What's She Got?

I'm slow in posting this bad boy... I know that it's been out a while and so has the video. But you all need to see the video for Jamie Foxx's She Got Her Own featuring Fabolous and Ne-Yo. I like the reply that these three put together for Ne-Yo's Miss Independent, which was fire in itself. But this song is just smooth and low key. Many would argue that it doesn't take off and climax, but thats what I like about it. Almost like one of the old skool east coast hip hop joints, the beat is just there to carry the lyrics, so concentrate on them. Lyrics are tight, even in Fab's verse. Jamie always knows what to say when it comes to ladies, and Ne-Yo is the Babyface of this generation... Lyrics are his forte. Anyways, check the plethora of cameo's in this video... And go cop the album Intuition... Jamie put out a good one!

Best... Ever!

Ya'all could be wondering what I'm talking about with the title of this post... It's the concert that I went to in the weekend. So Wellington got another good gig, Alicia Keys and Jordin Sparks. I knew this was going to be good, but I didn't know how good.

Jordin Sparks has never been my favourite artist... Cause a lot of these american idol contestants aren't. But the girl can sing... And has charisma as well. Every song she sung she hit the notes and got deserved applause. Her song One Step At A Time (of which I really like the breakdown), had the whole crowd singing and dancing. My favourite part of her set though was her rendition of Michael Jackson's PYT. But when she sung No-Air, with no Chris Brown... She had the crowd in the palm of her hand.

But Alicia, when she took the stage... She took it all. She walks out to Go Ahead and that is exactly what she did. The set was amazing... She had songs in there from all of her albums. One of my favourite parts was her rendition of Tender Love. A song which most of the crowd knew nothing about. But there were so many favourites to follow. I loved how she went from new hit to old hit and in between. Like I'll Never See You Again got to me, as the song is beautiful, lyrics are clean and well written. The melody goes well with the song, and the sample from Prince's Purple Rain just add's to the epic nature of the track. So to hear her play that live was a highlight for me.

She finished her set with Fallin', which put her on the map as a musician. And encored with the massive hit of last year No One. Then came out to a second encore of If I Ain't Got You. I really can't explain how it was to be there. I do like Alicia Keys, and I think she is really talented. But to see it in the flesh brings it to another level. She sounds like her CD's, which is touch these days with all the production after the track is recorded. And with the in concert camera close ups of her fingers tickling the ivories, there is no doubt that the girl can play!

Best concert I've been to so far... Good opening act, followed by a great headlining act who had a good band, awesome back up singers and played a decent set. Amazing and talented. Oh and the girl don't look too bad either... ha ha ha.

Chris Is Grown?

I've mentioned this song briefly in a previous post... It's Chris Brown with Glow In The Dark. This song is slower than I'm used to from Chris. He gets to show off a voice that is getting stronger. I personally have never thought that his voice was his strong point, but his performance package more than makes up for that. But as he gets older I think that he is starting to get control of his voice... Almost like he's finished puberty... ha ha.

He does get grown with the lyrics on this track... He sings about all stuff that grown folks love... He doesn't mess around, his lyrics are quite literal. Listen to it and tell me you don't feel what I'm saying...

Graffiti looks like it's going to be a good album.

The Coldplay of Hip Hop

Kanye has a new video for his song Heartless. The video is directed by Hype Williams... And just like Hype does, he's taken hip hop videos to a new place. The animation that he's debuted on this video could be his new direction. It's really only a matter of time before every other hip hop star and video producer has jumped on this style.

As for the song... In fact the whole new album, Kanye is the Coldplay of hip hop. I know that most of the beats are fire, but it's still really emotional. And each song sounds like Chris Martin could easily sing it. The lyrics just add to the melancholy of the album.

I do think that there are a couple of good songs on the album... Heartless is one of them. Amazing is another... And Jeezy kills it on that track. I like Heartless because of the flow that Kanye almost emits from behind the auto tuner. It's almost like he's rapping... Almost...

Just Like Who????

So Jamie Foxx is getting some more press from me... And as a matter of fact... So is TI. Cause TI is on Jamie Foxx's new track Just Like Me. Which is a playa's anthem... Listen to the lyrics and you'll see what I mean. Jamie's smooth voice and TI's smooth flow go well together on this track. And now that they've released a video for it... You can watch it. The video is pretty funny... But then again Jamie came up as a comedian right?

