I wish I could top that… but I ain’t even gonna put forth the effort. And so, with no further ado, and a shoutout to The Doors, we go from five to one right about… NOW:
DANJ! Presents: 25 For Love, Pt. 3 (#5-1)
02/18/2011
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Classic Material, DanjLovesTheR&B, Love Movement | Tagged: AALIYAH, DEBARGE, ISLEY BROTHERS, JODECI, SHALAMAR | 
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DANJ! Presents: 25 For Love, Pt. 2 (#15-6)
02/16/2011
“I just zoned on how ill it is to really fall in love… Pimpin’ is whatev … Love is that shit!”- Kanye West via Twitter
If I can be allowed to get on some butter-soft shit before I go into these here luh songs… I think at times that I’ve been more in love with love than anyone in particular. I like songs about it, movies about it, I even like happy couples when I see ‘em at Wal-Mart n’shit. Even in having enough justification to hate the hell outta love, I still believe (shoutout to Brenda K. Starr). I wouldn’t say I’m a sucker for love, like them niggas who probably spent most of Monday posting bitter status updates on FaceBook. Still, a good song at the right time of year has been known to have me on Stupid Cupid mode. Case in point: the 10 I put up the other day, and now, these 10…
10 Comments | Classic Material, DanjLovesTheR&B, Love Movement | Tagged: AARON HALL, BLACKSTREET, FORCE MDS, JODECI, SINEAD O'CONNOR, SURFACE, TEENA MARIE, THE DEELE, TROOP | Permalink
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AllTime8: G.T.D.
01/24/2011Yeah, you know it… today’s entry is all about those songs that used to come on the radio, and you might get smacked in the mouth for singin’. Either that, or you’d get asked about a certain part in the song and what you know about it, and you’d have to act like you didn’t know shit. Or maybe that was just me.
Today’s AllTime8 is all about eight great “GTD” anthems from the ’90s. Music to hump by, if you will. It’s kinda funny to see people from my generation comment on new music and say “it’s all about sex now, back then they sang about love”… I don’t know what ’90s them niggas grew up in, but the one I grew up in was where they started getting a whole lot more blatant wit’ it. But hey, that’s neither here nor there- here are my eight personal favorite ’90s joints dedicated to Gettin’ The Draws:
6 Comments | AllTime8, DanjLovesTheR&B, GTD | Tagged: AL B. SURE!, GINUWINE, H-TOWN, JODECI, KEITH SWEAT, R. KELLY, SILK | Permalink
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“Don’t Talk… Just Listen”
07/01/2010
Welcome to July on DLT90s, where I’ll be West Coastin’ with Death Row Week, talkin’ bout TLC, and maybe even doin’ a lil’ mixin’. Who knows… Today, I bring you another story from my own life that I recently had some laughs about- the time I heard DeVante Swing of Jodeci school a chick on how deep his cheese & wine game was.
19 Comments | Just That Sh*t To Make You Laugh, My Life | Tagged: DEVANTE, JODECI | Permalink
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JoDeCiDal Thoughts
03/15/2010
As evidenced in my previous entries about Dru Hill and SWV, some of the best and most remembered R&B groups of the ’90s are the ones who barely made it past their third album. There weren’t many that had some kinda long-running reign on top. Instead, they came through, made a gang of hits, and wrapped that shit up shortly thereafter. Another of these cases was that of Jodeci, four kids from North Carolina who came to New York on a whim and went home with an Uptown Records contract. K-Ci, JoJo, Dalvin, and Devante Swing were only a unit for about five years, but it was enough time to change the game.
12 Comments | Best Of..., DanjLovesTheR&B, Hip-Hop Soul, Love Movement, Nuff Respect Due | Tagged: JODECI, K-CI & JOJO, UPTOWN | Permalink
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Well, It’s A Group Thang…
08/19/2009
Quick question: the hell happened to all the R&B groups?
