R&B music is at its premium right now. Spring will do that. New tunes, new outfits, new cars, ahh yes, the weather is about to break and the music is fresher then fresh basil. First off this new Beyonce, “Girls (Run The World)” is the new anthem for women everywhere. From Mars to Venus, the universal blogisphere went nuts when this leaked. I heard this record at least a dozen times from Tuesday to Friday. Bey was on the radio, in the clubs and all over online everything. If this isn’t the single, it’s a strong set up for what looks to be a hot summer for Destiny’s most famous Child.
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Next up, Estelle is back with a head knocker, “Break My Heart.” This London hottie has the beauty of Nina Simone and the elegance of Mary J. “Break My Heart” is nothing like “American Boy.” This Gothic club banger is already of problem on ‘the other side of the pond’ in London. Multi-talented Don Cannon provides the soundscape behind this Montana Warp re-creation. Rick Rozey blesses this track with his signature ‘Boss’ swag. This is that music that you turn up with your wifey in the car and just ride out. From L.A. to NYC, from The Atl to Detroit, this will get the party moving guaranteed.
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As we stay on the smoother side of things, Fabolous dropped his “Look At Her (Killin Em Pt2)” Remix featuring Ne-Yo and Ryan Leslie last week. Very clever timing for this remix considering the original song, already a smash hit, was fading away. Like I said before, springtime is the right time for R&B. Of course, Fab’s right on time. Ryan Leslie’s versatility between producer and performer is very evident on this track, as he lets Ne-Yo do the majority of the singing, choosing instead to focus on the production. With the right visual for this remix funeral Fab could be “Killin Em” well into the fall.
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The Sade “The Moon and Sky” Remix featuring Jay Z was the hottest leak last week. The music public has celebrated the second coming of Sade’s music career like the first time Jordan came out of retirement. Oddly enough, as dope as Sade is, she rarely has collaborated with any artist and never a hip-hop artist until now. It’s only right she get at hip-hop’s Frank Sinatra for an exclusive 16 bars. The song itself is dope although remix aficionados would probably have preferred something more uptempo. It doesn’t matter though. Sade is R&B royalty, so a remix featuring her and any artist is must hear music.
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We had to sneak one hot hip hop leak in this week, which goes to Kendrick Lamar and his track “HiiPower.” This track features top notch production by Roc Nation’s Freshman All American J. Cole. Cole and Lamar have a soon to be released project that’s very anticipated to drop some time this summer. Kendrick is one of the most refreshing new MC’s period. This inspirational record is an example of what is missing in hip-hop music nowadays, knowledge and balance. In this new freshman class of rappers, Kendrick is without a doubt, the Valedictorian, over a brilliant new school of MC’s. This song itself is “Huey Newton going stupid with visions of Martin and Malcolm”….HiiPower.
In Memory of the legendary Keith Guru Elam.
