Female Throwback Jam: “No, No, No” [Part II] 11.27.08

Again, it is a tad bit late but this weeks Female Throwback Jam comes to us from the then R&B quartet Destiny's Child. The members then consisted of Beyonce, Kelly, LeToya, & LaTavia. The remix to the groups debut song, "No, No, No," changed it from a a slow tempo ballad into a Wyclef produced club hit. The single jump started the incredible career of Destiny's Child and even their front woman, Beyonce's future solo career. Though their debut CD wasn't half as big as the likes of Survivor or The Writings On The Wall, "No, No, No" [Part II] will always be essential to the late 90's female group trends.


CHECK OUT THE VIDEO TO "No, No, No" [Part II]

What did you think of the video or song "No, No, No" [Part II], LEAVE COMMENTS below!

Male Throwback Jam: “You Make Me Wanna...” 11.27.08

Yes it is a tad bit late but this weeks Male Throwback Jam comes to us from Usher. Though not his debut single ,"You Make Me Wanna..." was really what jump started Usher as the Entertainer. The video featured Usher dancing around a set with visual copies of himself which actually made him look like a group rather a solo artist. This almost seems the start of popular male singers utilizing dance skills to coincide with their music. The song will remain an R&B favorite of the 90's forever.


CHECK OUT THE VIDEO TO "You Make Me Wanna"

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Competition: PussyCat Dolls vs Beyopnce | "Halo"

So ironically the PussyCat Dolls and Beyonce, they both have songs on their 2008 albums entitled “Halo.” While the PussyCat Dolls “Halo,” featured a mid tempo Timbaland produced beat, Beyonce’s version more of a ballad and was written by OneRepublic’s lead singer Ryan Tedder and was intended for Leona Lewis (who also wrote Leona Lewis’ number 1 single “Bleeding Love”).

I actually think this is one PussyCat Dolls song which really suits Nicole Scherzinger well. The way it’s sung, I don’t think would be as good if a different Doll shared lead vocals. That being said it would be nice to hear them take the lead on some songs released as singles. I think this song could actually be a hit for them, and should have been released over “Whatcha Think About That.” I think PCD really released that song in hopes of it doing better than Danity Kane’s “Bad Girl,” since they both featured Missy Elliott.

“Halo,” is scheduled to be one of Beyonce’s next singles off of her I Am… Sasha Fierce album. I expect the song to reach the tops of the charts especially since the Beyonce craze has started and the fact that Ryan Tedder had a number 1 single with Leona Lewis helps too.

I am enjoying both of the songs, and the question does not have to come down to Beyonce vs. Nicole Scherzinger at all. I am just curious to see what people think of the songs overall.




WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE “HALO” SONGS? LEAVE COMMENTS BELOW!

Female Throwback Jam: “Not Tonite” [Remix] 11.20.08

People who were into Hip Hop & R&B music of the 90’s will totally remember and love our Female Throwback Jam of the week. It comes from Lil’ Kim and features an ‘all star team’ of female rappers including, Angie Martinez, Left Eye of TLC, Da Brat and Missy Elliott. Along with the lyricists the video for "Not Tonite" [Remix] (often referred to as, 'Ladies Night') featured grand cast too, including cameos from Blaque, Queen Latifa, Mary J. Blige, SWV, Xscape, Total and many others. The video was an all out party where the women were catered to by men. The song was released as Lil’ Kim’s 3rd solo lead single and off of the Nothing To Lose soundtrack back in April of 1997. The song became a summer smash and peaked at number 6 on The Billboard Hot 100.

COME CHECK OUT the video below!


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Male Throwback Jam: “Juicy” 11.20.08

So this week’s Male Throwback Jam comes from no one other than The Notorious B.I.G. His debut lead single, “Juicy,” features former Bad Boy female group Total singing the inspirational chorus, off of his ironically titled 1994 debut album Ready To Die. The song’s lyrics speak about growing up with almost nothing and turning your life around to make yourself successful and happy of your success. The song is said to be one of the greatest Hip Hop songs ever. The video features various acted out scenes of past life situations of Biggie as well as him celebrating and living the good life. Although Biggie was shot back on March 9th, 1997, at age 24, his legacy will forever live on through his cunning lyrics and memorable songs.

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO for "Juicy."


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Alter Ego Takes Over | Beyonce -I Am...Sasha Fierce [Review]

Move over Beyonce Knowles, this time around another singer, Sasha Fierce clearly wants to introduce herself and set her name apart from Mrs. Knowles. Well not exactly, on Beyonce’s third solo album, I Am…Sasha Fierce, Beyonce mixes two different musical sounds and genres onto separate discs to form one album.

