Random Jam: Masta Ace "Born to Roll" x "Masta Inc Ride" x "Sittin on Chrome"

These songs popped up in my head the other day. Might've been because I was listening to Gibbs' rendition of "Born To Roll." Fully aware of Masta Ace's contributions and legacy, but really, it wasn't until "Born to Roll" that I really got into him like that. Not an excuse because I've gone back and listened and researched, but his Juice Crew stuff was coming out when I knew more about Rick Flair and Hulk Hogan than I did about rap music.

I remember seeing this video and thinking "damn! who are all these light-skinned girls!" Guess you can say Masta Ace introduced to me (and a few of you too) to fineness of our Latin sistas. I also remember seeing this video on YO! MTV Raps and hearing Ed Lover and Dr. Dre borderline hate on the song and video, talking about Masta Ace was selling out to West Coast. Matter fact, I remember hearing that quite a bit from NYC based outlets. Which is in sharp contrast to what we hear and read nowadays from the same folks saying that his Slaughtahouse album was "acclaimed."

Ace kept this sound going on his next album Sittin' On Chrome with the singles "The I.N.C. Ride" and "Sittin On Chrome." I could be wrong, but outside of a couple Dr. Dre videos, Masta Ace was probably the only cat that actually showed car culture in his videos, with the Hispanic community included in it.

Random Jam: Heltah Skeltah-"Therapy" (1996)

I was reading Noz's "25 Greatest Boot Camp Clik Songs" list over at Complex and got reminded of this song. Man, this has got to be one of the illest concepts ever. On it Rock and Ruck (now known as Sean Price) rap like a doctor and patient during a therapy session. My favorite part is probably when Ruck accuses Rock of being high and when Rock denies it and ask how he can tell, Ruck rhymes "because you acting funny, like when Blacks get money."

Hell yeah, that first Heltah Skeltah album Nocturnal was pretty hard, hell, I enjoyed the Magnum Force album too. I might've done a Random Jam on that song they did with Dogg Pound before, I don't remember.

I don't care man, Hip Hop at large is missing out on the East Coast not putting out jammin ass music right now. Notice I said jammin...I ain't saying they just need to be here for the sake of being here. But Hip Hop was at its best when cats from everywhere was all doing their thing and doing it well and at the end of the day knowing that the priority was to be tight. Granted, we didn't get to see UGK and 8Ball & MJG on Rap City as much as Smif & Wessun and Heltah Skeltah but that was moreso BET stupid ass fault...I never believed it to be because one was just better than the other. Matter of fact there is a video on the net somewhere where a former BET employee admitted that he played all New York shit on Rap City when he was in charge and didnt really start playing anything else until the video director we would later know as Dr. Teeth started working there and diversifying things.

But yeah...I'm rambling. Enjoy the song. While I'm talking I need to go find my Nervous Hip Hop CD, I swear I just saw it somewhere.

Random Jam: Raphael Saadiq-"Skyy, Can You Feel Me" (2002)

Mr. Saadiq sent out a tweet of a live performance he did of this song in some park in New York recently and it made want to go back and listen to this classic. Its the last song on his Instant Vintage album and is considered the "slept on" jam on the album. I heard he teases people at his shows with this song by ending the show...and then coming back out to perform this on some "oh, yall thought I forgot this song" ish.

Random Jam: Ides of March-"Vehicle" (1970)

Shawty...

This came on in the workout room this morning and I damn near cut my workout short just so I can run in the crib and google this song. When it came on over the speakers I thought it was Tom Jones because of the voice. Then I thought it might be a Jimi Hendrix or Santana song I never heard. But I still couldn't tell. So I listened hard as hell to try and catch the words in the chorus so I can go back and google them and hope a song name popped up. Fortunately it did. I never heard of this group before but this song is jammin like a mahfuggah shawty.

I looked the group up and apparently they were a big deal for a hot minute. They toured with Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Led Zeppelin. The lead singer of the group was also a member of Survivor and wrote "Eye of the Tiger."

This song is jammin...gonna have to look up more of their stuff.

Random Jam: Daz Dilinger-"In California" (1998) x "Money On My Mind" (2006)

Folks really slept on Daz' Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back album. It came out at a time when nobody really cared about Death Row, so off GP, folks didn't really give this album much of a chance. But this shit was jamming from front to back from what I remember...hell, the weakest song on there might've been the joint with 2Pac on it which received the most attention because it was thought to be "his last verse." I always dug the cover art to...which borrows from Marvin Gaye's In Our Lifetime album.

But yeah, I'm over here working on an interview with a West Coast legend and been jamming to some vintage stuff to get in the right mind frame.

While you're here, here is another slept-on gem from Daz featuring Kurupt. This was on his 2006 album So So Gangsta that he put out on So So Def. This had a couple jams on it too.

Random Jam: The Roots-"Star" (2004)

Everybody is damn star nowadays. Everybody is on camera...doing and saying shit that really don't need to be recorded or shared for that matter. Got a couple emails today that just made me think of Sly's song and then this. Nobody likes to just do their damn job anymore or simply contribute to society without having to get some kind of fame out of it.

