THROWBACK THURSDAY: Stan
Posted by: Alex Li l May 17, 2012
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Today’s Throwback Thursday is a little different than usual. Stan isn’t an uplifting song or feel-good jam; it is however, one of the best songs by one of the best artists of the past two decades, Eminem. The version today isn’t with Dido accompany either, it’s the recording of Eminem performing his signature hit with Elton John at the 2001 Grammy’s – a groundbreaking hip hop performance that paired the openly gay Elton John with Eminem, who had been under fire over perceived anti-gay slurs in his music. The song itself is a cutting look at the obsessive nature of some mega-fans, but more importantly, it’s one of the most-censored songs I can recall in recent history, with entire verses almost bleeped out due to “disturbing content”. Em never was one to restrain himself.
Regardless of public opinion, Eminem has distinguished himself as one of the greatest MC’s of all time, and he made it to the top by making music that speaks to his true thoughts, not by selling out.
Check it!
Eminem – Stan (Live) feat. Elton John
WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY: Walking Away
Posted by: Tristan Salvanera l May 15, 2012
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A staple of my youth and the days when I would rush home from post-school extracurriculars to catch the last few moments of TRL, Craig David’s melodies expanded our knowledge of overseas talent and would pave the way for the likes of Taio Cruz, Amy Winehouse, Adele, and Jessie J. One of his chart-topping singles from the early 2000′s, “Walking Away” is anthem for all of us who have been met with some type of challenge and realized, it’s time to change it up and ‘find a better day.’ To know there’s something to look forward to, whatever the struggle, helps make this catchy tune solid in our minds and hearts.
Craig David – Walking Away
TRACK TUESDAY: Payphone
Posted by: Alex Li l May 14, 2012
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I remember my first Maroon 5 concert – I was 14 and just knew them as the “This Love” guys. My friend Brithny dragged me to the concert, and I remember being mildly embarrassed to be a guy at a Maroon 5 concert, surrounded by a crowd teeming with adolescent girls and wistful moms.
Man, have times changed.
Now, it’s not only okay to be a male fan of Maroon 5, but I am not in the minority anymore as a devout male fan of their music – it’s crazy to see a band grow from underground sensation to international mainstays within a decade – I cannot BELIEVE the 2000′s are over. (Old man status)
The song Payphone is definitely different from their previous music, especially their earlier tracks – it’s a lot more boy-band ish, more in line with what you’d expect from the “Move Like Jagger” Maroon 5. But hey, “Move Like Jagger” is their biggest single of all time, so I ain’t gonna hate. Wiz’s verse is dope, and I find the song refreshingly mellow. I imagine it’ll be a good complement to the rest of their hopefully upbeat album, which drops June 26.
Check it out!
Maroon 5 – Payphone feat. Wiz Khalifa
FRESH FRIDAY: Dirty Bass
Posted by: Alex Li l May 11, 2012
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Far East Movement is back! *insert giddy Asian gesture* And this time they’ve brought with them one of the hottest rappers in the game right now, Tyga! All I know is that the last few times I’ve heard Faded, I’ve been….well, faded. And back to the song – The hooks are super catchy even if FM’s lyrics are meh, and the bass is definitely dirty-grimy-nasty. Let’s face it, Far East makes catchy music, and Dirty Bass is no different. It’s yet another club banger from our favorite East Asian artists – expect to hear this song numerous times this weekend. Definitely not a song to play if you ain’t ready to party!
Far East Movement – Dirty Bass feat. Tyga
WORLDWIDE WEDNESDAY: Wedding Dress
Posted by: Torrey B. Seegars l May 9, 2012
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I listen to a lot of music from different areas of the world, but the one part of the globe I listen to the most is Asia. Japanese and Korean music are so rhythmically infectious even if you don’t know what they are saying half of the time. You can’t but help nod your head or get lost in the music. My favorite musician has to be Taeyang, he’s often been called the Korean Chris brown or Neyo. His song “Wedding Dress” is beyond anything I’ve listened to, I literally listen to this song 50 times a day. The choreography of the video, the story line that goes with it, and the smooth piano that’s matched with an even more impressive beat is something to listen to for sure. I know there have been many days when my iPhone is on shuffle and this song comes up, I don’t care where I am on campus I will always bust out the choreography from this video. BABY! LISTEN TO YOU HEART IT WON’T LET YOU DOWN!!!
