Music Wrap-Up 07

YOOOOO!!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Ok, got that out of the way...


Anyway, you can probably guess from the title what this is about. This is about some of the hottest tracks to come out this year, from hip-hop to r&b, from radio single to underground, nothing is off limits. And these are not in order. Of course, I might forget some, so feel free to comment and add which song you think needs a shout-out or an honorable mention. Let's get it poppin...

Rich Boy feat. Ma$e and Polow Da Don- "Let's Get This Paper"

When people hear memorable/classic songs, they usually remember the environment they were in, what they were doing, etc. I can tell you EXACTLY how I was feeling when I heard this song. I was at Faulkner, and I was going through a couple of situations with my club, Sigma Psi Chi. I remember coming back to the dorm room and just staring at the ceiling and just trying to zone out to forget about everything.

Then I played the album. And the whole album is hot. It really is. There's something for everybody for the most part. Then this track happened. Usually, rappers do the emotional song at the end, but for me there was something different about this one. It wasn't that he was emotional in the traditional "my-homie-dead, I-wanna-live-in-the-sky, I-miss-my-mama type way. It was more of a righteous anger... If that makes sense.

From talking about hypocritical pastors in the hood, to the war in Iraq, to the plague of fake people screamin "keep it real", to warning about the dangers of being on the other side of the law, to talking directly to God himself (in his own thug way, mind you), he goes all in. And THEN TO TOP IT OFF, ex-Pastor Mason Betha (aka Ma$e) gives a passionate speech after the first verse basically asking people why are they doing what they're doing, and what difference did they make while doing it.

The lyrics, the choir that harmonizes along with the whole song, the meaning for the song can be felt throughout the song, regardless if you like the rapper or not. The production is top-notch, and it reflects the mood of the song. In my book, it might be the best song of the year. Its by far the biggest surprise song of the year, because it came out of nowhere.


Quotables:
-Martin Lee, innocent, he ain't even have a chance
They beat him in that boot camp 'til he died in that ambulance
That boy was only fifteen years old, f**k what they say he did
So tell me how I'm 'posed to feel when police killin' kids?
- Rich Boy

-I prayed a thousand nights, I did a hundred crimes
And now I'm beggin' Lord that you don't let me down this time
Money my motivator, my mouth my money maker
No I don't see them haters, so let's go get this paper
- Rich Boy

- Yeah when you look at us just think about it, we don't own nothin'..
If we get money, we got a lil' few dollars, but our whole family tore up...
you gettin' money for the people in ya family that ain't got nothin'..
When it's all said and done, what do you own? You don't own nothin', you
don't own you... The n***a playin' basketball, he don't own that jersey, he can't
even be in a commercial wit' his name on the back, so when it's really all
said and done, what did you do this for? What difference did you make?
- Ma$e


Fall Out Boy feat. Kanye West - "This Ain't A Scene Remix"

Why do I like this song? I can't really tell you. The production is on point, and Fall Out Boy's sound is just something different from anything else out right now. A lot of people don't like them, and that's understandable. But for this song, I do.

Keep in mind, I don't like the ultra-remix with Lupe Fiasco, Lil Wayne, and a whole bunch of other people that probably don't know what the song is talking about either. I just like this version because as I'm thinking it, he says it (and he ventures off on his usual, "Stunt 101" lesson). Of course, the K. West production is on point, and the 16 bars he delivers after the first verse sets off the rest of the song. I am also aware that the regular version of this song came out in December of 06, but the remix didn't hit until mid-January, so it's eligible.

Sidenote: I just looked at the lyrics, and it makes sense for about 70 percent of the song... I guess that's all that matters? Anyway, the song is catchy, and the production will have you listening through it again, especially if you're a Kanye fan. What else can I say? It's hot.

Quotables:
Now, I don’t know what the hell this song is talking ‘bout
Do you?
She said yeah, I’ve been spending all day trying to figure that out
You too?
The arms race made them raise they arms
And race straight to the top, who knew?
Right now, they got the number one spot
Do you want that? (want that?) Me too
One thing I gotta call out boy,
Take a look at Fall Out Boy
Since they ain’t Black
When they get money they don’t ball out boy
They just buy tight jeans till they nuts hang all out boy
They figure they dress tight
So we gon dress tighter
He dress white, so we gon dress whiter
So in spite of anything you might of
Seen or heard, this scene occurred...
- Kanye West


Mims - "This Is Why I'm Hot" (Regular & Remix)

In this song, the beat adapts from Modd Deep's hood classic beat (which might be more remembered from Eminem's last rap battle in 8 Mile nowadays), to traditional South bounce music, to the slowed down sound made famous by DJ Screw from Texas, to the hyphy sound of E-40's "Tell Me When To Go", to the Snoop Dogg/West Coast sound, to the Kanye WEst, "Jesus Walks" beat... ALL IN THE SAME VERSE.... By the time the hook comes around, you might not even care that Mims is a mediocre rapper. If you like rap music in general, you will at least appreciate that the producers of this song was serious about making a hit.The production from "The Blackout Movement" is THAT SERIOUS.

