mixtape maestro (2.0)

Cassie has so many odds stacked against her (a barely there voice; disastrous live performance attempts; being the owner of one of those rare Weezy-featuring tunes that flops real hard; being more popular in 2009 for her “shocking” haircut, leaked nude pics, and the “is-she-or-isn’t-she with Diddy?” gossip rag banter than anything music-related) that it’s a wonder why she even persists on still having a singing career when she can simply just go on being low-B/ high-C-list famous for…well, being hot.

Not to say that her weightless brand of spacey R&B/ Pop isn’t appreciated (especially amongst the sects of anonymous hook singer-craving producers and “puny-voiced starlets over electro beats”-loving critics, to which her nonchalant presence holds a certain appeal), it’s just that after debuting with something as strong as her summer of ‘06 seducer “Me & U”, no argument would have been made for her just as quickly disappearing back into model-land semi-obscurity and becoming this decade’s equivalent of 1990’s one-(and-a-half-)hit-wonder INOJ.

Nevertheless, she’s once again returned to re-launch her long-delayed sophomore set, Electro Love, with the Mario Winans/ Bryan Michael Cox-produced “Must Be Love”, a wispy midtempo ballad that sets Cassie and guest star Diddy on opposite ends of a life-altering new romance.

Fluttery Spanish guitar strums and distant ringings give it a light and pretty ambience and there’s a certain heated undertone ‘neath Cassie’s whisper-thin musings as she comes to terms with her feelings, but damn if the song doesn’t threaten to put you to sleep at every turn, Diddy’s monotone verses lacking the burst of energy “Must Be Love” begs for.

Thankfully the Bad Boy CEO helps rescue the underwhelming number by firing up one of those all-star remixes he used to pull off so well and crowding up the listless groove with strong guest turns from Busta Rhymes, R&B boy band Day26 and underground rap favorite/ new Bad Boy signee Red Café. Yeah, when placed betwixt the male personalities Cassie feels more like an afterthought on her own record, but the sequel definitely ends up carrying more of a worthwhile heft than the original.

Catch the main version’s video below, than snatch up the remix afterward.

Electro Love is expected to be released sometime later this year (though if this record doesn’t catch on, don’t get your hopes up too high conerning an actual release).

DL: “Must Be Love (Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized busta rhymes, cassie, day26, diddy, posse cut, red cafe, remix

Here’s a couple random goodies that have pierced the Maestro’s eardrums in a good way recently:

First up, the great DJ Ted Smooth gives Lady GaGa’s breakout smash “Just Dance” a nice hip hop tone, throwing in those beloved skittering drum patterns from Jay Z’s “Jigga What, Jigga Who” and a Busta Rhymes verse (“I’m back on my bullshit so much/ My bowel movement’s fucked up”) as backup to GaGa’s drunken exclamations (still love the WTF randomness of that “Where are my keys?/ I lost my phone” line).

Our lone complaint? Not enough Buss.

DL: “Just Dance (Ted Smooth Remix)” (alt)

Next, from the fingertips of DJ Fabian, comes a summer-ready blend of Jamie Foxx’ deathless “Blame It” atop the always-BBQ-friendly grooves of Arrested Development’s “Everyday People”.

Thank you Fabian, for being all too aware that you can never go wrong with a lil’ 90’s throwback vibe.

DL: “Blame It On The People (Jamie Foxx Vs. Arrested Development)” (alt)

Uncategorized '90's, arrested development, busta rhymes, dj fabian, jamie foxx, jay-z, lady gaga, mash-up, remix, ted smooth

As proven on previous club banger singles “What It Is”, “Light Your Ass On Fire” and “Pass The Courvoisier, Part II”, whenever Busta Rhymes’ animated flow is matched with the Neptunes’ cartoon-ish digi-funk beats, a good time is about to be had. That golden chemistry is highlighted once again on the the two forces’ newest collaboration, Fast & Furious soundtrack cut “G Stro”.

Anchored in standard ass-shaking request banter, “G Stro” doesn’t really stretch the creativity of either Busta or the ‘Tunes too far (the beat could have easily come from the Virginia production team’s early-00’s heyday), but damn if the nimble bass groove, handclap-laden breakdown or Busta’s contagious mic presence don’t get you out of your seat.

