Lil Ai - Ain’t Nobody single review
The production and sound for this Lil Ai single is very futuristic and techno sounding. Not to mention robust. D4P Music Entertainment and Lil Ai use more futuristic up-to-date production sound for this single. Elements of electronic music and dance music are incorporated. Love is the theme for this Lil Ai single as is many of her other songs are. Ain’t Nobody is Lil Ai’s debut single.
Ain’t Nobody is a song that would eventually turn into Nobody on the 2003 album Ryukyu Rhymer. The sounds on Ain’t Nobody are very futuristic. It seems that Lil Ai was experimenting with the styles of electronic music, dance music, and techno. Ain’t nobody can love you like Lil Ai is the motto of this song written by Lil Ai. Ain’t Nobody was used as the theme song for the NTV JP show あんグラ☆NOW.
Lil Ai makes you a slave to the rhythm and a slave to love on the song Slave of Love. Lil Ai experiments with the upbeat sounds of dance music on the song Slave while incorporating elements of J-Pop for which she internationally well known for.
Never uses the elements, clips, and sounds of upbeat dance music. Lil Ai makes you a slave to the rhythm with her futuristic sounds and beats. Never was used as the theme song for the NTV JP show あんグラ☆NOW also. Lil Ai experiments with rock music on Never also.
4/5****!
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The Almighty RSO - Notorious single review
The Almighty RSO - Notorious is an example of early Boston hip hop and Boston rap. Similar to fellow Boston contemporaries Benzino, Wise Guys, and Hangmen 3 are the The Almighty RSO. Notorious made waves all over the Boston, Massachusetts are in the late 1980s with the hip hop sound that was taking over the underground in many cities and urban areas throughout America. Notorious is classic OG Boston hip hop. The beats are phat, rhymes are superb, and the lyrics are dope as hell. The Def Jeff instrumental is def and dope.
5/5*****!
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The Almighty RSO - We’ll Remember You single review
The Almighty RSO - We’ll Remember You is an example of early Boston hip hop and Boston rap similar to fellow Boston contemporaries Benzino, Wise Guys, and Hangmen 3. We’ll Remember You also made waves all over the Boston, Massachusetts are in the late 1980s with the hip hop sound that was taking over the underground in many cities and urban areas throughout America.
We’ll Remember You is a dedication track to all the fallen ones who are now deceased. We’ll Remember You is also dedicated to the loved ones who are deceased. Each Almighty RSO member dedicates a verse to a deceased person in their life.
To Be Like Us calls out all sucker MC’s, posers, wannabes, and wack crews. The Almighty RSO hands lyrical beatdowns to all with no mercy. To Be Like Us is hip hop at its finest.
5/5*****!
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Throttlerod - Nail album review
Throttlerod - Nail is an indie rock album unheard of and obscure to most. Nail by Throttlerod seems to have been over looked by the masses and general public. Nail seems to be very similar to the XTC - Bone Bag Buffet album in terms of graphic design. Throttlerod - Nail also has a similar vibe to the Animals album by Pink Floyd with tracks such as Horse Paw and Rabbit.
The song Nail is a representation of what is wrong with the world. According to Throttlerod, everyone is wrong. According to Throttlerod, everything is wrong. The black color represents darkness as Nail has a dark mood. To sum it all up, Nail is nothing but a representation of perpetual negativity.
Throttlerod stands up against to all odds on Stand’em Up. They will take the fall in the silence of your stand. They can read your mind as your stare off in a moment of silence. The positive aspect of Stand’em Up is Throttlerod encouraging us as the listeners to fight our own battles because nobody else will fight our own battles for us. Throttlerod also encourages you to fight your own battles because nobody else will fight your own battles for you. (That is from the listener perspective.)
Throttlerod does not wish to seek empathy or enemies from anyone on the song Horse Paw. The mood is dark and negative of course.
4/5****!
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Nicole Wray - Make It Hot album review
For those who don't know who Nicole Wray is, she was the first artist to sign to Missy Elliott's Goldmind Inc. in 1998 other than Missy herself and Timbaland's production team/duo Timbaland and Magoo. She and Missy were hailing from Portsmouth, Virginia. She had a record deal with Goldmind Inc., EastWest, and Elektra Records from 1996 to 2001 where she released her two albums Make It Hot and Elektric Blue.
