JumpinJack AJ

Man, this breaks my heart. Kris Kross was the first concert I ever went to. You can call them a bit of a novelty if you want, but they were my age and they were rockin' the mic with songs I could relate to. Other than coming off a bit harder at times than I felt personally felt necessary, the progression of their music was natural as they matured. I love all three of their albums (and the remix album). One of the greatest thing about Kris Kross is that they are huge fans of Hip-Hop. They care about the culture and the music that went along with him. Chris Kelly had more of a hustle about him, still recording and working with up and coming artists, though it didn't generate much in recent years. I'm STILL looking for the album/mixtape he released independently years ago. The Kris Kross performance at the So So Def 20th Anniversary was dope and showed that the fellas never lost it over time. I hope he felt satisfied and accomplished towards the end of his life. Thousands of fans were showing him crazy love just weeks ago. Rest in peace, Chris. You were an inspiration to me growing up and your legacy still means a lot to your fans. Here's another vague article... http://globalgrind.com/news/chris-kelly-kriss-kross-found-dead-photo

Chris Kelly Dead: Kris Kross Rapper Dies At Age 34 Posted: 05/01/2013 9:56 pm EDT | Updated: 05/01/2013 10:28 pm EDT Obituaries, Chris Kelly, Chris Kelly Dead, Chris Kelly Dies, Chris Kelly Kris Kross, Kris Kross, Kris Kross Chris Kelly, Kris Kross Founder Dead, Kris Kross Founder Dies, Black Voices News Chris Kelly, member of nineties rap duo Kris Kross, is dead, an investigator with the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed to the Huffington Post. Kelly was 34. The Medical Examiner's Office said it could not provide more details about the circumstances of his death at this time. Unnamed sources told CBS Atlanta that Kelly was found dead at his Atlanta home. Kelly was pronounced dead at 5p.m. Wednesday, authorities told the Associated Press. His cause of death is yet to be determined. This is a developing story... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/01/chris-kelly-dead_n_3197360.html

Yeah, I love that song. Here's my favorite song off the album at the moment. This is a Trackmasters production!

Yeah, I like the activity. I think it would be a great idea if we created a bunch of JJ+FP memes (mostly based on lyrics and interview quotes about music). I think those could spread like wildfire on the internet. If it comes from a song lyric, a small reference to the song and album that it's on at the bottom will direct some people to their music (new and old).

