Monday, July 30, 2007

SOUNDNEXX FORGOTTEN ARTISTZ RE-MIXX
Recently, I came across a mixx I put together some time ago, and it got me thinking. There have been so many solid artists (at least I thought so anyway) whose musical careers have been toilet bound over the last few years. Some seem like they were heading in the right direction in the beginning, but eventually fizzled out? In most cases these artists disappeared without a trace leaving their fans confused about what happened. In most cases the fans never get a full explanation about why some of their favorite artists stop making music, but is that really necessary? No matter what the reasoning is for why they’ve stopped, the reality is that they’re not planning on making anymore music, which sucks! It sucks even more when the artists only have one or two albums before they give up on their careers. That leaves fans hitting the rewind button forever on old material with no hopes of getting something new. Research has revealed that the reasons most of the artists that stop their careers abruptly is because of personal life issues and/or bad record deals. Before I forget, I’d like to personally thank Puff Dummy a.k.a Diddy for ruining plenty of my favorite artists’ careers over the years!

One of my favorite female artists that left me high and dry from the 90s era is Monifah. I had hopes and dreams for this talented young lady. She began her career working with Heavy D, but eventually they parted ways. It seemed like when that happened her career took a nose dive, and then she vanished. The saddest part about her leaving the game is that she had the whole package: the voice, the vocals and the look. Another female artist that showed up in the back of a milk carton real quick was Mona Lisa. Most probably don’t even remember Mona, but she came from the Monica, Brandy and Aaliyah generation of young female singers. She had a couple solid singles to start things off, but after she released her first solo album “11-20-79” in 1996 her career was a wrap. B Angie B (MC Hammer's background singer) never seemed to get her foot all the way in the door as a solo artist. It seemed like she couldn’t get from under the shadow of Hammer even when she released a solo album some years a later. I still visit all of their musical grave sights every so often to pay my respect.

Let’s shift gears from the female solo artists to the female R&B groups for a minute. I would have to say that Total is definitely one of favorite ghetto urban female groups of all time. I liked how these ladies kept that tough girl swagger about them, but they knew how to be sexy and they could actually sing! They were the one of the best at flipping the most rugged hip-hop beats into something real smooth with their sexually driven vocals. I was shocked by their abrupt disappearance, but when you are signed to Bad Boy Records that is to be expected. Then you have the ladies of Xscape that still hold the trophy for the Least Attractive Group of the 90s Award just above the runner ups SWV. Even though they ranked low on the good looks meter, these women could actually sing in harmony at the drop of a hat. They definitely had plenty catchy hits during their run, but due to internal turmoil they disbanded. Kandi Burruss left the group and tried her hands at a solo career that failed miserably. I did hear a mediocre comeback track in 2003 from the new version of Xscape that included a new addition to the group, but I haven’t heard from them since.

I know when the subject of male R&B solo artists that have come up missing, the first two names that come to mind for most are Maxwell and D’Angelo for obvious reasons, bet let’s go back further into time. How many of you folks remember Christopher Williams? This dude stunk as an actor, but he was untouchable as a singer. Other than Al B. Sure, Christopher was the main reason why light skinned dudes were in back in the 90s? I thought with a voice like his, he’d be around forever, but I was totally wrong. He did pop back up in 2001 with his forgettable independent release “Real Men Do,” but by that time he had been long forgotten. Speaking of forgotten, who remembers Horace Brown a.k.a Mr. One4TheMoney himself? He was to the 90’s what the artist Tank is today. Both rarely have on a shirt and they both can truly sing. Horace was another artist that I thought would have a few solid albums under his belt by now, but again he did the David Copperfield on us too. I can go on and on naming the artists and groups that have vanished over the years, but I’ll stop here for now. I’ll let the music tell you the rest of the story.

The mixx I present you today is an oldie, but goodie! It’s showcasing remixed versions of songs from the artists mentioned above and a few others that weren’t. I call it “ForgottenArtistzRe-Mixx.” It’s definitely on that 1990s vibe, so if you enjoy music from the era this mixx is for you! The m
ixx track listing is coming soon, so until then enjoy this audio journey down memory lane.

FORGOTTEN ARTISTZ RE-MIXX TRACKZ:
01-Craig Mack ft. Q-Tip - Get Down (Remix)
02-Rotten Raskalz - Alright (Remix)
03-Angie B - My Life (Eric B Remix)
04-Horace Brown ft. Fabolous - One For The Money (Remix)
05-Nuttin Nyce - In My Nature (Dem Boyz Remix)
06-Total - No One Else (Remix)
07-Xscape ft. King Just - Do You Want To (Remix)
08-Mona Lisa - Wasting My Time (Remix)
09-Sweet Sable - Old Times Sake (Remix)
10-Mista - Blackberry Molassas (ATL Remix)
11-Joya - Gettin' Off On You (Eddie F Remix)
12-Monifah ft. McGruff - I Miss You (Hip-Hop Remix)
13-Craig David ft. Mos Def - 7 Days (Remix)
14-Vanessa Williams - The Way That You Love Me (Remix)
15-Tevin Campbell - Back To The World (Remix)
16-Next - Too Close (Hoppers Extended Remix)
17-Christopher Williams - Every Little Thing You Do (Hip-Hop Remix)

GET THE 4GOTTEN ARTISTZ HERE!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

WHAT! You are naming all of my favorite 90s groups. I still listen to that Mona Lisa album. have all three of Monifah's album.

The Tank/Horace comparison is hilariously on point.

As always, your mix made my day!

Anonymous said...

Im a big fan of 90s music. Hip Hop and R&B. I was going to do a post like this. Guess you beat me to it. *looks for other songs* Will be sure to link this post whenever I do creat mines. Keep them coming.

*daps*

Anonymous said...

LOL! good post Jamz! ..man oh man, those were the good ol days huh *sighs*....I luved Monifah also...shucks.....Keisha from Total is Omar Epps wifey.

Carloscorleone said...

Hey Soundnexx, i've just come across your FORGOTTEN ARTISTZ RE-MIXX TRACKZ post and after I clicked on the link it had expired, i'm from Africa & I grew up on the tracks u have on that mixx track and now being in Australia I know for sure I will NEVER be able to get my hands on the music you posted and man I am desperate, any chance you could post it again or refresh the link, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE???