(Y)OUR (A)VERAGE (L)ISTENER

OK, folks

It's time for me to highlight three new joints (in no particular order) -

1) DaniLeigh "LilBebe"

I'm not gonna front, I was hating hard when I first heard this song. Then (as it usually happens) I found myself dancing and singing along unexpectedly. It's an undeniable BOP!

2) Ro James "Excuse Me"

I'm new to Ro James. He's been bubbling with "Permission," "Already Knew That," and "Slow Burn." And he's got another joint with "Excuse Me." I think he brings something new to the game. It doesn't hurt that while born in Germany, his musical origin is my hometown of Queens, NY! Favorite part of the song is easily the refrain "You got me fucked up" because who hasn't said that?

3) Tierra Whack - "Whack World" -

So I watched Lady Gaga's Super Bowl performance. For no particular reason. I actually got there after watching Cardi's Grammy performance (post forthcoming).

I really value that the performance was entirely live and strictly Gaga. That doesn't always happen in the Super Bowl halftime show. You have to really be a bad mamma-jamma to put on a show of that magnitude and really cut through to fans (and non-fans) from across the country, live in-person and translate to folks watching from home. Think: Michael Jackson. Think Beyonce.

I gotta say: it's flawless. Even where there are "flaws," it does not distract from the overall QUALITY of the performance.

As usual, I gotta give a few highlights -

1) She jumps IN to singing Edge of Glory/Poker Face. And then jumped OUT after singing Bad Romance (and caught a damn football at that LOL).

2) She DANCED while attached to suspension cables.

3) Sometimes a slow song amongst uptempos can really...well slow a show down. But because she sang it so beautifully, A million Pieces really worked.

4) You can tell at the end of Bad Romance, she was REALLY FEELING IT. Somehow, after 10 minutes, her energy INCREASED and she did full out choreo on that platform. The crowd was with her. And it showed.

It was amazing. I'm not an expert on halftime show performances, but I'm going to say it was one of the best.

Top 3 Nicki Minaj features (in my opinion, which is very, very important). EVERYBODY talks about her verse on Monster, and it's dope. These three, however, are MY favorites.

1) 5-star chick (Yo Gotti ft. Trina) - it's Yo Gott's song, but yea - Nicki clearly had the best verse. I think this is the song where I took notice.

2) Lil Freak (Usher) - So what she adds an extraneous reindeer (Dixon). Doesn't matter. She's in the pocket!

3) Dance (ASS) (Big Sean) - Favorite quotable? B-B-Big Sean, b-boy, how big is you?/Give me all your money and give me all your residuals/Then slap it on my ass, ass, ass! A woman after my own heart LOL.

Y'all know I love an underrated artist. And by far, by all mainstream music standards, Jazmine Sullivan is underrated. We could debate the reasons why, but that's not what I'm here for. Instead I want to go on record and say, in my opinion, she is one of THE best R+B singers/songwriters in the last 20 years. BY FAR. The best example to illustrate my point:

Forever Doesn't Last (Live from Birmingham, AL) -

First of all, the title: FOREVER DOESN'T LAST -- Like...never? Damn, Jazmine. That's cold. Honestly, the way she sings this song will definitely have you questioning your past, current or future relationships.

Jazmine's voice is so rich. Her range is crazy. She sings with passion and emotion. You experience ALL OF IT on this song. The high, lows joy and pain. The song really is a doozy in itself and how Jazmine sings it...boy oh boy.

OK, let me break down a few key points:

1) It's a 9-minute live performance of ONE song LOL. Watch the WHOLE performance. It is worth it.

2) Since it's live you'll have to contend with the background commentary. Clearly, some of the women in the audience knew from what Jazmine was speaking.

3) MOST importantly: the SINGING! All of it is great and it's difficult to describe what she does with her voice. But I'll try - Check out the scat/ad lib section at 02:56 - 03:23 and the pre-chorus ad-lib 06:36 - 07:03.