Taeyang – Wedding Dress
TRACK TUESDAY: Intergalatic (RIP MCA!)
Posted by: Alex Li l May 7, 2012
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Genre-defining. Race-defying. Lyrically-inspiring. The Beastie Boys did it all. Only the third rap group ever to be inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame (preceded by Run D.M.C. and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five), the Beastie Boys are easily one of the most influential music groups of the last 2 decades. Unfortunately, just one month after being inducted, the Beastie Boys lost one third of their legendary trio, Adam “MCA” Yauch. There are tons of eulogies online and endless entries reliving the Beastie Boys’ and Yauch’s contributions to both rock and rap music – I can’t do them justice… Suffice to say, the Beastie Boys are not only great music to dance to, they remain proof positive that if you are good enough, it doesn’t matter who you are. Talent always rises to the top – that’s all the inspiration I need. Thank you Beastie Boys, and R.I.P. MCA!
Beastie Boys – Intergalactic
THROWBACK THURSDAY: Country Grammar
Posted by: Alex Li l May 3, 2012
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Stop for a moment and think back to where or what you were doing in the year 2000. It was after the Y2K scare, we were in the midst of the dot-com bubble bursting, Worldcom and Enron were in the midst of defrauding their stockholders of billions – ’twas a momentous year indeed. But what stood out to 11-year old 6th grader Alex was Nelly’s debut single, “Country Grammar”. It was the epitome of forbidden fruit – as a kid, I wasn’t allowed to watch tv on the weekdays, much less listen to explicit rap. But every kid in school was humming this song, and it eventually became too popular for me not to learn the lyrics and sing along, even if it was on the schoolbus listening to other children sing it. To this day, “Country Grammar” remains one of my favorite Nelly songs – it marked his entrance into the music game as a brash but talented kid who never took himself too seriously. Before “Just a Dream”, before “Air Force Ones”, before even “Dilemma” and “Hot in Herre”, it was just some good ol’ Country Grammar that set off 2000 right, and hopefully bumps in your speakers on this Throwback Thursday.
Nelly – Country Grammar (Hot Ish)
TRACK TUESDAY: Feel Good Inc.
Posted by: Alex Li l May 1, 2012
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Today’s track is by a band that…doesn’t actually exist. Yep, the Gorillaz aren’t even real – they’re completely fabricated from the minds of Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewitt, each character (2D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle, Russel Hobbs) all having a unique backstory and role in the band. The cool thing is that the Gorillaz sound changes constantly, as the musical contributors on each track differ, with Albarn being the only mainstay. That versatility led to the smash hit “Feel Good Inc.” from their album Demon Days; for me, this is the song that kicked off the Gorillaz’ mainstream success, being their most successful single to date. The music video is also very unique and definitely worth checking out. All in all, Feel Good Inc combines a catchy groove with De La Soul’s slick rapping, dope musicality, and an upbeat tempo to get the people up and jammin’! Hopefully not at work though. Unless your boss is cool like that.
Gorillaz – Feel Good Inc feat. De La Soul
Alan Truong Master Class
Posted by: Giancarlo Deleon l April 27, 2012
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We teamed up with More Than Dance and UNC’s Vietnamese Students Association to bring Alan Truong, Kentrell Newton, and Chris Munar, true masters of dance, to the RTP to showcase & teach their unique styles to area & non-area dancers. We had a great turn-out and met plenty of new friends as well. Friends came down from the DMV area, Richmond, Blacksburg, Wilmington, Greensboro, etc. We can’t wait to co-host another great event, with another master of dance!
THROWBACK THURSDAY: Ghetto Supastar
Posted by: Giancarlo Deleon l April 26, 2012
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Back in 1998, I was still making trips to the skate rings. The lights would drop, the disco ball would illuminate, the speakers would bump the grooves of the week, and the emcee would bust out his announcements, and dog on some people making fools of themselves. Yes, dog or dawg was a word to describe things other than a canine or sexually aroused male back then…’sup dawg? Either way, Ghetto Supastar by Pras was an elite hit that had people’s shoulders bob up and down as they rolled around each corner. This is a classic groove track.
Pras – Ghetto Supastar