Remember when every other week, there was a new act that consisted of three to five members? When names like Boyz II Men, SWV, TLC, Jodeci, and En Vogue were in the forefront, and every new group that came out was compared to them? Solo artists did their thing no doubt, but groups played a big part in the sound of R&B in the ’90s (and every decade prior, too).
Of course, some of them were derivative and random as all hell, while others were so non-descript that they had no presence whatsoever. But a lot of the best music from that time period- even if it was just one song- came from trios, quartets, and quintets. The current lack thereof is something that I feel is a void in the music today, because there’s so much focus on solo artists now. There’s definitely some who are stars of their own merit, but there’s also some who’d possibly be much better off in a team effort.
As sorely missed as the group element is, I kinda understand why that could be. At the risk of bein’ dead-ass wrong (but a good chance of bein’ dead-ass right), I have some educated guesses as to why there are so few groups nowadays.
Dead Fukkin’ Presidents: It’s the thing that has split artists from their labels, producers, and eachother… and it’s definitely killed off more than its fair share of groups. Money has been at the center of too many breakups to name, but the story always ends up the same once it comes out. Since it’s well-known by now that artists really don’t make as much money as they appear to, it’s fair to assume that a lot of them just don’t see a future in accepting a small piece of a small pie.
“Ain’t Nobody Comin’ To See You, Otis”: My second guess is that with group efforts come different personalities, and sometimes even members with their own set of different personalities. Instead of just creating great music together, a lot of groups imploded because of a member who believed (or was led to believe) that he/she was bigger or better than the others. It’s the same shit that’s been goin’ on since the Temptations and the Supremes in the Motown era. You’d think they’d have seen the stories of other great groups that fell apart and learn from them, but even the best ones got trapped in the same predicament.
“They’re Allll Dooooomed”: My final guess is that labels have simply seen what the fate is for most R&B groups, and have decided that it’s just not worth it. Aspiring artists themselves don’t look to be in a group these days, whether they’re cut out to be solo or not. As I mentioned before in my “90s Girls” entry, a lot of them didn’t last past their second album- whether it was due to declining sales or parting of the ways. In some cases, these groups were pieced together in the first place, so the breakup was bound to happen eventually. It was just a matter of how long they’d take to get tired of pretending they were friends.
Nowadays, we’re left with… Day26, Pretty Ricky, and Electrik Red? Ehh. Sad to say, I think the influx of R&B groups in the ’90s mighta had an influence on the low demand for them now. Most didn’t last, damn near all of them broke up, and only a few have split and reunited (not that it mattered once they did). The few who managed to stay together got pushed out by the changing industry. To me, it sucks that there isn’t much of a place for groups in popular R&B (or hip-hop for that matter) today. Unfortunately though, it’s one of those things that suck for us as listeners, but make perfect sense for business.
After all, who the fukk needs harmony when we have Autotune, right?
Tony! Toni! Tone! “It Never Rains In Southern California” (1990)
TROOP “Spread My Wings” (1990)
Boyz II Men “It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday” (1991)
Shai “If I Ever Fall In Love” (Acapella Version) (1992)
XScape “Just Kickin’ It” (1993)
BlackStreet “Before I Let You Go” (1994)
En Vogue “Don’t Let Go (Love)” (1996)
Destiny’s Child “No, No, No” (1998)
-D!
10 Comments | 90s Girls, DanjLovesTheR&B, Hip-Hop Soul, Love Movement, Whatever Happened To...? | Tagged: 112, 90s, BLACKSTREET, BOYZ II MEN, DanjLovesTheR&B, DESTINY'S CHILD, DRU HILL, EN VOGUE, HI-FIVE, JODECI, SHAI, SWV, TLC, TONY! TONI! TONE!, TOTAL, TROOP, XSCAPE | Permalink
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Summer Seven Series: 1995
07/27/2009
So yeah… ’95 was a great year. YOU see the picture.
