Friday Freestyle
Friday, January 06, 2006You haven't forgotten about the Friday Freestyle have you? Yeah, I know you think I have, it's been a minute, lol, but I don't think I've gotten rusty. I always get by with a little help from my soulful friends like my girl, T.J. Brown, Chicago's best kept secret and Philly phenom Jus. Also look for some goodness from Jarrard Anthony plus more soul from Redd Soul and Free Sol. You can never go wrong with Mary and Faith so they helped me start the groove, Marvin & Bobby help me keep it classic and Peven Everett ends it just right. Special shout and lots of love to my girl, my partner in soul Lis who is helping me take Honey Soul to a new level on top of keeping me sane with her craziness in the chaos.
Speaking of chaos, lol, if you don't see me here posting for a while or get a response to your email right away, just know that I am working on something...well a few somethings. Have a great weekend fam!
1. Mary J. Blige - Be Without You (NRC Remix)
2. Faith Evans - Catching Feelings
3. T.J. Brown - Why U Wanna Leave Me
4. Rae & Christian ft. Bobby Womack - Get A Life
5. Marvin Gaye - When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You
6. Jarrard Anthony - The Dream
7. Redd Soul - Recognize
8. Jamal Doctor - Oh No
9. Jus - Vision In Black
10. Aquila - Life
11. Free Sol - Crazy
12. Terry Gresham - Still In Love With You
13. Lizz Fields - Selfish Tendencies
14. Peven Everett - Gabrielle
Friday Freestyle
Friday, December 16, 2005Sistas with voices. This week's Friday Freestyle is laid back and mellow and features nothing but my beautiful sisters in all our multi-faceted glory.
These sistas are not getting major airplay but I'm sure after listening you will agree that they should. By the time you get to the last song, "Rain" by Leela James you will want to play it all over again. This radio blog also includes some of the women who have embraced me and what I do here. They have shown nothing but love and support so I wanted to salute them. Love and thanks to Wayna, Julie Dexter, Carmen Rodgers, Tamara Wellons, TJ Brown, Gabbie McGee and Valencia Robinson. Thanks to all my singing sistas for representing us in such grandeur.
1. Jazmine Sullivan - Braid Your Hair
2. Salakida - Don't Make Me Wait
3. Carmen Rodgers - Way (I Want To Touch You)
4. Deborah Bond - See You in My Dreams
5. Jennifer Edison - Run Away
6. Josephine Sincere - I Like it
7. T.J. Brown - The Real Thing
8. Alison Crockett - Like Rain
9. Valencia Robinson - Everlasting
10. Joy Jones - Beautiful
11. Wayna - Slums of Paradise
12. Julie Dexter - Ketch a Vibe
13. Tamara Wellons - Gruve Song
14. Gabbie McGee - Sunshine and Colors
15. Leela James - Rain
Friday Freestyle: Sweet Soul
Friday, December 09, 2005Take a theme "sweet." Add songs with words in the title that apply and you have the latest Friday Freestyle. Some sweet soul for all you sweet souls out there. I started with my favorite song from Lauryn "The Sweetest Thing" and ended with the amazing Ledisi remaking "Brown Sugar" only the way she could.
I included the Dwele track for Cia, Lkyldy and anyone else who went to his concert last night in North Carolina. I know it was sweet, lol.
1. Lauryn Hill - The Sweetest Thing
2. Zap Mama - Sweet Melody
3. Kelis - Sugar Honey Iced Tea
4. Anthony David - GA Peach
5. Faith Evans/Mos Def - Brown Sugar (Extra Sweet)
6. Sade - The Sweetest Taboo
7. Sy Smith - Honeychild
8. Brad Young - So Sweet
9. Jill Scott - Honey Molasses
10. Dwele - Sugar Sweetums
11. Geno Young - HoneyDew
12. Jarrard Anthony - Candy
13. Anthony Hamilton - Icing On The Cake
14. D'Angelo - Brown Sugar
15. Ledisi - Sugar/Brown Sugar
Friday Freestyle: MySpace Music
Friday, December 02, 2005Since joining myspace I've come across some really amazing artists. Some I was familiar with and some that I discovered there. This Friday Freestyle showcases some of that wonderful talent. It's so easy to get caught up for hours just going from page to page. Myspacers I know you feel me, lol. Thanks Tom (the founder of myspace).
I started with our favorite, the super talented Darien Brockington's "Beautiful" because frankly I just can't play this song enough and he's such a sweetheart. The producer of the song, my homie Tru Ski is also on myspace. FYI, my interview with Darien is being re-broadcast on projectVIBE radio today (Friday) at 4pm CST. We're going a bit global on this radio blog with tunes from Chicago's Ramel, Pittsburgh's Hutch Simon Project, DC's Bilal Salaam, Lagos' Siji, the UK's Natalie Williams and a few points in between. I've included links to all their myspace pages below. Support good music.
1. Darien Brockington - Beautiful
2. J*Davey - No More
3. Hutch Simon Project - You Love (Remix)
4. Bilal Salaam - Blah
5. Siji - Feel's Like
6. Natalie Williams - Butterfly
7. D-Nell - Lace
8. Ramel - Back In The Day
9. Crystal Night - What I Feel
10. The Rebirth - Mark Of His Ways
11. Rhian Ayanna - Ivory Moon
12. Positive Flow Ft Donna Gardier - The City Streets
Artist Spotlight: Me'Shell Ndegeocello
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
[Listen to Me'Shell Ndegeocello]
I've put together twenty-five of my favorite songs from singer/bassist Me'Shell Ndegeocello. She is one of my favorite artists not only because of her outstanding musicianship and her genre defying, skillful blend of funk, jazz and r&b but also because she challenges everything that is supposed to be mainstream with her music and her personal style. Since her 1993 debut album Plantation Lullabies until today she continues to be innovative, unique and of course soulful. I didn't include any tracks from her latest CD Dance of The Infidel only because I wanted to concentrate more on her vocal performances. She is more a bandleader on that project. It is superb however and one you should have in your collection.
bio from allmusic.com
Although Me'Shell NdegeOcello scored a few hits early in her career, the singer/bassist opted to concentrate subsequently on more challenging material by exploring the politics of race and sex, among other topics. Born Mary Johnson in 1969 and spending the first few years of her life in Germany (her father was both a military man and a jazz saxophonist), NdegeOcello and her family relocated to Virginia in the early '70s as the youngster developed an interest in music....read more...
