Microphone Fiend

Today is the birthday of one of my all time favorite MC's, one of the best to ever flow over a beat, Rakim Allah aka the God MC. I grew up on his music and in my opinion Rakim was hands down the best ever. Ask any hip hop head and they may tell you the same or at least put him in their top three. I am posting one of my favorites by The God, Microphone Fiend off his 1988 album Follow The Leader in honor of his born day.

Happy birthday Rakim and many more. Keep flowing.

Decision

I don't usually post hip hop on my blog, mainly because most hip hop today contains a word so vile that it rankles me. Yet every now and then there comes a song that catches me off guard and just flat out floors me, like this one. It's called Decision by Busta Rhymes and it's off his 2009 LP Back On My B.S. Now as the title states, you can just imagine what's being bantered about on about 98% of the album, but the other 2% is just downright beautiful.

Decision stars Jamie Foxx, John Legend, Mary J. Blige, and Common. In fact Jamie is the first voice you hear as he sings the chorus. Busta follows him and flows strongly over the beautiful melody. Then Mary comes in with the chorus and harmonizes behind Busta as he raps his second verse. Then John Legend sings the chorus and he's followed by Common. The thing that catches me is how this is a song about real friendship, unconditional friendship which we all could use.

I am not a big Busta Rhymes fan but I am of Decision and I can't seem to get it out of my head. Hopefully you'll enjoy this song as much as I do, and if it doesn't make you a fan of Busta's, maybe it'll make you a fan of the song at the very least. Enjoy.

Bad Guy

Here is the song that demonstrates the the pure evil, twisted, and artistic genius of Eminem. The name of this song is Bad Guy off of this years release, The Marshall Mathers LP 2. It is the sequel to his smash hit song Stan that he preformed on stage at the Grammy's with Sir Elton John. That song was about Eminem's biggest fan named Stan that killed himself because Eminem didn't acknowledge his existence. In one part of Stan, Stan tries to get Eminem's autograph for his younger brother who shuns them, it's the younger brother in Bad Guy that's come to take revenge for his older brother.

The lyrics are amazing, the music is fitting, dark and moody. But the goose bump moment for me is when the track completely changes and it becomes a different song. The second part of Bad Guy is Em's conscience, letting him know that he's going to be weighing on his mind until Em realizes it's time to hang it all up and walk away. That until then he's going to remind him of his hypocrisy, his disdain for gays, his abuse of women, and his fear of losing his voice.

This song is pure genius to me. Read the lyrics, follow along, and see if you agree with me. And if you like this song then you should check out Rap God and Stronger Than I Was, they are as equally amazing. Enjoy!

Dear Mama

Comprised of the samples of Sadie by The Spinners and All My Wildest Dreams by Joe Sample, Tupac Amaru Shakur crafted one of the greatest hip hop songs ever created. Dear Mama was the platinum single off of his 1995 album Me Against the World. The first time I heard it I couldn't believe my ears and it confirmed for me the truth about Tupac, he was uncannily empathetic. This was a rapper that didn't run and hide from his emotions like so many others have done and still do.

Tupac was killed 17 years ago today and when he passed it felt like someone I knew, someone who was a close friend of mine was taken from me. It wasn't until I heard his song My Block though did the tears over his death finally fall. I cried for the same reasons fans of Marley and Lennon cried, because the man who made such impassioned songs like Dear Mama and My Block was gone forever. That eventually there will be no more new music by him and that silence would become deafening. Thankfully he left those and a massive collection of songs behind for us to enjoy and for that I am eternally grateful to him.

May you continue to rest in peace Tupac, and thank you for everything.

World's Famous

I'm going to let you in on a little secret so keep this just between us, okay? Pinky swear! Okay, today is my birthday and every year on my birthday I play the hell out of this song. Don't ask me why, I have no idea why but I do. It just makes me feel better (and younger maybe). The song is World's Famous which is off the classic 1983 album Duck Rock by Malcolm Mclaren.

It's a song that always puts a smile on my face no matter what I am going through, this year it's no different. And today I really need this smile. I won't tell you how old I am so don't ask :) What I will tell you is this song brings me back to a time when I had everything I could want. A happy, healthy, and complete family and friends, and the world ahead of me. Maybe above all, that's the reason why I play it.

More than likely everyone asscociated with the making of this song has passed on but they left me, us with a treasure. You may not like this song as much as I do but to me it's full of fun and joy and what birthday couldn't use more fun and joy? Enjoy!

My Block

I don't usually post hip hop on my blog, for my own personal reasons. This is one song though, that from the very first day I heard it, has been close to my heart. It's from the iconic and enigmatic Tupac Shakur and it's the classic My Block from the 1995 The Show soundrtrack.

If you listen closely to the lyrics then this sonmg may give you chills like it does to me everytime I hear it. Back when I first heard it, I loved it. When I heard it again after Tupacs untimely demise, I cried. I cried because the man responsible for this sweet and brutally honest testiment to inner city living, offered up in such a heartfelt way, was now gone forever. I cried because there would be no more songs like this and so far, hip hop has proven me right.

Tupac wasn't the best rapper, there were far more skilled rappers lyrically when he was around but Tupac had something no one could ever match. Tupac had a white hot passion and a hunger that came across in everything he did. He also had an honesty I will always love him for. All these years later and he's still missed. Enjoy!