Saturday, February 25, 2006

LORD FINESSE....THE FUNKY TECHNICIAN!
SoundNexx is paying homage to another one of my favorite MCs of all times, Robert Hall a.k.a Lord Finesse. Just when I thought the late 80's couldn't get any better for hiphop with MCs like Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, Rakim & Kool G. Rap on the scene, out of nowhere comes Lord Finesse! Initially, I was not familiar with Finesse at the time I purchased his classic first album in 1989, "Funky Technician." I was actually just shopping for some new music, and I thought the album cover looked interesting, so I copped it. When I popped that cassette tape into my trusty walkman, I bacame an instant Lord Finesse fan! Tracks like "Baby, You Nasty" and "Bad Mutha" were lyrically full of dope storytelling, wordplay and punchlines. Andre Da Giant (A.G.) of the soon to be 1990's super group Showbiz & A.G., dropped some dope verses throughout the album as well. Then you throw in production by the new comer DJ Premier (Primo) and Diamond D, you have a classic on your hands. After listening to the "Funky Technician" album, I quickly realized that Lord Finesse was making a definite statement to the rap world that he was here now and all others need to show respect!

In 1991, Lord Finesse dropped his second album titled, "Return of The Funky Man," which to me solidified his place in the rap game. Tracks like "Isn't He Something," "F*ck Em," and "That's How Smooth I Am" were definite classics that can still keep your head noddin' today! With the second album, Finesse introduced the world to another one of his Diggin' In The Crates crew members, Percee P. As expected, the production on the Funky Man album was full of tight production, which is what has made early 90's hiphop so special. After the release of the second album, it wasn't until 1996 Finesse dropped his third album titled, "The Awakening!" At this point the rap game had definitely changed from the era that Finesse had started his career in? Household names like Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Brand Nubian had now been replaced by artists like Notorious B.I.G, Wu-Tang Clan and Snoop Dogg. Not missing a beat, Finesse filled this comeback album with guest appearances by some of the most respected names in hiphop such as, MC Lyte, KRS-ONE, O.C. and Sadat X! I have to admit, I was just glad to see my man back on the scene again! He had been missed, but not forgotten. Finesse has released other compilation type albums since 1996, and you can check those out by clicking here.

As usually, I have a megamixx to share with everyone. This time around I am pulling out a mix that I did a really long time ago. The quality of this mix is not great, but it is decent enough to get the point of Lord Finesse's lyrical ability as an MC! Finesse has been one of most underated and overlook MCs of his generation in my opinion? He is actually another pioneer that has influenced many of the so-called rappers of today! If you are not familiar with Lord Finesse, this is rare your chance to hear one of the greatest MCs do his thang!

GET THE LORD FINESSE MEGAMIXX HERE!

LORD FINESSE'S OFFICIAL WEB SITE

Peep the classic albums covers!



Make sure you check for the upcoming "Lord Finesse Remix Project" that drops at the end of 2006! Top producers like Pete Rock, DJ Spinna, DJ Premier, Madlib, Buckwild, Marley Marl, Large Professor & The Alchemist will be providing their remixed versions of some Finesse classics! Sounds like a winner to me.....

Thursday, February 23, 2006

SOUND SPOT: N'DAMBI
SOUND SPOT is a segment that I will be using to give exposure to some of my favorite artists that deserve some exposure. For those that don't know her, I introduce you to N' Dambi. Born in Dallas, Texas to a singing family, N'Dambi was encouraged to sing and play piano at an early age. Her talents are multi-faceted; incorporating singing, songwriting and producing, as well as writing poetry and novels. A sultry storyteller whose rich voice resounds the energies of past soul sisters, N'Dambi is able to evoke the spiritual essence of R&B flawlessly and readily joins the company of Jill Scott, Angie Stone, D'Angelo and others that rekindle our relationship with soul music. N'Dambi started out by touring as a background vocalist for Erykah Badu. She played an essential role in Erykah's recording career over the years. Venturing out on a solo quest, N'Dambi launched her own record label, Cheeky-I Productions. In 1999, she releaseed her critically-acclaimed debuted album, "Little Girl Blues," which is one of my favorites. Her most recent album was a double album titled, "Tunin Up & Cosignin" that was released in 2001. N'Dambi's poetic lyrics, coupled with her uniquely divine vocal abilities captivate listeners into a hypnoitc montra of soulful and jazzy melodies. N'Dambi has a new album dropping in early 2006 titled, "A Weird Kinda Wonderful!" The upcoming release has been described as her best work to date, so make sure you check for it!

