Tag: Classic

30 Years: The Story of GUY

Coming from Harlem, NY, two childhood friends joined forces with a third member who they recruited to create a group. Not only were they great singers but they were great songwriters as well. So great that they also written for others such as Bobby Brown and Johnny Kemp, just to name a few. Teddy Riley, Timmy Gatling, and Aaron Hall were the trio known as Guy. Teddy was already a known producer for joints like “Go See The Doctor” by Kool Moe Dee, “The Show” by Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick, “I Want Her” by Keith Sweat, “Just Got Paid” by Johnny Kemp, and “My Prerogative” by Bobby Brown. In 1987, a year before their debut album released, Guy became a group and was managed by Gene Griffin and on June 13th, 1988, their self titled debut album was released. The group became the pioneers for the “New Jack Swing” style and era of R&B during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. With four singles released on a 10 track album, none of the singles reached Billboard 100 but it sold two million copies and the singles were still great hits. The album was filled with only both party and love songs. You can enjoy a night out at a party rocking and grooving and then go back to your lover’s place for a romantic evening afterwards. That’s the vibe you get when you listen to this R&B classic. After the release of the album, Timmy Gatling left the group to go solo and continue writing for other acts and was later replaced by Aaron’s younger brother Damian. They continued on with the success of the album with a soundtrack joint for Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing in 1989 with “My Fantasy”, which was another hit for the group. The group then split after their second album and the Hall brothers continued on with solo careers while Teddy continued writing and producing for other artists and even formed a new group called Blackstreet. 30 years later, there’s no denying the impact of this group and what they’ve brought to the group. New Jack Swing became a movement in R&B music up until 1993 or 1994. So many artists worked with Teddy Riley to have a similar sound to reflect the times. The times were about partying and having a good time and indeed, there’s no party without New Jack Swing to get it going. 30 years later, “Guy” is still a timeless R&B album that people still enjoy and play til this day. Big Sean even sampled “Piece of My Love” on his single “Play No Games” featuring Chris Brown. Mary J. Blige used “Goodbye Love” on a track she did on her “My Life” album called “Don’t Go” and even “I Like” appeared on the “Love & Basketball” soundtrack starring both Sanaa Lathan And Omar Epps. One of the greatest R&B albums of all time. 

It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot: The 20th Anniversary

As the 90’s were slowly coming to an end, hip hop was in a place where it was shiny, glittery, and downright Hollywood. With it’s shiny suits and dresses, fancy cars and jewelry, big smiles and alcohol, all it took was for one guy from Yonkers to come along and redirect hip hop back to it’s roots in the streets. With his rough exterior and vulnerable lyrics and big attitude, Earl Simmons aka DMX not only brought hip hop back to the streets but he was the first artist in hip hop to release two number 1 albums in the same year. On May 12th, 1998, DMX released his debut album “It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot.” With four singles out, DMX was the new face and voice for the streets, the ghetto, the first to be the voice for vulnerable black men in hip hop since Treach from Naughty By Nature. Giving us stories of pain, abuse, struggle, drugs, violence, and sex, while staying true to his higher faith. Just like his hometown natives, Mary J. Blige and The LOX, he also gives that same gritty, street, raw emotion, pain and truth in his music. “Get At Me Dog”, “Stop Being Greedy”, “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem”, and “How’s It Goin’ Down” featuring Faith Evans were all big hits for Simmons. 20 years later, Simmons is known as one of hip hop’s most treasurable artists. One of those artists that stayed true to hisself an where he comes from, despite the troubles with the law, drugs, and alcohol. With an acting career and also party hits underneath his belt, DMX is a certified legend in this hip hop biz.

30 Years: The Legacy of Al B. Sure!

Once upon a time, he was a star football player. Denied a scholarship to pursue a music career. Today he is known for being one of R&B’s biggest stars during the late 80’s new jack swing era. He started when he won a talent showcase and was hand picked by Quincy Jones as the winner and then got offered a deal with Warner Bros. Records by Benny Medina. He worked with Quincy Jones on “The Secret Garden”, he sang background for Heavy D. & The Boyz and then finally started working on his debut album, which took only 6 months to do. With a little bit of direction and production from Teddy Riley, his debut album was finally completed. With the first single called “Nite And Day”, his popularity quickly rose and on May 3rd, 1988, Al B. Sure! released his debut album called “In Effect Mode.” Besides “Nite And Day”, “If I’m Not Your Lover” and “Off On Your Own (Girl)” were also the singles released from the album. The album sold more than 2 million copies and it was Top Billboard smash hit. Winning Grammy’s, American Music Awards, and a Best New Artist award, Al was the fresh new guy on the R&B scene that drove the ladies wild. With an album that only had 8 songs, Al had a soft, high pitch, smooth voice that drove the ladies insane. An 8 track album that was filled with love and party/dance songs and a Spanish version of “Nite And Day” included. Al B. Sure! is also responsible for writing and producing for others and even helped the careers of Faith Evans, Usher, Dave Hollister, Jodeci, Tevin Campbell, and Case. 30 years later, “In Effect Mode” is still appreciated and loved by true R&B/New Jack Swing fans around the world. Timeless music that still makes people feel so good about love and life.

