JumpinJack AJ

LOL! "Love The Way You Lie" is one of my least favorite song on the album. I think it's mostly because of how Rihanna has tried to be a bad girl after the whole Chris Brown thing and how she's said she won't go back to him because she doesn't want her young female fans to see her as weak. Then she does this song about being okay in an abusive relationship. I think her singing on the track is totally hypocritical and in bad taste. TLC - Diggin' On You (SoulPower Remix) Diggin' On You (CD Single) (1995) This remix/song is a MUST for your Summertime mixtape. Jazzy overlooked this one.

That tracklisting is dope! I love that most of the songs are about the Summertime or were big hits during the Summertime. The rest are classics with a Summer feel. Most mixtapes don't have this much thought put into them.

It's only fitting....but good to hear. Is MIB on that list? MIB usually gets a lot of air time on TV this time of year too.

I actually like that Selena Gomez song too. It's just a good dance track. I previewed the album online and thought it was the really good song on the album tho.' The rest were average to less-than-average pop fillers songs. But that single is killer tho' when it comes to a dance song. BRITT NICOLE - Lost Get Found Lost Get Found (2009) I stumbled across this artist last year and fell in love with her. Her music and lyrics are great.

I don't think either of them are good. I've heard a good bit of stuff from each of them over the years and they rarely ever say anything relevant (if they say anything at all). Neither of them have flow and each of them occasionally chooses really good production.

I'll help...when do you need us to reply by?

I love the Bad Meets Evil reunion!! And yea, there were traces of late 90's Eminem in his freestyle. Good stuff.

TRAVIE MCCOY - Billionaire Lazaras (2010) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jnvEuAis-I Travis McCoy is in my top 3 emcees 2 become popular in the last 5 years. Not only does he usually have a message, but he's not to go to an emotional place lyrically. On top of that he's mad clever and often funny. I'm feeling his album.

Finally...someone else who actually respects Mark's music....lol. Tim, I love India.Arie. She is one of the greatest female artists of all time in my opinion. I couple of years ago they re-released her 1st album with a bonus disc containing 7 other songs and remixes. They just did the same for her 2nd album this year. And 2 think, she got her 1st big break on one of Speech's songs. P.M. DAWN - Set Adrift On Memory Bliss (Richie Rich Mix) Red Hot + Dance (1992) This isn't the remix, but here's the classic video. I was diggin' thru' a used music store and found this CD and flipped when I saw this remix on it. It also has some Madonna, George Michael, and Seal on it.

Yeah, I remember in the early 2000's (maybe 2002 or 2003) they "closed." Other than this recent news I think I remember seeing them pumping out compilation albums. I'm not 100% sure tho.'

Awesome! Where can we get more info on this?!?

