Yeah I'm back...I really don't mind people remaking songs but they need to come close or surpass the original. The list below reflects my thoughts on some REALLY bad remakes...no real order just a list
1. All Cried Out by Allure & 112. Originally this song was done by Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam. This song really didn't need a remake. The original is a CLASSIC. Allure and 112 provided a weak vocal in comparison to the original. Plus they missed the essential passion of the original. When Lisa Lisa cried.. "her body never knew such passion, her heart never knew such pain".. you could feel it. I think Allure & 112 failed miserably.
2. Tell Me If You Still Care by Monica. Originally done by SOS Band. This was a terrible remake but I think Monica's youth played against her here. I didn't think she pulled off the yearning of the original. Production wise something seemed off too.
3. Emotions-Destiny's Child originally by the Bee Gees. This is one the worst remakes ever IMO. While I give them props on the harmony.. this was just overly affected. Beyonce's wailing, Kelly trying to out do Beyonce, and Michelle sounding like a startled cat..it was too much
4. Ginuwine gave us a double play of horrible.. he had the audacity to think he could pull of When Doves Cry AND She's Out Of my Life. While the latter was better than the former I think he treaded on sacred ground and lost. Ginuwine covering MJ actually looks good on paper b/c there are some similarity but the execution was terrible. Sorry G.. you lost twice
5. Knockin Da Boots- Pretty Ricky. Quiet as kept I actually like Pretty Ricky but they must have been smoking if they think it was a smart idea to remake H-Town sex jam of 1993.
6. Got To Give It Up- Zhane. This breaks my heart because Zhane is one of my favorite acts. They are usually on point but their tribute to Marvin Gaye fell flat for me. It almost didnt even sound like Zhane. Good news not too many have heard this version. They are too talented to release such material.
7. Our Love- Mary J Blige. Sorry, vocally, Mary is just not Natalie Cole
8. Open Arms- Mariah Carey..... why oh why Mariah. The original by Journey was schmaltzy enough it didnt need the MC ballad treatment.
9. Right and a Wrong Way- Mario......sigh.......say what you will about Keith Sweat and his voice he had a way with songs and made them his own. I dont think Mario did horrible.. but some songs are so identifiable that they shouldnt be remade. This is the case with this song. It should not be remade.
10. Secret Garden- Silk.. After the 1990 original no more versions of this song. There was a female version too with Patti Labelle and Teena Marie that should be destroyed along with Silk's version.
Showing posts with label list. Show all posts
Showing posts with label list. Show all posts
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
20 Questions
To honor what use to be my fav Magazine from 93-00..VIBE.. I'd like to present a 3Bruthas Passing Judgement 20 Questions for 90's music/pop culture.
