Monday, May 30, 2011

PLAYLIST | The Bitter End Lounge: Oldschoolery | 5.29.11

9:02pm
00:00  Michael McDonald - Minute By Minute
03:56  Quincy Jones - Just Once
04:24  Cameo - Sparkle
08:49  Bob Marley & The Wailers - Trench Town
10:15  Rufus & Chaka Khan - Tell Me Something Good
13:35  Bill Withers - Use Me
15:42  The Dramatics - Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get
18:21  Prince - Darling Nicki
21:09  Player - Baby Come Back
22:55  Stevie Wonder - Have A Talk With God
25:32  Jermaine Jackson - You Need To Be Loved
26:58  The Isley Brothers - Footsteps in the Dark, Pts. 1 & 2
29:15  Barry White - Playing Your Game, Baby
31:39  Earth, Wind & Fire - That's The Way Of The World
33:10  Aaron Neville - Hercules
37:21  De La Soul - 3 Days Later
39:07  Outkast - So Fresh, So Clean
40:56  Parliament - Dr. Funkenstein
43:06  The Meters - Just kissed my baby
47:26  The Roots - Silent Treatment
52:47  Cocoa Brovaz - Sound Bwoy Bureill
54:39  Artifacts - Wrong Side of da Tracks
55:32  Barry White - I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More
10:02pm
59:15  Foster Sylvers - Misdemeanor
1:01:43  Club Nouveau - Why You Treat Me So Bad
1:02:32  Herb Alpert - Rise
1:05:43  Chic - (Funny) Bone
1:06:30  CRU - Just Another Case (Dirty)
1:07:41  De La Soul - Buddy
1:10:52  Del the Funky Homosapien - Mistadobalina
1:12:39  Rick James - You and I
1:13:59  Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
1:16:40  Prince - Kiss
1:19:43  Stevie Wonder - Do I Do
1:23:08  Patrice Rushen - Forget Me Nots
1:27:14  KC and the Sunshine Band - Get Down Tonight
1:28:18  Carl Carlton - Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)
1:29:52  Kool & The Gang - Hollywood Swinging
1:32:07  A Tribe Called Quest - Can I Kick It
1:36:33  Eric B & Rakim - Eric B. Is President
1:39:10  EU - Doing The Butt
1:40:49  De La Soul - Ego Trippin' (Pt. 2)
1:43:31  Mtume - Juicy Fruit
1:45:06  The Mary Jane Girls - All Night Long
1:47:29  Michael Mcdonald - I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)
1:50:58  Leon Haywood - I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You
1:52:11  The Meters - Handclapping Song
1:53:42  Busta Rhymes - Woo-Hah!! Got You All In Check
1:56:27  Slum Village - Fall In Love
11:01pm
1:58:12  Snoop Dogg ft Nate Dogg - Ain't No Fun
2:02:10  Biggie - Juicy
2:04:57  Common - The Light
2:09:01  Dana Dane - Cinderfella
2:10:06  Dennis Edwards - Don't Look Any Further
2:11:42  Delegation - Oh Honey
2:14:06  George Benson - Gonna Love You More
2:15:58  A Tribe Called Quest - Common Ground (Get It Goin' On)
2:19:07  Dr Dre - Fuck Wit Dre Day
2:22:07  A Tribe Called Quest - Bonita Applebum
2:24:24  Nas - It Ain't Hard To Tell
2:27:10  De La Soul - The Bizness (w/Common)
2:29:57  Biggie - Unbelievable
2:32:05  Curtis Mayfield - Tripping Out
2:36:15  Dawn Penn - You Don't Love Me (No, No, No) (Album) 
2:41:38  Eek-A-Mouse - Terrorists In The City
2:42:19  Peter Tosh - Legalize It
2:45:04  Hall & Oates - I Can't Go For That
2:48:26  Slave - Watching You
2:51:35  George Benson - Give Me the Night
2:52:58  Cameo - Candy
12:01am
2:58:48  Kool & The Gang - Jungle Boogie
3:02:07  Zapp - More Bounce to the Ounce
3:05:28  The Isley Brothers - For the Love of You, Pts. 1 & 2
3:07:21  Zapp & Roger - Cutie Pie
3:08:42  Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love
3:12:49  The S.O.S. Band - Just Be Good to Me
3:14:20  EPMD - So What Cha Sayin'
3:16:06  Beastie Boys - Hey Ladies
3:18:14  L.L. Cool J - Around the way girl
3:19:43  Ice Cube - Check Yo Self [Remix]
3:20:56  The Beatnuts - Watch Out Now
3:22:57  Lords Of The Underground - Chief Rocka
3:23:39  Erick Sermon - Music
3:25:35  Naughty by Nature - Hip Hop Horray
3:26:48  a.tom.called.cooney - Hip Hop Junkies
3:28:23  A Tribe Called Quest - I Left My Wallet In El Segundo
3:31:22  The Boogie Boys - A Fly Girl
3:32:35  Mad Lion - Take It Easy
3:33:21  Eric B & Rakim - Paid in Full
3:35:45  Jackson Five - I Want You Back
3:37:05  A Tribe Called Quest - Electric Relaxation
3:40:43  James Brown - Hot Pants
3:41:31  Naughty By Nature - O.P.P.
3:45:20  Paperboy - Ditty
3:47:49  Montell Jordan - Get It On Tonite
3:49:35  Black Sheep - The Choice Is Yours 12"
3:52:19  House of Pain - Jump Around
3:54:57  Slick Rick - Children's Story
1:00am
3:57:49  Keith Sweat - I Want Her
3:58:42  Brick - Dazz
4:00:19  Rene & Angela - I'll Be Good
4:01:52  The Gap Band - Oops Up Side Your Head
4:04:43  George Clinton - Atomic Dog
4:06:55  Bee Gees - Night Fever
4:09:39  KC & The Sunshine Band - That's The Way (I Like It)
4:11:41  Luther Vandross - Never Too Much
4:13:39  Shalamar - A Night To Remember
4:17:15  Slave - Just a Touch of Love
4:18:55  Indeep - Last Night a DJ Saved my Life
4:21:06  Kool And The Gang - Get Down On It
4:21:36  Vaughan Mason & Crew - Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll
4:24:09  James Brown - Cold Sweat
4:25:28  Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock - It Takes Two
4:29:21  Think (about it)
4:34:42  Michael Jackson - Rock With You
4:36:33  Zapp & Roger - Doo Wa Ditty
4:37:01  De La Soul - Me Myself And I
4:38:23  Lakeside - Fantastic Voyage
4:39:27  Wham - Everything She Wants
4:40:55  Boz Scaggs - Lowdown
4:42:21  Cameo - Word Up
4:43:44  Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)
4:45:17  The Beastie Boys - Brass Monkey
4:46:51  New Edition - Cool It Now
4:47:20  Stevie B - Spring Love
4:48:26  Tony Toni Tone - It Feels Good
4:50:11  Tone Loc - Funky Cold Medina
4:51:04  Heatwave - Boogie Nights
4:52:20  Michael Jackson - Off The Wall
4:55:11  Bee Gees - You Should Be Dancing

