Gonna MISS Miss Whitney

Not hip hop, but she was so pop & so cool that she touched all genre lovers, really. Perhaps my favorite vocal performance:

The Clipse

Yeah, so anyone who knows me knows I love the Clipse. Since The Funeral. To Alone in Vegas by Pusha T. Pusha T's album is a classic by the way. Body Work Feat. Meek Mill, French Montana & Juicy J? Raid feat. 50 Cent & Pharrell? Wow. My God. :)









Then you gotta love Malice's PSA:


But just in case you thought he was soft:

Jay Z has a song feat. Baby Blue Already? Tha Newly Notorious B.I.C.

Blue Ivy Carter. Wow. Jay-Z has a song for & featuring Baby Blue already? 1 day old. Bey had a miscarriage? Is that Pharrell? The EmpireState was Blue? 4 her? "Her Granddad died of n*gga failure. Then he died of liver failure. Deep down he was a good man. G'damn I can't deliver failure." Wow. Check it out here: http://lifeandtimes.com/glory-feat-b-i-c
Thanks for sharing that one Jay.

Ignorant. Belligerent. & I Luv It! [Nelly, T.I. + 2 Chainz]

I Love Cool People--And Teyana Taylor's one of 'em (+ her song w/ Wale + pic of Pharrell)

I remember Teyana Taylor when she was on Sweet 16 chillin with Pharrell pressed to have a skateboard ramp & gettin a custom dress made by Heatherette (NYC). Like who is this chick? I think she's special & I know she's gonna blow sooner than later.

Anyway, check out this track with Wale. I like the ode to MJ with the "da da da" from Remember the time.


Speaking of being cool, and Pharrell, that reminds me when I snuck into the MTV Awards & sat in the 3rd row. I was behind Kanye, Pharrell & Lil Kim and across from Jay & Bey, Nas & Kelis, T.I. & Snoop. I was 6 rows in front of the Clipse. Love them dudes. Here's the fuzzy pic of Pharrell I was able to recover from my old phone:

Classic...Fabolous--Breathe

If there were a Hip Hop 100 list, Breathe would have to be on it. Why there is no VEVO or official vid for this, I don't know.



Bonus I found while looking for Breathe:

Diddly Diddly Diddly Diddly Diddly Dee

Man, Heavy D was a staple in hip hop for me. Like there from the beginning. A classic that never went out of style. Like Rakim will always be respected. Like Big Daddy Kane. Like Doug E. Fresh. Like Slick Rick. Anyway, my favorite DJ, Sixth Sense has this Heavy D. Mix:
Taste Of Heavy D by djsixthsense
I think my top 3 Heavy songs have to be: 1. I Want Somebody to Love Me for Me 2. Mr. Big Stuff 3. Overweight Lover's in the House Honorable Mention: Peaceful Journey

Taylor Gang

Heard this in a mix yesterday so it's been on my mind. I don't care what anybody says, production comes first. Think Canibus... Wyclef's soft productions killed his career, and he was arguably one of the best lyricists doing it at his time. What if he had hooked up with Dr. Dre like Em did?



I in no way endorse the events going on in this video, lol. But art & expression are very necessary & highly appreciated. Do you.

Brianna (nuff said).

3 Claissics: Phil Ade, Black Star & Kanye West

If a classic is created in DC (i.e. the woods) & the masses don't hear it (nobody's there to hear it), is it a classic (does it make a sound)? Yes (yes).



I love this Phil Ade song so much, that sometimes, even a year later, I just want to hear it. Now that's classic. Reminds me of Definition's classic vibe for some reason.



I don't even want to mention Resurrection. Moving on, I was thinking the other day, even though Kanye's Gold Digger was a huge commercial success, it's really a hip hop classic. I mean, Ray Charles--performed by Jaime Foxx...a sample but not really. Telling stories--funny like Fresh Prince but serious like Latrell Sprewell & Shawn Kemp (child support issues). I found it funny that when Nicki Minaj went to record Monster in Hawaii for Kanye's album, she was intimidated because she thought Kanye was a "conscious" rapper. Really? I mean, he doesn't tote guns & he has been known to wear a backpack from time to time, but "conscious" has never crossed my mind. Just real--real talented & real vicious.