1. Why was Brownstone so loud?
2. Why was Michael Jackson considered New Jack Swing?
3. Why did Mariah really bring rap/sing collabos to prominence in the 90s and it continues to this day?
4. Why was Veronica Webb ever considered to be a Supermodel?
5. Why did the 90's have so many damn groups?
6. Why did the 90's have so many good group?
7. Why is the 90's the golden age for Hip Hop?
8. Why was rock music so moody in the 90's?
9. Wasn't VIBE the music BIBLE?
10. Why were the Clinton years the BOMB for black people?
11. Why did rap in the 90's go from great to good to hood?
12. Why were soundtracks bigger than the movies they were associated with?
13. Why was Kelly Price the go to background singer for BadBoy?
13. How come we thought Badboy was never gonna stop?
14. Why were teen acts so talented in the 90's
15. Why was FOX the network on Thursdays night?
16. Wasn't reggae hip hop the ish in the club for like 4 years straight?
17. Why was the 90's all about the REMIX?
18. Why were jeeps so popular?
19. Where art thou' Cross Colours and Karl Kani?
20. Why was R&B so damn sexy?
1. Why was Brownstone so loud?
2. Why was Michael Jackson considered New Jack Swing?
3. Why did Mariah really bring rap/sing collabos to prominence in the 90s and it continues to this day?
4. Why was Veronica Webb ever considered to be a Supermodel?
5. Why did the 90's have so many damn groups?
6. Why did the 90's have so many good group?
7. Why is the 90's the golden age for Hip Hop?
8. Why was rock music so moody in the 90's?
9. Wasn't VIBE the music BIBLE?
10. Why were the Clinton years the BOMB for black people?
11. Why did rap in the 90's go from great to good to hood?
12. Why were soundtracks bigger than the movies they were associated with?
13. Why was Kelly Price the go to background singer for BadBoy?
13. How come we thought Badboy was never gonna stop?
14. Why were teen acts so talented in the 90's
15. Why was FOX the network on Thursdays night?
16. Wasn't reggae hip hop the ish in the club for like 4 years straight?
17. Why was the 90's all about the REMIX?
18. Why were jeeps so popular?
19. Where art thou' Cross Colours and Karl Kani?
20. Why was R&B so damn sexy?
Monday, March 16, 2009
Top Ten Rappers of All Time (Brutha #2)
As the 2nd oldest brutha on 3 Bruthas Passing Judgement, I grew up slap dab in the middle of the true school and beginning stage of hip hop’s decline. The rappers on my list seem to all be from the golden era or started out during that time. I tried to consider some of the rappers who stepped on the scene post 1999, but I couldn’t find anyone deserving to be on the list. There are a few rappers (i.e. The Game, T.I.?) who could potentially be one of the greatest after a few more albums, while others are clearly good top ten contenders for a ringtone countdown. Before I beat a dead horse with a rant dealing with the state of today’s hip-hop(maybe another blog for another day), here’s my list to round out our top 10 rappers of all time:
10) Master Ace.
Talk about someone who is underappreciated in the rap world. He goes way back to the Juice Crew days when he killed it on“The Symphony”. I didn’t get into Ace until he released the joint “Born To Roll” from the album Slaughterhouse, then I began to check out some of his other projects and he is amazing. He reminds me of a less lyrical Nas who has a way of making you visualize scenarios on screen when he rhymes…that’s a talent.
9) Chuck D.
Looking back at some of the rap to come out of during the late 80’s, there was a lot of socially conscious hip-hop. Many of those artists were fly by night and had no impact what so ever. It says something about Chuck if he managed get everyone to stop and listen to him worldwide.
8) Lauryn Hill.
Let me first say when I heard her kill it on the “Nappy Heads” remix in ’94...I was obsessed and knew big things were on the way. Putting aside all of the erratic behavior she began to show years later, L was once a force to be reckoned with. Every rhyme that came out of her mouth was flawless.
7) Gangstarr.
As a group they had the best chemistry. I sometimes wonder would Guru even be as successful if he wasn’t initially paired with DJ Premier to create a masterpiece like “Manifest” , “Just To Get a Rep” or “Mass Appeal”. To be honest, Guru is just an ok rapper i.m.o. and it was the Gangstarr synergy that made them an incredible group.
6) Common.
I’ve been following Common before he had to drop Sense from his name for legal reasons. The first time I REALLY paid attention to him was when the song “I Used to Love H.E.R.” dropped. It wasn’t until the album One Day It Will All Make Sense dropped that I went out and bought his album. He’s poetic without going over your head and probably one of the best REAL freestylers.
5) Big Daddy Kane.
Kane is swag’s inspiration. Before T.I. redefined swagger, Kane was the dude every rapper wanted to emulate. His wordplay still remains top notch even after two decades.…Who comes with better lyrics than this:
“Here I am, r-a-w
A terrorist, here to bring trouble to
Phony mcs, I move on and seize
I just conquer and stomp another rapper with ease
Cause Im at my apex and others are below
Nothing but a milliliter, Im a kilo
Second to none, making mcs run
So dont try to step to me, cause I aint the one
I relieve rappers just like tylenol
And they know it, so I dont see why you all
Try to front, perpetrating a stunt
When you know that Ill smoke you up like a blunt”
---Big Daddy Kane Raw
4) Jay- Z.
