Motown

One of the biggest influences in today’s music is the Motown Era. Though it now describes a whole genre of music, the name Motown originally came from the record label company Motown Record Corporation started by Barry Gordy, Jr. on April 14, 1960.  It was located in Detroit, Michigan, which is fitting considering the word Motown combines the words motor and town.

Famous artists of Motown Records included The Supremes, Jackson 5, Four Tops, and Lionel Richie. Another branch of the record company called Tamla Records included artists Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and The Marvelettes. Other branches of the record company: Gordy Records and Tamla –Motown Records. More recent artists under the label include Brian McKnight, Erykah Badu, and Boyz II Men.

Motown is one of the biggest influences of today’s R&B and hip hop music. It was a type of music that had everything going for it. It was dance music, love music, sing-a-long music, political music, drinking music, and anything else you could think of. It came during an era that saw a lot of change and people needed something to listen to get them through their days. So much expression went into the music made back then that it was given the title “soul music.” People raised up issues and asked questions through their music, but still kept the great singing and funky beats that makes it a loved genre today.

Listening to soul music, truly showcases the talent and dedication of the artists during the 60s and 70s. Listening to their music always makes my day seem a little bit better. So here’s a playlist of some of my favorite Motown hits.

1.    Tired of Being Alone - Al Green

2.    The House That Jack Built - Aretha Franklin

3.    Me and Mrs. Jones - Billy Paul

4.    Express Yourself - Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band

5.    I'm Gonna Make You Love Me - The Supremes

6.    All I Could Do Was Cry - Etta James

7.    At Last - Etta James

8.    I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bun) - The Four Tops

9.    People Get Ready - The Impressions

10. ABC - The Jackson 5

11. I Want You Back - The Jackson 5

12. Papa's Got a Brand New Bag - James Brown

13. Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes

14. I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye

15. Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

16. (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding

17. Try a Little Tenderness - Otis Redding

18. A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke

19. Going to the Chapel of Love - The Shirelles

20. You've Really Got a Hold On Me - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

21. I'll Take You There - The Staple Singers

22. Superstition - Stevie Wonder

23. Uptight (Everything's Alright) - Stevie Wonder

24. Fingertips, Pt. 2 - Stevie Wonder

25. Ain't Too Proud to Beg - The Temptations

26. I Can't Get Next to You - The Temptations

27. Love and Happiness - Al Green

28.You're the First, My Last, My Everything - Barry White

My favorite song from this list is A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke. Besides being an absolutely beautiful song, the emotion and expression in it is unprecedented. It completely defines that era.

Love and Happiness is a close second.

Cole World: The Sideline Story

So this week I decided to kinda review an actual album instead of giving a playlist. This is because one of my favorite artists came out with his debut album last Tuesday and I wanted to share it.

J. Cole, whose real name is Jermaine, is a 24-year old rapper from North Carolina. He graduated from St. John’s University and was one of the first artists to sign with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation record label and has quickly acquired a solid reputation and huge fan base.

He is, in my opinion, one of the freshest new faces on the hip hop scene today. Although his album just came out, he is by no means a new artist. Fans have been anticipating the drop of his album since last year, as he has delayed it numerous times.

Here’s the tracklist:

1.    Intro

2.    Dollar and a Dream III

3.    Can't Get Enough (f/ Trey Songz)

4.    Lights Please

5.    Interlude

6.    Sideline Story

7.    Mr. Nice Watch (f/ Jay-Z)

8.    Cole World

9.    In the Morning (f/ Drake)

10. Lost Ones

11. Nobody's Perfect (f/ Missy Elliott)

12. Never Told

13. Rise and Shine

14. God's Gift

15. Breakdown

16. Nothing Lasts Forever

17. Work Out

18. Who Dat

19. Daddy's Little Girl

My favorite tracks from the album were

Can't Get Enough (f/ Trey Songz)

Nobody's Perfect (f/ Missy Elliott)

God's Gift

Can't Get Enough is just a chill song. It has an island vibe and just makes you bob your head. Not to mention the fact that Trey Songz is on the track. On Nobody's Perfect, Missy pulls some old school and sings on the track, which matches perfectly with J. Cole's voice. And God's Gift just goes hard.