That was my old girl Aisha, a situation that ended up jumping off-and-on for the next three years. It was one of those relationships where the counterparts stay at each other’s throats, but always manage to end up cool again. We met at school in ’93, when I was a freshman who was crazy into her, and she was a junior who couldn’t be less interested. After about a year-plus of like and dislike, we finally ended up together in late-’94. By summer ’95, we were way into each other and GTD-ing on the regular (whenever we weren’t arguing over THEE dumbest shit).
In other news, I was 15 and flexin’ nuts. I was at the rec for the summer again, and spending blowing my money more responsibly. I had also begun DJing by this time, although I def. wasn’t ready for prime-time yet. But in the process of stepping my game up, I made a connection with DJ Base, who at the time was on WEAA‘s Strictly Hip-Hop show. I used to listen to that shit faithfully, hoping one day I could parlay this connection into possibly getting a spot on the show. I stayed on my lil’ starter kit every day, fukkin’ up needles and bein’ the best Kid Capri I could try to be.
In addition to that, I was starting to venture out with my rap aspirations too. That summer, I performed on stage for the first time at a showcase held at Monique‘s Comedy Club. I also made an appearance on 92Q‘s “Battle of the Baltimore MCs” segment, which at the time was my first time rhyming on the radio (but not my last… wait for ’98). Whenever I wasn’t making (turrible) mixtapes, I was making tapes of my “songs” over my favorite instrumentals. I didn’t really have my mind on “gettin’ on” at the time; I was all about findin’ an avenue to be heard first and foremost, one way or the other.
One pattern in all of these years (that even I’ve noticed while typing these entries) is that a LOT of shit I did revolved around music. I tried to get into sports and other shit, but it was never my thing. I found more enjoyment in taping videos or buying records than I did in developing my athletic skills (or lack thereof). I wasn’t gonna make it into the 3-on-3 basketball tournament or any of that… but I sure the fukk knew what day Cuban Linx was comin’ out.
The Danj! Summer Seven of 1995:
Notorious B.I.G. “One More Chance” (Stay With Me Remix): Arguably runnin’ that rap shit by this point, B.I.G.’s Debarge-sampling remix puts the official stamp on it.
Jodeci feat. Raekwon & Ghostface Killa “Freek’N You” (Remix): The “bad boys of R&B” and the Cuban Linx co-d’s connect. All day like Harry Belafonte.
Bone Thugs N Harmony “1st Of Tha Month”: Cleveland‘s own BTNH rep for SSI, WIC, and all that shit with the official anthem.
Luniz “I Got 5 On It”: Messin’ with that indo weed, the Luniz fukked around and made a classic for all those who engage in the herbal practice.
Grand Puba “I Like It”: Puba continues his solo run, and the DeBarge family continues to cash them checks. The term “stinkbox” is still a lil’ disturbing, but that’s neither here nor there.
Raekwon feat. Ghostface Killah “Criminology”: Rae’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx KILT every other album that dropped around that time (with Mobb Deep’s Infamous being a possible exception)… this being one reason why.
Mary J. Blige feat. Smif-N-Wessun “I Love You” (Remix): A favorite from MJB’s My Life album scores extra points with the addition of the Boot Camp Click‘s gun clappers.
IN CASE YOU MISSED ‘EM: check out the other Summer Sevens HERE.
-D!
10 Comments | DanjLovesTheHipHop, DanjLovesTheR&B, Hip-Hop Soul, My Life, Summer Seven Series, Young Youth | Tagged: 1995, BIGGIE, BONE THUGS, JODECI, MJB, PUBA, WU-TANG | Permalink
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Summer Seven Series: 1992
07/06/2009
Someone asked me not so long ago, “how the hell you even remember what time of the year shit came out?” It cracks me up too, truthfully. I guess it’s because like the corny-ass saying goes, music was really “the soundtrack of my life”. I remember what songs were out at particular times, because I listened to music so much back then. It actually plays just as much a part in my memory as the actual events do.
