siik: single ladies remix.

dl: Single Ladies (siik remix) (alt)

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I made the exciting graphic you see above for work a while back, and I've been looking for an excuse to repost it. Thankfully, Mixtape Maestro reminded me that I should never take my eyes off of siik.org, posting an excellent "remix" of "Single Ladies".

I say "remix" since Siik's work leans more towards blend or mash-up. It's all either hit or near-miss, but the good ones make you hear songs in entirely different ways. Placing Sasha up in the club with Talib Kweli gives the song a bit of an Amerie vibe, and I mean that in the most complimentary way.

Don't forget to check out Siik's takes on T-Pain & Brandy. They're also delicioso, even if the woozy Weezy part is cut out of the former.

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BONER TRACK: Can't Believe It (siik remix) (alt)
BONER TRACK II: I Wanna Be Down (siik remix) (alt)
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- SITE IT - SPACE IT - HYPE IT -

ben one: never leave my girl remix.

dl: BEN ONE f/ TWISTA & SLY POLAROID - Never Leave My Girl (remix) (alt)
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Remember when I wrote about Ben One's "Never Leave My Girl"? Can someone explain to me why it isn't fucking huge yet? I can only hope that this remix will take Ben one step closer to national domination, but I suppose I'm being far too optimistic. The remix is a complete revamp of the original, not just a new beat. It's "aight".

Just as I was wondering who the hell this Sly Polaroid character is, a vintage Kanye West track featuring him popped up on Nah Right. M ust be a Chi-town thing.

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mya: it's all about me.

dl: MYA f/ SISQO - It's All About Me (alt)

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Take It Back Thursday...uh, is a little late this week. I suppose since this is the first time I've done this, I could have just called it Take It Back Friday, but let's not get into that. In this series of posts, I will be covering songs of the past, which I will loosely define as anything from the 1930s to last year. Because sometimes it just gets damn boring writing about new shit. When possible, I will try to give updates on where the artist's career is now.

Mya's voice first reached our ears on the chorus of the 1998 single "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)", but her first proper release as a solo artist was the Sisqo-assisted bedroom jam "It's All About Me". I'll never forget the tone which she delivers the opening lines, "I cook your dinner, I wash your clothes. Baby hell no, that's not the way it goes. It's all about me tonight." When paired with the video's visuals of that red mini-skirt and Ms. Harrison's seductive dance moves, it was enough to make any 13 year-old boy's mind wander. I mean, she was basically making love to the air around her in a way that makes the phrase "making love" not sound revolting.

As far as vocals go, Mya's most memorable moments are her sexiest--"It's All About Me", "My Love Is Like...Wo!". Of the three singers featured on 2001's "Lady Marmalade", Mya blatantly has the weakest voice after Pink and Christina Aguilera, but she naturally slips into the burlesque role by playing up her sex kitten image. None of the three singles ("Ayo", "Lock U Down", "Ridin") released to promote Mya's 2007 album Liberation managed to recapture this carnal magic, and I indirectly consider this the reason the album was shelved in the US.

After severing her ties with Motown, Mya has signed to Manhattan Records and recently released Sugar & Spice in Japan. The new album finds Mya destroying Diana King's "Shy Guy", relying far too much on cheesy dance tracks and trying to bring her sexy back with the Ne-Yo penned "Paradise". It leaves me wondering what would have happened if Sisqo had never gone solo and made the "Thong Song", leaving him more time to produce sultry songs for Mya and less time to host Sisqo's Shakedown.

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BONER TRACK: MYA - Shy Guy (Diana King cover) (alt)

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- BUY IT - SITE IT - SPACE IT - WIK IT - HYPE IT -

kalenna: settle down.

dl: KALENNA - Settle Down (alt)

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"Hump-Hop Hooray" is the latest regular series here. Every Wednesday, I'll be bringing you a different hip-hop track, new or old, for your hump day consideration.

A supposedly anonymous voice in the intro to "Settle Down" asks several times "Who is she?", only to be followed up by a slightly angry response--"Kalenna!" It's said in a matter of fact "duh" way, as if you're stupid for not having figured it out by now. But when you think about it, it's a relatively accurate demonstration of Kalenna's celebrity status. Even if someone told you a song was by her, you'd still have no idea who they're talking about. While I'd love to say that Kalenna deserves national recognition as soon as tomorrow, the most I can say at this moment is that she possesses untapped potential that needs to be realized... hopefully, as soon as tomorrow.

"Settle Down" provides the clearest example of Kalenna's conceivable career. It's unique in the sense that it's entirely rapped, while the majority of her offerings fall into the category of mid-tempo R&B. As this is a mixtape track, it's possible she was just fucking around with her producer and having fun. Whatever the case is, the attitude portrayed on "Settle Down" is ten times more intriguing than the rest of her repertoire. While I wouldn't complain if Kalenna changed directions and went entirely hip-hop, I think she should at least consider lending her voice to an uptempo jam where she delivers rhymes (a la Mary J. Blige's rap alter-ego Brook Lynn).

Favorite moment: "I'm twenty-two, and I ain't got no stretch marks!"