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Gil Scott Heron 4.1.49 - 5.27.11

By CRISTIAN SALAZAR
NEW YORK – Musician Gil Scott-Heron, who helped lay the groundwork for rap by fusing minimalistic percussion, political expression and spoken-word poetry on songs such as "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" but saw his brilliance undermined by a years-long drug addiction, died Friday at age 62.

A friend, Doris C. Nolan, who answered the telephone listed for his Manhattan recording company, said he died in the afternoon at St. Luke's Hospital after becoming sick upon returning from a trip to Europe.  "We're all sort of shattered," she said.

Scott-Heron was known for work that reflected the fury of black America in the post-civil rights era and also spoke to the social and political disparities in the country. His songs often had incendiary titles — "Home is Where the Hatred Is," or "Whitey on the Moon," and through spoken word and song, he tapped the frustration of the masses.

Yet much of his life was also defined by his battle with crack cocaine, which also led to time in jail. In a 2008 interview with New York magazine, he said he had been living with HIV for years, but he still continued to perform and put out music; his last album, which came out this year, was a collaboration with artist Jamie xx, "We're Still Here," a reworking of Scott-Heron's acclaimed "I'm New Here," which was released in 2010.

He was also still smoking crack, as detailed in a New Yorker article last year.
"Ten to fifteen minutes of this, I don't have pain," he said. "I could have had an operation a few years ago, but there was an 8 percent chance of paralysis. I tried the painkillers, but after a couple of weeks I felt like a piece of furniture. It makes you feel like you don't want to do anything. This I can quit anytime I'm ready."

Scott-Heron's influence on rap was such that he sometimes was referred to as the Godfather of Rap, a title he rejected.

"If there was any individual initiative that I was responsible for it might have been that there was music in certain poems of mine, with complete progression and repeating `hooks,' which made them more like songs than just recitations with percussion," he wrote in the introduction to his 1990 collection of poems, "Now and Then."

