This song/video is a perfect example of how versatile Jonathan's musical ability is. We like this and it's ability to have you reciting the lyrics in one listen. Not to forget the positive energy and it's message.
A role model in his own right. Jonathan Emile, is on the path of conquering his dreams and fulfilling his own wishes. Click here to discover his work in the community. All proceeds for his The "Lover/ Fighter Document EP" go towards fighting kid's cancer through the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation. You're only worth your actions and so far this artist has earned the right to invade your ears and win your heart.
Remember the middle school days when hip hop club music was the only thing they'd play at all ages events and house parties?
That's the type of music that initially swayed me into this internal love for the art. Believe me if I were to ever throw a house party all you would hear are the tunes we have grown fond of.
Some of these songs feature sampling from Hindi music. My knowledge of Hindi music isn't the greatest but I am positive that when Hip Hop samples it, great results are produced.
Let's get into it then.
The first song is titled "React" and it was the single of an album by the same name by Hip Hop veterans Erick Sermon & Redman. The song contains a sample of female Hindi-language singer Meena Kapoor performing "Chandhi Ka Badan" from a 1963 Bollywood film "Taj Mahal". The sampled line, 'Kisi Ko Khudkushi ka shok ho tow uh huh kya kare' translates as "If someone has suicidal interests, what can we do?" and it is followed by Erick Sermon responding with, "Whatever she said, then I'm that". The use of the sample drew criticism from the Hindi-speaking community but we're not here to dwell on that.
The song is produced by beatsmith Just Blaze who honestly has an amazing catalogue and resume. It's no wonder that this song was a big hit back then, it's funny, catchy and appropriate for the club scene. Plus, I'm a a hundred percent positive that Erick nor Redman actually knew what the translation of the sampled voice was.
Erick Sermon & Redman - React
Mohammad Rafi & Manna & Asha - Chandi Ka Badan Sone Ki Nazar (Skip to 7:31 for the part sampled)
The second song is by duo Timbaland & Magoo titled "Indian Flute" featured on the album "Under Construction, Part III". Timbaland is the producer of the song and if there is one thing you must know about Timbaland is that he loves to sample music from different cultures. I've already posted one which was Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin". Moving forward the song "Indian Flute" contains an uncredited sample of "Curura" by Totó La Momposina and uncredited vocals from Raje Shwari, an American contemporary R&B and Indian music singer and songwriter. (Don't worry I'm on my way to writing a post about her and her uncredited work on many songs) Although the song originally features the samples of a Colombian song, it is the words of Raje Shwari who makes this particular song associated with Hindi music.
Timbaland & Magoo - Indian Flute
Totó La Momposina - Curura
The third song is The Black Eyed Peas and their single "Don't Phunk With My Heart" from their album "Monkey Business". The samples used in the song were taken from two Indian songs from two 1970s Hindi/Indian movies: "Ye Mera Dil Pyaar Ka Diwana" from Don (1978) and "Ae Naujawan Hai Sub" from Apradh (1972). Both songs were originally composed by Kalyanji Anandji and sung by Asha Bhosle. The song was sampled by Black Eyed Peas member Will I Am.
The Black Eyed Peas - Don't Phunk With My Heart
Yeh Mera Dil Yaar Ka Deewana Deewana Deewana Pyar Ka
Ae Naujawan Hai Sub Kuchh Yahan - Apradh
The final song is Truth Hurts and Rakim's "Addictive" from the album "Truthfully Speaking". The song was produced by DJ Quik and it features the sampling of "Thoda Resham Lagta Hai", a 1981 song by Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar.
Truth Hurts & Rakim - Addictive
Lata Mangeshkar - Thoda Resham Lagta Hai
The song "Addictive" also features a remix which was produced by Dr. Dre and feature an additional verse by Rakim.
Deon, Toronto recording artist, recently released his first mixtape titled Love & Dreams. The mixtape features Deon laying his thoughts, perspectives and experiences to songs originally recorded by Adele, John Mayer, Demi Lovato, Dweli, J. Cole and Jill Scott. Although the content of the mixtape matches it's title you can't help but pick up a nostalgic feeling while listening to it but that's not to say it's a bad characteristic. Deon shows a great amount of potential and expect a lot of great content from this artist. To further add on, there's something about his instrumental selection that intrigues me, it's great to say the least. The greatest plus about his mixtape is that it's enjoyable and very smooth.
