Fav. 5 *TIBS FAVS.™: October, 2009

Alas, October finally gets the reflection it deserves! It was a busy end of the month of content on GWHH, with mixtape after mixtape bein' dropped before Halloween, so I took a little extra time to digest everything. Below, check out my fresh perspective on the 5 MUST-DLs of the month, along with the month in interesting posts as well. There's a little somethin' for everyone as it turns out. So be sure to grab these tracks in case you missed and create a profile so you can drop a comment and let us know what you think! Enjoy!

5.
R. Kelly "Religious"
Producer: Todd Dickson - FULL, CDQ, Track off upcoming album, Untitled *TIBS FAV.™

Believe it or not, I'm not the biggest fan of R. Kelly - really only sticking 2 his slow stuff. "I Believe I Can Fly" is what takes me back¹ but in general R. Kelly was really poppin' off when I wasn't that into R&B, certainly not like how I am now. Nonetheless, "Religious" struck a chord w/ me - a slow jam that explores the overused R&B topic of the adoration of a woman and puts a unique touch on the subject. A touch that is nowhere near cliche, which especially speaks to R. Kelly's talent to bring some freshness to a common topic. He does so through the masterful chorus: "There's somethin' religious about you.. (I wanna testify) there's somethin' church about you, I just want to tell the world, you're my girl". On paper it looks simple, but on the chorus, and from the 1:50 mark on especially, R. Kelly's special voice and range is really incredible that you have to hear its delivery to really grasp what I'm tryin' to convey. Untitled is shaping up to be a real nice album with "Religious", "Echo", "Number One", and ~~"Superman High"~~. Simply put, there's not enough > signs that can be placed in between "Religious" and "Superman High".

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¹ Space Jam Soundtrack FTW! "Fly Like An Eagle", "Basketball Jones".. Mama Tibs and Lil' Tibs vibed with this one.

4.
Wale "Beautiful Bliss" f/ J. Cole & Melanie Fiona
Producer: DJ Green Lantern & Mark Ronson - FULL, CDQ, Track off upcoming album, Attention Deficit *TIBS FAV.™

"Beautiful Bliss" - a wonderful collabo between three artists who will be household names this time next year. With Attention Deficit set to drop tomorrow, my favorite track off the album (so far) comes complete with relevant verses, a beautiful and catchy hook, and high-quality production. The latter of which (coincidentally?) draws upon Lupe Fiasco's "Theme Music To A Drive By" - each acting as perfect 'coast' music. I like to define 'coast' music as a jam that you'd love to ride to in the car with the sun setting and the windows down. Where "Beautiful Bliss"'s coastability¹ succeeds over "Theme Music To A Driveby"'s is through the lyrics. Starting with the hook, Melanie Fiona croons about a similar image to what I described - the sun shining on a beautiful day. J. Cole's statement on the 2nd verse, "All I want to do is ball on TV and (watch) ESPN" supports that.. and that's not even close to the kid's best line. The fury he spits on the 2nd half of that verse is just plain ridiculous. Then of course you have Wale, doin' his thing on the other two verses - describing his beautiful bliss and placing a few clever wordplay metaphors in there, like his caps lock hidden meaning to conclude the record. So while we still experience some fantastic, sunny weather in November, get this track in your ride asap and you'll feel what I'm talkin' about. And not only is Attention Deficit in stores tomorrow, Melanie Fiona's The Bridge will be available in physical form as well. Support support!

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¹ #Shoutout Jay Bilas

3.
Mike Posner "Speed Of Sound" f/ Big Sean
Producer: Block Beattaz - FULL, CDQ, Track off the mixtape, One Foot Out The Door *TIBS FAV.™

Like "Beautiful Bliss" above, Mike Posner & Big Sean describe some of the newfound pleasures that they are now experiencing as major buzz artists in today's urban music industry. "Speed Of Sound" separates itself by also illustrating the hard work, the grind, and the overall negatives that come with livin' life at the fast lane that becoming a popular artist forces you into like it was a CTA bus. Posner sets up the story in the first verse by reflecting on where he was a year ago, his rise to popularity, and then bringing you down by conveying his loneliness. Big Sean continues the theme in the third verse, discussing how he's in and out of relationships with a killer Lasik punchline to boot. On top of it all comes a scratched up, addicting hook that'll have you googling for other forms of Nicotine. Strangely enough, the overall vibe of the song is a comfortable, relaxing one that will leave you less stressed out if your life is paralleling Posner's - moving at the speed of sound. And given society's on-the-go mentality, I'm sure we're not alone.

