HAPPY NEW YEAR!

















Well, 2005 has been an adventurous year! I am happy to have made through another year safe and sound! For the most part, things went well for me? I hope to have a much better year in 2006! I don't have any New Year's resolutions, but I plan to be constructive and having fun while I do it! Most folks around the world are pretty excited about celebrating the arrival of the New Year! That usually means going out to clubs, parties and possibly standing in the cold watching a firework demonstration? When it comes to me, I just like to chill on New Year's Eve! I find some place comfortable to relax, put on some smooth tunes, get some good food, and reflect on things until I get sleepy! All of that gun shooting, clubbing, excessive drinking, and yelling are not on my itinuary! I normally pick a few cuts from my collection to play during New Year's Eve, and this year I am going to share those tunes with my folks as a musical gift.

I want to give some shoutouts to my fam and friends that make this Earth a better place to be stranded on! I want to thank you all for your friendship, love and support in 2005! I'll see ya in 2006! If you owe me any money, pay up??

Have a safe and Happy New Year: Gwen, Punkin, El, Bessie, Flo, Donna, Angela, DeColle, Bessi, Cynamon, Peachy, Rodd, Jennifer, Tya, Lamarr, Be, Norman, Greg, Bernard, Jamel, Derrick, Joyce, Honey, Razina, Gene, Julian, Rick, Adwele, Tyce, PD, Charles, Jesse, Eddie, E. Harm, Edward, Denise, Sharnise, Dash, Chrissy, E-Dub, Reggie, Eriko, Doug, Jordean, Robert, Bill, Bub, Karen, Tootie, Yvonne, Angie, Vinnie, Angel, Sandy, Pablo, Annette, Marcella, Nate, and Tom Q! Anybody I missed...you know I got luv for you too!

Here is the "NewYear'zEve2006ChilloutMixx" for downloading as I promised! Before you play this mixx, find a nice comfortable spot, and maybe even get you a glass of your favorite drink on the rocks!! I went all over the place with this mixx, so hopefully your ears will enjoy it?? Let me know whatcha think about it? I can take it, believe me! :)

Mixx Tracklist:

1- Lay It Down - Dwele

2- Summer Madness - Kool & The Gang

3- Please Set Me At Ease - Madlib

4- Sunshine - Colossus

5- Feel My Love - Havana

6- So Far - Nicolay

7- The Way We Do (Zo Remix) - Little Brother

8- Sun Goddess - Ramsey Lewis

9- How's Life? (Cilla Collabo Mix) - The Society

10-Born Again - V feat. Jill Scott

11-Slide - W. Beasley feat. Jill Scott

12-Bittersweet - Siji

13-If You Play Your Cards Right - Alicia Meyers

14-Making Love In The Rain - Herb Alpert feat. Janet

THE REAL LADIES OF SOUL!
Over the years, I had the luxury of hearing all kinds of music! I quickly realized that the songs I hear on the local radio stations really don't represent the diversity in music like it should? Instead of playing music that gives listeners an opportunity to discover and broaden their listening experience, the radio stations use the music for capital gain! Radio executives deny this claim of course, but the proof is in the pudding (as they say)! Think about this small illustration that I am about to give you, and see what you think? The next time you get a chance, take a minute and stop at your favorite music store. It doesn't have to be a store that specializes in selling music either, a Best Buy, Circuit City or Media Play will due. If you look around, you'll see thousands of CDs available for purchase from all types of artists! Some artists you know and love, and others you may have never heard of before! The point is, there are all kinds of music to be heard, not just the so called, "Top 20!" I doubt that any musician would reject the opportunity to get their music played on the radio, so why is it that 80% of the music out there never gets heard? Secondly, how does the radio station decide what songs to play? Is it based on public demand? Is it the, "You pay, we play" scenario? I have my own personal beliefs, but I will leave that topic up for discussion.....

With all that being said.... I wanted to show some love to independent female singers that do their thang better than most of the singers that I hear on the radio, and see in the videos! Their music has substance, originality, and real emotion! These are some of the real soul singers that I feel need some well deserved attention! Some of these albums are older, and some are more recent! My point with post is to open a door for some of you to discover some good soul music! Most of these artist's albums are not available for purchase in your local stores, but you can buy them online! I have links attached to each album cover where you can hear samples of these albums, and even make a purchase if you choose to? If you want to buy any of these albums, and the links don't have that option available try: www.cdbaby.com for what you need! After checking these artists out, let me know what you think??