On March 15th, 2011, Nate Dogg, G-Funk Pioneer, died in Long Beach, California from complications related to his previous heart strokes which occurred on December 19, 2007 and September 2008.
Erica Beckwith told MTV News that Nate Dogg had been released on December 26 after being treated for a stroke and had been admitted to a medical-rehab facility to assist him in his recovery. In January 2008, it was officially reported that the stroke had rendered the left side of his body paralyzed. Doctors believed there would be a full recovery, and his voice was not affected. In September 2008, Nate suffered his second stroke. Warren Glater confirmed that since the second stroke, Nate was undergoing physical therapy in an attempt to return to some normality, but it was unclear whether Nate would be able to resume his singing career.
Known for his mellow and unique choruses during Death Row Records golden days, Nate Dogg exploded onto the music scene as Warren G's partner-in-crime on their hit single "Regulate." His unique voice and musical ability will never be duplicated. Hip Hop is left mourning as another great passes away.
From Toronto, With a lot of Love R.I.P Nate Dogg.
Nate Dogg & Snoop Dogg - Never Leave Me Alone
Warren G & Nate Dogg - Regulate
Mos Def, Nate Dogg & Pharaohe Monch - Oh No
Ghostface Killah, Nate Dogg & Mark Ronson - Ooh Wee
Nyle, a Philly born veteran of the New York City Underground, has spent the past half-decade unfolding an interesting journey through rap. A New York University student, Nyle would became a staple within New York City’s SinSin Circuit, one of the city’s most respected collections of rappers, winning the Off-the-Head Game Show Battle, and 2006 Best Freshman MC award. In 2007, Nyle released his debut album "Frosh".
The album was well received and found its way to the top of college charts as Nyle began to fill venues around the East Coast from clubs to college auditoriums. Nyle closed out his college career headlining a sold-out concert which featured Hip Hop staples Asher Roth, Kidz In the Hall, 88 Keys, Izza Kizza, and Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg. The next day, Nyle released a music video for his hit cover single ‘Let The Beat Build’, which was immediately proclaimed as one of the year’s most innovative music videos. The song can be found on his "Capstone EP".
This video was filmed in one take, with audio being recorded simultaneously with the film. The video features Nyle vs the Naysayers and was produced by Last Pictures and 194 Recordings
Nyle has translated his growing buzz into performance success. In 2009 Nyle performed at the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival alongside legendary acts such as Dead Prez, Black Thought from the Roots and Pharoahe Monch. The following week, he was premiered his new song ‘GangReal’ in a live performance/interview on MTVs ‘It’s On With Alexa Chung’
Now, a well-respected NYC artist with a steadily growing following, he is ready to capitalize in the music industry. He has recently released his fifth mixtape titled "Trailer" which is full of promise and integrity. The leading single is titled "Dundiddit" which features Fresh Daily and Mic-L.
Mike-Dash-E songwriter/artist/rapper has been quickly gaining much buzz since he first burst onto the scene with his song “Get Up On It” featuring Matt Blaque in the Summer of 2009, the song hit KMEL 106.1, Winnipeg 104.7, Hawaii and has achieved over 100K Digital Downloads while also making it to premier websites such as HotNewHipHop (Unsigned Hype Very Hot Song) section, WorldStarHipHop, Onsmash, WetheWest, and StashMagazineOnline. In the year 2010 Mike-Dash-E has hit the radio 9 times in 5 different markets such as San Francisco, Hawaii, Canada, New York, and Los Angeles.
Directed by previously featured Aris Jerome, Mike-Dash-E is back with a soulful joint full of charisma titled "The Thrill", which is featured on his "Dash With Me" album.
Forget "Pump It Up" and witness the growth and genius of Joe Budden, a rapper from Jersey City, New Jersey.
