mixtape maestro (2.0)

Ten months after being honored with a Pitchfork BNM tag for their contagious semi-politi-dance-rap juke anthem “Chi Don’t Dance” (memorable for it’s brow-arching line “MTV gave me ADD/ BET taught me to hate me” and a rowdy, Goodie Mob-referencing hook), Chicago trio BBU (Bin Laden Blowin’ Up) try to prove that they’re no one (blog-)hit wonders with the release of their cleverly-titled mixtape, Fear of a Clear Channel Planet.

Out of it’s thirteen-cut tracklisting, the one that’s sure to earn them even more Web-hype in the coming months is set highlight “Black n’ Plastic”, a dishing of occasionally cutting “What’s happening to us?” cultural commentary (“Do you really love yourself?”, they ask to all the “GQ magazine, coke fiend cover girls/ And all them other girls that wanna look like other girls”) and potentially beef-starting digs at LMFAO, Asher Roth and Lil’ Wayne, served atop a surprisingly winning mix of sparse-ish Dirty South production tricks blended with an endlessly looped sample of Aqua’s ’90’s hit “Barbie Girl”.

Yeah…you read that right, they’ve sampled “BARBIE GIRL”…and the beat rocks (or, in their case, we guess jukes) somethin’ tough.

DL: “Black n’ Plastic” (alt)

Uncategorized '90's, aqua, bbu, chicago, conscious rap, indie rap, juke, mid-west rap

London rapper/ producer Wiley, aka the “Godfather of Grime”, rescues one of the greatest “one-hit wonder” gems of the 1990’s from the spiderweb-draped corners of our memory on his excellent new single “Never Be Your Woman”, a hook-recycling of White Town’s memorable 1997 DIY-pop smash “Your Woman” that finds him unapologetically shrugging-off the idea of monogamy to a sinister tropical-house soundtrack and the somber chorus moans of up-and-coming UK songstress Emeli Sande.

His feverish flow acting like skipped stones across the minimalist beat’s addicting combination of brief synth flashes and a cavernous, carnival-esque rumble, Wiley giddily boasts of his cheating ways, the promise of meeting fresh fish (and the chance to be the blinged-out center of attention) sounding like a far more attractive excursion to him for the night than spending a quiet, romantic evening at home with his main boo. And if it just so happens he gets caught, he could truly care less how his lady reacts, matter-of-factly punctuating his last verse with the oh-so-cruelly-”whatever” line: “My house/ I pay the mortgage”.

You ain’t right, Mr. Wiley (though moreso for not holding this undeniable low-key banger back for a far more fitting summertime release).

Peep the original (and our personal favorite) version below, followed by the official “Never Be Your Woman” video (presented in Shy FX Remix form).

Single (featuring remixes from Herve, Solo, Agent X and N-Type) drops February 21st.

“Never Be Your Woman (Original Version)”:

“Never Be Your Woman (Shy FX Remix)”:

DL: “Never Be Your Woman (Shy FX Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized '90's, bedroom pop, emeli sande, grime, UK rap, white town, wiley

If there was any one track on Hot Chip’s grower of a fourth set One Life Stand that perfectly expressed the UK four-piece’s current obsession with marrying dancefloor euphoria with romantic yearning and could justify all on it’s own why the band’s hot streak will remain afire throughout the rest of the year, hands down it would be “I Feel Better”.

So soaked in ’90’s dance-pop theatrics that you expect some anonymous house diva (or an old incarnation of Madonna) to start wailing over it’s insistent house pulse at any given moment, “I Feel Better” bursts with an anthemic appeal from the get-go, it’s main hook, an icy string loop that’s later mirrored with the saddest steel drum sounds you’ll ever hear, drawing this mesmerizing rave prison you’ll never want to break out of.

In betwixt it’s four-on-the-floor clubby throb, singer Alexis Taylor injects his best T-Pain/ Kanye West-as-sad-robot imitation, with Auto-Tuned whimpers documenting a couple at a crossroads (“She said ‘How did we get ourselves so lost’”) followed by longings of having “one night/ together in our arms”, pitched as if it’s the sole way things can get back at track.

