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Current mood:  breezy Category: Music
I did this blog on facebook early last month while I was taking the Chinese Bus from DC to New York. Enjoy!15 Albums
Think of 15 albums that had such a profound effect on you they changed
your life or the way you looked at it. They sucked you in and took you
over for days, weeks, months, years. These are the albums that you can
use to identify time, places, people, emotions. These are the albums
that, no matter what they were thought of musically, shaped your world.
When you finish, tag 15 others, including me. Make sure you copy and
paste this part so they know the drill. Get the idea now? Good. Tag,
you're it! In NO particular order...
1) BOYZ II MEN- COOLIE HIGH HARMONY: They are probably my favorite all
men R&B group from the 90s, and this album was life changing to say
the least. At that time my head was pounded with the notion that
artists of my generation don't make great music (thanks to my
parents...lol). Here was a group of 4 African-American brothers who
could sing every bit as well as groups from past decades & this
album proved it. This album doesn't even include "End of the Road"
which is may be their best song.
2) MARY J. BLIGE- MY LIFE: Let's be serious. Anyone who knows me will
say Mary has always been my favorite female R&B artist. Though I
loved her debut album & remix album, I adored this album the most.
Though I wasn't feeling suicidal, many of the emotions she spreads
throughout the album were congruent with mines especially the song "Be
With You." For a four month stretch this album was the only one in
walkman b/c I loved it that much.
3) TONI BRAXTON- The queen of the sad love songs came out swinging with
her debut album. She changed my outlook on beauty & artistic
excellence. For one she had short hair & I always thought it wasn't
attractive to have that when you're a woman. She made it look so good.
lol I also didn't think her songs did anything to me until I heard "You
mean the world to me." It was such a feel good/ feeling down love song,
and I kept it on repeat when I had her tape.
4) TROOP- ATTITUDE: Now we're throwing it back to Junior High School
days. These brothers could dance & sing so smoothly. They're remake
of the Jacksons' "All I do" was amazing, and the song "Spread My Wings"
still gets me on the dance floor. To my knowledge all four of these
guys were like goofballs in school, and it made me realize that one
could be goofy (like myself) & still be cool.
5) JODECI- FOREVER MY LADY: These were some musically gifted brothers.
Not only did they write & produce their own material, but the
voices of K-Ci & JoJo Hailey were so hypnotizing. I came out of
turtle shell a little thanks to this record. I couldn't look a pretty
girl in the eye before "Come & talk to me" came out. Plus I didn't
have a partial understand of how important a girlfriend was before the
title tune.
6) JAY-Z - REASONABLE DOUBT: Other than Biggie, Tupac, and Wu Tang
there weren't any rappers who put out albums I could rock from
beginning to end. That ended when Jigga came out with this album. The
stories he spoke via rhyme made me realize that even the often
outcasted hustlers have a heart, conscience, and a mind. "D'evils" gave
me insight as to how one of the hustling must feel hollow even with all
the wealth they've acquired. Then the song "regrets" shows the tender
side of these "cold-hearted" individuals. My personal favorite was "22
twos" in which he was spitting straight knowledge. I learned that
someone from that world need not be a monster.
7) Nas- Illmatic: Need I say more? You can't be a fan of New York Hip
Hop & not love this album. Nas brought to light the plight &
conditions of us inner city denizens. Because of him people know that
life up north isn't all it's cracked up to be though we celebrate it
(what an oxymoron...... I know. lol). From the opening (NY state of
mind) to the closing (It ain't hard to tell) his dialogue was filled
with stories all New Yorkers from the various ghettoes can relate tooo.
8) Queen Latifah- Black Reign: This album was mind blowing to me. Not
only did she portray the image of a tough black sister through this
album, but she was infused with knowledge of her terrain w/o totally
losing her frame of reference (and in that I mean she was every bit a
woman though she held the respect of many men). Whether the song was
"Black hand side", "Just Another Day", "UNITY", or "Weekend Love" Ms.