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erykah badu: unofficial "soldier" remix contest.

dl: ERYKAH BADU - Soldier (acappella) (alt)

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I've seen New Amerykah, Pt. 1 (4th World War) on quite a few "best of" lists for 2008, and while I'll say that it definitely deserves a spot on every one of those lists, I'm not about to fuck with making any "best of" lists. It is what it is!

But you know what isn't what it is, or at least what it should be? The acappella for "Soldier". I find it hard to believe that I have this acappella on my computer, yet I haven't seen a single remix of the song with more than the original track and some random rapper adding rhymes. This needs to change.

Now that the Little Pictures remix contest deadline has passed, I'll be holding an unofficial Erykah Badu remix contest because "Soldier" is too good to not receive the proper remix treatment. The prize ain't much more than glory and your own customized ITMS!! badoodle, but maybe there's a chance that Erykah will hear your remix. Badu spends half of her time in Brooklyn, so if I open my windows and play your remix loud enough... maybe she'll just happen to be passing by? Let's not act like stranger things haven't happened.

Deadline is January 5, 2009. Send submissions to itisthemoneyshot.info(at)gmail.com.  Anything goes. Bring it.

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BONER TRACK: ERYKAH BADU - Honey (Luminfire's Letroset Erykazoo Blend) (alt)

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- BUY IT - SITE IT - SPACE IT - HYPE IT - WIK IT -

t-pain: pr33 ringz.

dl: T-PAIN f/ E-40, SOULJA BOY, SHAWTY LO, YOUNG JEEZY, RICK ROSS, LIL WAYNE, & T-WAYNE - Like I Outta (Z)

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Last night a T-Pain saved my life. Seriously. You can say what you want to say about T-Pain, and I understand your frustration. He's been responsible for a handful of the most annoying hits in the past year-- "Low", "Kiss Kiss", and list goes on. With that said, he has also been responsible for a handful of tunes that have breathed new life into me and restored my faith in pop music. I can't explain it, and, no, I can't believe it... but I have a respect for T-Pain that no grown man should admit to.

I know I'm over a month late on this, but I'm sure I'm not the only person who wasn't aware that T-Pain dropped Pr33 Ringz, a mixtape promoting the release of his upcoming album Thr33 Ringz. I once read an interview with T-Pain in which he stated that he only raps when he's feeling angry. Considering the majority of tracks on Pr33 Ringz have him rapping, he really must have been pissed while recording this. Anger can be the only explanation for a line like "That bitch look like a toucan that's eating froot loops at a gay parade" ("Nappy Boy or Die"). As hard as I try to be offended by that, I can't stop laughing at the imagery. This is probably an indication that my T-Pain addiction is reaching problematic levels.

"This all I want you to do with me. Put your drink down, pick it back up, drink it, put it back down, pick it up again, drink it some more, put it down on the bar, slide it across the bar, tell someone to pass you your drink back, pick it up again, put it in my mouth, I'ma take a sip of it, put it back down, I want you to pick it back up, then you take a sip of it, and then both of us drunk as fuck and the person that you slid it to the first time"--- T-Pain's equation for getting drunk, as explained on "Don't Stop The Party"

A line from T-Pain's rap on Ciara's new single "Go Girl" sums up my love for him-- "Even with an IQ of 42, they say I'm a motha, motha genius." I don't care if T-Pain isn't the most intelligent musician out there. I don't care if he's indirectly making America a little dumber. He's a genius in a way that most people don't understand. Just take a listen to "Like I Outta". If you listen closely (okay, you don't have to listen that closely), you'll notice that none of the featured rappers are actually on the track. Given that he could have easily convinced half of them to hop on the track, it seems odd, no? WRONG. Take a listen to the chorus "Grab your microphone, set your autotune, and I'ma bust a verse on your ass like I outta do". This is clearly a commentary on other musicians biting off of his autotune style, so he's stolen the style and (in some cases) voice of rappers to demonstrate his point. Okay, it's not necessarily genius. But it's totally fucking brilliant, and I don't get why more people aren't talking about this track.

Please download Pr33 Ringz immediately so we can discuss how odd and incredible it is. Now.

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BONER TRACK: T-PAIN f/ DJ KHALED - Superman (Z)

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- BUY IT - SITE IT - SPACE IT - FACE IT - WIK IT - HYPE IT -

michelle williams: best day ever.

dl: MICHELLE WILLIAMS - Stop This Car (SloDown PenPal remix) (Z - YSI)
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I'm pretty sure Boulangerie must have some unintentional agenda to destroy any blog cred I've established over the past two years, as she somehow provoked me into taking my lunch to go to a meet-and-greet for Michelle Williams (the one from Destiny's Child, not Dawson's Creek). Actually, I blame a certain blacktress for being an enabler to my Destiny's Child addiction. That's right, I said "my" addiction. Boulangerie can't be blamed for this. I have a problem. And the first step to solving such a problem...is, um, writing about it on your blog?

