New Edition- Gold (2 Disc Collection)

I know most of you remembered these six talented individuals known as New Edition featuring Ralph Tresvant, Ricky Bell, Ronnie Devoe, Michael Bivins, Johnny Gill, and that damn Bobby Brown.  They are one of the most successful r&b groups in the 1980's and 1990's with countless hits as a group and solo artists as well.  They were one of the pioneers of that 'boy band' craze that is influential in the pop music culture. The Jacksons and Temptations made it a possible for New Edition to do their thing in the music industry.  When New Edition first came out, they were compared to the Jacksons in their preteen to teenage years.  The group was soon compared to the Temptations as they matured with the music.  These brothers came from Boston, MA/Washington DC to take the music world by storm with their harmonies and dance steps. New Edition was no joke when it came to live shows. You would pay good money to see a top quality concert performance from the group.  NE has definitely been on point at their shows wearing the same outfits, supported by a 4-5 piece band, changing microphone position on different songs, and those ladies acting wild for their favorite members.

This two disc compilation gives music lovers the true reason why N.E. is a powerful force in the history of music.  They were able to mix up hip hop, r&b, pop, and a little gospel all into one package.  What can you say about the hits like Cool It Now, Mr Telephone Man, Can You Stand the Rain, If It Isn't Love, Count Me Out, Hit Me Off, A Little Bit of Love (Is All It Takes), Lost in Love, You're Not My Kind of Girl, My Secret, With You All the Way, and I'm Still in Love With You.  The disadvantage of this cd was not including their early hit records such as Candy Girl, Popcorn Love, Jealous Girl, and Is This The End. Those songs were from an independent label called Streetwise before they signed with the major label MCA. There are remixes from the hit songs Crucial and NE Heartbreak (which is one my favorite NE joints of all time. The video had them dancing in Hammer pants and riding the mopads.).  The cd also have some rare and unreleased cuts such as Once In A Lifetime Groove, Helplessly in Love, One More Day, You Don't Have to Worry and the remake of a 60's classic song Earth Angel. Then came the solo years of New Edition. Bobby Brown was known as the 'bad boy' of r&b during the late 1980's and early 1990's with his signature raunchy dance moves and hip hop style of stage presence.  This dude was on top of the world at one point then reality came crashing down hard on him from his legal troubles to his turbulent marriage to Whitney Houston.  You could not deny that Bobby was that dude when he released the classics My Prerogative (#1 and his signature hit record that changed the r&b sounds which led to the New Jack Swing movement marrying r&b and hip hop beautifully), Don't Be Cruel (first r&b song i heard including a rap in the song.), Every Little Step (certified pop/r&b classic with a hip hop flavor also the video was crazy with the big letter words of the song title and three beautiful ladies walking in tall boots with a top notch sexy vibe), Girlfriend (his first solo hit since he broke away from New Edition and nice ballad at that), On Our Own (classic banger from the Ghostbusters II movie that saluted his greatness of being a major success), and Humpin Around (one of the final hits in his career before the downfall ). The disc did not contain classic ballads Roni and Rock Wit Cha and uptempo tracks like Get Away. Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie Devoe became the powerful trio Bell Biv Devoe with hits like Poison (this song still gets the party started by listening to drum kit patterns in the song), Do Me (I bet people got in trouble with this song. These dudes were strictly on the sex tip.), BBD I Thought It Was Me (one of their best jamming songs in their career which gave them platform of the style of hip hop and r&b together and adding a little pop to the style), and the classic ballad When Will I See You Smile Again (Ricky Bell gets major props for this joint and became certified as a beast on the vocals).  BBD were the background cats in New Edition because there were many speculations about about them being successful on their own.  They were heavily popular during the 1990-1992 time frame in music.  Johnny Gill is one of the most talented singers in modern r&b and soul music history.  He paid his dues in this industry from his early years of with Stacy Lattisaw then joining New Edition in the late 1980s to help give the group a mature sound.  This powerful career move benefited both NE and Johnny because Johnny was able to gain major recognition and being a member of member of NE when they were successfully established.  Johnny reached his peak solo wise with the classics such as Wrap My Body Tight, Rub You the Right Way, and his signature slow jam My My My.  He had a few more hits that could have been on the disc such as Fairweather Friend, Long Way from Home, and Half Crazy. Ralph Tresvant was the lead singer of New Edition and had a few hits as solo artists.  People had said about Ralph would have more of a successful career if he would have went solo during the 1980's.  He chose to remain faithful to New Edition until the other members were focusing on their solo projects.  During the short span of his solo career, Ralph was able to break a few hits such as Sensitivity, Do What I Gotta Do, and Money Can't Buy You Love (which the song from the soundtrack to the movie Mo Money featuring Damon and Shawn Wayans along with beautiful actress Stacey Dash.).

