Song of the Week

There were a lot of birthday shout-outs tonight. I always subtract 9 months to figure out when people were conceived (even though it’s more like 38 weeks). So, it looks like there are a lot of St. Patrick’s Day babies today. Whenever there are a lot of birthdays, the 9-month thing always correlates to a significant holiday, i.e. first week of September (New Year’s), middle of November (Valentine’s Day), so it’s scientific enough for me.

Somehow, In Da Club by 50 Cent has become “the birthday song.” It’s a song about getting drunk in the club and starting fights and doing ecstasy and getting shot, but because he says “It’s your birthday” a couple of times, it has apparently become an appropriate song with which to celebrate your birthday. Maybe I’m kinda lame, but I don’t quite roll that way on my birthdays, and I doubt most of the people requesting In Da Club as a birthday song do either, especially when they call it the “50 Cent It’s Your Birthday Song.”

And to be technical, he says party like it’s your birthday and suggests that it doesn’t matter that it’s not your birthday. Excuse the semantics, but this particular request drives me bonkers and makes me want to hit somebody upside the head with a bottle of champagne.

Here’s the edited song/video.

Song of The Week

I don’t know much about Ferry Corsten’s background, but the first time I heard one of his songs, I was blown away. I also imagine that little turntables dream of belonging to him when they grow up.
No story, just a song: It’s Time

Song of the Week

On the subject of source material, here’s a classic written by Ed Cobb and originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964. 40 years later, artists are still doing covers of Tainted Love. Gloria Jones wasn’t part of the initial Motown movement, but she later collaborated with some Motown artists.

Soft Cell’s version became a big hit in 1981 and is a classic in its own right, but I have to give some respect to the original, which I have to admit, I hadn’t heard until three years ago.

Here’s another non-video video from YouTube. I had a little trouble embedding an audio-only link.

Song of The Week

Public Enemy – one of the most talented and under-appreciated groups in hip-hop history. They managed to find a mix of great music, constructive social commentary, and a fun presentation that made you want to keep listening. That’s why they’re still performing and being true to themselves two decades later. I had the pleasure of seeing them live last year and they’re still full of energy and willing to put on a great stage show, even to a less-than-sellout crowd.

“Fight The Power”… I rag on modern rap a lot, but I don’t think it all has to have a message or be insightful. But I don’t want a simple beat and simple lyrics. Wipe Me Down by Boosie is one of my favorites from the last couple of years. It’s all about dressing fly in the club, but the music makes you want to move and that’s what counts.

“Fight The Power” seemed to be an attempt to modernize the civil rights movement, which, even with a black president soon taking office, still has a lot left to accomplish.

Song of The Week

Okay, class, here’s another song for you. This one is by The Incredible Bong Band, using the song “Apache,” written by Jerry Lordan and originally recorded by The Shadows. The guitar was repeated by other groups, but the Bongo Band overlaid a drum/bongo beat that made it a classic and became the wellspring of hip-hop. the-breaks.com offers this list of songs that have sampled the beats from this masterpiece.

The Sugarhill Gang created a more well-known classic by adding Western-themed lyrics and the unforgettable, “Jump On It!” in the chorus to create an instant dance hit. The Sugarhill Gang version still works pretty well on the dance floor when mixed in with newer music.

And then The Fresh Prince himself gave us this:

Song of The Week

Although the bassline of this song is best known for inspiring one of the most well-remembered pop-rap songs of all time, it’s a masterpiece in its own right.
Listening to the lyrics should inspire us to take a moment and think about our fellow man, and, possibly, do something to help. The other choice is to be someone who has:

“Turned away from it all like a blind man…
Sat on a fence but it don’t work”

Song of the Week

Hooverphonic is a band out of Belgium that frequently is labeled as Trip-Hop or within that vein. I think most of their music is indescribable. Their first lead vocalist left the group, so they found a new one before the second album and she has continued with them for more than 10 years, but is now seeking a solo career.

Eden is a song that I play on occasion that makes people stop in their tracks. Someone always comes to the DJ booth to ask me what the name of the band is and sometimes they write it down and insist that I spell it out so they can find out more about them.

The melody and bass sounds are hypnotic on their own, but combined with Geike Arnaert’s vocals, the song becomes something powerful in its subtlety.

Song of the Week

Continuing with last week’s “real hip-hop” concept – Mos Def and Talib Kweli are a couple of the guys out there still sticking to the roots of hip-hop.  They don’t brag about their bling and their iced-out Lamborghinis.  They discuss life, music, culture.  That’s where hip-hop came from.

Definition has a lot of great elements that should put it on anyone’s list as one of the best hip-hop songs ever.  Lyrics here.

Again, listen to the beat and the rhyme structure and try not to cry as you remember the shallowness of “Shorty got them Apple Bottom jeans…”

Song of the Week

Here’s a song to study, examine, and dissect.  Real hip-hop from one of the best MC’s ever.

Erik B. and Rakim:  Don’t Sweat the Technique

If every artist would listen to this song before the writing, engineering, and recording process, we would have much better music to listen to.

The bass line and melody are really easy to listen to, but also something you can dance to and get pretty hype – It’s a 90’s song, so I’m using 90’s lingo.  It’s not something you can get crunk to.  The rhyme scheme and Rakim’s flow are something that Soulja Boy and others could learn from.  It is possible to write a good club song that has decent lyrics.  You can have a catchy hook without making the whole song quaint and catchy.

Listen to this song 3 or 4 times over the following week and compare it to what’s on the radio right now.  I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.