Hero1
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Posts posted by Hero1
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when will says he was gonna respond to eminem.. he was actually gonna record a battle diss track with jeff..but decided not 2
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hey he said he wished he'd never recorded the track!!! quite harsh.. i didnt like the interview..well i dont really wanna know about what groupies will did or how big his willie is or which celelbrity hes done.. actually i thought it was a whole lot of rubbish :dink: :blah:
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i think thats pretty funny well done kevin james :bowrofl: :bowrofl: :bowrofl: :bowrofl:
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its interesting..post Ali will was dissing all his records boom! i think i can beat mike tyson girls etc... i guess he was coming off a very serious movie with Ali and at the time he was thinking he wanted to do something more than just being an entertainer... but say abt 6 months later will realized what he can do and the power he has in making people laugh etc..and was more happy with what he was doing... i would say if you asked will about boom today he would give it props because it brought rap all around the world... plus i dont like him dissin it..i mean if he was gonna diss boom he should be dissing black suits comin will2k freakin it and half of big willie style! :cussing: :cussing: :cussing:
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im all that
summertime
this boy is smooth
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i guess the courts will decide that :dunno:
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ted if u seen the video r kelly aint a good person :eek4: :eek4: :eek4:
u reap what u sow -
oohh we have royalty up here on the board
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thanx for the review mix professor.. :rock: i thought it wouldnt have been as good as the vibe im on..because this one is an official release.. bbe would have had to pay for all the traxs jeff uses..so i imagine he couldnt choose all the traxs he wanted cause it would have cost 2 much..so it looks more like an underground/over looked traxs type mix
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Posted on Wed, Apr. 21, 2004
MICHAEL PEREZ / Inquirer
Vidal Davis (left) and Andre Harris have worked their musical magic on recordings by Usher, Mary J. Blige, Michael Jackson, Jill Scott, Alicia Keys and Will Smith. The duo will receive a Philadelphia Heroes Award from the Recording Academy.
Star brighteners
Local music producers Andre Harris and Vidal Davis, being honored next week, give the singer and the song just what they need.
By Tom Moon
Inquirer Music Critic
Play any track produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, one of the most successful production duos in pop music, and whether it's Janet Jackson or Mariah Carey out front, there are some constants underneath.
You can count on hearing the same basic drum sound. The same ideas for refrains, very similar song structures, and the same use of samples for instrumental embellishment.
Cue up some tunes handled by Philly's far-less-visible Andre Harris and Vidal Davis - say, "So Simple" from the latest Alicia Keys, "A Long Walk" by Jill Scott, or "Caught Up" on Usher's new multiplatinum Confessions - and the first thing you notice is how strikingly different they are.
Usher sings "Caught Up" over a blatty brass section. But on Scott's debut, the backing is nearly transparent, a breeze that gently propels the vocals.
Unless you read the credits, it's almost impossible to tell that the songs are all from the Dre & Vidal production team. And that, says Davis - who, with Harris, will receive a Philadelphia Heroes Award from the Recording Academy on Monday - is the whole idea.
"We call ourselves 'the chameleons,' " Davis said the other day, between sessions at A Touch of Jazz studios near Fourth and Callowhill Streets, the temporary base for the duo's two-year-old production firm, Rockstar Entertainment.
"We pride ourselves on not having a 'sound.' To us, the more important thing is doing whatever the song needs. That can be a bigger challenge, because it forces you to not fall back on what worked last time."
And, Harris adds, it might just help in the career-longevity department: "When you have a sound and people want that sound, everything's great. But what about when [tastes] change?... You're stuck."
That approach informs the duo's discography, which in the last few years has grown from scattered cool projects to a who's who of urban talent that includes the deeply spiritual soul of Scott and the sedate balladeering of Ruben Studdard, the coy sweetness of Michael Jackson's "Butterflies," and the wrenching proclamations of Mary J. Blige, who has lined up the duo for several songwriting and production assignments on her next project.
In each case, Davis and Harris, Center City residents who have been friends for 18 of their 27 years, work to bring out an artist's essential quality. The songwriters and multi-instrumentalists - they handle nearly every sound on their recordings, right down to the vinyl crackle that adds old-school warmth - tread lightly. They favor terse bread-and-butter sounds over the keyboard adornments and other grabby sounds that distinguish (or, if you will, clutter) the efforts of many urban-music producers. And they make sure the vocals aren't too heavy.
Darrale Jones, one of the Arista executives responsible for Usher's Confessions, says he knew after talking with Usher that Davis and Harris would be the perfect fit.
"Usher wanted to step up his vocal game, and become more personal. The way they write, the songs just light up an artist. They brought 'Superstar' and 'Caught Up' to my office the first day we talked, and I flipped... . These were songs that can stand the test of time."
Many artists have had similar reactions. Glenn Lewis, who moved here from Toronto several years ago, had the duo handle most of his still-in-progress second effort, Back for More.
"These guys... the way they play off of one another creatively, they operate like one person," says Lewis, who appreciated the duo's lighthearted vibe in the studio.