And it's not just on that song. On a few more tracks on Mims album, they carry the load for making Mims hot (except, "They Don't Wanna Play". Mims came hard on that one. He should do that more often, huh?) Either way, this song was on heavy rotation all year. You can't have a list without at least giving a shout-out to the "Hot" anthem.

Oh yeah... the remix is SERIOUS too. They literally blow up the beat at the end of the song, complete with ticking timer and lighted fuses. And Mims actually comes with the lyrics on this one. It's more of a Jamacian feel to it, but I like it a lot.

Quotables:
There are none. The PRODUCTION is what you're supposed to enjoy here.
(P.S - I have a mega-mix of this song that includes all of the best parts of the song if you want it, so hit me up if you're interested...)

DJ Unk feat. T-Pain, E-40, & Jim Jones - "2 Step Remix"

Who else you know that can turn a CORNY word that was always corny to begin with, and make it into a hot dance song that serves it's purpose? Jiggy? Who the hell says "Get Jiggy Wit It?" The only guy who said that ever was Will Smith, and that was a LOOOOONG time ago...

Until this song hit. One of the best dance songs of the year by far. And everyone on the remix contributed heavily to making this song hot, especially T-Pain. You can't deny the power of the 2 Step...

Quotables:
- "Now catch you 2 steppin, I got my goons reppin,
we turn the VIP into the do it do it section..."
- Jim Jones

R. Kelly feat. T-Pain and T.I - "I'ma Flirt Remix"

Funny story. I was listening to Bow Wow's sucky cd, "Price of Fame" and I heard the original version of this song. It was Lil Bow Wow's song FEATURING R. Kelly. I remember listening to it, and thinking "DANG, it would be SO much better if Bow Wow would just shut up and let Kels sing.

Almost a month later, I'm listening to the radio, and I hear it. The perfect r&b song. And Bow Wow's removed completely out of the song. THANK GAWD. T-Pain and T.I. set the song off, and they all basically sang about pimpin, as the title suggests,but it's done really, really well. Good for you Kelly. Good for you.

Quotables:
There are plenty on this song, especially on T-Pain's part... but in order to keep this post clean (lol) I'll just put this one...

- ...While u buyin her drinks in the club,
Actin like you in love,
Stuntin like you all thug,
We were switchin numbers...
She lookin at me when i walk by
You turn your head, she winks her eye
I can't help if she checkin for a platinum type of guy
She be callin me daddy, and i be callin her mommy
She be callin you Kelly, when yo name is Tommy (Lmao)
- R. Kelly

Kanye West - "I Wonder"

Go ahead. Get mad. I'm only putting one Kanye song on here. I love "Stronger" but as clever as it is, I just like it. No love. However...this song... It's one of his catchier songs with meaning since...well, I'd say since "Hey Mama". The beat is just ri-dunkulous and the "Kanye West-altered" lyrics (basically, he makes things fit to where normal people can find it humorous, but deep at the same time...I know... deep...) make you think more so that the rest of the songs on the album because of the way it's arranged and presented. It's a HOT song, and I'm in love with this song.

Quotables:
THE WHOLE SONG. SERIOUSLY.

But... here's a stand-out verse.

- You say he get on your f**king nerves
You hope that he get what he deserves, word...
Do you even remember what the issue is?
You just trying to find where the tissue is...
You can still be who you wish you is
It ain't happen yet
And that's what intuition is
Will you hop back in the car
Drive back to the crib
Run back to their arms?
The smokescreens
The chokes and the screams
You ever wonder what it all really means?
- Kanye West

Omarion feat. Timbaland - "Ice Box"

Timbaland is responsible for just blowing up artists, period. Yet, he can't get his own album to sell.... hmm... Well, regardless of that point, this song doesn't suffer from one flaw that I can think of. It's basically the song that people WISH they could have. The one single record companies will KILL to say they sponsored. This song by itself shot Omarion's album, "21" onto a worldwide platform. That's pretty good for a guy that's more memorable for "You Got Served" than his musical talent. But if he gets another single like this... who knows?

Trey Songz - "No Clothes On"

No, you're not getting a quotable for this song, because the title is enough. However, "The Runners" (producers) are my favorite producers as of now, period. From "Hustlin (Rick Ross)" to "Slap (Ludacris)" to "I'm So Hood (DJ Khaled and the whole world)", they have yet to make a production mis-step. Usually in rap songs, they excel even more so, but now they're producing R&B songs now...and Trey Songs knew EXACTLY how to handle this song. The song is tight, the lyrics are hot for an R&B song, and... I can't even really say too much about it. You'll have to just hear it. But it's definitely a pimp song. By pimp, I mean the whole song can be used as a line to get a chick naked. Keep that in mind.