Glow In The Dark

No... Not the new Chris Brown joint... Although I do like that song... But the Glow In The Dark Tour. Kanye hit my town last night... And as predicted the auto tuner was in full force. Kanye was who he is... Self proclaimed 'hip hop's finest'. The concert was crowded with underagers similar to the Chris Brown/Rihanna concert a few weeks back. But there wasn't so much pop feel to it. I enjoyed the way that Kanye performed his old songs... Well all the songs off his first three albums. They were good... Favourites would have been the intensity of Jesus Walks, his swagger on Gold Digger and dedication of Through The Wire. One of the highlights for me was Yeezey spitting his verse from Swagger Like Us. His flow with the auto tune was cool, although the bounce over that track is fire from the get go. But then there was a little disappointment when it came to Kanye getting his sing on. He hasn't got the strongest voice, but insisted that we listen to the Kanye/Auto tuner collaborations for way too long. One of them went for about twenty minutes. Although I'm not entirely feeling the new Kanye sound... I did enjoy the start of the final encore. Predictably it was Love Lockdown. The drums in that song are straight fire. So that was cool... But then he sung for way too long. Kanye's set was cool... His songs were dope, he performed well and the lighting was amazing. And as expected he looked fresh... Jordan 5's are always a winner, although I expected the hyped Nike Yeezey's to be on his feet. And the jacket he finsished his set with was one that I need to get my hands on. If he didn't go on for way too long with the auto tuner... Then it would've been one of the best concerts I've been to.

That is because there was a saving light... Nas performed with him. And honestly... This is without a doubt the best hip hop performance I've ever seen! He was reported to be doing fifty songs in fifty minutes. He did not do this... ha ha. Instead he bought a band and a dj who actually mixed. The added factor of the band was cool. The extra kick on the drums was nice. He didn't have anyone backing him up... Just Nas on the mic. Looking like Nas does in his fresh white tee with a beater underneath and signature half aviator sunglasses. He proceeded to perform a plethora of Nas joints... All of which had the purists in the crowd going crazy! I'm a bit disappointed that there were so many people there that had no real idea who he is and what Illmatic did to the game. It was cool to hear a couple of songs of his Untitled album... He opened with the title track. But his delivery for each of songs was amazing. A true lyricist and undeniable performer. His words were crisp and on point. I did like how he got the crowd, of which many were 10 when Illmatic dropped, yelling "Braveheart... Braveheart." He looked like he truly enjoyed Wellington. I know that Kanye proclaimed himself to be hip hop's finest... Although I think he only performed after hip hop's finest. And if thats too big of a call for you... They both work for hip hop's finest. Which brings me to my next point... The only thing that could have made Nas' performance better was if he had dropped Ether. That was the only one of his classic's that he didn't drop. But as he said on Hip Hop is Dead "the kid went Def".

Mad Enough?

So Ne-Yo's latest single Mad is nothing short of what we're used to from him. His songwriting ability is amazing. This song just encompasses a typical relationship scenario, and puts it into a melody. This was one of my favourite songs off Year Of The Gentleman when I first heard the album. So I'm glad that he's decided to give this song some radioplay. I like the way that he spaces his single releases out... Not too crowded and not too close together. On a musical note, the music for this song is impeccable... Ne-Yo has often been touted as a great songwriter with a not so great voice... You can't tell on this song. He sounds good. The video is typical Ne-Yo... A little bit of acting and a whole lot of singing close ups. This song gets the thumbs up from me.

Damn Jamie...

New track from Jaime Foxx, Damn Baby Damn, that I've been listening to a little bit lately. It's smooth and I'm really liking the way that Jaime puts his songs together. He's not oversinging any of it. And he's got his voice sounding like he is supposed to be a singer, not this utility actor/comedian/singer that he's become. I've always liked Jaime Foxx's sound, ever since I first heard Predictable. Damn Baby Damn is a nice track, not overly lyrical. Its got that raw sexuality that we've come accustomed to from Jaime. And the production is tight on it too. I'll be listening to this song for a while

Sorry about the lack of video, but once they release the video, then I'll put one up.

Batman... Anyone Remember Him?

Now I know that I'm not normally this soft... But while I'm in the mood, I'm going to hit you with a little something that has been on repeat for a while now. Marques Houston with a song entitled Sunset. I really like the guitar in this song, and his lyrics are tight for the demographic. The acoustic guitar gives the lyrics a more real feel, like he's singing raw emotion. Sweet and smooth.

