Day 172 through Day 174 of the Grammy Chase, from the outside may seem like absenteeism and I honestly feel like I’m cheating by bundling, but this week has been all about preparation for the Good Morning Amy launch. The Album was made available on Day 173, or June 22 to great reception. The days previous were all media related as we were scrambling about trying to tie up loose ends. Today however is THE DAY. All that I could think of was “Sweet Dreams,” as the day of the release of Good Morning Amy is finally here. Tonight is the release party for which I’ve been waiting for with great anticipation.
My love to you all, whether you are in attendance or not. Thank you!!
And of course the video/song of inspiration. May you have Sweet Dreams!!!
I was recently having a conversation with a young man that I’m beginning to mentor and he was listing some of his favorite rappers and who he thinks is better than the other. He was saying how J. Cole is better than Drake and how Lil Wayne is hot, but he really isn’t feeling like he is dope for what he says, but that there is a lot of hype behind him. I brought some current rappers and even admitted that I don’t own one single Jay-Z album which is a shame, but honestly more of a jealous competitive decision to never buy and sit with one of the 10 or more classic albums, NUMBER 1 albums that he’s dropped.
Then we went further into the conversation and I brought up the fact that for a Southern rapper, Ludacris can give any upstate or east coast rapper a run for their money. One of the things we both agreed on was the fact that Luda had a dope voice and was very distinguishable. I then pointed out that I heard and saw with my own ears and eyes, in an interview with Luda, that he has insurance coverage on his voice as it is his means of living, which I thought was brilliant. Now, seeing as how my mentee is only 18, I figured that he wouldn’t remember one of the dopest rappers to ever touch the mic from the West Coast, originally by way of Texas, the D.O.C., so I thought to post this for him, because in light of Ludacris’ voice insurance, I only wish that such an option was considered so many years ago when the D.O.C. lost the complete range and full use of his original voice due to a near fatal accident, also making me think about how fortunate Kanye West is as well in surviving his accident. So, Jordan, this song is for you bro. DiG!
The year was 1996 and what an great time for music and Hip Hop. The Fugees, starring or featuring one of the greatest if not THE greatest female emcees. I’m up late working and up early……working!! My overtime fuel has been The Score album. I’m listening to it and feeling like I’m in a time warp, as if I haven’t aged because I feel the exact same feelings as when I first bought the Cd. The fact that Rah-Digga was just as ill on the mic as Lauryn. The fact that I’m still not quite sure what Praz’s function or contribution was, as he certainly wasn’t the lyrical one. The fact that the skit at the 1:45 mark on “The Beast” with the Chinese Muslim restaurant, is STILL hilarious. “You think I open a restaurant in the middle of the hood and not no what’s up…F*&$% Represent!”
Well, in light of my personal quest of a presenting a classic masterpiece with Good Morning Amy, I find great inspiration in “The Score.” Best Rap Album – The Score. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or a Group – Killing Me Softly With His Song, 1996.
Not my favorite Sting song, but who am I to judge a musical wizard, a mystic? “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You,” is a pretty deep song though, questioning science, politics and religion among other things and how they shape our world, the way we think, our belief system etc. The song won Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male – 1993. The video was well done especially considering the camera effects given the year was 17 years ago.
The song was hot, but the video was suspect in my opinion. These women are vocally talented, gorgeous and should have nothing to prove in order to attract attention. I feel that many of the videos that they make are very fair weather, as they’ve tried to reach the various young and hip audiences way too many times, by attempting to “look,” dress and style like them, instead of just letting their power reside in the songs they make. All that said, it has no bearing on that fact that Mary Mary has won 3 Grammy’s to date. “Thankful,” Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album in 2000 and “Get Up,” Best Gospel Performance, 2008 and “God In Me,” in 2009 for Best Gospel Song. It’s interesting how Gospel music is recognized by the same industry that most gospel circuits consider secular.
This guy I just kind of learned about through hearing his name during a casual conversation while at the studio one day. I think that Tone and I were talking about new artists, sustainability, creativity and things of that nature and we were debating on whether we were pressing a vinyl LP for the Good Morning Amy album. During the discussion, he mentioned that DJ Cutler had put him onto a guy named Mayer Hawthorne who has a very unique, throwback, 50′s, 60′s sound with a Motown aesthetic, as he IS from around Detroit. But from what I understand, this dude has a massive vinyl record collection and just as well, his music that he writes and produces has become a collectible hobby for his fans.
Check out this dudes style and the spinning Red Heart in the video is his actual vinyl pressing for this particular single. Brilliant. Not quite sure if this is what the Recording Academy is calling for, but based off of how I feel, he SHOULD be mentioned in this upcoming ceremony. We’ll see.
This cat kind of turned into a Cheshire Cat and disappeared as I personally haven’t heard much about or from him. Jamiroquai, a musician with a raspy, soulful, yet pop like voice and a unique name which also lent to a great taste of music, was the recipient of a Grammy in 1997, which seems like eons ago. Best Pop Performance by a Group or Duo with Vocal – Virtual Insanity. All of the videos are blocked from embedding, but I did find a Live version, which is unfortunate because the video was simply incredible and nothing short of genius.
…”who issss the maaaan!?”….
One of the most popular songs ever crafted that defined an era and a musical standard for many years to come, Shaft Theme song, by brother Isaac. God Bless him!!
Best Instrumental Arrangement - 1972 – Theme from Shaft Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special – 1972 – Shaft
A voice who’s been slept on by many, but truly appreciated by those of us that really matter, as Amel is no slouch when it comes to songwriting and performing. Her voice is unique with great range of octaves and her music has always been uplifting. This particular video I’m posting is for three reasons, 1) other than mother nature, she is the only figure/subject in the video and the video was incredible to me, given the cutaways, image decays, subject framing etc, 2) the song is a true dedication to all of the people that know what love is and how it can truly make you feel when it’s good. 3) she IS a Grammy nominated artist but not for her own work, it was for a remake of Roberta Flack and Donnie Hathaway song called “Where is the Love,” along with Glenn Lewis and Stanley Clarke, which Nominated for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group 2004.
I think that she has a body of work that stands on its own and is surely worthy of being noted by the Recording Academy, but we don’t live in a perfect world now, do we?
The only reason I’m bothering to post JLo’s video is because from an artistic videography point of view, I LOVE the colors, scenes, though a little “green screen” looking, the textures and shots of the video are very worth sharing and talking about. On a Grammy related note, JLo has only been nominated twice and rightfully so as she is an entertainer more than a music artist and I do believe there is a difference. One of the nominations was this song, “Waiting for Tonight,” but it seems that she’ll be waiting for eternity before being nominated for a Grammy again, as that was 10 years ago. Nevertheless, she CAN stamp her loooong and successful resume with the coveted “Grammy Nominated” tag which always tends to earn a few extra bucks. She is MORE known for the strapless, very revealing dress that she wore to the Grammy’s with Diddy some years ago.