Warning: If you are looking for that Nivea-Keyshia Cole-Raven Simone type of music from the female singers I have listed below, this may be hazardous to your ears?? :) It's worth the risk though!

THE MEN BEHIND THE MUSIC!
This post is dedicated to some of my favorite producers! The production is actually my favorite part of most records! If the production is wack, I can give a dizzam about what the artists are talking about in most cases! I put a list together of my top 10 favorite producers of music that I have a deep respect for! Now, these are not the "best" producers of all time, but in my world they have definitely contributed to my fascination with music as a whole! This is only 10 of my favorite producers, but in my opinion these dudes have changed the game at one time or another with their production. These guys are/were risk takers when it comes to their beat patterns, music samples and instrumentation on the production tip! Let's start with RZA for example, he was the first producer I heard using sound clips from vintage kung-fu movies in his production! Wu-Tang's whole sound revolved around the martial arts, which changed the game and nitched him a spot as one of the top producers of his time. Then you have veterans like Pete Rock, with his pattened horns, JayDee with that famous bounce-clap, and DJ Premier with his unmistakable scratching techniques! All of which gave them a distinctive sound of their own! These katz definitely influenced the trend of hiphop back in the day!

In the newer school category, you have Pharrell, M.F. Doom, Madlib, 9th Wonder, DJ Spinna, and J-Zone! Pharrell and the Neptunes shook the industry back in 1998 when the world heard the production on the cut, "Super Thug" by N.O.R.E! The Neptunes had several chart topping hits after that, and are still going strong today! Pharrell has taken their sound even further with his own brand of clever production as a solo artists! Check for some new production from Pharell on the new T.E.R.I.Y.A.K.I. Boyz album release! M.F. Doom originally from the group KMD (Peach Fuzz) took the underground hiphop world by storm with his off-beat, unpolished and choppy style of production! To some his productions sounds like a bunch of noises that makes no sense, but when you take time to analyze what this man is doing, it is something incredibly original! When I heard the song, "Hey!" for the first time, I was immediately hooked! Now M.F. Doom has produced for some of the great underground MCs, and he has a cult like fan base that is unmatched! Madlib is one of my favorites because he has heavy jazz influenced production! The brother can take a Miles Davis or Roy Ayers groove, flip and chop it up, and make you think it was originally a hiphop sample! Not too many producers are as respected in the jazz community like this man either! DJ Spinna is one of the most overlooked producers in my humble opinion? He has produced tight tracks in all genres of music from house, soul, rock, acid jazz and hiphop! Not many producers can say the same. He has a sound that I would call, Spacey...because I can't think of a better word to describe it? As some of the greats lik Pete Rock, Jazzy Jeff and Primo, Spinna is actually a real DJ! He can rock a party with his mixing abilities, and he has several mixed albums to his credit! He is one to check for!

The last two producers on my list are J-Zone and 9th Wonder! I stumbled on J-Zone looking for some new hiphop back in 2000! At that time he was pretty unknown, but I was able to hear the independent release, "A Bottle of Whup Ass" EP...and I have been a huge fan ever since! He takes strange music samples from opera to classical, and loops them together in ways I had never heard before! This dude is nice on the boards! 9th Wonder of Little Brother fame brought hiphop back on track in the new millenium when it was losing its focus in my opinion! Ever since the breakup of essential groups like Pete Rock & CL Smooth, A Tribe Called Quest, EPMD, etc... there was a void in hiphop that was not being filled? Out of the dark shadows, here comes 9th Wonder to the rescue with his soulful loops and samples that could not be denied! Now, he's a household name, which I think he greatly deserves! Some critics feel that his sound is repeditive, but in my opinion...9th Wonders second hand-rehashed beats are better than mosts in these grim, lack of originality days of hiphop!!

After reading my list of producers, you are probably thinking, how could I not mention the other great producers like Kanye West, Dre, Marley Marl, Just Blaze, Scott Scorch, Rockwild, Rodney Jerkins, Puff Daddy, Jermaine Dupri, Diamond D, The 45 King, etc., that have also made industry changing records over the years? Well, the answer is....the ten producers I chose were my personal favorites that I felt have made the greatest difference in my life musically! If I ever make a top 20 list of my favorite producers, you can best believe all of those names would be on it!!

I put together a mix.."Dedicated 2 the Producers" with some of my favorite tracks produced by these katz! Check it out!