1. Marcus Miller & Meshell NdegeOcello - Rush Over
2. Meshell NdegeOcello - Soul Searchin' (I Wanna Know If It's Mine)
3. Meshell Ndegeocello - Love Song 1
4. Meshell Ndegeocello - Dred Loc
5. Meshell Ndegeocello - If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)
6. Meshell Ndegeocello - Who Is He (And What Is He to You)?
7. Meshell Ndegeocello - Pocketbook
8. Meshell Ndegeocello - Wasted Time
9. Meshell Ndegeocello - Beautiful
10. Meshell Ndegeocello - Mary Magdalene
11. Meshell Ndegeocello - Trust
12. Meshell Ndegeocello - Andromeda and The Milky Way
13. Meshell Ndegeocello - Fellowship
14. Meshell Ndegeocello - Fool of Me
15. Meshell Ndegeocello - Bitter
16. Meshell Ndegeocello - Outside Your Door
17. Meshell Ndegeocello - Stay
18. Meshell Ndegeocello - Call Me
19. Meshell Ndegeocello - I'm Diggin' You (Like an Old Soul Record)
20. Meshell Ndegeocello - Step into the Projects
21. Chaka Khan & Meshell Ndegeocello - Never Miss The Water
22. Meshell Ndegeocello ft Rahzel & Branford Marsalis - Steal My Soul
23. Meshell Ndegeocello - Soul on Ice
24. Meshell Ndegeocello - Dead nigga blvd. part 1
25. Meshell Ndegeocello - Make Me Wanna Holler
*adult language
sweetened by Honey at 06:00 PM |Friday Freestyle: Chill Hop
Friday, November 11, 2005This week's Friday Freestyle is about embracing my inner DJ. That part of me that just wants to mix together whatever is moving me at the moment and try to convey that vibe to others. I started with my favorite song, the Zero7 remix of Mos Def's "Umi Says" and went from there. You'll find some downtempo, some hip hop, and there's even an instrumental. I call this the Chill Hop Mix. I'd like to thank Jonz for the song suggestions, Todd for introducing me to Locsmif, and EJ for the Sandboy. I'm trying something a little different with the radio blog and mixed all the songs together into one file. There is also a limited time download available.
*edit
Make sure you check out Floetry's live performance of five songs and a behind the scenes interview here.
Chill Hop Mix
Mos Def - Umi Says (Zero7 Remix)
Billie Holiday - Don't Explain (dZihan & Kamien Remix)
The Pharcyde - Runnin' (Rae And Christian Remix)
Slum Village - Tell Me (ft. D'Angelo)
A Tribe Called Quest - Electric Relaxation
Outkast ft Cee-lo - In Due Time (Locsmif Mix)
The Herbaliser - New and Improved (ft. What What aka Jean Grae)
Syzmanski - Contentment In Humidity
Soulive - Arruga de Agua (Remix)
United Soul - Soul Clap Remix (ft. DP, Jean Grae, Phonte)
Sweetback - Au Natural (ft. Bahamadia)
Sandboy - Common Cause (ft. Clara Hill)
*mature language
sweetened by Honey at 05:00 AM |Friday Freestyle
Friday, November 04, 2005This week's radio blog features Scar and Cee-Lo from the upcoming Got Purp, Vol. 2 (thanks Bo). I finally picked up Lisa Shaw's latest. My empty pockets would like to thank the tag team of Butta (for telling me about it) and EJ (for playing it). Can I borrow a dollar? Also featured is one of my favorite people, my giggle twin Gaelle and one of my favorite songs from Zhane (Can we get another album ladies?)
1. Fatima Lowe - Free
2. Avila Brothers ft Shelea - Let It Go
3. Scar ft. Cee-Lo - What Is This?
4. Yahzarah - Urgency
5. Sandra St. Victor ft. Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd, ?uestlove - Dizzy
6. Jazzanova ft. Vikter Duplaix - Wasted Time
7. Gaelle - Repetition
8. Lisa Shaw - The Last Time
9. Ledisi - Free Again
10. Deborah Bond - Giving Up
11. Antoinique - Blackwater
12. Zhane - Sending My Love
Friday Freestyle + Stimulated Download
Friday, October 28, 2005This week's Friday Freestyle features Ellis Hall aka E-3 who is the son of Tower of Power singer Ellis Hall, Jr. (thanks to o.s.u.m for the contact), Steve Spacek's blazing song "Dollar" superbly produced by Jay Dilla, and Yewande (pronounced E-wan-day) whose powerful voice delivers some alternative soul. She's one to watch.
In my blog quest to play every song Dwele has ever made, I have included yet another song from the Detroit crooner. Yall know how I am about him, LOL. He really puts his signature on this remake of Spacek's song. Esthero, Kim Hill and Frank McComb, it just keeps getting better.
1. Ellis Hall (E-3) - Last Resort
2. Steve Spacek - Dollar (Produced by Jay Dilla)
3. Yewande - Satisfied
4. Abenaa - Abenaa - Rain
5. Dwele - Eve
6. Esthero - I Drive Alone
7. Cee Cee Michaela - So Much Luv
8. Jack Herrera - Say the Word
9. Kim Hill - Open Wide
10. V - Confusion
11. Monet - U Told Me
12. Frank McComb - Shine
The Stimulated Mix is available for download for a limited time.
Download
1. Aaliyah - Rock the Boat (Stimulated Remix)
2. Beyonce - Speechless
3. Martin Luther - Truth or Dare
4. Meshell Ndegeocello - Trust
5. Joi - Lick
6. Kelis - Freak Me Slow
7. Janet Jackson - Moist
8. Jon B. - Before It's Gone
9. Maxwell - Sumthin Sumthin (Mellowsmoothe Remix)
10. Tweet - Taxi
11. Chico Debarge - Virgin
12. Peven Everett - I Wanna Make Love
13. Malik Yusef ft. Chantay - Auto-Eroticism
14. Novel - Peach
15. Prince - International Lover
*adult language
total time: 1:08:49
size: 63MB
Friday Freestyle
Friday, October 21, 2005I hope this week's Friday Freestyle stimulates you. It's meant to be sensual and pleasing to your ears. Of course there is no better way to start it off than with one of the hottest remixes I've heard in a long time, Aaliyah's "Rock The Boat" remixed by Kwame. I really enjoy his work so I think you'll be hearing more of his remixes here in the future. If you haven't picked up Martin Luther's Rebel Soul Music, his track "Truth or Dare" is just one more reason you need to add it to your collection. I ended with a classic from the "International Lover" himself, Prince. This is an adults only mix so you may want to get out the headphones if you're listening from work.
Enjoy the music, listen to the lyrics and get stimulated.
*adult language
1. Aaliyah - Rock the Boat (Stimulated Remix)
2. Beyonce - Speechless
3. Martin Luther - Truth or Dare
4. Meshell Ndegeocello - Trust
5. Joi - Lick
6. Kelis - Freak Me Slow
7. Janet Jackson - Moist
8. Jon B. - Before It's Gone
9. Maxwell - Sumthin Sumthin (Mellowsmoothe Remix)
10. Tweet - Taxi
11. Chico Debarge - Virgin
12. Peven Everett - I Wanna Make Love
13. Malik Yusef ft. Chantay - Auto-Eroticism
14. Novel - Peach
15. Prince - International Lover
Friday Freestyle + Duets Download
Friday, October 14, 2005I was in a pretty mellow mood so I was going for smooth tracks this week. I started off with Jonz whose sound has been described as "tripped out smoothness." Want to find out just how smooth he is? Check him out next week on Soul 2 Soul. Add to that songs from Omar, Crystal Night, Darien Brockington and Dwele's "Slide Out" and you just may slide right off your chair from the smoothness.