Random Jam: Young Bleed-"Better Than the Last Time" (1998)

Man, where the hell is Young Bleed at? Last thing I remember hearing him on was Big Mike and Six 2's "Down Home" (which was straight fie btw).

But yeah, easily Bleed's My Balls and My Word is the best album to be released on No Limit (yeah I said it), eventhough it wasn't really a No Limit release. He was actually a part of C-Loc's Concentration Camp crew (the camp who gave Boosie and Boo of CTE their starts) who was just cool with Master P on the business tip at the time.

Anyways, this was probably my favorite song on there. It features Maxminelli and Lay-Low and its produced by Happy Perez. Maaaaaan, if I keep listening to this song I'ma mess around and smoke a Black (I "quit" this week, haven't smoked since Sunday).

Random Jam: Pharoahe Monch-"The Light" (1999)

All this nice weather and pollen outside reminded me of this video. Sorry for the absence over the last couple days. Duty calls.

Random Jam: Playa Fly-"Work To Do" (1996)

Yeah...kinda busy today, but wanted to make sure I at least posted something. This man is easily one of the most slept on rappers ever too by the way.

Random Jam: Rufus and Chaka Khan-"Do You Love What You Feel" (1979)

Chaka Khan was fine as hell back in the day. This song just popped in my head. Never knew there was a video for this. Kinda looks like some of the viral videos that are made today.

Random Jam: Do Or Die-"Smoke and Ride"

I still remember the first time I even heard of Do Or Die. It was in '96, Greg Street played "Po Pimp" on V103 and I became a fan right then and there. Of course I bought the album as soon it dropped and it was nothing short of fie. I was still in high school and had absolutely no idea or plans or even ambitions to be in the music industry at all, but when I heard "Smoke and Ride" I just knew they had to release this their second single...and they did. Hell, this might've been one of the main songs that drove me to trying weed for the first time...this shit just made you feel so cool. But yeah, don't want to talk too much, just enjoy the song and think back to when you heard this for the first time.

Random Jam: Mistah F.A.B. feat Turf Talk and E-40-"Super Sick With It" (2005)

Happened to be riding around to this the other night and it still jams. Plus it explains how I'm feeling right now. Hense, the lack of updates so far today. Come back later though, I have some stuff up for ya'll.

Random Jam: Angela Winbush-"Your Smile" (1985)

This is actually a Rene & Angela song, but Angela does all the singing and you don't even hear any background vocals from Rene either. But yeah, don't know what made this song pop in my head just now. I'd like to draft up some wonderful story about somebody special or some grand event, but eh...yeah.

Songs like this remind me of the days when female R&B singers were just that...singers. Not fashion icons, models, Mabyelene mascots, wanna be reality TV stars or faux-spokespeople for battered women. Angela was out in an era where you had Anita Baker, Whitney Houston, Stephanie Mills, Regina Belle and even Gladys Knight was still active. Even with those names I'm sure I'm still forgetting some. Angela also wrote and produced most of her stuff and even did some of her competition's songs too.

But yeah, enjoy.

UPDATE: wow. actually found the video for the song.

Random Jam: The Coup-'Takin These" (1994)

Browsing the web I stumbled across this site that had The Coup's "Taking These" CD single available for download. Got my mind going and figured I'd share this jam with ya'll.

I know NWA (and then G-Unit...I guess) called themselves "the World's Most Dangerous Rap Group"...but, I think that title is more fitting for The Coup. I mean, damn, just look at their name...The Coup. That speaks volumes in itself. I mean, The Coup pretty much made audio versions of Black Panther Party pamphlets and The Anarchist Cookbook over some of the funkiest beats you'll ever find.

But the thing I dug about them most was that while you could call them "conscious" they were real more than anything else. They were from Oakland and still made songs with folks Spice 1, E-40 and Ant Banks...unlike other "conscious" rappers who feel like they are too good, uppity or saintly to make songs with certain artists.

"Takin These" was the second single from their sophomore album Genocide & Juice and its pretty much about robbing folks. But not robbing people that live next door to you...but rather rich corporations that set up shop in the community but do nothing to help it out. They talk about overthrowing factories and taking the spoils back to the hood to feed the hungry. Think Robin Hood in white tee.

Crazy...this video was made in 1994. I can't imagine in 2010 that we'll ever see a video featuring a bunch of poor Black people running up in mansions and office building hanging rich white guys out of windows and talk about about "throwing the Mayor's body in the ocean to see if it would sink or float."

Random Jam: Kool G. Rap-"Its A Shame" (1995)

Some days random songs just pop up in my head when I'm in the shower and this was the latest one. Well...not the whole song, just that singing part at the end.

This is one of the many rap videos that really made me put life into proper perspective. Not gonna sit here and act like I've ever been close to hopping in those streets heavy...but hell, growing up a Black male in America that option is always right around the corner. "Its A Shame," the song and video really showed me that all that kingpin stuff don't come without guilt and stress...and I wanted no parts of it.

But above all else, this beat was straight fie and G.Rap went off on this track with his rapid-fire lisp flow intact.

