SMOKE & MIRRORS » track anatomy

track anatomy: common.blue

MH — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:58:48 +0000

World Premiere: “Blue Sky” – Common

track anatomy: trae.the.mack

MH — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 02:05:55 +0000

More MACK on S&M here.

track anatomy: ill.be.nana

MH — Sat, 07 May 2011 08:11:19 +0000

track anatomy: queen.breaka

marcusah — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 21:53:20 +0000

track anatomy: lo.lambada

marcusah — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:29:13 +0000

track anatomy: jagged.life

MH — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 07:21:24 +0000

World Premiere: ”My Baby” – Jagged Edge

[vodpod id=Video.5113098&w=425&h=350&fv=]
“Fast Life” – Kool G Rap (Featuring Nas)

Overjoyed to hear one of my all-time favorite songs be sampled by
fucking JAGGED EDGE! Total doozie!

track anatomy: kanye.twisted

MH — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 14:45:22 +0000

Debate: Can one sample all these tracks and still be considered creative?
Go.

track anatomy: simple.blaze

MH — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 12:20:05 +0000

“Blazin” – Nicki Minaj (Feat. Kanye West)

“Don’t You Forget About Me” – Simple Minds

track anatomy: funk.dat

MH — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 22:47:08 +0000

“You Ain’t Got It” – Nina Sky

“Funk Dat” – Sagat

track anatomy: lonely.2

MH — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 01:20:26 +0000

World Premiere: “I Get Lonely Too” – Drake

Where are all these amazing covers coming from?
Hip-hop’s finest.

track anatomy: dade county, usa

MH — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:14:35 +0000

[vodpod id=Video.407911&w=425&h=350&fv=]
“Let’s Go” – Trick Daddy (Feat. Twista & Lil’ Jon)

“Crazy Train” – Ozzy Osbourne

track anatomy: time to get drunk

MH — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 00:04:30 +0000

“Drunk In The Club” – Bei Maejor

“Time To Say Goodbye” – Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman

track anatomy: loc’d out

MH — Wed, 12 May 2010 21:21:44 +0000

“The Kid Frankie” – Wiz Khalifa

“Hangin’ On A String” – Loose Ends

If you haven’t already…
download Wiz‘s latest mixtape Kush & Orange Juice

track anatomy: so.lo

MH — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:48:48 +0000

Song of the Day, Part I: “Solo” – Iyaz

Continuing in the spirit of my newfound Caribbean obsession, I bring you the ridiculously Summer-appropriate “Solo” by Tortola native and J.R. Rotem-affiliate, Iyaz. (Yeah, so he’s Sean Kingston‘s boy, too – who cares?) The track gives you a reason to bask in radio’s current lack of creativity. If the tune sounds familiar, it’s because it is. Peep the classic Janet joint it sampled below.

Song of the Day, Part II: “Again” – Janet Jackson
[vodpod id=Video.455152&w=425&h=350&fv=]

track anatomy: stargaze

MH — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:51:55 +0000

“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.)

track anatomy: do not disturb

marcusah — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:51:53 +0000

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

Don’t sleep on G-Side. Mad love for ‘Bama.

track anatomy: thug love

marcusah — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:51:51 +0000

“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.

track anatomy: blueprint 3

marcusah — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:20:52 +0000

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)” =

track anatomy: the first night

marcusah — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 21:15:27 +0000

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.3358949&w=425&h=350&fv=]

track anatomy: time will tell

marcusah — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:18:03 +0000

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.

track anatomy: freaks/come real

marcusah — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:31:08 +0000

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.

=[vodpod id=Groupvideo.3190311&w=425&h=350&fv=]
(One of the best videos ever made?)

track anatomy: all nite (don’t stop)

marcusah — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 03:08:46 +0000

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.

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.3065670&w=425&h=350&fv=]
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