1. Jonz - Jonz Intro/Situation 1
2. Mint Condition - Fallin' Apart
3. Azur ft. D'Angelo - Love Is So Cold
4. Dwele - Slide Out
5. Luvpark ft Bilal - Fade Away
6. Brigette - Starlite Lounge
7. Ola Onabule - Soul Town
8. Crystal Night - You Inspire
9. Stephen Simmonds - I Hope U Do
10. Emel - Thinking About You
11. Darien Brockington - Dedication
12. Randevyn - Supanatural
13. Nuwamba - Take Me Away
14. Omar - I'm in Love
good news/bad news
The good news is that I made the Duets radio blog downloadable. The bad news is that when I put together the radio blogs, I don't take the total time of the playlist into account. I just put the songs together the way they feel to me. It's 87 minutes long which means it won't fit on a standard 80 minute audio CD. So you can play in your mp3 player or on your computer but it's too long to burn, well unless you make a mp3 CD. I'm sure you'll make good use of it. Download it here.
Duets radio.blog
1. Rachelle Ferrell and Russ Barnes - Reflections of My Heart
2. Rhonda Thomas and Alex Lattimore - The Matrimony
3. Conya Doss and Zero - Heaven
4. Tanya and Stanley M. Cooke, III - Over and Over
5. Jill Scott and Eric Roberson - One Time
6. Julie Dexter and Michael Johnson - Show Me Now
7. Nicci Gilbert and Dave Hollister - She'll Never
8. Kindred The Family Soul - Where Would I Be (The Question)
9. Lauryn Hill and D'Angelo - Nothing Even Matters
10. Lina and Anthony Hamilton - Around The World
11. Syleena Johnson and Anthony Hamilton - More
12. Clara Hill and Joe Dukie - Flawless Part 2
13. Ivana Santilli and Wade O. Brown - Can We
14. Conya Doss and Myron - The Wind
15. Tonia Woods and Jarrard Anthony - Will You Do It (You Make Me High)
16. Paige Lackey Martin (Sirius B Project) and Donnie - Always Remember
17. N'Dambi and Madukwu Chinwah - Rain
18. Emerald Jade and Craig Monroe - Delirious
19. Queen Latifah and Al Green - Simply Beautiful
20. Rachelle Ferrell and Will Downing - Nothing Has Ever Felt Like This
New Soul Duets Radio Blog
Friday, October 07, 2005I can't really call this a Friday Freestyle since there is a theme. This week's radio.blog was inspired by a comment from my girl Jen concerning Rachelle Ferrell and the duet with her little brother Russ Barnes. Soon after, we had a preview of Gerald Levert's duet CD. The radio blog Goddess was obviously pointing me in a certain direction, lol.
There are classic duets by Marvin and Tammi (Ain't No Mountain High Enough) and Donny and Roberta (Closer I Get To You) but I wanted to take a different approach. I've only included lesser known duets from contemporary soul artists. With a few exceptions, these are duets that maybe you never heard or maybe you just missed. I'd like to thank Jen for sparking my music imagination.
1. Rachelle Ferrell and Russ Barnes - Reflections of My Heart
2. Rhonda Thomas and Alex Lattimore - The Matrimony
3. Conya Doss and Zero - Heaven
4. Tanya and Stanley M. Cooke, III - Over and Over
5. Jill Scott and Eric Roberson - One Time
6. Julie Dexter and Michael Johnson - Show Me Now
7. Nicci Gilbert and Dave Hollister - She'll Never
8. Kindred The Family Soul - Where Would I Be (The Question)
9. Lauryn Hill and D'Angelo - Nothing Even Matters
10. Lina and Anthony Hamilton - Around The World
11. Syleena Johnson and Anthony Hamilton - More
12. Clara Hill and Joe Dukie - Flawless Part 2
13. Ivana Santilli and Wade O. Brown - Can We
14. Conya Doss and Myron - The Wind
15. Tonia Woods and Jarrard Anthony - Will You Do It (You Make Me High)
16. Paige Lackey Martin (Sirius B Project) and Donnie - Always Remeber
17. N'Dambi and Madukwu Chinwah - Rain
18. Emerald Jade and Craig Monroe - Delirious
19. Queen Latifah and Al Green - Simply Beautiful
20. Rachelle Ferrell and Will Downing - Nothing Has Ever Felt Like This
Friday Freestyle + Bonus
Friday, September 30, 2005This week's Friday Freestyle is just the usual soul essentials. I started off with a track by Eric Roberson from a compilation called While U Wait, one of the best compilations I've heard this year. Eric also has an EP called the "Appetizer" available on his site. Will Downing (every woman needs a little Will Downing in her life) and Floetry are turning the heat way up with songs from their upcoming albums. The last track is from the living legend Stevie Wonder whose new album finally has a release date, Oct. 18.
1. Eric Roberson - I Dare U to Stay
2. Will Downing - Put Me On
3. Floetry - Imagination
4. Rahsaan Patterson - The Moment
5. Steve Spacek - Rapid Rate
6. J. Rawls ft. Aloe Blacc - Bailar
7. Kev Brown (feat. Chronkite, Eric Roberson & Wayna) - Hennessey Pt.2
8. Zo! ft. Little Brother - Shoomp Remix
9. Pete Rock ft. Leela James - No Tears
10. Kelli Sae - Daydreamin
11. The Brand New Heavies - Brother Sister (The Angel Remix)
12. Incognito - Don't Turn My Love Away
13. Naked Music NYC - Through Tryin'
14. Olu - Long Way
15. Stevie Wonder - Sweetest Somebody I Know
Bonus:
I've made my Katrina: Anger, Sadness, Hope radio blog downloadable for a limited time.
Before anyone asks, or emails...no I will not be making every radio blog downloadable. This was a little too time intensive for me to do every week.
..and of course remember that there are still people in need. Support organizations that help like the Red Cross.
sweetened by Honey at 05:00 AM |Sisters in Soul
Friday, September 16, 2005Men may come and go but there's no friend like a sista friend. I have a special sista friend named Lisa who is so much like me, we call each other twin and we practically finish each other's sentences. Even our birthdays are close, 3 days apart. Her birthday is September 17. Wish her a happy birthday. Lisa designed this site and is the head diva over at the official Mint Condition fan site (and between you and me she is the secret member of the group LOL). Yeah, she bad! Ask Stokley, heh! I did a special radio blog in celebration of our birthdays.
All these songs are significant to us. Some for obvious reasons, others we would only understand because they're restricted to the secret sister code, never to be broken (until we sign the million dollar book deal, LOL). Here are a few of our favorite songs and of course I had to start it off with one of my favorite people.
Happy Birthday Sis, I Love You!
1. Dwele - Birthday Message/Sugar Sweetums
2. Mint Condition - The Never That You'll Never Know
3. Valencia Robinson - Black Sol Sista
4. India Arie - Strength, Courage, & Wisdom
5. Nas - Virgo
6. Tanya Chester - Girlfriend
7. Mos Def - Umi Says (Zero 7 Remix)
8. Mint Condition - If You Love Me
9. Dwele - Weekend Love
10. Floetry - Say Yes
11. Darien Brockington - Beautiful
12. Maxwell - This Womans Work
13. Bobby Caldwell - What You Won't Do For Love
14. Whitney Houston/Cece Winans - Count On Me
15. Stevie Wonder - Happy Birthday
Katrina: Anger, Sadness, Hope
Thursday, September 08, 2005
[Katrina: Anger, Sadness, Hope radio.blog]
If you enjoyed this mix (and even if you didn't), please donate your time and money to Katrina relief efforts.
