Sleeping?? Maybe. Awake?? I believe so...
With access to uploading capabilities and a new project (which I will discuss in the future) at hand. I'M FINALLY BACK!! Best of all... I'm currently talking to myself so there's no one to criticize me as I get my feet back under me!!! If you want to be one of those criticizers... Stay Tuned!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Am I Alive!?!
Simple answer... yes, yes I am. The world is a very busy place for me these days, planning a wedding, traveling, and welcoming visitors. But alas, I still live. So what do we have to look forward to this week?? My review of "Teflon Don", the latest album from Rick Ross which is making waves through the hip hop community. Also, Sunday (Old) School still has some great songs lined up for enjoyment and enlightenment so definitely stay tuned there. I'm hoping to get some time in the next couple weeks to pump out a couple new mixes, as my queue of new hot music is filling up and waiting to burst into your ears. Good things are happening my friends!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Trains and Planes
So apparently my employer thought it necessary to restrict access to certain file sharing/storing sites which makes it extremely difficult (impossible) to stream music at the moment. No hard feelings though, in fact I'm currently more disturbed by the cafeteria food... yeah, I'm talking to you "corn on the cob." At any rate, it is time to unveil the answer to the Sunday (Old) School quiz:
Q: Which bay area (Oakland, CA) producer/group sampled The O'Jays' song "Cry Together" on a late fall 2006 album?
A: Producer Amp Live sampled it on the album "Heroes in the City of Dope" by Zion I and the Grouch.
Some great guesses out there, but I had to try my hardest to fly under the Google radar. Not to mention this is one of my favorite uses of the sample by a producer I respect very much.
Due to some weekend travel expect to catch the second session of Sunday (Old) School early next week. Have a great weekend!
Q: Which bay area (Oakland, CA) producer/group sampled The O'Jays' song "Cry Together" on a late fall 2006 album?
A: Producer Amp Live sampled it on the album "Heroes in the City of Dope" by Zion I and the Grouch.
Some great guesses out there, but I had to try my hardest to fly under the Google radar. Not to mention this is one of my favorite uses of the sample by a producer I respect very much.
Due to some weekend travel expect to catch the second session of Sunday (Old) School early next week. Have a great weekend!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Cry Together
Still no correct guesses on the O'Jays trivia. Maybe one of the most well known songs which sampled "Cry Together" (depending on your generation and music taste) is...
Ja Rule's song "I Cry" featuring Lil Mo.
That would be too easy if that was the answer. Below is a short list of others that have sampled the popular O'Jays song:
Tupac - "Pour Out A Little Liquor"
Nas and AZ - "Mo Money Mo Murder (Mo Homicide)"
Allure - "Anything You Want"
Slick Rick - "Kill Ni**"
The answer to the trivia is still out there! In the meantime, check out another sampled track from the Hall of Fame group. Their original "Who Am I" was used by Rhymesayers group Atmosphere (Slug and Ant) in their song "Little Man." Who would've thought that fresh new music could be so Old School!?!
Atmosphere - "Little Man"
Keep the guesses coming!
Ja Rule's song "I Cry" featuring Lil Mo.
That would be too easy if that was the answer. Below is a short list of others that have sampled the popular O'Jays song:
Tupac - "Pour Out A Little Liquor"
Nas and AZ - "Mo Money Mo Murder (Mo Homicide)"
Allure - "Anything You Want"
Slick Rick - "Kill Ni**"
The answer to the trivia is still out there! In the meantime, check out another sampled track from the Hall of Fame group. Their original "Who Am I" was used by Rhymesayers group Atmosphere (Slug and Ant) in their song "Little Man." Who would've thought that fresh new music could be so Old School!?!
Atmosphere - "Little Man"
Keep the guesses coming!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Sunday (Old) School Session I - Quiz
This week features popular rhythm and blues group "The O'Jays", who are responsible for providing much material to modern day producers for song sampling. It's important that we realize where the music we listen to originated, so I ask this question for the week.
Which bay area (Oakland, CA) producer/group sampled The O'Jays' song "Cry Together" on a late fall 2006 album?
If you know the answer or just want to give it the old college try, drop it in the Shoutbox!
Which bay area (Oakland, CA) producer/group sampled The O'Jays' song "Cry Together" on a late fall 2006 album?
If you know the answer or just want to give it the old college try, drop it in the Shoutbox!
Sunday (Old) School Session I - Message in the Music
(For this week, Monday is the new Sunday)
Music greatly reflects cultural progression and evolution in a way that is both linear and cyclical. I believe understanding this is crucial to the enjoyment and application of the art. The linearity of music resembles the familiar evolution picture where a monkey is pictured straightening into common man. Speaking of the hip hop music we behold today, it "grew up" from African decent, through Jamaican progression, into soul, jazz, rhythm and blues, and finally to the popular music of our current era. Music evolution is also cyclical as music of any era borrows sounds and styles from previous generations to build upon in creating their own sound. This cyclical evolution has been growing heavily with music producers in the form of sampling. Sampling music is the method of taking parts of an original song, whether it be vocals or rhythms, and manipulating them to create a totally new song.
One original group that has been heavily sampled throughout recent history, and who will be the feature of this Sunday (Old) School session, are The O'Jays. The O'Jays, who released their first album in 1972, are a rhythm and blues group from Canton, Ohio and are responsible for creating many many hit records. Their knack for creating classic music has landed them in the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, as well as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. The O'Jays not only made popular music, but they made it with a clear goal in mind and realized music is more than just entertainment and a reason to dance. This is evidenced not only in their lyrics, but explicitly on their liner notes. This note from group member Kenneth Gamble can be found on their notes from the album "Message in the Music."
