Stevie and Don

Classic...it's really nothing for me to say about this besides enjoy....

J.A. "Saturday Morning Line-Up" Big Deal Freestyle

Here's another installment from the emcee J.A. where he takes the Clipse's "Kinda Like A Big Deal" and plays a quick pick-up game with the beat with just throwing a hot 16 bars on it. Hello Saturday is coming SOON!

http://usershare.net/9fk3pn4d07wp

My Ipod Shuffle

I can't keep my ipod on me at all times, I basically can't live without it! Having over 6,000 songs on it, I don't even look for albums to play because it's too many pick. So with that, I just keep on shuffle and just let the luck of the draw handle my pickings to listen to. With this post I'll just post videos of the random songs that came up on Ipod today.

Phil Collins & Philip Bailey "Easy Lover"

Don't get it twisted, I'm not just Hip-Hop and Soul all day, I love Phil Collins!

Guy "Teddy's Jam 2"

Jam....oh Jam...Jammmm...Teddy jam for me!

Jay-Z "Hovi Baby"

One of the best...if not the best

Goodie Mob "Free"

Powerful words

Enjoy PEACE!!!

D.I.T.C. LL Cool J "Mama Said Knock You Out"

This past two days has been a little rough with me being sick and having to deal with random people with dumb questions and this song fits how I been feeling and also it's a classic. ENJOY

LL Cool J "Mama Said Knock You Out"





James Brown "Funky Drummer"

S/N the sample appears at 5:35

Peace!!

Motown's Lost Jewel

I know when people bring up Motown Records, the usual line-up is brought up in the conversation, Barry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, and Stevie Wonder, blah, blah, BLAH! Not taking nothing away from them, but personally it's a lot of history about Motown that's not discuss. I'm really interested in the people that's in the background that really makes the magic comes to life when it comes making masterpieces. Motown had a lot of great composers over there like The Funk Brothers, Holland-Dozier-Holland, but the one that sticks out the most to me and changed the landscape for Motown sound was Leon Ware.

Leon Ware was a composer for Motown, his first taste of success was with his friend, and label mate Marvin Gaye. Leon helped Marvin crafted the timeless classic album "I Want You". What a lot people don't know about the song "I Want You" wasn't for Marvin Gaye, it was actually for Leon. When Barry Gordy heard the making of the song, he told Leon Ware this song is not for you, this is for Marvin and it fit the mood for the album he was helping Marvin with. After begging pleading with him, he gave it to Marvin and it was a smash hit. (Sorry for the sidebar story LOL) When "I Want You" was released, it changed the landscape of how Motown sound changed, even though slowly it was going through a process of changing, but Leon pushed the envelope with the raw emotion of jam session with Marvin making classic and not forcing the music to be made.

After helping make that classic album, Leon came out with his debut album on Motown called "Musical Massage". Leon picks up where he left on with Marvin takes you on soothing ride with horns and some of the most incredible strings I've heard on album. With great songs like "Learning How To Love You", his rendition of "I Wanna Be Where You Are" which he helped write for the late great Micheal Jackson, and the title song "Musical Massage". To me Musical Massage was "I Want You" on crack! Leon Ware put his prints on R&B and Soul to show he wasn't going anywhere for awhile.  Leon Ware had a short stint at Motown, but was able to produce for likes of Syretta Wright, Quincy Jones and many others. Leon went on to make other albums and just recently he helped R&B artist Maxwell craft his latest album "BLACKsummers'night". All in all Leon put his mark on a era that no one can take away and also a moment at Motown that should be discussed more instead of being Motown's Lost Jewel.

Here's some of his hits

Marvin Gaye "I Want You"


"Learning How To Love You"


Quincy Jones "Body Heat"


Peace!!!