Nicole had a blazing hot song called Make It Hot which hit #7 on the BillBoard in 1998 for a hot minute there! The next song that hit the BillBoard was I Can't See. Most of Make It Hot was filled with love ballads and love songs. The album is filled with sultry love songs written by a handful of songwriters.
Timbaland produced 25% of Make It Hot. Suga Mike produced 10%. Dent produced a chuck of songs for Make It Hot too. Playa (Smokey & Static Major) produced a significant portion of Make It Hot even though the Timbaland sound is more present and prevalent. Missy did the rest herself of course. She was responsible for promoting Nicole Wray during her career at Goldmind and Elektra.
Borrowed Time is a smooth mellow love song with such loud powerful bravado. The echo in the background is loud and powerful with use of a controlled reverb. Lil Mo wrote Borrowed Time for Nicole Wray back in 1998. She also provides background vocals. Borrowed Time focuses on Nicole Wray sleeping with another man on his time and his woman's time. They both get back at each other by borrowing each other's time even though they don't belong to each other.
The song begins in dawn of early morning with a heart positive vibe. The man she is sleeping with is still in bed right next to her. Nicole wishes the man she is sleeping with could take off work for the rest of the week to be with her. She wishes he could call in to his workplace in order for him to be with her. His woman wonder where the hell he could be.
It's a shame he has to leave Nicole. They don't belong to each other. No matter how hard they try they are still on borrowed time. Even if it feels right. It's alright to both of them though.
Suga Mike produced Borrowed Time. Suga Mike has produced for artists such as Lil Mo, Nicole Wray, Timbaland, Missy Elliott, SWV, and Lil Bow Wow among others. Honestly, Suga Mike does not get the credit he deserves. People do not give Suga Mike the credit he rightfully deserves. Period.
Seventeen was written and produced by Missy Elliott as she herself is all over the song. Nicole sings and raps on Seventeen. The song called Seventeen samples Call Me by Skyy. Yes the band Skyy. Nicole and Missy often take credit for Seventeen.
Seventeen should have had a music video to accompany the song. Seventeen should have been chosen as a single instead of Eyes Better Not Wander because the song was more upbeat and Missy Elliott was all over it. With Missy Elliott being all over the song, it would have been a smart business move to further both her career and Nicole's. Missy Elliott was the Ariana Grande of her day. Make It Hot would been a further overnight success if Elektra chose Seventeen to be chosen as a buzz single for her debut album. Seventeen would have been a guaranteed success if Timbaland produced it.
Her song Eyes Better Not Wander was a memorable favorite among Nicole Wray fans. Despite that, Eyes Better Not Wander did not do as well because it was a slow jam with no fast paced beats by Timbaland. That song was produced by Smokey of Playa. Smokey produced hot steamy love songs such as this one and Testing Our Love (Suga).
Eyes Better Not Wander is a mellow, loopy, and sultry slow jam notable for its slow vibe. The slow vibe follow the beats perfectly. The beats alone are consistent in terms of following the song. Echoes gives this song a slow feel.
Eyes Better Not Wander did not Nicole justice in terms of charting. Eyes Better Not Wander charted at #69 which eventually fell of the charts quickly. By 1999, the general public was tired of sultry slow jams and wanted more glamorous upbeat pop songs and raunchy R&B songs. That can be attributed to why Eyes Better Not Wander fell off the charts quickly. Eyes Better Not Wander should have been saved for Elektric Blue instead of Make It Hot.
Make It Hot was the jam that had everyone dancing bobbing their heads to back in 1998! Make It Hot was the jam back in 1998! Nicole had a blazing hot song called Make It Hot which hit #7 on the BillBoard in 1998 for a hot minute there. Timbaland produced Make It Hot. The beats were both upbeat and crazy as Timbaland's beats had everyone going nuts back in the day. Missy Elliott made it both spicy and sassy with her ad lib raps as she was all over the place at the very end even though former female rapper Mocha took most of the spotlight at the very beginning of Make It Hot. Kelly Price harmonized the vocals with her angelic singing.
However, Make It Hot was not hot enough in terms of album sales and in the eyes of Elektra executives. In other words, Make It Hot was a flop due to lackluster sales performance. Her Make It Hot album sold 800,000 copies total worldwide instead of 1,000,000 (1 million) as mandated in her recording contract with Elektra Records. Missy had a deal with a Elektra that Goldmind Inc. artists debut albums must sell more than 1,000,000 copies of their first album in order to be on the label.
