Search

A GOLD-PLATED tank rolls out onto a basket-ball court, and everything changes. It happens just seconds into the video for Master P's 'Make 'Em Say Uhh!' a retina-searingly gaudy statement [...]

FOR HIP-HOP, WHICH HAS always prided itself on origin stories, the intertwining sagas of the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur are key formative narratives. Together, they've become a collective idea, [...]

Reviews several music recordings. 'Nothing's in Vain,' performed by Youssou N'Dour; 'Falling in Love Is Wonderful,' performed by Jimmy Scott; 'Touching Down,' performed bv Roni Size.

Relates the music recording created by producer Red Spyda entitled "Realest Niggaz." Popularity of the song on the "Billboard" charts; Litigation threats received by its creators from Bad Boy Entertainment; Purpose of Red Spyda for creating the music.

Reviews several music recordings.

Focuses on the music recordings of Petey Pablo in Greenville, North Carolina. Identification of music recordings of Pablo; Statement of Pablo regarding the music recordings; Influences of the music recording 'Diary of Sinner: 1st Entry.'

The article reviews the music release "Esto Es Amor," by Yolanda Pérez.

The article focuses on the remix music album "Fit But You Know It," by performer The Streets. The remix of this jaunty ode to a nose-thumbing female is stolen by the Great Britain rapper Lady Sovereign.

The article focuses on the music album "Music for Airports," by singer Brian Eno. Music for Airports, from 1978, is the best of the albums he recorded during this period, a hypnotic, lush excursion into ambient music that gave birth to a million electronic musicians for whom microvariations in tone are the equivalent of guitar solos. Split into four "movements," Airports utilizes little more than piano, synthesizers and tape loops to create a lyrical white noise — spacious, uplifting, impermeable.

The article focuses on the music album "Unfinished Business," by R. Kelly and Jay-Z. Backed by top-shelf producers the Trackmasters, this album should be musically bulletproof. But mostly, Jay-Z can't get through his verses quick enough — they're among his least engaging in a while. R. Kelly is better, but it's telling that two of the best tracks, "She's Coming Home With Me" and "Mo' Money," are revisions of numbers from the first Jigga-Kelly collaboration, 2002's swept-under-the-rug The Best of Both Worlds.

The article focuses on the music album "Through the Wire (Live in Amsterdam)," by singer Kanye West. It is a roundup of new music that's only available online. The Kanye West roadshow is pure spectacle, as this energetic version of his breakout hit displays: West gasps, horns blare, singer John Legend pipes in.

The article focuses on the music album "Why Don't You Find Out for Yourself" by performer Lillers. Killers frontman Brandon Flowers borrowed some of his glammy poses from Morrissey.

The article focuses on the music album "Snapshot EP," by performer Mission of Burma. Highlights are the shattered guitar assault of "Red," and a quake-inducing cover of the Wipers' scabrous "Youth of America."

The article focuses on the music album "Darry Worley," by singer Darryl Worley. Last year, Worley broke free from the country pack with "Have You Forgotten?," one of the key statements of post-9/11 country patriotism. He's left most of the jingoism by the side of the road on his fourth album, and his music is all the better for it.

The article focuses on the music album "Powerballin," by performer Chingy. Chingy has forged an entire career out of the practice. On his 2003 debut, he perfected the art with the lighter-than-air singles "One Call Away" and "Right Thurr," and there's little deviation from form on his follow-up. Chingy is charming in presence and in singsong flow, but not particularly engaging. He displays signs of life on "Give Em Some Mo" and the magisterial "We Do," with Southern rap legend Bun B, where Chingy taps his inner bravado.

Back in the late eighties, in southside Jamaica, Queens, performer G Unit was already running the streets, even though the crew didn't yet have its name. Musician Lloyd Banks was about six when he started hanging with performer 50 Cent, five years his senior, shooting hoops and learning to rap. As he got older, Banks paid close attention to 50 cents and another neighborhood rapper, Tony Yayo, also a member of G Unit. It paid off: With The Hunger for More, the gravelly voiced Banks is the first G Unit member, besides 50 cents, to go solo. I

The performer Nas wants to make "Street's Disciple" his most personal album yet. Nas says, "I got a song called 'Getting Married.' It asks, 'How does a man who's progressing, but still holding on to his nuts, talk about getting married?'"

Reviews the music release "Gretchen Wilson: Here for the Party," by Gretchen Wilson.

This article presents information on the music album "Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues 1945-1970." The album "Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues 1945-1970" argues that the country-music mecca's Jefferson Street was just as crucial to the development of R&B as Memphis' Beale Street. The interesting part of the album is the lesser-known artist Christine Kittrell, who shines on the depressive blues number "Sittin' Here Drinking." The one disappointment: that excellent country-R&B crossovers such as Joe Simon's cover of Waylon Jennings' "The Chokin' Kind" are so rare.

This article presents information on the music "Let's Talk About It," by Carl Thomas. A stately vocalist with no pretensions to hip-hop credibility, Thomas has always had a little too much dignity for his Bad Boy surroundings. "Let's Talk About It" is a sterling collection of middle-aged R&B that shows Thomas as a hardscrabble soulman who very much stands on his own. Songs such as "Dreamer" showcase Thomas' dignified voice, and on "My First Love," Roc-A-Fella producer Just Blaze impressively shows off Thomas' soft, lilting side.

