02 Nov

Posted at 20:31h in Music, Throwback
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Twenty years ago today, the world got to hear two of the greatest vocalists of all time on one song: “When You Believe,” a duet between Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, hit the airwaves. The song was special not just because they were two of the most popular artists of all time — it was special because the two artists were believed to be feuding. For eight years leading up to that collaboration, the two had been pit against each other in the press, and for a while in the early ’90s, Whitney routinely shaded the fuck out of Mariah.

(Sidebar: It was a respectful kind of shade, if you will. The kind of shade you throw at a formidable opponent — unlike the way she shaded Paula Abdul. Mariah, on the other hand, never retaliated because she respects Whitney. Madonna wasn’t as lucky.)

In order to make the collaboration happen, Babyface — who co-wrote and produced the song — is said to have told both artists that the other had agreed to collaborate (before this was actually true). His plan worked, and the rest history. And unlike Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, whose relationship worsened after their collabo, Whitney and Mariah ended up becoming friends.

“When You Believe” peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100; considering the two artists involved, this was far below expectation. However, it performed much better across the world, reaching the top 5 in the UK and France. The song, which was on the soundtrack of The Prince of Egypt, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, which is a songwriter’s award. Babyface, who co-wrote the Nippy and Mimi version, didn’t share in the glory because bitch-ass Stephen Schwartz, who wrote the initial version of the song (which appears in the movie), left Babyface’s name off the submission to the Academy. Stephen’s a hater.

Anyway, join me in this beautiful walk down memory lane.

01 Nov

Posted at 16:07h in Music, Throwback
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Yesterday was Halloween, so I had to do a spooky one for this week’s TBT post. “Thriller” would’ve been too obvious, so I thought I’d go with “Ghosts,” one of favorite Michael Jackson’s most underrated songs/videos.

“Ghosts” was supposed to be part of the soundtrack for Addams Family Values, but when negotiations fell through, MJ decided to make a short film out of it — it was featured at the Cannes Film Festival n all dat. The storyline was co-written by MJ, Mick Garris and Stephen King, who included the film with selected releases of his 1996 move, Thinner. In a 2017 interview, Garris claimed that the project cost $15 million, all of which came out of Michael’s pocket. Technically, that makes it the most expensive music video of all time, but some would argue that it was a theatrical release rather than a music video.

The song, written and produced by MJ and Teddy Riley, never charted in the US because of the weird chart rules back in the day — songs needed to have retail releases to be eligible. However, it was a major hit all around the world, peaking at No. 5 in the UK. Watch an abridged version of this classic below.

01 Nov

Posted at 01:51h in Music
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Mariah Carey is putting out good music and it kills me that she’s getting zero play. Ahead of the November 16 release of her 15th studio album (Caution), Mimi has released a fourth song, titled “A No No.” Judging from promotional activity, it’s not clear if this song or its immediate predecessor, “The Distance,” are singles in the traditional sense, but we do know that they are being used to create “buzz,” if you will. This must be what Mariah’s team means when they distinguish “promotional singles” from actual singles.

In any case, “A No No” is dope. Like…DOPE. Even better than “The Distance,” and I thought that was her best song in a decade. The song samples the Jeff Lorber Fusion’s “Rain Dance,” made famous by Lil’ Kim’s “Crush on You” (featuring Lil’ Cease), which is also interpolated in the track.

Vocally, Mariah hasn’t sounded this confident and vibrant in a long time. This might have to do with the fact that the song is supposedly a personal one — it is said to be about Mariah’s ex-manager, Stella Bulochnikov, who allegedly stole money from Mariah and then tried to destroy her after she got fired. That long streak of negative news stories about Mariah in late 2017 — from the lipo to allegations of sexual assault — are widely believed to be the handiwork of Stella. Oh, and remember when Mariah revealed that she had bipolar II disorder? That only happened because Mariah got word that Stella was trying to expose her.

Anyways, now that we have some context, listen to the song below.

28 Oct

Posted at 17:51h in Music
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In the video for “Dose,” Ciara does what she does best: Dancing her ass off. The video shows Ciara and her squad rocking leotards and dancing on a high school basketball court. Keisha Lance Bottoms, the mayor of Atlanta, makes a cameo. Watch the video below.

26 Oct

Posted at 15:39h in Music
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Takeoff — who was most definitely not left off “Bad and Boujee” — just released “The Last Memory,” his first single as a solo artist. Parts of the song have that heavy bassline you hear on every Migos track, but overall, I can tell he made an attempt to do something different, and I appreciate that.

I’m not sure what the video about, but Takeoff is seen in a castle with British-style soldiers, model-types in fencer gear, and cats on leashes. Peep the clip below.


His solo debut album, The Last Rocket, drops in a week.