This is for Brakes and anyone else that cares....I'm looking forward to his next album. I hope it's better than his last. I felt that his last was his 1st average album. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Lovers & Friends) Marques Houston: Marriage Is A Scary Topic For Men VIBE.COM By: Vibe Posted 6-28-2010 2:00 pm Share Lovers & Friends is VIBE's weekly celebrity relationship blog. Check back every Monday for a new installment. I’ve definitely thought about marriage. It’s always been something that I wanted to do. My mother passed away but I grew up in a real stable home with both my parents. I watched them have a happy marriage so I’ve always wanted to be married and do things the right way and have children once I was married. I don’t believe in having a child out of wedlock. I’ve always wanted to do everything right, by the moral standards that I was brought up with. I feel like [being faithful] is a choice. I’ve never been a cheater. I’ve had girlfriends my whole life, I’ve been dating since I was a young boy. I’ve always felt like it's never been necessary to cheat. I’m definitely what you call a one woman man and I believe in that. I believe if you ever feel like you have to cheat you shouldn’t be in a committed relationship. If you wanna do your thing and you wanna go out and have different women and you wanna do your thing I don’t agree with that either but if you do, don’t commit yourself to one person if you’re not ready to be fully committed and ready to take on the responsibility of a relationship because I feel like there’s a lot of responsibility coming with having a relationship. I don’t believe that relationships should be taken so lightly as I see them being taken nowadays. Even if you're in a relationship, just a committed relationship, you should treat it like a marriage. [Marriage] is just a scary topic for a man to feel like he’s being tied down. Some men if you meet the right woman, the world is so corrupt nowadays you have all this stuff on the Internet, you have all this on TV, there’s no moral driven anything on TV. Everything is cheating. You got cheating wives. You got these shows that promote all this cheating and being promiscuous and you don’t see any Cosby Show's anymore where you see a couple that are together and they have children and they have a great family and a strong foundation so people don’t believe in that anymore. People feel like it’s okay to just cheat and do their thing, even women now. It’s not even on the men anymore. Now you talk to these women and they’re like I wanna do my thing and I wan to do this and I don’t need to be tied down so now its both sides and I just feel like it’s kinda sad but it all comes with raising as well. If you raised around all that cheating, you'll naturally do the same thing but I think if you really read the Bible too. In the Bible it shows the family structure and it shows being with one person so I think people just gotta be on their game. I think fellas just get scared of that but women get scared of it too. But I feel like if you have the right person that makes you happy there’s no reason to step out. There’s a lot of single Black women just as well as there’s a lot of single White women and Hispanic women and Asian women. I’ve been around women my whole life. I meet so many women on a day to day basis and a lot of these women’s stories are so different yet so the same. I’ve been brought up with the morals not to cheat, always respect women so I have a lot of respect for women and what they go through. It's hard to be a woman, especially nowadays with the world being so dominated by men. It’s hard to be a strong woman out there and do your thing. Even women in the industry to not have to feel like they have to sell themselves short to even get somewhere in life. I try to talk to young women all the time and tell them never sell yourself out. Always have respect for yourself because the more respect you have for yourself the more respect anyone will have for you. —As Told To Clover Hope ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Marques Houston Talks Near-Death Experience With Brandy, Offers Halle Berry Dating Advice VIBE.COM By: GangStarr Girl Posted 5-28-2010 10:15 am Share VIBE speaks with the former frontman of IMx about anything but his upcoming album, Mattress Music Interview by: Starrene Rhett VIBE: Who is your industry best friend? Marques Houston: Omarion is too obvious because he’s my brother. But the closest person in the industry to me who is like a big brother is Tyrese. He gives me a lot of good advice. We both do the same things. We’re both from the same background. He comes from Watts. I’m from South Central. He also started as a musician turned actor, the same way I did and I like that fact that he’s able to do both and be successful at it. Being around him, I’m able to soak up a lot of knowledge from him as far as movies go. While we're talking Hollywood, why can’t Halle Berry keep a man? Halle Berry can’t keep a man because she’s probably very controlling and aggressive, and men don’t like that. I know from a lot of women friends that I have who are Leos. They don’t really have men because they’re really really aggressive and controlling and men don’t like that. I don’t know Halle Berry personally but I’m guessing that she’s one of those women that likes to be in control of the relationship and most men don’t like that. What’s your perfect ice cream sundae? Vanilla mixed with strawberry swirl sauce on top and some fresh skrawberrys on top. SKRAWBERRIES! Know what I mean? [laughs] "He actually came out with a gun and had he not seen it was us, [brandy and I] probably would have gotten shot!" What’s the sneakiest thing you’ve ever done? This is actually a really weird story. Brandy Norwood and I always bring this up whenever we see each other—we say we almost died together. It was our old office building and there was a guy who had a back office. He was working real late one night and we scared him. We kept sneaking around to the window and tapping on the back and he actually came out with a gun and had he not seen it was us, we probably would have gotten shot! But that’s one of the sneakiest or most mischievous things I’ve done when I was young. What personality traits did you have in common with Roger? None. Absolutely zero. Roger was the complete opposite of me. I used to really tell people that that was my twin brother. I was so different from him because Roger was a nerdy guy who couldn’t get girls and he was goofy. I was the complete opposite. I was the ladies man in school. I always had friends, people looked up to me. When I was seven, my two best friends were 12, they looked up to me, I was the leader so it was completely opposite. Roger was totally a character. Is the rumor that you took Beyonce’s virginity true? No, that’s not true. Who was the craziest girl you’ve ever dated? I’m not going to say her name, but one time I was coming in from out of town and she just showed up to pick me up, unannounced. She would do things like, one time I had 100 missed calls in a row from her. One time I was at the movies and I came home and I had all these crazy messages on my answering machine like, “Why didn’t you call me back?" and then four messages later she’s apologizing. It was a crazy experience. But you’re young, you date, you live and you learn. Were you ever forced to take a form of dance that you were embarrassed about? No Spectacular. No. I didn’t grow up on dance class. I was always natural. I’ve been in the industry since I was eight and I’ve always had a choreographer since then. But I never really took ballet or anything like that. "I was at the movies and came home and had these crazy messages on my answering machine like, 'Why didn’t you call me back?' Four messages later, she’s apologizing. It was a crazy experience." What are some talents of yours other than singing and dancing? I’m a barber, a professional barber. I don’t have a license or anything but I cut hair. I cut my own hair. And I can also draw and paint. What do you do outside of music for fun? I like to collect. I’m a tech guy so I like to have all the latest TV and Blu-Ray players and stuff like that. I just collect anything. I started collecting baseball cards and basketball cards when I was younger. I have a CD collection that turned into a DVD collection and I have a Jordan shoe collection. And I don’t drink but I have a wine collection. I just started a sweatshirt collection. Every city that I’m in I buy a sweatshirt. It’s just something that I do. I also love going to the movies and spending time with my friends. I love to bowl. I’m a good bowler too and I love to play basketball. Does it annoy you when people still call you Batman? I haven’t been called Batman in so long but the other day, I was in Washington D.C. and this girl called me Batman. She was like, “Come here Batman,” and it threw me for a loop. I was like, “Why did you just call me Batman?” [laughs]. That was strange.