He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper: The 30th Anniversary

After the West Philadelphia hip hop duo released their debut album in April 1987, the duo returns with another hit album that took their career and status to another level. On March 29th, 1988, their second album “He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper” was released. It is known to be the very first double album in hip hop history. With Will Smith, aka The Fresh Prince’s witty, funny, and happy but lyrical style and Jeffrey Townes aka DJ Jazzy Jeff’s incredible mixing and scratching with samples over a beat, the duo goes down in hip hop history as one of the greatest duos of all time. With three singles released, “Brand New Funk”, “Parents Just Don’t Understand”, and “A Nightmare On My Street”, the songs are a reflection of The Fresh Prince’s life as a young guy with an understanding of the world around him and making it sort of a comedy without being a comedian, more so of an MC who is just sharing his experiences and his thoughts about regular everyday life as a young guy who just wants to be fresh, spit rhymes, meet fly girls, and keeping his pockets fat.

Adhama “Pretty Lyon” Cruel

Adhama “Pretty Lyon” Cruel is Brooklyn, NY native as well as overall entertainer. As a recording artist, dancer, model, and actress “Pretty Lyon” as she is known professionally has put together quite an impressive resume of work in New York City and the surrounding areas. A trained dancer and vocalist, PrettyLyon released her project, Princess Of Brooklyn Mixtape and participated in The Black Light Chronicles, which serves as a compilation album featuring established contemporaries.

Wanting nothing more than to be a model for hard work, and quality Pretty Lyon is a spokeswoman for the unity of women in Hip Hop and the entertainment industry as a whole. Living, and breathing the arts both inside and out of the booth Pretty Lyon is at home as a creator. The ever personable upstart is on the scene frequently shaking hands and creating relationships that will last, while promoting her brand. Turning her childhood passion for writing poems into full compositions of music that share her thoughts, experiences and speak for those who are voiceless in a sense. The release of her debut Good Girl Bad Habits introduced this Princess to the world and her moves henceforth have solidified the reason for her being on a lot of people’s radar. With more to come, Pretty Lyonis certainly an artist who will come to blossom in today’s entertainment business creating a catalog of great work.

– IMDb Mini Bio

Written by Charisse Smith

The Predator: The 25th Anniversary!

After having two successful albums that touched on more political topics like police brutality and injustice, Ice Cube returns with his third album “The Predator” on November 17th, 1992. 25 years later, it’s an album that’s still relevant and still timeless. With only three singles released, “it Was a Good Day”, “Wicked” and “Check Yo Self”, Cube still comes raw and unfiltered, unapologetic and truthful, in your face and knowledgeable about the realities of where he comes from and taking those experiences on another level to connect it to more worldly events that are similar. It’s not a personal favorite of mine from Cube but the lyrics are full of aggression and the production is still hardcore, street and heavy hitting. There’s no smiling or happy things about this man or his words. It’s frustration and demanding. Demanding enough to catch the hip hop fan’s attention and can easily piss of anyone whose ignorant. Not too many artists’ today have albums that’s just as powerful and raw like this. Everybody wants the truth but handle the truth. So who’s the real “predator” I ask?

