New leaked song from Ne-Yo called "Love U."
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
New R&B: Static Major "Illusion"
"Illusion" is a recently surfaced song from the late Static Major. The song, which was written by Static, was eventually remade by his close friend Pleasure P and appeared on P's latest album. Before his passing, he was readying his solo debut to be called "Suppertime." With any luck, this album will eventually be released to honor Static's legacy.
Better R&B Group: 112 or Jagged Edge?
Vs.
Jagged Edge
Which is the better R&B Group?
Click below for group summaries.
112
Albums: 112 (1996), Room 112 (1998), Part III (2001), Hot & Wet (2003), Pleasure & Pain (2005).
Singles: "Only You," "Come See Me," "Cupid," "Love Me," "Anywhere," "Love You Like I Did," "Your Letter," "It's Over Now," "Peaches & Cream," "Dance With Me," "Na Na Na Na," "Hot & Wet," "U Already Know," "Right Here For U," "What If."
Jagged Edge
Albums: A Jagged Era (1998), J.E. Heartbreak (2000), Jagged Little Thrill (2001), Hard (2003), Jagged Edge (2006), Baby Makin Project (2007).
Singles: "The Way That You Talk," "Gotta Be," "Slow Motion," "Keys to the Range," "He Can't Love You," "Let's Get Married," "Promise," "Where the Party At?," "Goodbye," "I Got It," "Walked Outta Heaven," "What it's Like," "So Amazing," "Good Luck Charm," "Season's Change," "Stunnas," "Put a Little Umph in It."
Classic R&B Song of the Day: Playa "Cheers 2 U" (1998)
Louisville r&b trio Playa scored a top 10 single on the r&b charts with their 1998 song "Cheers 2 U." The group, with the help of the production of Timbaland, released only one album; "Cheers 2 U" in the same year. Ten years later, the group lost one of its members with the passing of Static Major, who was on the verge of a bright solo career.
Classic Hip Hop Song of the Day: Bone Thugs N Harmony "Ghetto Cowboy" (1998)
"Ghetto Cowboy" was a unique single by the Bone Thugs N Harmony where they portrayed cowboys and told a story of the old west. Somehow, the group was able to make this odd concept work as the song flowed very smoothly.
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Thin Line Between "Selling Out" and "Crossing Over"
There is no denying that at some point in their careers, all major hip hop artists would like to get paid. After all, this is their career, and they can't survive in this career without making money. But in order to do that, some artists must resort to what has become known as "selling out" or intentionally making a record that is more pop than anything else. However, sometimes it can be a bit confusing as to whether an artist is selling out, or simply making singles that cross over into the main stream unintentionally. Let's look at some examples.
Jay-Z - After his classic album "Reasonable Doubt," he followed up with "In My Lifetime Vol. 1" which undoubtedly contains many commercial singles. These include "The City is Mine," "I Know What Girls Like," and "Always be my Sunshine." In the years to come, he would also release "Hard Knock Life," "Big Pimpin," "Give it to Me," etc.
Nas - Following his classic debut "Illmatic," he released "It was Written" which contained commercial singles "The Message," "If I Ruled the World," and "Street Dreams." Some of his other songs also fit this description such as "Nastradamus," "You Owe Me," and "I Can."
Ja Rule - After a very gutter debut album, he began singing on every recording he got a chance to.
Big Pun - "Still Not a Player" became a huge crossover single, but was this really considered selling out?
Mobb Deep - Managed to alienate a lot of their hardcore fan base after releasing the single "Hey Luv" with 112 off of their "Infamy" album.
Fat Joe - I've already touched on him, and there is no denying he recruited whoever was hot at the moment to get on his latest single.
50 Cent - After dissing Ja Rule for singing, he ends up doing the same thing throughout his career.
JadaKiss - Making songs with the radio friendly Nate Dogg, Pharrell, Mariah Carey, Carl Thomas & Ne-Yo.
These are just some examples of the point I'm trying to get across. I'm not doing anything besides making observations on the choice of singles some artists have decided to make. Many of the songs mentioned above turned into major radio hits, but was it because of crossover appeal, or were these artists selling out?
Let me state as a disclaimer that I have nothing against artists striving for growth and trying to put money on the table to better themselves and feed their family. The purpose of this article is to debate whether certain artists intentionally sold out or whether the songs just become crossover hits on their own.
New R&B: JoJo "How You Did It"
Another day, another leaked song from JoJo. It could either be her whole album slowly leaking, or she decided to just scrap all of the songs she recorded and start from scratch. Only time will tell.
Classic R&B Song of the Day: Jon B. "Someone to Love" featuring Babyface (1995)
When Jon B. was discovered by Babyface and eventually released his solo album with his help, he quickly become known for being a white man singing in an r&b genre dominated by African Americans. However, songs like today's classic r&b song of the day "Someone to Love" quickly gave him credibility in this field. Jon released his fourth album "Helpless Romantic" last year and is still making music any color would be proud of.
Classic Hip Hop Song of the Day: Big L "Put it On" (1995)
Had he not passed away way too soon before his time, Big L might be one of the biggest names in hip hop today. In fact, I have him in my top five rappers of all time due to his lyricism and word play. Word is, he was set to sign with Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella, which makes his passing in '99 even more of a tragedy.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
New R&B: Dirty Money "Love Come Down" Remix featuring Lloyd Banks
Normally I would stay away from posting anything involving Diddy, he has become incredibly annoying and corny in the past 10 years, but for some reason I can tolerate "Love Come Down" from his group Dirty Money. I find the song to be incredibly raw, with a great beat, but ironically I would actually enjoy it more without Diddy on the track. Overall, I'm not expecting much from this project.
New Hip Hop: Timbaland "Morning After Dark" featuring SoShy
Timbaland has always been known for his innovative style, and that is no less apparent on his latest single "Morning After Dark." This song is probably a little too outside the box for my taste, as I found the uptempo song to be plain weird although perfectly tailored for the clubs. I can't fault the man for the growth he is making though, as he will always be considered in the top 3 hip hop producers of all time.
Classic Hip Hop Song of the Day: Outkast "Rosa Parks" (1998)
Generating a lot of buzz due to its controversial name, "Rosa Parks" is one of the biggest hits by hip hop group Outkast and is today's hip hop song of the day. Although eventually a lawsuit brought forward by the prominent African American figure would be settled out of court, it didn't hinder Outkast as the album went on to go double platinum. Following the "Aquemini" album, the group would move to developing a new sound and were able to find success there as well, as they are recognized as one of the greatest hip hop groups of all time.
Classic R&B Song of the Day: Donell Jones "Knocks Me Off My Feet" (1996)
Today's R&B song of the day is "Knocks Me Off My Feet" by Donell Jones. Donell released this remake of the Stevie Wonder classic on his debut album "My Heart" in 1996. Being one of the greats of his own generation, I wouldn't be surprised if someone released a remake of a Donell Jones song years down the road.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
New Hip Hop: Redman "Coc Back" featuring Ready Roc
Here is a new single from hip hop veteran Redman called "Coc Back" which is expected to be the first single from his upcoming album "Reggie Noble "0" 9 1/2." The album is expected to be released in late 2009. The song is decent, but I can't see it doing much as a lead single.
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