2.
David Banner "Something Is Wrong RMX" f/ Lisa Ivey, Rhymefest, Naledge, & Twista
Producer: 9th Wonder - FULL, CDQ *TIBS FAV.™

Chills. From 0:00 to 4:20. Any extraction of an interview is an automatic tone-setter - a positive one at that. Some of my favorite 2Pac records began with extracted interviews or news coverage ("The Uppercut", "Runnin' (Dyin' To Live)", and the Intro to Me Against The World) and they have such a profound, powerful effect on your emotions. Likewise, the "Something Is Wrong RMX" begins with a disturbing news interview that brings you down to earth and focuses your attention solely on the record. In comes Lisa Ivey with her beautiful, soulful hook, reminiscent of some old school 90s hooks, setting up the positive message all parties involved convey. Literally every MC rocks the mic with messages that I can go on all day extracting. Chicago represents well on the RMX with Rhymefest, Naledge, and Twista batting cleanup and knockin' a grand slam out onto Sheffield¹. This is the positivity of hip hop that sometimes gets overlooked - artists using their direct connection with the urban community, using hip hop as their platform to reach the youth and affect positive change that really resonates. The formative years for today's youth can be affected emotionally very powerfully with music and seeing some of Chicago's finest join David Banner and 9th Wonder for this wonderful remix record is a very welcoming sight. Don't just download this track for yourself, but share it with others, play it out loud, get Twista's verse down and rhyme it a capella to a group of friends², whatever!

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¹ Sheffield - the street behind right field at Wrigley Field. Wouldn't it be awesome to see a home run derby at Wrigley featuring hip hop artists? Who can't see Twista doin' his best Prince Fielder impression next October.. you know, since Wrigley's schedule will be wide open.. smh.
² Major bonus points if you can really pull that off... easily a feature on Gowhere if you send in a YouTube link, haha.

1.
Lupe Fiasco "Fire"
FULL, CDQ *TIBS FAV.™

It was tough to decide between the top two; in the end, "Fire" wins out because of its high replayability¹ but of course, you can't go wrong with any of these five records. Who didn't flip out once those first few Hendrix guitar riffs rang through your speakers? The sheer originality in the sample/production - for it to become a hip hop production - acted as a canvas that Lupe Fiasco emphatically utilized to shout (loudly) that he's back. The wordplay, the metaphors.. there's no one in the game that does it better today, period. Peep:

"Wish ya well like a wishin well wisher wish itself
It fell at first so now I sail with ya
If it happen to sink, I pitch in with pales
And pitchers, bucket and cup it back to the river
Then cover the leak with garbage pail kid stickers
{dynamite} and first aid the way ya saviors"

...

"Bully or I bogard, bodacious so I'm humphrey
I used to rubber band, but now I got a bungee
If you let me expand, that refers to the money,
Gucci's all good, Chanel is all chummy
And that ain't even for me, my honey and my mommy
I'd rather be bummy, nappy on top
Cipriani in my tummy, the fade is for the fans
Not even for my fans, its more for like the brand"

- Lupe Fiasco

Bottom line: Lupe Fiasco uses a Jimi Hendrix sample to not only come back with a vengeance, but also to attract fans outside hip hop to his talent. I passed this record along to some of my rock friends who were immediately amazed and are now giving Lupe Fiasco and hip hop a closer listen. Remember folks, there are many casual music fans who are misguided by the negative perception and glorification of hip hop, so much so that they won't listen to any hip hop. Many of those same people don't really know just how much positive hip hop out there exists. It's our job to let them know!

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¹ #Shoutout Jay Bilas

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THE BEST POSTS OF OCTOBER:

GWHH Review: Lupe Fiasco LIVE @ Congress Theater 10.29.09

GWHH Interview w/ Really Doe

Chicago's Olympic Bid Falls Short

Happy Birthday Sgt. Tibs

The Five One Release NEW Track & Tee

S-Preme Freestyles In The Car

Up and Coming Chicago Artists featured on Compilation Mixtape

NBC Must-See Comedy Thursdays Like Hip Hop