It’s About Time: The 25th Anniversary

25 years ago, three friends from The Bronx and Brooklyn came together to form as a singing group and then released their debut album. The three girls names are Cheryl, Leanne, and Tamara also known as Coko, Lelee and Taj, better known as SWV or Sisters With Voices. On October 27th, 1992, the group released their album “It’s About Time.” A 15 track album that’s filled with new jack swing, raw hip hop and R&B tracks. Every song from start to finish is a banger. Songs about relationships, love, and two playful but rapping tracks that perfectly gave the world a glimpse of what these around-the-way girls were all about. SWV was the first girl group in the 90’s to come out with the around-the-way girl image and still able to achieve mainstream success, while others had an image that was more colorful and baggy or the typical high heels and dresses and makeup, SWV kept it hood. Coko’s extremely long fingernails, to 5411 Reeboks and Doc Marten boots to oversized baseball jerseys and jeans, they had an image that regular girls back in the hood of the NYC had. I wasn’t even born when this classic was released but it’s an album that I’m super familiar with and love so much. It’s my favorite album from SWV. This album also had the most hits released. As I sit up at 3 in the morning, looking at and holding the album in my hand, I see the girls on the cover just chillin’ in their element. The SWV logo in a lime green diamond with the letters SWV in dark pink on the top right side on the corner. This means that this is the original 1992 release. This release doesn’t have the “Human Nature” remix version of “Right Here”, instead it’s the Vibe Mix but an instrumental. The April 1993 release has the logo on the opposite side on the cover and has the “Human Nature” remix. It’s 3:14am and for the past almost half an hour, I had “Anything” on a loop. It’s the perfect opening for an album like this. Something soulful, smooth, and gets you ready for the upbeat tracks that follow after. The next song “I’m So Into You” is one of the singles released from the album and then followed by “Right Here.” “Right Here” is SWV’s debut single. The song that put them on in the first place. The song with the video our parents saw back in the summer of 1992. They were bopping and pointing and dancing all over the place. Taj’s rap is unforgettable. Love hearing her rap. Then it’s their signature hit “Weak.” This is the SWV song that everybody knows. Even our little cousins heard it and they don’t know nothing about no SWV. LOL! This is the song you hear girls singing in talent shows all the time. “You’re Always On My Mind” was another smooth joint and “Downtown” was on another level. “You’re Always On My Mind”‘was the phone call to your lover and you told them how much you thought about them but “Downtown” was the invite over to theirs or your place to what we call nowadays a little “Netflix and chill.” The lyrics were very clear about what they meant by “downtown.” Real grown folk music at the moment. “Coming Home” took it back upbeat after you come back “uptown”, “Give It to Me” was also another upbeat banger. This is the new jack swing/hip hop part of the album. “Blak Pudd’n” is my second favorite after “Anything.” The track basically could’ve been a remix to “Downtown” but with a beat. The rapping of course is dope and it hits hard with the beat. Taj holds her own as a MC. The title track itself is just as beautiful as “Anything” to me. The song gives me that classic girl group vibe and Coko reminds me of Stephanie Mills on this song. The harmonies, the hook, the chorus, everything about it makes it such a perfect song. “Think You’re Gonna Like It” is the heaviest new jack joint on the album and “That’s What I Need” is a mix of both new jack and soul. The album ends off with “SWV (In The House)”, my third favorite, an a Capella version of “Weak” and then the Vibe Mix of “Right Here.” Definitely a no wrong doer album. A classic. Very nostalgic for me. Another joint I grew up listening to without my mom’s permission but she played this in that Sony 5 disc changer radio that I loved so much as a kid. The good old days. SWV will be celebrated for their reaching 25 years in the game at the Soul Train Awards in November. It’s the perfect time. It’s about time.

The Velvet Rope: The 20th Anniversary

After her 1993 self titled album and a 1995 greatest hits, compilation album, Janet Jackson returns in 1997 with another album. The transition from the “Poetic Justice”, sexy, smooth talking, convincingly enough to draw you in as a man, big braids rocking and ripped high waist jeans, to a much more darker and in your face Janet. An album that touched on deeply personal subjects of depression, anorexia, body dysmorphia, self harm, emotional breakdowns, and even domestic violence, to me it is Janet’s best work to date and my personal favorite of them all. 20 years ago, on October 7th, 1997, Janet Jackson released her sixth album “The Velvet Rope.” With only six singles released between September 1997 and November 1998, Janet had another successful album under her belt. Before the release of the album, Janet renewed her contract with Virgin Records. Other labels were in a bidding war trying to get Janet to join them instead of Virgin, and she renewed her contract with a whopping $80 million, which was the largest recording contract for an artist at that time also making Janet one of the most highest paid artists ever in music history. With production from her husband at the time, Rene Elizondo, Jr. and her longtime collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, “The Velvet Rope” is a masterpiece from beginning to end. There are absolutely NO skips on this joint. At all. The album’s production had a mixture of hip hop, R&B, pop, trip hop, folk, jazz, rock and electronic. To me though, it’s just hip hop and R&B production with guitars and pianos, a little bit of pop but not bubble gum, it’s a dark but amazing album. It’s sitting in your room alone, in the dark, crying all day and you didn’t bathe or eat or slept, you’re ignoring the entire world and you feel like you no longer want to exist, kinda album. One day you’re like “You know what? Fuck this, fuck that, fuck you, fuck everybody!” and the next you’re like “Hopefully, this will be a good day today. I’m alright today. I’m gonna call up my homies to see what’s the move today. Maybe go shopping, visit a friend, something fun.” It’s that kinda album. With so much topics this album has, you can really easily catch the ups and Down of Janet’s life and world on this joint. She’s happy, then she’s angry, then she’s sad and depressed, lonely, this album takes you all over and takes you there. Her vocals are angelic and perfect. The beats hit hard enough to feel it in your chest and to make you nod your head. The lyrical content is real and relatable. It’s timeless music. Timeless Janet. 20 years later, it’s still as amazing as it was back when it first came out. The transition from this album to her later ones got stronger but later on her career did a dangerous decline over an incident that she was a victim of but of course, Janet still comes back with a stride in her walk and a attitude and energy that’s unparalleled.