She focused more on the single Make It Hot rather than the album which is why her debut album was a commercial failure despite having a couple of hot songs. Although Nicole Wray tried to promote her album and single at the same time, it was a tough balancing act for her.
In the end it was Nicole Wray who got the unfair deal in the music business. She had to suffer the consequences of being dropped by Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records after Elektric Blue was released due to poor sales. Luckily she is now thriving on as an independent artist who is signed to Truth & Soul Records along with Terri Walker.
Nicole Wray faced the same issue and struggle Lil Johnny was facing when he was singed to Warner Bros. Records in 2001. Lil Johnny had a single called I Got You which was the buzz single for his debut album of the same name. Nicole Wray made the same mistake as Lil Johnny did by naming her album the same name as her buzz single which is why her album flopped unfortunately despite having a solid supporting fan base.
This is an important lesson to learn in the music industry! Never title your album the same as your single! Because your album sales will result into low album sales instead of successful album sales into stardom. Having your album titled the same name as your buzz single will throw your audience off thus resulting in lackluster album sales. Titling your album the same name as your single does not work for everyone. Even if it did work for Brandy.
Pressure was an interesting interlude/skit that producer Dent and Nicole were all over. The song is 1 minute and 11 seconds long with the duration time being 1:11. Slow and sultry are words to describe. Pressure should have been made into a full song. There is no reason why should not have been a short song instead.
In fact, Pressure sounds like an unreleased Nicole Wray song even if it is a minute an 11 seconds long. Nicole Wray fans can vouch for me here on this one.
Listen to the lyrics in the background.:
Tonight
In da street
Baby
Don't worry
I'll be there
Tonight
In da street
Baby
Cause that ain't fair
Tonight
In da street
Baby
Don't worry
I'll be there
Tonight
In da street
Don't worry
I'll be there
Baby
Tonight
In da street
Don't worry
I'll be there
The prelude to I Can't See should have been incorporated into the regular song instead being separated from the original I Can't See song as a separate track. Without You should have replaced the prelude to I Can't See.
Traffic Jam was an interlude produced by Dent. Dent took over most of Traffic Jam even though V is credited in the background vocals inside the liner notes for Make It Hot. What's so odd about that is Nicole Wray is not even included on this interlude. Traffic Jam should been saved for Elektric Blue instead of Make It Hot. Traffic Jam should have been replaced with I Can't See (Funk Remix) that had featured Cam'ron.
Both Nicole Wray and Lil Mo wrote Nervous for which they both perform on. They both sing about how they fight over the stupidest little things when it comes to love. They give all their time to us as time is on their hands. The song is notably fast paced. Insecurity is one word to describe Nervous.
Make It Hot was hot for its time for a hot moment there. However Make It Hot was not hot enough. Unfortunately Make It Hot was a flop due to lackluster sales. If Nicole had named her album with a different name, her career would have a lot different t than it is today and Make It Hot would have sold better than it did. Nicole could have been the Brandy of both Virginia and Georgia.
In the end it was Nicole Wray who got the unfair deal in the music business. She had to suffer the consequences of being dropped by Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records after Elektric Blue was released. Nicole was not releasing enough hits which is why she was dropped. Luckily she is now signed to Truth & Soul Records (known for Lee Fields fame) with Terri Walker (of Def Jam fame) in a duo called Lady which has now disbanded.
5/5*****!!
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Code FI - Subliminally Focused Hip Hop album review
From the industrial streets of a windy city called Chicago, Illinois hails a hip hop group called Code FI. Subliminally Focused Hip Hop contains conscious minded hip hop music for the intellectuals out there. Code FI is focused on hip hop for which the album centers around. Those who can appreciate old school hip hop music will savor this album.
Code FI represents Chicago by revolutionary styles on Why Test Me. Why Test Me is medium bass ridden and riddled with percussion although the percussions presence is not heavy. Why Test Me contains conscious minded hip hop music for the intellectuals out there which uses revolutionary styles with lyrical skills as Why Test Me centers around lyricism.
Cosmic Comatose has futuristic sounds similar to what you and I would hear from OutKast. The beats are futuristic beats. Yes Cosmic Comatose is a medium bass ridden track. East Coast hip hop meets Midwest gumbo funk on Cosmic Comatose.
Code FI takes us on an intergalactic voyage on Intergalactilude. The Intergalactilude is an intergalactic interlude. The Intergalactilude is similar to that electronic Daft Punk funk and OutKast. Intergalactilude is very futuristic sounding similar to what you would hear from OutKast. Electronic music meets hip hop music here.
