Diddy makes hit records. He drove Danity Kane to #1, he drove Day 26 to #1 and this season it was Donnie’s turn.
The people’s champ has been in the studio working hard, he laid down the tracks, he worked on his dance moves, and he was ready for his big debut. Surely the ladies of MTV would hold him down, right?
AHNT. Donnie went on ahead and had that #19 album of the week with total sales of 22,000 copies in the first week. Damn Donnie, more people clicked on their bookmark for US Versus Them today than your album sold in an entire week.
Seven. You were the producer on this album. You were supposed to be the Timberland to his Timberlake. What did you think about the sales?
Seven: “Fabaless. I mean that is 21,999 albums more than I sold of my solo album. Yesss. I’m getting a new smoke machine.”
Well Donnie. I don’t know what to tell you. I know it has got to be real tense on that tour bus right now. You might have to go to an alternate profession.
Sure, you only get paid a dollar at a time, but you might make out better in the long run. Oh and another piece of advice? If you ever get called into a meeting with Da Band, Black Rob and Cheri Dennis…run.
You know we love Mike Tyson, and you know we love Lil Wayne. Here’s the best of both worlds.
Shout to Grande Smooth in ATL for putting us down with it. (like two weeks ago, I’m early and still late)
Oh, and I was about to hit you cats with the official UvT “Hot shit but not to futuristic for the simple minded suckers muxtape” but Muxtape.com just got gripped up by the RIAA. I owe you one if the site ever comes back.
OK, not really. But what I will do is overanalyze this picture as an indication of their careers individually and as a group.
Ralph Tresvant: Ralph is still holding on to that old thang. He released his own solo album, he’s still a man with sensitivity, and so he still knows that he needs to break out the shades and the semi-shiny suit with the black suit like he is still a superstar. At night, when he goes to sleep he still wonders why he became Nick Lachey instead of flipping his front man status into Michael Jackson.
Ronnie DeVoe: Ronnie also wore that suit to church last Sunday. His gear just lets you know he’s not in the business anymore. He is not an entertainer. I’ve got better suits than that in my closet and I’m not going to the BET awards. Awards shows are your opportunity to wile out and get that “only wear it once” outfit. Ronnie is just trying to drum up real estate business in Atlanta. Step yo game up Ronnie.
Michael Bivins: See he gets it. He’s still on TV rolling with Diddy. He has a deal with the NBA as a correspondent, hell, he’s probably still making that Boys II Men money. Sure, he’s wearing a purple jacket with super-wide lapels with a pimptastic bow tie, but at least the man is trying. Once a star, always a star…he’s still in the business because he gets the business.
Ricky Bell: As always, Ricky is par for the course. Ricky had the only real voice in Bell Biv Devoe, without Ralph Tresvant stealing his shine, he got to show his stuff. That “Something in your Eyes” is still the jam right now.
Johnny Gill: Johnny always thinks he is sexier than he really is. That is why his shirt is unbuttoned down to his belly button. And if the rumors are true, that might not be the only reason his shirt is open so far. Johnny still isn’t an official member of New Edition as far as I’m concerned. He replaced Bobby Brown and has always been the one on the outside. You can tell Johnny believes he needs to make up ground and always knew he did. He worked waaaaaay to hard in the “Rub You the Right Way” video.
I mean he’s dancing hard as hell. Hilarious.
That brings us to Bobby Brown: What the hell is Bobby doing back there? First of all, when did he develop the mush mouth? Why does he look like he just smelled some shit? Is that suit Olive? He looks like he needs a drink right now. The King of R&B knows he needs to keep milking his fame before he ends up doing this:
Now all I need is a recent picture of Jodeci all together and I’d really go to town.
If you’re at all interested in hip hop or rap, then you’re well aware of the fact that Young Weezy Baby aka Weezy F. Baby aka Lil Weezy aka Lil Wayne has this Carter III album coming out on June 10.
“But Lake, if the Carter III comes out on June 10th and it’s June 3rd, how did you get your hands on the album”…. Don’t worry about that. When you’re a media insider like me, they give you a little extra love. Anyway, even though I got a “free” copy, I’ll still be faithfully purchasing Weezy’s cd next Tuesday for sure. I mean, this cat put out like 100 or so songs in 2007/2008 and not just some ole bullsh*t either. While we’re at it, go ahead and peep that Lollipop with Kanye Live at Summer Jam.
Boy that Kanye really believes in his music, maybe a little too much. Anyway, Wayne has been lit-trally spitting hot fire for the better part of 12 months. And while I’ve purchased no more than 5 CDs in the past 4 years, this is one I’ll be getting on general principle. I mean, you gotta show love to true artists who show love to you, so I’m kicking off my “Go buy Wayne’s Album” campaign. Dude deserves it.
I went ahead and put that joint in the lab today and let me tell you, it’s FIRE! I mean, Wayne is killing it lyrically from start to finish, but finally he’s stepped his production game up, too. Peep the track list here, but let me just give you a little sample of what you can expect from Weezy:
That beat cranks in the ride, too. Overall, you just got to get this album, if not because dude deserves your dough, because it’s probably going to end up one of the best two or three albums this year. I must admit though, I never like when the remix or in this case remixes are significantly better than the original. Like, if you know the joint will be hot with another cat spitting over your hot beat, LOLLIPOP, then why didn’t you put the cat on to begin with? Oh well, I guess you can’t have everything.
One thing I’ve been kicking my web developer in the arse for is this multimedia extravaganza that I want to bring to our readers. Well the shit aint happened yet, so while I ready my Adidas Campos for dat azz, let me give you the next best thing.
