The Tidal Exclusives You Need To Check Out Now

29 June 2017 | 6:49 pm | Mark Beresford

‘In Real Life’

‘In Real Life’

As streaming services continue to rise and fall in a saturated market, a few key players have been able to rise to the top for their own respective reasons. Tidal has marketed itself on high fidelity audio, an artist owned platform and being heavy with exclusive content, and though some may not be concerned with lossless music or artist royalties, the exclusive content remains a kicker for Tidal in capturing an audience and for good reason.

Beyoncé’s Lemonade

There’s little that can be said about Queen B’s killer 2016 record that hasn’t been said already, bold genre mixing sounds and Beyonce giving her most emotive and exposed lyrical content to date, fans and critics have all hailed it as one of the best records of the year. This one won’t be found on any other subscription services and is backed up with all of the album's videos to boot.

Jay-Z’s 4:44

Mr. Knowles and majority company owner, Jay-Z dropped 4:44 into our laps just days ago. While we’ll have a full rundown on the record posted soon, if you’re hoping to listen to it, you’ll be heading here. While we don’t yet know if this one will remain an exclusive, given that Carter has previously pulled almost all his catalogue from Spotify and moved it to Tidal, it’s safe to say he won’t be handing this one over quickly.

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Tidal Podcasts

It may not seem like much on the surface as most platforms these days offer up some form of podcasting, but Tidal may have some serious gold on their hands.

Launch titles are currently aimed hard at the US listener but with the impressive artist ownership roster on deck, this one will expand and expand to must listen. The first five shows have now been announced and include the former XXL Magazine editor Elliot Wilson bringing Rap Radar with him, NYC DJ Angie Martinez putting on the monthly In Real Life with Minya "Miss Info" Oh and an as yet unreleased comedy guest show hosted by Cipha Sounds entitled The Guest Spot.

Some of you may have already hit up Rap Radar for industry news on the US Hip Hop scene, so it’s no surprise that Wilson has brought the same emphasis over into the podcast. The first two episodes already peer behind the curtain with All Eyez On Me director Benny Boom and Thrift Shopper Macklemore.

In Real Life offers up a much more personal and highly addictive view into a broader view across the everything from pop to black culture and politics with the pairing of Martinez and co-host Miss Info clicks from the first episode and hopefully the scheduling will push this one from Monthly to Weekly.

Prince’s CRAZY2COOL (Live in Paris)

The purple one was one of the early takers to Tidal with his full catalogue on the service. While this has now been spread to other companies, the focus that Tidal keeps on video and episodic content means that we are treated to CRAZY2COOL (Live In Paris). Shot during his 2014 tour with 3rd Eye Girl and showcasing the stripped down dirty rock sound Prince was taking to those shows, it’s a brilliant snapshot of concert footage that’s worthy of a subscription in itself.

21 Savage’s 30 Days With 21 Savage

Ever wonder what it’s like to go on a hottest ticket sell out tour across the US? 30 Days gives a raw backstage look at the 21 Savage tour, being shot on candid cameras with little editing, there’s not much being hidden here. Still loaded with steaming concert footage with appearances from Young Thug, Lil’ Yachty and Lil Uzi Vert, it’s hard not to be fascinated by the insane dialogue of the crew as they travel between cities.

Tidal Playlists

If you had to narrow it down to one exclusive that stands above all else, Tidal playlists would likely be it. The content is perfectly curated and is a hip hop fans dream with A$AP Ferg, Mary J. Blige, The Lox, Phresher and Rae Sremmurd all contributing their customised playlists on topics of their choice. Prince once again shows his skill with his former picks of the week worked into their own pack and his Always mix proving to be the ever reliable party starter. Mark Lanegan giving his favourite traveling songs, the Black Lips paying tribute to Iggy Pop, and countless other acts showing who they’re listening to right now and what inspired them in the day. It’s a treasure trove of content to not only get a better understanding of an artist you may already enjoy but is sure to bring new acts to your regular plays. It certainly beats throwing on a generic listen for ‘punk’ or ‘alternative hiphop’.