Taking You Back, Part 2
Hello, All. How was everyone's weekend? Hope well. Mine was okay. I did the going out to the club thing, the staying in thing, the writing thing, the lazy Sunday thing, and the insomniac thing. I have terrible insomnia lately but…that's for another blog entirely. What'd you do this weekend?
It looks as though the first part of this "series" had a theme. Anyone else catch that? While it wasn't my intention, it was pretty cool to see. I think I'll just call the first one, "Taking You Back, Part 1- The Fine Men Joint. What do you think?
As for this part, I'm not too sure I can get a theme together as I'm kinda everywhere in this one. I have decided to do something different though. I'll post three videos from the trip to Memory Lane my brother and I took as well as two requests. Fair enough? Let's start.
Edit: As I was gathering the videos, I ended up changing my mind a bit on this "no theme" thing for this part. This part is easily dividable into many divisions because it's so broad, so let's call this one: Taking You Back, Part 2- Men Groups Do It, Subpart 1…..(That's hella corny, ehn…; I'm at work, so cut me a break). Here we go:
**NOTE: This blog was admittedly more focused on looks lol. (My bad) Soooo I changed it a lil and made it more musically-centered. The corrections are in the light-blue. Enjoy**
Naughty By Nature, Hip Hop Hooray
I really liked this video. This was my little brother's pick. Back when this video was out, I was into the light-skinned dudes (they were popular back then lol) so Tretch didn't really have a shot in my world. Now that he has a shot, he isn't desirable really. Is he still married to Pepa? Now that I look back in time, he was kinda fine….ya know…in a short dark-skinned man kinda way. haha.
I really think that NBN were those rappers that were really socially conscious on a more close to home kinda way. Tretch's flow was super dope and the group's content revolved around more close to home-ish issues rather than socially conscious issues on a more global scale (see: NBN vs. say…Mos Def. They aren't really all that relatable but you get my point). My other fav song by them was "O.P.P." I didn't even know what that meant at the time lol. I think I just liked the beat and the music. I remember in elementary school, some of my homies at recess would just randomly go, "you down with O.P.P?" And the person they were referencing would finish it up with, "Yea you know me". We were small. No way we knew what he was talking about then lol.
De La Soul – Me, Myself, and I
This was my pick. I think Dave was sorta kinda an eensy weensy bit cute back then…for a chubby dude, lol. Maybe I'm just hella particular, who knows…but none of these cats were really handsome. I mean not one. I would like to think that musical groups all have that one member that was at least a little bit um…tempting. But noooo De La Soul had to go and be ultra different. None of yall could get it? Not even Mase? Meh….at least the music was dope.
I really liked 3 Feet High and Rising and De La Soul is Dead. Those albums are old as dirt but I'm really lost on how much they haven't been exposed though. I feel like they should be a lot bigger in the music game. Dope music can never get much play…………these days. lol
A Tribe Called Quest – Check the Rhime
This was my pick. This was my very first ATCQ sighting. Can someone please tell me what I was smoking to think that Fifa was absolutely THAT DEAL?! I mean I was in L-O-V-E with Fifa as a young'n.For real. I think it was because my dad used to pump up Fif all the time when he rapped. Or maybe it was because he sounded so dope when he spit. Or maybe it was because he was literally only five feet tall and my dad told me of the "origin" of his name and he was just interesting to me on that alone. Who knows? I thought he was suuuuuuper dope though. I wonder what happened to him. Q-Tip is still spitting and I love his latest, "The Renaissance" work now. It just came out. GO GET IT!!!
Lyrically speaking, I think that Fife is better than Q-Tip…but again, that's just my opinion. Q-Tip, while a good artist, his flow all kinda sounds the same. Maybe that's just me though…. I don't know…Scenario is also one of my favorite songs from ATCQ. I want them to do another album together...
Oh and…don't make fun of the deaf dude in the group.
Your picks.
En Vogue – Runaway Love (blogger.com site request)
En Vogue still has unmatched voices. I was pretty upset when Dawn decided to put on her Selfish hat and go solo, thinking she'd be bigger than the group…..and take a Fail while she was ahead. Ugh! I hear they are all solo now…or something. * shrugs * I think they were the best all women's group Post-Motown in the history of music. Period. But that's just me. There were imitators though (see: Destiny's Child, Jade, Xscape, etc) but so far no duplicators. It happens, I guess…
On another note, y'all see that hunk of something too nice all topless in the video? Gee-zus. Okay…lemme stop. The beginning of the video reminds me of a scene from Set It Off though.
LL Cool J – I Can't Live Without My Radio (MySpace blog request)
Okay…I love this song. Pure. Wholesome. Good music. Anyone disagree?
LL got MAD hate from rappers everywhere for being so "soft" with his lyrics and content in his music that he eventually came out with "Mama Said Knock You Out" I guess to dip into his "hard persona". Whatever. I loved that song too but…..he was good where he was at before. I figure that just because everyone else was going into hard core rap and being socially conscious or just gangsta rapping (see: Public Enemy [socially conscious] and N.W.A. [gangsta rap], he didn't really have to cave into "mainstream". LL has always been fine and just like his arrogant name states, "Ladies Love Cool James" Was there no room for the hopeless romantic?
He's been around forever and like two days. And he's still fine. * swoons * LL, when you get done with what's her face, gimme a call. I'm old enough now…..
Okay seriously…I really do love LL. I liked Bigger and Deffer and I actually liked 10 (which I really didn't think I'd like at all for some reason). They say that he "blew up" once he got "hard core" (see: Mama Said Knock You Out and 14 Shots to theDome), but personally, he was cool either way. I didn't really care which way he did it, really. His flow was good and he is a pretty good artist. His only mistake, in my opinion, was completely outside of music. It was…….FuBu. I haven't heard his latest one though.
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