2013 is off to a fresh start, and the New Year promises a lot for music. The early part of the year has shaped up well with updates on the most expected albums of 2013, and everyone is looking forward to what they have to offer. Here’s a list of top 5 expected music albums of 2013 everyone is looking forward to.

1. TBA – Five Iron Frenzy

The Christian ska band is all set for this release and expectations are high as it’s been a 10 year wait. After such a long interval, you may be wondering if they’re really going to come along, but the song ‘It was A Dark and Stormy Night’ suggests that band is pretty serious about making a comeback. The album may even include the best lyrics ever produced by the band.

2. Street King Immortal – 50 cent

The rapper is pumped up to release Street King immortal. The release date is slated around the 10th year anniversary of his popular album Get Rich or Die Tryin’. You won’t be listening to him alone. The album also features big names such as Chris Brown, Busta Rhymes, Alicia Keys, Eminem, Adam Levine and Akon. The star tweeted the album’s release date; February 26.

3. One Women Army – Ciara

Ciara is making big comeback with this new album. Talking to MTV news, she stated the album is about her independence as a woman and represents her strength. It’s about what she wants out of her life. It’s going to be a follow-up to her album ‘Basic Instinct’ released two years ago, which featured three hit singles. Music lovers have high hopes from One Women Army.

4. Amok – Atoms for Peace

Thom Yorke and Flea are considered as the top rock stars of today, and they’ve recorded some impressive material so far. With Nigel Godrich on their side, the album has high expectations. The art work released so far has made a statement reflecting the creation as a building. The album is expected to release late in February.

5. Pink Friday: The Pink Print – Nicki Minaj

After cementing herself as a global superstar last year, winning multiple awards, she looks to continue her feat with the follow-up to her album Roman reloaded. The new album is going to be a continuation and a ‘re-release’ to The Re-Up. Let’. As the name of the album ‘The Pink Print’ suggests, everyone is expecting a lot of pink in the videos.

These are the biggest expected music albums of 2013. A good way to promote your favorite album among your social circle would be to learn playing guitar so you can play the tunes of your favorite tracks. Professional teachers from TakeLessons are an option if you live in Los Angeles, or if you live in another city, you can search for additional options. By learning tracks from your favorite albums, you would be able to promote it among friends and acquaintances, building a greater following for your favorite artist.

Pete Rock and Premo opened their shared set with a tribute to Rock’s cousin, the late, great Heavy D, taking turns spinning some of his best-loved jams, including the classic “Nuttin’ But Love.” The evening was heavy on R.I.P. shout outs to some of the great musicians of the past, including a medley of Rick James songs like “Give It to Me Baby” and “Mary Jane,” a brief medley of the Jackson 5 hits “I Want You Back” and “ABC,” and a much more extended medley of the James Brown classics “The Payback,” “Soul Power,” “Make It Funky,” and “Sex Machine.” Along with cuts from Al Green, Kool & the Gang, the Commodores and more, Premo and Rock’s set felt like a miniature history lesson in black music, continuing into the rest of the evening.

Promising to soon go head to head with some of their own original beats, the two deejays first segued into the Hip-Hop portion of the evening with some ’80s favorites like Afrika Bambaataa‘s “Planet Rock,” MC Lyte‘s “Survival of the Fittest,” Audio Two‘s “Top Billin’,” Eric B. & Rakim‘s “Move the Crowd,” and Biz Markie‘s “Nobody Beats the Biz.” When Premo spun the Boogie Down Productions battle classic “The Bridge is Over,” a diss track aimed partly at Marley Marl (a huge influence on both Rock and Premo), Rock observed, “It’s even hard to hear at a distance, ’cause those are my people.”

Unfortunately, before they could get into the golden era of ’90s Hip-Hop, including the promised battle of their own productions and a promised special guest rapper (who, based on the outstanding scope of their past collaborations, could have been virtually any heavyweight emcee still alive and breathing), there was a power failure that brought the show to a premature end. I thought it was a gimmick at first, and much of the crowd began chanting “Hip-Hop,” as if our true belief could bring the lights and sound back on. Sad to say, in a city with subways full of ads featuring the slogan “Never be powerless,” the promoters and technicians were unable to bring the show back. It was a disappointing ending to an otherwise enjoyable evening of music brought to us by two of the greatest deejays alive. 

Flo Rida began as a hype man for the legendary 2 Live Crew, who were equally loved and hated in their time for boundary-pushing songs like “Me So Horny.” Of this experience, Flo says, “I heard about the crazy things that went on, but I never took part in that. I just went out and did the shows.” This is a large part of of his persona as an artist, a relentless positivity that embraces partying while avoiding explicit lyrics about drugs, guns or any other negative tropes often heard in club music. He says, “I was happy to have music that my mom could listen to … and put smiles on the faces of young and old people.” He has even started his own charity, Big Dreams 4 Kids, to give back to underprivileged youth in slums like the one in which he grew up. When asked about the way his music has mixed Hip-Hop with electronic dance music, he also points to his upbringing: “Growing up in Miami, Florida, it’s like a gumbo of different cultures.”

We then moved on to the listening portion of the evening, previewing 90-second snippets of all nine tracks from the new album, “Wild Ones.” The first single, “Whistle” has a pleasant, laid-back feel to it, with a hook that is almost reminiscent of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The title track, “Wild Ones,” features the up-and-coming singer Sia, and Flo spoke of his interest in finding new talent because “when you’re starting out, you don’t have the chance to work with who you want to, you just have to do what you can, and that’s how I started out.” He would seem to have a good instinct for future success, judging by songs like “Starstruck,” an early collaboration with a then unknown artist named Lady Gaga.

The rest of the album largely follows the template of “Wild Ones,” with thumping dance beats and Flo’s facilitating delivery. It should give fans exactly what they’ve come to expect, but it would be nice to hear him switch up his style more. Flo is a club rapper, though, not an emcee’s emcee, and he has found a sound that works for him. Even his more reflective song, “I Cry” has a similarly up-tempo flow on the verses, though the beat is a bit slower than the rest. “Good Feeling” is another standout track, featuring a beautiful Etta James sample, and according to Flo, “she passed away right after we went number one” with the song, a strange omen that meant a lot to him. Perhaps the worst track on the album is “Sweet Spot,” which features a guest turn from Jennifer Lopez and lots of lazy sugar/sex references, even dropping the phrase “candy shop,” a reminder of 50 Cent’s most embarrassing work. Still, this is a record for people to dance to, not analyze, and it should satisfy that need quite nicely.

Of all the concerts this summer, none could be hotter than Jay-Z and Eminem pairing up for the “Home and Home Tour” in the artists’ respective hometowns. To celebrate two of the greatest living rappers performing side by side, 1800 Tequila has put together two cocktails to sip in honor of this historic hip-hop milestone.

For Eminem, it’s the Motor City Margarita:

2 oz 1800® Silver Tequila
1 oz triple sec
½ oz lemon lime soda

Combine with ice and stir, garnish with lemon wheels and a sprig of mint.

And for Jay-Z, 1800 gives us the Manhattan State of Mind:

2 oz 1800® Silver Tequila
1 oz sweet vermouth
1 dash lime juice
1 slice orange

Shake tequila, vermouth, and lime juice with ice and strain into an old-fashioned glass over ice cubes. Add the slice of orange and serve.