Sometimes You Have To Look Beyond The Words (Maybach Music Trilogy)

In 2008, Rick Ross started the "Maybach Music" series on his sophomore album "Trilla". Each part of the series had a A-1 list of rappers including, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, T.I. and etc. To me I think people overlooked Rick Ross verses or they don't go beyond what he's saying in the verses and jumping into his shoes for a moment. One night I was over one of my friend's house, and we having our usual conversation about music. The latest part of the Maybach Music series (Maybach Music 3) came up it was a lot of mixed reviews in the room. The one comment that sticks is when my friends just yells out, "He's not even talking about the damn car!" I sat their and listen to his explanation of not liking his verse and I just keep telling him it's something about what he's saying in that song that has a point. After leaving my friend's house, I turned the song on and listen to his part over and over again until I got home. When I pulled up in the driveway, it came to me. He's telling ongoing story about him and his come up in correlation with luxury dream I would love to have which is the Maybach.. So with this post, I'll be examining his verses from Pt. 1- Pt.3 to show the connection between them and the story he's telling.

Maybach Music Part. One


Maybach Music Pt.1 is the first entry into the series and it features none other than the man that introduced the Hip-Hop to Maybachs none other than Jay-Z. Rick Ross starts off the song basically giving us a vivid picture of sitting in the back of the car. "In the rear, so many instruments I hear, tucked behind curtain, no signs to fear." With those a couple of words, as if he describing his first time entering a Maybach looking at the curtains that cover the windows and listening to instrumental coming through best start of the art of car stereo for a vehicle. To me, when a person arrives to a certain place to purchase that type vehicle they want to stay in that space and become better at whatever they do. Even though in the song he states that picking being a thug does bring many worries, he knows that in order to keep this lifestyle inspired by this car things have to change and we'll in the later series. 


Maybach Music Pt. Two



In the second entry off the album "Deeper Than Rap", Rick Ross gets assistance from Kanye West, Lil Wayne and T-Pain. Rick Ross doesn't waste anytime letting you know how things have been for him since the purchase of his first Maybach. "57, 62, tell me how ya wanna move, yeah you know I got them both." The success has got even bigger for him that he's been able to purchase two types of them. Seeing this type of progress, puts you in the mindset that's he's really coming into his own. 


"I was barely gettin pretty women
Now i scoop any winner like kitty litter
Any winner
Fendi denim like a slender nigga
Lookin in the mirror
I can see the real contender"

With those couple of bars he puts you in his shoes that before he got all of this, he wasn't dating the best looking women, and now he's picking any women he desires. He's able to get custom clothes made from high-end clothing companies that don't even make clothes for big men. With everything going his way, he looks into the mirror knowing he's of the best and he's able to run with the best. 

Maybach Music Pt. Three

With the latest entry off his latest album "Telfon Don" Rick Ross has assistance from some more Hip-Hop heavyweights T.I. and the underrated Jadakiss and the Ms. Erykah Badu on the chorus. When the song comes in, it gives you a feel that you're about to witness a movie being made right in front you. T.I. and Jadakiss respectively gives their experience with the luxury vehicle but this time around for Rick Ross, he went another route and explained his come up. When Rick Ross verse comes up, the beat changes up and it prepares you for another scene and horns builds up the emotion for you to hear Rick Ross pour his personal experience into the verse. "I came alive like a moth in the summertime." Just with that first bar, he describes his come up and what he's become thus far. He taps into his younger days of  struggling and making something out of nothing without a father figure having to lean towards the street life. The line "Me and money got a vendetta, looking at back to tell you the truth, I could've did better. With the all success he's having, he's still thinking about the times to where he had moments to where he could've made better decisions and could've possibly been bigger than what he is now. All in all, he takes you back to where he first started, and the struggle of his parents and now it's not a problem to purchase anything they want.


I hope you guys see the connection and ongoing story Rick Ross is telling from the time he purchase of his first Maybach to where he's got to a point in his life to where's he's at the top of the world and he's reflecting what got him and here and he still wants more. I hope you all enjoyed the music and take the time to do a little more research on his music for your own personal enjoyment.


Peace.

"J.A.'s Saturday Morning Line-Up"

Besides me being a full-time student, last year I've ventured into helping put together Hip-Hop albums. The latest album I'm contributing to is called "Hello Saturday" by a Flint artist by the name of J.A. . In marketing him to give him a buzz out here on the net, we've came up with "J.A.'s Saturday Line-Up". Remember every Saturday you would get up, grab you some breakfast and turn on the Tv. and be sitting there eagerly waiting on your favorite Tv. to come on? *Sit there and think for a min...Great you remember! So with this, J.A. is going to be releasing a freestyle every Saturday morning leading up to his release to his debut album "Hello Saturday". Here's the two first entries of the series.

