SMOKE & MIRRORS

“Your Love” – Nicki Minaj

“No More I Love You’s” – Annie Lennox

“Starz” – Jaylib

“The Stars Are Out Tonight” – Starcastle

(Dedicated to my girl, Lea, who brought this track back to my attention. Keep bangin.)

Before Vicky B[eckham] realized she couldn’t sing and subsequently gained tabloid fame in the states, she got together with then Roc-A-Fella CEO, Damon Dash, to record this devastation. Butchering The System’s original, Beckham must’ve realized she couldn’t actually be serious. It’s most likely the reason she hung up the girl group lipsynching to develop her fashion persona. [She chose not to release the single stateside and instead did their Roc-A-Wear ad campaign] At least Posh can dress.

“This Groove” – G-Side & Burn One

“Piggy Bank” – 50 Cent
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“Sonet Shekspira” – Alla Pugacheva
Dupont don’t pretend
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“Doing Anything” – Freeway
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“Baby Come Back” – Player
Officially Philly’s time to shine.

People have been asking me (as if I had open contact with the man), what’s happened to Hov? Jay’s latest disc is crap – a disappointment to say the least. Although, so was his last one. But his last one [The Black Album] was some of his greatest work and spawned one of the most imperial mash-ups of all-time [The Grey Album]: so, in giving him that, dissecting the only semi-Hov-caliber tracks on the new album should be easy. The two singles thus far do use some pretty researched stuff – hear the Kanye-helmed “Run This Town,” for instance – it’s got Greek rock band The 4 Levels of Existence’s “Someday In Athens.” “D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)” loops around with a 1970 indie jazz courtesy of No I.D.

“Run This Town” =

“D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)” =

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Thus far, this is the only Frankmusik song I’m really into. I think it might be its use of the classic M.A.R.S. sample that did the trick. Hear for yourself.

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Sorry you haven’t heard from me in a bit. Been visiting family and friends in Buffalo and Oakland.

And since I’ve been chilling in the Bay Area, it’s only appropriate I dissect some Play-N-Skillz slickness. I recall hearing their “Freaks” single in Los Angeles on the freeway with my dad a few years back. It was number one on some hip-hop station’s daily countdown and I had never heard it before. Perhaps the East’s radio never got the memo – because the shit was hot and still is. It features both Krayzie Bone and one of my faves, Adina Howard, while the sample used is Art of Noise’s 1983 “Moments in Love” and can be heard in Drake and Kyoko’s phenomenal, short but sweet “Come Real” (off his mixtape Heartbreak Drake). “Moments In Love” is one song that you’ll hear everywhere from Tech N9ne to LL Cool J to Mya and back. These two tracks, though, do the original tune such justice in their sparsely touched productions, they could easily be confused as firsts.

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(One of the best videos ever made?)

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This is the start of a new post series. Ever wonder what’s behind that new Wayne track? And why it sounds so familiar? It’s likely a sample. Most samples remain as mysteries to the average listener… until now. For le first entry, I give you Janet’s “All Nite (Don’t Stop)” and its aural DNA, “Hang Up Your Hang Ups” by Herbie Hancock.

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