New Edition proved their mark in music by showcasing each individual in the group.  They successfully  created spinoff groups and solo artists with all six members.  The group gets together on certain occasions for performances and recordings.  So much talent in the group makes you wonder about any egos involved. The group members have admitted in different interviews that egos came into play with their success.  There are times when you can't get all the guys in one room because they have got very comfortable with being successful in their solo careers.  New Edition will always have a place in the history of music.  So many artists and groups owe their careers to the guys. These dudes are still giving good concert performances. Whenever they are in your hometown, be sure to check them out.

Stay Single For A Long Time.

Relationships in modern days are becoming very overrated because of the material things and selfishness to impress a mate.  There were those times when a young man was so confident in looking for companionship and the lady would genuinely accepted to be his other half. You and her could discuss future goals to get a better understanding of one another without any judgement.  In today's relationships, you have to show out with your money, jewelry, cars, and nice clothes to attract the attention of the opposite sex.  There are individuals involved in unprotected sexual activies that led to diseases and pregnancies.  You never know about the person you're having sex with might be filled with multiple partners to participate in different acts of sex.  As a conscious person, you would show much concern on allowing certain people to enter certain areas of the body. Drama causes many relationships to fail.  Couples arguing on daily basis about different issues from sexual performances to finances.  The other half would be frustrated with their mate about their lack of commitment.  When the communication comes to a default, no hope is there for reconciling.  In most cases, it is important for the individual to remain single until the time comes for them in getting serious in relationships.  You may be lonely as a single man or woman but no worries about another person bringing you down with unsolved issues.

I made a choice to stay single because I need more time to get my life in order.  There are some cycles in my life that I need to break free from financial issues to spirituality.  At this point, a relationship is not on my list of agenda.  There will be a time for me to find love and happiness with a special woman.  Right now, I am on the rebound path to make major changes in my life.  Family members and friends have tried to put pressure on me to get involve in relationships. I informed them about waiting a long time to find the special one because I need learn how balance my life out and make better decisions.  I admit to doing some wrong things in my life.  I saw how it affected the people in my life. I took action on gaining back my reputation as loving and productive person in this strange world. Also I am working on getting more in touch with my spiritual roots. I am not trying to be a religious freak at all.  I need some major peace in my life to get very closer to the man above me known as God. God will bless me with that special lady in my life that would love, care, and honor me as I will give her the same treatment. I also plan to take care of my body.  Maintaining a certain level of body weight and better food choices will allow my body to be in great health. I am working eliminating some of the heavy stress in my life because it adds on to the poor choices that were made.  Give me time to mature  physically, spiritually, mentally, and financially. Once the changes are completed, I will take the next step in finding the special one.

Original 7ven aka The Time New Video 'Trendin'

Hope a lot of musicheads remember this band called The Time.  They were once from the Prince camp.  They had hits like Jungle Love, The Bird, The Walk, Jerk Out, 777-9311, Gigilos Get Lonely Too, Cool, Get it Up and many more. The band is back with a new single and video featuring all seven original members: frontman Morris Day, hypeman Jerome Benton, top producing duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, guitarist Jesse Johnson, drummer Jellybean Johnson, and keyboardist Monte Moir.  The single is called Trendin' with a sound of classic funk mixed modern upbeat dance tempo track.  Check it out below.

