Music Box

Ahead of the music Issue I have decided to do a blog/ I guess we can call this What’s on your music box??

We all seem to have some device that plays be that an ipod, sansa player, sony I can remember the first one I had it was called a rockbox or something similar, it allowed me to play 4 songs with a space to expand it for another 4 songs. Can you guys image, that’s not even an entire CD. I have well over 400 songs gracing my mp3 player of choice, So I am gonna just put it on shuffle and let the player choose our path for today.

Faith Evans - You Used to love me (Ummah remix)

This remix was produced by the late great producer J.Dilla. The original was the debut single from Faith Evans debute album Faith from 1995. This song does something to me; it kinda transplants me back to 1995 when music was just so good and simple. J. Dilla had a way or keeping music like that and Faith Evans vocals are timeless. I always loved music that when you hear it, it can take you back to the place when you first herd it. I find that to be greatly important to music, the timelessness of it.
“You can't deny what I'm feeling is real
And I stood around stood by your side
Went through all the hurt and pain
And you turned to walked away"

Alicia Keys – “Unbreakable”

This song was first performed on her unplugged session on VHh1. She does exactly what I feel music should sometimes do, find way to transplant you to a moment. She spends parts of this song line by line taking us back to when we used to dream, used to wonder and hope that our lives could be better and as good as the ones on TV. We as a nation had something called an imagination and we lived there.

"We gotta stay tuned
Cuz there's more to see (Unbreakable)
Through the technical difficulties (Unbreakable)
We might have to take a break
But ya'll know we'll be back next week
I'm singing this love is unbreakable”'

Wale - Pretty girls feat Gucci Mane

\Wale is a breath of fresh air for the industry. Wale came in like a tornado from the city of Washington DC and just forced the industry to pay attention. With this song, he paid homage to beautiful woman everywhere, while at the same time appealing to the overwhelming populous of people who buy music, not alienating where he comes from with the hint of go-go music. When I hear it, I feel proud and it gets me hyped.

"Okay you have em in amazement switchin four lanes in that 09' range
While I'm singing oh trey shit
It's like this all day
Okay my names Wale they probably know me from the you know
Boss in my Hugo, Floss like my two fer
My flow is on Pluto, them rollins ain't plutons
Ha, Ya shawty that's G-shit, tokyo spinners, ya shawty that's G-shit
Please give head to that new D.C. shit, I'm a PG shit, I ain't finna keep it
And I be with so I got B.B.C. shit, even if I didn't I would ball like, arenus, swish
Now shawty this is what I'm a need from you
Not for tonight, but for tomorrow's amnesia"

R Kelly - Put my T-Shirt on

R Kelly is the consummate slow jams tape artist. On any of his 11 or so albums you can find a track or two that you can add to your "get the panties" slow jam tape and I think this is definitely one of those tracks. This song can be found on R Kelly's TP3. Reloaded album. He totally gives the listener a vision of a chick he finds sexy strolling around his house in a t-shirt doing multiple things. For me this song has that vibe of smooth, sexual, not over sexed but just totally relaxed. Some songs about sex have the ability to be raunchy but this one avoids that and I can totally find myself having this on a playlist.

"Shes standin at the medicine cabinet im like what is takin her so long (im in my wife beater an my
jeans) shes brushin her teeth while she pokes it out an tempted to call in sick an stay home (if she dont
stop teasin me) goin back back forth an forth in an out of the closet gurl you know just wat you doin an i
suggest you stop it (please) i swear ive neva seen a t-shitr look so damn tight my triple x on your body
gurl you make it look so right.."

Edwin Star - Love never Dies ( Helen's Love theme)
Out of the blue, random, yeah I know. But the Hell up in Harlem soundtrack is so smooth it needed a listen on my music box. If you never seen the movie take a moment. This song is smooth like Sunday morning but good enough to listen to Sunday evening. I like this song because Edwin doesn't try to over do it. The song reminds me of the music my mom used to play when I was a kid, just that smooth keep the kid’s quiet music. I am sure some of you 80's and 70's babies had parents playing music like this. It’s mellow and even melancholy but that doesn't stop the song from being great.

“Like the birds, flying high
Our love almost touch the sky
You and I, thought that we would last forever”


Yep that’s a hell of a last track right there, but I hope you guys and gals enjoy.

WHAT IS MUSIC???

As far back as I can remember I have been a major fan of music. I can remember sitting on the floor with a record in my hand holding on to the cover. I can recall one of the first records I had which was a Fat Boys record I believe it was called Fat Boys with the three of them on the cover holding a pizza box. Even now listening to the CD I still remember the feeling of hearing that record, of hearing Salt –n- Pepa, of hearing Run DMC on a record player. Not the record player you see Dj’s using in the videos or at shows. I am talking about the ones where on one side there is a TV and the other is the record player in the condenser. Music has been the staple in my life. What is music? Music is that song that comes on with you as you wake. For some people they can’t do anything without the radio. I know I am and have been one of those people as far as I can remember. At one time it was just the radio station, then it became a tape, then a mixtape of songs recorded off the radio, then it became CDS, then mixed CDs, then MP3’s cds, and now it is either a certain playlist, or just walking over to my computer and randomly hitting play on the screen. Morning music can be as smooth as Sade, as light as Outkast, as energy filled as Busta Rhymes, or as hard as DMX or Onyx.
Music does something to people. It electrifies the masses, brings them together, and sends them into frenzy all within a few lines. Music is the original uppers and downers. When you want to get hyped and ready to do something turn on rock or hardcore hip-hop and it happens, when you want to relax and get your thoughts together you turn on smooth jazz or soul music and it wraps you in its might arms and takes you where you need.
At this point in my musical life I am encouraged and worried. There is not enough of the youngsters filling these big shoes. I mean it’s not a knock against anyone but when you have artist like James Brown, Smoky Robinson, and Michael Jackson, who are as popular as ever, and who in their heyday defined music as a culture and a way of life it's hard to believe someone in this current industry state and structure will do the same. There was a time in the music industry where you had real fans. When I say real fans it means those folks who if they liked LL cool J, they would be outside like his release was a blockbuster movie. These fans were loyal, real loyal. No matter if there was a diss record, or some other MC made a statement saying he’s trash you liked who you liked they liked who they liked bottom line. These fans today are very fickle and fly by night. The best case I can make for this is the Ja Rule/50 Cent effect. When Ja rule was out everyone loved him and his annual summer songs, there was nothing wrong with enjoying his music. When 50 cent came around and poked some fun his fans ran away. What kind of fan is that? There is nothing wrong with liking them both at the same time. There is nothing wrong with just enjoying music bottom line, Have you own ideas on the music you like and enjoy it.