My story today is a period piece. Picture it. New Jersey. Summer of 1999. A young man is sitting on the basement couch watching Black Entertainment Television. He is on a threeway telephone call with his two best friends, but the screen is split into fours with one panel showing the music video for Destiny's Child's "Bills, Bills, Bills". One of the three boys, we'll call him Kai Ull, comments on how smokin' Kelly (Rowland) looks. Jay chips in, "Pssh, everyone knows Beyonce is the hottest." And then the last of the trio chimes in with, "I like the red-haired one."

The "red-haired one" was LaTavia Roberson. My reasons for liking her were pretty simple. She had red hair. She was sassy. Now, let it be known that Latavia and I have history. This one time, we held hands. It was for less than a second, some would call it a handshake, but it was one of the best less-than-a-seconds of my life. I will cherish it forever.

You could guess that I was heartbroken when LaTavia (whatever LeToya) was replaced in 2000. Who were those random chicks in the "Say My Name" video? What the fuck did they do with my LaTavia? Farrah Franklin? Michelle Williams? WTF?

When Farrah was dismissed from the group, Michelle's personality became incredibly prominent. She gave a voice to the sassiness that LaTavia previously just embodied, and she easily became my new favorite member of the group. I was pumped when I first heard Michelle's vocals on "Survivor". There's a scratchy timbre to her singing voice that made DC a teensy bit edgier. A little bit of grit, you know?

I never got into Michelle's gospel work, so I was excited to hear about her first "secular" project. The leak of a snippet from "Stop This Car" only continued to fuel (puns!) my excitement. I'm kind of over Stargate's midtempo "Irreplaceable"-knockoff tired-ass sound, but Michelle's voice really fit the production. Despite the positive reception of this track, the first single wound up being a dance tune called "We Break The Dawn", which recently topped Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay charts. Funny thing is...I don't think it's even touched the Hot 100. This makes no sense given that the song channels the same euro-pop vibe of hits like Rihanna's "Don't Stop The Music" and Chris Brown's "Forever". I'm not sure if hope is lost for "Dawn", but I have my fingers crossed that it'll be a late bloomer like Ne-Yo's "Closer" (at #10 upon writing this).

I like to think that Tenitra* is my new best friend. Despite being a half hour late to her appearance, she hopped in like she knew everyone in the world since middle school. There's nothing diva about her, despite being a former member of the best-selling female group of all time. After her interview with Hillary Crosley of Billboard, she signed autographs, took photos with fans, and then signed even more autographs for people's children. I know that's what she's supposed to do and all, but she didn't make it come off as an obligation and even endured some minor groping (some would call it hugging) from a few male fans. Long story short, she is one humble motherfucker.

Here are some highlights from the interview, which should be appearing soon on Billboard.com...

• Much like me, Michelle doesn't understand why radio isn't down with "We Break The Dawn". She compared it to other upbeat songs by Danity Kane or The Pussycat Dolls, which I didn't really get at all...but, um, at least we can both agree on that, Tenitra!
• Michelle got incredibly awkward when asked about Beyonce's new material. Crosley asked her if it was anything like her new stuff. Michelle squirmed around a bit, finally uttering a response, "It's...different." She followed up by affirming the hotness of B's new tunes. I prefer Solange's method of dealing with Beyonce questions---“I get asked about Beyoncé all the time but I try and make fun of it. Sometimes I say she’s not my sister. Other times I say I’ve stuffed her in my suitcase and sent it to Dubai."
• "The Greatest" will be the second single released from the album, produced by "Lollipop" producer Jim Jonsin. Michelle refused to reveal any details about the video, only stating that it will be "beautiful". Another single "Hello Heartbreak" will be released simultaneously, targeted towards the dance/club demographic.
• Originally, Michelle wasn't going to record "Stop This Car" because she thought the lyrics were too corny.
• Michelle's new haircut is totally cute.
• According to Michelle, there are no official plans for Destiny's Child to reunite. She said something along the lines of, "We wouldn't have called the last album Destiny Fulfilled if we planned to make another." Though there haven't been any discussions yet, it appears that the group would only reunite for a tour in the future. This would not be out of obligation, but for the love and sisterhood that they share. Michelle believes that said tour would only occur after they all have babies, so let's not get our hopes up quite yet!
• This has nothing to do with yesterday, but "Nasty Girl" is an amazing video. There are so many skanks that I've seen who I'd throw into a "nasty zapper".
  

Photographic evidence, in case you doubt me. THANK YOU SO MUCH, SOJO!!

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* Michelle's real name. Rumor has it that Matthew Knowles made her change it because it was too "hood". This may also explain why he got rid of LaTavia. Because "LaTavia, can you handle this?" just didn't sound right.

PREVIOUSLY ON ITMS!!: SoJo's really awesome story about Solange and a bedazzled cast, along with a remix of "Lose My Breath" by DGENETICS. Check it!!

allegra: dream house & comic book luv.

dl: ALLEGRA - Dream House (Z - YSI)
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You've probably realized that I have no shame if you've been reading this blog long enough. Even if I'm a Katy Perry loathing pop music elitist, I've been known to rock out to Ashley Tisdale when nobody is looking. When nobody is looking? I suppose it should be clarified that when I say "I have no shame", I mean that if you caught me engaging in such rocking out...I would curl up into a little ball and cry. Or I'd just tell you about my alter-ego. She is a teenage girl named Boulangerie, the lost little sister of Beyonce and Solange Knowles. She is the ultimate excuse for my affinity for all things grown men should be ashamed of loving. Keep her in mind as you read this post.