"Maybe one day we'll end up talking again. Maybe one day we'll go back to being just friends. Promise to love you baby till my life ends. Cause you're my sunset"




And just so you can have a laugh, and know how for I go back with Marques in my headphones... This is a song I used to bump in my walkman (yes cassette tape). Check the style of the early Marques Houston aka Batman, with his boys Romeo and LDB... This is Immature with I Will Never Lie Again

Laughs From The South

Ludacris has never been hailed as a lyrical genius, and I've never thought so myself. But he has always been hilarious. He could do a whole song of punchlines. I just copped a leak of his Theatre of the Mind, and it's dope as heck... I love it. I ain't going to lie on this... I feel it's one of the best releases of this year (along with Tha Carter III and Paper Trail), but it won't get enough hype. His latest single is funny as hell! One More Drink... I ain't even going to tell you what it's about. Listen to the song and watch the video... Katt Williams makes it even funnier! And speaking of not being a lyrical genius... T-Pain is on the track too! Ha ha!

Dark Skin Does Not Equal Soul

I've been really feeling Robin Thicke lately, and his follow up single The Sweetest Love off his new album Something Else, is real nice. One of those melodies that allows the singer to bounce over it. Robin doesn't over do his voice on this, I like how he just sings and doesn't try to hard. The lyrics are literal and what you expect from a song entitled The Sweetest Love. It is a song that you could imagine at the end of a romantic comedy when the guy and girl finally hook up. This boy has got a smooth voice... Don't sleep on him... He's good.

"It gets better, every second we're together", If you've never felt like this, then you don't know what you are missing. Find your sweetest love and then play this song in your head.

Can He Do No Wrong?

I been on TI for a while now... Ever since he first dropped Trap Muzik. And now he is running the game... He has just got off house arrest and is awaiting his sentence of a year and one day. But yet through all of this controversy he still manages to have the current number 1 album, the number 1 and number 2 singles.

Live Your Life is the latest one, and he teams up with Rihanna. I've been listening to this song for a while, I like the way that they used the numa numa sample. You may have heard it before or seen the video by Gary Brolsma of youtube fame.



Now the song is good and TI doesn't fail on his lyrics once again. Never been the master of a double entendre although his literal lyrical content is nice. He's a straight up kind of guy and it shows in his lyrics.

I had seen a trailer for this video a while back and it got me real excited. It looked as though it could have been an epic video. TI all dressed up and then getting the beat down. But when I saw the actual video I was a wee bit disappointed. Thinking back, I would have rather just checked the video straight away. I like the premise of the video and how it's done. I think having a minute and a half long trailer for a video thats only going to be four minutes long is always going to make for disappointment.

Although in all my opinionated fracar... I still like the video... He's still topping the charts... And nobody can take that away. Check the video if you haven't seen it already... You'll like it.

Wee Ooh Wee Ooh Wee...

So Lil Wayne might get some good press out of me... I ain't going to lie. I'm feeling Tha Carter III. And I copped a look at the latest video from it. I was stoked to hear that they were making a video for Mrs Officer, as when I first copped the album this was one of my favourite songs. Bobby V is a good addition, and kinda makes the video a bit cooler. But I gotta tell you, the best thing about this video is that Comfortable is at the end. This was the first song off Tha Carter III that I heard. I think that it got leaked real early, so it didn't end up getting much radio play. But its a real good song. Babyface kills the chorus, as only a great songwriter can. And hooking those two up is an unlikely, but unstoppable combination. If you can, get a listen of Comfortable by itself... Real good song. But check the video for these two... Think about it, and I might update the post with my thoughts once I'm not so tired... ha ha.

Update of my thoughts... Looking back on my own damn blog and then realising that you've gone and posted something about the same song... ha ha ha... I'm an idiot. I'd already posted something about Mrs Officer when I first saw the video. Shame on me. But at least now you know!!!

So So Slack

So I didn't even get on to tell you all about the Chris Brown/Rihanna concert... Now this concert was completely different to the Snoop/Ice Cube/Bone Thugs concert. It was a pop concert for starters... So it was a much younger crowd. And the hype was completely different. We get there, and the line was the biggest line I've ever seen in my life... It was filled with teenagers (and a couple just out of their teens like me) wearing the brightest clothes they could find. I needed sunglasses just to look at the line. If they weren't wearing neon colours head to toe, they were wearing their best clothes. Half of the girls looked like they were either going out on the town, or shooting a music video. The girls were looking a lot older than they should... Not a good thing. Ha ha. When we finally got in... We realised the actual magnitude pop star pulling power. As soon as anyone walked on stage the crowd would erupt into a scream. And these were just the roadies.

