Happy Monday everybody. I'm happy to present a very special Music Monday. Not only is this artist a big personal favorite of mine, but I just happen to be going to his concert tomorrow night. That artist is none other than Jay-Z.
Where to start? Well I wrote a big thing about why I think Jay-Z is the best rapper alive. But you know, it's all opinion. Everybody has their own for whatever reason. Instead, I'm going to try to live my top 5 favorite Jay-Z songs at the moment, since this list would probably change everyday.
5. Heart of the City (Ain't No Love) - The Blueprint. Kanye really came through on this beat and Jay-Z is typical Jay-Z.
4. 30 Something - Kingdom Come. Classy classy beat featuring a more mature Jay-Z rapping like somebody his age should.
3. Lost One - Kingdom Come. Two songs from one of his "worst" albums. Yeah. Another relaxing, classy beat. Content is very personal on this track.
2. I Love the Dough - Life After Death. It was hard to choose between this and Brooklyn's finest, but as far as Jay and Biggie collabs go, I like Jay in this one much more.
1. Dead Presidents II - Reasonable Doubt. I couldn't make this list without a song from Reasonable Doubt. This is vintage Jay-Z.
Like I said, ask me again and this list will probably change, but you can't go wrong with these songs. I tried to stay away from some of the more recent mega hits to expose you guys to some other gems. I'll be sure to let you guys know how the concert goes. Until then, have a great week!
Happy Monday everybody. I hope everybody stayed up to watch the Oscars last night. It proved to be a profitable night for me thanks to the suckers in my Oscar pool. I got worried in the middle of the show, but I sealed the deal with Best Actor. Thank you Jeff Bridges. Moving on, here's the subject of today's Music Monday, none other than Andre 3000.
So in case you aren't aware, Andre 3000 makes up half of the hip hop duo known as Outkast. Outkast is one of the most creative things to ever come out of hip hop. Growing up, I was too young to really get what they were all about. I heard their songs on the radio, knew some of the words, but that's about it. It wasn't until years later that I realized the poetry and deepness of Andre 3000's lyrics. Their beats and their sound weren't like what everybody else was doing and nobody has really seemed to do it the same way since. While I am a bit of an Outkast fan, I am a much bigger Andre 3000 fan thanks to his recent comeback via a few guest spots and select songs.
For instance, he murders "Royal Flush" on Big Boi's album.
Styles will change. They say change is dang-erous As a King standing on the terrace While his partner pointing up at the riflemen Coward shooter, never know when your life will end Then live like there ain't no 'morrow And if one come then this the motto Now I put message in bottle You go to the nearest beach and open your car door And walk to the place where the sea meets the land Yeah, it's easier to run the street than walk in the sand Hey, I'm talking young man. As if chalk in my hand I will take y'all little ass to school It's cool when the kids call me Sunny, the hood calls me Stacks The B's call me honey, Hollywood calls me back Crack and I have a lot in common We both come up in the 80's and we keep that bass pumping That's a nega-tive comparison, embarrassing Unfortunate that if you come up fortunate the streets consider you lame Ha, I thought the name of the game was to have a better life. I guess it ain't. What a shame I don't slang. Never slung but I'm one with the slum that has a name well fitting Plenty cheese getting. No wonder why they call it the trap So watch your tail and I'm not kidding The rats and mice will give advice, they say, "you can paint and draw Get out of here. Go show them that we're more than slanging raw." That's when I broke into my Big Rube impression And I tried to enlighten but that night I learned a lesson That the morals that you think you got go out the window When all the other kids are fresh and they got new Nintendo Wiis And your child is down on her knees praying hard up to God for a whopper with cheese Do you B) hit the street hard with a flair Or do you A) go to school for heating and air? Dare make an honest living or make a crooked killing Or do a bit of both until you're holding on a million? Brilliant. You got one foot in, one foot out You put your left foot back in and then you shake it all about You do the hokey pokey til you turn your life around That's what it's all about. 3000 out
I hear he's supposed to come out with a solo album soon. That's one I will buy no questions asked. Until then, be sure to check his verse on the Walk it Out remix and another favorite I have by his, Chronometrophobia. In the meantime, here's a classic Outkast banger, Atliens (as it turns out, the music video embedding is disabled, but here's the song).