Allegra, a 17 year-old from Chicago who is fortunate to not be named Valtrex, has found a special place in my...um, Boulangerie's heart. I received an e-mail about her new single "Comic Book Luv". On this tune, our heroine calls for a man who's "strong like the Hulk" to love her, lamenting that she's "so sick and tired of evil villains" toying with her emotions. Sure, one could consider this a little contrived, but let's keep in mind that the subject matter is appropriate for a 17 year-old girl to sing about. However, The Gift's production on this song is a little too "grown & sexy" and inappropriate, recalling the baby-making, hip-gyrating properties of "Bed" (J. Holiday) and "Falsetto" (The Dream). On one hand, this is a compliment, as The Gift's production is (overall) on par with such in-demand producers as Tricky Stewart and Polow Da Don. But the other hand realizes that there's nothing Lolita about Allegra's comic book fantasies, unless one considers the line "I can be the Robin to his Batman" as a reference to butt secks. Jokes aside, this is a refreshingly age-appropriate track for a young singer, and it appears that Lil Mama and Teyana Taylor have some competition.

With all that said, "Comic Book Luv" wasn't the song that won me over on Allegra. Two other songs were in the e-mail I received, "Get Wit It" and "Dream House". The latter chronicles Allegra's quest for the Ken to her Barbie. She has everything (a dream house, small waist, closet full of clothes, etcetera), but the one thing missing from her life is a man. Okay. Obviously this isn't the most conceptually mind-blowing song and it's contrary to the whole "I don't need a man to be happy" mantra established by Destiny's Child and similar groups in 1999-2000, but Allegra admits it---"I'm real, not realistic". Truer words have never come out of a teenager's mouth in reference to the general teenage population. Practicality isn't a teenage forte. Some teenagers can have everything, but the absence of one thing---whether it be the latest sneakers, that blouse from Anthropologie, or (in this case) a significant other---can signal their own personal apocalypse. Wait, I'm getting too philosophical about this, and it ain't that deep. This song is just awesome because it makes references to Aqua's "Barbie Girl". Sadly, this isn't the first time "Barbie Girl" has been mentioned on this blog. And I blame Boulangerie.

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BONUS TRACK: ALLEGRA - Comic Book Luv (Z - YSI)
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sunshine anderson: sunshine at midnight.

dl: SUNSHINE ANDERSON - Problems (YSI)
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I'm nearly a year and a half late on this, but I've finally acquired Sunshine Anderson's second album Sunshine At Midnight (thanks to my short stay on eMusic). I've always been obsessed with her 2001 single "Heard It All Before", one of the ultimate female break-up songs. The video is especially amazing, and I like to think that all women who are wronged bust out a pint of "NEWLY SINGLE" branded ice cream and sing to their triflin' holographic ex-boyfriends.

Much like her debut album's first single, the first single released off of Sunshine At Midnight "Something I Wanna Give You" continued along with Ms. Anderson's angst, boasting such lines as "And one more thing, you were only so so in bed. I had to fake it more times then I can count on both of my hands." The angst doesn't stop there. Despite having potentially romantic titles such as "Good Love" and "My Whole Life", the first five songs on the album have Sunshine doing what she does best--hating on shady men, empowering women. But she doesn't lose her charm when she starts to get romantic, as proven on the third single "Wear The Crown"--"It was a stormy Sunday. I was sitting at the Waffle House, when you looked my way. I spilled grits and shit all over my legs." I'd like to nominate that for best piece of R&B imagery outside of "Trapped In The Closet".

Although tracks 6-12 majorly lean towards mushy, optimistic slow jams, it also contains one of the album's most amazing moment. "Problems" doesn't deal with Sunshine's own issues, but tells a tale about an old friend she ran into. Her man was taken away by the police and she's left stripping for money to pay the rent and feed her children. She laments to Sunshine by stating she'd like to drink and smoke her problems away, and Sunshine's just like, "Girl, I know! I've been there too." So it's not necessarily the feel good song of the new millennium, but the chorus is damn motherfuckin' catchy. Seriously, if you're an R&B fan who doesn't already own this album...you might need it.

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BONER TRACK: SUNSHINE ANDERSON - Trust (YSI)
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- BUY IT - SITE IT - SPACE IT - WIK IT -

lloyd: ross hogg remix.

dl: LLOYD f/ LIL WAYNE - Girls All Around The World (Ross Hogg Hard Drugs Remix) (YSI)

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Much like Idolator and Vulture, I'm pushing for the Lil Wayne-assisted Lloyd jam "Girls All Around The World" to be a strong contender for song of the summer. Unless it's a late bloomer, chances that it'll be able to trump crap like this are slim, but I'd like to think that Ross Hogg's mix might provide the extra bit of fuel that it needs. This version's reggae-tinged vibe propels the track into a direction that's more friendly for your parents' annual summer BBQ. Just sandwich this between some Bob Marley and Jimmy Buffet, and we should easily get the middle-age crowd sipping margaritas to this jam. Even if it appears that Lloyd's fans on iTunes don't dig this track, I think the robot-vixens in his video are directly correlated with Rihanna in silver body-paint, no? This still has a chance to become the song of the summer. Really! Hey! It could happen.

