No Rhyme No Reason

So I've been trying to think of what to post up on this site, and at the same time I'm looking at what I'm listening to, and really, there isn't a whole lot of consistency in my music taste. I'm sure it's probably like that for most people - what we listen to is determined by our mood, our environment, our company, the weather, or what's going on in our lives...so basically, I'm giving up on trying to unite my posts with some sort of theme and instead, here's a few of my favorite songs that I'm listening to right now, some old, some new, some bangers, and some downers. Just like life, right?

[MP3] Nas :: Hero
On paper, this is a song I should hate - overproduced (R&B backup vocals, guys barking in the background), with beats by Polow da Don (who produced for Will Smith, Pussycat Dolls, and Fergie), and egotistical rhymes (yeah I know it's Nas and it is hip hop, but still). Not only that, but I was disappointed Nas bowed to corporate pressure in changing the name of his album. Despite all this, and this may be saying a lot about the song- I still like it - the heavy kick drums, the air raid siren, and the synthesizer create a grandiose banger of a lead single that I'm sure will get plenty of airplay that's palatable enough for the hip hop heads.

[MP3] Leaders of the New School :: A Quarter to Cutthroat
Awwww yeah...LONS takes it back for me, I love these posse cuts, and maybe with the exception of the Wu, I don't know too many other crews who can do it like this. It's too bad you don't hear joints like these anymore - I think today's emcees have too big of an ego to be sharing the stage equally with others, which is a damn shame because really, these crew cuts have an energy that can't be replicated by just one or two emcees, no matter how tight that beat is. Here's to that good ol' boom bap - this one can start a riot.

[MP3] Mavis Staples :: What Happened to the Real Me
If you ever want to hear the sound of defeat, this song just might be it. Released in 1970 on the Stax label, this is no doubt my favorite song by Mavis - the production is beautiful and lush, and the vocals and lyrics so raw, it's hard not be moved.

[MP3] Flying Lotus :: Tea Leaf Dancers
I have to thank our newest blogger, //_interrrupt3dsoul for bringing my attention to this one - damn this is really on some other tip. Tea Leaf Dancers is the type of song you where you gotta call up Johnny Blaze before you listen, and then you close your eyes and you're in another world. Ethereal and sublime, this song will haunt you.

[MP3] Weezer :: The Angel and the One
Of all the songs I put up, this is what I've been listening to most lately. Weezer takes a step back from the fuzzy anthems to create a song that slowly builds over 2 minutes to a warm crescendo...I'm not even sure what the song is about, but somehow, I'm hooked.

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