I love this album, but was actually expecting a little more. All his songs meet the hype, but after all the tracks he’s released and mixtapes he’s come out with, I was expecting a few more songs to be on the album. The three songs that I wanted to be on the album were

Neverland

Return of Simba

Heavy

But it’s ok since he has made all of his songs and mixtapes prior to the release of his album easily accessible and downloadable for his fans.

If you like his album then downloading his mixtape Friday Night Lights is a must. Though it’s not his first mixtape, it’s definitely his most popular one and for good reason. Unlike many mainstream rappers, who rely on a overly produced beat to get listeners, J. Cole uses his songs to tell a story and give expression to his life. There are rappers and there are lyricists and J. Cole is the latter.

Friday Night Lights

1.    Friday Night Lights (Intro)

2.    Too Deep for the Intro

3.    Before I'm Gone

4.    Back to the Topic (Freestyle)

5.    You Got It (f/ Wale)

6.    Villematic

7.    Enchanted

8.    Blow Up

9.    Higher

10. In the Morning (f/ Drake)

11. 2Face

12. The Autograph

13. Best Friend

14. Cost Me a Lot

15. Premeditated Murder

16. Home for the Holidays

17. Love Me Not

18. See World

19. Farewell

20. Looking for Trouble

My favorites off of this one are

Before I’m Gone

Blow Up

Looking for Trouble

But you can download the entire mixtape here

Rasta

Another form of music popular in California is Rasta. Rasta incorporates many different types of music, but the kind I mostly listen to is a combination of rock and reggae and has come about a bit more recently. Many Rasta bands originated in Southern California, but it is equally popular in the Northern parts. Outside of California, many people have no idea what Rasta is. But I have yet to meet a person who says they don’t like it.

Like reggae, Rasta is more of chill-type music. Rather than getting you pumped up or ready to dance, it prepares you for a relaxed day with nothing stressing you out. So here are some tunes to get you through your day:

1.    Another World - Natural Incense

2.    Attention Span - Rebelution

3.    Baby I Like It - Slightly Stoopid

4.    B.O.O.T. - Pepper

5.    Bowl for Two - The Expendables

6.    Chronic - The Holdup

7.    Closer to the Sun - Slightly Stoopid

8.    Collie Man - Slightly Stoopid

9.    Come Around - Collie Buddz

10. Dance Tonight - The Holdup

11. Dreaming - Pacific Dub

12. Drift Away - The Expendable

13. Falling - Iration

14. Green to Black - Rebelution

15. Looking In Your Big Brown Eyes - Bob Marley

16. Sacrifice - The Expendables

17. Safe and Sound - Rebelution

18. Sun Is Shining - Bob Marley

19. This Joint - Slightly Stoopid

These are a few of my personal favorite Rasta songs. I did mix in some straight reggae in there with the songs of Bob Marley, but Rasta is heavily influenced by reggae so it works well. Also, some bands like The Expendables and Pepper lean more towards the rock side, while Slightly Stoopid sounds a little more alternative. However, they all have that chill vibe that makes Rasta music so popular.

Sacrifice – The Expendables

Green to Black – Rebelution

Collie Man – Slightly Stoopid

Come Around – Collie Buddz

Listening to the above songs are a must as they are perfect examples of different expressions of Rasta.

Rebelution is definitely considered one of the pioneers of this kind of newer Rasta music. Created in Santa Barbara, California by five guys, they busted through the music scene in 2007 with their first album Courage to Grow. Their sound was unique and memorable and their fan base quickly grew in California.

The Expendables is another popular band that originated in Santa Cruz, California.  They are a bit older than Rebelution, with the four members coming together in 1997. Their most popular album was Getting’ Filty, containing has the song “Sacrifice,” which was featured on the game Guitar Hero World Tour.

My favorite band on here is Slightly Stoopid. They were formed in 1995 out of Ocean Beach, California. They sound like a combination of Sublime and Rebelution, always incorporating that laid back sound that makes Rasta music so great.