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- SPACE IT - HYPE IT / BUY IT - SPACE IT - WIK IT - HYPE IT -

ben one & shawnna: never leave my girl.

dl: BEN ONE f/ SHAWNNA - Never Leave My Girl (YSI)
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Despite being held down by a moniker that calls to mind either Dr. Seuss's Thing 1 and Thing 2 or Chromeo's Dave 1, this kid Ben One is allegedly dominating the Chicago airwaves. And from the sounds of it, "Never Leave My Girl" is destined to dominate all airwaves.

I was surprised to find that his press release didn't mention any involvement from the oh-so-sought-after hitmakers The Dream and Tricky Stewart, as the song shares the same mid-tempo bounciness of "Shawty Is The Shit" and Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body". In fact, I probably would have thought this song was by The Dream if the vocals weren't so damn smooth. The songwriting and production on this manage to stick to current trends while transcending above them. Chirping birds. A structure that actually BUILDS. And the story, while not entirely an original concept, is somehow fascinating...

Ben is at the club when he gets approached by an inebriated young lady who wants him to dip his lik-a-stik in her fun dip. She has a boyfriend, he has a girlfriend, and he's not about to sabotage his relationship for a one night stand. There's this ambiguity as to whether he's a nice guy politely rejecting his aggressive female suitor or if he's just a dude saying, "Just so you understand, no matter how good you break me off tonight, this ain't going nowhere else." I could probably request to interview Ben 1 and ask him about this ambiguity, but I prefer the mystery of it all. Or I'm just lazy.

Making the song even better is an appearance by Rashawnna Guy AKA Shawnna. I had been wondering what had happened to her! With a little wikipedia research I learned that she left the Ludacris-headed label Disturbing The Peace a year ago and started her own lable M.O.E. (Money Over Everything). She will soon release an independent album titled Just Shawnna, and if radio programmers give "Never Leave My Girl" the attention it deserves she'll wind up with another hit under her belt. Also, did you know that Buddy Guy is her dad? I didn't.

"Never Leave My Girl" is now available on iTunes, and I highly recommending supporting Ben and Shawnna by copping it. Be on the lookout for Ben's mixtape, coming soon!

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BONER TRACK: BEN ONE - Flashing Lights (remix) (YSI)
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- BUY IT - SPACE IT -

otis redding: monterey pop festival.

dl: OTIS REDDING - Monterey Pop Festival, June 17, 1967
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One of my favorite songs of all time is Otis Redding's version of "Respect" performed at the Monterey Pop Festival. I don't know how I didn't notice this earlier, but Funky16Corners did an MP3 rip of Redding's entire set. This isn't something you want to miss. Click the link above, and download away!

skillz: 2007 rap up.

I keep getting hits on Google from people looking for the Skillz rap up for 2007, and I feel like it's a total disservice to NOT post about it.

As I said in last year's post, Skillz has been on the hip-hop scene since 1992 hustling all over the place, ghostwriting, freestyling, and dropping an annual rap-up since 2002.

This year's effort comes with a first-- a video, complete with supporting visuals such as an Amy Winehouse lookalike. It features references to...DJ Drama, The White Rapper Show, Cam'ron, 50 Cent, All-Star Weekend, Jennifer Hudson, Mims, Fantasia Barrino, Tony Yayo, Jay-Z, Amy Winehouse (duh), Robin Thicke, Bobby Brown & Whitney Houston, Karrine Steffans, Don Imus, Russell Simmons, Oprah, Anna Nicole Smith, Akon, Three 6 Mafia, ringtone rappers, Virginia Tech, Barry Bonds, Ray J, Diddy, Eve, Rihanna, Paris Hilton, the final episode of The Sopranos, Hurricane Chris, Lupe Fiasco, Britney Spears, Jamie Lynn Spears, O.J. Simpson, Usher & R. Kelly, Kelly Rowland, Beyonce Knowles, Jena Six, Michael Vick, the iPhone, Foxy Brown, Lil Wayne & T-Pain's omnipresence, Kanye West, Souljah Boy, American Gangster, UGK & Outkast, DJ Khaled, T.I., and Lauren London.

Personally, I think this is a huge step down from the 2006 rap-up. Did he really have to cut out paying his respects to those who passed away? There was no reason to mention Mims, Hurricane Chris, or Souljah Boy. All he needed was the line, "For most of the year, a ringtone rapper would make a hit and his career would disappear." Can we get a holler to Donda West, Ike Turner, Pimp C, Yolanda King...Kurt Vonnegut?