Why I Dig Music So Much

Music has an important effect on the world. It can create different moods on being happy, sad, angry, concern about life from a different prospective.  The way I look at music it has gotten me through me hard times and happiness in my life. All I could do is lay back and play the sounds of music to enjoy.  I have a variety range of music that I listened to from soul, funk, rap, hip hop, a little bit of gospel, some blues, and some rock and pop. I appreciated the different selection of artists such as Michael Jackson, Tupac Shakur, The Temptations, New Edition, Phil Collins, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, N.W.A., Rick James, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Notorious B.I.G., James Brown, Eminem, and countless others.  I could be laying down in bed at night with the cd player on the side with jams that could put me to sleep.  Depending on different moods, I can always count on music on making my day complete.  The internet has definitely made more comfortable in appreciating music.  I am always using the website Youtube to watch music videos and live performances.  I would stay on Youtube for hours looking up songs and different artists on a daily basis.  I had my share of concert experiences from artists like R Kelly, Keith Sweat, Gerald and Sean Levert, K-Ci and Jojo, New Edition, Jay-Z, Doug E Fresh, Tony Toni Tone, The Gap Band, Slick Rick, MC Lyte, Biz Markie, The Whispers, Teddy Riley, and others. Music is always apart of my life and that will never change.  I couldn't imagine my life without music.  I always find myself in conversations with family members and coworkers about my musical tastes. Without music, the world would be so damn boring with all the politics and employment issues. Music helps me and others get on with life through joy and excitement. I hope to find a significant other very soon that also has an equal musical taste as me.

Thoughts of an Autozone Employee

I worked for Autozone for over 4 years. I witnessed managers and coworkers get fired, quit, and even had death in the company.  Throughout my journey with the company, I am blessed to be standing strong and God kept his hands on me in protecting my job.  I had my share of wroteups and warnings from upper level management but i overcame all the issues that as an Autozoner.  Even my  solid relationship with regular customers helped me remain with the company. I have a lot of people rooting for me to get a raise and promotion because i went out my way to assist them in whatever problems they had for their vehicles.  There are some boundaries I set when it comes to customers' cars.  I don't mess with the A/C unit at all and definitely the engine.  I would point out the problem if i can spot it without any doubts.  Depending on certain issues with vehicles, I would tell the customers that a few mechanics need to get involved to provide more descriptive opinions on their vehicles. Just start with me by giving you some free advice and share it with a mechanic and/or dealership so maybe they could reduce heavy costs in servicing vehicles. I am usually a multitasker at the job. I look up parts on the ZNet software on the computer, answer the phone lines for customer service, helping out with batteries and light bulbs installation on cars if it takes me short amount of time to do, clean up the store, and organize the merchandise.  I have my moments of bad experiences at work dealing with irate customers, covering for irresponsible coworkers, and also slipping up on work performances sometimes.  Anyway, I managed to maintain my position there at the company. I have ambition and goals that I want to accomplish. I don't intend to be at the place all my life. While I'm still there at the company, I am continuing to gain more knowledge and experiences that could help guide me in my future endeavors.

Code Name- The Cleaner movie with Cedric the Entertainer, Nicollette Sheridan, and Lucy Lui