Dana Owens portrayed a positive image of a Black sister & there
could never be enough of them. She provided a blueprint of what I want
in a future spouse.
9) TEVIN CAMPBELL- I'M READY: Many people thought we looked similar in
my youth. Other than "Shhhhhh!" (in which Prince performed much better)
the songs on this album were perfect for a young teenager like myself
just getting his feet wet in the world of romance. I swear that the
song "Can we talk" was taken straight out of a page in my diary. At the
time (1993) I wanted a specific young lady so badly, and every time I
heard the records my stomach would cringe thinking about this PYT. I
could say the same about the title track, and though I wasn't crazy
about "Shhhh!" those thoughts were definitely in my head as well.
10) ALICIA KEYS- SONGS IN A MINOR: There aren't enough words in any
language to display how much I love this woman's music. I learned a
valuable lesson from her & that is pleasant surprises can come at
any time. When I first heard her music it was the single "Girlfriend."
I thought she was like all other R&B female singers. The song had a
known sample, decent beat, and the lyrics were cute. I didn't think her
album would be so eclectic, esoteric, and spellbinding. The funny thing
is I never thought of buying her album util the most unlikely source
advise me to: MY FATHER. He's so into music from his time, and many
times he brushes aside artists from my time. He fell in love in Alicia
Keys, and off the strength of that I had to listen to her album from
beginning to end. She's definitely the Roberta Flack of my generation
in my humble opinion.
11) RAEKWON- ONLY BUILT 4 CUBAN LINX: Don't even try to throw another
Wu Tang album in my face that tops this b/c there isn't one! lol
Raekwon put together the realest music of any rapper in his camp. I
won't even go into details. Just cop it & listen for your sake.
12) JANET JACKSON- JANET: I admit that the fantasies including Janet
were many & happened on a nightly basis. That cover she did for
Rolling Stone magazine just made it worst. Not only was this album
filled with some of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis' finest work, but
Janet's songwriting was much more evident. Personally, her album made
me fiend for an older woman in my life like ASAP. You could tell she
had more experience than the average female in the erotic world. lol
With songs like "Anytime, any place" you would agree as well. This
album also cemented the fact that the Jacksons were musical geniuses.
13) SNOOP DOGGY DOGG- DOGGYSTYLE: Simply enough he made me want to
listen to west coast rap more often. This album did so many things for
me. It awakened me to the world of old school funk b/c most f his
records sampled them in some way. "Gin & Juice" sampled "Watching
You" by Slave. "What's my name" came from George Clinton's "Atomic
Dog." It was music I craved for since I remember hearing those songs as
a kindergarten student.
14) BRANDY- NEVER SAY NEVER: I was in love with this ex braided goddess
right here, and this album had several personal anthems from "Learn the
hard way", "Almost doesn't count" to "Angel in disguise" & the
title track. In my personal life I was blessed to ultimately find out
& conclude that one particular person in my life was a demon
masquerading as an angel. It's never a great feeling to have, but that
song made me realize that others have been through worse & are
still in one piece.
15) WHITNEY HOUSTON- THE BODYGUARD SOUNDTRACK: This album is considered
hers though there are songs by other artists on the joint. She was
perfect (w/o a blemish) in my eyes when this album came out, and it's
probably the only album on record that makes the hair on my scalp stand
up straight. The six songs she performs to open the album do exactly
that. Her voice was that fantastic, her looks were phenomenal, and I
couldn't miss any performance of hers that came on network television.
Because of her it made me temporarily change my life goals. Instead of
becoming an engineer, I wanted to be a musician or singer of some kind.
I always adore people who are able to bring joy to people through song,
and Whitney did exactly that. America needs that voice to make a
comeback.
-Muhammad the Harlem Sk8rboi
Throwback time!
Mary J. Blige - You Bring Me Joy - Mary J. Blige
 | Currently listening:
My Life
By Mary J. Blige
Release date: 1994-11-29 |
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6:48 PM
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