Not to mention that the animal rights activist within me is a little outraged at the line "It's a damn shame what they did to Michael Vick. You can't kill dogs in your own backyard but you can go to Iraq and kill whoever you want." Seriously? I can understand that he's trying to be socially conscious. I can understand that he's trying to make a point about taking a dog's life vs. taking a human life, even if I'm not certain I agree with it. However, I just can't get over the fact that he's trying to JUSTIFY dogfighting. Pssh!

Problems aside, Skillz gets kudos for simply coming up with such a cohesive look at 2007 as a whole. And you can't help but giggle at the line, "Kelly Rowland falls and yall think it's cool, Beyonce falls and yall take it off of youtube." When you put it all into perspective, the reason this rap-up sucks so much probably has more to do with 2007 sucking elephant-balls as a whole.

If anything good came out of 2007, I finally learned how to appreciate Prince. How? I made friends with a cassette tape of Purple Rain while locked away in a studio working on my printmaking senior thesis. Because of this, I direct your ears to the bonus track, which features Skillz rapping over "Darling Nikki."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------d/l: SKILLZ - 2007 Rap Up (YSI)
d/l: SKILLZ - 2007 Rap Up (Jimmy Rose Remix) (YSI)

d/l: SKILLZ - 2006 Rap Up (YSI)
d/l: SKILLZ - 2005 Rap Up (YSI)
d/l: SKILLZ - 2004 Rap Up (YSI)
d/l: SKILLZ - 2003 Rap Up (YSI)
d/l: SKILLZ - 2002 Rap Up (YSI)

BONER TRACK: SKILLZ - Darling Nikki freestyle (YSI)

- buy it - site it - space it - hype it - wik it -

fantasia: broke.

FANTASIA's lack of popularity among hipsters baffles me.

Did I just say that? Yes. I did. Am I suggesting that hipsters should embrace a winner of American Idol, a show which by nature turns out cookie-cutter pop stars? Yes, I mean, they were all over Kelly Clarkson's vagina when she released "Since U Been Gone". So what's wrong with Fantasia? Is it because she's black? Do hipsters hate black people?

No.* I've been to many a basement party in which skinny white kids pump their fists and flail their bodies around to Amerie's "One Thing", Beyonce's "Crazy in Love", and Kanye West's "Gold Digger". I think this is evidence that hipsters totally love black people. But why not Fantasia? Is it because she was illiterate? What if you found out that Amerie was illiterate? Would you take her off your pod? Also, what does reading have to do with singing? What's love got to do with it? These are the questions that have been plaguing me through many a sleepless night.

When I ask these questions, I'm completely dismissing Fantasia's 2004 album Free Yourself as a point of attraction for hipsters. There's an ounce of hope that some could appreciate "Baby Mama" for ironic purposes, but this album includes a bit too many sentimental ballads and the upbeat numbers rate zero for hipster-appeal.

But seriously. How have all the people who posted Amerie's "Gotta Work" or "Take Control" completely ignored the fist-pumping, critically-adored, soulful tunes "Uneligible" and "Bore Me (Yawn)"? I suppose most of them ignored the leak of Fantasia, expecting that it wouldn't suit their palates. They were wrong...well, at least about these two songs. If any of you are reading this, get to the nearest iTunes store and download those jams. Even if you don't like them, can you at least admit that they make you respect Fantasia a bit more?

I guess this entire entry stemmed from my love for an unreleased Fantasia song by the name of "Broke". I was listening to it at work one day, noting the similarities to "Gotta Work". Inspirational message? Check. Driving soul vibe? Check. Powerful vocals? Check. Plus, she sounds so cute when she's like, "My headphones ain't workin'!"

Hipsters may not hate black people, but they certainly don't care about them. Otherwise, they'd give Fantasia a second listen and realize what they're missing out on.

dl: FANTASIA - Broke (YSI)
(R&B soul jam)
- buy it - site it - space it - wik it - hype it -

* Well, at least not all of them. I bet you are a hipster. You hate black people, don't you?

j*davey: land of the lost.

J*DAVEY takes the straight-forward sexiness of Mya's vocals and combines it with the chillness of Glass Candy.

Okay, I realize that was an obnoxious and likely inaccurate culture-drop, but this was honestly my first impression when I heard their song "Slooow". And upon listening to the entirety of their new mixtape*, Land of the Lost EPisode, I could probably list 12 other artists that I was reminded of while listening to J*Davey.

And I don't mean that in a bad way at all. I'm not even sure if I mean it in a good way. I pretty much just mean it. Within "Mr. Mister" I was reminded of Prince and Kelly Clarkson, while the oddness, swagger, and randomness of the video reminded me of Kelis. "Lil Big Heads" recalled the attitude of Jill Scott. It's a sort of familiarity, not as if it's unoriginal.

I have to thank THE FADER for introducing me to J*Davey. The mixtape is currently available for download off of their space and I have a few hard copies myself. Download it!

dl: J*DAVEY - Slooow (YSI)
dl: J*DAVEY - Mr. Mister (YSI)
(LA electro-R&B stuff)
- space it -

superlover shania d: it's u.

