Yes, co-signing with what everybody else with Internet access this past week has already screamed at you probably a million times over now: Cee-Lo‘s “Fuck You” is brilliant/ genius/ amazing/ the true song of the summer we’ve been waiting for/ one of the greatest records of not only this year, but, perhaps, all time.
An expletive-laced diss at an ex-flame/ gold-digger and her big ballin’ new man packaged as a cheery ’60′s Motown-pop romp and delivered through Cee-Lo’s heaven-sent soulful belts? With all of these elements involved, of course “Fuck You” was going to stir some deafening Web buzz; but for us what makes the song’s near-instantaneous universal embracing even more special is that, just like with the similar viral explosion response to that early leak of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy”waaaay back in 2005, it re-positions Cee-Lo as the hottest pop and soul star in all of music land, an awesome reality to digest when you look at the comparably insignificant assembly-line bots most of the major labels are desperately pushing to have in those roles these days.
Fingers are crossed that when “Fuck You”‘s parent album, the Cee-Lo solo outing The Lady Killer, drops on December 7th, it’ll feature more of these modern classics to keep him perched atop that throne where he rightfully belongs.
Cop the single over at Cee’s website, then after the clip, snatch up Emynd‘s killer B-more club remix as well as an old Cee-Lo-featured fave.
If Andre 3000 persists on only dropping these random, one verse teases instead of the full length solo jams we’ve been begging for for damn near ever, why not just merge a few of them together into something longer than sixty seconds so we can at least pretend like we’re getting a full Three Stacks joint.
On this satisfying mix, Most takes the sixteen and instrumental from recent snippet leak “I Do” and attaches bits of Andre’s work from Devin The Dude’s “What A Job” and the DJ Drama/ Outkast cut “The Art of Storytellin’ Part 4″.
What do other rappers do when a new Andre 3000 verse leaks and it’s a trillion times better than about 98.7% of the lyrical output found on one of their entire albums? Do they decide to just give up on rapping altogether? Cry? Bitch-slap the nearest person around in a frustrated fit of rage because they realize they’ll never be as great as a Three Stacks sixteen? Really, inquiring minds want to know.
3000′s latest tease, from the upcoming mixtape Limelight Exclusives and a possible future Jeezy album cut, rolls out as an extension to his female-praising, soul sample-adorned contribution to UGK’s “International Players Anthem (I Choose You)”, with Dre ready to drop to one knee and propose marriage in the middle of the club after spotting a fine honey on the floor.
“Her proud like her mother and whooo Mama sweet/ So you just know that juicy fruit ain’t gon’ fall too far from tree,” he beams in awe, in his mind already salivating over the first time he’ll get a taste of her “bleepty-bleep” and how it’ll help create a (hopefully, “nerdy”) daughter that’ll have club-goers pausing and taking notice in the year 2030.
Once again, why is it taking so damn long to get a full-on 3000 solo platter?
It may only be June, but damn if it hasn’t felt like Christmas recently what with the benefit of getting not one, but TWO brand new Andre 3000-featured cuts in the past week.
The Outkast-reuniting “Lookin’ For Ya” is an especially bittersweet one, seeing as though the suits at Jive are being punks by not letting Three Stacks be officially attached to Stankonia partner Big Boi’s Sir Luscious Left Foot solo set; thank God having the two emcees compare randy escapades (involving Ikea furniture and vice grip-esque vaginas, no less) atop the track’s wondrous galactic-funk (with the always in-the-key-smoove Sleepy Brown riding shotgun) is thrilling enough to briefly subside our boiling anger at the record label execs’ foolish practices.
Having Andre be a part of a shimmery pop-glossed makeover of Ciara’s newest sex jam “Ride”, however, just leaves us scratching our heads in confusion.
We can’t blame 3000 for slobbering all over Ciara’s “beat”-riding skills (have you seen the original “Ride”‘s video?), but really, out of all the songs released in the past year truly begging his presence (Janelle Monae’s “Tightrope” being on the top of that list), this is the one that inspires him to take a trip outside of whatever (likely awesomer-than-awesome) hideout he’s been cruelly sheltering himself in the most?
Somebody, please help us understand…in the meanwhile, grab both tracks below.
Nothing more but a bunch of cover songs that have been bubbling around in recent weeks. Enjoy!!