Tracklist: 1) One In A Million - Pete Rock & CL Smooth (Pete Rock), 2)Forth & Back (Original Mix) - Slum Village (JayDee), 3)C.S.S. - Jigmastas (DJ Spinna), 4)190 - Al Shid (J-Zone), 5)Flip The Script - Gangstarr (Primo), 6)Hityawitdat - Lootpack (Madlib), 7)Solid - Jean Grae feat. Phonte (9th Wonder), 8)Poisonous Darts - Ghostface (RZA), 9)Hey! - M.F. Doom, 10)All The Places - Pete Rock & CL Smooth (Pete Rock), 11)3-6-5 - Skam feat. Eminem (DJ Spinna), 12)Get It Together - Slum Village (JayDee), 13)What Is It - Busta Rhymes (Pharrell), 14)Speak Ya Clout - Gangstarr (Primo), 15)Daily Operation - Justus League (9th Wonder), 16)Fine Print - M.F. Doom, 17)Stroke Happy - J-Zone

Click here to download for a limited time!

DETROIT REPRESENT!

This post is dedicated to some of the newer local Detroit artists that are making moves! Detroit a.k.a "The Dirty Glove" has a lot of musical talent that is waiting to explode onto the mainstream side of the music industry. There is a strong underground hiphop scene in particular in Detroit, that has the potential to reincarnate the Motown movement from the 60's and the 70's if they worked together? Artists like Slum Village, Eminem, Paradime, Royce Da 5'9", D-12, and The Athletic Mic League have already taken Detroit hiphop to a global level, but the respect is still not there! When you think hiphop, you don't normally think of Detroit? On the soul tip, there are artists like Dwele, Platinum Pied Pipers, Amp Fiddler and Tiombe Lockhart that are getting some national and global recognition for their distinctive talents as well. There are many new albums dropping from Detroit artists in 2006, so hopefully I can do my part to promote these artists and get them some exposure?

Below, I put together a bundle of albums (old and new) from Detroit artists that I have been digging for a minute! This is just a glimpse of the talent here in Detroit, but I hope you will take the time to find out about these artists, and give them your support! I will have links attached to the album covers where they are available! If you need more info on any of these artists, hit me up, and I will try to find what you need!

SOUNDNEXX'S FAVORITE SOUL/R&B ALBUMS FOR 2005!

I will admit, I am a true hiphop fiend at heart, but I still need some good soul music to make my life complete! When I just want to chill or even shake a tail-feather, some good soul music is essential! This list was even harder to make then then my favorite hiphop albums of 2005! There was so much good soul music that dropped this year, it was difficult to narrow this list down to only 10! My final decisions really came down to heavy rotation and freshness? These were the albums that I played a lot, and they added some freshness to my music collection. Artists like Stevie Wonder and Mariah Carey came correct this year, and I can honestly say that I wasn't a real fan of their previous albums over the last few years! So, for them to make my list, that's really saying something? Artists like Raheem DeVaughn, Dwele, Darien Brockington, Kindred The Family Soul and The Platinum Pied Pipers put the soul back in the music for me this year! Darien Brockington only dropped an EP this year, but those songs were good enough to make the cut! There are not too many albums where you get nine good songs, so I had to add him to this list as well! Jazzy Jeff put together a real nice collage of great and upcoming soul artists to check for on his compilation as well! I have always been a Mary J. Blige fan from the start, but this new album is one of her most solid releases since the "My Life" album. Havana is unknown to many, which is really a shame! Her debut was one of my real favorites this year! If you didn't know, well now you know! If you are the Omarion, Ray J, or Marques Houston type of music lovers, then these albums may not be for you?? I encourage you to check for these artists, if you haven't already! Support these artists by purchasing their albums, because most of them need it!! Also, leave me your top 10 soul albums list in the comments area below this post, so I can see what you were vibing to in 2005! Again, all opinions and criticizms about this list are welcomed! Click on the album covers for samples from these albums, and more information about the artists!

1) RAHEEM DEVAUGHN - THE LOVE EXPERIENCE






2) DWELE - SOME KINDA...