Cedric the Entertainer has his ways of making you laugh with his style of physical comedy. He is known for participating on BET's Comic View, sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, movies such as Ride, Barbershop 1&2, Kingdom Come, and Big Momma's  House, and also apart of the successful tour the Original Kings of Comedy.  In this film, he is joined by Nicollette Sheridan from Desperate Housewives and Knots Landing, Lucy Lui from the Charlie Angels movie trilogies, Niecy Nash from Reno 911, and DeRay Davis (a Chicago comedian who appeared in Barbershop films wih Cedric also). Cedric plays a custodian that has amnesia after waking up closely to a dead CIA agent in a hotel room with a briefcase full of money.  Nicollette Sheridan plays Cedric's wife in the film and convinces him that he is a part of CIA agency squad.  He had difficult moments remembering Sheridan being his wife and he questions himself about being in an interracial marriage. I will say that Nicollette was looking very sexy in the movie when she wore an all white outfit that had a suit jacket and skirt to match.  There was a scene when Sheridan gave Cedric a lapdance in the bedroom in her pink underwear and bra with some high heels on.  I never really watched Desperate Housewives but  managed to caught some episodes of Knots Landing when she was on the show.  She was mad young at the time acting on Knots Landing.  She is a hot older woman that will attract the guys attention.  She never had any kids so she's a cougar in my eyes. (Cougar is an older woman that attracts young men.) Lucy Lui plays an undercover CIA agent who Cedric had a past relationship with.  Lucy seems to get pissed at Cedric for not remembering her and bullied him around with pouring coffee and ice in his pants. DeRay plays Cedric's fellow coworker in the janitor business. DeRay is hilarious when he tries to protray the role of a rapper in the custodian business.  His attempts to become a rapper will have you laughing at him.  DeRay is a damn fool with his style of comedy. Neicy Nash plays the role a ghetto security agent who claims to have a relationship with Cedric in the past. It was mainly a cameo appearance for Nash. She wasn't in the movie for long.  The movie scene with Nicollette and Lucy facing off with each other is entertaining and sexy.  In Cedric's mind, he thought the two ladies would perform lesbian sexual activities.  I saw the behind the scenes footage when Nicollette explains that she takes kickboxing lessons as a form of keeping her body in shape. Lucy is pro when it comes to martial arts. I saw her skills on Charlie's Angels movies 1 and 2.  She is like the 'female Jackie Chan' bridging the gap between martial arts and Hollywood acting. The movie is entertaining overall with its comedy mixed with action filled drama.  Cedric did his thing in the film while Lucy and Nicollette provided the eye candy for the fellas to appreciate their beauty onscreen.

Disorderlies DVD

Anybody remembers the legendary hip hop trio the Fat Boys which included Prince Markie Dee, Kool Rock Ski, and the late Human Beatbox Buffy.  They were ruling hip hop during the mid-80's with their comic style of rap.  They always rapped about food in their songs.  Buff was one of the pioneers of the beatboxing sound along with another fellow pioneer Doug E Fresh. Around 1987, the group made their starring film debut in the movie Disorderlies. The trio already had some experience in the movie field when they appeared in 1985's hip hop classic film Krush Groove.  This movie was funny and entertaining at the same time.  Fat Boys portrayed the role as caretakers for an ailing elder rich man (played by Ralph Bellamy from Trading Places with Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd) named Albert.  They were hired by Albert's nephew and also set up by him in attempt to kill his uncle to pay back his gambling debts.  Movie critics dubbed the Fat Boys as the' hip hop Three Stooges' because of the constant handslaps and random funny outbursts.  The group had performance scene in the film when they performed the song 'Baby You're A Rich Man' which is from the soundtrack. Anyway the movie is a must have in your collection because you are to laugh like it's no tomorrow.  The Fat Boys did good in their starring roles.  I thought they should have more acting opportunities but the film expanded their legacy.

Levert For Real Tho

Both the late Gerald and Sean Levert (sons of O Jays lead singer Eddie Levert) along with their friend Marc Gordon exploded on the r&b scene as Levert. They had a string of hits in the beginning of their career such as Pop Pop Pop Goes My Mind, Casanova, Just Coolin, All Seasons, Baby Im Ready, and others.  They also produced songs for other acts like Troop, Miki Howard, Rude Boys, Men At Large, Chuckii Booker, and even their mentors The O Jays.  The trio kept their sound going strong in 1993 when they released the For Real Tho album on Atlantic Records.  At the time, r&b was moving toward the hardcore hip hop image and sound with the baggy jeans, Timberland boots, bandannas, dark sunglasses, and wearing baseball hats backwards.  Levert adapted to the hip hop sound but maintained their style of music with romantic and heartfelt songs. Anyway i was around the age 6 or 7 when the album came out.  I used to go family picnics in the summer and this album would be in rotation at the ceremonies. The lead off single from the record was Good Ol Days.  The song was about having fun and enjoying positive energy in the older years instead of the modern time when there is poverty at a high percentage and gun violence.  That video was getting good rotation on BET when they had the video show titled Video Soul (anybody remember that show with Donnie Simpson and the lovely and sexy Sherry Carter).  They released the slow jam ABC-123 which got some heavy radio play on the R&b stations. i remembered the radio stations playing the hell out of the song.  They also released the single and video for Do the Thangs which the song is like Zapp's Computer Love mixed the O Jays's For the Love of Money because of the lyrics and sharp production.  Other tracks i'm digging from the album are the title track, Say You Will (Marc and Gerald were going back n forth on the joint), Quiet Storm (Marc's falsetto was perfect on this song. Sean and Gerald also did well on the song.), She's All That Ive Been Looking For (another hot uptempo with Gerald and Sean trading back and forth about a woman met their expectations to fall in love with), and Me N You (Sean and Marc took the lead on this record. Marc also rapped on the track). The album had the aggressive production with the romantic and passionate lyrics of Marc, Sean, and Gerald. Though the record wasn't their best success because r&b adapted into a more aggressive sound during 1993. Levert proved that they could make the sound work during the changes in r&b music.