Tanya Morgan “Breakadawn”/ Skillz & Colin Munroe “Baby Phat” (De La Soul Covers)
Two highlight entries pulled from Mick Boogie & Terry Urban’s latest mixtape collabo, a multi-artist tribute compilation to De La Soul’s twenty-year strong legacy entitled Le Da Soul (download the full set here): the MJ-sampling groover “Breakadawn” see the unmistakably DLS-influenced Tanya Morgan cleverly weaving in their own spin to Pos and Trugoy’s script, while Skillz (assisted by longtime MM fave Colin Munroe) gives the curvalicious female sect a nice shout-out (“I like chicks thicker/ Imagine me dating a lil’ stick figure”) in a revamp of “Baby Phat”.
Ellie Goulding & Erik Hassle “Be Mine (Robyn Cover)”
In which two current blog-pop phenoms take a break from their respective on-the-rise careers for an acoustic guitar-backed duet rendition of Robyn’s 2005 single (best known for it’s drama-tastic spoken word bridge and one of the most heartwrenching opening lines ever put to pad-”It’s a good thing, tears never show in the pouring rain/ As if a good thing ever could make up for all the pain”).
Of course, for those who have heard Robyn’s own stripped-down take, Goulding and Hassle‘s re-read won’t be that much of a mind-blower, but oh does their vocals meld beautifully when harmony time comes around.
True, the folk-y swing that Irish alt-rockers Snow Patrol build to on the hook of this Top 5 Madonna smash kind of feels pathetic when compared to the explosive epiphany Maddie brought to the table, but we must be honest with at least this much: hearing “Light”‘s heavy verses under the band’s earnestly melancholy arrangement catches a pleasant lullaby-like mood we wouldn’t mind being soothed with at the end of a long and hard work-day.
Though England-born indie pop-punk/ soul-ster VV Brown was given a major hype push earlier this year when she was recognized as a Top Ten finalist in the BBC’s “One To Watch” poll, Sounds of 2009, she has so far struggled in earning much pop chart love (Out of four singles released, only one has managed to chart in the UK Top 40).
Still, we say keep following her. Not only because her critically-acclaimed debut album, Travelling Like The Light, has plenty of quirked-out, retro-pop/ rock/ soul goodies to offer (contrary to radio support), but also because she’s proven to be a hoot with her on-the-fly YouTube cover creations (check out her renditions of “Crazy In Love”, “Day N Nite” and “Best I Ever Had”).
There’s nothing silly about her take on the Rolling Stones’ 1978 classic “Miss You” though, which trades in the original’s bluesy-disco strut for a despair-drenched Southern-fried soul vibe.
Mumford & Sons “I’m Not Alone (Calvin Harris Cover)”
Part of the same London folk scene that has birthed the likes of Noah and The Whale and Laura Marling, the four-piece Mumford & Sons caught plenty of ears with their debut single, “Little Lion Man”, an enrapturing cut seething with self-loathing (“I really fucked it up this time/ Didn’t I my dear?”) and an edge-of-apocalypse hoedown rattle.
That same pluck-heavy furor is called upon for their surprisingly decent Live Lounge rendition of Calvin Harris’ ’90′s-dance tribute “I’m Not Alone”, their woodsy slant working wonders in an impressive mimicking of the same soft vocals/ loud music dichotomy that made the original so enticing.
Toronto-based indie label Paper Bag Records turned seven this month (Happy birthday PB!!), and to help celebrate this event, they’ve unleashed the covers compilation, The Seven Year Itch, for free from their site.
Amongst it’s twelve-song tracklisting, plenty of fascinating grabs can be found (including Josh Reichmann’s rustic campfire take on Bat For Lashes’ “Daniel” and CFCF’s ’80′s new wave & vocoder-baked treatment of OMC’s quirky international fave “How Bizarre”), but the one perched atop our highlight picks would have to be a cover of Andre 3000′s The Love Below-housed tribute to the classy female, “Behold A Lady”, as handled by Canadian-born noise-art eccentric Slim Twig.
Sludging up the original’s lean digi-funk with a dense garage stomp and kooky, vampiric vocals that sound like they’re being emitted from a broken-down loudspeaker, Twig charmingly re-brands the song with a brush of his own unique “ice cold” cool, providing belated props to an oft-overlooked Below gem.
Pixie Lott “When Love Takes Over (David Guetta/ Kelly Rowland Cover)”
Where David & Kelly’s original aimed to split open the heavens from it’s opening moments with all of it’s big dance diva grandeur, this Live Lounge version by English singer-songwriter Lott goes for a more organic lift-off.
Opening on a slow and meditative tip that plants a pleasant spotlight on the grainy squiggles of soul embedded in Pix’ pipes, the remake makes a better play at illustrating love taking over, growing more and more bold with each added layer of (mostly Coldplay-nicked) instrumentation and upgraded tempo notch until it explodes in a fireworks-like display of romantic euphoria.
