The Making the Band 4 Guys- “I Want You Exclusive”

I know we have a lot of fans of the new season of Making The Band 4 on this site…so I’m sure many of you tuned in last night to see the guys record “I Want You Exclusive”. First…I have to say that it was so heart wrenching to see Carlos go through the situation he did with his girlfriend and her pregnancy scare. They found out that their baby might be born with Down’s Syndrome…I hope that their baby comes out healthy and with no problems. At any rate…it was cold for Diddy to cut him when it would be impossible for anyone to perform under those circumstances, he has no heart. I’m going to try and give him the benefit of the doubt that he didn’t know about Carlos’ personal situation.

Anyways…on to the song. It’s a hot club banger that I could see being a big hit with the pop crowd and the ladies. Say what you want about the show Making the Band, but all of the bands have managed to make solid albums that sold pretty well…and I have a feeling that this new group when formed will share in similar success.  Check out the song and share your thoughts.
 

How do you like the song? Who do you think should make the band? Was Diddy cold for cutting Carlos and Julius or is it just the name of the game?

Posted by Reecie

Related Post: Making the Band 4 Finale- Did Your Fav Get Chosen? * Check the post for a ballad version I Want You Exclusive

New Music: Cassie, Young Buck, Lil Wayne, Stat Quo

It’s entirely too early in the morning for me to get into the wackness that is Cassie’s new song “Is It You”. It’s not that the song is that bad, but she still can’t sing and that’s just hard to ignore. Also, the rockish/ballad fusion is kind of awkward and really doesn’t suit the lyrics.  Listen

Lil Wayne has a new track called “Outstanding”. Considering that he comes up with a mixtape every month if not more, it’s hard to keep up with all of his material. But anyway, the song (rumored to be produced by Dr. Dre) is pretty hot. Lyrically Lil Wayne comes strong, his flow is hot and I’m feeling the more west coast feel of the track. I can’t imagine Lil Wayne fans being disappointed with this one. Listen

Young Buck has a new track called “Put Me In The Projects”. Immediately I recognized the beat from this one song called “Put Me in the Pocket” that had a hot beat but the rapping was total trash! The funny thing about this song is that when defending himself against claims that he is going to be dropped from G-Unit he says “48 Laws of Power, never outshine the master”. I find that to be a sorry excuse for why he hasn’t lived up the hype and expectations about his success…but I guess I gotta give him credit for embracing his mediocrity and not being a cocky rapper lol. It’s also funny how people on G-Unit go around talking about “vitamin water” like they are the ones who had stock in the company. I’m so sick of hearing about Vitamin Water from 50, but it is especially pathetic coming from people who 50 blasted in a magazine for constantly needing money from him. Listen

Stat Quo has a hot new track called “We Get Higher”. I don’t know if the world needs another song about people getting high, but there is also an ironic element of social commentary. The production is hot and I can see this song appealing to a wide variety of people. Listen

What do you think about these new tracks? Why is Cassie still singing? With Lil Wayne topping MTV’s list (which was totally bogus) of hottest MCs and the anticipating building for his release doesn’t it seem like he is getting stronger? Why does Young Buck think 50’s Vitamin water deal makes him cooler? lol

Posted by Reecie

Album Review/Preview: Common-Finding Forever

Click here to listen to the full album preview of Finding Forever on AOL

Common is back with the highly anticipated new album “Finding Forever”. The official first track off the album the “Intro” is a dreamy, old school sounding track with no lyrics that serves to break down your defenses and expectations about what is to follow.

Next up is “Start the Show” which is essentially a testament to how long Common has been in the game and the seasons he has weathered to still remain relevant. He uses this platform to make a statement about his artistic integrity (i.e. “no gimmicks no mimicking”) and about the lack of substance that pervades the popular music scene (i.e. “you sing along with it inside knowing it’s wack”). He even throws a few subliminal jabs that he will probably deny when asked about at a few rappers (i.e. 50 Cent). This serves as a perfect introduction for anyone who isn’t familiar with how long Common has been in the game and a reminder for anyone who forgot how he has been producing heat for longer than 95% of these rappers.

One thing that is completely indisputable about Common’s musical repertoire is that he makes music for “The People”. In contrast to the average popular rap song that talks about driving a $100,000+ car, buying diamonds, living in mansions…this song (which features Dwele) speaks about things the average everyday person can relate to…the “unsung heroes” and their struggles. Common never fails to capture the very real hardships that so many people go through in such an authentic way that makes the listener take pause and actually empathize with people outside of their immediate view, and recognize the bigger social and political issues in the world.