Alright, I got the album earlier today and I'm loving it. Much more than I thought I would. Keep in mind I listened to the previews of the album above and felt it was hit or miss. I was wrong. I feel that with this album, LL has balanced old school and new school, artistic and traditional, organic and mainstream. It's a perfect balance of masculine/street rap and emotional/honest/love Hip-Hop. Another thing that's very unique is that the album has many guest artists, but 90% of the time, they add flavor to the music, but distract from the fact that this is an LL Cool J and that he doesn't need the help of other artists. These guests artists are are also NOT today's top 40 artists, they are well respected artists from different decades and music genres. The newer artists are ones I've never heard of. The album is free from an explicit lyrics sticker, but require a very small handful of edits simply because his goal wasn't to be squeaky clean. The album is dope. I'm pretty sure most LL fans are going to be happy with it. I urge everyone to give it an honest listen. Of course, one of the benefits of buying albums is that you can read where the artist is coming from. I don't want to take away from what LL wrote in the album, but you read about important he things music is. All music. And how it's important ONLY that it reflect the person making music, though he hopes people like what they hear. He goes on to talk about not caring about sales or following a format for the album. On your first listen, you can tell that he cares about the quality of the music, but that he's just having fun with it too. ...Here's my review... BATH SALT - This is a dope album opener. It's aggressive and LL is hungry. Yeah, there's some bragging, but it's all true. The beat will rock the speakers in your ride. This is like a modern day club banger with unique production. This one is definitely for the fellas. NOT LEAVING YOU TONIGHT w/ Fitz & The Tanrums and Eddie Van Halen - The beat is a bit haunting and mysterious. It's modern, but not futuristic. This is NOT one of the LL love songs, but it is about relationships. You'll know what mean when you hear it. NEW LOVE w/ Charlie Wilson - Lyrically, this song falls in the category of an LL love song, but musically the sound is just moving. A great mix of Hip-Hop and R-N-B/Funk. Charlie Wilson adds flavor to this without overshining...even tho' he's an R-N-B/Funk legend with decades of great music behind him. WE CAME TO PARTY w/ Snoop Dogg + Fatman Scoop - Most of you hear this since it was shared in this post weeks ago. Musically, it has a 2000's mainstream rap sound that doesn't break any new ground. Since it's the only song like that on the album, it's all good. LL is crazy hungry and Fatman Scoop just bring energy by screaming like he always does. Snoop brings a contrast to LL's aggressive rhymes with his laid back and classic Snoop flow. It's okay to nod your head to this. The 80's LL samples mixed in the beat just add flavor. GIVE ME LOVE w/ Seal - This is a gem in my eyes. Seal's gentle, raspy, soulful vocals open the track and bless it throughout. This is a LL love joint, but it's too good to call it predictable. LL uses his low key "I Need Love" delivery. It's a great mix of old and new. The sound is low key and provides a unique and moody vibe for the song. SOMETHING ABOUT YOU ( LOVE THE WORLD) w/ Charlie Wilson, Earth, Wind, & Fire, and Melody Thornton - This is officially for the grown and sexy. This is the closest thing you'll ever year to late 70's-mid 80's soul/funk. This is feel good. Lyrically, it's a love song, but it's much more than that. The song is just golden. BARTENDER PLEASE w/ Snoop Dogg, Bootsy Collins, and Travis Barker - This song has a great energy and a good mix of live instruments and production. It's Hip-Hop, it's braggadocios, it's fly, it's fun. WHADDUP w/ Chuck D, Travis Barker, Tom Morello, and Z-Trip - You've heard this. This is straight Hip-Hop. This is pure energy. LL is hungry and the only bad thing is that Chuck D doesn't get a verse. Cut Creator and Travis Barker get live on this one. BETWEEN THE SHEETZ w/ Micky Shiloh - This is a tasteful sex jam with cute female vocals on the hook and an understate beat. In some ways, this reminds me of a new song intended for Todd Smith. If you didn't like Tood Smith, don't take that as a bad thing. CLOSER - This is a bit of a slick late 90's feel to it mixed with a modern new jack swing R-N-B feel. This sounds like Spring time to me. You almost want the legendary Monica to shine more, but like the other vocalists on the album, she handles the hook with just a few ad-libs buried in the musical mix. LIVE FOR YOU w/ Brad Paisley - Okay, I didn't even notice this was Brad Paisley. I don't know his music because I'm not into country music, but he kinda sings like a pop singer on this. The beat isn't anything too crazy...it's a bit melodic and poppy with guitars over the modern beat that is hard to pot into on genre. WE'RE THE GREATEST w/ Eddie Van Halen - This has a great urban bump to it. The guitars add a unique, somewhat sinister sound to the song. LL is pretty aggressive on this one, defending his place in Hip-Hop. When I turn this up, I can't help but nod my head so hard that I need pain killers for my neck. <- That wasn't corny...I really mean it...lol. ***TARGET EXCLUSIVE TRACKS*** Y'all NEED to get the Target version...the bonus tracks are amongst the best WAITING ON YOU w/ Babyface and Noelle Scaggs - This is a smoothed modern R-N-B song. The more you listen to the music, the more you hear in it. It's just a smooth love song. For some reason, I really just wanna listen to this one at night time. JUMP ON IT - This is a straight Hip-Hop jam. It's not TRYING to be anything...street, R-N-B, pop...just straight Hip-Hop. It's LL just flexing his authentic Hip-Hop style. This is one of my favorites, EASY. TAKE IT w/ Joe - Y'all heard this. It's got a smooth, thick, 90's sound. It's a sexy, love jam. I can't believe after making a video to it and everyone loving it, it's only showing up as a bonus track on this exclusive version. He meant it when he said he wasn't going for chart positions because I'm totally questioning that move. REMEMBER ME w/ Alicia Meyers - This is an other upbeat, timeless Hip-Hop jam. This is his big shout out to all of his different listeners. This is another favorite of mine. To sum things up, I hope this album BLOWS UP. It has the power to change the commercial face of Hip-Hop moving forward. It could get the foot in the door for dope emcees to find their way back on the radio. I looked at the credits of the album after listening to it, and I was surprised to see that the Trackmasters produced about half of it!! One or two songs made me think of the Trackmasters when I heard them but I had no idea that they were on the album. A new producer, Jaylien, did the other half. And "Remember Me" was produced by the legendary Marly Marl. Give this album an honest listen. This is a unique breath of fresh air for Hip-Hop music. Only after having it for a few hours, it has refreshed my soul and given me an excitement for music that I rarely get anymore...I kinda feel like a teenager again. Well done, LL Cool J.