We’ve been teased with a new Lauryn Hill project for so long that it’s more likely the long-in-the-waiting Guns & Roses album Chinese Democracy would beat it to stores. Slowly, though, Hill has begun to creep back into the spotlight, announcing some upcoming concert dates and collaborating with the likes of John Legend and Joss Stone. But while John Legend’s “So High (Cloud 9 Remix)” reminded us why Hill was so loved in the first place, her throwaway cameo on Joss Stone’s “Music” signalled that it if she was to come back, it could possibly be more in the form of the angry and confused MTV Unplugged 2.0 Hill, than the majestic hip hop goddess we wholeheartedly embraced from Miseducation.
So touched by the new animated film “Surf’s Up” that she felt the need to hit the studio and record something for it, “Lose Myself”, Lauryn’s first solo offering in a minute, marks an interesting comeback for the troubled rapper/ singer/ songwriter/ producer. Opening with a splash of space age synthesizers before a rushed, melodic folk/ reggae rhythm comes to light, “Lose Myself” initially sounds like something Andre 3000 could’ve come up with after smoking some exotic ganja and tapping into an adoration for Bob Marley. Tragically, Hill is unable to find her footing in the song’s awkward tempo and off-kilter frenzy and on first listen, the entire event could be summed up as a sad mess.
With a little more focus and a better mixing, though, “Lose Myself” could’ve been a grand return. Hill’s now-familiar, suffered alto feels honest and heartfelt as she speaks on a dark period she needed to endure to become the better person she is today (“I peerlessly had to face the danger/ So I could come back and love you whole instead”). Though it’s ultimately a self-love-first declaration, it’s hard not to ignore that it simultaneously ranks as a love letter to her fans. The disastrous results determine that she still hasn’t worked out all her kinks, but Hill’s inspiring new outlook shows promise as she personally thanks those who have waited patiently for her to emerge from whatever prison she was in: “And so it goes that I never meant to hurt you/ Couldn’t stay but I never meant to desert you/…And though it may have taken years I can finally/ Tell you that you were always on my mind.”
As a whole, “Lose Myself”‘s inability to settle in a single direction is too apparent to dismiss. It almost feels like an old Lauryn Hill song given an unflattering remix from some amateur, bedroom DJ. Beneath all the chaos, though, faint signs that the Hill we know and love is back instills a glimmer of hope that a new LP should be arriving sooner rather than later. Let’s pray that the Miseducation 2.0 we’ve been feening for so bad returns this massively needed artist to the glorious throne she used to hold so well.
Another season, another awesomely bizarre Andre 3000 verse and another great sample from the recently revived soul icon Willie Hutch. Add to this the pairing of two of the greatest rap duos in hip hop and you have the breathtaking “International Playas Anthem”, a joint collabo between UGK and Outkast that should have hip hop heads staining up their drawls.
Andre 3000, head-to-head with Lil’ Wayne as 2007′s best guest star, starts things off with his usual big screen banter after finding “the one”. We follow him disconnect with all of the other ladies in his phone book (“I CC’ed every girl that’d I see-see around town/ And hate to see y’all frown but I’d rather see her smilin’”) while his homies are left concerned for his well-being (“You know we got your back/ Like chiroprac-tic/ If that bitch do you dirty/ We’ll wipe her ass out in some detergent”) in a vivid verse that will you have you envious of the man’s endlessly creative prose.
Over a minute in and the drums finally fire up, giving Pimp C, Bun B and Big Boi that unnerved energy as they hit the ground running with lyrics lit with blunt poetics that better define the ill-mannered mouthpiece of a true pimp. “Baby you been rollin’ solo/ Time to get down with the team”, Bun B seductively coaxes while his partner’s dancey flow drops lines like “Money on the dresser/ Drive a Compressor/ Top notch ho’s get the most/ Not the lesser” with the heavy thud of a sledgehammer. Meanwhile Big Boi’s contribution ends the song on the same high note it began, his nimble delivery spliced with spooky screwed up segments that never disrupts his concentration.
Even with all these great emcees strangling eachother for who’ll end up with the top prize, the true star of “IPA” is Hutch’s blax-soul epic “I Choose You”, making a recurring sampled appearance and not sounding any less transcendent even with all the overexposure. It’s gentle cascade of wailing harmonies makes for a grand mural for the double duos to paint winning characterized hood tales, confirming why DJ Paul and Juicy J turn to “The Mack” so often when they decide to hit the crates for something inspiring. The production is deemed even more magnificent with the slight manipulations Paul and J give it, mainly letting the sample play out with only subtle variations to help distinguish each verse.