In 2004, Joe Budden released "Mood Muzik: The Worst of Joe Budden" which is the first installment of his infamous Mood Muzik series. This mixtape showed a different side of him, a side that eventually took his career to another direction. In 2005, the second installment arrived, "Mood Muzik 2: Can It Get Any Worse?" which again solidified Joe Budden as one of the best lyricst to ever do it. After releasing the second installment, conflicts with his major record label, Def Jam Recordings which is an American hip-hop record label, owned by Universal Music Group, Joe Budden and Def Jam went separate ways. Around this time, Joe Budden used the internet to market himself which led to presently having a cult following with his fans who enjoy his music. In 2007, the third installment, "Mood Muzik 3: For Better or for Worse" became available for fans. Three years later in 2010, Joe Budden released "Mood Muzik 4: A Turn 4 The Worst".
Highly criticized as a mixtape series that heavily underlines depression and encourages depression, this writer fan heavily disagrees. Although, the series deals with depression it's quite the opposite if encouraging it. This series provides therapy, it provides the listener an outlet of reinforcement, it promotes hope. "And I'm not saying to not have a Benz son, rings that shiny whateva things timely/those things help to unwind me/ but no, those things don't help define me/ aim at the baiscs, aim you can make it/ because even when the whole game seems tainted/ I'm a star without the chains and the bracelets", is how Joe Budden ends his third verse to the song "Star Inside of Me".
Joe Budden - Star Inside of Me
Mood Muzik is like a musical platform that tangles it self with the life of the listener and integrates Joe's frustrations with those of the listener. It's bares this amazing ability to cope with the listener and express emotions for the listener. To me, Mood Muzik isn't emo music, it is usually associated with promoting depressive symptoms and encouraging suicide, and it isn't depressive.
Here is a teaser released before "Mood Muzik 4: A Turn 4 The Worst" was released, in order to give the fans an idea what they were anticipating. This is teaser number 2.
Recently Joe Budden has released a love story song which is split into two parts. The track is vintage Budden venting his ups and downs within a relationship. He’s at his best when he's pouring all of his emotions and personal experiences on a beat. The song is inspired by Sade, "No Ordinary Love". Below you will find Part 1 and 2 blended into one song.
14 years ago on this specific date, March 9th, one of the greatest MC's to ever grab a microphone; an artist with effortless style and rich lyrical skill, was pronounced dead at 1:15 am.
The Notorious B.I.G, born Christopher Wallace, dominated the music scene in the 90's. His music is still relevant to this day and age. Finding words to describe the legacy Biggie Smalls left behind is one of the hardest things you can ask me to do. A trend setter in the music world The Black Frank White is greatly missed and will forever remain as the greatest ever in the hearts of many.
Here's a mixtape powered by datpiff.com, with some of Christopher's greatest hits. Below the mixtape lies the story of his death.
On March 8, 1997, he presented an award to Toni Braxton at the 11th Annual Soul Train Music Awards in Los Angeles and was booed by some of the audience.
On March 9, 1997, at around 12:30 a.m., Wallace left with his entourage in two GMC Suburbans to return to his hotel after the Fire Department closed the party early because of overcrowding.Wallace traveled in the front passenger seat alongside his associates, Damion "D-Roc" Butler, Junior M.A.F.I.A. member Lil' Cease and driver, Gregory "G-Money" Young. Combs traveled in the other vehicle with three bodyguards. The two trucks were trailed by a Chevrolet Blazer carrying Bad Boy's director of security.
By 12:45 a.m., the streets were crowded with people leaving the event. Wallace's truck stopped at a red light 50 yards (46 m) from the museum. A black Chevrolet Impala pulled up alongside Wallace's truck. The driver of the Impala, an African American male dressed in a blue suit and bow tie, rolled down his window, drew a 9 mm blue-steel pistol and fired at the GMC Suburban; four bullets hit Wallace in the chest. Wallace's entourage rushed him to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, but he was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m.
Previously featured T.Shirt, has released a video for his 24 Frames songs which was featured on his Tan-Face Children EP.
There are over 120 films mentioned in the song, 30 friends, one-shot through 2 floors of a movie theatre in Soho.