UGK feat. Outkast - Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)

"So...I typed a text to this girl I used to see..."

From this moment into the song, you knew it was going to be a humongous hit. The Art of Storytelling is something that OutKast has MASTERED, and it shines on this song. Arguably the song of the year, especially surrounding the tragic ending to Pimp C's life (natural causes? At 33? REALLY? Wow...), this song shines in production (from Three 6 Mafia), lyrics, and everything else in between. Four different angles to the story, basically telling showing all four sides of the pimpin triangle (lol). Andre takes on the guy who's traded in his pimp card because he's found "the one", and he's warned to stay on his toes. Pimp C basically talks about being a pimp and how his "ladies of the night" acts when they're doing what they do. Bun B is recruiting a girl to come and be his, but then defines his version of "his", and Big Boi basically warns about getting carried away and slipping into the "baby mama drama".

Storytelling at it's best.

Speaking of storytelling...

Outkast feat. Marsha Ambrosius - The Art of Storytelling Pt 4.

FIRE. FIRE. FIRE. FIRE. FIRE. FIRE.

There's not another way to put it... This is the Outkast you wanted when the Idlewild soundtrack was announced. This is the Outkast that reminds you of what Hip-Hop is supposed to be about. It is surprising that it's on a Gangsta Grillz album? It should be... it's one of the best songs of the year. By far. It's up there with the first song I mentioned in this blog. You owe it to yourself to listen to this song.

Twista feat. T-Pain - "Creep Fast"

It doesn't matter what kind of beat it is, or what style you want. There's a 99 percent success rate for Twista that he will kill whatever track he's on. It's almost like getting Ludacris for a song.

Actually...they're the same.

Anyway, Twista's flow is contagious and the rhythm that he spits his lyrics are remarkable, as usual. The unusual stand out in this song is T-Pain. He actually steals some of Twista's thunder and snaps on the hook, reverting a little bit back to his "Nappy Boyz" rap group days. I have never said this before, but T-Pain might've done Twista style better than him...

...And I believed that until Twista came back in for the third verse. The flow INCREASED. In other words, Twista raised his game to another level. If you're a Twista or a T-Pain song... I have one word for you.

Yes.

Swizz Beatz feat. Chris Martin of Coldplay - "Part Of The Plan"

This is a song towards the end of Swizzy's album, "One Man Band Man" and it's completely different from what Swizz is noted for. This is a deep, thoughtful, reflective track. Keep in mind that Swizz Beatz is not a Grade-A rapper, by all intents and purposes. But this song and his delivery works well in this song, and it's another stand out track that every hip-hop head should vibe to.

Fergie feat. Ludacris - "Glamorous"

Yeah, I said it. Polow Da Don's production on this is just CRAZY. Can you believe that this beat was actually supposed to be used for Gwen Stephani's "Luxurious" remix? Ha... I'm glad Fergie got a hold of it instead, because she did it right. And of course, Ludacris smashes with another verse that makes the song explode over the top.

Flo-Rida feat. T-Pain - "Low"

Notice that most of these songs feature the same people? I'm not trying to say those people had big years...but they did. No haters allowed. But actually T-Pain's not the reason I love this song.

Flo-Rida is the truth. This man can ride a beat better than 98 percent of the rappers out now, and he DESTROYED this song with his flow and his lyrics. The boy is a beast, and this song is the type of song that in two years if you hear it, you'll still dance.

Whenever a rapper slips into a rhythm delivering their lyrics, it elevates the song. This dude is a natural for rapping. I cannot wait to hear more from him. Plus...the song is catchy as hell and it's a dance song, and girls down here LOSE THEIR MINS when this song comes on. Even at Panera Bread, white and black people love this song. It's shocking...but it's a good thing. Look out for Flo-rida...

Tank - "Please Don't Go"

"Pleeeeeeeeeease do-ow-on't gooo.... Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease don't go..."

That boy was beggin his butt off, lol... But yeah, the return of Tank was a great one...even if it was short-lived. The song was simple, yet heartfelt, and personally, I loved the lyrics to the song and how it was arranged together. So yeah, definitely one of the better songs of the year.

Hurricane Chris feat. Boxie and Mr. Collipark - "Playas Rock"

Yes, it's a pimp song. That's exactly what it is. But the whole vibe of the song and the way Boxie is singing on this song makes it so much more memorable. The things that stood out to me about this song was the fact that Boxie was singing his butt off, and the second verse.