Forever Doesn't Last is a smorgasbord for the ears, and proves that Jazmine Sullivan truly has one of the best (and sadly underrated) voices of our time. Please watch and join me in putting SOME RESPECK on her name 😂 .

(in no particular order):

Shot Clock by Ella Mai - I'll admit, I'm late on the Ella Mai train. I'm on board now.

Nights Like This by Kehlani ft. Ty$ - I'm not late on the Kehlani train. I find her voice so beautiful (and she talking some real shit). A verse by everyone's favorite feature artist does not hurt either.

Twerk by City Girls ft. Cardi B - How can I describe this song? Bold, bragadocious, and so much damn fun! And wait until you see the video...it more than matches the energy of the song. No really, you gotta see it (to believe it). It's...2 Live Crew in 2019.

Ya'll, if you haven't heard these songs yet go to your preferred app and listen to them right now. ALL of them are back-to-back listen worthy.

I was born in 1980, so I was 14 years old when Brandy arrived on the scene in 1994. Perfect timing for my raging hormones and songs about boys, best friends and love.

By the time "Never Say Never" came out I was 18 years old. Still raging hormones, but now their was angst. More songs about boys and love, but now I had a better understanding. The album was a juggernaut with FIVE SINGLES. This post, however, is about my favorite non-singles. All of which felt like the lyrics were "ripped from my diary." Love (requited and unrequited), betrayal, and heartache. These songs HAD IT ALL.

So, I had an ex...and "Angel in Disguise" and "Learn the Hard Way" felt like Brandy was living and writing about my life. "Angel in Disguise" felt like a single. And growing up in NY, it played on the radio like it was a single. The track is haunting. But more importantly, it was a play-by-play on how my boyfriend played himself when he cheated on me. ON ME! Trash. But I digress... Adding to my angst was "Learn the Hard Way." Because of course, when you cheat on me...ON ME...you have to learn the hard way. This song has a "bounce" that I never appreciated before.

Then there's "Tomorrow," a criminally underrated song. While feeling down in the dumps about my break-up, these lyrics made me feel like I might live despite my broken heart:

"The sun will finally shine on me, and clouds will drift away.There's something that's in store for me, that's my brighter day." Very dramatic, and primed for 18-year old heartbroken me.

Once I was finally over my ex (or maybe meeting "Keith" helped me get over my ex), "Never Say Never" made me feel like I would marry the boy next door (literally), have a bunch of children and live happily ever after forever. I was a good girl and he was the bad boy. A perfect match right? It felt like it, and I just wanted to do anything and everything to stay in what I thought was love with my crush...hence "Put that Everything." Spoiler: happily ever after DID NOT happen. WHATEVER.

The songs represented my life up until that point. How could Brandy know? Is Brandy...like me? It occurred to me shortly thereafter that we are indeed the same age, so to answer my own question --Yes. 1998. What a time. I fondly remember, replay and relive it with Brandy's album as a backdrop.

I love Mariah, and I'm so happy she's back with a new album! I could dedicate this entire post to the album, but I will exercise restraint and write about only one song.

"A No No" is crazy good!!!

First - THE SAMPLE

Anyone who knows me knows that I love NOTORIOUS K.I.M. FOREVER. So, using the "Crush on You" remix is perfection. The nostalgia. The bass line. The bridge. Perfection.

Second - THE LYRICS

I ain't even mad, no, not like befo'

Off with your head, now slither out the door

Snakes in the grass, it's time to cut the lawn

Ed Scissorhands, AKA "I cut you off" (No)

You ain't gonna lie to my face no mo'

Hit me with 'I'm sorry', but I'm sorry, (No)

Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na, (No)

Get me Ed Shapiro on the phone

Case closed

This is just the first verse! She gave me drama, a classic cult movie and reference to the legal system...in one verse. I LOVE IT!

Third - THE BACKGROUND VOCALS

One of the many reasons why I love Mariah is her background vocals. They are extra special nuggets within an already spectacular record. For example, if you listen really hard on "Heavenly (No Ways Tired/Can't Give Up Now)" Mariah sings "The Bible says 'The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.'" She added a bible psalm in the background ad-lib! Genius!

On "A No No" she highlights the word "NO" uniquely and, in my view, very comically. Just listen to the end of the song at 02:21 to 02:43 and then the "I SAID NO!" at 02:57 to 03:01. Whenever I hear it, I visualize myself sternly relaying "I SAID NO!" to a variety of people: significant other, co-worker, customer, unruly child. Whomever. It cracks me up every time.

For me "A No No" is the best of both worlds with two of my favorite artists of all time. Even though Lil Kim is not technically featured on the song, it feels like it. That's why I love it!

Hey, folks! Happy New Year! I'm not sure how long It's been since I last posted, but I know it's been a good, long while. Update: I started a new job, and it's great! There has been a change in stress level (it's wayyy lower), but I am still a music lover...and Your Average Listener.

I want to get started and encourage all of you to check out Kimberli Joye's performance of Break Every Chain on the Voice. I truly cannot say it ENOUGH times that the performance is AMAZING.

First, I was kinda off the Voice for a while and wasn't totally invested. Secondly, I wasn't familiar with the song at all. It's a gospel song...how is this going to play on the show? I was skeptical, but boy am I glad I started watching again, and especially THAT performance. WHOO, that girl can sing.

I'm not going to say too much because I want you to watch. I will just say that I was posted on YouTube running the video back 4x's in a row for days on end. Check it out. Kimberli Joye. Break Every Chain. On The Voice. SERIOUSLY. It's worth it! Tell me what you think.

Kimberli Joye ad libbed "chains of fear, chains of doubt...they're falling right now!" Break Every Chain is gospel MOTIVATION.

My rap MOTIVATION....is WIN by Jay Rock. Y'all heard it? The song is self-explanatory and very very very 🔥

The horns. The championship vibe. The hook:

Get out the way, get out the way, get out the way yeah (yeah)

Get out the way, get the fuck up out my way, yeah (yeah)

You either with me or against me, ho (ho)

You either with me or (wait), win win, win, win, win (yeah)

Fuck everything else, win, win, win, win (win)

I mean...WHOOOOO. Simple and impactful. As you can guess, I run this jam back heavy (and yell out the lyrics, annoying my neighbors). If you haven't heard the song (or watched the cool video), move fast and check it out.

So, these two songs are my MOTIVATION for 2019.

I often like more than just the music of the artists I listen to. I remember watching an interview with Irv Gotti when Ashanti new to the scene. Irv said something like he could rock with her because “she wasn’t an asshole.” And that’s really all it takes...be someone who isn’t boring, that I would want to hang out with, or at the very least, not an asshole. 

Best example of this Rihanna. She’s no Mariah Carey/Whitney Houston (but you gotta admit, she’s been practicing and is much improved). But it doesn’t really matter. What makes her so adored by so many goes far beyond her music.  Check her Instagram, Twitter, interviews, etc. to see what I mean. 

Ok, I'll admit it: I was late to the Kendrick boat. The only time I'd heard Radioactive was watching two hopefuls sing it on The Voice. So by the time the Grammy's rolled around I didn't know what to expect from their collaboration performance.

This shit was so unexpected, and so fuckin' dope.

Watching this performance I can see why the masses have crowned King Kendrick. And the way Imagine Dragons moved around from instrument to instrument and kept the pace and percussion level so high....A lot of musicianship on that stage. And ENERGY!

Man, listen. You ever needed music to get you HYPED, LIT, or PUMPED? I do.

For my last couple interviews, I listened to "Some X Shit" beforehand. And you know what? I knocked 'em dead every single time.

Preparing for finals, my go-to was Trillville ft. Lil Jon, "Neva Eva." Didn't get all A's, but never failed an exam.

"Who Gon Stop Me" by Watch the Throne probably best captures the overall theme for me: (in my most NY bravado voice) DON'T F*** WITH ME, I WISH A MOTHAF**** WOULD TRY ME, I'M THE BEST, AND YOU CAN'T TELL ME DIFFERENT.