Directed by Dred and Ronin of HotMop Films. The one-shot clip stars rapper/artist T.Shirt, and model Klazina Crawford, with various cameos by artists and producers such as Darvin Silva, twin rockband, The Astor Kings, jewelry designer Osa, of Complete Technique, and conceptual street artists, URNEWYORK, to name a few.
24 Frames (Movie Night) was produced by The Bird & The Bee, remixed and re-arranged by Darvin Silva. It can be found on last year's Tan-Face Children EP which you can download here.
Full list of movies used below:
Born On The Fourth of July, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Lost In Translation, Almost Famous, The Invention Of Lying, Little Miss Sunshine, Paper Heart, Brief Encounter, Jurassic Park, Raging Bull, A World Apart, Annie Hall, Sexy Beast, Alpha Dog, Unfaithful, Sex, Lies And Videotape, There Will Be Blood, Psycho, American History X, The Departed, One Flew Over The Cukkoo's Nest, The Dark Knight, Into The Wild, Manhattan, Night Of The Living Dead, Brazil, Judge Dredd, Public Enemies, Ghost Dog, Catch Me If You Can, Liar, Liar, Man On Fire, Dog Town, Do The Right Thing, Forever, Unforgiven, A Beautiful Mind, Pretty Woman, Big Daddy, Rocky, Pollock, Fight Club, Up, Love Actually, Love, Strangers On A Train, Crash The Devil Wears Prada, The Color Purple, Clockwork Orange, Snatch, Belly, Bad Boy, Alien, Girl Interrupted, Blade Runner, Poetic Justice, School Daze, Mean Streets, A Bronx Tale, Boondock Saints, Time To Kill, Coffee and Cigarettes, Chinatown, On The Waterfront, 500 Days Of Summer, Bonny And Clyde, City Lights, Casablanca, Singin' In The Rain, Mystic River, The Kid, The Usual Suspects, 12 Monkeys, Big Fish, Once Upon A Time In America, Goodfellas, Modern Times, The Incredibles, Star Trek, A Wonderful Life, Bourne Ultimatum, Taxi Driver, Paths Of Glory, The Million Dollar Baby, Die Hard, Toy Story, The Big Lebowski, Blow, Scarface, Pulp Fiction, The Great Dictator, Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, Old Boy, Sin City, Central Station, No Country For Old Men, Grapes Of Wrath, Changeling, Sixth Sense, L.A. Confidential, Children Of Men, Hope, 25th Hour, Memento, Some Like It Hot, District 9, Touch Of Evil, U Turn, 12 Angry Men, Funny People, Finding Nemo, The Bridge On The River Kwai, Princess Bride, The Lady Vanishes, Vanilla Sky, I_NY, A Brief Encounter, The Best Years Of Our Lives
Below I have embedded previous work by T.Shirt, check out as you won't be disappointed. Especially, Tan-Face Children EP is a great piece of work.
New York is known for producing some of the greatest lyricist to ever grace the crust of a struggle-filled planet full of soul and charisma, Hip Hop. Filled with artists putting together tongue twisting figurative language, with unforgettable style and tales filled with emotion, character, heart breaks and the mind of poverty.
Havoc of Mobb Deep (left) & Cormega (Right)
Enter Cormega, a Hip Hop artist, born in Bedford-Stuyvesant but grew up in the Queensbridge Housing Projects in Long Island City, Queens. Growing up he formed childhood friendships with future artists such as future nemesis Nas, the legendary duo of Mobb Deep, Nature and duo of Capone-N-Noreaga. When he was 4, Cormega witnessed his mother being murdered. Jail sentences and other unfortunate events put a hold to his ambitions of pursuing a rapping career. Nas directed a great amount of awareness towards Cormega in his song "One Love".
Nas - One Love
A later collaboration with Nas led to the creation of the rap group, The Firm, which also consisted of Nas, AZ and Foxy Brown. Disagreements with Steve Stoute led to Cormega being ousted of the group and replaced by Nature. A fallout quickly happened and friendships were ruined. Since then Nas and Cormega have reunited and settled their difference. The Firm went to release one album titled "The Album" that revolved around mafioso rap-themes, and featured notable production work from Dr. Dre and the Trackmasters.