He referred to his signature mix of percussion, politics and performed poetry as bluesology or Third World music. But then he said it was simply "black music or black American music."
"Because black Americans are now a tremendously diverse essence of all the places we've come from and the music and rhythms we brought with us," he wrote.

Nevertheless, his influence on generations of rappers has been demonstrated through sampling of his recordings by artists, including Kanye West, who closes out the last track of his latest album with a long excerpt of Scott-Heron's "Who Will Survive in America."

Scott-Heron recorded the song that would make him famous, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," which critiqued mass media, for the album "125th and Lenox" in Harlem in the 1970s. He followed up that recording with more than a dozen albums, initially collaborating with musician Brian Jackson. His most recent album was "I'm New Here," which he began recording in 2007 and was released in 2010.

Throughout his musical career, he took on political issues of his time, including apartheid in South Africa and nuclear arms. He had been shaped by the politics of the 1960s and black literature, especially the Harlem Renaissance.

Scott-Heron was born in Chicago on April 1, 1949. He was raised in Jackson, Tenn., and in New York before attending college at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. 

Before turning to music, he was a novelist, at age 19, with the publication of "The Vulture," a murder mystery.

He also was the author of "The Nigger Factory," a social satire.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Friday Funkdown | Leon Haywood

Leon Haywood started his career in the 1960’s in Houston, Texas as a singer/songwriter.  After relocating to Los Angeles he recorded over 20 US R&B singles on Decca Records, Columbia Records, and MCA Records.  His most popular single is “I Wanta Do Something Freaky To You” in 1974 which he recored on 20th Century Records.  The single reached #7 on the R&B chart and #15 on the Pop chart on 1975.  His song “Push It, Don’t Force It” was a Top 40 hit single in the UK in 1980.  Haywood is also credited with writing the 1981 song "She's a Bad Mama Jama" recorded by Carl Carlton. Haywood is considered a one hit wonder by most.  However, his one hit is one of the funkiest songs of all time.  “I Wanta Do Something Freaky To You” is one of the most recognizable funk tracks ever, as it was sampled by Dr. Dre on “Nuthin But A G Thang”.  This was the first time I had ever heard of Leon Haywood.  Although he is improperly cited on the album as L. Hayward, it wasn’t long before we all figured out who he was.  Public Enemy, Bloods & Crips, Redman, Masta Ace, Aaliyah and 50 Cent have also sampled this song.
“I Wanta Do Something Freaky To You” sets the crowd off every time I play it.  I had one dude say to me “Are you really playing Leon Haywood right now?”  Yes my friend I am, and I will continue to play that single until my days of DJing are over.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest


At the last Rock The Bells concert I attended almost three years ago, I was always wondering why Michael Rapaport followed them around so intently, until someone told me it was for a movie. Well, that end result – Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest – is now set to grace eyes at a movie theater near you this summer. We’ve all seen, heard and read about the issues surrounding it, but now we can judge for ourselves when it touches down in our respective cities. You can check the dates for the showings in each city right here. Props to Rap-Up.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