Visit Red Cross, Black America Web, Network for Good or GuideStar to donate and volunteer.
If you live in the Houston area, get volunteer information here and donation information here and here.
adult language
1. Kanye West interlude (Public Enemy - Rebel Without A Pause)
2. Public Enemy - Fight The Power
3. Gil Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
4. G.Bush/Charmaine Neville interlude (Stevie Wonder - Living for the City)
5. Stevie Wonder - You Haven't Done Nothin'
6. Mayor Nagin interlude (Marvin Gaye - Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler))
7. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
8. Bob Marley - Exodus
9. Handsome Boy Modeling School - The World's Gone Mad (Ft Del The Funky Homosapien, Barrington Levy & Alex Kapranos)
10. Prince - Sign O' the Times
11. War - The World Is a Ghetto
12. Sade - Pearls
13. Urban Ave 31 ft Raheem Devaughn - Heaven Help Us All
14. William Devaughn - Be Thankful For What You Got
15. Michael Jackson - Man In The Mirror
16. Bill Withers - Lean On Me
17. John Lennon - Imagine
18. Yolanda Adams - Open My Heart
19. Aretha Franklin - Amazing Grace
20. Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come
audio sources:
G.Bush via Crooks and Liars
Charmaine Neville via Trent
Kanye West via Bomani
Mayor Ray Nagin via Todd
Katrina Relief Benefit Calendar
At CD Baby, musicians have donated their entire wholesale price to the American Red Cross disaster relief fund. List of artists.
If you live in the Atlanta area, there is a benefit @ Apache Cafe tonight (Sept. 8) from 7pm - 3am featuring Urban Soul, Algebra, Dres da beatnik, Jiva, Phillipia, Anthony David, Julie Dexter & many more. All proceeds go to help those displaced and in need. Artists that want to help please email image@mindspring.com. Telephone 404-876-5436.
Also in ATL, there is a Gathering of Artists Humanitarian Action on Sept. 9, 4.30-6.30pm and 7-10pm at the Southwest Arts Center. Telephone 404-505-3220
thank you Julie for the ATL info
If you live in the Los Angeles area, Magic Johnson Foundation is having a "Hurricane Katrina Relief Drive" this Sunday, Sept. 11th from 12pm-6pm @ the Magic Johnson Theatres in Baldwin Hills. Volunteer phone (310) 247-2033
thank you Lisa for the LA info
African American Relief Efforts and Black Folks Speak Out!
thank you lhenry
Friday Freestyle
Friday, September 02, 2005A little downtempo (Clara Hill), a little broken beat (4 Hero). Add a DJ (DJ Spinna) plus some producers (Red Astaire, Bugz). Factor in some male vocalists (Dwele, Dwight Trible) and some female vocalists (Leela James, Vinia Mojica, Nina Provencal). Add some UK Soul (Silhouette Brown, Down To The Bone), and some French/African soul (Les Nubians). All equals another Friday Freestyle.
1. DJ Spinna ft. Vinia Mojica - Idols
2. Swamp82 ft Nina Provencal - Falling
3. Red Astaire - Follow Me
4. Dwele - Angel (Yam Who Broken Remix)
5. Dwight Trible - Otherworldly
6. Leela James - Music (Hoods Edit)
7. Clara Hill - That Easy
8. Silhouette Brown - Spread That
9. Les Nubians - Embrasee Moi (Deep Mix)
10. Down To The Bone - Angel Baby (Daz-I-Kue Vox Mix)
11. 4 Hero - Hold It Down
12. Bugz In The Attic - Booty La La
Friday Freestyle - For EJ
Friday, August 26, 2005After encountering some technical difficulties, I am able to post again, thanks entirely to EJ. He fixed the problem. His help and kindness really made me feel good so I'd like to dedicate this week's Friday Freestyle to him. Thank you EJ!
This week's playlist is also about feeling good. I've included tracks that get your head nodding. Jah_Luv noticed that Rahsaan Patterson sounds like Raphael Saadiq. I agree, plus sometimes I think he sounds a little like Stokley from Mint Condition and even Chaka Khan. He's got an amazing voice. Also from the the amazing voice crew included this week are the jazzy vocals of Ledisi, Queen Aaminah and Karen Bernod. American Idol finalist LaToya London says she'll do "Anything", a song that I'm pretty sure we would have never heard on AI. Watch for her debut in September.
1. Rahsaan Patterson - The One For Me
2. NYR - Ride With U
3. Ledisi - I've Got It
4. Queen Aaminah - Keepin' it Real
5. Deborah Bond - See You in My Dreams
6. LaToya London - Anything
7. Lynden David Hall - Dont Hide Your Heart
8. Jazzyfatnastees - Hear Me
9. Karen Bernod - Chillin' On The DL
10. Sol Edler - Crush
11. Antoinique - Fell In Love
12. Geno Young - HoneyDew
Happy Birthday to Bomani! Go wish him well.
More thanks...
..to Todd for the use of some of his artist spotlight radio blogs (added to the radio blog section.)
..to Doug for informing me about my international press, LOL
..to the highly in demand Lis for the Soul 2 Soul graphics
..to Cheryl & Simone for the music
sweetened by Honey at 09:55 PM |Friday Freestyle
Friday, August 19, 2005There's a soap opera going on in this week's Friday Freestyle radio blog. On this week's edition of The Young & The Soulful...Trina Broussard tells us about the lies. Syleena and Angela Johnson are tired of the deception. Mint Condition, Peven Everett and Musiq want to know what's really going on. Lina, Mysti Day and Frank McComb have had enough. Angie Stone & Valencia Robinson try to come to a resolution. Finally, Jamie Jones offers a solution and a happy ending.
I'll be talking to at least 3 of the artists in the playlist on upcoming editions of Soul 2 Soul. Who will it be? Stay tuned. See, I told you it was like a soap opera, lol.
1. Trina Broussard - Lies
2. Syleena Johnson - Everybody Wants Something
3. Angela Johnson - Tell Me
4. Mint Condition - What Happened
5. Lina - Leaving You
6. Peven Everett - Testin Me
7. Musiq Soulchild - Halfcrazy
8. Frank McComb - Better Off Without You
9. Mysti Day - You Gotta Go
10. Angie Stone - Different Directions
11. Valencia Robinson - Bye Bye Angel
12. Jamie Jones - Higher Love
Friday Freestyle
Friday, August 12, 2005I was really in my zone when putting together this radio blog. This is the type of music I listen to most often...smooth soul. Although I didn't intend it, I noticed that alot of the artists have something in common. Most were background singers or members of a group before going solo.
There is an ex back-up singer for Jill Scott who goes by the name of V, and ex-Brownstone member, Nicci Gilbert. Also there is a background singer for Little Brother and Foreign Exchange, Darien Brockington and Martin Luther who has performed with the Roots. Alison Crockett, Leena Conquest, and Julie Dexter started as band vocalists before going solo.