3) DARIEN BROCKINGTON - THE FEELING EP






4) KINDRED THE FAMILY SOUL - IN THIS LIFE TOGETHER







5) JAZZY JEFF - THE SOUL MIXTAPE







6) HAVANA - LIFE







7) PLATINUM PIED PIPERS - TRIPLE P






8) MARY J. BLIGE - THE BREAKTHROUGH






9) STEVIE WONDER - A TIME TO LOVE






10) MARIAH CAREY - THE EMANCIPATION OF MIMI (PLATNIUM EDITION)

HIPHOP BREAK DANCING?
Is it me, or has the hiphop music made for real dancing vanished from today's sound? What happened to artists like Chubb Rock, Heavy D, M.C. Hammer and Kid-N-Play that made songs just for bustin' a serious move? Hell, what happened to the songs that actually taught you how to do the dance of choice like "Pee-Wee's Dance" by Joeski Love, and "The Biz Dance" by Biz Markie? Remember when M.C. Hammer and 357 would have you bustin' a sweat trying perfect the moves from their videos? How about when you first saw Ozone poplockin' and Turbo dancing with the broom on the sidewallk in "Breakin?" When you witnessed the serious breakdance battle at the Roxy in the movie, "Beat Street!" Dancing was a big part of hiphop back in the day, but part of the music has been lost! Today, a dance track is "Laffy-Taffy" I guess, which doesn't leave much to imagination! It's actually pretty sad! Being a good dancer back in the day had its benefits in the hood, at parties, and even with girls! The good dancers were well known, and respected when I was in school as well! Recording videos off of Video Jukebox and Rap City were essential to perfecting certain dances. I remember trying to find the perfect piece of cardboard or floor tiles to practice my backspin breakdance moves on. With this post, I wanted to take it back to those days of hiphop, when I really danced! I dug in my crates to pull out a few of my favorite hiphop tracks that I liked dancing to back in day. Don't get me wrong, I can still bust a move today, if you paid me enough?? I am calling this mix, "HipHop Dance Mixx Vol. 1" and it will downloadable for a limited time!

Here is the tracklist:

1) Super Lover Cee and Cassanova Rude - Girls, I Got Em' Locked
2) Kid-N-Play - Gittin' Funky
3) Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock - It Takes Two
4) Big Daddy Kane - Warm It Up Kane
5) Little Shawn - Who's That Girl
6) De La Soul - Me, Myself & I
7) Joeski Love - Pee-Wee's Dance
8) Special Ed - I Got It Made

Download "HipHop Dance Mixx Vol. 1"

PAYING HOMAGE TO THE SEXY OLD SCHOOL!
Being a true music lover, it would be impossible to represent real music without showing love to the old school artists that paved the way! I am a 70's baby, so I had the opportunity to grow up listening to all types of music in my household! Growing up in Detroit during the Motown era, I was able to hear plenty from acts like The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Smokie Robinson, etc. Jackie Wilson and Nina Simone were two of my father's favorite artists, so I knew all of their songs like the drive-thru menu at McDonald's! As the years went on, I found myself enjoying music more than I could ever know! Recording songs from the radio was an early hobbie, and I never left the house without my trusty walkman! Music was just music at that point in my life! Then I looked a music differently in 1983, when the Mary Jane Girls jumped on the scene! My life was changed forever! When I saw the "In My House" video on Video Soul (BET) for the first time, I was infatuated with these women. Other groups were pretty sexy too (Vanity 6, Klymaxx), but no one did it like the Mary Jane Girls! Cheri (Cheryl Ann Bailey) and Corvette (Yvette Marine) were my favorite members over their years in the music industry! Enuff said....

I will occasionally post a downloadable mix of old school music on this site, based on what I am listening too at the time! Today's mix will be representing the sexy old school female artists from the 80's that made a difference in my life over the years! I'll call this mix, "Sexy Ladies of the 80's!"

Download "Sexy Ladies of the 80's Mixx"

List of songs in this mixx:

1) In My House - Mary Jane Girls
2) Nasty Girl - Vanity 6
3) The Men All Paused - Klymaxx
4) I Didn't Mean To Turn You On - Cherelle
5) I Can't Wait - NuShooz
6) Let's Hear It For The Boy - Denise Williams
7) Mercedes Boy - Pebbles
8) He's The Greatest Dancer - Sister Sledge
9) Candyman - Mary Jane Girls

HOT NEW DECEMBER RELEASES WORTH CHECKING FOR!!
(CLICK ON THE ALBUM COVERS FOR A PREVIEW!)

















Checkout the new video from Busta Rhymes titled,"Touch It!" The brotha has finally cut those dreads off his head! The song is typical Busta, so you can ready for head-bobbin' rhythms!

"TOUCH IT" VIDEO

Also, don't forget to checkout the "Underground Videos" link under Muzik Spots on the right of this page! There you can see new videos from other underground artists that never made it to MTV or BET!!!!