2015 BET Awards Recap

Incredibly weird how these times roll around again and again so fast... I feel like I just did a review on last year's BET Awards (or maybe that was the BET Hip Hop Awards, I get them both confused way too often), but it appears that it's that time of year again, and the 2015 BET Awards certainly left people with many things to talk about, some good, and others questionable.
The performances were good, the awards were well deserved (some of them), and the honors were fantastic.

The performances weren't bad at all, if you could open up your show in the best way possible, who would you use to do it?  The answer to that question is Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick set the tone of the show by opening it up with his very jazzy and turnt up TPAB jam "Alright" while dancing on a cop car. Is there any better way to tell people that "we gone be allRIGHT?" Absolutely not. Other key performances were Tyga and Chris Brown, The Weeknd brought along Alicia Keys for a song, Omarion performed "Post To Be" (although it didn't include my girl Jhene Aiko, so I was uninterested), Big Sean did a couple hits and brought out E40, some dude named Jidenna performed (by the way, who the hell is Jidenna?), Nicki and Meek put on a decent show, but the highlight performance of the night had to be the Bad Boy Records 20 year Anniversary performance. Diddy performed huge hits from back in the day and brought out Lil Kim, 112, Faith Evans, and how could you do a Bad Boy Records Anniversary performance without a tribute to the B.I.G(est) artist to ever appear on the label?  You know they had to do it right.

The awards given out weren't horrible either, Nicki Minaj took home Best Female Hip Hop Artist, Kendrick Lamar took home Best Male Hip Hop Artist which was no surprise, I mean really, who did you expect (and while we're at it, who did you expect other than Nicki to take Best Female Artist)?  Best New Artist went out to Sam Smith which was an interesting win seeing as he is not black, although it didn't matter as the always hilarious Anthony Andersen was there to collect the award for him (because Smith couldn't attend the Awards show), and also said he "accepts Smith as one of their own." Very classy move by Andersen.

Check out a recap and some highlights of Kendrick's opening performance below.

                                             (*I do not own this video, or the rights to it*)







         

Throwback Thursday: Hip Hop Hooray!

This song is as old as me but I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF IT! 1993 was the year that Naughty By Nature dropped one of the catchiest, most known hip hop jams of all time. "Heeeeeeeeey, Hooooooooo, Heeeeeeeey, Hooooooo" the hook sang out, and it got people moving. Even if played today, I'll bet "Hip Hop Hooray" could still get parties jumping. To celebrate such a fantastic song, I'm here to kick a few facts about the jam for today's "Throwback Thursday" post.

The music video was actually directed by the legendary Spike Lee, and also boasts appearances from Queen Latifah, Easy E, Monie Love, Da Younsta's (which I never even heard of until now), Kriss Kross, and even Run DMC. The song spent one week at number one on the U.S. R&B chart, and even reached number eight on the U.S. Pop charts (which I'm not sure how, this is hip hop to it's CORE!). The song is also certified Platinum by the RIAA in the U.S. So why do a Throwback Thursday post on "Hip Hop Hooray?" I personally remember being an NBA Live junkie when they made it for the computer as a kid back in the day, and this was the background theme song for the home screen on NBA Live 2000 with ole' Timmy Duncan on the cover. So my question to you is; why not?  Enjoy the music video below.

                                      (*I do not own this video, song, or the rights to them*)

Here Are Some Awesome 2 Part Rap Songs (Beat Switch Ups)

When you hear a single for an upcoming album, there's no doubt you're bumping it the first few weeks it comes out, it almost seems like you can't get enough of it. The single leaves you to wonder what else this means for the upcoming album, like how will it sound overall, will there be a concept to the album, and will your favorite artist put on just as good as they normally do?  All of these are the unexpected twists we can prepare for; however, sometimes when you hear a song it can turn out to be the exact opposite of what you thought it would be in the first place, and this isn't always a bad thing (whether that means how good the songs sounds to you, or what you expected from the track). Here I'll be listing a couple of the coolest 2 part songs in rap (and by 2 part songs, if you don't know, of course I mean by when the beat switches up in the middle of the song).

Drake - Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2

Drake is someone who could appear on this list many times because of his several multiple part songs, and one of his most known is "Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2." Jay Z also lays down a "cakey" verse on this song as well, but the biggest highlight is the borderline angelic beat transition from "Pound Cake" into "Paris Morton Music 2." This is BEAUTIFUL music at it's finest, you could almost call it... art.

Kendrick Lamar - Sing About Me/I'm Dying Of Thirst

This song is just another brilliant example of why Kendrick Lamar's ability to put together a concept/write with real perspective in lyrics is unrivaled. It's hard to grasp what Kendrick is truly talking about when hearing this at first (I know it took me a few listens to understand it), but once you understand the subject matter, you get a point of view from the people living the struggle. How could one man give multiple perspectives by multiple people you ask?  Did I hear somebody say black Jesus?  No?  Alright, my bad.

Eminem - Bad Guy

                                   (*I do not own these songs, or the rights to any of them*)

Eminem's Marshall Mather's LP 2 received all types of reviews from fans and hip hop writers alike (although a Stan's point of view isn't always a rational one), and even though the album wasn't seen as so great to some, there's no denying that "Bad Guy" was one of the most well thought out and genius concept songs people had heard in awhile. The idea that Stan's little brother Mathew had grown up and sought for revenge from Em for his brother's suicide is a fantastic follow up to "Stan", and although the beat switch up at the end doesn't fully explain the story, it fully explains Eminem's mind state and his changing opinion of rap and how he sees it. Did Eminem grow up?  Probably not, but it's a cool idea to think so when you hear this.