When it actually finally started, it was intense. Chris Brown introduced himself by dropping down from the roof... The screaming did not stop for the entire first song. It was amazing at how one person can control a crowd like that. So being Chris Brown... He put on a wicked concert... I ain't going to lie. I was amazed at how even when he stopped singing, the song never missed a beat as the whole crowd sung all the songs... Start to finish. My favourite moment of his set... And the entire concert was his Michael Jackson set. Everyone in the world knows that he can dance, so as he put a red leather jacket, one glove and hat on... The crowd went crazy. He set the floor alight with a plethora of classic MJ dance moves to a good mix of old skool Jacko songs.

Rihanna came out to a massive reception... Looking crazy hot in an ensemble that I struggle to find words for. If I try to explain it I will fail you, and it will sound nothing like what it actually looked like. But I'll put it to you like this... I have never thought that Rihanna is good looking... That girl in real life though... Straight fire. I was feeling her set, even though I haven't really listened to her album. I liked her acoustic set, that was a cool interlude between all the fire works and fanfare. And her throw back to the first song I heard from her Pon de Replay was a welcome addition. It got my Jamaican side dancing. And it was good to recognise a song too... ha ha.

All in all, I really enjoyed the concert. I was well impressed that only two artists put on a show that lasted that long, and was enjoyable throughout. They both really did well. I enjoyed Chris Brown's set a little more as I've been jamming his songs a lot lately... Especially that new Glow in the Dark song. And I knew all his songs. Plus I envy his dance moves, and his sneakers. I could write another whole blog on his sneakers. The Jordan 1 straps that he started the concert in were dope.

And I did like the final touch to the concert... The power pop couple singing Rihanna's Umbrella with Chris Brown singing Cinderella. Good end to a good concert.

So if you ever have the chance... Get to a pop concert. Especially if they are arguably the two biggest acts in the world at the moment. You will love it... If not for the acts... For the crowd. They truly made the concert. An atmosphere like that doesn't come about often, so if you can... Be part of it.

Forgot About Their Blog?

Ha ha... I been busy lately. Wellington, New Zealand has never really seen whats been happening here in the last two weeks. We had a couple of concerts of calibar which we don't normally see.

Firstly, we had a hip hop all star line up... Bone Thugs N Harmony, Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg. I wasn't really too fussed about going to this concert until I went out the night before to a local hip hop gig to support some of the boys. While the gig was on BTNH, WC, Kurupt and Daz turned up. Not only did they chill in the "VIP" area, they actually got on the mic and did what they do best. They didn't just play their songs, they even covered some other artists songs. That got me hyped on the idea of their concert. Somehow managed to swindle some tickets and ended up at the show the next day. I'm so glad that I went. The concert was amazing! Bone Thugs were just starting as I got in (the line to get in was huge!), and although I haven't really liked their stuff for a long time. I got into it... Especially when they started playing their classics... First of the Month was awesome.
Then it was Ice Cube's turn... With a little help from WC. They were nuts... I liked the way that they got the crowd hyped. With the amount of music that Cube has put out in the years he's been doing it... His song selection was good. He only played two of the new album's (Raw Footage) tracks. Other than that he played what everyone wanted to hear... That old skool gangsta music. Him and WC doing a couple of Westside Connection tracks was good, Bow Down was insane... But then Cube doing some old NWA tracks had heads like mine banging like never before. Cube and WC were c-walking all over the stage and really getting into it. So that had the crowd in a (albeit marajuana induced) frenzy!
The headlining act, Snoop Dogg had a good set too. Although he did look hilarious in his one piece blue bandana print suit. It looked like he was wearing pyjama's and everytime I looked at him I wanted to laugh. He looked like he wanted to throw gang signs up in his sleep... I guess he's committed... 24/7... Ha ha. But other than his attire... I couldn't fault his performance. I liked the added factor of him bringing his band to play his songs. His set was similar to DVD's that I've watched of previous performances. But with Sensual Seduction added in. But in saying that... He didn't disappoint. It was awesome... And I'm so stoked that I was there to witness it. He finished off with Whats My Name? I was really impressed by his whole performance.

Looks like I'm getting more tired and more tired by the minute... Another epic weekend for me... Shout outs to the rolling20deep crew... One day we'll stop partying as hard as we do... It just won't be anyday soon. So I'm gonna get some sleep right now. I'll try to get back onto the computer tomorrow after work and give you the run down on the Chris Brown/Rihanna concert. And maybe post the video's that I'm really impressed with right now Live Your Life and the Mrs. Officer/Comfortable video. Good songs... Good video's!