DL: “G-Stro” (alt)

Uncategorized busta rhymes, make it rain, neptunes, pharrell

On this remix to Melanie Fiona’s “should’ve been a smash by now” sultry debut single “Give It To Me Right”, Busta Rhymes and Raekwon (is anybody else as overly excited for the Only Built 4 Cuban Linx sequel as us?) are brought on to give the tune a bit of a public interest bump.

Donning their sexiest “inside voices”, both men enthusiastically respond to Fiona’s naughty, below-the-belt cravings. “If you let me give it to you/ I’m-a give it to you good”, Bussa-Bus promises, trying his best to soak her undergarments by conjuring up fantasies of sex sessions on the hoods of cars and tops of dressers. Meanwhile, the Chef opts to shower her with bags and pumps, before announcing a desire to lick the boogers off her face. Ugghhh.

TMI-littered rhymes aside, hopefully their contribution will help “Give It To Me Right” become the super-smash it deserves to be.

DL: “Give It To Me Right (Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized busta rhymes, melanie fiona, raekwon, remix, sex-rap

For this upgrade to his late ‘08-leaked Weezy-assist “Up In The Club”, Swizz Beatz trades in the obscure, mid-90’s Brit-pop sample reference of the original for the far more familiar old-school knock of “It Takes Two”, effectively transforming “Club” from a mild head-nodder to a surefire banger.

No alcohol in your system? No problem, as this track’s delirious combination of a Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock swipe, “Don’t stop! Get it, get it!” hype-man chants, Wayne’s Auto-Tuned trills and a sturdy Busta verse that starts with the classic line “I wanna rock right now…” could bring even the bone sober to drunken-like heights of giddy euphoria.

Swizz may not be…hell, anyone’s favorite emcee, but when it comes to rocking a party and rocking it right, you can’t argue that the man doesn’t know how to deliver the goods.

DL: “Up In Da Club (Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized busta rhymes, cross, lil' wayne, old-school hip hop, party rap, remix, swizz beatz

Back in the day, you were damn near guaranteed something special everytime Busta Rhymes dropped a new record. His penchant for rousing hooks, otherworldly beatscapes built from obscure samples and kooky eye-popping music videos with multi-million dollar budgets awarded listeners with a slew of left-field bangers that still snatch up major props to this day. Unfortunately, as the years wore on, he seemed to lose some of that magic. His precious speedy flow remained intact and he could still pump out a hot chorus every once in awhile, but with the beats taking a sad turn towards the radio-friendly and his videos looking cheaper and cheaper (not to mention the image-tainting of numerous bouts with the law), what was once an extraordinary rap icon soon morphed into just another ordinary hip hop entity.

With the big bank bravado and drunk-friendly hysterics of new single “Arab Money” (a sort of companion piece to producer Ron Browz’ other Auto-Tune slathered current fave, “Pop Champagne”), Busta Rhymes had begun inching his way back onto the nightlife circuit; but the record was riddled with some major handicaps. Yeah, it carried the minimum requisite of song elements to conquer the dancefloor, but seeing as though any other rapper could have recorded it and came out with similar results, it definitely paled in comparison to the man’s heyday achievements. Even worse, “Money” held a hard-to-ignore offensive tinge in it’s make-up that drew head-scratching reactions from a lot of people.

But the promise of a career-reigniting track has proven too big a grab to let slip away, so Busta has opted to continue to push the record. What’s the obvious next step? An over-crowded remix featuring all the usual suspects so they don’t have to waste time rushing out their own bootlegged “freestyles” before the cut loses it’s heat.

Tardily attempting to appease the balkers, the remix sees Busta replacing the nonsensical hook of the original (one of the main sources of the controversy) with real Arabic words and the correct pronunciation of the word “Arab”, even getting his track-mates to pull out some authentic phrases on their own verses. It also serves the typical wealthy braggadocio of Diddy (“Bout to buy Dubai and swim in the shark section”), robo-voiced goofball antics of both halves of T-Wayne and an extended appearance by Browz (who has quickly leap-frogged over Pain, Weezy and Kanye as the worst artist ever to over-lean on the Auto-Tune).

Is it a solid enough addition within this Era of the Posse Cut Overkill? We’ll give it that. But revising a chorus and hiring on an A-list line-up probably won’t be enough to woo over those who despise the original, or just wish that Busta could stop fiddling around with all this sub-par material he’s been unleashing recently and really focus on figuring out a way to tap back into that mid-90’s appeal.

