the mixtape was featured on several music critics' and publications' end-of-year albums lists. Complex called it the "best album of 2011;" Stereogum ranked it number 5; The Guardian ranked it number 8; The A.V. Club ranked it number 6; SPIN ranked it (as well as Thursday) number 13; while Pitchfork ranked it number 10. As a whole, House of Balloons was the seventh most frequently mentioned album in music publications' year-end top ten lists. The mixtape was named as one of the longlisted of nominees for the 2011's Polaris Music Prize.

Kratom products have gone unregulated in California, unnerving both fans and critics

House of Balloons is the debut mixtape by the Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd. It was released on March 21, 2011, by the artist's own record label XO. The mixtape was released for free on the Weeknd's website and was the subject of increased media discussion upon the use of its songs on television, as well as the then-anonymous identity of the individual behind the Weeknd. House of Balloons was entirely recorded in Toronto, with production handled primarily by the Weeknd, Doc McKinney, and Illangelo, alongside additional contributions from Cirkut, Jeremy Rose and Rainer.

“We’d throw these sh-tty parties and have girls over, and we’d try to make it celebratory, so we’d have balloons,” said The Weeknd, to Rolling Stone. The sources said at least four people were inside the Encino mansion at the time the shots were fired, but they did not know whether Esmailian was among them. Investigators suspect the gunmen planned to break into the home and probably knew of Esmailian’s wealth. The wounded guard was expected to survive after undergoing surgery in the early hours of the morning. The motive for the attack remains unclear but investigators are considering that it may have been an attempted home invasion.

But given that the majority of residential properties and lots in the state are zoned for single-family housing, there’s a dearth of affordable alternatives. Attorneys for the five cities focused on that missing mandate, arguing that the law would disrupt communities without guaranteeing more affordable housing. In some cases, families of people who died after taking kratom for pain relief have successfully sued kratom sellers, faulting them for inadequate warnings about health risks.

One of the key questions facing scientists, he said, is what levels are safe and potentially beneficial and what amounts could become harmful. The push for new regulations comes as kratom has continued to draw both interest and concern. The National Institute on Drug Abuse is exploring medicinal uses for kratom, including as a possible treatment for opioid addiction, but cautions that researchers are still learning more about its effects. “What’s allowed me to get the consistency I want as a consumer is simple, proper labeling — as well as quantifying the active ingredient,” said Karp, who later cofounded a kratom company that manufactures products in Vista. Matthew Lowe, executive director of the advocacy group Global Kratom Coalition, said some synthetic products have “very, very high doses” of a particular chemical found in scant amounts in kratom leaf material. Several kratom researchers have warned that chemical — 7-hydroxymitragynine — poses a higher risk of abuse.

The Weeknd's sound has been described as hipster R&B (or PBR&B to some), and his tracks have sampled a huge range of artists from indie-rockers Beach House to R&B megastar Rihanna. His slow grooves and falsetto croon create a beautiful and sometimes creepy backdrop for what are often sexually-charged lyrics. House of Balloons was released as a free mixtape in 2011, but became one of the best-reviewed albums of that year. Weeknd would release two more free mixtapes in 2011, Thursday and Echoes of Silence.

The project proved to be such a defining moment for his career that The Weeknd is re-releasing it in its original form on streaming services this weekend. Given the mixtape’s popularity, it’s natural for fans to wonder whether the House of Balloons a real place? Luckily, The Weeknd actually answered that question years ago during a Reddit AMA where he confirmed it was real and located at 65 Spencer Ave in Parkdale, Toronto. Maybe there is a deeper issue with that, but I feel like with me it’s never been about the artist and the image of the artist.

Everyone from DaHeala to the renowned Max Martin has produced for him. It’s worth noting that a producer by the name of Jeremy Rose claims that several songs on House of Balloons were actually his productions when he was working with The Weeknd…although he got no credit for it. The 5,004 square foot, the 2-floor penthouse features 4 bedrooms and 4 full bathrooms, a chef’s kitchen, and a whopping 1,000 square feet of outdoor living space.