“I Feel Better”:

Uncategorized '90's, electro-pop, hot chip, one life stand, UK

Remember Collie Buddz? The white Bermudian had trunks rattling all across the globe waaaay back in 2007 with the release of his breakout single “Come Around”, a tokers’ anthem steeped in an old-fashioned reggae slow churn, but seemed to drop off the face of the Earth after his self-titled debut was met with less fanfare.

Well, after a few years toiling away in the more obscure corners of the mixtape scene, the singjay seems prepped for a minor comeback of sorts in 2010 with the recent unleashing of new single “Phonecall”, a Beatnick & K. Salaam-produced late-night booty call ode draped in the sensual allure of ’90’s-era slow jam R&B/ reggae.

And just as with “Come Around”, it’s “Phonecall”’s throwback-ish touch that lands as it’s greatest asset: it’s busy, albeit smoove, backing groove pleasingly triggering memories of the genre’s “Flex”/ “Mr. Lover Man” heyday as Collie croons through every steamy detail of the late-night sex session (“Said she wanna start with massage…”, “She wanna ride from side-to-side and on top…”).

Whether you smoke or not, promises you’ll be craving the comfort of a cigarette once this seductive jam has left your speakers.

DL: “Phonecall” (alt)

Uncategorized '90's, beatnik, collie buddz, k-salaam, reggae, sex jam

“It sounds like ABBA’s ‘Fernando’”.

“No, I hear Madonna’s ‘La Isla Bonita’”.

Ever since it’s premiere a couple months back, “Alejandro”, Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster-housed ode to letting go of old Latin lovers, has inspired plenty of giddy “This reminds me of…” chatter amongst her ever-growing fanbase, with many targeting those two aforementioned records.

But for anyone who kept their ears glued to Top 40 radio in the early ’90’s, “Alejandro” read the best as a tribute of sorts to ABBA via the slow, pseudo-reggae lope and weighty, Euro-dance-pop galumph relied on by that other mega-selling Swedish quartet Ace of Base, an idea succinctly proved through this inevitable mash-up of “Alejandro” and Ace of Base’s fifteen-year-old sound-alike “Don’t Turn Around” spliced together by award-winning Vegas DJ/ producer Morningstar.

Not only do both tracks own virtually the same backing track and melodic structure, allowing for near-seamless back-and-forth transitioning, but the concluding relationships depicted in both numbers nicely compliment eachother, the combined requests of “Don’t turn around/ Cause you’re gonna see my heart breaking” and “Don’t call my name/ Don’t call my name, Alejandro” helping add an entire new layer of brilliance to this appreciated novelty.

DL: “Alejandro/ Don’t Turn Around (Morningstar Mash-Up)” (alt)

Uncategorized '90's, ace of base, dance pop, lady gaga, las vegas, mash-up, morningstar, sweden

Unfortunately for Young Money soldier/ New Orleans rapper Gudda Gudda, his hood-reppin’ Guddaville cut “Always Love You” won’t win the blue ribbon prize for Best Mixtape Use of a Chopped-Up Sample of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” in 2009 (that honor remains with Theophilus London’s still-impressive track of the same name from a couple seasons back), but that doesn’t mean it’s not noteworthy.

Coolly weaving Houston’s over-long belt into a chill, Southern rap groove (with a brief shout out to the Dolly Parton original nicely tossed in in the opening seconds), Gudda’s “ALY” succeeds as a fine laidback jam that’s just begging for a summer season to attach itself to.

Plus, it gives us another reason to excitedly anticipate the forthcoming solo debut from Nicki Minaj, his increasingly likable rappress labelmate who steals the show here with a trip through memory lane, where she recalls her days as a young “Harajuku Barbie” sipping Italian Icees while running amuck through the concrete jungle of the “Capital Apple”.

Snatch up the cut below, as well as another Nicki-blessed treat: a No Ceilings-birthed remix to Beyonce’s “Sweet Dreams” (also featuring a somewhat needless Lil’ Wayne) in which she rocks the mic right with rewind-worthy references to Balloon Boy, Plaxico Burress and Slick Rick (and his eye-patch) all tucked into a single killer verse.