Nas, AZ, Cormega and Foxy Brown (The Firm) - Affirmative Action
Cormega is one of those underrated artists from the golden era who was never able to break through and capitalize like his childhood friends. He is a lyrical magician with an incredible story to tell. Born and Raised is the fifth studio album he's released. It was released on October 20, 2009, after suffering several delays; the album was originally titled Urban Legend but was changed to Born and Raised after rapper T.I. used the original title for his 2004 release. The album has been met with mostly positive reviews from both fans and critics so far.
He has recently released a cool video for one of my favourite songs on the album, Rapture. The songs features Cormega vividly painting on a canvas of experiences and attitude. A story of nothing to something.
Lupe Fiasco, Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, is an artist/producer and CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment, who has rightfully earned the title as one of the wittiest and versatile artists in mainstream hip hop. After releasing two successful and well received albums, "Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor" and "Lupe Fiasco's The Cool", the artist quickly began to work on his third installment titled "Lasers".
The reviews haven't been the greatest and I couldn't understand why people simply couldn't just enjoy the music. Then it hit me. It's because this album is being compared to two outstanding previous albums. Now, I've always been the type of listener that embraces growth in an artist and I certainly embrace Lupe with open arms. No, this album isn't Food & Liquor or The Cool, but it's very Lupe, it's Lasers. While people have the right to state their opinions, as lucrative as they may be to me, this album is with out a doubt a great album.
Is "The Blueprint 3" as great as "The Blueprint"? No, not by a long shot. "Illmatic" or "It Was Written"? That isn't the question that we should be asking. The question should be is this a great album? It's still Lupe Fiasco delivering his usual two cents with every song. Even Trey Songz sounded like his old self. Was this album too pop oriented? No, not at all. Sometimes by just listening, your ears pick up sounds you never heard before. This album isn't great just because of it's sound but of what it represents, the struggle, the power and the love. Oh, he still hasn't "dumbed it down".
Lupe Fiasco - The Show Goes On
Read the story below.
The original title of “Lasers” was, "LupE.N.D.", and it was meant to be Fiascos third and final record, but his contract obligations with Atlantic Records prevented him from continuing with his desired game plan. "LupE.N.D." was postponed open-endedly and he anticipated on releasing an album titled "The Great American Rap Album" scheduled for a June 2009 release. The album faced another drawback as it was postponed once again. He announced that a new album was in the works, originally titled "We Are Lasers" and then he decided to shorten its name to "Lasers". "Lasers" is a backronym, a phrase constructed purposely such that an acronym can be formed to a specific word, for "Love Always Shines Everytime, Remember 2 Smile" In 2010, in hopes of promoting the message Fiasco encrypted into this album, he released a viral video via YouTube titled "The L.A.S.E.R.S. Manifesto” which is embedded below.
"To every man, woman, and child: We want an end to the glamorization of negativity in the media. We want an end to status symbols dictating our worth as individuals. We want a meaning and universal education system. We want not compromise who we are to be accepted by the crowd. We want the invisible walls that separate by wealth, race and class to be torn down. We want to think our own thoughts. We will be responsible for our environment. We want clarity and truth from our elected officials or they should move aside… We will not lose because we are not losers, we are lasers… Lasers are revolutionary. Lasers are the future."
Lupe Fiasco announced on his Twitter page that “Lasers” is complete and is waiting for Atlantic Records to release it. Richard Barker, a fan waiting on the album, put together an online petition with the help of Rhymestyle from the "LupEND Blog" fan site, demanding that Atlantic Records release Lasers, due to the fact the album was announced last year and still doesn't have a release date. The petition garnered considerable attention on hip hop blog sites as well as attaining over 5,000 signatures on its first day. It has since reached over 32,000 signatures. A number of Lupe Fiasco fans set up a protest called "Fiasco Friday" which led to the fans protesting outside Atlantic Records' offices in New York City on October 15, 2010. On October 7, 2010, Lupe Fiasco tweeted "Victory!" along with posting a picture of himself and Atlantic President, Julie Greenwald. On October 8, Atlantic Records tweeted the release date for "Lasers" would be March 8, 2011.
