Archive » Crowd Participation

Discussing K'Naan's 'If Rap Gets Jealous'

 

The name K'Naan may not be familiar to most, but that may change when the Somalian artist by way of Ontario, Canada releases his US debut, The Dusty Foot Philosopher Deluxe Edition, this June. His music has been described as borrowing "from the protest songs of Bob Marley, the hip-hop lyricism of Mos Def, and the storytelling traditions of Somalia," and he's received praise from Damien Marley and is a Juno Award winner. Not bad at all, but what did Butta and ill Mami think of his single "If Rap Gets Jealous"? Did they love it or want to leave it alone? Listen to the track, then read on below.

K'Naan: "If Rap Gets Jealous"

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Soul Bounce  |  05/16/2008 at 1:00 PM  |  Comments (7)  |  Permalink

Guilty Pleasures

 

With the advent of our Top 100 countdown that will feature some of the best of the best Soul and R&B songs ever, your SoulBounce editors thought that we should also shine a little light on a few questionable songs amongst our favorites. We know that we're not alone in having some suspect guilty pleasures so if anyone else wants to confess their musical digressions, the comments section awaits.

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Soul Bounce  |  04/01/2008 at 4:30 PM  |  Comments (5)  |  Permalink

Help Us Force These People to Talk To Us

 

Recently, a bunch of college kids bugged the hell out of Talib Kweli on his MySpace page to get him to perform at their school and guess what? It worked. SoulBounce is still in it's infancy, and you wouldn't believe how hard it is tracking down artists, especially the ones signed to major labels. Breaking down those PR walls is like squeezing blood from a turnip, and that's only if you know where to find the "correct" turnip in the first place. Although I'm the HNIC of this here Soulternet, I don't take myself too seriously to launch a campaign similar to the students of the University of the Pacific.

Sometimes getting the attention of an artist can only be accomplished through concentrated, dedicated harrassment. What follows is my current shortlist of artists that I want on the podcast, mainly because [1] I love them, [2] I want to know what they're up to and [3] it increases the profile and value of this site:

• Faith Evans (bug her here)
• Q-Tip (bug him here)
• Dwele (bug him here)

Send them mail, leave them comments. Link them to this post. Let them know they are loved and coveted. We're already aware that Maxwell reads or has at least seen SoulBounce, and as much as we would love having him on, the hedge his label has built around him is so thick and trecherous that he blogs looking over his shoulder. I'll continue to fantasize, but I think getting him anytime soon would be impossible.

Bug him here.

nOvaMatic  |  03/26/2008 at 4:50 PM  |  Comments (3)  |  Permalink

Brandy's 'Dig This' Has Us Reaching For A Shovel

 

Your intrepid SoulBounce Editors are back at it this week by taking a brand new track and breaking it down for it to forever be broke over an IM convo. Embattled R&B singer Brandy is in the hot seat with her song "Dig This" from the Meet the Browns soundtrack. Lend your ear to Brandy then read what nOva and Butta made of the track, which wasn't much.

Brandy: "Dig This"


nOva: OMG! You know what I thought this was? That Mary J. song "Stay Down."
 
Butta: I thought I had an "I've heard this before" moment.
 

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Soul Bounce  |  03/14/2008 at 2:10 PM  |  Comments (13)  |  Permalink

Remembering The Notorious B.I.G.

 

Sunday, March 9, 2008 marked the 11th anniversary of the murder of the Notorious B.I.G. Today your SoulBounce Editors look back and remember the man who changed the hip-hop game forever.

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Soul Bounce  |  03/10/2008 at 3:00 PM  |  Comments (4)  |  Permalink

Cheri Dennis' 'Ooh Ooh' Has Us Saying 'Uh Oh'

 

With Cheri Dennis' "Portrait Of Love" getting quickly played out, it's high time for a new single from In and Out of Love, and Bad Boy has decided to release the slow jam "Ooh Ooh" next. Was this a wise move, or a bad Diddy decision? Well, two of your friendly SoulBounce Editors decided to listen to the song simultaneously and share their thoughts on it over an instant message conversation. Listen to the track below, then read Butta and ill Mami's hilarious and frank two cents.
 

Cheri Dennis: "Ooh Ooh"


ill Mami: She sounds like she's in a bit of pain at the beginning.

Butta: She sure does...but not as much pain as I'm in listening.
 
ill Mami: Getting a bit better.
 
Butta: Until she got to the chorus.
 
ill Mami: I was just about to say that! This chorus had me crying "ooh!"

Butta: It's not horrible, but it's not really a good look for her third single. She's trying to sell this album, right?