"It was crazy when we first met them," Marsha Ambrosius of Floetry recalls. "We had all these ideas, and we're talking and singing to try to get them across. They probably had ideas, too, but they were very tolerant while we did our little thing. They wanted to hear where we wanted to go; they weren't going to push us someplace. They had patience, and we needed that."
Among the projects Harris and Davis did with Floetry was a song called "Butterflies." After they finished it, they heard that Michael Jackson was looking for material. "We played [his] manager the Floetry version over the phone, and he was very definite about it: 'Michael is going to do that song.'
"Now, we've had our share of disappointments in this business, so I didn't even believe it," says Harris, who cowrote the song with Ambrosius. "Then we get this call: Can we come to New York?
"The first day we get there, and I'm still thinking that something's going to mess this up. Sure enough, we walk in and they say, 'Come back tomorrow.' After a few days... he's finally ready, and I can remember sitting in the control room paging people like crazy on my two-way: I'm in the studio with Michael Jackson! Oh my god, we're producing Michael Jackson!"
The novelty wore off quickly. Because Jackson wasn't able to sing every day, recording even one song was a "long, drawn-out process" that lasted three weeks. "He'd do 16 measures and stop, sing a chorus and stop," Harris says. "And from those pieces we had to compose one lead vocal."
Harris and Davis met when they were both around 9 years old and their fathers played together in pickup bands and church ensembles. Though they attended different high schools - Harris graduated from Bartram in Southwest Philly, Davis from Overbrook - they hung out, sometimes visiting friends' home studios where, because both started as drummers, they tried to make basic drum patterns.
Harris was shy about music: "I didn't play in school, I was too cool to let people know I was into music the way I was. I played at church, that was it. Now when people I went to school with see me, they're like, 'I had no idea.' "
Davis' career path was cemented the year he graduated from school and received thousands of dollars in a car insurance settlement.
"I said 'Dre, what should I do?' " Davis recalls. "I was trying to decide whether to buy a car or get a little studio setup."
"I told him, 'Get the car,' " Harris says with a laugh.
Davis bought the studio gear, and remembers spending weeks in the basement creating productions. By 1995, the two had learned their way around a studio, and were part of the team of producers "DJ Jazzy" Jeff Townes set up at A Touch of Jazz. It was in that pressure-free workshop that Davis and Harris blossomed.
The pair - who have also worked with Will Smith, Mariah Carey, Ronald Isley, Bilal and Musiq - developed the unique collaborative method that enables them to crank out a prodigious 10 or so tracks a week. The key is identical keyboard and recording rigs placed side by side, Harris explains, "so if I have an idea, Vidal can jump in and pick up on it... . Part of why we work so well is we're really open about improving and changing whatever is going on."
"There's no room for ego," Davis chimes in. "It's never about who-does-what with us. The challenge is figuring out what the song needs. Somebody hits us with an idea, whether it's old-soul or neo-soul or whatever-soul, we'll work together, and it's like second nature. Before you know it, it's not just an idea anymore. We're there." -
i cant really get with RnB at the moment..i find most of it repetitive and uninspiring.. some soul artists im digging though... kindred the family soul..and amel larriuex have released dope albums that im listening 2 a lot...
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nice work..very close as always
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its a documentary about aids in africa
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kool i think bad boys II should win :rock: :rock: :rock:
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its on the freakin it single which i see a lot on ebay
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AJ did a great job of explaining that song
when i first heard the rain i was blown away :eek4: :eek4: :eek4:
i was just sitting there thinking oh my god this is dope..and i had to repeat it straight away...
it really is flawless.. the production is amazing.. they even added rain sound effects in the background..
wills best written song.. jill scott jazzy jeff.. they really need to team up for another song.... -
the nba is not as good as it was in the early to mid 90s.. my team used to be seattle with peyton and schremp n co.. i used to play nba 96.. id always be the hornets and get dell curry in 2 the team..and just fire 3 point shots all the time...
and nba jam on the super nintendo :rock: played the hell out of that.. i cant remember what team me and my friend would play it could have been miami..but there was a really good player and the other 1 was this guy chaeney? .. so 1 of us would always get chaney and he was terrible and always miss his shots..so whenever this happened our catch cry would be f*** chaney
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[quote=badboys,Apr 20 2004, 05:04 PM][quote=FrshPrnceCharmng,Apr 20 2004, 04:19 PM] I still need to see Mutumbo reject a shot and then do that little "Not in my House" finger wag. How many years has he been in the league?[/quote]
Mutombo has been in the NBA since 91', so that would make it 13 years.... Just thought id answer ur question... [/quote]
ive had a mutombo hat for a good 10 years+ :rock: :rock: :rock: -
yeah biz markies just a friend is another great one with the barry white impression
what was the childrens story video like? i've never seen that
i also gotta add the roots what they do video ..absolutely hilarious! and a tribe called quests can i kick it!! :bowrofl: :bowrofl: -
nicely said julie i agree :rock: :rock: and a lot of those haters are
alex has had nothin but good things 2 say abt will so its all good :biggrin: -
will needs to leave a few months between last first kiss and this next movie..so that will and jeff can record that jazzy jeff and fresh prince album.. but wills still making music now so i dont care how many movies hes doin..if hes still recordin music im happy...he just needs to release it!! :cussing:
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besides the jjfp ones what do you think are some of the funniest rap music videos?