Big day! LL fans, be sure pick up the new album today. Many of us don't feel that this is one of his strongest, but it's not often that a legit emcee release an album at a mainstream level anymore. Downloaders, considering picking up an actual CD. Remember that that Target has an exclusive version with 4 bonus tracks, including "Take It" featuring Joe.

This is the post I've been waiting for! I noticed the Facebook activity and I like it. One a separate note, my job dealt with the same issues as Google. When we relaunched our website, we no longer showed up high on the list for what we sell. It's been three months and our traffic has greatly decrease (and we are an online retailer). It takes taking time to have thing build up again. Do all members have messages sent to their registering email accounts. It probably wouldn't hurt to reach out to a few of the people who used to post often just to stir up some new dialogue. After Earth will give us a little of a boost. Jazzy is staying active so that maybe we can mention the site in a comment on a YouTube video for Vinyl Destination.

I don't believe my eyes that "Take It" isn't on the standard version of the album (and was was removed from Amazon for download. All the legit LL fans NEED to pick up the album at Target, featuring FOUR BONUS TRACKS. http://www.target.com/p/ll-cool-j-authentic-only-at-target/-/A-14524690#?lnk=sc_qi_detaillink item details. guest reviews shipping & returns 1. Bath Salt 2. Not Leaving You Tonight Feat. Fitz & The Tantrums with Eddie Van Halen 3. New Love Feat. Charlie Wilson 4. We Came To Party Feat. Maserati Cool J, Snoop Dogg & Fatman Scoop 5. Give Me Love Feat. Seal 6. Something About You (Love The World) Feat. Charlie Wilson, Earth, Wind & Fire & Melody Thornton 7. Bartender Please Feat. Snoop Dogg, Bootsy Collins &Travis Barker 8. Whaddup Feat. Chuck D, Travis Barker, Tom Morello & Z-Trip 9. Between The Sheetz Feat. Mickey Shiloh 10. Closer Feat. Monica 11. Waiting On You Feat. Babyface & Noelle Scaggs(Target Exclusive) 12. Jump On It Feat. Travis Barker(Target Exclusive) 13. Take It Feat. Joe(Target Exclusive) 14. Remember Me Feat. Alicia Meyers(Target Exclusive)

LEFT EYE - Hot! Supernova (2001) I popped this album in for the first time in awhile...and it took me on a ride. It still speaks to me in new ways.

Wow, this is is a dope beat. Jazzy, layered, solid. I don't know anything about Mac Miller, but his lyrics are a bit underwhelming and a tad tasteless, His flow is a little lazy but I don't mind it. It kinda reminds me of a west coast 90's flow.

I watched this one some what recently. I wanna hear FP talk about NEW music again. I wanna see their personalities being silly in NEW interviews.

Starter has continued making clothes over the years. You can find it in places like WalMart. I'm not really invested in name brands, but Starter has great designs when they were on top. I've seen Starter jackets slowly being worn more often. They look exactly like that the ones in the '90's, so I can't tell if they old or if they are new. They look new, but I can't imagine them not touching up their design over the years. A lot of early '90's styles have trickled back recently, so who knows?

For some reason it wouldn't let me copy and paste the text. The link below takes you to an interview where he talks about his family, his music, Justin Bieber's birthday, etc. http://globalgrind.com/style/jaden-smith-talks-relationship-kylie-jenner-wonderland-magazine-interview-photos

I definitely encourage you to see them. I've seen them twice and it was dope both times. They tour ALL THE TIME, so they are completely natural and on point. There's so many different styles of art on the stage that your brain explodes. It's more than a show, it's a life experience. Plus, if they have the chance, they will greet people afterward, either by selling t-shirts or by coming to the edge of the stage afterward. They'll greet people, sign stuff, and sometimes take pix. I took my cousin who isn't even into Hip-Hop that much and he loved it.

Can't say I'd want this to happen. I wasn't a fan of the first one and I think everything Will Ferrel touches is stupid. FP is too good to take part in this.

