Weekly PHEast of Hot Tracks
Black Coffey - "Hard to Get"
Classy joint right here folks. A classic story of a PHEmale playing hard-to-get suddenly turns into a brilliant up-tempo jazzy, funky, smooth, R&B tune. Motown Records is just spitting out hot R&B acts these days and Black Coffey is no exception.
The Demigodz - "Don't You Even Go There"
Sampling Lauryn Hill's voice will inevitably create a hot track. Clever lyrics and metaphors from this underground sensation make this group comparable to a Jurassic 5. Real chill, real hot, oxymoron? I think not.
Swizz Beats feat. Bounty Killer - "Guilty"
"YO, yo, yo, yo, YO!" Swizz Beats will not be successful due to his rhymes. Now that that is settled, this track isn't that bad at all. The beat is hot, Bounty Killer adds a nice Reggae flavor, and even though Swizz Beats' rhymes aren't the best, his voice is still pretty cool. Get the club jumpin' with this one!
Rock feat. Nate Dogg -"Walk Like A G"
Rock of Heltah Skeltah teams up with producer Scott Storch and hook specialist Nate Dogg to make a West Coast sounding joint that'll get the hydraulics bouncing and the drop top lowered. Pick it up, bob ya head, light your..., sip your..., and call it a day.
Scarface feat. Jay Z & Beanie Sigel - "Guess Who's Back"
"Guess who's bizzzack." You guessed it, Scarface. Is he my favorite? No. Luckily Jay Z and Memphis Bleek rap enough on this to keep his verse to a minimum. I hate to crack on Scarface like that, but this is one of the better songs I've heard from him. If you have some time, check it out, it's worth a listen.
J.Lo feat. Nas - "Its Gonna Be Alright"
Only 2 reasons why this song is being credited with a write up: 1) Nas is the man. 2) This song is going to get played like crazy and I want you to say you heard it here first (give me a break, I like the fact that this will help our section spread by word of "mouf.") J. Lo "sings" over the "I Got Five On It" beat on this joint as Nas completes the formula that has equaled hit after hit for J. Lo. Clever idea J. Lo, this Luniz beat has never been used before... SIKE! PS: There is a version with 50 Cent as well if you're a 50 fan.
Word Has It...
Prophet Jones has broken up because one member (the one with the afro) left the group. Supposedly he is having trouble feeding his children with all the free promotional touring they're doing - what a shame.
Foxy Brown has signed with Bad Boy. I sure wouldn't like to be in the office when Lil Kim AND Foxy are there! I'm sure we haven't seen the last of signings and drops from Bad Boy.
50 Cent is finally dropping an album later this month that will consist of freestyles, mixtape joints, some older tracks, and even some new ones. Only an independent label would drop something as shady as this.
Sparkle has accused R. Kelly of messing around with her young niece. Oh lord R Kelly, say it ain't so!
Dr. Dre's next album (summer 2003) will be titled Detox and has been quoted recently saying, "I'm not talking about lowriders and blunts and all that anymore. I mean, that's played. As a matter of fact, I'm tired of hearing other people talk about it, to tell you the truth."
What's Giddy Pheelin....errr not
Avant - Ecstasy (MCA)
While this R&B crooner resembles the currently much-maligned R. Kelly, Avant's style and ability stand apart. In his efforts to avoid the dreaded "sophomore curse," Avant has managed to put together a solid effort. The lead single from Ecstasy, "Makin' Good Love" is currently getting a lot of spins and play on radio and on television. Where Avant comes through on this album are the slow jams. Tracks like "Thinkin' About You" and "Don't Say No, Just Say Yes" make one think of R. Kelly's baby makin' ballads from 12 Play. While these tracks get you in the mood, they're a bit subtler than R. Kelly's tunes. While the majority of the album is solid, it fails in two aspects: one, by misplacing a number of songs and two, by trying to fit the now-popular formula of containing some up-tempo songs that are really just filler tracks. Despite these qualms, "Love School" and "Call On Me" are tracks that are definitely candidates to be heard on a radio station near you. While the quality and consistency of the songs on this album at times leave something to be desired, Avant's second album is a solid effort that shows marked maturity in content and talent. If you're looking for an R&B album with a healthy dose of ballads, slow jams and up-tempo tracks this is for you.Ali - Heavy Starch (Universal)
How could something like this come about? Of course having someone like Nelly as part of your crew helps in pitching an album to a label, but I think Universal might have to give Ali the Benzino treatment after this album effort. Although Ali's lead single "Boughetto" is making a bit of noise on music channels, it has yet to make a dent on the radio. While Ali's subdued and deliberate style differs drastically from the melodic vocals of Nelly, he remains just as annoying. Not only does Ali constantly rhyme the same words over and over gain (example: I hate to see her leave, but I love to see her walk off/ imagine what her ooohhh look like when her clothes come off/ I'm rollin' with the tops off/ see, tops come off/when the street lights go off/ I hear shots go off/I'm a humble show off/ I be beatin' when I roll off...), he fails to understand the significance of the beats in his song and constantly rambles.I don't know what Ali's talking about when he says he's a humble show-off. Even St. Lunatics cohort Nelly can't save this album with appearances on "No" and "Wiggle, Wiggle." Maybe Universal should make a track entitled "No," as in no more records in the future for Ali and no more putting blatantly talent-less friends on because you made it big. Forget about "Batter Up," Ali can take a seat in the dugout.
