• » Name: Meka Soul
• » Location: Los Angeles, CA
• » Member Since: 04/09/07
• » Bio: Providing clarity in hip-hop since 1981.
• » Contact Me:
• » Syndicate: RSS

• » We Don’t Care About Dead Rappers
• » Hoe Sit Down: T.I. Edition
• » In Defense Of 808s & Heartbreak
• » The Art Of Fruitinization
• » Is T.I. A Snitch?

	September 2007
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30
« Aug					Oct »

• » Gangstarr Girl
• » Dah Shyt
• » 2 Dope Boyz
• » Dallas Penn
• » Plastic Squirtguns

Slap-Boxing With Jesus

A Lighter Shade Of Brown

As I may have mentioned here a few times on this site, hip-hop music is quite possibly the most calming element in my life. Usually after a long day slaving away over the coffee filters and copier toners, it’s sometimes nice to come back home and release some tension [||] to the serene sounds of “F.A.Y.B.A.N.”

But a (not so) funny thing happened to me when I returned back home from New York a few days ago. In perhaps the most disheartening thing that’s happened to me since I accidentally reset my iPod earlier this year, my flash drive – the same one that contains the past few years of journalistic work – died, leaving me to scramble around my one-room mansion looking for backup files (and thank God[dess] I had one). So needless to say, DJ Premier’s hard-hitting boom-bap wasn’t going to help my then-frayed nerves in that case.

In between finding my works and the normal shit I do to chill (like talking shit about your favorite rapper), I found myself playing a host of non-rap songs that eventually mellowed me out [1]. So, to get the readers here off to a somewhat relaxing weekend now that the NFL has returned (Philly Eagles, bitches!), I’d like to present a short list of said songs.

Amerie – In an earlier post, I mentioned how it doesn’t make any kind of sense how someone like Amerie – who’s not only prettier, but way more wifeable to boot – gets thrown in the music industry backburner (also known as the overseas market, where 100,000 copies gets you a platinum plaque in the UK of all things, while some Screech-sounding “artist” like Rihanna gets more shine. This rarely heard single (either found on Wendy William’s shitty “mixtape” or the UK edition of her second album) is yet another in a long list of Amerie’s knack of getting the best rap songs nobody raps over.
"Man Up!" featuring Nas (click here)


The Jeff Lorber Fusion – One of the things I enjoy doing is searching for the original songs sampled in rap. If I had the time (or the patience), I’d supply the masses here with my iPod playlist that’s well into the hundreds just for songs like this. If you don’t know what song used this shit I’m about to provide, please take two of deez and go play in traffic.
“Night Love” (click here)

Stevie Wonder – Do I really need to elaborate on why this guy is the G.O.A.T.? If this song doesn’t inspire you to find happiness in life, you’re probably a pink elephant Republican.
“Another Star” (click here)

Louis Jordan – As a youth, my first introduction to soul, jazz and bebop ironically came from cartoons whose production companies would play things like this to the glee of cracka-ass YTs some 50-plus years ago. So as I got older, I found the song below. Bonus points goes to whomever can tell me what cartoon this was on.
"Is You Is (Or Is You Ain't) My Baby?" (click here)

[1] As well as “acquiring” an album or ten.

0 Comments             

50 cent • bet • common • crooked i • dope • ghostface • hip hop • jay z • jay-z • kanye west • lil wayne • little brother • mixtape • music • nas • nino bless • phonte • racism • rap • rock the bells • sha stimuli • stimuli • termanology • ugk • west coast