PLAYLIST | Cork: Get Down Downtown | 5.19.2011

 
Start: 10:01pm
00:00  Rufus - You've Got the Love
01:03  James Brown - Make It Funky
02:30  Jackson 5 - I Want You Back
04:51  Sly & The Family Stone - If You Want Me To Stay
07:09  Janet Jackson - Nasty 104bpm
10:13  Lisa Stansfield - Been Around The World
13:27  Truth Hurts Ft. Rakim - - Addictive
15:35  Busta Rhymes - Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See
18:48  Jeremih - Birthday Sex Bass Mix - Clean
21:33  Rihanna - S And M (Original)
24:32  Jennifer Lopez ft Pitbull - On The Floor
26:07  Stevie B - You Are The One
27:54  Rick James - Superfreak
29:25  New Edition - Cool It Now
32:01  Soul II Soul - Back To Life
34:53  Ini Kamoze - Here Comes The Hotstepper
35:36  Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love
38:56  Parliament - Flash Light
41:54  Parliament - Flash Light
43:35  Sly & The Family Stone - Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
44:39  Milli Vanilli - Girl You Know It's True
46:10  Tara Kemp - Hold You Tight
47:57  Digital Underground - Humpty Dance
50:41  Shaggy ft Rik Rok - It Wasnt Me
52:56  LL Cool J - Around The Way Girl
54:37  K7 - Come Baby Come
56:08  Commodores - Nightshift
57:30  Curtis Mayfield - Tripping Out
11:01pm
59:50  Al Green - Here I Am (Come And Take Me)
1:03:10  A Tribe Called Quest - Find A Way
1:04:42  Mary J. Blige - Family Affair
1:08:02  The Notorious B.I.G. ft Faith Evans - One More Chance Remix
1:09:50  The Fugees - Fu-Gee-La
1:13:57  Snoop Dogg ft Pharrell - Drop It Like Its Hot
1:15:12  Black Eyed Peas vs DJ Danny Diggz - Imma Be
1:17:24  Killer Mike - A.D.I.D.A.S.
1:18:43  Lupe Fiasco - Kick Push (Clean)
1:20:47  Ice Cube - You Know How We Do It
1:23:31  Billy Squier - The Stroke
1:24:56  LeVert - Casanova
1:28:08  Pitbull ft NeYo, Afrojack and Nayer - Give Me Everything
1:30:27  Bon Jovi Vs. LMFAO - Shots Through The Heart
1:32:42  Kardinal Offishall vs. Prince - Dangerous vs. Kiss
1:36:13  Justin Timberlake/Michael Jackson - Sexy Jack
1:37:38  Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
1:39:09  Michael Jackson - Rock With You
1:41:29  Michael Jackson - Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enou
1:44:10  Cee Lo Green - Fuck You
1:48:07  Juvenile - Back That Azz Up - Dirty
1:49:46  Snoop Dogg - Gin and Juice
1:52:07  A Tribe Called Quest - Check The Rhime
1:54:14  Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy
1:58:22  Herb Alpert - Rise
12:04am
2:03:12  Herb Alpert - Rise
2:04:07  The Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize
2:05:13  De La Soul - Baby Phat (ft. Devin The Dude)
2:08:45  Kanye West - Gold Digger
2:11:50  Tevin Cambell - Can We Talk
2:14:44  The Beastie Boys - Paul Revere
2:18:26  A Tribe Called Quest - Bonita Applebum
2:20:18  Doug E. Fresh/Slick Rick - The Show
2:22:16  P.M. Dawn - Set Adrift Memory Bliss
2:23:53  Soul For Real - Every Little Thing I Do
2:26:02  Naughty By Nature - Hip Hop Hooray
2:27:25  Wreckx-n-Effect - Rump Shaker
2:30:06  House Of Pain - Jump Around
2:32:07  Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock - It Takes Two
2:33:54  Tony Toni Tone - Feels Good
2:35:50  Tone Loc - Funky Cold Medina
2:37:55  Rick James - Give It To Me Baby
2:41:09  Prince - Raspberry Beret
2:43:15  Black Eyes Peas - My Humps
2:44:44  The Dream ft Kanye West - Walkin On The Moon
2:48:07  Kardinal Offishall ft Akon - Dangerous
2:50:07  Outkast - The Way You Move
2:52:07  2 Live Crew - Me So Horny
2:54:12  Salt 'N' Pepa - Push It
2:56:49  J.J. Fad - Supersonic
2:58:41  Duice - Dazzey Duks
1:01am
3:00:38  H-Town - Knocking da Boots
3:04:44  De La Soul - Me, Myself and I
3:07:31  Gnarls Barkley -Crazy
3:10:43  Ghostface Killah - Cher Che La Ghost
3:14:24  Father MC f/ Jodeci - Everthing's Gonna Be Alright
3:15:21  Luther Vandross - Never Too Much
3:20:55  Johnny Gill - Rub You The Right Way
3:23:16  Jodeci - Freak Me

Friday, May 20, 2011

Friday Funkdown | Zapp

Brothers Roger Troutman, Larry Troutman, Terry “Zapp” Troutman, Lester Troutman, and Tony Troutman formed Zapp in Dayton, Ohio in 1978.  Their blend of funk and soul, mixed in with the classic “hand-clap” snare drum made their sound unmistakable.  Bootsie Collins (childhood friend of Roger Troutman) introduced the band to George Clinton who immediately signed them to his label “Uncle Jam Records” in 1979.  They released their first album entitled Zapp in 1980.  The record label folded in 1980.  Both bands signed with Warner Brothers.
Prior to the signing with Warner Brothers, Roger had been working with George Clinton on a solo project.  Warner brothers offered Roger more money, so he decided to sell the rights of the music, which would later be known as The Many Faces of Roger released on Warner Brothers.  As a result, George Clinton sued Roger Troutman and Warner Brothers, which resulted in George Clinton leaving the label.
The band continued their success into the 80’s with the release of “Zapp II”, “Zapp III”, and “The New Zapp IV U”.  By 1985 they had 5 gold records, including singles "Doo Wa Ditty", "Heartbreaker", “So Ruff, So Tuff”, "I Can Make You Dance", and the famous baby makers “I Want To Be Your Man”, and “Computer Love”.  Each song features Roger Troutman using the talk-box on his vocals.
Tragedy struck the band in 1999 when Larry murdered his younger brother Roger, and then took his own life.  Many believe that Roger had mentioned to Larry that the band was looking for a new manager and this drove Larry over the edge.
Zapp has had a major influence on the Chicano/Cholo community and anyone owning a lowrider.  Their music has been sampled by EPMD, X-Clan, Rodney-O and Joe Cooley, Fu-Shnickens, Bloods & Crips, Quasimoto, and Slum Village.
I have always been a huge fan of Zapp.  I love the combination of the hand-clap and Roger on the talk-box.  Their unique sound has created some of my favorite hip hop tracks from the late 80’s and early 90s.  You can guarantee that anything featuring a Zapp sample will keep your head bobbing and the track on repeat. 