Jay shined the most from 1995-2001 in my opinion. I respect his ability to expand and take risks by working with artists like Punjabi MC ,Coldplay, and Linkin Park. Plus he’s a master next to Diddy when it comes to marketing himself.
3) Wu-Tang Clan (selected members).
The distinct personalities in the Wu made them stand out for me. Most rap groups before them consisted of members who seemed to all be cut from the same cloth. Wu Tang came along and brought storytelling, complex lyrics, and party hip hop together backed by RZA’s unique sound. So they rightfully deserve to be in the top 3.
2) Tupac.
This was a hard decision. I battled between choosing B.I.G. and Pac for this position. Pac’s writing ability and how he addressed issues of everyday people gave him an edge over BIG. I’ll just end there before I start comparing more…lol. Both Pac and BIG were intriguing people but this one goes to Tupac.
1) Nas.
I still can’t believe Nas was only 19 when he created the Illmatic album. Can you think of anyone today that age or even older creating anything on that level? He is hip hop at its finest. Some of his other gems were Stillmatic, God’s Son, and It was Written.
10) Master Ace.
Talk about someone who is underappreciated in the rap world. He goes way back to the Juice Crew days when he killed it on“The Symphony”. I didn’t get into Ace until he released the joint “Born To Roll” from the album Slaughterhouse, then I began to check out some of his other projects and he is amazing. He reminds me of a less lyrical Nas who has a way of making you visualize scenarios on screen when he rhymes…that’s a talent.
9) Chuck D.
Looking back at some of the rap to come out of during the late 80’s, there was a lot of socially conscious hip-hop. Many of those artists were fly by night and had no impact what so ever. It says something about Chuck if he managed get everyone to stop and listen to him worldwide.
8) Lauryn Hill.
Let me first say when I heard her kill it on the “Nappy Heads” remix in ’94...I was obsessed and knew big things were on the way. Putting aside all of the erratic behavior she began to show years later, L was once a force to be reckoned with. Every rhyme that came out of her mouth was flawless.
7) Gangstarr.
As a group they had the best chemistry. I sometimes wonder would Guru even be as successful if he wasn’t initially paired with DJ Premier to create a masterpiece like “Manifest” , “Just To Get a Rep” or “Mass Appeal”. To be honest, Guru is just an ok rapper i.m.o. and it was the Gangstarr synergy that made them an incredible group.
6) Common.
I’ve been following Common before he had to drop Sense from his name for legal reasons. The first time I REALLY paid attention to him was when the song “I Used to Love H.E.R.” dropped. It wasn’t until the album One Day It Will All Make Sense dropped that I went out and bought his album. He’s poetic without going over your head and probably one of the best REAL freestylers.
5) Big Daddy Kane.
Kane is swag’s inspiration. Before T.I. redefined swagger, Kane was the dude every rapper wanted to emulate. His wordplay still remains top notch even after two decades.…Who comes with better lyrics than this:
“Here I am, r-a-w
A terrorist, here to bring trouble to
Phony mcs, I move on and seize
I just conquer and stomp another rapper with ease
Cause Im at my apex and others are below
Nothing but a milliliter, Im a kilo
Second to none, making mcs run
So dont try to step to me, cause I aint the one
I relieve rappers just like tylenol
And they know it, so I dont see why you all
Try to front, perpetrating a stunt
When you know that Ill smoke you up like a blunt”
---Big Daddy Kane Raw
4) Jay- Z.
Jay shined the most from 1995-2001 in my opinion. I respect his ability to expand and take risks by working with artists like Punjabi MC ,Coldplay, and Linkin Park. Plus he’s a master next to Diddy when it comes to marketing himself.
3) Wu-Tang Clan (selected members).
The distinct personalities in the Wu made them stand out for me. Most rap groups before them consisted of members who seemed to all be cut from the same cloth. Wu Tang came along and brought storytelling, complex lyrics, and party hip hop together backed by RZA’s unique sound. So they rightfully deserve to be in the top 3.
2) Tupac.