This article presents information on the music "Street Troubadour," by the performer Andreus. Congratulate Chicago's Andreus for impressively accomplishing something few people care to try anymore; making a soul record in the traditional Seventies mold, preoccupied with social hardships, though not at the price of groove. Sonically, the completely self-produced "Street Troubadour" is lush enough to compete in the contemporary sphere, but it mostly follows its own insightful, peculiar muse. The song "For the Love of Money" pops with liquid bass.

This article presents information on the music "Best by Far," by the performer Omar. More than a decade ago, Brit R&B eccentric Omar helped kick off neosoul as people know it today, though all he wanted to do was pay homage to the Stevie generation. Omar's fourth album comes at a time when his sound has spawned imitators, so he uses the forum to demonstrate his facility with a range of styles; chirping over house-music percussion on the song "Something Real," brassily proclaiming love on the song "Tell Me" and delicately crooning cabaret-style on the song "Essensual."

This article presents information on the music "Hurt No More," by Mario Winans. "Hurt No More" is admirably single-minded, a document of the psychological crumbling of a man. Puffy-approved singer-songwriter Winans nails all the emo cues; resignation on the Enya-sampling single "I Don't Wanna Know," resentment on the song "Pretty Girl Bullsh*t" and frustration on the song "This Is the Thanks I Get." While his voice quivers with hurt, it never achieves true angst, suggesting that even heartbreak can be smoothed over.

This article presents information on the music "Give It All Away," by Ben Jelen. "Give It All Away" teems with piano-driven soft rock. It's a specialty for some — Elton John, Billy Joel — but Jelen suggests nothing so much as Richard Marx without the strong songwriting. The songs "Come On" and" Give It All Away" open with maudlin piano figures and, owing to Jelen's breathiness and clumsy songwriting, never recover. The most coherent songs, "Stay" and "Christine," are both Matrix creations, and it's clear why the production team was brought in.

This article presents information on the performer Secret Machines. Secret Machines learned that not all retro is trendy. "People get turned off because it doesn't seem that cool to be compared to Pink Floyd," says a member of Secret Machines. But another member of the group takes the comparison as a compliment. The band formed in Dallas in 2000 found the scene lacking. Within six months they had relocated to New York and collapsed into one studio apartment/rehearsal space. The group's second release, "Now Here Is Nowhere," is out on May 18, 2004.

This article presents information on the music "Hood Hop" by J-Kwon. It's unclear what's clunkier in the album; Kwon's entry-level verse or the derivative production, even on the mechanized thunderstorm that is "Tipsy."

This article presents information on the music album "Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do" by the performer Sigur Rós. On this vocal-less and atmospheric three-song EP, which would make a fine soundtrack to a documentary about wandering the Yukon, Sigur Rós are still bathing in sound, but it's still as abstract as all get-out.

The singer Joe Langford is a good voice in a poetic lefty collective. With his solo projects, Langford opts for countrified simplicity. In the music album "All the Fame of Lofty Deeds," Langford plays a populist rambling man, turning out ditties that sound upbeat and plenty tuneful even when he's going on about lying in a cold, dark grave.

This article focuses on the music album "King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown," the crucial 1976 collaboration between musicians Augustus Pablo and musician King Tubby. Tracks such as "Corner Crew Dub" and the title track feature chopped and faded vocals, crisp snare hits, bursts of melodica and bass drums that sound like they're collapsing under the weight of it all. In rerelease, the album is augmented with four bonus tracks — gussied-up hyperdubs of album cuts that wobble even more profoundly than the originals but never once fall down.

Musician Drag-On has a couple of things on loan from musician DMX — a stop-and-start bark of a flow and a melodramatic sense that the weight of the world is on his shoulders. Apart from documenting his mother's recent struggle with cancer on two songs, Drag copes by accentuating the positive with tiresome results — a tossed-off ladies' night anthem and some heavy-handed country grammar. Drag is inspired to sharpen his skills on the songs "Respect My Gangsta" and the excellent "Tell Your Friends."

This article focuses on the music album "Bows and Arrows," by the music band Walkmen. Walkmen's 2002 debut marked them as the most scattered band of their garage-rock class, and their music album "Bows and Arrows" does precious little to change that perception. With his gasping vocals serving up warmed-over pleas, Hamilton Leithauser, singer of the band, aches but never sounds like he's really hurting. Most retro bands don't improve upon their forebears, but they're not all this lethargic, either.

Georgia rapper, T.I., portrays life on the comer in poignant detail. In the music album "Trap Muzik," his second album, the limber linguist is at his best when he's dissecting the minutiae of the game on tracks such as the outstanding song "I Can't Quit" and "T.I. vs. T.I.R." He is not as good when he is just celebrating the spoils of his success on the mundane "Look What I Got." The song "Doin' My Job" paints one of the most humane and sympathetic portraits ever of a drug dealer.

This article focuses on the music album "Under Construction Part II," by musicians Timbaland and Magoo. This is the duo's third and weakest collaborative album — and what emerges is a bitter Timbaland, sneering from his throne. The song "Hold On," ostensibly a tribute to the late Aaliyah — one of Timbaland's true muses — laments the copycat culture. Meanwhile, Timbaland's normally dazzling beats dodder along harmlessly, proof that he's looking over his shoulder when he should be hunching over his studio equipment.

This article focuses on the music recording "Martina," by U.S. singer Martina McBride. During the past ten years, McBride has used one of country's finest voices to become one of its biggest risk-takers, speaking for the genre's dispossessed women. Her protagonists aren't mawkish or meek the song "This One's for the Girls" preaches girl power for women of all ages. On the song "Wearing White," the album's best cut, McBride elegantly sings praises of a one-time wayward child who's ready to settle down.