Living In Rhythm

I was asked what my top five must-listen R&B/Hip Hop records are. I figured I'd cross-post here because this blog is predominantly about music and lists.

1. Voodoo - D'Angelo. Okay, look. D'Lo is arguably the best neosoul singer of our time. His musicianship is incredible, and Voodoo, as an album, is one of the best examples of when an album feels like it sounds. The music fills your head when you listen to it. And the album came out in 2001 and still feels current; you could put any of those songs on the radio today and people would go nuts.

2. Aaliyah - Aaliyah. Baby Girl. I mean, I think most people who follow me understand how much I love her, but in case there's any doubt, it's a fucking lot, okay? Aaliyah was working with Timbaland before working with Timbaland was cool. Her songs are catchy and empowering. They're provocative in a subtle way (kind of like she was) and sexy as hell without trying. There's not a thing I'd change about this album, other than the fact that it was her last.

3. Food and Liquor - Lupe Fiasco. I have always been a rap fan, and I've always gravitated more towards rappers who have things to say, rather than ones who are boasting about...okay, anything. The first song I heard off this album was Kick, Push, and I was basically like, 'Wait, this guy has an entire song about skateboarding? I must hear more'. The lyrical content on this record is a little staggering (same for all Lupe's records). I single this one out just because it's the one that made me fall in love with him. But you should probably listen to Lasers, too.

4. Mama's Gun - Erykah Badu. The first time I heard E.Badu I was at a dinner party in college (what even?) and ...& On was playing and I basically camped out by the stereo all night and wouldn't let anyone change the CD. I feel like Erykah has this vision in her head of what she wants her music to look like (yes, look like) and she gives you just enough, then keeps the rest for herself. It's like she doesn't really want you to see it all. That probably makes no sense to anyone but me. Mama's Gun is her best record (in my opinion) and one I still listen to often, even though it came out over 10 years ago.

5. The Evolution of Robin Thicke - Robin Thicke. When people talk about blue eyed soul, this is what they're referring to, just FYI. Robin Thicke makes good fucking music and I feel like he doesn't get enough credit for it. All his albums are amazing, but this one is kind of overwhelming, actually. Vocally staggering, but the musicality and the writing are incredible, as well. There is not a song on this album that I don't enjoy, and there are so many lovely lyrics. This is the record that gave us Lost Without U, which is arguably one of the sexiest songs ever. People need to listen to more Robin Thicke.

Honourable Mentions (generally because they're popular enough that you've already heard them...)

The College Dropout - Kanye West
The Diary of Alicia Keys - Alicia Keys
Confessions - Usher
The Black Album - Jay-Z
II - Boyz II Men
Be - Common
Get Lifted - John Legend
Now - Maxwell

This post is archived under aaliyah, alicia keys, Boyz II Men, common, d angelo, erykah badu, jay z, john legend, kanye west, lupe fiasco, maxwell, robin thicke, usher

So I've been listening to a lot of rap lately. By a lot of, I mean almost exclusively. I blame the nicer weather. Something about sunshine just makes me want to listen to rap and hip-hop. Whatever the reason, at any given moment, you could walk past my office and see me mouthing words to rap tunes. It's fine.


Then I remember this performance from the Grammys a couple years ago. The Rap Pack. Swagga like Us. Four of the best, all on one stage.

Which got me to thinking, who are currently the best? In my opinion, of course. So what does this mean? A list.

Jay-Z: Any doubt? No. Undisputed. Well, maybe that's not true, but if someone were to argue with me, I would put forth a very passionate argument stating why he is the best. The BEST. One of those reasons would be this. And also, lines like, "Books can guide you, but your heart defines you." I cannot say enough about Jay. It would all be pretty redundant after 'brilliant' anyway.

Lupe Fiasco: He is a close second. Listening to this guy songs means you're listening to stories. Honest to goodness stories. I suppose a lot of rappers do this, but not like Lupe does. He belongs to a select group of rappers who fall into the category of 'Smart Rap' (at least this is what my bro and I call it.) And it's because of songs like this one. One of my favourite lines (from anyone) to rap along to is "You don't want a loan, leave my cologne alone / It's a little too strong for you to be puttin' on." (From I Gotcha. Take a listen and you'll see why it's fun.)

Kanye West: The guy is a genius. Pure genius. I think I could forgive him just about anything, so long as he continues to put out incredible albums and influence popular music the way he has since The College Dropout came out. At the end of the day, I'd rather have a genius acting like a jackass, than a no-talent, manufactured starlet acting all prim and proper. No lie. "I forgot better shit than you ever thought up." That's still one of my favourite things he's said in a song. I can't even pick a favourite song of his; I just can't.

Common: Another smart rapper. Just kind of sails under the radar and makes consistently stellar music that tends to be thought-provoking, or at the very least, about something different than what everyone else is rapping about. Like this. Be remains one of my favourite rap albums.

Lil Wayne: I first heard Wayne on that kick ass song Soldier by Destiny's Child (which was also, coincidentally, the first time I really heard T.I. too.) To be honest, I didn't believe the hype at first. I didn't get where this guy came from, what the big deal was. Oh good, another rapper with dreads and a popular song. And then I Wiki'd him and he has been around forever. So naturally, I felt like an idiot, and like I had to catch up on what this guy has been doing, what kind of music he's been making all this time. He is legitimately awesome. Then, since I love Robin Thicke and bought his album Something Else, and Tie My Hands completely sold me on Wayne. Brilliant.