MC Hammer- Let's Get It Started CD

MC Hammer was truth back in the days with his style of dancing and rapping. He was criticized for his clean cut image but he wanted to show that hip hop can be positive and enjoyable for people of all ages and races.  I was a little boy when Hammer first came out on the scene.  I mainly loved his first album but it was really his major label debut album. Originally, the album was called Feel My Power and he sold it from the trunk of his car as in the term of getting 'his hustle on'. As he was making noise on the independent circuit, Capitol Records approached Hammer with a deal to their label. He refused at first but requested to be paid upfront with top dollars in advance and recuperate money from record sales as well.  He was a shrewd businessman from the start. He added a couple of songs and retitled the album Let's Get It Started. Anyway this was the raw and talented MC Hammer coming from streets of Oakland, CA.  He had his female dancers backing him known as the lovely Oaktown's 357 and 2 Bigg MC as his hypeman.  I used to sit in front of the television set whenever MC Hammer videos come on  TV.  This album had crazy joints like title track, Turn This Mutha Out, They Put Me In The Mix, Ring Em, Pump it Up, Cold Go MC Hammer, his remake of BB King's The Trill is Gone.  Hammer and his posse were reppin that Oaktown flavor on this cd and they had a movement at the time. He had his own label called Bust it Records.  Other good tracks on the record like Feel My Power, You're Being Served,  legendary soul singer Curtis Mayfield's sample of Freddie Dead titled That's What I Said, and the underground spiritual classic Son of a King.  This album made me appreciate Hammer for his talent and also the videos from the singles he released during the time of 1988 and 1989.  A lot of people thought Hammer was corny because of his less lyrical abilities. I just think Hammer brought energy and hardcore street dancing on the hip hop scene.  He was well recognized for dancing and bringing out Oaktown's 357 with him during that time. When the 90's came along, Hammer crossed over into the mainstream pop industry for songs like You Can't Touch This, Pray, Too Legit to Quit, Adams Groove, Have You Seen Her and many more.  Hammer first album reminded why he was great at being a showman and displaying raw talent like no other.

Heavy D Heavy Hitz

Heavy D was the shiznit back in the late 80's and 90's during the hip hop music scene.  Hev brought a lot of energy as far dancing and rapping along with being a big guy on a move.  He also had a backing team with him called The Boyz which dancers G-Wiz and the late Trouble T-Roy (whom rap duo Pete Rock and CL Smooth did a tribute to him called T.R.O.Y /When They Reminisce Over You) and the underrated producer DJ Eddie F (who went on to produce tracks for artists like Mary J Blige, Donnell Jones, Intro, 2pac, Biggie, Ludacris, Jay-Z and more). This cd gave you the best of Heavy D from his biggest hits to some rare cuts. The cd even includes the legendary collaboration with Cleveland r&b group Levert on the 1988 classic song Just Coolin.  You know the classics like Overweight Lovers in the House, We Got Our Own Thang, Now That We Found Love, Is It Good to You, Nuthin But Love, Somebody For Me featuring  r&b heartthrob of late 80's Al B Sure, and others.