The Rebirth

So I guess that most of you have heard... And probably seen... NKOTB are back. The New Kids... Who look more like old kids now are back with a couple of single's. The first one Summertime... I found hilarious. The boys were dancing around with girls that didn't even look like they were born to see their golden era. And the cheesey dance moves with the white suits... I had to laugh. I did get a little excited to see them do what they do best... Be a boy band. But it did look hilarious.




But then they did what was pure genius... Hook up with Ne-Yo. Now Ne-Yo is a hitmaker... And New Kids On The Block got it right with him... The single entitled Single is infectious... It really is. I said a while back to some friends of mine that they should hook up with Ne-Yo (cause I like his stuff) if they really want to get back in the action. And they have... truly. The lyrics on this track aren't too bad... And the song will just get into your head. All I can say is old dogs, new tricks!

Can't help but like it...

Anyone that has hung out with me for any length of time knows that I hate a little on Pharrell... Not a lot. Just a little. I just think that he is marketing at his best. I like that though. And I think that Chad Hugo doesn't get enough cred for what he does. I liked when Pharrell first dropped Frontin'. I thought the beat was fire, Pharrell singing, and Jigga getting on a verse. It was good. But then In My Mind came out... And I was a little disappointed. But on the upside... I've been banging Announcement... Common featuring Pharrell, and Paris, Tokyo Remix... Lupe Fiasco featuring Q-Tip and Pharrell. And I have to say that I really like both of these songs. And Pharrell has actually bought these songs up. I've always liked both Common and Lupe... So it's a little biased of me. But I do like what Pharrell bought to both of these songs. Especially on Announcement. I really like the beat... And the way that Pharrell just straight copies Biggie's flow on it is biting at it's best. The best I've heard Pharrell rhyme. I'll give him this one... He's back in my good books again. Keep doing your thing boy. You know you'll sell whatever you touch.

And so it starts...

So I've decided to start right away and give you an insight to what I'm listening to at the moment... And because I have such a diverse taste in music (well it isn't really that diverse), You may wonder what the hell is up with my play list. But ipod's are wonderful things that don't question your taste... They just play exactly what you want them to. Well... That is if you have uploaded what you want on them.

Mrs Officer... Lil Wayne
I've been feeling Weezy lately (no I don't have asthma, ha ha)... And don't hate on him... I know that he looks kinda weird. And you can hardly understand what he is saying most of the time. But his beats are fire... And pretty much the whole of Tha Carter III has beats worthy of mad airplay. This one ain't any different. Wyclef did well on this... Even if Bobby singing the siren sound just makes you laugh... "Wee ooh wee ohh wee"




Walking down the street today, I had The Roc Boys... Jay-Z in my head. Just do me a favour... And if you know the song... Let it radiate in your head for a bit as you walk down a crowded street. And when the big band hits... Try to tell me that you don't find yourself getting your strut on. I know that you doing it. Jigga makes you feel like a million bucks... But you all know that is chump change for him.




Prince... Do Me Baby. Now anyone that has listened to Prince before they go out on the town knows what I'm talking about... And if you don't, let me lay it down for you. Listen to Prince before you head out... And all of a sudden you'll feel like you could pick up any girl. I know that he's a girly looking 5 foot 2" dude... But his music makes you feel like you're the worlds gift to women. Quite often it doesn't work (past experiences... ha ha), but the confidence is everything you need to get over yourself. And I've been told girls like confidence... So listen to the man.

And the song that I can't get off repeat at the moment... Swagga Like Us... T.I, Kanye, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z. Now this is the anthem of "I'm too cool for everybody." If you've read any news lately, you know that these guys have ego's big enough for this song. So I think they're perfect for this. And if you get into it... That confidence thing comes to you again. Get ya swagger on.. And think that you are one of these four... Or pick any of hip hops big ego's... I know that you could name ten without dropping a beat. Paper trail is another good T.I album, and I'm digging what he's doing now. But I've always been a T.I fan. But getting all these guys on the same song... Good idea. And good song to do it on.




Damn... Better get my sleep on now... Post some more songs tomorrow. Or something... Sometime.

If I leave you with anything today, its to not care about what anyone thinks. Be confident... Strut if you want... Hit on someone when you have a chance... And get ya swagga on!

One!

The first ever!

Everybody is looking for that something... Yes they are. And I look for things everyday. You will delve into the psyche that is Kevin Taylor. I've been around... And I've seen more than my fair share of things. You will start to realise as this blog grows, that I have my personality has many sides. Most people will have their regular selves, a soft side, a hidden darker side, and that is usually where it stops. As for me, I am far from regular... Watch and you will see... He he he.