Beat switch ups are always cool to listen to when you're hearing them for the first time, that amazing sense of wonder that music gives you when you're listening to a story being told over a beat cannot be beaten, but it's arguably even cooler to listen to going back through them and knowing what the beat switch's purpose was. Whether they be to change the point of view, change the subject matter or thought process, or even if they're just flat out for fun, listening to the music change in the same song always grabs your attention. Not just hip hop (even though hip hop certainly claims the "beat switch kings" title), but music is progressing in the ideas and concepts people are coming up with, and we'll soon see what will take over next.        

Throwback Thursday: Who Remembers The Shop Boyz?

T-T-T-TOTALLY DUUUUDE!  Rap had a brief rock star phase back in the mid 2000s (even Lil Wayne jumped on the bandwagon for a brief moment with Rebirth), and it was all thanks to the Shop Boyz. Bred in the very rap-heavy Atlanta, Georgia area, The Shop Boyz' aptly named debut album Rockstar Mentality peaked at #11 on the Billboard 200 music charts, #4 on the U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop charts, and even got as high as #2 on the Rap charts. The Shop Boyz' biggest hit "Party Like A Rockstar" took America by storm and made them huge, not only did it hit #1 on Billboard's Hot Rap Tracks in 2007, but The Shop Boyz also ended the year with the hottest selling ringtone of 2007. So where are they now?

The Shop Boyz took a break for about 4 years until 2011, when they released an EP by the name of Back 2 Finish What We Started, which was released independently, but earlier in 2015 they returned from another 4 year hiatus to release a mix tape by the name of Gift And A Curse. I'm not sure why but I've been thinking about rap and how it was back then, and whenever I think of The Shop Boyz, I think about Dem Franchise Boyz and how they collaborated with Korn for "Coming Undone Wit It" (If you haven't heard this song, you're truly missing out on an underrated piece of rap history). Anyways, The Shop Boyz are responsible for a (at one time) very popular little bit of rap/rock mixing genres. Enjoy this throwback Thursday post with their biggest hit, "Party Like A Rockstar."

                                             (*I do not own this video, or the rights to it*)

    

Why Fans (I) Need Kid Cudi's Man On The Moon 3

Flash back to 2010... a sophomore in high school was just figuring out his place and who he was. Struggling with figuring out who your real friends were and what you wanted to do with your life were thoughts that crossed your mind EVERY... single... day. Some drugs, alcohol, and girls all came along with that ride, and balancing it all seemed to be hell. If you were growing up wanting to play ball, whether it was football or basketball, that was another thing on your mind. No matter how good you are going into high school, every kid believes they have a shot at the big leagues (I know I thought I did, though standing at a scrawny 5'2 wasn't exactly helping my case). Your grades are slipping because you can't focus on schoolwork (because who can with all the alcohol and parties going on, right?), and you go into school every single morning with a hoodie on and your head down on the desk ready to fall asleep. Trying to balance all of these things can be crazy for kids, but for me I know there was one thing that allowed me to shut out the rest of the bullshit and live in my own world, even if it was just for a little bit; and that was Kid Cudi's Man On The Moon series.

Now everybody has that certain music that they look back on and remember what they were going at the time they used to listen to it, whether they be summer playlists or music that they've made spectacular memories to, and with both of Kid Cudi's Man On The Moon's, I was literally figuring out who I was. Going into high school I set goals (as everyone does) to be known. I was going to be a starting point guard, varsity ball as a freshman setting scoring, 3 point, and assist records, (high goals for such a short dude, I know) I wanted them all. But I got into a tough crowd and started losing contact with the ball player in me. Love with a girl got me more fucked up than I would have liked for the entire year of 2010 and for more years to come, but every time I put my headphones in my ears and turned on that Kid Cudi, I was at peace with everything.

When I heard "Mr. Rager" for the first time, I felt like I was exploring the amazon with a sword! When I played "Wild'n Cuz I'm Young", I understood that the time I had as a youngin' would not be here for long. When I played "REVOFEV", I felt like part of the next generation's takeover! When I heard "In My Dreams", I could fall asleep at peace (I'm not kidding, there were nights I fell asleep and woke up with headphones in my ears). When I played "Cudi Zone", I was in the all time highest place I could be in. I could go on and on track for track on both albums in the series, but I think you get the point. Man On The Moon 1 and 2 were absolutely out of this world to a kid who couldn't find his place in it.

Which is why I say to Cudi; please... PLEASE... make Man On The Moon 3 happen. That feeling you instilled into each and every fan of your music is an everlasting one. It's not a feeling you get when you listen to Travis Porter, or when you listen to Fetty Wap talk about "trap queens", or when you hear Young Thug say he's a stoner 494883 times. The feeling you put into people is a feeling that you can get only once; figuring out that they are 1 in 6 billion (approximately). Everyone who listens becomes high when they listen, sober or not, so I'm thinking about putting "astronaut" on my resume for when I look for my next job. I'll end this (sort of) PSA with Cudi's "Pursuit of Happiness", because can you truly say you want anything else but happiness?

                                      (*I do not own this song, video, or the rights to either*)