I've been blessed. In the 90's, my older sis put me on to Mary and Mariah. And then, in the millennium, my college roommate had excellent taste in music and put me on to R&B JAMS by Luther, Donny and Sade.

My college roommate also would treat us to an "Hour of Power" of QUALITY HYPE music before we went out (well, more so when she and my other suitemates would go out because I was a wallflower in college). 

Now, I put my niece and younger sister on to (in my mind) SUPER DOPE music of all kinds.

If you are ever feeling low, depressed or otherwise yucky and want to wallow in it, listen to "A Donny Hathaway Collection."

Now talk about Beautiful, Depressed Music. This is it.

A few titles: "I Love You Know More Than You'll Ever Know," "Giving Up," "For All We Know."

When you get a minute check those out, and more. You gotta be careful tho. More than once, these songs had me in the fetal position crying like a big baby.

So, the opening line of Jadakiss' "We Gonna Make It" is definitely dope. And here are a few others:

"I've lost the use of my heart/but I'm still alive..." Sade, Soldier of Love

- Listen, anyone that has ever experienced heartbreak can appreciate this lyric. I mean damn, she lost the use of her HEART!?!

"Hit it hard from the back..." R. Kelly, TP-2.com

- This lyric opens the ALBUM! R. Kelly, ladies and gentleman.

"Let me sit this ASSSSSSSS on ya..." Beyoncé, Rocket

FUCK...THE...FRAIL SHIT/cuz when my coke come in they gotta use the scale that they weigh the whales with...

I like when I happen upon dope music and videos. A few months ago (well, let's say several months ago), I was flipping around the music channels and saw Kiesza's video for "Hideaway." I had never heard the song before nor had I ever heard of Kiesza. I was immediately intrigued by the video. I thought, who's this chick with the cool hair? Is this a "continuous shot?" She can DANCE! Hey, this song is kinda dope. Watched a few live shows and listened to a few cuts off of her album, and now can say that I am a fan. If you haven't heard of Kiesza yet, check her out immediately.

Very glad I stumbled upon her music, especially in this day and age where music channels RARELY play music/videos. Like seriously, when does VH-1, BET or MTV play music videos? The answer: 6-10am. After that, it's a wrap!

But I digress. A live performance is how I got into Ed Sheeran. I had heard of him before, and his association with Taylor Swift but didn't really pay attention. I liked his "Don't" song and video, but didn't get into him fully until hearing "Thinking Out Loud" for the first time. I was watching the Grammy's and chatting through his performance (like I said, I wasn't checking for ES). But my ears would not let me totally tune him out. By the end I said to my little sis, "what's the name of that song? I like it." Now that's my jam. And the album is dope too.

Yo, people. So the BET awards came on last week or so and it's the perfect time to speak on the greatness that is Lil Kim. If you couldn't tell from the title, I love her. And after you watched her perform her verse on "It's All About the Benjamins" for the Bad Boy tribute, you should love her too. Lil Kim has been in the game since what, 1995? That's 20 years in hip hop. A LOT has changed, but Lil Kim displayed that she can STILL put on a show. She did the same at the Soul Train Awards last year, performing "Ladies Night (Remix)." What those performances have in common is energy and high-level performance quality. And that energy was reflected in the crowd's response. Now, I wasn't there, but trust, I lost my mind when watching the tribute on my 12-year old box RCA TV (shout out to RCA!) When Kim came up from the hole in the floor... the floor that Diddy had just fell into, I screamed at the top of my lungs "WANNA RUMBLE WITH THE BEE, HUH?" and of course you know the rest. In my book, ain't nobody fuckin with Lil Kim. EVER.

So, while there's plenty of new blood on the charts and she doesn't have any hits on the radio right now, Lil Kim will forever be relevant in rap music. Before writing this post I thought about the classic record, "Rosa Parks" by OutKast. In the final verse Dre' spits (and I'm paraphrasing) "...got a new joe in town/When the record player get to skippin and slowin down/All y'all can say is them niggas earned that crown..."

That's exactly how I feel about the Queen Bee. She's earned her crown.