I was first introduced to Rasta in high school and have been listening to it ever since. It’s not really a mainstream genre of music as few bands have mastered the unique sound, but that’s actually one of the things I like about it. Not very many people listen to it so it allows me to spread the music, which is one thing I love doing. 

Yay Area

Being from Northern California or better yet, “NorCal,” I find that it’s only fitting that I dedicate my first post to a genre of music that originated from my part of the Golden State. Cities in this part of NorCal include San Francisco, Vallejo, San Jose, Oakland, Sausalito, Daly City, Berkely, Palo Alto, and Richmond. This type of music I’m talking about is Bay Area hip hop. There are a lot of terms related to this type of hip hop such as stupid, dumb and hyphy, Yay Area and the thizz face. Much of Bay Area hip hop has to do with partying, having fun, and of course, weed. This is like a lot of rap music, but the Bay Area has their own renowned style. What “Crunk” is to Lil Jon and the South, “Hyphy” is to the Bay. Many legends have surfaced from the Bay Area. This includes E-40, Mac Dre, Andre Nickatina, Keak Da Sneak, Traxamillion, Mistah F.A.B. and Too $hort. Even Tupac lived in Northern California throughout high school.

Listening to Bay Area music was one of my first introductions to hip hop and rap, so I have come up with a playlist that contain some of the necessary Yay tracks for those who are unfamiliar with this music:

1.    Blow the Whistle - Too $hort

2.    Get Stupid - Mac Dre

3.    Go Hard or Go Home (f/ Federation) - E-40

4.    Hands Up - Erk Tha Jerk

5.    I Got 5 On It (Remix f/ E-40, Dru Down Digital Underground, Richie Rich, Too $hort & Spice 1) - The Luniz

6.    I Wear My Stunna Glasses - Federation

7.    I'm On One - The Team

8.    It's Getting Hot In Here (Remix) - The Team

9.    Bottles Up - The Team

10. San Francisco Anthem - Traxamillion

11. Sideshow (f/ Too $hort & Mistah F.A.B.) - Traxamillion

12. Tell Me When to Go - E-40

13. That Go - Keak Da Sneak

14. Thizzelle Dance - Mac Dre

15. Up - LoveRance

16. Vans - The Pack

17. Yay Area - E-40

18. Yeah (f/ Messy Marv) - Andre Nickatina

19. 4AM-Bay Bridge Music - Andre Nickatina

20. 18 Dummy - Federation

21. Ghost Ride It - Mistah F.A.B.

22. Fast (Like a Nascar) [f/ Keak Da Sneak] - Kafani

23. Ayo for Yayo - Andre Nickatina

Now, Bay Area hip hop goes much deeper than this. Many of these tracks are the more popular dance/party songs that help newbies get associated with the Yay’s unique sound. And many of these are more recent.

If you listen to more Too $hort, E-40, and Mac Dre, you’ll be able to get more into the old school rap that started it all. Other old school rap artists/groups from the Bay Area include N2Deep, Souls of Mischief, The Conscious Daughters, and Saafir. You might also appreciate other artists such as The Jacka, San Quinn, and Messy Marv, which are less mainstream, but all legends in their own right.

My personal favorites from this list are:

That Go – Keak Da Sneak

I’m On One – The Team

Yeah (f/ Messy Marv) – Andre Nickatina

I never get tired of listening to those songs and they are the top played on my Ipod. Their beats scream Bay Area and I can never keep my body still when they come on. And I’ve never failed to get other people movin right along with me with these songs.

The most popular song on the list is probably “I Got 5 On It (Remix)” by The Luniz. It is often considered one of the greatest Bay Area hip hop songs of all time and I would probably agree. Every time I hear the beginning to that song, I immediately know what song it is and think of home. Not to mention it features a star studded cast of Bay Area greats on the track.

So I hope you check out the tracks on the list and enjoy them because I definitely do. And next time you’re in NorCal, you’ll know a little more about the culture and what people are listening to.