A Different World: The 30th Anniversary

After the success of the popular 1980’s sitcom, The Cosby Show, a spinoff show hits the airwaves that started off showcasing the college experience of Denise Huxtable. 30 years ago, on September 24th, 1987, A Different World was aired. The show starts off all about Denise, the daughter of both Heathcliff and Claire Huxtable who in the beginning struggles to find her own way in college life. She’s slacking off, grades not looking too good, she’s trying to find a job to pay off what she owes, and not staying focused on her studies, all the while, occasionally dealing with a southern belle who goes by the name Whitley Gilbert. Whitley is a bit of an uptight, snotty and spoiled young woman who comes from a family who has money. Later on she becomes the star of the show after the first season. As well as Whitley, Denise also puts up with a guy named Dwayne Wayne. He’s a stylish, skinny kid whose smart and very good at math but in the first season, he kind of comes off as annoying and a bit creepy the way he’s always in Denise’s face trying to get with her. After the first season, it was said that Denise drops out of Hillman to go traveling and the show focuses more on Dwayne and Whitley and then everyone else. As the show progresses, each episode gives the viewer a closer and closer anticipation of the friendship between Whitley and Dwayne. They went from hating one another to being an on and off couple to being husband and wife in the end. Besides their love affair, we also get a taste of the other characters on the show who are like the pieces of the puzzle on the show. Each character has their own uniqueness and way of shining on the screen with the way they all connect and made you believe that Hillman was an actual college and that you wanted to attend. There’s Dwayne Wayne’s close friend Ron Johnson, Freddie, Kim, Shaza Zulu, Jaleesa, the lost goes on. The show was important in a way that focused on black students being productive and positive college students with dreams while also touching on worldly topics and issues that mattered. Especially for black people. It was an overall positive show that made you laugh, cry, it was suspenseful, knowledgeable, insightful and powerful. It’s something that needs to be shown on television again today. Something so moving and enjoyable. 30 years later, the show is still just as popular as it was then. It was on Netflix a year or two ago and still being played on television with reruns of the episodes. It’s definitely my favorite sitcom of all time. One of the greatest.

My Way: The 20th Anniversary

For an album that’s so short, it’s heavy legacy is what makes it hard to forget. After his 1994 self titled debut album, Usher returns three years later with a sophomore album that’s way more mature and helped sky rocket Usher’s career to another level. On September 16th, 1997, Usher his second album “My Way.” With only three singles released, the album was a commercial success for Usher. The album starts off with a bit of a dancy but R&B joint, which also happens to be the first single off the album, “You Make Me Wanna…” The song is about a girl who says and does all the right things to him that convinces him to want to leave his girlfriend who he is in a relationship with and start something new with her instead. The music video is just as classic. Usher and the other guy dancers with the chairs and different rooms with the shiny metallic outfits and Usher being himself in front of the camera and singing. The next song “Just Like Me” is the one of the only hip hop/R&B track on the album with a guest appearance from Lil’ Kim. The next song “Nice And Slow” is the first slow song on the album and the second single released on the album. A song about slow loving with his love interest and Kimora Lee Simmons plays as the love interest in the video. She gets kidnapped and held in hostage until Usher comes swooping in and saving her. The fourth song, “Slow Jam” features Monica and I personally felt like it should’ve been a single like the other three. “Come Back” is more uptempo hip hop groove kind of song. The album title track itself “My Way” is easily one of the best songs on the album. It’s the final single from the album and the music video is easily a top 5 greatest Usher music video. The whole carnival theme, the dancing, even Tyrese guest stars in the video. The next song “I Will” is my top favorite on the album. It’s no surprise that Teddy Riley did that joint because it has the same style of vocals as the remix to Mary J. Blige’s “My Love.” So smooth but the beat has a heavy bass that thumps when it plays. The next song transitions in at the end with “Bedtime.” Another slow love song. A Babyface joint this time and finally, the album ends with “One Day You’ll Be Mine.” It’s the most slept on song on the album. Don’t hear people really bringing this song up in Usher conversations that much. All in all the album is classic from start to finish. Usher is definitely one of my favorite singers. Never a flat note or a off key moment in a Usher song. Never. Completely flawless and clear, slick, there’s a sort of a shine in Usher’s voice like a squeaky clean wood floor after waxing it. With a waxy clean wood floor, you can definitely slide and glide just like Usher does in his videos listening to him.