The second verse solidified that Hurricane Chris is underrated. Ignore Handclap. Ay Bay Bay was hot, but you can forget that too. This is the song that people should remember him for, because if the rest of his album was anywhere near the caliber of this song, you'd probably have it, whether bootleg or not.

Letoya feat. Killa Kyleon, Bun B, and Slim Thug - "Swagger"

WOW. Where did this come from? Seriously. I heard it about two weeks ago, and I can say it might be my favorite song from Letoya, ever. Good thing she's a solo artist now, because if someone can give Beyonce a run for her money, it is Letoya. And not the Jackson version either. The song is just fire straight through. It's that ridin', bounce-with-me, swagger type music. And from the title...I think that's what she was aiming for. Well, she succeeded.

Scarface - "The Suicide Note"

So you think Scarface isn't a storyteller?

"You was playin when you was sayin you was ready,
I'm knowin' you ain't mean it when you told me you was tired of life and just wanted to leave it
you were drinkin,
so I ain't really pay it no attention, took you back to your crib and dropped you off with the intention
of gettin with this Asian chick
I've been offerin (this chick) somethin exquisite,
I had to spit that game cuz she was vicious,
I'm hoppin back on 6-10 punchin the drop
On my way out to her house I started noticing cops,
Somethin tellin me to turn around and follow these dudes,
Normally I wouldn't consider but out of the blue I'm bustin a U
I get off where they get off at
Well-familiar with these streets, this where I came up at
Roadblocks, yellow tape, "a crime scene" they say,
What the f**k just happened? I just left this place...
I get out and started askin Frog, "What's up?"
Lookin at me dazed like, "Face, it's all f**ked up..."
I move a little closer tryin to see who it is
and I saw his baby mama in tears holdin his kids..."

I don't know what rock you've been under, but Scarface is one of the best at it. What's scary about this is that it's a true story. Scarface has always been the one to push the envelope with the eerie sounding songs that seem straight out of a suspence/horror movie, but this one is unique in it's own way. Yes it's eerie, but his lyrics draw you in, and throughout the course of the song, you'll feel Facemob's pain about the situation because he feels that if he would've taken his friend seriously, he wouldn't be dead...

Hip-hop. At it's best. This is what great rappers do. They channel their trials and tribulations and they put it in song for other people to relate to. It's therapeutic for them, and you'd be surprised at how many people have went through the same thing. This is one of the best storytelling songs I've heard all year.

Cassidy - "Innocent Man"

Cassidy has this annoying habit of having hot singles and the rest of his album being garbage. In this case... it's the same thing, with the exception of a couple of songs. This is by far the best song on the album.

Cassidy is basically talking about the WHOLE story behind him catching a murder charge, going to trial, jail, and then finally beating the case. After hearing the whole story, it makes sense why he did what he did... You can't knock the man for defending his family. You can however knock those dudes that he said lied on him on the stand. Either way, the lyrical content is there, the beat is there, and this could very well be the one song that sets this album above the other crap he's released... And I'm just being honest.

Freeway - "Reppin The Streets"

This is a song that will bubble under the radar for a long time, and probably NEVER get a video for it, as much as it needs it. I like Freeway, and this dude comes with it and talks about how through thick and thin he still reps Philly, through the good things that happen in the world, and the bad.

By the way...this one was a complete toss-up between this song and "Walk With Me" feat. Busta Rhymes and Jadakiss. I can't describe how underrated Freeway is, or how HARD Busta and Jada and Free come in this song. The dude is a beast. This album is another great album and it at least deserves a listen.

One more...

Lil' Wayne - "I'm Me"

The first part of this song leaked a good 6 to 8 months ago, and if you're part of my music click you got to hear it when I did. Well...the whole song came out a few days ago, as a part of "The Leak EP" from Weezy... and remember what I said about Wayne being hit and miss?

Yeah. HIT. Times 10. This man can make some FIRE when he wants to. No synthesizer voice, it's Carter 1 and 2 Weezy. The one that most people want. And he did it with this one. I'm back excited about Carter III again. I'm hoping for a classic, so we'll see...

Wrap-Up (For Now)

If I had to pick four songs above all of the others I've mentioned (and possibly the rest I can think of) it would be Rich Boy's "Let's Get This Paper", Outkast's "The Art of Storytelling Pt. 4," Lil' Wayne's "I'm Me", and Twista/T-Pain's "Creep Fast." Instant classics (for the most part), and you owe it to yourself to hear them...

Ok, that's all I can think of at the moment. I might make a part two to this because I still didn't get to talk about Chris Brown's song, "Damage" and "Picture Perfect", and Alicia Keys "No One"...

Oh well...But for now, I'm done. Enjoy your New Year's, and hit up the comments.