Coincidentally, those last three ladies have taught music in the past or teach now. Rachelle Ferrell also taught music but I know you can't teach anyone to hit that high note the way she does on the track with her six octave range. Wow, that's amazing. Ok, that's enough trivia, let's get to the music.
1. Leena Conquest - The Breeze (remix)
2. V. ft Jill Scott - Born Again
3. Jill Scott - Free (Prelude)
4. Darien Brockington ft. Trevor Peterson - Seduction
5. Nicci Gilbert - Summer
6. Martin Luther - Lust
7. Eric Benet - Femininity
8. Alison Crockett - Like Rain
9. Julie Dexter - Ketch A Vibe
10. India.Arie - Brown Skin
11. Rachelle Ferrell - Run to Me
12. Wayman Tisdale - When I Opened Up My Eyes
13. Harmone - Come Talk To Me
14. Siji - Sanctuary (Fuji Soul Mix)
15. Esthero - Dragonfly's Outro
Friday Freestyle
Friday, August 05, 2005All hip hop this week on Friday Freestyle. A few of these snuck up on me. You know how you hear something but don't pay much attention to it until you hear it again. Slum Village's It'z Your World from their latest Prequel to a Classic was like that. OhSoKool played it on his radio show and I thought, ok, I'm feeling that now. Young Jeezy ft Jay-Z's Go Crazy (remix) was another. My nephew sent it to me this morning and it was the perfect fit. Mainly this week's radio.blog is all about the beat.
*explicit language
1. The Roots - Don't Say Nuthin' remix
2. Slum Village - It'z Your World (feat. J. Isaac & Kurupt)
3. Young Jeezy ft. Jay-Z - Go Crazy (Remix)
4. Blackstar - Bright as The Stars (Dirty)
5. Symbolyc One - Callin'
6. Andreus - Ghetto Music
7. Living Legends ft. Nara - Good Fun
8. Pitch Black - It's All Real
9. The Away Team - On The Line Ft. Joe Scudda, Chaundon & Rapper Big Pooh
10. Foreign Exchange - Raw Life
11. DJ Cam ft. Afu Ra - Voodoo Child
12. The Herbaliser - It Ain't Nuttin' (feat. MF Doom)
bits and pieces....
My Jaguar Wright interview was quoted by AOL Black Voice's Buzz Column (second paragraph from the bottom). That's kinda cool, although I wouldn't characterize what Jag said as "ranting". Thanks Bo for the heads up
Videos from Eric Benet and LaToya London have been added to the Video Soul section
and some goodies...
Little Brother's "Minstrel Show" Sampler (1 full song, 6 snippets) download
Jamie Foxx's Brady Brunch song. This is too funny. download
Thanks to Simone for sending this to me.
Friday Freestyle
Friday, July 29, 2005I guess I should call this radio blog the Friday Gumbo because I threw a little bit of everything in there. From Digable Planets to Gregory Isaacs to Frank McComb, this is what happens when you can't committ to one style, LOL.
1. Jill Scott ft Diamonique - Whatever (co-stars remix)
2. Digable Planets - Flyin High in the Brooklyn Sky
3. Goapele - Catch 22 remix
4. Sade - By Your Side (Neptunes Remix)
5. Gregory Isaacs - Night Nurse (Cottonbelly remix)
6. Meshell N'Degeocello - Fellowship
7. J-Live ft. Dwele - Coming Home
8. Foreign Exchange - Come Around
9. Guru and N'Dea Davenport - Trust Me
10. Julie Dexter - Like Ours
11. Kim Hill - Mars
12. Carmen Rodgers - Dream
13. Frank McComb - Shine
Prince: Hate 2 Adore, Pt. 2
Friday, July 22, 2005
We started off the week with Prince, so let's end it that way too. Here is Part 2 of "Hate 2 Adore." In case you missed it, part 1 was all about hurt & heartbreak. Part 2 is about love and sensuality. These are those saccharin sweet love songs with some seriously sexy ones sprinkled in.
This one was difficult for me to narrow down. Prince has love songs and then he has sex songs. Of course then there are love songs about sex...or are they sex songs about love? I started with my favorite Prince song of all time, "Adore" and ended with what any true Prince fan is when it comes to his music, "Insatiable."
I want to remind everyone that I am not responsible for any high pitched Prince imitations while in the work place nor any enhanced or prolonged amorous feelings that result in rushed trips home to your loved one. Please be responsible when listening. But if there are any babies born 9 months from now, if it's a boy, name him Prince. If it's a girl, name her Honey, LOL.
*adult language
Prince: Love & Adore radio.blog
Adore Playlist
1. Prince - Adore
2. Prince - The One
3. Prince - Damn U
4. Prince - Erotic City
5. Prince - She's Always in My Hair
6. Prince - Diamonds And Pearls
7. Prince - When 2 R In Love
8. Prince - The Most Beautiful Girl In The
9. Prince - Call My Name
10. Prince - Dreamin' About U
11. Prince - The Sun, The Moon And Stars
12. Prince - The Greatest Romance Ever Sold
13. Prince - 7
14. Prince - Love 2 the 9's
15. Prince - Kiss
16. Prince - I Wanna Be Your Lover
17. Prince - Take Me With U
18. Prince - I Would Die 4U
19. Prince - She Loves Me 4 Me
20. Prince - Soul Sanctuary
21. Prince - Extraordinary
22. Prince - Do Me Baby
23. Prince - Slow Love
24. Prince - Scandalous
25. Prince - Insatiable
Prince: Hate 2 Adore, Pt. 1
Monday, July 18, 2005
I have been contemplating doing a Prince radio.blog for quite some time but it was an overwhelming undertaking. The sheer number of songs from this musical genius is just staggering and thoughts of narrowing it down sent me into a purple-hazed anxiety attack.
At first I thought I would break Prince's songs down into certain time periods like 1976-1984 but after further thought, grouping them into categories seemed to work well. You know I have this thing about themes, so "love & hate" felt right. Besides the love songs coming up fairly soon, at some future date there could be the sex songs, the party songs, the spiritual songs...oh the possibilities.
I originally only planned to do the love songs but after mentioning this to Bo, he suggested the heartbreak songs as well. He's right, what's love without some heartbreak, especially the way Prince tells a story. I'm presenting the "I Hate U" playlist first. As soon as I'm able to narrow down the love songs to something manageable that wouldn't require you to map out a few days to listen to, I'll present the "Adore" playlist. While I love Prince's more popular songs, I have included a few tracks that have received little or no radio airplay but are just as funky as his major hits.