DL: “Always Love You” (alt)

DL: “Sweet Dreams (Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized '90's, female rap, gudda gudda, lil' wayne, mixtape, new orleans, new york, nicki minaj, no ceilings, short dawg, soul sample, southern rap, whitney houston, young money

Poor Amerie.

Despite the fact that she consistently produces far more entertaining/ adventurous R&B than a majority of her contemporaries and continues to have the undying support of most critics, she just can’t catch a break when it comes to commercial success. Both her In Love & War lead singles, the pleasantly ’90’s throwback-ish “Why R U” and the crackling “Heard Em All” (probably the best of her endless “1 Thing” retreads) were/ are bonafide JAMS, but for whatever inexplicable reason, neither one have managed to catch fire on the charts the way they deserve.

Hopefully her label has enough confidence in her to give her one more shot at a hit single (y’know how record companies love to drop acts with the quickness these days), and if they do, we pray they plant their focus on really pushing the Trey Songz duet “Pretty Brown”, another lovely nod to ’90’s contemporary soul thanks to it’s memory-jogging sample of Mint Condition’s 1992 smash “Breakin’ My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)”.

Sparking from the get-go with the familiar instrumental bursts that made the Mint Condition such a cherished favorite, “Pretty Brown” manages to sustain such high levels of pleasure throughout the rest of it’s length as Amerie and Trey circle round eachother’s high-pitched pipes, trying to figure out where all the heat went to in a once-solid romance. “Is it a crime to want that old thing back?/ Can it be wrong to miss the way you used to kiss me?” goes Amerie, her desperate, edge-of-sanity vocal still one of the greatest sounds to ever pierce the ears.

Catch an “alternate” version of the track featuring Lloyd Banks below, and don’t forget to pick up In Love & War when it drops November 3rd.

DL: “Pretty Brown (Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized '90's, amerie, in love & war, lloyd banks, mint condition, R&B, trey songz

Isn’t it funny how “My Boo”, a thirteen year old R&B/ booty bass cut performed by an act a majority of folks (minus bloggers of course) probably wouldn’t be able to name without some Google aid, has suddenly turned into one of the most covered/ re-tooled tracks of ‘09? Following DJ Solly’s chopped-up re-working of the Ghost Town DJ’s single (posted here back in July), the past few weeks has seen a few other new takes off “Boo” bubble their way to front pages all across the blog patch, and un-surprisingly, we heart every single one of them. Check ‘em out below:

American Dream Team “My Boo”

This Brooklyn-based squad of DJ’s, VJ’s, producers, designers and animators cover the record with a Cascada-esque dance-pop touch (though far less cheesy than that may sound), employing a slightly Auto-Tuned, anony-robo-female to mimic the song’s high school-age X’s and O’s sentiment in between a solid assortment of bloopety-bloop club noise. An ideal dancefloor delight.

DL: “My Boo” (alt) (American Dream Team)

Desktop “My Boo”

Desktop is an synth-pop duo out of Detroit who have released two EP’s this past year that are both chock full of fetching, keyboard-dominant tunes ’80’s pop lovers should dig (Our favorite: the work-out inspiring “Fired Up”).

Their “My Boo” remake features a faint loop of “A Milli” in the background, a killer opening groove that’s just begging to be sampled for some new crunk & b confection, a talk-box (we think) assisted breakdown that’s still got our heads spinning in circles and a heavily distorted lead male vocal that makes the longing lyrics take on a intriguing stalker-ish bent that wasn’t all that easily apparent in the original.

DL: “My Boo” (alt) (Desktop)

Mariah Carey featuring OJ Da Juiceman, Big Boi & Gucci Mane “H.A.T.E. U (Remix)”

Last but not least, Mimi busts through with this remix of her Memoirs’ slow jam ballad “H.A.T.E. U”, and we must say, anticipating entering the angry phase after breaking up with her man goes down a lot better when supported by the light bounce of a “Boo” sample and smirk-inducing guest turns from OJ Da Juiceman, Big Boi (“I’m colder than a polar bear’s toenails”) and, the “Ludacris of ‘09″, Gucci Mane, in what’s probably his two-hundredth appearance on a song in the past four months alone (and yet somehow we still crave more cameos from the “Wasted” emcee).