Here's a bonus cuz I just LOVE this, even years later--I never forget Kanye's magazine verse:

Is Lil Wayne A Real Hip Hop Artist?

I'm not too sure anymore. After watching his MTV VMA 2011 performance, it's clearly R&B and rock. It's about as hip hop as Kid Rock. I've liked Lil Wayne since he pulled up in the Expedition and they were like no, I know, I know, I know he didn't. I guess the real problem isn't that he's singing--okay that's a problem, but rapping over the rock track is cool with me. But he just wasn't that tight. Then he drops the mike like that was the best performance of the show--"Young Moola baby". Please. I just didn't feel a hip hop vibe. I felt a sell out vibe. Or a confused vibe. Or a you feel yourself way more than the people feel you vibe. What do you think? By the way, he needs some new pants. I'm just sayin'.

Girls Girls Girls...Chi Ali & Gang Starr

When you're a kid, kid rappers aren't really kids. They're your peers or if they're 3+ years older, they're grown. Chi Ali was older than me, so what he had to say mattered. I remember going to my friend's house hangin' out as a little kid. We were playing pool & video games. The only tape they had (yes, I said tape) was Chi Ali so we listened to this song like 20 times. But with ties to Black Sheep (lil brother?), this dude was cool. I thought I heard this sampled on Watch the Throne, but it's not in the credits. I'm sure some element exits. Here is the dopeness:



Here's a back up link cause I know how videos end up missing: http://youtu.be/NyJPKPYzMt4

Now, when I searched for Age Ain't Nothin But a Number, guess what else came up? My favorite Gang Starr song, Ex Girl to the Next Girl. The beat, music, flow. Both videos came out the same year too: 1992. R.I.P. Guru.

Old School, New School, No School Rules. Hip Hop is what it is. Dope is dope. This is Classic.

Marketing is Cool. Nike got Primo, Rakim, Kanye, Nas, KRS & a sick Graffiti Artist to pay homage to the Air Force One. In this life I know I should be in marketing. I wonder if I could've ever made this happen in my wildest dreams (BTW, I know this vid is 4 years old, but I have been living under a rock. School, Business, Life...but I realize that Music is Life. Common Used to Love Her...I still do):

CLASSIC - Music Video (4:3) from Thibaut de Longeville on Vimeo.

Back to Otis Again...gotta gotta

Uh...yeah. Cause the video is so damn tight. No--FLY. Yeah, it's fly. Simple but iconic. You only need to see it once to remember it, that's for sure. How much do you think the car will go for?



Is a cut up Maybach featured in a music video worth more or less than the original? BTW, who is that random dude with the sunglasses? Anybody notice him? There were 5 people in white in the beginning...so 4 models & one random dude? Maybe he was the "artist" that designed the car for real...

Back to the music. What rap duo has made an impact like this? Slick Rick & Doug E. Fresh? Perhaps. I can't remember two solo artists being so hot together. Jay Z has finally found his equal stylistically, work-ethic wise, and most importantly egotistically--Kanye's "Big Brother" Jay may be the only person in the world he wouldn't ego trip on. This may actually work out. Tickets are already sold out in an arena near you. Jay's former partners didn't quite work out for a number of reasons, like R. Kelly, and Ja Rule & DMX (Didn't they have a little group called Murder Inc?). But this right here can go down in the history books. For this one moment in time, these two boys right here did it.

Why Are Rappers Blasting Off in Space All of a Sudden?

It started with Madonna saying she wanted to go to the moon for her 50th Bday. *chuckle* But then Lil Wayne says "We are not the same, I am a Martian" in 2008's Carter III. Okay. Then in 2010 came Lil Wayne's "Rebirth" and "I Am Not a Human Being". What was he reborn into? A Monster like Jay Z, Kanye & Nicki Minaj? Now everybody's takin trips to Mars & the Moon (Katy Perry talks about making love to an Alien Kanye West who states he knows a "bar out in Mars" in the song). Huh?