*adult language
Prince: Hate & Heartache radio.blog
I Hate U Playlist
1. Prince - I Hate U
2. Prince - When Doves Cry
3. Prince - 17 Days
4. Prince - Thieves In The Temple
5. Prince - Don't Play Me
6. Prince - So Dark
7. New Power Generation - Wasted Kisses
8. Prince - One Of Your Tears
9. Prince - How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore
10. Prince ft. Rosie Gaines - Nothing Compares 2 U
11. Prince - The Beautiful Ones
12. Prince - Why U Wanna Treat Me So Bad
13. Prince - Still Waiting
14. Prince - Gotta Broken Heart Again
15. Prince - When You Were Mine
16. Prince - Strange Relationship
17. Prince - If I Was Your Girlfriend
18. Prince - Anotherloverholenyohead
19. Prince - Another Lonely Christmas
20. Prince - Purple Rain
Summer Sundown
Monday, July 11, 2005
Afternoon Dreams 2 by Consuelo Gamboa
This is a jazzy, soulful radio.blog inspired by those relaxing summer days...and nights. It's very laid back, if possible recline before your listen, LOL. (Thanks Lis for the name)
1. Luvpark ft Bilal - Fade Away
2. Norman Brown ft. Vesta - Rain (remix)
3. Regina Belle - Lazy Afternoon
4. D'Angelo - Cruisin (Wet Remix)
5. Boney James ft. Dwele - Break of Dawn
6. Isley Brothers ft. Onda and Esthero - Summer Breeze
7. Carl Thomas - Summer Rain
8. Kem - I Can't Stop Loving You
9. Sade - Kiss Of Life
10. Deniece Williams - Free
11. Pete Belasco - I'll Come To You
12. Jamiroquai - Morning Glory
13. Chic - A Warm Summer Night
14. Smokey Robinson - Quiet Storm
Friday Freestyle: Slow Grooves
Friday, July 08, 2005I'm slowing it down this week. I've compiled the songs from CD's I've been playing to death this week. Raheem Devaughn's
1. Raheem Devaughn - You
2. Peven Everett - Everyday Girl
3. Conya Doss - Stay
4. Davina - Come Over To My Place
5. Nuwamba - Forever
6. Laurnea - Wrong
7. Dave Hollister - On The Side
8. Hil St. Soul - Pieces
9. Van Hunt - Down Here in Hell (With You)
10. Rhonda Thomas - Breathe New Life
11. Julie Dexter - Choices
12. Geno Young - Let's Lay Down
13. D-Nell - Different Day
14. Natasha Bedingfield - I Bruise Easily
15. Frank McComb - Never Letting Go
Friday Freestyle: Hip Hop/Soul
Friday, July 01, 2005This week's Friday Freestyle has some hip hop, some soul and some hip hop and soul artist collaborations. These are some of my favorite artists with some of my favorite songs (yeah I know I always say that, lol).
I featured two songs from the outspoken and hugely talented Kim Hill. Her song "Right Now" features Common and is from her forthcoming album titled "Pharaoh's Daughter." The other track called "The Real Hip Hop" is from her 2003 self-released album, "Suga Hill." The song is about some "Monkey Business" with a certain hip hop group who may be asking "Where Is The Love?". But they should have known not to "Phunk With Her Heart." Did I mention she was a member of the Black Eyed Peas in 1995 but was booted out when they uhhh...took another direction. Listen closely to the song. Not that I'm one to gossip, LOL.
Another singer you should be checking for is Kendra, Parliament's lead vocalist. Her song "This World" is from her album myriadmorphonicbiocorpomelodicrealityshapeshifter. Now that's a mouthful. I hope I gave you an earful with this mix.
Have a happy and safe 4th of July.
*adult language
1. Method Man and Mary J. Blige - All I Need (Razor Sharp Remix)
2. Adriana Evans ft. Dred Scott - Check The Vibe
3. Kim Hill ft. Common - Right Now
4. D-Nell - Weigh it Up
5. Guru ft. Isaac Hayes - Night Vision
6. Will.I.Am ft. Terry Dexter - Lay Me Down
7. Kim Hill - The Real Hip Hop
8. DJ Jazzy Jeff ft. Raheem, Erro & Vee - For Da Love Of Da Game (DJ Jazzy Jeff Remix)
9. Kendra - This World
10. Musiq ft. Aaries - Caught Up
11. Lina - I Am
12. Cee-Lo Green - I Am Selling Soul
13. Leela James - Long Time Coming
14. Martin Luther - Rise
15. Omar ft. Angie Stone - Be Thankful (Blaze Mix)
Old "High" School
Sunday, June 26, 2005I was listening to Curtis Mayfield's classic Superfly this weekend and I thought about how many songs back in the day had d.rug references. Sounded like a radio blog to me. In all fairness some of these songs are referring to a love "high" but it's still a reference to being high. I've only included old school R&B songs before 1990 and it's not at all about glorifying d.rug use. Some of the songs included are decidely anti-d.rug.
Noticeably absent are the kings of psychedelic funk Parliament/Funkadelic. While George Clinton admits that a lot of the songs were d.rug influenced, I didn't have any in my record collection that dealt with it throughout the entire song. "Sir Nose" does contain the lines "Baa baa black sheep, Have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir. A nickel bag full" but that's the only reference in the song. There is also "Super Stupid" about an addict who accidentally buys the wrong d.rug on the Maggot Brain album, and the title track as well, but those were mainly instrumental tracks. I may in fact have some songs that would fit here but Parliaments lyrics are so obscure I have no idea what they are really talking about.
To bad I didnt think of this radio blog on April 20, heh! Turn this one up..dare I say..high.
oh yeah...
disclaimer: I in no way endorse the use or abuse of any illegal substance.
Old "High" School radio.blog
*adult language and content
1. Faze O - Riding High
2. Laidback - White Horse
3. George McRae - I Get Lifted
4. Curtis Mayfield - Pusherman
5. Curtis Mayfield - Freddie's Dead
6. Rick James - Mary Jane
7. Stevie Wonder - Too High
8. Marvin Gaye - Flyin' High (In The Friendly Sky). Marvin sang candidly about his addiction on this song from his classic album What's Going On. I included this one based partly on a convo I had with Jaguar Wright (oops, sorry, lemme pick that name up, LOL...but that is why I included it, besides it being a great song)
9. Bootsy Collins - Munchies For Your Love. The funk has never been so sweet. He's hooked on his chocolate star...uhhh baby baaba.
10. Freda Payne - I Get High (On Your Memory). From 1965, this has been sampled recently by Styles P.
11. Sly & The Family Stone - I Want to Take You Higher
12. The Temptations - Cloud Nine
13. Musical Youth - Pass The Dutchie. A little disturbing when being sang by a bunch of kids. This song was based on The Mighty Diamonds "Pass the Kouchie." Apparently Kouchie is a Jamaican term for a pipe full of mari.juana. A dutchie is a cooking pot, so noone realized that the song had d.rug origins until later.
14. Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel - White Lines (Don't Do It)
15. James Brown - King He.roin
sweetened by Honey at 01:20 PM |Friday Freestyle
Friday, June 24, 2005I started to call this week's Friday Freestyle "Naked Ladies in the House." But before your mind goes "there", let me explain, lol. I included the ladies of Naked Music like Aya, Gaelle, and Lisa Shaw whose music has sort of a downtempo, deep house feel. Cute title, but then I decided to include others in the mix like Vivian Green, Nina Simone, Esthero and Marc De Clive Lowe and it morphed into something else. So here it is, untitled (unless someone can think of a good name).