SUPERLOVER SHANIA D's "It's U" is a dash of Kelis, a sprinkle of Sade, and 100% Shania D.*

In fact, this song could pass as an unreleased slow-jam by Kelis. I don't say this to imply that it is unoriginal, given that one of the sole characteristics of Kelis is her originality and the fact that she just doesn't give a fuck about fitting into genres or expectations. In fact, this general attitude seems to propel Shania D forward herself-- "Her influences include Nina Simone, Sade, Bob Marley, Santana, Frida Kahlo, Esthero, Tricky, and Missy Elliott. All artists who did it their way with no apologies."

Similarities to other artists seem to be by mere coincidence. Her song "Brighter Hue" may have a vibe reminiscent of Sly & The Family Stone, but I don't get the impression that she sat down and said to herself, "I am going to write, sing, and produce a song that is reminiscent of Sly & The Family Stone!" There's something so incredibly genuine and likable about her. When asked for more details about her tunes, she states-- "My music is inspired by life, love, and the belief that we as artists have a voice and can use that voice and power to promote love, peace, fun, joy, and good times."

Going back to "It's U"...I don't know if it was intentional or not, but this song is pure bedroom-babymakin' music. It's the type of song that could have you humping your pillow in the absence of your lover. Hypothetically (I swear). "Underwater2U", a purely instrumental track, has a similar effect...as does "Geneva", which (for some reason) reminds me of Me'shell Ndegeocello's "Andromeda and the Milky Way" in a very positive way.

But it's not all just sexy, sultry shit. This girl raps, speaks poetry, and did I mention that she produces all of this herself? Because she does. She's also scoring (scored?) a documentary on the life of John Woo.

Long story short, I totally wish we were friends.

dl: SUPERLOVER SHANIA D - It's U (YSI)
dl: SUPERLOVER SHANIA D - Underwater2U (YSI)
(sexy jams)
- buy it - site it - space it -

* In retrospect, I've realized that this doesn't quite make sense, but I like the way it sounds. Perhaps there are trace elements of Kelis and Sade that weren't quite significant to include? Or I'm stupid.

bedtime for toys: cold fever.

BEDTIME FOR TOYS have been getting some love lately due to their upcoming performance this Saturday with Dandi Wind and Passions.

I have to thank those who have shown love for them, because without them...I wouldn't have discovered "Cold Fever". I have absolutely no idea when this song appeared on their myspace or how I missed it, but I'm glad it's finally entered my life. "Cold Fever" begins with a short intro freestyle by lead singer Marchelle Bradanini, followed by a rap by hypeman and "culture connoisseur" Toussaint Christophe. Marchelle sings a lot, Toussaint appears again, and everything is pure magic. It's not as dance-party ready as previous jams such as "Say BOOM", but it is no doubt...a jam.

I once took a class in college called "Hazardous Earth: Stuff that Will Kill You". I didn't learn much, but I did learn that if the world is ever going to end...it's going to start on the west coast. If Bedtime for Toys are playing when the world ends from the inevitable supervolcano, I will die a happy man. You will die too, and I'm sorry for that. As Marchelle says in "Say BOOM"..."Tonight we've got to celebrate 'cause this could be the end." While we are alive, we can still listen to her voice. Isn't that what's important?

dl: BEDTIME FOR TOYS- Cold Fever (YSI)
dl: BEDTIME FOR TOYS- Say BOOM (YSI)
(LA electro R&B/hip-hopesque jams)
- buy it - site it - space it - hype it - wik it -

gotdion: erykah badu remix.

GOTDION wowed me on this one.

I've been in a real music drought now that I've started my job, and I know it's a blogger faux-pas to post about a single artist/producer after only a short period of time...but I honestly don't give a fuck. I've been pumping this jam everywhere I go-- from my desk to my car, and I am proud to say that it is significantly better than his "Lip Gloss" remix.

Erykah Badu's "Bag Lady"* may be one of my favorite songs of all time, and it certainly is my favorite R&B video of all time (link). The simple multi-colored costuming, choreography, and sheer attitude of this video collectively blow me away for some reason. There's this great sincerity in both the song and the video** that only Ms. Badu possesses. To put it simply, Erykah Badu is kind of crazy. And I love her for it. She's got Badu-tude, and I can only dream of gaining this quality.

While I generally have considered most of GotdioN's best work to be remixes that are better than the original, "Bag Lady" doesn't fall into that category. It's not better than the original, it's a complete reinvention of the original. The heavy drums and drawling synth add an element of urgency to Badu's message to "pack light", contrasting with the smooth laziness of the originals. It would seem that an electro remix of Erykah would strip the song of its integrity, but instead it adds a new element of truth-- a harsh truth. It may not be the way Badu intended to deliver her message, but it totally works...and rocks while doing so.

* Both the radio mix and the album version. They're incredible.

** Thanks to wikipedia, I learned that this is largely because the entire video was shot on Mini DV digital video.

d/l: ERYKAH BADU- Bag Lady (GotdioN remix) (YSI)
(electro reinvention of R&B goddess)
- space it / buy it - site it - space it - hype it - wik it -

WEBBYVANDERQUACKIN': Speaking of remixes, there were some particularly good ones on the most recent Remix Sunday on Palms Out Sounds, particularly a great Valiant remix of The Roots.

rihanna: umbrella video.