N'Dambi's Website Here
N'Dambi's Myspace Site Here

LISTEN TO N'DAMBI SONGS HERE.

If you have been unaware or sleeping on N'Dambi, here is your chance to make up for lost time!
Here are the two previous albums you should be checking for:

Monday, February 20, 2006

EXPOSURE OF THE WACK RAPPER!
I am not sure who this guy is I have displayed on the left, but he looks wack, so I am guessing that his music is the same? If this dude is your daddy, uncle, or brother...tell Da Herb he needs a fashion tip! Gold suits haven't been in style since Quincy Jones starred in "The Wiz" playing the piano in The Emerald City!! "Children...gold is definitely dead, so the new color is red!" All jokes aside, this is a sensative subject for me. I have finally realized and excepted that hiphop (I mean Rap Music) will probably never return to its original roots of innovation and creativity? All rap music doesn't suck, but 80% of it actually does! The most disturbing factor of this cookie cutter rap music of today is the diliberate lack of rhyming? The new rapper is so wack, the actual poetry factor of the music is being eliminated! The wordplay is most clever part of song isn't it? When the new rapper does try to match the words together in most cases, it usually makes no sense or they use simple words like, "HOW, NOW, BROWN, COW!" I hear new rappers make statements like, "I have never claimed to be good rhymer, I just tell my stories!" Is it lack of talent, or is it just pure laziness? The wack rapper is making money these days, so why should anyone try to be clever?

Over the weekend, I saw a documentary about Yo MTV Raps! on VH1! That show brought back some of those good feelings about hiphop that are definitely lacking today? Way back in the day when hiphop was rich with emotion, but it hardly had any exposure. These days, you can watch a rap video every five minutes, but the music seems empty? There is no heart at all, just weak gimmicks, sex and dollar signs! I like fine women just like the next man, and I never thought I would feel this way, but I'm tired of looking at azz? Ummm, maybe I'm going too far with that statement...let's change the subject! Rappers don't rap for the love of the music anymore, it's about opening a door for establishing clothing lines, shoe deals, movie roles and television shows! Everybody wants to be the next Will Smith or Queen Latifah. How does a rapper have a movie role before their album even drops?? The music industry has been complaining for years about the decline of urban music sales, and downloading is usually blamed. The reality is, if the music is wack, no one is going to buy it anyway! Yes, there is serious internet leeching going on, but making bad albums is not helping the situation at all. It actually encourages downloading if you ask me!! Please, share your feelings on this subject. I am interested to read what you think about it all.....


From time to time, I will be posting some original poetry from unknowns that I think have something to say! My man DMecca7 has blessed me with a piece that inspired this discussion in the first place. He calls the poem, "Rapper!" Check it out, and give the man some feedback about what you think....

Rapper!

So you wanna be a rapper
fame and fortune is what your after
wanna rock the ice
sip cris till your feeling nice
talk about your cars and your doe
exploiting our women in your video
spit elementary rhymes
without substance to spark the mind
damn I hate your kind
destroying the culture with each line
spreading tainted dreams to the public
so unoriginal it makes me sick to my stomach
can’t wait for the real MC’s to take it back
shining the light on this virus that’s infiltrated rap
putting an end to your feckless existence
having booty MC’s bowing down for repentance
getting branded with a “W” for your wackness
you and other weak MC’s stenciled on the blacklist
receiving 25 to life
from ever rocking tha mic.


Written by DMecca7

Thursday, February 16, 2006

80's HIPHOP (THE PLATNIUM ERA)!
Ahhhh...today is a great day! As I mentioned before in previous posts, music for me is like a treasure hunt! For those that don't know, I have boxes of music stored everywhere. Sometimes, years go by before I get a chance to look in those boxes. Recently, I opened up a box that I hadn't seen in a minute (actually years), and I discovered a music gem! It was a Maxwell cassette tape I had made back in the 80's of some old, but great hiphop music. I am talking about hiphop artists like U.T.F.O., The Fat Boys, MC Lyte, & Special Ed! Most of the songs on this tape, I don't even have in my collection anymore!