In Lift Off, From Jay Z & Kanye's Watch the Throne, can it get any more literal than when Beyonce belts: We gon take it to the moon/Take it to the stars.../Bout to take this whole thing to Mars?

Jay says in the song that Earth is boring to him. I can imagine so when you have everything at your disposal. Part of being ambitious is to find the next challenge. How many vacations, yachts, cars & houses can you buy as a billionaire before it gets plain boring? (Jay & Bey together are about $100K shy of a billion--boring, right?). To come from so little to so much in one lifetime is--unthinkable. The amount of ambition, drive & the rush of satisfaction must be addictive. At this point, what else is there to do in the next 20 years but to go to outer space? Why not?

I don't know, but too many people are talking about it for some reason. If it's a trend, it's wierd. If it's true, how would I know? But I'm gonna be watchin their throne to see if it blasts off. Perhaps MTV's logo isn't a moon man for nothin...

DC Doin' It

Growing up, I always wondered if Go Go could make it nationwide. Technically, you can release covered songs, but does the rest of the country get it? Do they even need to? Well, like most thought, the music would have to be modified in some way. I mean, you are listening to Go-Go under It's Love by Jill Scott, then Jill & Chuck Brown just got nominated for a Grammy (for a song I didn't like by the way, but I'm still happy for Chuck for that). Doin' the Butt, Shake Your Thing & other Salt-N-Pepa songs had a Go-Go beat.



So after years of wondering if Go-Go would make it (that generic beat stuff doesn't count...besides, it didn't feature a real Go-Go Band except E.U.), I've finally heard what I believe is a perfect mix. Wale & TCB. Bait. DC Girls can turn around and check up on it but a hip hopper will bob his head and not even know why. It's almost like the Roots being on the track. A live band doing their thing. But with a DC style. Them strong drums on every quarter beat. 1, 2, 3, 4 has bass, snare, congos, trumpets, cymbals, everything. Listen:

If I were a DJ, I would never ever evva play...

1. The Electric Slide
2. Before I Let Go by Frankie Beverly (If I hear whoa-ooh-whoaaaaa one more time...)
3. Your Love Deserves an Encore (played right after Before I Let Go, of course)
4. A Generic Mix.

Yes, the good ol' generic mix. You know the pre-mixed song most DJs play (hate it).
Random Group* Singing over Mobb Deep / Lil' Kim Quiet Storm Beat: "You will never ever find a love like (mine). You will never ever find a love like (mine)..."
In a Flava Flav Voice: Kick that hydro ghetto sh..
Switch to Shook Ones: "To all the killas & the hundred dollar billas...To real ni... that ain't got no feelins"

There's a Generic Mix with Biggie too. Back to Generic Mix #1 above. I found out the *Random Singing Group's name is In Essence. Who? They played that song on cable Music Choice the other day. I didn't even know it was a real song by a real group that was ever released. Horrible. Come to find out, they were once managed by FunkMaster Flex around 2001...oh, now it makes sense why there were on the mix, and they were a hit in Canada. Who knew? But why does every DJ use Flex's mix. That's HIS mix. Let him use it!

If I ever get a chance to rock a party, there'll be no generic mixes from me! I can make my own.

Jay Z & Kanye West:: Senior Citizens in the Game

Hip Hop is so young that it doesn't have senior citizens...yet. I often wonder who the oldest rapper will be. Do you ever have to retire from rap? I don't know but that n.....Jay gonna push the limits. Maybe he'll be still hot rappin' about Social Security checks(Just got Social Security thru a hands-free / that's old money talk can you answer me?) LOL.

I guess age isn't relevant because it's not time for Jay to quit. AT ALL. One word: Otis. Sick. Kanye is sick too. My mom loves Jay Z. And she LOVES Otis Redding. She's gonna love this song. He shoulda threw a MFa in there a few times for her though. For now, this site has the song: http://watchthethrone.com/otis/