MARKY MARK + THE FUNKY BUNCH - Super Cool Mack Daddy You Gotta Believe (1992)

Ooooohhhh....crappy rappers fighting each other. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Diddy Fires Back at 50 Cent 50 Cent has been highly critical of rap mogul Diddy as of late, attacking him for aligning himself with 50's rival, Rick Ross, and questioning his artistry. Last night, at BET's post awards show, Diddy fired back, albeit without mentioning any names. "Yo, let's stop the hate, man. Congratulate!" an enthusiastic Diddy yelled, at the end of the show. "Hate is for suckers. If you hatin', you'se a sucka, and you ashy, and your breath stinks. And you know who I'm talking to, you hatin' a-s crab!" 50 dissed Diddy back in 2006 on a mixtape track called "Hip Hop," implying that Diddy knew who killed his former partner Biggie Smalls, but was too scared to do anything about it. Though they later squashed their beef, it was rekindled apparently, when Diddy began managing Rick Ross. In recent interviews, 50 has questioned Diddy's relationship with Nicki Minaj and Ross, who the Bad Boy boss controversially compared to Biggie and Lil Kim. Furthermore, 50 said Diddy's "not an artist," and that he's bad for hip-hop. "His music sucks," 50 said in an interview. "It's bad. He's not an artist anyway, so it doesn't really matter. When you think about it, is he a rapper? Because he says he doesn't write rhymes, he writes checks. Like the same things that I would say are wrong with a Rick Ross project, it's not authenticity to what he's doing. Now he's a singer?...Why does Rick Ross remind him of Biggie? Any Biggie fan objects to that. So how can he say that?" In a recent performance at the House of Blues in Boston, 50 took it a step further, calling out Diddy and saying, "F--- that n----, tell him I said that s---." We'll be interested to see how this develops, now that Diddy's put together his Dream Team, which includes Ross, Fabolous, Busta Rhymes, DJ Khaled, Nicki Minaj and Red Cafe.