“Driving Me Wild” featuring Lily Allen tells the story of a woman and man who are both chasing a certain image and lifestyle to find personal satisfaction and fulfillment in the wrong places. Nowadays too many people are trying to live like a celebrity…whether it is in trying to pull a rich and famous bachelor like the lady in the first verse…or popping bottles and buying fancy cars like the dude in the second verse…people are pursuing a lifestyle that is not in and of itself a guarantee for happiness. To prove this point…Common points out the seemingly “unbreakable relationships” of couples such as Bobby and Whit and Kimora and Russell to show that money and fame don’t necessarily equate to love and happiness. The moral of the story: love yourself and you will find love in everything. Musically speaking, Lily Allen’s voice perfectly complements the production and they make a great duo on the song.

“I Want You” is a mid-tempo sexy and nostalgic joint about wanting to reunite with an ex lover. Will.i.Am sounds wonderful on the track providing the background vocals and the production is hot! Common captures the regret and longing so perfectly in his lyrics and flow. This is the first song so far that doesn’t have a political or social message and that comes from a more personal place…so it provides a nice break from the heavy and lyrically full songs that precede it.

“Southside” featuring Kanye West picks up the energy with rock infused production. I hate to say it, but the hook on this song and Kanye’s singing is kind of annoying and really takes away from the overall vibe of the song. This is basically a boastful song done on a less superficial level than the average rapper. However, Common and Kanye clearly are a force to be reckoned with when they get on the track together as they seamlessly transition from one to the other. Had they dropped the rock flare and changed up the hook this could’ve been a real hot one.

“The Game” is essentially about Common’s determination and drive to make it in the game. DJ Premier and the different samples add a level of heat to the song and Common comes strong with interesting metaphors.

“Black Maybe” featuring Bilal is another socially conscious song about the extra hurdles that Blacks “people of color” folks face in society. He speaks on how the system is set up to make certain people fail or detract them from a greater and more productive purpose. The groove of the bluesy singing and the subtlety of the African drumming really capture the tragedy of the song.

D’Angelo finally resurfaced long enough to record vocals for “So Far to Go”. Even though he only sings about 6 different words throughout the song, it’s always nice to hear his voice and remember the times when he used to be one of the hottest singers in the game. This is a nice mellow joint about a pseudo-relationship he has with a somewhat special lady that he promises to be faithful to “whenever [he's] in her town”. Common and D’Angelo make a hot pairing and good distraction from the at times eye-roll inducing lyrics.

When I first heard the next joint “Breakin My Heart” at Common’s concert for Yahoo Live Sets, I instantly fell in love with it. He tells the story of how he met and developed a relationship with a young lady. My favorite line in the song is “She said you know I don’t be dating rappers. I said I got my SAG baby card I’m an actor” lol. Gotta love that cleverness. This is a song where he did everything right…the production is fire, the lyrics are witty and funny, and his flow is so infectious. Just to be picky, this song is certainly a regression from the emotional maturity of “Faithful” off the Be album…but I won’t hold it against him.

“Misunderstood” starts off very bluesy and builds in emotional intensity to tell the story of people who get caught up in the shady life. He paints a vivid picture of an ill-fated man who tried live life on the straight and narrow, yet succumbed to the pressures of needing to survive by any means necessary. He gets even grittier in the tale of the emotional trauma of a stripper who did drugs to numb the pain she felt from degrading herself to make a living. On an emotional, lyrical, and production level, this is the best song on the album. This could easily be an incredibly powerful video.

“Forever Begins” closes out the album on a high note with a little help from his father Lonnie Lynn. The drum beat reminds me of a triumphant march from battle which is a fitting way to salute J. Dilla (who the song is dedicated to) and leave the listener with a sense of hope and optimism. Once again he closes out his album with a bit of spoken word from his father that touches on a variety of items that all boil down to legacy…what kind of world are we living in and what will be your contribution to it? This is the kind of song that you can’t help but get contemplative on…and what’s better than making music that stimulates and challenges people’s minds and emotions?

Overall…I have to say that this album is absolutely stellar lyrically and it is soulful in every way possible. I just wrote a post the other day about how most music nowadays lacks substance, and then this album comes along and provides a breath of fresh air. For those who didn’t know…yes- Hip Hop can be soulful, yes- Hip Hop can be intelligent, powerful, creative, evocative, and meaningful. Whether you are a jazz, blues, rock, hip hop, country, or R&B person…the stories and the lyricism are powerful enough to appeal to anyone that can appreciate music with soul and poetry. This album is not easy listening in the sense that you HAVE to actually pay attention to the lyrics to really understand what he is talking about and not totally miss the point. If what I’ve written appeals to you, then I would highly recommend that you pick up this album…if you don’t want to think or you don’t like songs that don’t have dance instructions then I suggest you pass.

