Hoping to finally put to rest all those “Satan-worshipping” conspiracy theories that have sprinkled the World Wide Web for years, Jay-Z pulls off one of his strongest verses in a minute, easily stealing the show as guest star on the Rick Ross/ Teflon Don cut “Free Mason”.
Calling out the rumors as the work of…who else?…haters, Jay sharply rips into his ever-present detractors, his rhymes edged with a seething undertone, though he avoids completely losing his cool: “Hear me clearly/ If y’all niggas fear me/ Just say y’all fear me/ Fuck all these fairy tales/…Bitch I said i was amazing/ Not that I’m-a mason”. Later he boasts: “Bitch I’m red-hot/ I’m on my third six but the Devil I’m not”.
The rest of The Inkredibles-produced “Free Mason” rolls out as pleasantly lush and soulful as most high-profile Rick Ross tracks do, with Boss Rawse serving a strong intro verse/ hook and John Legend helping heighten the tune’s anthemic purposes in all of his skyward wails (“We knew we was born to do itttt”), but it’s no doubt Jay’s contribution that will make this THE highlight of the Teflon Don set, while also once again re-igniting fan hope that the next Jigga album becomes that filler-less Reasonable Doubt/ The Blueprint-type classic they’ve so longed for.
Since apparently people weren’t buying into the hip-house flavor Estelle was working on her last single, the clubby flop “Freak”, it makes sense that the British singer would do a quick about-face and revert back to the sound that earned her her largest crowd.
For new cut “Fall In Love”, Estelle goes for a blatant, near note-for-note retread of her 2008 Grammy-winning smash “American Boy”, but it’s one instance where artistic laziness gets a pass, because really, who wouldn’t want a repeat dose of the winning lush R&B groove that backed that Kanye West-assisted number?
Released in two versions (one that features John Legend and one pairing Estelle with Nas), “Fall In Love”, in either incarnation, is an instantly lovable summertime breezer, tracking the blooming romantic interest between two strangers who, after passing each other on the street on a daily basis, decide to finally make a go at getting to know one another better.
Have to admit though, this would be a thousand times better if Estelle would’ve just went all the way re-do and nabbed another excellently ego-centric Kanye verse…
Grab a blending of both versions (hooked up by DJ Smu) below.
It’s no question that the greatest thing to emerge from the introductory season of HBO’s mildly received, new original How To Make It In America (aside from Kid Cudi’s thespian contribution) is the show’s theme song “I Need A Dollar”.
Sounding like it was peeled directly off an old Bill Withers’ album, the haunting track, by Cali-born Stones Throw-signed vocalist Aloe Blacc, is a potent slice of gritty throwback soul that compellingly nails the frustrations of being down and out.
“I need a dollar dollar/ Dollar that’s what I need,” Blacc moans on the hook, his weathered tenor projecting nothing but sunless woe as the arrangement’s insistent horn blurts and piano key strut illustrate the caged-in suffocation he’s mired in. And little hope emerges as the track progresses, it’s depressive, spiritual-esque air growing even thicker with gloom as Blacc unsuccessfully pleas for his boss not to let him go (“But he gave me my last paycheck and he sent me on out the door”) and ends up spending the last of his dough on his “good ol’ buddies” whiskey and wine in an attempt to grasp some sort of temporary solace.
Is it a bit of a “Debbie Downer” record? Totally. But damn if it’s polished retro sound and bleak, relevant-for-today narrative (especially heart-crushing inquiries to the skies like “What in the world am I gonna to do tomorrow?”) don’t grab you smack dab in the middle of your gut, making for a handy go-to reference to quiet “fogey”-ish acquaintances who spend their days endlessly whining about how today’s music lacks the depth and soul of yesteryear.
Catch the video below, anticipate Aloe Blacc’s Good Things album sometime later this year, then take a listen to an amazing gem from the singer’s 2006 set Shine Through: a cover of John Legend’s “Ordinary People” done entirely en español (!!!) and given a light tropical spritz.
“Whatever U Want”, the first single off of Queens rapper/ Q-Tip cousin/ G.O.O.D. Music signee Consequence‘s upcoming sophomore album Cons TV, leaked waaay back in the Summer, but somehow we had never come across it until we were flipping through cable channels and happened to catch it’s on-the-cheap-looking Hype-directed video (featuring a striking duo of ponytail-whipping Sasha Fierce-wannabes)…and now, we’re more than a little bummed that we have arrived so late to the party to gush over such a fantastic track.