DL: “H.A.T.E. U (Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized '90's, big boi, brooklyn, cover song, desktop, detroit, ghost town dj's, gucci mane, mariah carey, memoirs of an imperfect angel, oj da juiceman, remix, southern rap, synth-pop, the american dream team

Following 2004’s Throwback, Vol. 1 and 2007’s Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA, ’90’s chart-stompers-turned-oldies-focused-man band Boyz II Men are preparing to release yet another all-covers set with their upcoming Love, and even if you haven’t really cared about a Boyz II Men record in over a decade, there might be at least one or two of the album’s proposed remakes to muster up at least a slight intrigue (come on, somebody yearns to hear their expertly harmonized, adult-soul polish on Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris”, right?).

For us, we were most curious in hearing the Boyz take on Take That’s sole US hit “Back For Good” (also known as one of the most perfect-est pop songs ever!!)…and whaddyaknow, just like that, the track would pop up on the Webs in leaked form. Guess we should point our curiosity more in the matter of “Wonder what it would feel like to have a million dollars?”. Couldn’t hurt right?

But back to the BIIM record.

Unsurprisingly, it sounds just as we kinda imagined it would, with remaining members Nathan, Shawn and Wanya (and featured Girls Aloud vocalist Nadina Coyle) committing a safe and solid reading of the decade-and-some-change boy band favorite that won’t really blow your mind to a million of pieces as much as it acts as a melisma-heavy blanket of adult contemporary comfort for the aural cavities.

A nice backdrop for one of those quiet, “ruminating about life” rainy day periods.

Love drops November 17th.

DL: “Back For Good (Take That Cover)” (alt)

Uncategorized '90's, boy band, boyz II men, cover song, girls aloud, nadine coyle, take that, uk pop

While it’s nice to see Mya resurfacing on America’s pop culture radar through her gig on the ninth season of Dancing With The Stars, on one level it’s quite sad to see the singer/ dancer’s career trajectory ending up here.

Most recent media blurbs about her may only cite her involvement in 2001’s chart-topping and Grammy-winning Moulin Rouge-backed remake of “Lady Marmalade”, but let’s not forget, Mya rolled out a slew of other noteworthy pop and R&B entries throughout the late ’90’s and early ’00’s. From solid solo entries “Case of The Ex” and “My Love Is Like…Whoa” to memorable collaborations with Jay-Z (“Best of Me (Remix)”), Beenie Man (“Girls Dem Sugar”), Blackstreet (“Take Me There”) and Pras & Ol’ Dirty Bastard (“Ghetto Supastar”), Mya was on a roll there for a bit. Unfortunately, minus the brief blinding spotlight “Marmalade” brought her, she never quite managed to fully break that ceiling to superstar status, her career (at least in the US) eventually petering out as the new millennium wore on thanks to a bunch of failed singles and behind-the-scenes business politics; her last two albums, 2007’s Liberation and 2008’s Sugar & Spice, ended up only being released in Japan.

Maybe things could turn out for the better though with Mya set to build off the attention she’s re-garnering through Dancing with the release of a new mixtape, Beauty & The Streets Vol. 1. Featured cut “Ponytail” is certainly an attention-grabber, finding Mya wrapping her soft coo around a woozy cycling of backwards-moving synth sounds, as she tries to steal male attention away from pole-wrapped strippers with some seducing moves of her own.

Self-hyping that those other women don’t have “this thing I be sitting on”, Mya challenges them to a lap-dance off, shoving one guy into a chair before requesting that he pull her mane in a ponytail and make her yell. Yeah, she kind of blows her load early as far as titillating imagery goes, with the rest of her contribution here failing to muster up anything else as lip-licking good, but at least Young Money First Lady Nicki Minaj is around to keeps things a bit interesting on the back-half with her random references to “Peggy & Al Bundy” and “Crocodile Dundee” in describing the freaky way she gets down.

DL: “Ponytail” (alt)

***BONUS DL***: “Girls Dem Sugar” (alt)

Uncategorized '90's, mya, nicki minaj, R&B, sex jam