Love Vs. Money

So, when The-Dream first dropped his debut single "Shawty is a 10" (or the album version titled "Shawty Is Da Shit") back in 2007, I wasn't a fan for all the wrong reasons. I was immature and slightly homophobic at the time, choosing not to listen to The-Dream simply because of his high pitched voice. Then came the second single "Falsetto", which was more popular with the urban population that my home along with Steinmetz Academic Centre threw me into than its predecessor. I finally decided to set my immaturity aside and see what all the fuss surrounding this song was about, and in turn, enjoyed the single very much. My approval of the song prompted me to at least check out the reviews of The-Dream's debut album Love Hate (alternately titled Love Me All Summer, Hate Me All Winter), and the reviews were generally VERY positive. Finally, I had to hear the album for myself via Imeem, and subsequently fell in love with it, making myself a fan of The-Dream after all.

Then The-Dream went dormant for a while, save for his guest appearance on the hot single by the Gym Class Heroes entitled "Cookie Jar", raising the anticipation of his next album, single, or anything. While on Wikipedia one day, I stumbled across The-Dream's entry, and saw that he had been in the studio working on his sophomore album Love Vs. Money. I was also informed that the first confirmed single from the album would be the track "Let Me See The Booty", produced by and featuring Lil Jon. I began listening to the track multiple times a day after first hearing it, a habit that probably would've taken effect even had I not been a The-Dream fan already. Next came the buzz about "Rockin' That Shit", the Song of Tha Moment from December 13-December 23, as well as the apparent second single, deemed as "Rockin' That Thang". The combination of both singles suggest that The-Dream has not missed a step in trying to follow up a spectacular debut. The catch though, is the fact that a number of tracks from the album have already been leaked to the internet, or will be in the near future. The track "Right Side of My Brain" is all over YouTube, and the rest of the confirmed tracks from the album ("My Love" [featuring Mariah Carey], "You Ain't Shit", "Fancy", "Make Love To Me", and "Kelly's 12 Play") might just follow suit; forcing fans like myself to make a huge decision that ties into the title of the album.

Will our love for The-Dream's music prompt us to spend our money on what definitely sounds like another spectacular R&B/R&G album, or will we succumb to the world of free downloads (which is how I received my copy of Love Hate)?