Beyonce obviously learned her fans enjoy hearing different sides to her music, evident from her 2003 number 1 Billboard Hot 100 Hip Hop & R&B-Funk song, “Crazy In Love,” to her 2006 smooth mid tempo Soft Rock number 1, “Irreplaceable.” So Beyonce decided to release two A-side singles for her third solo album.

“If I Were A Boy,” is a mid tempo, vocal showcasing song which was geared toward Pop radio formats. The cinematic music video was made to show the scenario of how men would feel if women treated them as men sometimes do women. So far ‘Boy’ has reached number 3 on the Hot 100.

While “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” was geared for the clubs and rhythmic radio formats. Sounding much like a continuation of her previous single, “Get Me Bodied,” released from 2006’s B’Day. Though both of the videos were in black and white, ‘Single’ was a dance performance video; as ‘Boy’ was simply a mini movie.

The generalized sound of songs under the, I Am… title are slow ballads which aren’t to striking after a first listen and may come off as boring to Beyonce’s usual R&B fan base.

A few standouts were present as well. “Broken Hearted Girl,” and “Halo,” feature lyrics that seem touching and realistic. Production on these tracks was great as well. Speculated next single “Halo,” was written by lead singer of OneRepublic, Ryan Tedder, and actually intended for one of his past collaborators, Leona Lewis (who shared a number 1 collaboration with “Bleeding Love,”).

Beyonce previously told fans that Sasha was her on stage alter ego who she essentially becomes while on stage performing and takes her to a more energy driven exciting level. The intense vibe is definitely present on the Sasha Fierce portion of the album as well. Majority of the songs have an energy level which clearly is not present on the I Am... tracks.

On the Sasha Fierce side, you quickly indentify signature Beyonce catchiness; which is present on tracks like “Video Phone.” From its current-craze title, slick lyrics and its hard hitting beat, Beyonce scores a repeat track with this cut.

“Ego,” is another song where Beyonce clearly utilizes her versatility to create a unique retro, Pop-Funk, Soul jam. She states, “Some call it arrogant, I call it confident,” as she refers to her specific chosen guy.

Inspired by Lil’ Wayne’s “A Milli,” Beyonce recorded a song called “Diva,” to a remarkably similar beat; both produced by Bangladesh. She raps and says why she is number 1 among fellow female artists.

Overall I Am…Sasha Fierce clearly directs Beyonce in a different diverse direction. She creates a way to dominate multiple music sounds and genres, all while bringing a unique conceptual idea to her album. Beyonce’s previous work has sold in outstanding amounts, and I Am…Sasha Fierce couldn’t have come at a better time. Though it may not be every Beyonce fans cup of tea, expect I Am...Sasha Fierce to become another big album for Mrs. Knowles-Carter.

Male Throwback Jam: "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See " 11.13.08

Busta Rhymes scores this weeks Male Throwback Jam of the week. His 1997 single, "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See," will forever be remembered as a classic 90's Hip Hop song. From the songs intense bass and it's slick lyrics Busta Rhymes clearly delivered a track that could still have everybody get live at any given occasion. The song was released as the second single from his sophomore album, When Disaster Strikes. The video was based off of the movie Coming To America and featured Busta Rhymes dressed in various clothing and dancers during the chorus. Since then Busta Rhymes has released 5 albums and is currently working on his 8th album. He's also had 7 Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 singles as well.

CHECK OUT the video below!


Post comments about "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See" & its video below!

Female Throwback Jam: "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" 11.13.08

This week the Female Throwback Jam of the week comes from a prominent Hip Hop artist. Missy Elliott debuted onto the music scene as a solo artist back in 1997 with her debut album, Supa Dupa Fly and released her debut single, "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" which became a popular song amongst Hip Hop fans. Missy came out with a new creative, unique music video for the single which featured odd things like her blown up in an suit which looked like black trash bags to her sitting on a fake hill wearing a long black wig. The classic video is only one reason why Missy fans still love her music and style to this day. Since 1997 Missy Elliott has released 5 other studio albums and is currently working on her 7th.


CHECK OUT the video below!


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Hurry Up, Ashanti! New Single Necessary!

So I really think it’s about time that Ashanti release another single off of The Declaration soon. Since she didn’t try to revamp the airplay success of “Good Good,” with a remix, a third single is in order to keep people onto her current album. My personal favorite track from the album by far has got to be “In These Streets.” This could make a good single cause it is catchy mid-tempo song; not to fast or slow.