Honestly, we could listen to Con and Kanye trade the mic back and forth over “Whatever”‘s bubbling electronic drum beat and those seducing synth sounds that mark the end of every four lines over and over without complaint. And the addition of John Legend’s romancing croon and the way the different elements to the production beautifully crash together from the mid-way point on only make the song that much more endlessly addicting.
Can this trio form a supergroup of some sort and release a mixtape, EP or album filled with more tracks like this, please?
Catch the video below, then grab a cool remix from Philly’s DJ Gregg Nyce that slaps the “Whatever U Want” vocals over the “Back To Life” beat.
Back in 2000, Mya kicked off the release of her second album Fear of Flying with the single “Best of Me”, a Jadakiss-featured/ Swizz Beatz-produced midtempo about resisting a thug that managed a peaking of #14 on the R&B/ Hip Hop Singles Chart. Barely remember it? That’s okay, since most will only recall the remix version that would go on to dominate that year’s summer-time airwaves.
Titled “Best of Me (Part 2)” (aww, remember when urban acts had briefly stepped away from the whole ‘remix’ thing as an attempt to make their records sound like blockbuster big screen events?), the “sequel” completely wiped the memory clean of the original, thanks to one of Jay-Z’s hottest cameo appearances (“What’s a little me on top gon’ hurt?/ Maybe a little…”), it’s use of the shuffling beat behind Biz Markie’s classic debut single “Make The Music With Your Mouth Biz” and the accompanying video‘s oh-so-sexy image of Mya in that North Carolina jersey dress (aww, remember THOSE!?!). With all these elements at it’s disposal, and Mya’s featherweight coo as the center, the track quickly garnered kudos as one of the better marriages of hip hop and R&B to ever arise.
Crate-digging remixer Siik (the man behind buttery smoove, soul-bathed re-hauls of “Single Ladies” and “1 Thing”) has taken it in as it latest project, and he succeeds at making it a must-have gem all over again, comfortably underlining the a capella vocals with the instrumental of Slum Village’s biggest hit, 2004′s Kanye West and John Legend-blessed “Selfish” (itself based off a sample of Aretha Franklin’s 1970 #1 “Call Me”).
Lay back and chill with the Mya/ Siik, Slum Village and Aretha Franklin cuts offered below.
Ghostface Killah’s eighth studio album, Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City, will be a R&B-inspired affair? Okay, we all nodded, completely confident that if anyone could pull this concept off with exciting results, it would be the man who padded his incredible catalogue with acclaimed “softer” joints like “All That I Got Is You” (with Mary J Blige), “Never Be The Same Again” (featuring Carl Thomas) and his 2006 commercial peak “Back Like That” (guesting Ne-Yo).
But with the arrival of early leaks “Baby” and “She’s A Killer”, two ill-fitting tracks that traded in the classic 70′s soul-washed soundscapes ‘Face has always sounded so good over for Auto-Tuned-enhanced stabs at radio-friendly thug-love rap and “Pop Champagne”-influenced club-hop, Ghostdini was beginning to sound like a bad idea that needed to be scrapped, pronto.
This week though, we were finally able to let out a sigh of relief thanks to the “web premiere” of “Let’s Stop Playin’”, a mid-tempo crush ballad that finds Ghost right where we’d rather have him when he’s getting his mack-flow on: bathed in soothing soul samples (in this case, Marvin Gaye provides the sophisticated beat source) and supported by a classy crooner like John Legend.
The song’s premise: Despite both being committed to other people, Ghost is really feeling a female neighbor in his building of residence, going so far as too memorize her daily schedule and make sure he’s around when she gets off from work at six to help her upstairs with the groceries because the elevator’s broken. Even when she’s had it out with her man and is giving him the cold shoulder, he still can’t help but find her attractive (“But still, you was lookin’ mad cute to me/ With your lips poked out being rude to me”).
The second verse is the one that completely seals “Playin’”‘s status as a solid favorite though, with Ghostface masterfully juggling another dazzling lyrical display of his revered humor and storytelling skills as he scripts out a fantasy sex scene set in a laundromat with him and his dream girl getting buckwild amidst spilled Clorox bleach and scattered Bounce sheets.
Now this is the “soft”-mode Iron Man we know and love.
The seemingly disparate musical universes of MSTRKRFT and John Legend meshed to surprisingly great effect last fall when the Canadian electro duo serviced the ever-wanting dance floor brethren with their remix of Legend’s “Green Light”, unleashing this killer assault of strobe light sonics and neo-soul man lust.