4/5****
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Saafir – The Hit List Advanced album review
Now Saafir – The Hit List with the catalog number identified as 9 47009-1 is the advanced version of Saafir – The Hit List album. Several unreleased songs were included as well. Only 1,000 copies of Saafir – The Hit List Advanced were pressed. Which is why this album is a collectors item among Saafir fans.
A lot was changed after the release for the retail version of this album with a slightly different cover with deleted and unreleased songs for which were altered afterwards. Deleted songs were included on this version of this album. Songs Lost In Space, Funkin' Wit Yo Broad, and Socked Up were deleted songs that did not get included on the final tracklist for the retail version of this album. These deleted songs are unreleased songs. Riding Hot with DA and Poke was unreleased.
This album is his most professional release yet with top tier beats. The beats are getting iller with every album he releases. On this album he focused more on the production aspect by including more additional producers than his previous album.
4/5****!
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Born 2wice – 6 Inna Mornin' single review
Born 2wice – 6 Inna Mornin' was released as a cassette single on Bigga Records in 1995 with distribution from INDI, Southwest Wholesale, and Select-O-Hits. This cassette single contains alternate versions of the songs 6 Inna Mornin' and The Jack which were included on Born 2wice's second album called Portrait of a $erial Player. Most of the tracks were jacked from Born 2wice's first album called U Have The Right 2 Remain Violent. Guest appearances include Ice-T, King Tee, G-Money, 3-2 (RIP), and Cocco Budda from Dallas radio station KNON 89.3 FM. Born 2wice is a legendary Houston rapper that does not get the credit he deserves.
Born 2wice’s 6 Inna Mornin' pays homage and tribute to Ice-T’s 6 In The Morning. Only this tribute version of 6 In The Morning has a more updated polished sound with heavy bass on top of that infamous gangsta rap sound. Processed beats help make this track stand out. Born 2wice gets on the Scarface tip as he sounds exactly like him on this track.
Now for those who didn’t know, Born 2wice was the only artist to fuck with an East Coast artist in Texas back in the 90s. Nobody else in Texas had included Ice-T on their album or single if they were a rapper in Texas back then. Born 2wice was the first Texas rapper to include an East Coast artist on an album. That is why he is considered legendary in Houston rap.
The Jack features King T from Aftermath Entertainment. Born 2wice sounds very similar to Willie D and Scarface combined together on The Jack. King T helped write and produce The Jack recording. Born 2wice and King T make history together on The Jack as legendaries. They remind us Armeggdon is near.
Geto Life takes us on a journey through low class living as Geto Life visits the subject of poverty. Issues such as substance abuse, income inequality, abuse, drugs, institutional racism, political corruption, and murder. Born 2wice gets on the Scarface tip as he sounds exactly like him on this track also.
9 Oz. Of Terror '95 revisits 9 Oz. Of Terror '93 from the U Have The Right 2 Remain Violent album from 1993. The Underworld is a very spooky horrorcore rap track. Born 2wice reminds us Armeggdon is near.
5/5*****!!
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Born 2wice – In P.I.M.P. album review
For those who don’t, Born 2wice is Niggaracci on the In P.I.M.P. album. Niggaracci is one of his many known aliases in the rap game and film industry. Born 2wice experiments with explicit Sex rap on this album. Sex rap meets gangsta rap with some East Coast hip hop flava. Born 2wice goes the Too $hort route by experimenting the explicit sex rap sound. Rhythm D helped produced this album as well. Only 100,000 copies of In P.I.M.P exist making this album a collectors album.
5/5*****!!
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Edie Brickell & New Bohemians – Mama Help Me single review
Mama Help Me deals with child abuse. Visions of abuse are replaced with lyrics instead. Actions performed are sung through song instead. This is the reason why abuse is so rampant all over the song. Overall Mama Help Me deals with various aspects of abuse. Such as emotional abuse or physical abuse for example. Mama Help Me is very raw and emotional at times.
Oak Cliff Bra is a raw mellow tune about the Oak Cliff neighborhood in Dallas, Texas. The instrumentation selection is perfectly appropriate. Edie Brickell wrote Oak Cliff Bra for the New Bohemians band. Edie Brickell shines very well on Oak Cliff Bra. New Bohemians go all out on Oak Cliff Bra as well. It is obvious Edie Brickell gave her band members more creative control with this song as all of the band members are included in the song. Oak Cliff Bra can be deemed as a posse cut even if Edie Brickell takes credit for songwriting herself.
