The first artist’s music that I decided to dive into was inspired by my step-father. I informed him of what I hoped to accomplish on my mission and he gave this LONG list of songs and artists that I should listen to. Pops is getting a little older so his memory of album titles isn’t really there anymore , but its all good with me! As he started talking about Public Enemy and Grandmaster Flash, I remember N.W.A being at the top of the list. Not surprising to me, I did not even know what N.W.A stood for; but, I know now and that is a move in a positive direction! I have now imported into my library N.W.A and the Posse, Niggaz4life, and 100 Miles and Runnin’.  I plan on taking the rest of the week to really listen to these albums. Reviews will follow…

I always hang with an older crowd and they sometimes make fun of my knowledge of select music eras. Born in the late 80s, my parents raised me on what I consider to be legendary music. Artists such as Otis Redding, Chaka Khan, Earth Wind & Fire, Diana Ross, The Isley Brothers, Frankie Beverly & Maze, Gladys Knight, LTD, Teena Marie, Anita Baker, and Cherrelle provided the only music I was allowed to listen to during my early childhood. By the time I was of age to understand music and the influence it had on my life, it was the late 90s. Before then, I was trying to listening to everything my older sister and cousins played, which is why one of my all-time favorite songs is Regulate by Warren G. and Nate Dogg. My sister exposed me to the Notorius B.I.G., my godsisters exposed me to Adina Howard and Wilson Phillips, while Hanson emerged during my coming of age. Growing up in a predominately white area, I was jamming to N*Sync and Britney Spears during my teen years. I am glad I was exposed to different genres of music during my childhood because I listen to a variety of things now. After talking to MC LYTE yesterday, I feel like I was deprived. I’m not very knowledgeable of many artists and groups from the late 80s/early 90s. I’m about to spend the next few months listening to as much music as I can from this time period. If you have any suggestions, PLEASE leave a comment and inform me of some ‘must-have’ albums that I need to get! Hopefully with this information, I’ll be able to inform my peers about how music should be!

So not only do I love music, but I am a technology junkie! I had the opportunity to assist in organizing the BlackWeb2.0/TheKeyInfluencer mixer before the Blogging While Brown Conference this weekend. The mixer was crazy cool. Go ahead and add sexy in there too! There was a camera there that created streaming live video on the web. The sites where the video was imbedded also included a chat box where individuals at the mixer and those watching online could communicate. This became extremely useful when MC LYTE decided to call in. Yes, MC LYTE! Talking to her previously, I expected her call to be 30 minutes. She gave us a peek inside what we like to call her ‘social media diet’ for TWO hours! Let me begin by saying that she is one of the most down to earth people you will ever meet. One common thing I am finding is that the old school rappers were all about the music unlike these new-age rappers who think they are the freshest thing since sliced bread, yet are label-made. Back to LYTE, she is one artist that gets it! She understands the digital space. Someone in the room questioned her ability in the future to maintain all her network spaces, and she said she maintains them now and will continue to do so. We as fans are missing this artist relationship these days so it’s refreshing to know someone still wants to maintain a tie to their core listeners. I could go on and on, but be on the lookout for LYTE’s upcoming work. She’s currently doing voiceovers for AT&T, Tide, BET (the worst channel ever) and a laundry list of others. She also has an upcoming album scheduled to release as a member of a new group called Almost September. You can find more info. about the group at www.almostseptember.com or listen to full songs at http://www.myspace.com/almostseptember.

by Nelly ft. Usher: From Air Force Ones six years ago to the whack Stepped on My J’z, I have come to the conclusion that Nelly wants a never-ending contract with Nike to receive shoes. From the moment I heard Stepped on My J’z, I thought this man needs to retire. If his upcoming album is anything along the lines of Stepped on My J’z, I will not even download it! I do not think Nelly can hold down a track on his own. The first three songs I heard off of Brass Knuckles, Nelly’s fifth studio album that is scheduled to release on September 16, have a featured artist. Looking at his released track list, 14 out of 19 songs have someone joining him. I don’t consider this being a talented artist, especially when his lyrics are not noteworthy. Rather, I consider this a man who can pay talented artists to make him a hit! He has restored some hope with this track Long Night that features Usher. I like this song. The content of the song is a little risky if the plan is to make it an official release. Usher + Nelly make an interesting mix, but it works.

My morning routine normally consists of first checking my e-mail while listening to a randomly selected playlist as I get ready for work. There are normally recent songs played and as I heard “So gone over you, you, you, you. Yea. New Monica” I was taken back to the time when this single was the jam! I didn’t realize at the time, but this song was released FIVE years ago. I began to think about Monica’s recording history and she normally does not go too long without giving her fans new music. Sure enough…Monica has a new album entitled Lessons Learned scheduled to release around October. There has not been a single released, but you can follow the album’s production on Monica’s new reality show. The Single: Monica premiers August 5th at 10pm on Peachtree TV.

by Busta Rhymes ft. Lil Wayne & Ludacris: This is what I think Rick Ross would call ahhhh Maybach Music. This is a good song to ride to. The beat is hard. Not to mention Lil Wayne is a lyrical genius. This man says “Ya don’t want beef, I’ll put you on a diet.” A few lines later he states “I’m not the president, but I see cops behind me.” Classic. By the time it got to Busta’s verse, I was ready to go back to Weezy’s; but, this single is better than the first two releases off of Busta’s upcoming Blessed (due in September).

by Andre 3000 & Che Grand: There was a general consensus that The Love Below was better than Speakerboxxx. From someone who was born and raised in the South, Outkast represents success for an unconventional rap group.  I know Andre 3k is on a-whole-nother level and I respect his flow and creativity…But, what is this? Even Lil Wayne stated that “You gotta stand out like Andre 3K,” but I think Andre might want to step back in on this track! Although, he is only on the chorus and not the whole song, I heard this song and thought WTF? I figured it out though…I don’t need to know Che Grand is. This track has Andre’s stamp of approval on it, which means that most of us just won’t understand.

by Joe: This seven time Grammy nominated singer/producer has recorded his newest single that will most likely be on his upcoming album New Man, which is scheduled to release later this year. This song is classic Joe: smooth, sexy, R&B. It’s a track that I can chill and relax to late at night. I probably wouldn’t hit the repeat to have it playing 10 times back to back, but this single does spark an interest into what will come from his unreleased collection of slow jams. 

by Aya: I found this song from a random search I did on YouTube.  I have listened to it at least three times a day since then! The artist, Aya, has a smooth, sultry voice that kinda has the feel of Sade. She was born in London and came to NYC at the age of 18 to focus on growing as an artist. This song is on her album Strange Flower that was released in 2004! Yes, 2004! That was four years ago. I hate when great talent goes unrecognized! I will do my best to keep you informed about this artist and any new releases she has. 

A lot of times, the music I listen to depends on how I feel at that time. I’ve been in a neo-soul groove for a while now. There are also days when I just want to listen to classic oldies or new love songs that have a different feel. I’m such an old soul, and as a result I’m creating a new set called ‘Music For Love’ that will celebrate timeless love songs and new ones that will hopefully one day have the same impact. Of course, I’ll start with Mario’s Music For Love.