RIHANNA's "Umbrella" video is one of the best pop videos I've seen in a long time. The video was directed by Chris Applebaum, who worked with Rihanna recently on her video for "S.O.S."

While "Umbrella" may be a song that shows Rihanna at her best vocally, the music video shows Applebaum at his artistic best. And to be quite honest, his artistic best doesn't make much sense. It raises a lot of questions, but it works. The video starts out with some sexy shots of Rihanna. Then we see Jay-Z, and what's this? IT'S RAINING LIGHT. And are those back-up dancers? Sort of. Rihanna gets sexy again, and then...WHOA, WHOA...is she battling Alex Mack in silver blob-mode? Or is she swatting away an ex-lover in the form of Capri Sun (see video)? Oh wait...now she has an umbrella, but if it's raining...why is she awkwardly dancing around with it? Now the screen is duo-toned and she's a French maid. More awkward (sexy?) dancing. And now...WHAT THE FUCK? WHY IS SHE SILVER? What is this crazy (amazing?) part of this video, and what does it have to do with the rest of the song? And why is Rihanna even hotter when she's silver and sitting in a triangle? After silverness, Rihanna is sexy again as expected when she's making lewd suggestions about cumming into her. And then, wait...back-up dancers? Sort of. These back-up dancers dance a bit more than the first group, but their moves look like they came out of a sixth grade dance assembly. And then it's all over, and you feel kind of empty inside.

The genius in this video isn't just its absurd content...The editing is just fucking brilliant. By adding crazy liquid to one scene, Rihanna flailing her arms about actually looks intriguing. Even the duo-tones in the one scene distract us from her mediocre hip-hop moves. Rihanna is sexy, but her sexy moves look like she's trying a bit too hard. Literally, she looks like a Good Girl Gone Bad who doesn't quite know what to do with herself yet. Thankfully, a few cuts and effects bring up Rihanna's bad girl factor. Arguably you can say she was on point in a few shots, but the only time we see a full-body shot of her on her toes is when she's hanging on to something. That is editing genius, because now you have me suspicious of whether Rihanna is actually a skilled dancer who is too classy to move in sexy ways. I give extra props to the choreographer, who elected to choose simple moves that Rihanna can pull off to some degree.

Most of the moves in the video are so simple that I question them. While I appreciate the stillness of the surrounding dancers when Jay-Z is rapping, why the hell are the back-up dancers so terrible in the ending sequence? The art of choosing back-up dancers that are better than you has been mastered in this industry (see Lindsay Lohan's "Rumors", Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend"). However, in this video they seem to be a necessary addition that is completely unnecessary. Explanation? Sure. They have to be there because we expect them to be. BUT we're not supposed to take our eyes off of Rihanna and her sexiness. She is the most important aspect on the screen. Who cares about them? The costumers even emphasize this point by placing the dancers in entirely black costumes with black hats, to the point that they're nearly indistinguishable from one another or the background. They have no personality, because they don't need to have one. They are just texture, and this creative choice makes it seem like Rihanna actually does have a personality.*

WATCH: RIHANNA- Umbrella (download)
(pop/r&b tune)
- pre-ord it - site it - space it - hype it - wik it -

* I meant that in the nicest way possible. Rihanna is totally the shit.

gotdion: remix, ciara's "like a boy".

GOTDION has been getting a lot of mentions on this blog, but that's because nearly every song he remixes tends to be better than the original.

"Like a Boy" has to be my least favorite song on Ciara: The Evolution. I seem to be one of few people who think she looks totally gorgeous dressed as a man in the video, yet I also seem to be one of few people who have extreme problems with the message of this song. I'm 100% behind female empowerment jams, songs about triflin' men, but I have no tolerance for the generalizations in this song. Here, the title itself implies that to be "like a boy" means that you have to lie, cheat, keep secrets, and play games. There are plenty of respectable boys in this world who don't do any of these things. I can't be mad at Ciara for this song. She is merely a performer, and the songwriters are none other than The Clutch, the people who brought you Mary J. Blige's "Take Me As I Am", LeToya Luckett's "She Don't", and Omarion's "Icebox". The Clutch are great at writing catchy R&B pop tunes, but I don't include "Like a Boy" in this category.

Rant aside, GotdioN's remix pops out the usual adrenaline-rushed beat that propels me out of my computer chair and gets me dancing around my room like a cracked-out Michael Jackson. I'm too busy dancing to pay attention to the lyrics, and even if I did...the song sounds appropriately angrier, to the point that I can forgive everyone involved for their problematic gender statements.

d/l: CIARA- Like a Boy (GotdioN remix) (YSI)
(energy-infused remix of a boring Ciara song)
- space it / buy it - site it - space it - hype it - wik it -

BLOGWATCH: Speaking of Ciara, Kevipod brings us "Do It" a bonus track off of the European edition of The Evolution. This song was produced by will.i.am and samples Salt 'N' Pepa's "Push It".