Naughty is one of the greatest. To me, it feels good that they have returned to the legendary label. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Naughty by Nature Returns to Tommy Boy Records for New EP Naughty by Nature released their last album, 'Ilcons,' in 2002, but the trio has finally put their differences aside to reunite for a new project. The hip-hop icons have also inked a new distribution deal with their former record label Tommy Boy Records to release an EP via their Illtown Records. The EP includes two tracks from their upcoming album 'Anthem, Inc' titled 'Get to Know Me Better' featuring Pitbull and 'I Gotta Lotta.' Naughty by Nature first joined forces with Tommy Boy Records in 1991 and released three albums with the label. Excited about the new partnership Tommy Boy Founder and CEO Tom Silverman said, "The idea of Naughty by Nature coming back to Tommy Boy is not exciting just because they broke here, but because they are one of the few classic hip-hop artists that have remained vibrant and relevant over the years and on stage, they are absolute rock stars." Naughty by Nature group member Kay Gee also adds, "When we started in 1991, Tom Silverman and Tommy Boy were a great fit to lead us thru the indie industry. Now in 2010, with the ever-changing record industry, Tom is one of the leaders shaping new technology and is at the forefront of today's new music business model. It only makes sense for us to reunite for this EP. Besides, nobody know our brand better than Tommy Boy! They helped us build it." The EP featuring 'Get to Know Me Better' and 'I Gotta Lotta' is available for download via iTunes and other digital retailers.