This was a hard decision. I battled between choosing B.I.G. and Pac for this position. Pac’s writing ability and how he addressed issues of everyday people gave him an edge over BIG. I’ll just end there before I start comparing more…lol. Both Pac and BIG were intriguing people but this one goes to Tupac.
1) Nas.
I still can’t believe Nas was only 19 when he created the Illmatic album. Can you think of anyone today that age or even older creating anything on that level? He is hip hop at its finest. Some of his other gems were Stillmatic, God’s Son, and It was Written.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Top 10 Rappers of All Time
I tried to comprise this list with as many objective factors as possible.. but lets face it.. it all about what I like...lol... (I reserve the right to change this list..lol) can't wait to see the other 2 lists from my other 2 Bruthas.
10. Outkast
This duo from Atlanta really brought Southern Rap to the mainstream and broke all the rules. From Southernplayalisticcadillacmuzik to Idlewild. This duo challenged the norm and began to set the standard. Its ok to be different and Kast showed and proved. 3 classic back to back album. For me the crown jewel was Aquemini. One listen to Da Art of Storytelling and you'll be hooked.
9. Snoop Doggy Dogg
The only West Coast rapper to make my list. Nobody rocked 1993 quite like Snoop Dogg. Snoop had a melodic flow that went hard and could rock a party.
1, 2, 3 and to the 4.. Snoop Doggy Dogg and Dr Dre is at the door... NUFF SAID
8. Jay-Z
Probably one of the most influential rapper of the last 10 years. Not just his rapping but his business swagger. I personally feel that the Jiggaman has fallen off his game the past few albums but I still think his first 3 albums were bangers and earns him a spot on this list.
7. KRS-One
The "teacher" makes the list. I feel KRS One is one of the most confused and loquaciousrapper/activists ever. With such social commentary like Black Cop, party bangers like Step Into A World, and his classic period with BDP..he deserves a spot on the list.
6. LL Cool J
The self proclaimed G.O.A.T. no one has been in the game longer than Ladies Love. From I Need A Beat to Doin It to Baby(lol). I feel like I grew up with LL Cool J.. he has been consistent ( sans that Phenomenon crap) and has 13 albums, for rappers that is a miracle.
5. MC Lyte
The only female MC on my list. I know many wont agree with this position but think about it. Lyte entered the boys club and beat most of the boys. She battled a few wack females but she had swagger and skills to take on the boys too. Her catalog is classic.. 10% Dis, Paper Thin(still one of the hottest rap records EVER), Cha Cha Cha(I still know every word), Ruffneck and her opus Poor Georgie. No one could tell a story quite like MC. Lyte.
4. Scarface
I know many are scratching their heads....one listen to A Minute to Pray and A Second to Die and you'll know why I fell in love with Mr. Scarface. The true King of the South. His tales of death, drugs, murder and violence was too much for some but for me I love a story and imagery and Scarface provided it in spades. Scarface owns my favorite Rap song of All Time.. I Seen a Man Die. One listen and you can envision the story he is telling.
3. Notorious BIG/Tupac
I lumped these two together. Two of the most influential rappers ever. Pac and Biggie (due to the East Coast vs West Coast beef) will forever be inextricably linked. Biggie was the better rapper but Pac was interesting and was very informed. Biggie was an excellent MC but I dont think he was ever as diverse as Pac. I recall 1995 being an awesome year.. I couldnt decide between Ready To Die or Me Against the World. Two talents gone too soon.
2. Nas
Illmatic.. Nuff said...lol
1. Rakim
No one did it better than Rakim Allah..lol.. when the beats drops on I Aint No Joke...its a wrap. Rakim flows effortlessly. Again another storyteller. From Microphone fiend to Eric B is President to My Melody.
One of the best rap "love songs" of all time..