Friday, May 13, 2011

Friday Funkdown | Isaac Hayes

 
Isaac Hayes was born on August 20, 1942 in Covington Tennessee.  He is best known for his musical score of the film “Shaft” for which he was awarded an Academy Award in 1971.  The single was also #1 on the Billboard Top 100 for 2 weeks that same year.  Hayes is also known as the voice of Chef on the popular animated series South Park during the late 90’s.
After the deaths of label mates Otis Reading and 5 members of the Bar-Kays in separate plane crash incidents, Hayes was released from Stax Records and started his own record label entitled Hot Buttered Soul. Although Hayes achieved greatness as a singer/songwriter throughout the 60’s and 70’s, (he was also the co-owner of the ABA team The Memphis Sounds) record sales fell dramatically on the new label and he and his wife eventually filed for bankruptcy in 1976.  By the end of the bankruptcy proceedings in 1977, Hayes had lost his home, much of his personal property, and the rights to all future royalties earned from the music he'd written, performed, and produced.  In other words, he got “Shafted”.  Over the years, Isaac Hayes was able to recover financially.
Hayes also has been featured in over 30 movies and TV shows including some of my favorites; Escape from New York, Truck Turner, I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, and CB4.
Several hip hop artists such as Public Enemy, DJ Quik, Compton’s Most Wanted, Biggie, Biz, Markie, The Alkaholiks, and MF Doom have sampled Isaac Hayes’ music.   One of my favorite joints from back in the day is “Neva Go Back” by Special Ed.  Probably because it samples on of my favorite Isaac Hayes songs, “Look of Love”.  Some other classics include; “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic”, “Walk On By”, “Never Can Say Goodbye”, and “A Few More Kisses To Go”.
Sadly, Isaac Hayes died on August 10, 2008 at the age of 65 of an apparent stroke.  He has left an impression on us all as a singer, songwriter, musician and actor.  Of Hayes’ work, 'American Masters' creator and executive producer Susan Lacy stated. “He was cool before it was cool to be cool!  He left us a storehouse of classics, pure poetry that will live forever because they are, quite simply, among the greatest songs ever sung.”

Friday, May 6, 2011

Friday Funkdown | GAP Band

The Greenwood, Archer and Pine Street Band was formed in 1967 in Tulsa Oklahoma by brothers Charlie, Robert and Ronnie Wilson.  They eventually shortened their name to the GAP Band.  Together, along with Ronnie Smith and Raymond Calhoun, the band is responsible for all time classics such as "Outstanding", "Burn Rubber On Me", "Humpin", "Yearning for your Love', "You Dropped a Bomb on Me", and "Party Train".  The GAP Band dominated the R&B charts from the late 70s into the early 80s.  Four of the bands nine albums went platinum plus, selling millions of records and 15 Top Ten R&B hits, and four #1 R&B hits.
The GAP Band’s unique combination of funk, quiet storm, r&b and soul has left a lasting impression on the music industry.  They have paved the way for r&b artists such as R. Kelly,  Blackstreet, Keith Sweat, Jagged Edge, Ruff Endz, Guy, II D Extreme, Mint Condition, and Aaron Hall.  The band has been sampled or covered by over 150 artists including 2nd II None, Snoop Dogg, Paris, Nas, Ice Cube, Redman, and Kris Kross.  Outstanding remains one of the most sampled songs of all time.
I love the GAP Band, and so does Ma Dukes.  She introduced me to them over 30 years ago.  I can remember sliding around on the living room floor listening to "Oops Upside Your Head" and "Early in the Morning".  One of my all-time favorite r&b songs is "Seasons No Reason To Change".