Bringing us closer to the “true” Outkast album we’ve grown tired of waiting for and finally giving the boys of UGK the right jump-off for their heavily delayed reunion album UGK Underground Kingz, “International Playaz Anthem” is an all-around mass achievement for all parties involved with the musical legacy of the late Hutch earning the blue ribbon.
Just as 2003 brought us “Hey Ya” and 2006 gave us “Crazy”, 2007 has yet to deliver some alternative-minded rapper moonlighting as a singer and thrusting some new age brand of pop anthem that everyone of all ages and backgrounds can get something out of. That is until now.
Canadian jack-of-all-trades K-os has carved an award-winning niche in his native home for years, earning tons of attention for his snobby attacks on the hip hop mainstream and ambitious self-produced genre mash-ups. On his third album, Atlantis: Hymns For Disco, K-os has grown more colorful than ever, indulging more into the worlds of rock and pop and digging much deeper in his criticism of pop culture.
As with Andre 3000 and Gnarls Barkley’s aforementioned transcendent hits, “Sunday Morning” begs to be the year highlight that freezes every other piece of music in it’s tracks. It admittedly carries less of a radio-friendly presence, but that doesn’t make it any less catchy. Contagious foot stomp percussion, cheerleading chants and shimmering piano guide this futuristic dance number, anchored by the memorable hook “Everyday is Saturday night/ But I can’t wait for Sunday morning”.
Better known as a nimble rapper, K-os shines even more brightly singing his heart out about a man’s need for depth amongst the shallow that surrounds him. His spooky, echoed vocal cuts through the clap-happy pogo of the production, a perfect aural description of the reckless party he now doesn’t want to be a part of. As his internal fears reach a peak of realization (“This is not me/ I’m just afraid to be here all alone”), the infinite celebration circling him refuses to let up, drowning his cries for a “revolution” beneath it’s sparkly, electro glee.
It’s a powerful track that defies simple categorization, sweeping you away in it’s effervescent glow while pulling you inward with it’s frightening sense of disillusionment. Initial reactions of “Hey Ya” and “Crazy” praised both records as an out-of-nowhere answer to those yearning for the kind of music that relishes in it’s creativity while also giving us hope of what the future could sound like. In a fair world, “Sunday Morning” would emerge as 2007′s left-field landmark.
One of the coolest new trends to arrive in hip hop this past winter season was the Andre 3000 cameo. At odds with the genre he had seemingly grew past, Dre’s future seemed to be stuck in jazzy croonings and quirky alterna-pop/ soul creations. But from out of nowhere, Andre became inspired and oddly started popping up on remixes of some of the biggest urban hits in recent memory.
After criticizing his unimpressive Southern contemporaries (“Your white tee well to me looks like a nightgown/ Make yo mama proud/ Take that thing two sizes down”) on the re-hashing of DJ Unk’s unstoppable “Walk It Out”, then perfectly screenwriting the cute beginnings of a romance to the mesmerizing tune of Spandau Ballet on Lloyd’s “You (Remix)”, Andre marks another stellar guest drop, this time kick-starting the all-star revision of Rich Boy’s addictive “Throw Some D’s”.
Blessing one of the hottest hip hop beats of the moment (subtly enhanced here by electro bursts courtesy of a Lil’ Jon co-production credit), 3000 hits the ground running (“Ain’t a hood nigga but a nigga from the ho-od/ See mama stayed on me so I turned out pretty go-od”), rocking mature, witty lyricism and a poised flow miles ahead of his co-stars’. Veering away from the originals giddy entrance into the world of big ballers, Dre wrecks vengeance on foes and conducts a shoot-out ranked in engagement somewhere between NWA’s anti-cop gangsta hyper-realism and Ghostface’s oft-violent cinematic scope.
The rest of “Throw Some D’s (Remix)” is a merely enjoyable afterthought with only Nelly and the nearly forgotten Murphy Lee’s playful sing-song interplay bearing slight interest. But none are able to top the fanboy appeal of hearing Dre killing the mic once again. To those who thought Lil’ Wayne was emerging as the new king of this rap thing, check again, because Andre has been steadily emerging as the genre’s brightest new hope and with his spirited return to the emcee-ing world, it looks like the underrated Outkast halve will soon finally be getting his just due.
As nice as it is to get free music, think of how much better your soul would feel if you purchased it the old-fashioned way.
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(MP3 posts are for promotional and/ or previewing purposes only; if any artist or their representation wish to have the links removed, contact me and I will happily comply!)
Yes, co-signing with what everybody else with Internet access this past week has already screamed at you probably a million times over now: Cee-Lo‘s “Fuck You” is brilliant/ genius/ amazing/ the true song of the summer we’ve been waiting for/ one of the greatest records of not only this year, but, perhaps, all time. 
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