1. Vivian Green - Fanatic (P'Taah Future Soul Mix)
2. Nina Simone - Save Me (Vocal Mix)
3. Aya - Looking For the Sun
4. Nadirah Shakoor - Touched My Soul
5. Esthero - Beautiful Lie
6. Stephane Pompougnac - Lizzie's Ballroom
7. Marc de Clive Lowe - Quintessential
8. Alex Gopher - The Child
9. Big Muff - My Funny Valentine
10. Quintessence - Sparkle
11. Blue Six - Beautiful Tomorrow
12. Ultra Nate - Twisted
13. Gaelle - Rain
14. Lisa Shaw - If I could (Restless Soul Remix
15. The Rurals - Relax Your Soul
Live and Unplugged
Monday, June 20, 2005This is what was supposed to be my Friday Freestyle radio.blog. Better late than never. With summertime approaching and music festivals popping up everywhere I decided to go with live songs...well as live as you can get on a recorded track. Luckily I picked artists who sound really good live. There are a few I haven't had the privilege of hearing live. Eric Roberson for instance, but based on his track here, he sounds like he really puts on an entertaining show.
I started with my girl Lauryn Hill. I know she has been getting some bad press lately, but my Lauryn love is not that fickle. Of course, if I would have been there and paid to see her, I may have been a little disappointed too. Anyway, she sounds pretty good on the first track. It was from her performance in Sweden, I believe at the end of last year. Now that I'm looking at the tracklist, there are alot of folks on there that have tested my music faithfulness by going AWOL...D'Angelo, Maxwell, Bilal, Musiq, Sade, Donnie. They better get it together, I can't wait forever, LOL.
*adult language
1. Lauryn Hill - Soon As I Get Home (Live In Sweden)
2. Jay-Z ft Jaguar Wright - Ain't No Love (MTV Unplugged)
3. D'Angelo - Brown Sugar (Live In Sweden)
4. Floetry - Say Yes (Live in New Orleans)
5. Musiq - Just Friends (Live)
6. Eric Roberson - Couldn't Hear Me Over The Music (Live)
7. Jill Scott - Do You Remember (Live)
8. Bilal ft Mos Def - Reminisce (Live)
9. Sade - Cherish The Day (Live)
10. Erykah Badu ft Geno "Junebug" Young - Didnt Cha Know (Live)
11. Maxwell - Ascension Dont Ever Wonder (MTV Unplugged)
12. Meshell N'degeocello. - Love song #1 (Live in NYC)
13. Anthony Hamilton - Charlene (Live)
14. Donnie - Cloud 9 (Live In Atlanta)
15. John Legend ft J. Ivy - So High (Live In NYC)
In The Meantime....Midnight Soul
Friday, June 17, 2005
Happy Friday everyone! I am putting together a Friday Freestyle radio.blog but as usual time is an issue and real life is interfering with my blogging...the nerve, LOL. But I always have a backup.
In the meantime I thought I would share what I've had on heavy rotation this week. It's a compilation of songs called Midnight Soul. The description calls it "a lovingly seductive collection of contemporary soul music infused with a touch of house."
It's a two CD set of some of the best soul music I've heard in a minute. I've uploaded the first disc. It's dope yall! It features some great artists like Alison Crockett, Roy Ayers, Platinum Pied Pipers, Roy Davis Jr. and Crazy Penis. Yes, the name of the group is "Crazy Penis" and I actually have never heard of them before now but I just wanted to type that name, LOL. Hey, when else would I have the chance to legitimately type that name and just imagine all the jokes you could use with that one... [insert joke here].
If for some reason my Friday Freestyle turns into a Saturday Freestyle or a Monday Freestyle, I'll upload Disc 2 (although I personally think Disc 1 is better). See I always have a plan. It's available at Amazon today for only $14.99. That's a great price for two CD's so you might want to grab it before it goes back up to it's original price, $19.98.
edited 6:39pm, added disc 2
Midnight Soul - Disc 1
1. Roy Ayers ft. Erykah Badu - Everybody Loves The Sunshine
2. Alison Crockett - U R (Yam Who? Remix)
3. Unforscene - Don't You Worry
4. Faze Action - We Don't Know How (Fink Remix)
5. Greyboy - Genevieve
6. Platinum Pied Pipers ft. Tiombe Lockhart - I Got You
7. Crazy Penis - 3 Play It Cool
8. Roy Davis Jr - Slow It Down (For The Steppers)
9. Yam Who? - Star of the Story
10. Fat Freddy's Drop - Bluey
11. Kaskade - Let You Go
Midnight Soul - Disc 2
12. Peter Malick ft. Norah Jones - New York City (DJ Strobe Brooklyn Vibe Mix)
13. Boca 45 ft McKay - In The City
14. Mark Rae - Reach Out For Me
15. Alice Russell ft. TM Juke - Hurry Home
16. Fertile Ground - Live In The Light
17. Lizz Fields - When I See Love (Ty & Drew Mix)
18. JT Donaldson - Trust Me
19. Only Child ft. Amp Fiddler - U Bring Me Vibes
20. Mark De Clive-Lowe ft. Capitol A - Travelling
21. Renaissance - Do It To It
22. Linn - Available (Rasmus Faber Mix)
Friday Freestyle
Friday, June 03, 2005This week's Friday Freestyle was based on one song, "Beautiful" by Darien Brockington. He's the guy who sings back up for Foreign Exchange and Little Brother. He's got a new solo project coming out sometime this year. The title is very fitting because it is just that...beautiful. I've played that song so much I hear it in my sleep. I've played it so much my husband and probably the whole neighborhood hears it in their sleep, lol. I tried to pick songs that would fit "beautifully" with Darien's. This radio.blog is definitely romantic and mellow. I happened to be thinking about my husband when I put these together. Our 16th anniversary is coming up in a few weeks. To put that in perspective...I spent my entire adult life (that's the entire 90's decade and half of this one) loving this man. Whew, that's a long time to spend with someone and when he's not driving me crazy, he's driving me crazy *wink wink* LOL
This radio.blog is a mixture of some new finds and some old favorites. Someone new I discovered is a singer named Alex Lattimore who sounds a little like Will Downing to me. He's part of a group called Transcendental Funk. I don't know much about them yet, but what I do know, I'm really feeling. He is featured on songs #2, 3, & 4. I also included some artists I have discussed with some folks who've reached out to me in email...Jack Herrara and D'Nell (#6 & #11). I have to thank them for putting some great music on my mind. Finally, I included Sheila E (#8) for my sis Lis..she knows why, LOL, and if we ever wrote a book of our convo's it would be hilarious. Now as Prince(#7) would say ..."lets get lost in the mellow.."
1. Darien Brockington - Beautiful
2. Rhonda Thomas ft. Alex Lattimore - The Matrimony. Rhonda is someone who should be on your radar. Fantastic singer.
3. Transcendental Funk - The Reason I Love
4. Transcendental Funk - Paradize
5. Les Nubians - Embrasse-Moi . Which means "kiss me" in French.
6. D'Nell - 20 20 (Main Mix)
7. Prince - Mellow.
8. Sheila E. - Hold Me
9. Jill Scott - The Way
10. Maxwell - Sumthin Sumthin (Mellowsmoothe Remix)
11. Jack Herrera - Be Free
12. Jon B. - Before It's Gone
13. Leon Ware - Rocking You Eternally. A great song from 1981
14. Michael Bohannon - Make Love Last Forever
15. Marvin Gaye - I Want You
Friday Freestyle
Friday, May 27, 2005I put together another Friday Freestyle radio.blog. I wanted to make it upbeat and throw some hip hop in there. I started with a soulful two minute interlude from Marc De Clive Lowe called "Heaven Part 2". It's actually the last song on that album but I thought it would make a great intro.