I can't remember if I stumbled upon this thru' AOL or Myspace...but here's a new interview from Lauryn Hill. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Many Voice of Lauryn Hill By Zoe Chace June 28, 2010 I interviewed a lot of people for my story about Lauryn Hill's voice. I had to, because I didn't know if I'd be able to speak to her myself. The singer and rapper last released a recording eight years ago. She rarely performs in the U.S., and she almost never gives interviews. But her fans haven't forgotten her — they're still pleading for her to come back. Hill is a fantastic singer, as well as one of the greatest MCs of all time, and the story of her voice is the story of a generation. It doesn't take much for a group of 30-somethings to get nostalgic about Hill. Put her solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, on at a bar, and it takes the crowd right back to college days or high-school summers. I met Daryl Lutz while he was hanging out with a group of friends on the deck of Marvin's Bar in downtown Washington, D.C. "We went to school in Hampton, Va., and she came to do a show," he said. "It was one of the best times in my life — I mean, she spoke to me! We snuck backstage and I got her to sign my meal card. She said, 'This is your meal card, brother, you know?' I said, 'That's all I got.' She signed it, 'Eat well — L. Boogie.' That's something I'll never forget. I love her. I love her to death." I heard tons of stories like Lutz's that night — mostly closed with this plea: "Come back, Lauryn. We need you. Come back!" People spoke directly into the microphone, as if it were a telephone line. From New Ark To Israel Hill became a star with the hip-hop trio The Fugees. Their second album, The Score, came out in 1996, and it was an instant classic. The group — Hill, Wyclef Jean and Prakazrel Michel — sounded like they were in perfect sync. On the first single, "Fu-gee-la," Hill sang the hook, rhymed a verse, then sang again. She was the total package, more so than any other rapper, male or female, has been. She's one of slickest rappers ever: Her rhymes are dexterous, spiritual, hilarious, surprising. Without a doubt, she was the best-looking rapper the world had ever seen. And Hill was a soul singer with a real old-school, almost militant, politic. The second single was Hill's cover of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly." That recording has never really gone away, and its success built the expectations for Hill's solo record to a fever pitch. Particularly to women and young girls who listened to her then, she was a revelation. There was steel in her voice when she rapped; she sang like she really cared about our hopeless crushes and our impotent rages, like she really loved us. We thought maybe we could grow up to be like her. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill came out in 1998. It was like LeBron James' rookie year in the NBA. You knew he had the potential to be great after seeing him in high school — and then, right out of the gate, he's one of the best ball players in the league. Jayson Jackson, part of Hill's management team, described the recording process this way: "The record was already inside her. She would go into the studio, and it would just pour out of her." Lenesha Randolph sang backing vocals on Miseducation, and she describes herself today as the backing vocals "to all your favorite artists." She's on tour with Lady Gaga right now, but a formative influence on her singing was her work in the studio singing backup for Hill. "I don't know if people are gonna like this album, because I'm just singing, and nobody wants to hear rappers sing," Hill told Randolph at the time. Randolph says she couldn't believe it. "I was like, 'What are you talking about?' " Randolph says. "I would just stare at her, like, look in her mouth! Because when you hear her sing, and then hear her speak — it had such power and volume and rasp. It was something to strive for." The feeling that you get [when you hear me sing], I get first. - Lauryn Hill Everything Is Everything In 1998, everyone was listening to her sing: mothers, daughters, college students and little kids. As the rapper Nas described his audience, "listeners, bluntheads, fine ladies and prisoners." Miseducation crossed demographics and genres. It made people dance and cry and blast it from their speakers as they drove around with their best friends. Jay Smooth, a longtime radio DJ, remembers there was a little sadness in the hip-hop community that there was less rhyming on the album than during Hill's time with The Fugees. "We may have missed out on the best rap album of all time," he says. Nevertheless, the album was a note that longtime fans of hip-hop had been craving for someone to hit. Smooth says that for people his age — the same age as Hill, the same age as people like Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls — "we saw our generation create something so powerful and innovative. They were speaking with a love and righteousness that we, perhaps naively, believed could change the world at that time." Smooth compares the idealism of the hip-hop generation to the hippies before it. But just as the optimism of the '60s gave way to what he describes as "the malaise of the '70s," Smooth says that hip-hop had lost its way. The music grew more commercialized, and consequently more violent and self-involved, culminating in the deaths of Tupac in 1996, and then Biggie Smalls in 1997. "It was right after that, in 1998, that Lauryn Hill's album came out," Smooth says. "And it seemed that she was that voice inside our soul — coming out and asking all of us, 'How could we have gone so wrong?' and 'Can we have some grown folks talking about loving ourselves, before it's too late? If it's not already too late?' " 'Look At Your Career,' They Said. 'Lauryn, Baby, Use Your Head' Hill raked in the Grammys, including Album of the Year. But that same year, some of her collaborators filed suit, saying they weren't properly credited on the album. They settled out of court, and the stir over the suit prompted what seemed like a fall from grace for Lauryn Hill. Shortly after the Grammys, in the winter of 1999, Hill disappeared from public life. For years afterward, her fans traded rumors — the prevailing theory was that she'd had some kind of breakdown. Smooth says he thinks the pressure put on her to save the hip-hop generation from itself might have broken her. She was also a busy mother: Over the past 10 years, she's had five children. Her MTV Unplugged album, which came out in 2002, seemed to reveal a person worn thin. After Unplugged, those of us who grew up listening to her missed her voice in the same way we missed our hopeful youth. That powerful sound that represented great potential being fulfilled was silent. "No one ever stops missing her," Smooth says. "Every time you say her name — like, 'Lauryn Hill walked into Home Depot' — you'll be hoping she starts tapping on a table and making a beat and singing." This could be the year. After Winter Must Come Spring Lauryn Hill took the stage at the Harmony Festival in Santa Rosa, Calif., just a few weeks ago. She's barely performed at all in the U.S. in the past 10 years. The band was restless and loud behind her, almost drowning her out at times. She looked completely regal, even in a carnival balloon-style jumpsuit, with her hair blown out and dyed maroon to match. She pranced around the stage in huge heels, shouting directions to the band, as though they were in rehearsal. When she rapped, her words flew by so fast, it seemed she was barely breathing. But when the sound guy brought her mic up and the band would breathe for a moment, her voice