Mahogany
I packed my mic as they screamed for an encore
The speakers were blown, plus my mic was sore
Besides I got places to go, ladies to see
And she could tell me how crazy she was over me
We drove off - she said she liked the way that I performed
And couldn't wait to get 'soft and warm', I said,
I've been watchin' you, watchin' me
Looks I received made it hard to MC
I can take a hint, so I knew that she
Wanted my Agony Agony Ag-on-y in her bod-y
Showed her some sights, then I took her to the Condo
She was pipin' hot, but I kept my calm So
She asked how come I don't smile
I said, Everything's fine, but I'm in a New York state of mind!
10. Outkast
This duo from Atlanta really brought Southern Rap to the mainstream and broke all the rules. From Southernplayalisticcadillacmuzik to Idlewild. This duo challenged the norm and began to set the standard. Its ok to be different and Kast showed and proved. 3 classic back to back album. For me the crown jewel was Aquemini. One listen to Da Art of Storytelling and you'll be hooked.
9. Snoop Doggy Dogg
The only West Coast rapper to make my list. Nobody rocked 1993 quite like Snoop Dogg. Snoop had a melodic flow that went hard and could rock a party.
1, 2, 3 and to the 4.. Snoop Doggy Dogg and Dr Dre is at the door... NUFF SAID
8. Jay-Z
Probably one of the most influential rapper of the last 10 years. Not just his rapping but his business swagger. I personally feel that the Jiggaman has fallen off his game the past few albums but I still think his first 3 albums were bangers and earns him a spot on this list.
7. KRS-One
The "teacher" makes the list. I feel KRS One is one of the most confused and loquaciousrapper/activists ever. With such social commentary like Black Cop, party bangers like Step Into A World, and his classic period with BDP..he deserves a spot on the list.
6. LL Cool J
The self proclaimed G.O.A.T. no one has been in the game longer than Ladies Love. From I Need A Beat to Doin It to Baby(lol). I feel like I grew up with LL Cool J.. he has been consistent ( sans that Phenomenon crap) and has 13 albums, for rappers that is a miracle.
5. MC Lyte
The only female MC on my list. I know many wont agree with this position but think about it. Lyte entered the boys club and beat most of the boys. She battled a few wack females but she had swagger and skills to take on the boys too. Her catalog is classic.. 10% Dis, Paper Thin(still one of the hottest rap records EVER), Cha Cha Cha(I still know every word), Ruffneck and her opus Poor Georgie. No one could tell a story quite like MC. Lyte.
4. Scarface
I know many are scratching their heads....one listen to A Minute to Pray and A Second to Die and you'll know why I fell in love with Mr. Scarface. The true King of the South. His tales of death, drugs, murder and violence was too much for some but for me I love a story and imagery and Scarface provided it in spades. Scarface owns my favorite Rap song of All Time.. I Seen a Man Die. One listen and you can envision the story he is telling.
3. Notorious BIG/Tupac
I lumped these two together. Two of the most influential rappers ever. Pac and Biggie (due to the East Coast vs West Coast beef) will forever be inextricably linked. Biggie was the better rapper but Pac was interesting and was very informed. Biggie was an excellent MC but I dont think he was ever as diverse as Pac. I recall 1995 being an awesome year.. I couldnt decide between Ready To Die or Me Against the World. Two talents gone too soon.
2. Nas
Illmatic.. Nuff said...lol
1. Rakim
No one did it better than Rakim Allah..lol.. when the beats drops on I Aint No Joke...its a wrap. Rakim flows effortlessly. Again another storyteller. From Microphone fiend to Eric B is President to My Melody.
One of the best rap "love songs" of all time..
Mahogany
I packed my mic as they screamed for an encore
The speakers were blown, plus my mic was sore
Besides I got places to go, ladies to see
And she could tell me how crazy she was over me
We drove off - she said she liked the way that I performed
And couldn't wait to get 'soft and warm', I said,
I've been watchin' you, watchin' me
Looks I received made it hard to MC
I can take a hint, so I knew that she
Wanted my Agony Agony Ag-on-y in her bod-y
Showed her some sights, then I took her to the Condo
She was pipin' hot, but I kept my calm So
She asked how come I don't smile
I said, Everything's fine, but I'm in a New York state of mind!
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