I threw in some new tracks from some old favorites like Camp Lo (remember Luchini aka This Is It). They're back with a new one called "Gotcha". Pharrell is doing his thing again, this time with Missy Elliott. Truth Hurts is still telling the truth. My favorite line from her song "I was ride or die, you was hide or lie", LOL.
I added some of my new favorite artists like Peven Everett, Big Pooh and The Avila Brothers. Backed that up with some old favorites like Mary J. Blige, De La and the Roots. Sprinkled in some of my favorite hip hop tracks and came up with a hip hop for grown folks radio.blog.
explicit language
1. Marc de Clive Lowe - Heaven Part 2
2. Camp Lo - Gotcha
3. Mary J. Blige - Never Been
4. Peven Everett - You Ain't Bout Nothin
5. Bosko ft Truth Hurts - No Regrets
6. Prefuse 73 - Now You're Leaving (Feat. Camu)
7. Four Tet Feat. Guilty Simpson - As Serious As Your Life (Jay Dee Remix)
8. The Roots - Pussy Galore
9. Jaylib - The Red
10. Common, Guru, Royce Da 5'9 & Chino XL - Enough Beef
11. Big Pooh - Between The Lines
12. Phonte - Too Late
12. Jean Grae - Dont Rush Me
14. Kenn Starr ft Asheru & Talib Kweli - If
15. Pitch Black - It's All Real
16. De La Soul - Copa (Cabanga)
17. Missy Elliott ft Pharrell - On & On
18. Avila Brothers - Tilt Ya Cups Feat. Sly Boogie
Artist Spotlight: Lauryn Hill
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Today is Lauryn Hill's 30th birthday and I wanted to pay tribute with 30 of my favorite songs from L-Boogie. Lauryn the quadruple threat, socially conscious rapper, brilliant songwriter, aspiring actress and a gifted singer seemed to be destined to become hip hop royalty from the first time we saw her as a member of the Fugees. Her classic album The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill only solidified her position as the queen of hip-hop. But it ain't easy being queen.
At the 1999 Grammy awards, she won five of her 11 nominations, including Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Album, the most ever at that time for a woman. Personally, I admired her strength, her intelligence, and her complexity. Her appeal was broad as she merged hip-hop with soul, R&B, reggae and pop. Her beautiful face stared to us from everywhere, from the covers of The Source to Harper's Bazaar to Time Magazine, and she made us proud. Then something happened.
Rumors continued to circulate about her deeply personal feud with former Fugee member Wyclef, she was sued over production credits of her album (and won), and her personal and legal relationship with the father of her children, Rohan Marley, seemed to be getting more media attention. At a time when she could have written her own ticket to media superstardom, she selectively turned down roles in Charlie's Angels, The Bourne Identity, The Matrix and Beloved. Her public appearances seemed to stop altogether. When she did re-appear, there were stories of her strange behavior. Anyone who witnessed her scattered, soul-searching and very personal performance on MTV's Unplugged in 2002 knew that there was something different about Ms. Hill. After that she seemed to disappear from the spotlight again until September 2004 when the three Fugees were reunited at Dave Chappelle's Block Party in Brooklyn, New York and a Tsunami Benefit in Malaysia in March of this year.
Plans are still in the works for a Fugee's reunion and Kanye West has signed on to produce her upcoming album. Lauryn is scheduled to perform in Atlanta at the Vibe Musicfest in June. Speaking as a fan, I anxiously await her return, I hope she has found that inner peace she always longed for and I'll support her as I always have because she has blessed me with some great music.
1. Lauryn Hill - The Sweetest Thing
2. Nas ft. Lauryn Hill - If I Ruled The World
3. Santana ft Lauryn Hill & Cee-Lo - Do You Like The Way
4. Lauryn Hill - To Zion
5. Lauryn Hill & D'Angelo - Nothing Even Matters
6. Bob Marley & Lauryn Hill - Turn Your Lights Down Low
7. Lauryn Hill - Ex-Factor
8. The Fugees - Ready Or Not
9. Lauryn Hill - Lost Ones
10. Lauryn Hill - Superstar
11. The Fugees - Vocab (Refugees Hip Hop Remix)
12. The Fugees - Fu-Gee-La
13. Wyclef ft. Lauryn Hill & Pras - Year of the Dragon
14. Lauryn Hill - Keep It Tight
15. Lauryn Hill - I Get Out
16. Lauryn Hill - Freedom Time
17. Mary J. Blige & Lauryn Hill - So Unusual Remix
18. Lauryn Hill ft. Mary J Blige - I Used To Love Him
19. Lauryn Hill - Tell Him
20. Kanye West ft. Lauryn Hill - All Falls Down
21. Lauryn Hill - When It Hurts So Bad
22. The Fugees - Killing Me Softly With His Song
23. Lauryn Hill - Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You
24. Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop That Thing
25. Lauryn Hill - Everything Is Everything
26. Lauryn Hill - Every Ghetto Every City
27. Common ft. Lauryn Hill - Retrospect For Life
28. Lauryn Hill - Final Hour
29. Lauryn Hill - The Passion
30. Lauryn Hill & Tanya Blount - His Eye Is On The Sparrow
Friday The 13th Mix
Friday, May 13, 2005I admit it, I am a little superstitious. I try not to walk under ladders and I cross my fingers for luck. However some people take it very seriously. Have you ever wondered why Friday the 13th is considered such an unlucky day? Read more about it here.
Luckily I'm not so superstitious that I go hide under the bed until the 14th so I put together a radio.blog to fit the occasion. When else would I get the rare opportunity to do a Friday the 13th radio.blog? (OK, January 13, 2006 is on a Friday but that's a long time away, lol). Songs with words in the title like lucky, magic, karma, deja vu seemed to fit.
To start it off, I picked what probably could be the anthem for the day, "Superstitious" by Stevie Wonder. Today is also Stevie's 55th birthday. I wanted to include Teddy Pendergrass' song "Bad Luck" but I couldn't find it. But then again, that would have made the radio.blog 13 songs. Hmmmmm, maybe I'm more superstitious than I thought, lol. What are some of your superstitions or some really strange ones you've heard about?
1. Stevie Wonder - Superstition
2. Jill Scott - One Is The Magic #
3. Faith Evans - Lucky Day
4. Alicia Keys - Karma
5. Teena Marie - Deja Vu (I've Been Here Before)
6. Atlantic Starr - Touch A Four Leaf Clover
7. Alyson Williams - Just My Luck
8. Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly - Lady of Magic
9. Isley Brothers - How Lucky I Am Part 1 and 2
10. Joi - If I'm Lucky, I Just Might Get Picked Up
11. Janet Jackson - Black Cat
12. Santana - Black Magic Woman_Gipsy Queen