T.I.: There has always been something about T.I. that I have just love. It's his swagger, I think. The lilt to his words and his overall attitude. I can't say enough about that. I admit that most of my listening to T.I. was through his collaborations. Then Dead and Gone came out, and I was forced to buy Paper Trail, because this song just completely sold me on him.

So yes, there are many more rappers who are pretty great. Drake is one. I can't wait to see what he does next. But as far as my favourites, the ones who, in my opinion, are the best out there, this is the list.

This post is archived under common, drake, jay z, kanye west, lil wayne, lupe fiasco, robin thicke, t.i.

Like I said, the B's section in my collection is pretty huge, so I'm going to give some thoughts as I have them, so as not to forget.

My morning consisted of Lloyd Banks (yes. I know) and Barenaked Ladies. This afternoon is Dave Barnes, The Beatles, Bedouin Soundclash (I think I will cringe...not into them AT ALL anymore) and maybe a little Beyoncé if I can get to it.

Here's the thing: Lloyd Banks' The Hunger for More is one of those albums I bought...I don't know why. But I liked it, legitimately liked it, for a long time. Listening today, I was a little disgusted by my own lack of taste. The rappers I like are Common, Kanye, Jay-Z, Lupe Fiasco, Mos Def, etc., and so on. Lloyd Banks raps about pretty much everything I hate about rap. But I listened to the whole thing, because I couldn't break that promise to myself to listen to every song on every album (slightly neurotic, I know). There are a few good tracks, but there's a good chance that album is not coming off the shelf again any time soon.

Now. Barenaked Ladies. Gordon came out in 1992. Which would make me 8 at the time of its release. This is an album that is a Canadian classic. I'm sure we all remember hearing If I Had $1,000,000 on the radio and laughing at how ridiculous it was. But that album is a bit of a stroke of genius, really. Highlights are Enid, What a Good Boy (that song is absurdly good), and Blame it on Me. The harmonies, the musicality, the jazz sensibilities...It's all just really good.

Now I'm onto Dave Barnes. I listen to a little Dave Barnes (1 or 2 songs) almost every day. He always seems to come on myTunes (almost always on shuffle), and I very rarely ever skip over him. But here's what I've discovered: Listening to the album in its entirety, from start to finish, is far, far more fulfilling. I can appreciate the songs better this way somehow. This pretty much goes for every artist/album.

Albums are created meticulously. They don't just throw the songs on there in any order and hit 'burn' and that's the record. There's a serious thought process that goes into it. Which songs go where. One thing I've noticed over the years is that very, very often, track #5 on any given record will be a slower song or a serious ballad. This makes sense. After five up-tempo or mid-tempo songs, you can slow it down without losing your listener.

Anyway, I guess what I'm getting at is that in the day and age where you can download one song off an album, or shuffle up your entire collection, we're losing a little of the artistry that goes into making a record.

It's nice to enjoy that again.

This post is archived under barenaked ladies, common, dave barnes, jay z, kanye west, lupe fiasco, the beatles, the collection

Every so often, I'll be listening to music and I'll have a thought that blows my mind.

(For example: What if Julian Lennon and Stella McCartney got married? What if they had a baby? I know I sound like a total stoner, but that right there is freaking craziness.)

Anyway....

I have been listening to a lot of rap lately, specifically Common, Jay-Z, Kanye, Lupe (basically, the best rappers around, in my opinion...and my standards for rap are pretty high). I was listening to D.O.A. today because I am hopelessly addicted to The Blueprint III right now, and the line "Only rapper to re-write history without a pen" stuck out to me. (So does "The more space I get the better I write, Oh, Never I write. But if ever I write, I need the space to say whatever I like.")

Now, I've heard producers - I think it was Kanye, actually - talk about just being present when Jay-Z is in the booth. How during 99 Problems, they just started the track and Jay just started rhyming, and he was doing all the voices on the spot without writing anything down. That's effing ridiculous. That's genius.

So I was thinking today about Jay-Z just being this brilliant artist and amazing mind, and I got to wondering. I wonder if Jay-Z is ever listening to the radio and someone else's song comes on and he comes up with his own shit in his head, you know? Like, I wonder if he ever listens to Kanye's records and has a hundred different things in his mind that he would have put on the track instead.

When you think about all the things Jay-Z says, you have to wonder about all the things he doesn't say.

...Or maybe that's just me...

Doesn't matter if it's a writer, a rapper, a musician, a painter, whatever, there's always a million things going on in an artist's head - I think I can safely say that. So that's why I carry around a pen and pad of paper wherever I go. I'm always looking for that quote, or listening for that line in a song. Or I'm thinking of something that I need to write, and I have to pull my car over and scribble it down. I do this a lot. Before I invested in what I affectionately call my 'Hook Book', I used to write on receipts or pay-parking slips. Or my arm. Once I wrote on the back of my Blockbuster card because I had nothing else.

Basically, all this contemplation today lead to the idea/thought/confirmation that the most complex place on the planet is probably inside any artist's mind.

This post is archived under common, jay z, kanye west, lupe fiasco, music