soared over the crowd. It was the same voice I'd grown up with, just as raw and present and full of soul as I remembered. The reputation that surrounds Hill is wild — it's hard to know what to believe, because she does so few interviews. She's got handlers on top of handlers, publicists and managers who, you think, will lead you to her, and then they turn out to be red herrings. My editor and I chased them all down during the weekend of the Harmony Festival. I was told by various people to not touch her, don't look her in the eye; that instead of talking directly to you, she writes on a Post-It note and sticks it to your chest. I've also been told repeatedly not to call her "Lauryn" anything — she goes by Ms. Hill. This is the only rumor that turns out to be true, in my case. Because after her performance in Santa Rosa, when we ask Ms. Hill if we can ride with her back to the hotel and ask her some questions, she tells us to get in the car. Lauryn Hill at the Harmony Festival in June; courtesy of the Harmony Festival courtesy of the Harmony Festival Lauryn Hill onstage at the Harmony Festival in Santa Rosa, Calif., on June 13. I ask her the question her fans have been asking each other for years: Why did you stop putting out music? "There were a number of different reasons," she says. "But partly, the support system that I needed was not necessarily in place. There were things about myself, personal-growth things, that I had to go through in order to feel like it was worth it. In fact, as musicians and artists, it's important we have an environment — and I guess when I say environment, I really mean the [music] industry, that really nurtures these gifts. Oftentimes, the machine can overlook the need to take care of the people who produce the sounds that have a lot to do with the health and well-being of society, or at least some aspect of society. And it's important that people be given the time that they need to go through, to grow, so that the consciousness level of the general public is properly affected. Oftentimes, I think people are forced to make decisions prematurely. And then that sound radiates." This would sound self-important coming from many other artists, especially popular artists. But to someone who grew up with Hill, it makes sense. She did have a hand in shaping how we were feeling, or it seemed that she did. And the disappointment of her disappearance is just one in a catalog of disappointments that we experienced as we grew up. Her voice sounds just the same: low and raspy, full of intensity and soul. It's no wonder. She tells me she grew up singing along with mostly male soul singers — "the Donny Hathaways, the Stevie Wonders, the Jackie Wilsons." As for her rhyming skills, she says she used to have a rapping voice and a singing voice. But now the voices have to become one, in order for her to get the kind of music mix that she wants in a live performance. It's a work in progress. It's so funny to hear that Hill is still working on her extraordinary voice — holding it out in front of her, waving it like a sheet to see what more she can shake out of it. "I'm trying to open up my range and really sing more," she says. "With The Fugees initially, and even with Miseducation, it was very hip-hop — always a singing over beats. I don't think people have really heard me sing out. So if I do record again, perhaps it will have an expanded context. Where people can hear a bit more." How You Gonna Win When You Ain't Right Within? I ask her what it feels like to sing, and she flips the question on me — "Well, what's it like to hear me?" I tell her listening to her sing makes me feel both happy and sad. It feels like her voice comes from a higher place. I'm paraphrasing all the people I've interviewed about her. "The feeling that you get," she says, "I get first. I think you have a delayed experience with the feeling that I usually get. When I have a creative insight, there is a high. I think back in the day, I made music as much as I did because it made me feel so good. I think you could argue that there is a creative addiction — but, you know, the healthy kind." I ask her about having a voice that moves so many people, if there isn't a certain amount of responsibility that comes along with that. "I think about it, and yet I don't think about it," she says. We pull into the hotel parking lot and she's about to continue, but we're interrupted by one of the festival employees, who comes up to the car to ask if someone-or-other's keys are in the Suburban we're riding in. "No," Hill says with a laugh. "No one in here has those keys." After all, it's just Hill, me, the driver and my editor in the car. As the man walks away, Hill says, "He looks just like Matthew McConaughey. First, second cousin. He does! ... What I was I saying? Oh, I think if I was created with such power or an ability, then what's also been put in me is the blueprint for the responsibility part, as well. I have to take care of myself in order to take care of this gift, which has affected so many. I don't treat it lightly. It's important to me to be healthy and to be whole." And Hill seems healthy and whole, squished up next to me in the car, making cracks about ridiculous-looking actors, chin in her hand as she thinks through the answers to my questions. She doesn't tell me to move back, or that she doesn't want to answer something. Watching her perform earlier in the day made me uneasy. I felt like I was watching a captain who had spent a life at sea, then lived on land for 10 years, stumbling a bit her first time back on the deck of a boat. But hearing her steadiness now, I feel hopeful. It's also a reality check: Why did we demand so much of this woman? "I don't know if you know this, but I have five children," she says. "The youngest is 2 now, so she's old enough that I can leave her for a period of time and know she's going to be OK. That's one reason [Hill is starting to perform again]. And I think it's just time. I'm starting to get excited again. Believe it or not, I think what people are attracted to about me, if anything, is my passion. People got exposed to my passion through music and song first. I think people might realize, you know, 'We love the way she sounds, we love the music, but I think we just love how fearless she is. How boundless she is, when it comes to what she wants to do.' And I think that can be infectious." This closes the interview. I thank her. She says, "You're welcome," and my editor and I leave the car. We sit on the stairs for a few minutes to catch our breath. We spent all weekend chasing Lauryn Hill, hoping to have this conversation about her voice. I compared it to a video game with infinite levels you didn't even know existed, like when you beat a level and you think you won, but then you go through a door and there's a whole other world you have to conquer. Getting to Lauryn Hill was like that. Sara Sarasohn, my editor, compared the chase to the Israelites rising up and following the cloud over the Tent of Meeting. In the Torah, when the Israelites are wandering in the desert, there was a cloud over the Tent of Meeting, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. Moses would go to the Tent of Meeting to communicate with God. At night, the cloud looked like fire. When the cloud lifted and moved, the Israelites would see it and know that it was time for them to move as well in their journey through the desert. It was like the presence of Hill was this cloud that we could see in the distance, and we were trying to follow it, and finally, we got to the Tent of Meeting. Sitting on the stairs together, Sara and I couldn't help but cry, just a little. We talked to Lauryn Hill. And she's doing fine.