"In this day of confusion, we must find the root of the problem in order to solve it. The problem is a lack of truth and communication among man and woman.Therefore, the wrong interpretation of life and life's purpose has been exposed. The word with music is one of the strongest, if not the strongest means of communication on the planet Earth.Music is the first means of communication known to man. It is the only natural science known to man. We choose to "make a joyful noise unto the Lord" only to help vindicate His name. So His will can be done. The word with music can do its part to calm the savage beast that lives in every man.
The message is PEACE
The message is LOVE
The message is WISDOM
The message is UNDERSTANDING
The message is UNITY
The message is dedicated to truth and justice for all mankind.
Man Understanding Spiritual Information Clearly
'Understand while you dance'"
While the song, "Message in the Music" is very simple and non-assuming. It speaks volumes to the true understanding of the responsibility entertainers and musicians have to those that hear their works. All too often do we fill the airwaves and ultimately people's brains with lies and fantasies simply to obtain money without realizing the true impact it has on individuals and our society as a whole. When listening to the O'Jays one can only appreciate the fact that they are cognizant of their role as creators and use their medium to convey true and positive sentiments rather than follow the norm in the pursuit of success. Using their music as a light post in the community, they not only achieved great fame but also great influence on those they speak to.
I've eluded to this before, but it is a great truth from hip-hop pioneer Doug E. Fresh that can never be overstated... "Hip-hop is supposed to uplift and create, to educate people on a larger level and to make a change." This is true for all forms of music and communication and the O'Jays for one have embraced that challenge and reminds us all of our responsibility in word.
Check out the simple yet profound lyrics while listening!
Music greatly reflects cultural progression and evolution in a way that is both linear and cyclical. I believe understanding this is crucial to the enjoyment and application of the art. The linearity of music resembles the familiar evolution picture where a monkey is pictured straightening into common man. Speaking of the hip hop music we behold today, it "grew up" from African decent, through Jamaican progression, into soul, jazz, rhythm and blues, and finally to the popular music of our current era. Music evolution is also cyclical as music of any era borrows sounds and styles from previous generations to build upon in creating their own sound. This cyclical evolution has been growing heavily with music producers in the form of sampling. Sampling music is the method of taking parts of an original song, whether it be vocals or rhythms, and manipulating them to create a totally new song.
One original group that has been heavily sampled throughout recent history, and who will be the feature of this Sunday (Old) School session, are The O'Jays. The O'Jays, who released their first album in 1972, are a rhythm and blues group from Canton, Ohio and are responsible for creating many many hit records. Their knack for creating classic music has landed them in the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, as well as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. The O'Jays not only made popular music, but they made it with a clear goal in mind and realized music is more than just entertainment and a reason to dance. This is evidenced not only in their lyrics, but explicitly on their liner notes. This note from group member Kenneth Gamble can be found on their notes from the album "Message in the Music."
"In this day of confusion, we must find the root of the problem in order to solve it. The problem is a lack of truth and communication among man and woman.Therefore, the wrong interpretation of life and life's purpose has been exposed. The word with music is one of the strongest, if not the strongest means of communication on the planet Earth.Music is the first means of communication known to man. It is the only natural science known to man. We choose to "make a joyful noise unto the Lord" only to help vindicate His name. So His will can be done. The word with music can do its part to calm the savage beast that lives in every man.
The message is PEACE
The message is LOVE
The message is WISDOM
The message is UNDERSTANDING
The message is UNITY
The message is dedicated to truth and justice for all mankind.
Man Understanding Spiritual Information Clearly
'Understand while you dance'"
While the song, "Message in the Music" is very simple and non-assuming. It speaks volumes to the true understanding of the responsibility entertainers and musicians have to those that hear their works. All too often do we fill the airwaves and ultimately people's brains with lies and fantasies simply to obtain money without realizing the true impact it has on individuals and our society as a whole. When listening to the O'Jays one can only appreciate the fact that they are cognizant of their role as creators and use their medium to convey true and positive sentiments rather than follow the norm in the pursuit of success. Using their music as a light post in the community, they not only achieved great fame but also great influence on those they speak to.
I've eluded to this before, but it is a great truth from hip-hop pioneer Doug E. Fresh that can never be overstated... "Hip-hop is supposed to uplift and create, to educate people on a larger level and to make a change." This is true for all forms of music and communication and the O'Jays for one have embraced that challenge and reminds us all of our responsibility in word.
Check out the simple yet profound lyrics while listening!
Friday, July 16, 2010
It's FRIDAY!!
Happy End of The Week to everyone! This week flew by for me, which is good and bad I suppose. Here's a list of albums that came out this week, in case you need some fresh new songs to jam to this weekend. Don't forget to check back Sunday for the 1st session of Sunday (Old) School!!
Crowded House - Intriguer
Danger Mouse And Sparklehorse - Dark Night Of The Soul
Korn - Korn III: Remember Who You Are
Juvenile - Beast Mode
Tony Lucca - Rendezvous With The Angels
The Maine - Black & White
M.I.A. - /\/\/\Y/\ (What kinda name is that!?!)
School Of Seven Bells - Disconnect From Desire
Sting - Symphonicities
Sun Kil Moon - Admiral Fell Promises
Crowded House - Intriguer
Danger Mouse And Sparklehorse - Dark Night Of The Soul
Korn - Korn III: Remember Who You Are
Juvenile - Beast Mode
Tony Lucca - Rendezvous With The Angels
The Maine - Black & White
M.I.A. - /\/\/\Y/\ (What kinda name is that!?!)
School Of Seven Bells - Disconnect From Desire
Sting - Symphonicities
Sun Kil Moon - Admiral Fell Promises
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