What do you think about Common’s album? Isn’t it about time for Common to get that Grammy? Is the album better or worse than what you expected?

Posted by Reecie

Related: Common- Finding Forever Preview

New Video: Eve feat. Sean Paul- Give It To Ya

Eve just came out with a new video for her new single “Give it To You” with Sean Paul. She took a much more urban and street look in this video than the more glamorous Tambourine…but it works very well for the song. I wasn’t in love with the song when I first heard it but the video totally upgrades it. Eve and Sean Paul sizzle together and have great chemistry…and Eve works it out with her choreography. Now I see the club banger in the track and I expect to hear and see more of this song. Kudos to Eve…this is a hot one!

What do you think about the video? Isn’t it nice to see a video that has a more authentic feel to it than club scene or rented out mansions?

Posted by Reecie

P.S.- It’s not that we’re being lazy today with the posts it’s just a slow new days! lol

Michael Vick: The New OJ?

  

Initially I had no intention whatsoever about writing a post about Michael Vick considering that sports posts get very little response on this site…but with the media circus surrounding the case…I couldn’t help but wonder, is Michael Vick the new OJ?

Here is a little background on the story in case you’ve been hiding under a rock:

Vick’s indictment, which was handed down July 17th, alleges that he and three associates sponsored and ran a dog-fighting ring, named “Bad Newz Kennels,” that procured, trained, and fought pit bulls at a 15-acre property owned by Vick in Surry County. The kennel was supposedly established in 2001, the same year Vick was drafted No. 1 overall in the NFL draft.

Bad Newz Kennels” allegedly hosted fights between their dogs and other kennels from North Carolina, Texas, New York, and Washington, D.C. According to the indictment Vick and three others gambled heavily on the fights, sometimes up to $13,000 a fight. The indictment also claims that the kennel executed eight dogs in the month of April for poor performance, using hanging, drowning, electrocution, a .22 caliber pistol, and physical beatings to kill the animals.

While Vick has not been formally accused of executing the dogs himself, the indictment states that he was consulted before the electrocution of at least one of the animals. ”

When you see the protests against him, one can’t help but notice that the supporters and detractors fall on opposite sides of racial lines. It’s no surprise that damn near any case involving a high profile Black male celebrity is going to quickly turn racial. Not only that…a lot of people are extremely ANGRY about the charges against him. Personally…I can’t say that I have an overwhelming amount of sympathy for Michael Vick IF he is guilty because as a Black man he should’ve known better than to jeopardize his millions and a successful career over a petty dogfighting ring. However…all of the extreme hatred against him is downright absurd and totally uncalled for. It’s amazing how much venom and energy people are putting into protesting Vick when there are dozens of other issues in the world that certainly warrant this kind of attention and protest.

So what do you guys think about the case? Is this a race thing in the sense that he’s getting persecuted more than someone else would or are people just overly extreme about animal rights? Do you think Vick is being treated unfairly or did he bring this upon himself by allegedly allowing this stuff to go down on his property?

Posted by Reecie

Just Another Manic Monday!

It’s that day of the week again brothas and sistas!!!

So what did ya’ll do over the weekend? Any enticing stories to share or was it just another same ole’ same ole’

~Thesis

Usher & Fiancee Call Off Wedding At the Last Minute

 

The flowers and decorations were already set up in LA Reid’s Hampton home when the wedding for Usher and Tameka Foster was called off. The guests expected to attend were told not to come. There is no word on whether the event will be rescheduled or whether they are even still engaged. The publicist is mum on the details surrounding the cancellation but had this to say:

“It was announced today that the wedding ceremony for Usher Raymond IV and Tameka Foster was canceled. No additional information will be given regarding the circumstances of the cancellation, but we hope the privacy of this matter will be respected.”

Damn that’s a cold game! I’m sure all the tawdry details will be spilling out sooner rather than later. A lot of drama surrounding the couple has been all over the net this week with the National Enquirer printing a story that Tameka Foster has a criminal past and has cruel ways towards her family. I didn’t want to post that and all the other drama, because there is a part of me that feels like people should just give them a break and let them enjoy the last week leading up to their marriage…BUT seeing as how the nuptials may not be pending anymore, I would be remiss to not report this lol. Anyway…being a sucker for love, if their feelings for each other are genuine I hope everything works out for the best…but I have a feeling that it’s only going to get more humiliating for the both of them.