Random Jam: Metronomy-"Radio Ladio" (2008)

I heard this song when I was playing NBA 2K10 not to long ago. Not sure why it hadn't crossed my ears before, but this particular time it just hit me a certain way. Shit jammin...

This video is a little strange though...so the next time I want to hear this song I think I'll just play this version of the video instead.

Random Jam: New Edition-"You Don't Have To Worry [remix]" (1996)

H

Ok so...I was reminded of this song by my potna ponta Kim. She said she was watching an old episode of New York Undercover and this came on.

I forgot how jammin this song was. But I was also reminded of why I could never really enjoy this video...shirtless Bobby Brown doing his best Ginuwine (who was the new hot thing at the moment) "Pony" impersonation. Other than that and Mike Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe's terrible mid-90s-faux-Italianio-mafioso raps at the end, this shit still jammin. Too bad that New Edition Reunion tour that's advertised in this video didn't last too long.

But yeah, this video got 1996 (one of my favorite years in life, period) written all over it. The clothes, the then-mandatory Puff adlibs and fingerwave-rocking Missy Elliot hee-heeing at the beginning of the track.

New Edition was, still and will always be the sh*t. I remember the first concert I ever went to was them, Fat Boys and Whodini at the Fox. Then I remember getting that N.E. Heartbrak tape and new radio for Christmas when I was like 7 or 8. Happy as hell.

Enjoy.

Random Jam: Herb Alpert "Making Love In The Rain" (1987)

Was chilling the other night and this song just happened to pop up in iTunes. I swear I haven't heard this song in years. I always knew what it was, loved it and knew that Bone sampled it for "Days of Our Lives." But I swear I hadn't heard this song in a long ass time. Figured I'd share it to day since its raining hard as hell outside right now...use the day accordingly ;-)

Random Jam: The Pharcyde-"She Said"

This song used to jam but it seems like the only songs/singles people remember from The Pharcyde's Labcabincalifornia album are "Runnin" and "Drop." Granted both of those songs were effing great, but "She Said" is pretty jamming too.

This version that I'm posting isn't the original that appeared on the album or in the American version of the video. Rather, this more laid-back, Jay Dee (J-Dilla) produced version that I'm posting is on the Cydeways: The Best of The Pharcyde CD and is referred to as the "Amsterdam version."

Folks already thought that Tre and Fatlip were the stars of the group and their performances on this song, on top of not having Imani and Bootie Brown's high-pitched voices on it, pretty much cemented that. I always thought the way Tre could go from rapping to singing without missing a beat was dope, just like how Fatlip's ability to sound like he was talking on a track made him standout. Hated that this group wound up dissolving.

Anyways, hope you enjoy this track. I never saw this version of the video on TV back in the day though. Thanks youtube.

Random Jam: Tweet-"Heaven" (2002)

Man. When I tell you I used to love this woman...still do actually. Tweet's debut album Southern Hummingbird was one of the most pleasant surprises I ever had. I was a regional college promotional marketing representative (fancy way of saying intern) for Elektra records when this album dropped. When they sent me some snippet CDs to give away, I knew the album was gonna be pretty good based off what I heard on those. But man, when the actual full length came out, daaaaaaaaamn, this shit was jamming. To this day I still think she got absolutely cheated at the Soul Train Lady of Soul awards when they gave Ashanti the Best New Female Artist Award that year. Ashanti couldn't hold a candle to Tweet. Tweet actually wrote and produced on her own stuff...and played guitar.

But yeah, I have alot of favorite songs on this album and "Heaven" is probably my absolute favorite. First time I heard the song, I just thought the sparse beat with the guitar in the back was straight fie. I loved the melody, but didn't really start paying attention to the words until the 5th or 6th time I listened. After I fully understood the feelings she was conveying on this song, I loved her even more as a songwriter. Fortunately the relationship I was in at the time was "Heaven" and I couldn't relate...but after growing in and out of some others since then, I absolutely relate to this song and I'm sure some of you feel me on that. This and "Always Will" are songs that still float around in my head to this day because of the experiences I've had.

But yeah, I used to really love this woman. Her chocolate skin, he smooth voice, her dark eyes, everything! I think the thing I loved the most was that while I thought she was very pretty, she wasn't "perfect." I read that she hated smiling because she didn't like how her teeth looked. I used to feel the same way about my grill, ahahha. Don't get me wrong I around here looking like Too $hort, but I know ain't Shermar Moore 'round this b*tch either. But yeah, I really related to the vulnerability and sometimes brutal honesty that Tweet conveyed in her music (and indirectly in her image). She let you know that she enjoyed being in love, but that loving yourself first was always the first priority...and that "loving yourself" was ok too, ahaha.

I've heard that Tweet actually lives in Atlanta now and has been working on stuff here and there. The only thing I've heard is that song she did with T.I. a couple years ago and a jamming ass song "Cruisin" I found on youtube last year. (UPDATE: just found this jamming ass song called "Its You" too)

But yeah, Tweet...please come back. I don't know if anyone misses her, but I know I do.

Bonus: "Smoking Cigarettes"|"Beautiful"|"Motel"