Arrested Development's Speech on Race, Religion, and Hip Hop This week in 1993, Arrested Development's "Mr. Wendal," an ode to a homeless man, occupied a top 10 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. One in a string of hits from the band's debut album, 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of ..., the song established the group as a mouthpiece for social issues and made rapper Todd "Speech" Thomas a key player in Atlanta's burgeoning hip hop music scene. Now a handful albums, a couple of Grammy awards and two decades later, Speech is pondering it all over a cup of hot tea outside Octane Coffee in the ATL's trendy Westside district. He's peddling a new project -- an arts and networking ministry called Mixtape Mixer (Speech became a Christian in 1996, we'll get to that in a minute) -- but we're mainly here to talk about 20 years of music. Arrested Development sold four million copies of its debut album; played for Nelson Mandela and Bill Clinton; faltered commercially; disbanded; reunited; had its band name swiped by a TV sitcom; toured relentlessly, and accepted the new world order where everything happens digitally (for perspective, the aforementioned "Mr. Wendal" video has nearly two million YouTube views). In spite of a roller coaster career with its share of industry snubs and a revolving door of band members, Arrested Development's sound has never lost its mojo. Even those earliest grooves and poetry -- the band's own brand of beatnik black consciousness -- still feel fresh. Arrested Development 2013 1 of 11 #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 "It's true. 'Tennessee' doesn't sound like a '90s track," Speech says of AD's first single. "I never wanted to do that 'Wild Thing' like Ton-Loc and just have a hit. I wanted the music to hold up really well, and it has." Speech reckons the combination of tough questions, positive spin, and simple beats have kept AD palatable to the mainstream and relevant to fans over the years. Although songs such as "People Everyday" (which borrowed the pleasant, hummable chorus from Sly Stone's "Everyday People" and fused it with sharp commentary about the ways a "brotha" should act) might be too thoughtful to pierce the pop charts in 2013, AD is still making its opinions about race known in smart refrains such as "Soul Sister," from its 2012 album, Standing at the Crossroads. "That song definitely reveals some of the love that I have for black women and the anger I feel toward their degradation, even by black men," Speech says. "And my anger about how some of the principles that were laid down during slavery still hold true this day." He started as a self-proclaimed "angry young black man" in Milwaukee who found a kindred spirit in collaborator DJ Headliner (with whom he founded AD while in college in Atlanta), but Speech says his conversion to Christianity in 1996 softened his outlook. "I had to really leave the whole black consciousness scene alone for a minute and just understand who Jesus was," he says. "That was great for me, because it helped me understand the world in a whole different way." His newfound faith ("never blind," he assures) also informed his group and solo work -- adding a patina of optimism to already upbeat lyrics. The 2006 AD album Since the Last Time explores spirituality, faith and family, and Speech has been very outspoken about fighting to keep his marriage (to Yolanda Thomas) strong. Right now, Arrested Development is working on a new recording, and Speech is holding court two Thursday nights a month at a Buckhead lounge, where he brings together young professionals for a little networking mixed with turntables and Bible verses. As for churning out beats and rhymes with AD's current and former members, Speech says he'll keep on keeping on, even if topping the charts is no longer a primary motivator. "Every year I decide I don't want to do this. I want to retire, plant gardens, go hiking with my wife and kids. But then something happens and I get re-energized and I do what I think I'm meant to do, which is to do music and to write. That's my duty. Whether it finds an audience in this generation, or whether I become like one of those painters and when I die, maybe someone says, 'That was brilliant,' I don't know. My job is to just do the art." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristi-york-wooten/arrested-developments-spe_b_3063067.html

Dope interview. I WANTED JEFF TO GET ON HIS SOAP BOX!!

Here's a 6 minute preview of the album... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFiYaD5ZxyA Here's an 18 minute preview of the album... I feel that if I took my favorite songs off Exit 13 and this album, I'd have a solid album that I really like...lol.

I agree with everything you said Tim. I like the visuals in the video (other than the overused, poor negative space (cropping). And you can't say "uh" when there's no bass in the music or energy to your flow...LOL

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NE-YO - Miss Right R.E.D. (2012) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWqBLDxCFis

That was dope! I loved seeing the atmosphere of where he does most of his creating. It's definitely set up as a fertle place for art to be created.

Anyone know why the videos disappear after awhile and get replaced by the link? FREDDIE FOXX/BUMPY KNUCKLES + PETE ROCK - Who Knows Why? Industry Shakedown (2000)

All I can say at this point is that "Take It" and "Whuddup" are the best Hip-Hop singles I've heard in years. I'm hyped.

I don't know, it all seems about right to me. If there were a few LL-love songs on the album, I'd be really upset, but it doesn't look too R-N-B/light like Todd Smith (which also had a few bangers on it). Authentic Hip-Hop was a little too spelled out to me. Keeping it just Authentic is much better in my opinion. The album cover is much more artsy too.