BEYONCE + PUFFY - Summertime Crazy In Love (Import CD Single) (2003) Beyonce needs 2 make good R-N-B music again...DESPERATELY!!

I'm so glad he's out and has a new fire at his age. He is easily one of the greatest to ever do it!

Howard Stern has been this way for over 15 years. This isn't anything new. When he disses something we like, we can't act like this is a new formula for him...lol.

Ha ha! When you haven't really done much in the past 10 years and have had legal trouble after being one of the most promising artists in all of music, I don't think fans are waiting for THAT.

Should I even bother to check this out? Who ever watches is, let me know.

JOSS STONE - Baby Baby Baby Introducing... (2007) Love this song. Feel good soul music done right!

I love D'Angelo, but to be honest, his 10 year break hasn't really made me anticipate his return. I'm more so left doubting what's he's gonna bring. 10 years is a long time. Neo Soul and real R-N-B was actually supported back then and the industry wasn't a total joke. Can this album get the same attention as his previous? Does he really have what it takes and will his sound be consistent? His 1st album was amazing...he's 2nd was alright. What's the next chapter gonna be like? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Angelo Breaks Silence, Says New Album is Coming A decade ago, D'Angelo and his public-dominating muscles were at the top of the intersecting world between hip-hop and soul music, but he's been notably absent in recent years. Now, the elusive singer has finally surfaced for an interview with The Urban Daily -- his first in nine years. Unfortunately, they were barred from asking about D'Angelo's current songs, album or legal troubles, but D did reveal his current inspirations and confirm that a new album is finally in the works. "I just got turned on to this group called Black Merda that I'm just kinda beating myself up over because I'd never heard of them before," D'Angelo explained. "I think about a couple of months ago, my boy turned me on to them. I'm just revisiting groups that are basically looked at like funk groups or funk artists, but I'm looking at it differently now. These guys who were really trying to push the envelope back then, I think they were just a head of their time as far as black rock is concerned." This could be a definite hint about where the artist's new material is headed. He also took time to explain that real music lives on in the underground and that he doesn't really pay attention to major labels and industry politics. "I think it's out there, but there's a lot of folks, people in power, record executives or what have you, that are less willing to take chances on s--- that might be different," he continued. "But I think there's a underground bubbling up under. A lot of black folks are trying to do different s--- or they wanna do different s---. I don't know the condition of what's going on in the business right now, but they're having a hard time cracking through."

MICHAEL JACKSON + ILL AL SKRATCH - They Don't Care About Us (Charles Full Joint Remix) They Don't Care About Us (CD Single) (1996) I remember this remix was a big deal back in the day. MJ teaming up with Ill Al Skrach was big. They were one of Hip-Hop's great duos.

Thanx. I hadn't read that before. It's kinda disappointing that he didn't get too deep with many of his answers tho.'