What do you guys think about the wedding being called off for the last minute (for reasons obviously having nothing to do with the weather by the way)? Was all the scrutiny too much for both of them to handle? Do you have at least a little bit of sympathy for them for having to go through all this in the public eye or did they bring it upon themselves by talking about it so much to the media (i.e. Essence Mag, People, MTV)? Could all of this have been a publicity stunt?

UPDATE 7/31: Usher told US Magazine that the wedding is back on. Here is the story:

The singer exclusively tells Usmagazine.com that it’s only a matter of time before they walk down the aisle. “As of right now we don’t have a date but we will let you know when we do.”

Multiple newspaper and online outlets speculated that the cancellation was due to bad blood between Foster and Usher’s mother, recent reports about Foster’s criminal past, and Foster’s resistance to signing a prenuptial agreement.

However, a source close to the couple dismisses the rumors.

“People are just hating,” says the insider, who reveals the real reason they postponed the wedding was due to a pre-term labor scare.

According to the Usher source, at noon on Friday, the four-months pregnant Foster was admitted to St. Vincent’s Medical Center in New York City after suffering cramping. But upon examination, says the source, “she learned it was just uneasiness brought on by the stress of the wedding.”

At that point, the singer decided to postpone the ceremony. But no worries.

“Everbody’s fine. Tameka and the baby are fine,” Usher himself told Usmagazine.com on July 31, after the couple arrived via private plane in NYC (and Us got the exclusive photo!).

Foster chimed: “We’re good. We’re all doing great now.”

I’m so over all this b.s. they need to just go ahead and quietly get married already. Just thought I would update those who are interested.

Posted by Reecie

MF Doom U.S Tour

In other hip-hop news, MF Doom starts his U.S tour of like 5 states (lol) tomorrow, July. 29, in NYC.  For those Metal Face Doom fans in the NY area tomorrow, be sure to check him out at the Rock The Bells concert.  Visit here for other locations Doom will be!

P.S: Yo, when is that Ghost-Doom album droppin?

~Thesis

Saigon- “Homegirl”

Saigon- “Homegirl” w/ Al B. Sure Sample- (listen)

New jawn from Saigon samplin that Al B Sure ish…lmao…Al B sure…damn, that was like elementary school days when cats had the cuts on the eye brows and girls were only feelin the light skin dudes and you were buyin the quarter waters and the sour powers or nah latas. lol….throwback feelin indeed.  I mean, typical thug tryna crush on the next chick type song.  The lyrics are blah but you know, the ole’ school sample helped out a lot.  Not to mention that I couldn’t help bustin’ out “the wop” as soon as the beat dropped. lol  Damn, i’d bump this song in the whip…actually, i’ll just grab the original track…sorry Sai!

~Thesis

Historic CNN/ Youtube Debates

On Monday, July 23rd, something historical in the political sphere took place.  With over 2.6 million tv viewers, the marriage between political debates and online-video stream phenom, Youtube, took place where 39 out of over 3000 video-questions were chosen for each of the Democratic Presidential candidates to respond to.  One goal was to personalize and bridge the gap between the everyday normal audience and politicians.  Another indirect goal was to show how advanced and democratic America is by allowing such an interaction to take place.  It seemed like it was almost a matter of time for something like this to take place as Youtube’s dominance has pretty much spoken for itself.

 Moving away from the actual historic element and into what actually took place, there were questions posed via Youtube concerning everything from what these candidates are actually going to do to make America better in 2008 to Iraq to issues of race, gender, and homosexuality.  While there were many serious video/questions that were posed, CNN also made it a point to “American Idol-ize” the debate by showing gimmicky videos with individuals attempting to drive humor.  For example, one individual wore a snowman outfit while posing a question about global-warming (pretty clever!). 

One big question that was asked that seemed to gain a lot of attention was the one about whether, as President, each of the candidates would visit “rogue” nations such as Cuba, North Korea, et. al.  in their first year of Presidency. Obama, more or less, said that he would while Clinton said that she wouldn’t.  This sparked some off-line tit for tats where individuals in Clinton’s camp said Obama’s answer indicated that he was naive and untenured while Obama’s people said that it would be asinine to think that Obama would walk in those nations blindly. They did say, however, that America is looking for unique and disparate ways of diplomacy and that Obama will offer those solutions.

 For those who missed the one airing on Monday, get ready for the Republic CNN/Youtube debates airing on September 17th.  For those who caught the recent debate, what were your thoughts? Did anyone submit a video that wasn’t chosen? Do you think Obama’s response came from inexperience and naievete?

P.S: Damn, i wonder how much Youtube execs got paid off for this…cot damn!

 ~Thesis