History lesson time: See...before CDs and MP3s ruled the world, music lovers listened to their favorite songs on cassette tapes. Through technology advancements, the double cassette deck player was created. This invention introduced the power of dubbing. So, I would take all the cassettes that I previously purchased, and dub all of my favorite songs onto a blank cassette tape (Sony, Maxwell, BASF) for my personal enjoyment. That is how this gem I found was created. It took many hours to make the perfect cassette back in the day, but it didn't matter. Having a phat tape was most important in the end! Then I would get my JVC boom box radio, and sit on the porch pumping all of the dopest rap tracks for my boyz (Bernard, Donald, Jerome, and Bennie) until the sun went down. When I left the house, I always had my trusty Sony Walkman Cassette Player! The good ole' days....you youngenz wouldn't understand?

Okay, since I still have a double-cassette deck at my disposal (thought I didn't), I was able to extract some of these rare classics, and put them in a mix just for you true-true old school hiphop fans. When I was listening to this tape, it just took me back to a better time in hiphop music. A time when hiphop was innocent, creative and high-powered! I remember a time in hiphop where if you as an MC sounded like or even dressed like another MC they would get dissed! You were considered to be "biting" someone elses style. Now-a-days, hiphop (or rap) is in a cookie cutter phase? Everybody looks and sounds just a like in most cases? For example... I really can't tell the difference between groups like "Down 4 Life" (Laffy-Taffy, Betcha Can't Do It Like Me) and "Dem Franchise Boyz" (White Tee, Oh I Think Dey Like Me)? They look and sound alike to me. I like some Southern rap, but give me more Outkast, T.I. & Ludacris and less of the rap crap...please!

Some people call 90's hiphop the Golden Era, so 80's hiphop must be the Platinum Era! From the Platinum Era I give you the "80's Retro HipHop Mix" to bring back those great memories of yester-years. Remember when you first saw the movies, "Beat Street" and "Krush Groove?" That's the feeling that this mix will bring! The good ole' days of Jolly Ranchers, Blow Pops, Now and Laters,
He-Man, Transformers, Thundercats, Giant Robot, Ultra Man, Legos, Nite-Brite, The Slinky, Rubix Cube, Cabbage Patch Dolls, Kung-Fu Theater, Kangols, Swatch Watches, Fat Laces, Lotto Sneakers, Gazelle Glasses.....okay you get the point!!!!

Here are some of my favorite artists and albums from the 80's!!











GET THE 80'S RETRO HIP-HOP MIXX HERE!

Put on your Kangol and Addidas Shell Toes with the fat laces before you play this mix! Don't stop the body rock............


NO TRACKLIST THIS TIME.....IT'S TAKES AWAY FROM THE SURPRISE?

Monday, February 13, 2006

EAR TEST: RELAX AND CHILL!
Sometimes, when it comes to listening to music I get into certain moods! I enjoy all kinds of music, but in some cases I can't find one particular artist that is fitting my musical desires! Do I want to listen to Jill Scott, The Isley Brothers, Slum Village or Jazzanova?? Decision, decisions, and more decisions? There are not too many albums that I want hear the whole thing from start to finish, because I become partial to certain tracks before long. So, I started making compilations years ago of all of my favorite album cuts, which have now been converted into mixes. Now, I have hundreds of compilations and mixes scattered around my home, which most of them are not even labeled! I know "true" music lovers know just what I'm talking about!! It has actually become something like a treasure hunt with my unmarked CDs. Every few weeks, I come across a mix I did a long time ago that I thought was lost? Usually, there is gem track or two on there that I totally forgot about. I said all of that because......I recently discovered (recovered) a few mixes that had been missing for minute, so I decided to share it with my peepz! U lucky @%!($#@? you!!!!

