Mariah Wants You To Touch Her

Musical femme fatale Mariah Carey is back with her single, "Touch My Body". Her new album E=MC2 is slated to be released in the U.S on April 15th. Following the formula for most of her first singles "Touch My Body" is filled with playful, flirty lyrics laced with a sensual tone and a beat that keeps your attention. As a Mariah fan I'm sure I'll grow a liking to some of the other tracks on the new album. While critics have reveled in challenging the pop/r&b diva to hang up the mic unless she's singing ballads I still love Mariah Carey and basically anything she puts out. Her ability hit high notes and strum songs in her airy voice could convince me to like a song about icecream and lemon drops if she sung about it.

"Touch My Body" is co-written by R&B longtime hitmaker and new R&B soloist, The-Dream and produced by M.C herself and Tricky Stewart. The video concept featuring a Geek Squad nerd coming to fix Mariah Carey's computer who watches as she roams around in lingerie and revealing outfits is a little cheezy it's still worth viewing.

It Feels So Wrong But The Lyrics Are So Tight

With hip hop we must take the bitter with the sweet. Hip hop is a paradox of the good, the bad, the real ugly, bluntness, and audacity. Here are a few songs that we wanted to say, "it feels wrong, but the "lyrics" are so tight!" Even so-called conscious rap ONLY hip hop fans caught themselves singing along and nodding their head to these obnoxious lyrics. These songs made you cringe at the words and phrases sung, but you couldn't help but either like or it leave it in the back of your mind as a "guilty pleasure".

"Dead Wrong" Notorious B.I.G feat. Eminiem
One of the most sinister hip hop tracks ever made filled with lyrics of rape, murder, and robbery. Get Em on the track and it's even more wicked. We couldn't stop head nodding to this song's memorizing beat and haunting hook with "the weak or the strong who got it goin' on?" It was clear that even after his death Biggie definitely had it going on.The song included so many off the wall rhymes that the last line in the song had to be cut from the already violent song.

Fact: Chucky Thompson produced the song.

"Prostitute Flange" - Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne puts down the loud banter of his usually hustler boy lyrics and slows it down a bit with a half rap, half raspy whisper as he seranades his lspecial ady. He says he doesn't care if she used to be a prostitute because all that matters is that she's with him now. Enough to make you say what? We weren't sure if we were more surprised by this different style of song for Weezy or that we actually kind of liked this ode to a former jezebel.

Fact: R&B lovers will know he borrows his hook from Musiq's song "Me and You" where he sang, "I wouldn't care if you were a prostitute and hit everyman that you ever new it wouldn't make a difference if that was way before me and you girl".

"Shoot Em Up" - Nas
This vengeful tale of getting back at rival crew boasts a haunting melody which sounds similar to Christmas bells. Although I'm sure most of us don't want to just drive to a house and shoot 'em up, "shoot em up just just shoot em up what? kill, kill kill murder, murder murder" just has to escape anyone's mouth who hears this song.
Fact:Havoc from Prodigy produced this song.



"Hit "em Up" -TuPac
No list of hot lyrics mixed with a bad attitude could be complete without the late Tupac Shakur. A perfect hybrid of a sympathetic victim of poverty who had a vendetta to the world that oppressed his people - and the people who pissed him off. "Hit em Up" was the Tupac diss against Biggie, Junior Mafia and Puffy(now Diddy) where he threatens physical harm and to destroy their careers. His reasoning was he thought that Biggie and Puffy knew information about his 1994 robbing and shooting that they would not tell.

Even though we were feelin' Biggie at the time we couldn't help but sing along to, "Grab ya glocks when you see Tupac call the cops when you see Tupac /who shot me but you punks didn't finish you're about to feel the wrath of a menace....."Even we were scared of Tupac after this song.

"Crank That (Souljah Boy)"-Soulja Boy

This song by the rap newcomer started a whole dance craze around the country and people hopped up and down in clubs and house parties alike doing "the superman". Even though it had a catchy singsong feel to it we knew something had to be up when the phrase"superman hoe" was in the mix. While he jdenied it alluding to any sexual innuendos on BET, his slight smile made us think otherwise.

Fact: Looks like Soulja Boy should of done his research before choosing his name. In December he was sued by Willie Lyons, an unknown rap artist who claims he is the original Soulja Boy and has been for 12 years.

M.J Moonwalks His Way Back on the Charts?

M.J "Moonwalks" His Way Back on the Charts?

02/24/2008

Only sales will tell the ultimate success of Michael Jackson's Thriller 25 but either way it comes out as the Album of the Month.

Many people I know gave the King of Pop remixing ANY of his classics with the likes of modern day pop-hit makers like Akon and Fergie etc, a big thumbs down. While it is weird to hear Fergie crooning along to fight-or-flight 80s' classic "Beat It" his remixes don't lose the Michael Jackson essence which made them hits over 20 years ago. He only remixes a few of the songs: "Beat It" (with Fergie), Billie Jean(Kanye West), "The Girl is Mine"(will.i.am), "P.Y.T(Pretty Young Thing)"will.i.am)and "Wanna Be Startin Something"(with Akon).



Any Michael Jackson song made between the early 80s' to early 90s' can most likely easily be labeled a pop classic. While some of those songs are bona fide stamps of his talent, he's also had amazingly creative music video concepts which always told us a short story. Here are my favorite Michael Jackson videos.



Thriller(1983) - "Thriller" still has never be topped as far as popularity, humor, and overall entertainment. I mean who can beat a vintage Michael Jackson in his prime sporting a red jacket, piping an addictive chorus with a jolt of fear as ghouls strut along with him? This is the number one video.


Remember The Time(1992) - Featured an all-star cast of Iman, Eddie Murphy and Magic Johnson. The ancient Egyptian inspired royalty concept combined with special effects is what makes this one of his best music videos of all time. Michael serandes Iman as he mysteriosly disappears from the guards who want to get him away from the beautiful Queen. He turns into dust and shows off some of his best dance moves since "Thriller".


Scream(1995) - No one expected the pleasant surprise in 1995 of Michael teaming up with his baby sister Janet for the energy infused musical explosion that was "Scream". Expressing their outrage of being constantly in the news and hunted by the press and paparazzi they came together for this instant smash single. Both happened to be in the midst of their pop icon peak when "Scream" broke through to the top 5 on r&b, pop and dance charts.

Earth Song(1995) - The video depicting the human destruction of the environment, poverty and war is one of Michael's most underrated music videos. Obviously more serious than his usual dance hits it featured good visuals and made more of an action statement than some of his other videos.

Billie Jean - Simple video but still caught your attention. Jackson proclaims innocence in a song where he repeats "but the kid not being my son" The mysterious former love interest "Billie Jean" makes no appearance in the video as Michael avoids a reporter hot on his trail. He shows off signature moves as he steps from place to place with each spot lighting up.

This video also exposed the world to the "moonwalk" , a dance that wasn't entirely his but one that he altered to make his own. Despite proven fame in the music business the CBS president at the time, still had to threaten MTV with prohibiting some of their popular rock(white acts) from being played on MTV unless they showed "Billie Jean". He became the first black artist played on MTV.