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Soul Bounce  |  03/05/2008 at 4:20 PM  |  Comments (9)  |  Permalink

Looking Back At Badu

 

With today's release of Erykah Badu's fifth CD, New AmErykah, the SoulBounce crew thought it'd be a fine time to look back at her first four albums and share our opinions on each. You may be shocked and awed at some of our personal revelations, or you may find yourself nodding your head in agreement and co-signing in the comments. Either way, there's no denying that Erykah's music elicits a passionate response and always gets people to talking. Join us while we reminisce.

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Soul Bounce  |  02/26/2008 at 11:00 AM  |  Comments (9)  |  Permalink

Reconciling Our Grammy Picks and Predictions

 

Last year, the SoulBounce editors offered our thoughts on who we wanted to win and who would win in Grammy categories relevant to this site. Now that the statues have been awarded, we're measuring how our favorites matched up with the usual suspects.

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: Alicia Keys "No One"
Butta and nOva both thought Chrisette Michelle should've taken it home for "If I Have My Way," although the expectation was that Grammy darling Alicia Keys would win it, and she did. Surprised? The personal favorite across the board was Jill Scott's "Hate On Me."

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: Prince "Future Baby Mama"
We all thought Ne-Yo would take it home because, well, he's Ne-Yo! This was a tricky category otherwise, as not many adult male R&B albums saw major label release, or attention for that matter. On Prince, ill Mami offered: "I love Prince, but I'm not feeling the name of this song. Can we please retire "baby mama" & "baby daddy" as colloquial expressions? Please?"

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals: Chaka Khan & Mary J. Blige "Disrespectful"
Let's all bear in mind that R. Kelly and Usher's "Same Girl" and T-Pain's "Bartender" featuring Akon were also nominees for this category. Chaka and Mary were chosen by default as favorites, although we again suspected Ne-Yo to take it home with "Hate That I Love You" featuring Rihanna. There is justice in this world after all.

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Soul Bounce  |  02/11/2008 at 4:09 PM  |  Comments (5)  |  Permalink

So Tells Us: Is Keyshia Cole The Next Mary J. Blige?

 

Much has been said about Keyshia Cole being the next Mary J. Blige, but I couldn't disagree more. Despite Keyshia playing dress up in Mary J.'s closet and wearing her old wigs, these two are on totally different levels. Yes, Keyshia is a relative new jack and MJB is a seasoned professional, but even looking back on Mary's career to when she first came out, there's no comparison. In short, Mary J. Blige > Keyshia Cole.  

I'd like to point out a few key areas where KC and MJB differ to make my point:

• Mary J. is hood, but Keyshia is a hoodrat. There is a difference.
• Miss Cole needs an attitude adjustment. After hearing some of the interviews that she's done and watching her reality show, she just isn't likable. On the other hand, Mary J. is quite the opposite. She keeps it real but doesn't put people off.
  
• Mary would never-ever-ever-ever-ever do a reality show. Even when she was on that stuff it wouldn't have happened.
• Keyshia has yet to put out a classic album. By the time MJB put out her second disc that was her second classic. Just Like You is a great album, but it's no What's the 411? or My Life.
• Mary J. wouldn't have been caught dead yodeling and passing it off as singing if "Love" had been her song.
• Just yesterday I heard on the Wendy Williams show that Keyshia allegedly canceled a concert date because it was cold. Man, if that was MJB she woulda slapped on her furs and kept it moving. PETA be damned.
• MJB's swagger is incredible and undeniable. From the stage to the red carpet to all points in between, she runs it. Does KC even have a swagger to speak of?
  

In time Keyshia Cole may evolve as an artist and grow as a person, but she's not there yet. Keyshia has her own lane, but Mary J. Blige owns the road.

Butta  |  01/18/2008 at 1:30 PM  |  Comments (28)  |  Permalink

Happy Birthday, Babygirl

 

Butta says:

There was something about Aaliyah that I was drawn to from the moment she first hit the scene with "Back and Forth." With all that R. Kelly controversy, she was clearly no angel, but she always carried herself like a young lady and was well spoken and poised whenever she did interviews. A lot of today's artists could take a page out her book in that regard. (Since they steal all her other stuff, why not that, too?)

I saw her in concert in the late '90s at one of the last Budweiser Superfests and sadly I can't remember her live show. At the time she was the opening-opening-opening-opening act, and if I knew then that that would've been my first and last time seeing her perform, I would've cherished the moment more.

If she would have lived to see 29, I wonder where her career would have gone. She was on the brink of becoming a mainstream star by continuing to cross over into film and Aaliyah was her career best at the time of her passing. She was definitely a talent cut short in her prime.

Favorite cuts: "One In a Million," "Rock the Boat," "Try Again," "Age Aint Nothin' But A Number"

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Soul Bounce  |  01/16/2008 at 3:00 PM  |  Comments (8)  |  Permalink