DL: “Arab Money (Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized akon, busta rhymes, diddy, lil' wayne, posse cut, remix, ron browz, swizz beatz, t-pain

First things first, Lil’ Wayne deserved the Best Male Hip Hop BET Award last week over TI, but I digress. The ATL “King” marks his return after a huge 2006 with his new album, T.I. vs. T.I.P., which supposedly revolves around the tired “split personality” concept rappers seem so fond of every now and then. Looking beyond that move and the boring lead single “Big Shit Poppin’”, the album does have some interesting guest spots attached (Jay Z, Nelly and Wyclef are on board), including some scene-stealing mic partners featured on the tracks below.

Just in case previous singles didn’t convince you enough that you didn’t know about him or “that”, TI dares anyone to once again step up and see what he’s got waiting for them on the menacing “Hurt” in which he threatens “You finna get hurt/ Murked/ Put ‘em in the dirt/ Boy you betta catch me first” with that ever-present sneer and Busta Rhymes by his side. Over producer Danja’s bristling mold of hyped horns and what sounds like the tortured cries of zombies emerging from their graves, TI and Busta get all WWE with equally brisk flows and unapologetic warnings. Surprisingly, it’s the staccato delivery of newcomer Alfa Mega that stands out the most. Partly cause you don’t have to try so hard to keep up with him, but mainly because he sounds the most scary. Huffing and puffing in fiery bursts, Mega chills your bones when he growls “we know where your family live” and talks about wearing ski-masks and kidnapping your children. All this, and in his final line he promises that we still haven’t seen him really snap. What more horror could he behold?

Aside from the collab with Jay Z, the most anticipated track off of T.I.P. is “Touchdown”, a duet with Eminem who also co-produced it. Not known for making many cameos, Marshall Mathers reminds of his missed twisted sense of humor (and the fact that all his beats aren’t so dark and foreboding) on this likable mood lightener. “Touchdown” celebrates the life of a rap superstar and the endless love they receive across the nation. While TI is playfully crass, apologizing to Oprah for his continued use of the hip hop expletives she hates (“Niggas, bitches and hoes do exist/ I’m just being honest”) and guaranteeing that a certain part of his anatomy will be in somebody’s daughter in every city he ventures, Eminem easily trumps him with his own adopted Southern accent and crazy dialogue about kids “lookin’ like they krumpin’” as he runs them over in his crayon-colored ride with windows tinted with what looks like tar. Just another day in Slim Shady’s “Adult Swim” world it seems.

Listen: “Touchdown”

Uncategorized alfa mega, busta rhymes, danja, eminem, southern rap, T.I.

Whether it was Diddy’s strange glam-rock vocal, Keyshia Cole’s earnest soul singing or that bizarre ’80’s throwback sound that made you melt, “Last Night” became the little song we didn’t think The-Artist-Formerly-Known-As-Too-Many-Aliases-To Name could bring to the table. Slowly, but surely, it emerged as the winning hit from the ridiculously good Press Play album, giving the disc a new shelf life well after it’s previous singles had failed to become the guest-heavy pop smashes they were built to be. Knowing how to build off a good thing and remind us that he had “invented” the remix, Diddy launched several updatings of the tune including an all star posse cut that featured the likes of Rich Boy and Big Boi among others. Now, he’s upped the ante with probably the most hyped one of the bunch, thanks to a reunion with Lil’ Kim that sort of reclaims the magic the duo once shared with Biggie.

Dipping further into the original’s 80’s haze, “Last Night (Remix Part 2)” milks a sample of Prince’s B-side classic “Erotic City” for all it’s worth, accenting the track’s sparse electro-funk with pretty organ touches and humorous pleas to make this your new ringtone. All ears are on Lil’ Kim here who proves that a year in a slammer just made her nicer with the pen. She answers Diddy’s pitiful voice mail messages with irritated precision, acknowledging that he never once mailed her a letter while she was behind bars and finding secret joy in him experiencing the same lonely pain she had just put behind her. But don’t sleep on Busta either, who backs up the song’s male role with an equally intoxicating guest appearance.

The kind of A-list Bad Boy remix that the label graciously offered in the past, this killer “Last Night” revision finds Diddy remarkably bouncing back from the worthless underwear stain he had become. Now the promise of him putting his musical identity to bed real soon suddenly seems sad. How crazy is that?!

Uncategorized 80's, busta rhymes, diddy, electro-R&B, keyshia cole, lil' kim, remix