This is a mix that is based on grooves that are nice for relaxing and chillin' somewhere! No mushy love songs this time around, just some mellow jazzy flava! I am a hiphop fiend, so I threw some jazz influenced rap cuts on there for good measure. I don't remember what I was thinking when I put this one together, but it flows pretty well? I figure that most of these cuts will be a little different from the stuff that is usually heard by the average listener? Some of it may even sound strange initially? That's why I called this mix, "Ear Test: Relax and Chill!" Your ears will be tested, but I think it will be an enjoyable experience if you are willing to listen? My feeling is, most great music is never good on the first listen! It's usually an acquired taste that takes several listens to be fully appreciated. A few of the artists that are featured in this mix are: Spacek, Colossus, The Rebirth, Arnanda Project, MHz and Black Spade.


Alright, enough talking.....here's your Ear Test! After you finish listening to this mixx, leave me a message and let a brotha know what you thought! If you hated or loved it, tell me so!

Oh yeah, before close this post, I just heard some of the worst sh*t my ears have experienced in a real long time!! These types of "so-called" rap songs make me nauseous! This predator faced-dread headed clown named, T-Pain (I'm Sprung) has a video for this stupid song called, "I'm In Luv (With A Stripper)"...also featuring Mike Jones! Why they wasted good money making a video for this mess, I will never understand? This is trash rap! Where the hell is Luke Campbell and The 2 Live Crew when you need them??

This link has been updated:
Download Ear Test: Relax and Chill Mixx

Saturday, February 11, 2006

R.I.P. JAY-DEE A.K.A JAMES YANCEY!!
This is definitely a sad day in hiphop and music in general! When I heard that Jay Dee had passed away on 2/10/06 from kidney failure, I was personally devistated! I knew he had been in the hospital, and that he looked kind of sickly, but I never guessed he was on his death bed? Being a Detroit native, the group Slum Village has set the standard for Detroit underground hiphop! Slum's success gave other local rap artists the belief that being original and different is still appreciated in hiphop. Jay Dee has produced so many classic hits with his distinctive "Boom-Bap-Clap" production style over the years, it is impossible to name them all. He was definitely the pioneer of the laid back production style, and the slow-choppy, sometimes off-beat rhyme pattern! Originally, a member of the incredible production team, "The Ummah" that produced classic records for artists like The Pharcyde, Erykah Badu, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Common...Jay-Dee made a name for himself back in the early 90's! Dilla, as he was known in the hiphop community, is definitely one of my top 5 producers of all time! Whether with or without Slum Village by his side, it was hard to deny his true talent! Jay has made some great music over the last decade, but just like so many other hiphop greats like Biggie, Tupac, Pun and Big L....Jay-Dee has left us too soon!! Just like those greats, there will never be another J-Dilla, and he will be truly missed! Jay-Dee's latest instrumental music project titled, "Donuts" was just released on February, 7th...so support his legacy and his family by purchasing his album(s)!












R.I.P.....J-Dilla (1974-2006)!

Friday, February 10, 2006

SOUNDNEXX VALENTINE'S DAY MIXES!
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so by request from a few of my peepz, I put a couple of mixes together for you true romantics out there? A lot of hard exterior type folks try to act like they can't appreciate a good slow song? To that I say, "Grow up!" Can you really get your chill on with Busta Rhymes playing in the background? Honestly, I am truly a "HipHop Head" by nature, but I am very diverse in my music taste for good reasons. For all of those thug-passioned playaz out there, believe me.....a Luther Vandross song will get you much further with a woman than Tupac ever could! You youngstas, get some classic slow jams in your music collection, and you will be very happy you did when the ladies start coming around...trust me!

I decided to create two mixes this time around. The first mix is called, the "SoundNexx Dopest Duetz Mixx," which is basically some of my favorite duets (male & female) ever put on wax! I couldn't get all of my favorite jams in one mix, but I put a nice variety of old and new songs together! You and yours can relax and chill with that mix. The second mix is called, "SoundNexx Cupid of Love Mixx," which is a compilation of great love jams that range from the 1970's through 2005! If everything is working right for you on Valentine's Day, this mix is a nice finish to the evening........

For all of those couples still in love out there, keep up the good work, and for you single folks enjoying life on the solo tip, love ya damn self!! "LUV, PEACE & SOUL!"

Links have been updated:
Download The "SoundNexx Dopest Duetz Mixx" Here!

Download The "SoundNexx Cupid of Love Mixx" Here!