D12 Devil's Night

D12 was a group hailed from Detroit, Michigan which included the top selling artist Eminem.  Eminem was a top success in rap during the 2000-2001 year range.  He was fresh from selling millions of records and winning awards from his controversial album The Marshall Mathers LP.  He just got his own label deal Shady Records.  He made it his mission to get his Detroit homies into the industry in a major way. The late, great Proof, Kon Artis, Kuniva, Swift, and Bizarre along with Em came together to put together the debut album for D12 titled Devil's Night.  There were production on the album from Eminem, Kon Artis, Dr Dre, and DJ Head.  I remember buying this cd when i was 15 years old during the summer of 2001.  I had to listen to it with my headphones on because at the time I was at a family reunion ceremony with religious relatives so i showed respect by not bothering them while i listened to the cd.  The lyrics on the cd was full of humor, had violent and sexual content, and pure emcee skills that the group perfected during their underground years in Detroit.  My favorites from the album: Fight Music, That's How, Like A Pimp, Nasty Mind, Revelations, Purple Pills, Instigator.  Also this is the cd that introduces the world to another underground MC that would sign with Shady Records and the guy is Obie Trice featuring on a skit named after him spitting a raw freestyle.

N.W.A. Niggaz 4 Life

N.W.A. (Niggaz With Attitude) were going strong in 1991 when they dropped this record.  The album went no.1 on the Billboard charts after it was released.  This album got no major radio and video support because of N W A's artistic expression of pushing the radar with harsh curse words and violent lyrics.  They did managed to release 'Alwayz into Somethin' and 'Appetite for Destruction' as singles but received a little video and radio play in the mainstream media. The departure of Ice Cube caused the N.W.A. to display more hardcore and violent image in their music.  On the Straight outta Compton album, they managed to balanced hardcore rap with a little political message in it.  Niggaz 4 Life gave N W A that extra edge to tell the world to go 'fuck themselves'. I was feelin the two singles I mention above but my other favs from the album are Findum Fuckem and Flee, The Dayz of Wayback, the title track, Real Niggaz, Real Niggaz Don't Die, even Eazy-E's rendition of Bootsy Collins' I Rather Be With You callin it 'I Rather Fuck With You. The prelude is the coldest intro on the album with MC Ren kicking two hardcore verses and also featured their proteges from South Central: Above the Law.  This album also helped set up the production of Dr Dre to create the Chronic album in 1992.

Eric B and Rakim- Let the Rhythm Hit Em

Eric B and Rakim had the rap game on lock between the late 1980's and early 1990's with their unique style.  Eric B's scratching skills along with Rakim's lyrical flow helped the duo become a brand in the "golden age" of Hip Hop. Some critics say that this album was their weakest material but i disagree with that.  This album has hardcore hip hop at its finest written on it.  The production was jazzy, funky, soulful and agressive at the same time on the record. Rakim's flow was like no other because he was rapping about the struggles and hard times with intelligence.  This album had productions from other hip hop heavyweights besides Eric B like Large Professor, Mark 4'5 and the late Paul C.  I appreciated this album more because of the production and lyrics being aggressive and yet have clever wordplay.  The album had good tracks like the title track, In the Ghetto, Step Back, Keep Em Eager to Listen, No Omega, Mahogany, Run For Cover etc. Stop sleeping on this album because Eric and Ra progressed musically on the record which helped set up their next and last album Don't Sweat the Technique.

The Force MD's Greatest Hits

The Force MDs are one of my favorite groups that ever did it. They helped in pioneering the combination of soulful singing with hip hop elements in the music. They paved the way for so many artists and groups using their formula. This cd has the highlights of their heyday and some rare cuts too. This group is full of raw talent. Beatboxing, tight harmonies,celebrity impersonations,rapping skills are associated with making the Force Md's a great group in their own right. They are very underrated and does not get the credit for their contributions in the music industry. Even though the group experienced tragedy with the deaths of TCD (Antoine Lundy), Mercury (Charles Nelson), and DJ Doctor Rock. Stevie D (Steven Lundy), Jessie D (Jessie Daniels), Khalil (Rodney Lundy), and Trisco Pearson are the surviving members of the group and keeping their legacy alive by constantly performing shows all around the world and recording new music. You have the hits like Tender Love, Love Is A House, Tears, Here I Go Again, Let Me Love You, Forgive Me Girl, Itchin For A Scratch, Couldn't Care Less, Touch and Go, and Are You Really Real. Then you have the rare and obscure tracks like their rendition of Auld Lang Syne, Step to Me, Deep Check, the remake of classic soul song I Wanna Know Your Name, Whats the Name of this Song, classic collaboration with the hip hop Stooges' Fat Boys on Fat Boys Meets The Force MD's, and Your Love Drives Me Crazy. Enjoy the memories of this underrated group and their hits and rare cuts all on one cd and peace to the fallen soldiers from this group may they rest in peace.