Annnd that brings me to the third edition of the Summer Seven. ’92 was the year, and here’s where things really changed. I began rapping a couple of months prior, after being inspired by Kris Kross of all people. Almost overnight, I went from being a casual-but-avid fan of hip-hop to being some kinda addict. Before, I was able to split my time between music, TV, writing, and regular 12-year-old stuff like video games and socializing. By the time summer rolled around, most things that I did centered around or involved music.
When I watched TV, it was usually videos- whether it was BET, MTV, or my favorite, The Box. I don’t remember seeing any movies that summer, yet I can remember that the request number for the “DWYCK” video was #706. The only other stuff I recall watching was wrestling (occasionally) and the Olympics (which was mostly all about seeing basketball teams from other countries get their asses beat by The Dream Team). Whenever I played video games with my brother, we listened to tape after tape the entire time. I stopped reading Pro Wrestling Illustrated and got stuck on The Source. I stopped trying to write stories and scripts, and started strictly writing (terrible) lyrics. Back then, once I got heavily into something, nothing else existed.
Well, ONE other thing existed: Cinemax. I was a young, crafty lil’ deviant, who stayed looking for movies that contained nudity and especially “strong sexual content”. Not only would I be sitting there with the TV on extra-low, but I’d have The Box on the “last channel” function of the remote. You ever see a movie where the guy who has people looking for him goes to bed with a gun taped to his hand, so he can jump up and start firing with no problem? That was me with the remote and the LC button. Pow!
Summer ’92 was just a lotta fun- introverted fun, but still rather got-damn enjoyable for me. It was all about music, Super Tecmo Bowl, McDonald’s triple cheeseburgers, and strong sexual content. I was listening to any and every tape I could get a hold of. I remember school-shopping and wanting to dress like the rappers did in their videos. It was the last time I ever went to see wrestling at the Baltimore Arena, as I’d eventually lose interest by the end of the year. 8th Grade was on the way, and I was ready to be a teenager.
The Danj! Summer Seven of 1992 (NOTE: limiting this list to seven was hard-as-fuck- I had a new favorite song almost every week that summer):
Mary J. Blige featuring Greg Nice “You Remind Me” (Remix): MJB’s first single ever gets treated with what would be a staple of her music for years to come- the remix. Only the beginning…
GangStarr featuring Nice & Smooth “DWYCK”: One of those cases where an unlikely pairing makes a surprise banger. Still one of my favorite tracks by both groups.
Main Source “Fakin’ The Funk”: A couple months before he decided to say “fuck them two DJ’s”, Large Professor and his group Main Source had some heat on their hands with this one. I’m still a lil’ tight about them not droppin’ the full album before they called it a day.
SuperCat “Ghetto Red Hot”: Dancehall reggae and hip-hop started merging a lot during the early-’90s, and this just might be the best track to EVER come out of that entire trend.
Jodeci “Come & Talk To Me” (Remix): Jodeci, along with Mary J., played a big part in R&B music shifting from the New Jack Swing era to the Hip-Hop Soul era. Exhibit A: this remix.
DJ Quik “Jus Lyke Compton”: I was lovin’ this shit right here. How can you argue with “When it was over, two niggas needed stitches/ Got cracked in they jaw for bein’ punk-ass bitches”?
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth “They Reminisce Over You”: Probably the best hip-hop single of the whole year, possibly Pete’s best beat ever, definitely CL’s best song ever, and surely one of my favorites of that summer. My God…
IN CASE YOU MISSED ‘EM: Summer Seven Series 1990 AND 1991
-D!
8 Comments | DanjLovesTheHipHop, DanjLovesTheR&B, Hip-Hop Soul, My Life, Summer Seven Series, Young Youth | Tagged: 1992, 90s, DANJLOVESTHE90S, DanjLovesTheR&B, DJ QUIK, GANGSTARR, JODECI, LARGE PROFESSOR, MJB, NICE & SMOOTH, PETE ROCK, RAP, REGGAE, Videos! | Permalink
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