Here's the second entry of the series where he flips J.Cole's "Premeditated Murder", here's the link to the download, shout outs to www.oliviabrownonline.com

 http://usershare.net/e0lailtqdo2q 

Last week entry: "Black Mags Freestyle"

http://usershare.net/xjb3tyorjyvq

Enjoy!!!

D.I.T.C. (Digging In The Crates)

Hey what's up D.I.T.C. (Digging In The Crates) is one of my favorite pass times while I'm just sitting around the house. I go through Hip-Hop records and look for the samples and find the original record for my own personal enjoyment. With this weekly post I will post Hip-Hop records up and also the original sample they used as well.








Dynasty - Adventures In The Land Of Music

Good MUSIC people ENJOY!

Mr. Womack

If you love music, I think everyone should everyone should have that one artist that does music from the gut, and Mr. Bobby Womack is my pick. Bobby Womack started his career as the lead singer for The Valentinos, and then after that stint he joined Sam Cooke's band as the backing guitarist. He penned hits for Rock and Roll legends Rolling Stones, and also New Birth.

Bobby Womack wrote songs for the people that were at the bottom of the bottom, to people just trying to get in the mood to have a great weekend. More importantly, he went again the grain from what other R&B singers were doing because he wanted his music to be pure and people could feel his passion when the record came on. "Harry Hippie" which was one of the Bobby's greatest hits, the song was about his late brother and how he always wanted help but never wanted to help himself, with that going on, it effected his family in a negative way, and he would just walk around like nothing was wrong at all. "Harry Hippie" was a song that everyone can relate too because we have one in our family or you know someone that has one. Records like that really put Bobby in lane of his own and he would continue with that same formula.

One thing that I love about Bobby Womack is that he wasn't scared to show that famous people are humans too and they make mistakes too. Bobby wrote a song called "Facts of Life" and he majority of the time he explains what entertainers go through and that just cause their under the microscope, their humans too. Later on the song, he give a short story about meeting a lady after a performance, he thought they made a connection with her and he approached her and asked her did she want to come up to his room for a drink? Her reply was "you could buy me a drink right here! You just want me to get up in your room!" He explains that he knows that makes females feel bad, and people just have to be up front and be truthful with yourself about things in life overall. In conclusion, Bobby Womack made songs that stood the test of time and is able to relate current events going on in the world today.

Here's two timeless classic of his:

Harry Hippie


Facts of Life/He'll Be There When The Sun Goes Down

Hello ....

Since I can remember I always been a fan of music. I remember my mom playing music on a Saturday afternoon, cleaning the house and I would be sitting there watching WWF Superstars in the living room, and just nodding my head to the music. As time went on I grew a heavy love for Hip-Hop being around my old cousins and they would sit around and watch music videos and just letting the hard hitting beat and the rhymes puncture my ear drums and leave craving for more.

I remember the first time I feel in love with Hip-Hop, I was sitting in the living room of my aunt's house with my cousin and YO MTV Raps was on. They premiered Kool Moe Dee's latest video "How Ya' Like Me Now?". When the video came on, I was just captured by how he commanded attention with the lyrics, the wordplay, and delivery was just second to none. After that I knew this was something I wanted to be apart of my life and I wanted to grow right along with it,

With my love for Hip-Hop growing, I saw that they were using sampling. They would use old R&B records from artist and find a break in the song, they would take that break, loop it, put drums behind it, and it would become a instrumental for the artist. I was curious about what songs they were using so I would look in the production credits find the sample, and look for the original song. Picking that skill up also further my love for R&B and looking deeper into the music and the stories that made the songs.

Coming of age I started to look more deeply into music, I started to do research on the producers, the artist background, and how was the process putting together a album. With this blog I will be focusing on Soul Music (R&B) and Hip-Hop. I will be posting up videos of certain artist I admire and up and coming artist on the rise, links to audio, and also my random thoughts on music. I hope everyone that comes to my blog be able to get something out of my blog from just discovering new music or just furthering their knowledge on the two genres.

This is the video that made me fall in love with Hip-Hop