mine would be
skee lo - i wish
run dmc - mary mary -
DJ Jazzy Jeff
Hip-Hop Forever II (BBE/Rapstar)
Whenever you get East Coast producers as hot as DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock and the The Rza on one album, you know it’s going to be tight; hardcore, hip-hop in the purest contemporary sense. This album is loaded with real classic New York and Philly hip-hop from the early ’90s to today. Several of these tracks – Raekwon’s Ice Cream, Blahzay Blahzay’s Danger, O.C.’s Time’s Up, Gang Starr’s Words I Manifest, Electric Relaxation by A Tribe Called Quest and Live At The Bar-B-Q by Main Source – are endorsed by hip-hop connoisseurs as certified, underground hallmarks. These are the tracks that modernised hip-hop, bringing a richer, fuller sound to the table with more musicality and seductive basslines, and a greater lyrical depth to the microphone. For anyone who’s a fan of solid East Coast hip hop, this pretty much says it all. 4.5/5 -
:poke:
VH1's 50 most awesomely bad songs
in Caught in the Middle
Posted
NEW YORK, April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- What's your least favorite song of all
time? What songs make you shake your head, roll your eyes, laugh, gag or just
want to punch something because they're so horrendous? Premiering on
Wednesday May 12th VH1 and Blender Magazine, present the "50 Most Awesomely
Bad Songs ... Ever." This 2-hour special, hosted by George Lopez, will cover
the lowest of the lows from the last three decades of bad songs.
Join us as we count down this batch of one-hit-wonders, outdated theme
songs, and strange, misguided musical flukes from our favorite artists, while
our team of experts help explain why we've deemed these songs so awesomely
bad. We've been covering our ears, shutting off the radio, and running from
the room screaming for too long. It's time to ban these songs to our Hall of
Shame!
Viewers can log onto VH1.com for more melodious meltdowns:
[url="http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/50_most_awesomely_bad_songs/series.jhtml"]http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/50_most_aweso...gs/series.jhtml[/url]
*all times ET/PT
Contacts: Michelle Clark/VH1 Christine Sefein/MTVN
212-846-5576 310-752-8798
THE LIST
Hour 1
50. Corey Hart - I Wear My Sunglasses at Night
49. Puff Daddy f/ Faith Evans & 112 - "I'll Be Missing You'
48. Michael Bolton - 'Can I Touch You There'
47. Bobby Brown w/Whitney Houston, 'Something in Common'
46. Spin Doctors - Two Princes
45. Ruben Studdard, 'I'm Sorry'
44. Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire
43. Master P feat. Silkk, Fiend, Mia-x & Mystikal - 'Make Em Say Uhh'
42. Rednex - Cotton Eye Joe
41. JC Chasez - 'Some Girls (Dance with Women)'
40. 4 Non Blondes, 'What's Up'
39. Snow - 'Informer'
38. Ja Rule - Mesmerize
37. Bette Midler, "From a Distance"
36. Color Me Badd - I Wanna Sex You Up
35. Don Johnson - Heartbeat
34. Crazytown - 'Butterfly'
33. Jennifer Lopez - 'Jenny from the Block'
32. Mr. Mister - Broken Wings
31. R. Kelly, 'You Remind Me of Something'
30. Nelly - Pimp Juice
29. Meatloaf - 'I Would Do Anything for Love (But I won't do That)
28. Rick Astley - 'Never Gonna Give You Up'
27. Wreckx-N-Effect - 'Rump Shaker'
26. Bryan Adams - The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me is You
Hour 2
25. Michael Jackson, 'You Rock My World'
24. Phil Collins, "Sussudio"
23. Sisqo - 'The Thong Song'
22. Lionel Richie - Dancing on the Ceiling
21. Rembrandts, "I'll Be There For You"
20. Toby Keith, 'Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue'
19. Chicago - You're the Inspiration
18. Hammer - 'Pumps and a Bump'
17. Right Said Fred, "I'm Too Sexy"
16. Europe, "The Final Countdown"
15. Crash Test Dummies - Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Mmm
14. Will Smith, "Will2K"
13. Aqua - 'Barbie Girl'
12. New Kids on the block - Hangin' Tough
11. Gerardo - Rico Suave
10. Huey Lewis & the News - Heart of Rock-n-Roll
9. Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy
8. Ricky Martin - She Bangs
7. Eddie Murphy, "Party All the Time"
6. Deep Blue Something, "Breakfast at Tiffany's"
5. Vanilla Ice, "Ice Ice Baby"
4. Limp Bizkit, "Rollin'"
3. Wang Chung - Everybody Have Fun Tonight
2. Billy Ray Cyrus, "Achy Breaky Heart"