Don't forget the checkout my "Streaming MP3 Player" located on the right under SOUNDNEXX MUSIC PLAYLISTS!

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

KINDRED PERFORMS AT DETROIT'S WINTER BLAST DURING SUPERBOWL XL WEEKEND!
Kindred The Family Soul is definitely one of my favorite soul groups of the neo-soul era! The group members consist of Aja Graydon, and her husband Fatin Dantzler. Kindred has that same musical chemistry like other great singing couples like Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, Ashford & Simpson, Rene & Angela, and even Bobby & Whitney before they got hooked on cocaine...yeah I know!! Kindred have a unique sound that has been making waves since their classic album debut back in 2003 titled, "Surrender To Love." In 2005, they finally released their second album, "In This Life Togther," which reminded everyone that Aja and Fatin are still in this life together!

On February 4th, 2006...Kindred performed at a free outside concert at the Detroit Winter Blast Festival on Superbowl XL weekend. This concert also had the "too light 2 fight, too thin 2 win" R&B/Pop crooner, "Trey Songz," and Detroit native Kem on ticket as well! Unfortunately, Trey Songz was injured by a snowflake falling on his head, so he never made it!! Awwww!!?? I did get a chance to see Kindred perform live for the first time, and I was very happy I did! Don't forget, this concert was outside, at night in Detroit during the middle of winter! Yes, it was cold as hell outside, but I was determined to stick it out no matter what! To make matters worse, Detroit had one of largest snow blizzards in over a month during the concert as well! Aja was even jokingly complaining about her hair getting wet by the snow, and how she must really love Detroit because she hasn't left the stage yet! You know how "sistas" are about their hair!! I think there were about two inches of snow on top of my head by the time Kindred finished performing?

I must say, Kindred put on a helluva free concert! They didn't do any of those crappy musical medleys either (..which, I hate with a passion)!! Even with very large snowflakes falling in my face, getting jabbed by raggedy umbrellas, and crater-head-late-comers standing in front of me (blocking my perfect view)....I was able to snap a few camera shots! This is amateur-professional photography at its finest, so enjoy them. Remember what I went through to get these exclusives for you? Try to ignore the distracting dollar store umbrellas shown at the bottom of the photos.....!

Click photos to enlarge!






































If you are not familiar with Kindred The Family Soul.....now's the time to do yourself a favor, and get on the bandwagon! Click here to hear some sample tracks from Kindred.

Also, watch the video for the hot single,
"Question (Where Would I Be)" by clicking here!

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

THE SAMPLE THIS LESSONS (SESSION 2)
Ahmil Questlove (shown on the left) has been a musical inspiration in my eyes and ears for the last decade! Yes, he is the drummer/producer of my favorite hiphop band, "The Roots," but he's also the frontman behinds underground groups like Little Brother, Chapter 13, and Supastition. If you follow Questlove, then you know this man has a deep appreciation for classic soul music. He has several musical side projects sharing his love of classic soul music, but one of my favorites is his "Babies Making Babies" compilation series. With this series, Quest highlights some of his favorite slow jams, so you gotta love that! If ?uestlove is involved with a music project, you know it's quality!!

Recently, I heard a mix that Quest did...revealing the original samples of his favorite songs over the years, and I got inspired again! He basically, mixed only the original samples, so I used that idea in my Sample This Lessons (Session 2) Mix! This mix has a lot of goodies in it, so make sure you listen closely to each sample. These are all samples used in hiphop at one point or another by artists like: Mos Def, Kid N Play, Wu-Tang Clan, Run DMC, LL Cool J, Notorious B.I.G, Blackmoon, Rob Base, Jay-Z, and many others! This mix will be available for download for a limited amount of time, so if you want it....get it while it's HOT!!

Download this mix here!

Also, don't forget to leave your favorite love songs or groups in my previous post called, "LOVE SONGS 4 MY V-DAY MIX" shown below!

Before you leave, make sure you checkout the newly added "NEW MOVIE TRAILERZ" section on the right under the video player. Checkout Snoop Dogg's "Tenants" trailer, where he's trying to be dramatic..(yeah, okay)! Now, I ain't no punk, but that dayum "Omen 666" trailer is some scary ish!!! Check it out, if you ain't scurrd???