4/5****!
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Sha Slim - Streight Frum Da Pen album review
Sha Slim takes us on a journey through the perspective of a young black man’s mind. The young black man’s mind is like a prison cell without any vital signs of freedom. Being closed minded that is. Being locked in ones mind is hard to get out of. It’s a journey into the unknown. Cold and dark are the moods. Sha Slim is a lyricist/rapper from Cincinnati, Ohio.
3/5***
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Handsome JET - ￢(゜~゜)Г album review
Jet Boogie is a Handsome Jet melody of all the songs on the ￢(゜~゜)Г album all onto one track. Think of this song as a mega melody. A loud heavy hard rock mega melody is what it sounds like. Hard rock meets heavy metal mega in this mega melody song. The volume is set quite loud! Handsome JET does his usual chanting, singing, and yelling through the enchanted power of music. Handsome JET himself takes the lead in this song as a vocalist.
Duck [アヒル] is a perfect song to play at night during the peaceful nighttime. Dusk has that peaceful nighttime vibe to it. Handsome JET himself takes the lead in this song as a vocalist. Handsome JET does his usual singing and yelling through the enchanted power of music. Take notice of the harmonics used on Duck. Toshio Sakurai sang on Duck. The song Duck has a rather happy upbeat vibe.
self-haunting is a duo cut with longtime Handsome JET Project members Toshio Sakurai and Handsome Jet. self-haunting is a dark song.
Only around 10,000 copies of ￢ (゜ ~ ゜) Г were pressed on CD and sold via Amazon, by Handsome JET directly himself, sold at GITADORA LIVE concerts, or were sold at those Handsome JET Live concerts hosted by Bemani with help of Konami. Most copies of ￢ (゜ ~ ゜) Г were pressed sold on Amazon.com. Songs from Bemani games such as GuitarFreaks and Drummania were not included due to copyright reasons. Due to budgetary concerns, Handsome JET played with a single acoustic guitar. Toshio Sakurai sang on most of the dark songs such as Dusk and self-haunting. YUEI had nothing to do with this album.
Sadly however, ￢(゜~゜)Г and Honto was the only album from Handsome JET that was ever released. Lead singer Handsome JET died in May 2008 in a traffic accident while riding a motorcycle with his in Japan. The friend survived. Handsome JET sang a multitude of songs from Konami originals and licensed covers alike. His real name has never been revealed and is not known. Handsome JET Project and Handsome JET himself would have taken off to become a national success in Japan if the lead singer hadn't died.
*Handsome Jet is the name of the lead singer of the coincidental band Handsome JET Project. Handsome JET Project is Handsome Jet, YUEI (Yuei Uematsu), Kozo Nakamura, and Toshio Sakurai.
* [￢ (゜ ~ ゜) Г is a notation used to represent an emoticon.]
*He is credited as Handsome JET or Jetto-san (ジェットさん) as he was in the Bemani games GuitarFreaks and Drummania.
4/5****!
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Bossalena - Purple Rose EP EP review
Purple Rose is a digital album that was packaged as an EP to be put online in the format of a digital download in 2017 from Bossalena. The physical copy of Purple Rose EP has 10 tracks with a 4 bonus track as an extra. The digital download version of Purple Rose EP only has 6 tracks instead of 10 tracks.
Watch My Step is about how Bossalena started from the bottom. She built her own studio herself. Bossalena takes shots at female rappers with a no hold barred attitude. She tells people how to watch her style. Just know not to test her. With 25 mixtapes/album under belt, she truly made a name for herself in underground music.
Bossalena takes shots with a no hold barred attitude on We Winnin. 2017 is the year she is truly winning. Bossalena sure makes winning easy. The hard heavy hitting bass and trap beats will surely rattle your speakers! The track is very futuristic sounding.
Air It Out is very futuristic sounding. Fuck the haters. It’s all about that money. Although the trap beats are played out. On Direction, trap music meets drill beats. On Direction, trap music meets drill beats. You can feel the music deep down in your soul. The hard heavy hitting bass will surely rattle your speakers on Whip It!
Although the trap beats are nothing new, the futuristic sound make the Purple Rose EP stand out. Air It Out and Watch My Step are highlight tracks. What’s unique about this Bossalena EP is that there is a different producer for each track.
4/5****!!
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