Happy Monday everybody! Well, let's get right into it.
It seems like mashups are all the rage these days. And why not? Take a great song, take another great song and make a new great song. I remember when MTV mixed ACDC's "Back in Black" with Eminem's "My Name Is". So sick.
Well this next guy takes it to a whole new level. Instead of just taking and combining two good songs to create a new one, he takes DOZENS. Strangely enough, his name is Greg. He's from Pittsburgh. You'll know him as Girl Talk.
He's had a few albums, but his latest release, from 2008 I believe, Feed the Animals is by far his best. I've heard many other mashup artists' albums before. Something about this one really stands out and I just can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's the pacing. Maybe it's just sample selection. I don't know but it works and it works better than the rest. The album itself plays out kind of like flipping through a radio station or an iPod, which is good for our attention deficit generation. A sample comes on that you don't like, just hang out, it'll be gone in a few seconds.
You get a great mix on here. I can pick out the rappers and singers from their lyrics, but a lot of the instrumentals are from rock groups I'm not quite as familiar with. I can tell you that this album runs the gamut from Busta Rhymes, to the Jackson 5, to Kelly Clarkson. It is divided into tracks, but flows well and is really meant to be listened to in it's entirety. I stuck this CD in my car and had it there for a while because as time goes by, certain samples and parts that you weren't crazy about before grow on you. It's fun to sing along and is an essential road trip album because chances are, all your friends in the car at least know SOME of the words.
This brings me to his live performances. I was lucky enough to see him this past summer in Pittsburgh. OH. MY. GOD. I'm not a frequent concert goer, but that concert is now the standard by which all others will be judged. Absolute insanity. Tons of people dancing on the stage. Lights everywhere. Everybody was dancing like crazy for hours. It was a better party atmosphere than even any club or party I've been to. If you ever have an opportunity to see this guy live, you are a FOOL if you miss this show. Bottom line. No argument. I still check his MySpace every now and again to make sure I'm not missing out on any upcoming shows. Until then, I'll still have Feed the Animals to hold me over.
Well I'd like to start what will probably be a weekly tradition, Music Monday. Basically, every Monday I'll share an artist, album, song, or whatever with you guys that I've been listening to lately. You'll soon realize that my tastes are mostly rap music, but occasionally I'll listen to something else. This is one of those days. Who better to start with than the girl who's my computer wallpaper?
Introducing.... Lights!
In addition to rocking a killer smile, she actually has quite a bit of talent. While the best way I can think to classify her would be a "pop" singer, this Canadian is hardly another Britney Spears clone. She writes her own music and can actually play guitar. As for the music itself, it's very interesting. It is by no means depressing, but it is still very introspective for the most part and I guess the overall sound gives it a lonely night time feel. At first I was kind of indifferent about it, but it really has grown on me.
Lucky for you, it's not too hard to get into her music, since she has only dropped one album, The Listening. The album is overall pretty solid from start to end. It leads right off with the song that is probably my favorite video from the album, "Savior"
It really shows off her creativity and is a decent enough representation of the type of stuff you'll see on the rest of the album. I'm not going to lie, Lights is great eye candy as well.
As for my favorite track? Well she hasn't made a video for it and I'm not sure if there are plans in the future, but I really like the hidden gem that is "Face Up".
Just the halting and starting of the lyrics in the chorus really adds to the overall struggling mood of the song. My favorite off the Listening for sure. She's a really talented artist for sure and I really hope to see more from her in the future. Something tells me her shows would be awesome as well.
Well that concludes the first ever Music Monday, hope you enjoyed and keep checking back to see what else I have in store for you guys.