2Pac Greatest Hits

I had gotten this cd in the mail for free when i was 13 years and my dad used to be in the cd club where they order a certain amount of cds for a discount then a free one comes into your mail a week or two later. i didn't touch the disc until like 4 months later and it was a privilege to hear a tupac's biggest hits all on two different discs along with some album cuts and unreleased cuts. I used to have this cd on heavy rotation but i had headphones so i would not interrupt my parents. This is a two disc greatest hits collection which was enjoyable for me to appreciate Pac's music.  Hits like Keep Ya Head Up, I Get Around, California Love, Brenda's Got A Baby, Dear Mama, So Many Tears, Two of Amerikkkaz Most Wanted, Trapped, How Do You Want It, Hail Mary, Toss it Up, and Hit em Up were memorable among Tupac and rap music fans in general.  Of course there were the new cuts and rare songs like Changes, Troublesome, God Bless the Dead (predicted Biggie's death on this one. still to this day never got the reason for the song.), All About you, Me Aganist the World just reminded us that Tupac gave us his different views of reality and was able to give you a topic to relate on each of his songs.  The work ethic and passion in his voice made people say that he was the greatest rapper ever.  I somewhat can agree with those feel about the position on Tupac's place held in rap music.  After his death, so many rappers took bits and pieces of his work and made their own like Ja Rule, DMX, 50 Cent, Eminem, TI, etc.  This double cd will remind you why this genius was able to accomplish a lot in his short lived time on Earth and was able to get his message across about the underdogs being looked down in society and having a voice to raise above the obstacles.

Blues Brothers DVD

Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi are at their best in this classic film back in 1980. They started this brand as a skit on their years on the long running comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live during the late 1970s. They helped create that brand which turned into albums and concert tours promoting them as the Blues Brothers. They got with some professional musicians from the soul, funk, pop, and blues to assist them in making the movie a success. I am a young cat so this movie was before my time. My parents introduced me to the movie and i was hooked on it seeing two White guys have genuine love and respect for soul and blues music. Cameo appearances from Chaka Khan, James Brown, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, and Aretha Franklin shows the star power of the film.

Ice Cube AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted CD

Ice Cube was a major force in the rap industry back in the early 1990s. He was fresh from leaving the groundbreaking and controversial rap group N.W.A.(Niggaz with Attitude) Cube went to New York to record with Public Enemy's production team Bomb Squad in creating this classic album. This album has influenced the late Tupac Shakur to release his debut album 2Pacalypse in 1991. Cube was bringing the heat with his mixture of gangsta rap mixed with political hip hop in the sounds on the record. This album was certified gold a couple months after being released. This masterpiece certified Cube as a true MC in the hip hop community because he was able to tell stories raw and uncut as well spreading knowledge in his lyrics. There were tracks like Once Upon A Time in the Projects, Whos the Mack, The Nigga You Love to Hate, the title track, You Can't Fade Me, Gangsta Fairytale made me feel Cube's approach as a raw lyricist.  If you're a true hardcore hip hop fan, this album is a must in your collection.

update info

This is Thomas updating my blog. I will at least attempt to post something on a daily basis. Ive been laying low for awhile fighting obstacles in my personal life which gave me motivation to work hard in becoming a blogger. I will mainly blog about music and entertainment but soon do some occasional other topics on my own terms. Be prepared for me to give you the best of my creativity and originality on different topics.