On “Heartbreaker”, the two forces come together again and the results turn out even better than their first go-round as collaborators.
What makes “Heartbreaker” so superior? Firstly, because MSTRKRFT were smart enough to give John’s favorite instrument (the piano, derrruh) a prominent place in the tune’s addictive tromp of a mix, establishing a more organic connection between the two.
But secondly, and most importantly, it’s simply an overall worthier entry, creating this nice juxtaposition between their mechanized production tricks and Legend’s somber chronicle of a once-promising relationship that hit the skids, leaving him shattered as he watches his ex-lover finding a brand new source of happiness in the arms of another man.
From MSTRKRFT’s highly anticipated sophomore album, Fist of God, which also sees the duo chummying it up alongside the likes of E-40, Ghostface Killah and…once-hot-but-sadly-now-not R&B vixen Lil’ Mo!?!? (Now THAT’S a collaboration we find very enticing!!!).
Not even an assumed do-gooder like Legend can resist the seductive wiles of a groupie, a situation which forms the basis for this enveloping fourth single from the soul man’s platinum-plus Once Again.
As a dense palette of knocking drums and earthy hip hop-soul grooves brew around his throaty delivery, Legend is trapped in the sexual escapades he shares with ‘Melanie’ (“Says she digs my melodies”), an opportunist searching for a new victim in the next chapter of her inevitable revealing tell-all. Knowing full well the fantasy-driven basis of the fling (“She fell in love with the radio/ It wasn’t really me”), Legend doesn’t stop the affair, pining after her basket of goodies in every city he touches down in, in hopes that they can rekindle their on-going game of passion once again.
It’s a testament to his talent that Legend could make something so scandalous feel so wholesome, yet heartbreaking. “Her favorite colors be platinum and gold/ She only loves in stereo,” he croons, unable to handle the reality of it all. A bit of him wishes there was some way it could all end up differently, that their love could be fueled by something more genuine, but as he states, he’s “seen it before” and is fully aware that no matter how good it feels for the time being she’ll find a bigger star to bed with next and leave him in the dust, another stop on her own tour.
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.
Putting the awkward hip hop-oriented concessions of his debut to rest, John Legend really comes alive as an artist on his second outing Once Again. Marketing the singer/ songwriter as a lounge crooner at the Copacabana in 2007 might not be the best way to win over the urban youth vote (or garner a contemporary radio hit), but it’s a more fitting style to Legend’s classic songwriting and old folks’ tenor and has produced some of the richest R&B of the year.
“PDA (We Just Don’t Care)” is a spring lovers’ anthem through and through. Anchored by a buoyant piano, infectious soul claps, brassy horns and a warm, feelgood groove, the song has the capability to make flowers bloom and legs skip, and put a permanent smile upon anyone’s face within earshot. It’s the kind of record that justifies the musician as one of the better Stevie Wonder students, incorporating the beauty of live instrumentation with a vivid study on romance that’s undeniably charming.
Where Wonder could go twee (“I Just Called To Say I Love You” is one of the mushiest songs ever!!), Legend avoids that danger by tapping into his ever-present sexual deviancy. Parents needn’t worry about any R-rated dialogue, the song’s naughtiness arrives via the high of exhibitionism. Pushing his lover to do it “where someone might discover us”, Legend offers the park, the fire escape, his girlfriend’s job and even her Mama’s house (“Maybe she’ll hear us when we scream and shout/ But we’ll keep it rocking until she comes knocking”), all against the unassuming guise of the song’s sunny melody.
Many may find the sentiment a little shocking coming from R&B’s seeming Dudley Do Right but Legend’s lyrics (especially the recurring theme of infidelity) has always lent itself to a nastier aspect of his personality that wasn’t so obvious. This sort of creeping around isn’t the least bit scandalous, just a tasty lesson in how to keep the romance afire.
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.
*
Come on, use Amazon or iTunes and help support your favorite artists so they can continue to give us the great sounds we love.
*
(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!)
Hoping to finally put to rest all those “Satan-worshipping” conspiracy theories that have sprinkled the World Wide Web for years, Jay-Z pulls off one of his strongest verses in a minute, easily stealing the show as guest star on the Rick Ross/ Teflon Don cut “Free Mason”.
“Whatever U Want”, the first single off of Queens rapper/ Q-Tip cousin/ G.O.O.D. Music signee 
Back in 2000, Mya kicked off the release of her second album 
Ghostface Killah’s eighth studio album, 
The seemingly disparate musical universes of 
Recent Comments