Though there has been rumors that the choice was once said to be the breakup ridden “So Over You.” And even more recently between “Struggle,” the we’re meant for each other-let’s work things out song and “You’re Gonna Miss,” a positive you’ll never find anyone better song.

While “Struggle,” has been a fan favorite since the albums release in June; the best option for Ashanti in my eyes, would be to release two singles. One aired to R&B radio formats and the other toward Pop formats. This would work out great if Ashanti is deciding between “Struggle,” & “You’re Gonna Miss,” since “Struggle,” would easily suit R&B formats well and “You’re Gonna Miss,” has a Pop vibe to it, perfect for Pop Stations. Not to mention a double video, “Struggle/You’re Gonna Miss” would be a good look for Ashanti as well, something new!

Whatever the single choice is, let’s hurry up and get a single out Ashanti, before people forget how great The Declaration, actually is.


What do you think about "In These Streets," as a single?

"...Never Say Bye Bye," or should we?

Wow, Mariah Carey left me in shock, after this performance. Like what in the world; how do you go from being one of the greatest singers from the 90s to something like this vocal performance? From the first lyrics it seemed off. People have been mentioning Carey’s vocals deteriorating and being worse lately, but I never really thought much of it, until hearing this rendition of “Hero.” Really sad for a singer who solely performs with her voice (She doesn’t dance, and hardly works the stage).

After hearing Mariah Carey basically butcher her own song, “Hero,” I really would love so hear her sing her 2005 smash hit, “We Belong Together,” and attempt to hit that last note which she used to be able to hit live and hold for what seemed like an eternity. After this I highly doubt she could even come close to her old performances of “We Belong Together.

Who knew 3 years (2006-2008) could make such a difference.

Female Throwback Jam: "Breakdown" 11.6.08

In 1998 Mariah Carey released “Breakdown” as her third single from her 6th full length studio album Butterfly. The song and memorable music video featured Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Mariah Carey who played different roles within the video such as being a magician’s assistant. Since 1998 Mariah Carey has suffered from a personal breakdown of her own, and gained prominence again with her 2005 single “We Belong Together.” Currently she is promoting her most recent album, E=MC².

Male Throwback Jam: “Put It On Me” 11.6.08

Back in 2000 when Ja Rule was ruling the Hip Hop game, he released one of his biggest singles “Put It On Me,” which featured label mate Vita and then frequent collaborator Lil’ Mo. Released from his 2nd studio album, Rule 3:36, “Put It On Me,” became his first top ten Billboard Hot 100 singling reaching number 8. After its release Ja Rule continued his reign and eventually scored his first number 1 single. Currently Ja Rule has been supposedly preparing his 7th studio album currently entitled The Mirror.

Deserving Candidate Gets Elected 44th President

What a conclusion to this long awaited race for presidency has brought us. Who would have thought that in the year of 2008, an African American man would get elected as our 44th president of the United States of America? Feelings of happiness, excitement, enjoyment are among the few feeling currently going through so many proud Americans who’ve taken notice of a person deserving of such an outstanding honor.

Senator Barack Obama, currently known as the Presidential-elect, Obama, definitely has walked through this long battle and came out with a graceful win. By overcoming Hilary Clinton for the democratic nomination the defeat of John McCain and his campaign he’s defining a moment not only in his life, but in the life of our nation, and for everyone to witness.

Obama will not only be remembered for his courageous journey of becoming the first African American or Black president, but his powerful speeches, respectable manners, and overall character will be remembered and forever praised by many for years to come.

Though it may be sad that Obama’s grandmother didn’t get to see physically view her grandson’s presidential-elect, like many others even including Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and personal family members of ours get to spiritually see the accomplishment and all of what’s to come.

Congratulations to all who’ve made this possible. Yes We Can! Because we did!

How'd This Rumor Catch On?

So I’m really wondering where this whole recent Lil’ Wayne was killed/shot dead rumor started from. I mean one single person couldn’t have spread such a catching rumor about him passing away.

For people who really know things about Lil’ Wayne probably really wondered after hearing that he was “dead.” Especially since Lil’ Wayne has openly stated that he’s addicted to syrup, and that he won’t stop drinking it.

Any ways I really hope it isn’t true for the fact that it would be a sad day in Hip Hop that it’s most current best selling rapper died. People have said it happened from Halloween through Sunday… So let’s all hope this was a nasty rumor somebody started to spread rather than the truth and that Lil’ Wayne’s reps aren’t just holding the information to release it on Monday, November 3rd, 2008.