Ok, maybe the next next best thing, but I give you the UvT Playlist for March 2008.
Buy it, jack it… hey, do what you like. Just know that this is the hottest shit out, that is, until I unleash April’s list in about three days. Find it and then enjoy it.
I know I’m a little late to this party, but I’ve got to put cats up on this man Wale.
He’s out of DC. His style is hot, his metaphors are tight, he knows his history, he hits you with comedy, he seems to have to total package. Raafman from the comments put me up on him, and I have to admit…at first I didn’t think I’d be down. I listened to one track just to get a feel, then another, then another. Before I knew it I listened to the whole damn mixtape top to bottom.
Here’s a taste of what he’s working with on W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.
No hook, no pause. The cat just straight rips it for three minutes.
I didn’t want to put up this one, but Wale gets loose on this one too. The only unfair thing is that he is paired with “The Best Rapper Alive” Lil’ Wayne. Check out “Nike Boots”.
So his next project is “The Mixtape About Nothing”…a Seinfeld tribute. Bound to be hot, right?
I think this kid is the future. Hopefully he doesn’t fall into the “super hot lyricist” bucket where he never breaks into real success like a Lupe or a Canibus.
I’ll be straight out with you. When I saw him launch his first single with T-Pain, I knew two things. First, I didn’t trust him. Second, no matter what I think, the song is going to be ridiculously popular.
“Low” is one of those songs that get’s stuck in your head all day. “Shawty had those Apple Bottom Jeeeeanns, and dem boots wit da furrrrrrr.” DAMN YOU T-PAIN. I wish I could quit you! The song is hot, those damn “Step Up 2 Da Streets” clips in that video are completely off key and unnecessary by the way. By the way, how many times are they going to make that movie? Step Up, Honey, You’ve Been Served, Stomp the Yard, hell even Drumline. Lake said it best, we know how all these movies go. A hot headed dancer from “da skreets” shows up with his “mad skillz”, but needs to understand “real/old school/classic” in order to take his “Ill Crizzew” to a “Whole nudda level”. Of course the climax of the movie is some sort of “throwdown crew battle dance/step/play your instrument while looking mad”-off. Seriously, that shit ain’t hard, you aren’t a gangster…you’re still a dancer.
Back to Flo-Rida. I was ready to write him off as a one-hit wonder until I heard this:
I mean my goodness. Listen to that joint with some good speakers too. Timbaland laid some naaaaasty bass underneath that thing. Timbo’s wild “ficky-ficky errr-errr-errr” hasn’t sounded that hot over a beat since Aaliyah’s second album. He flipped Rihanna’s Umbrella-ella-ella into an Ella-Ella-Elevator, but I’m not mad at him for that.
Look, Flo Rida is never going to be in the discussion for “Top 5, Dead or Alive” with lyrics like these:
“Hey
My first flo stopped on a gold digging woman
Money cash flow all big faced hundreds
Frontin’ on the pole got them d-boys running
Shorty got both broke can’t see what’s comin’
Wear them apple bottoms, wear them apple bottoms honey
Dolce and Gabbana and she get it from her mommy
Louie, Von D ,Gucci, Fendi and Armani
See the carrots on her wrist now she pimps bugs bunny
Used to date Kanye now she want me
While I got my juice wanna take my OJ
It ain’t her birthday with her name on a cake
If I ever pay for pu**y, grade A”
Bottom line. It bumps in the truck. Check it out.
-Brock
===============Update=============
Damn, I didn’t know T-Pain was on “Low”… I thought for sure that was Nelly on the hook. Terrible. But like all things T-Pain, it’s literally good and terrible all at once. Let me tell you when you hear that “Apple bottom Jeaaaaan, boots with da fuuuuur” things get poppin in the club. Perfect club banger. And what about that Travis Barker remix?
I hate to admit it, but T-Pain is a hit maker…dead up.
Travis Barker has been covering hip hop songs with new drum tracks on you tube. The song still gets me hype, and as always Mr. Famous Stars and Straps goes hard.
This is a soundtrack post. The first thing you need to do is turn up the speakers and let this joint ride out while you read on.
I think I feel the same way about this song that I do about T-Pain. I hate it…I mean I want to hate it (she had dumps like a truck, truck, truck), but the more it plays, the hotter it gets. Come on, you know this joint was hot when it came out. That violin hit, the beat dropped, and Sisqo will be credited with ushering the thong era (thighs like what, what, what). Then the video hit, straight scandalous.
Sisqo was really trying to do work here too. He goes from basically talking it out in the first verse to full on screaming at the end. (ALL NIGHT LONG! Leeeet meeeeee seeee thaaaaaat Thaw -awwww -awwwwnng!)
Damn that gets me every time. Was this the end of an era, or the beginning of and era? I can’t tell. It might be both. Hey, I liked Dru Hill. When Jodeci was no longer dropping albums (let’s ignore the K-Ci and Jo Jo albums, although there were some decent songs in there) Dru Hill came along and filled the gap. Sisqo even stole K-Ci’s ad libs. They were actually a respectable group, then Sisqo went solo and lost his damn mind.
Seriously, this song had no substance whatsoever. The chorus is:
She had dumps like a truck, truck, truck,
Thighs like what, what, what,
Baby move your butt, butt, butt,
I think I’ll sing it again.
I will say this Sisqo may have altered the future of underwear forever. He made thongs so popular that it wasn’t enough to simply have on a thong that could be seen by a dude lucky enough to get the draws, girls were pulling their pants down and their underwear up to show them off.
As always, Christina Milian is my favorite.
But sometimes is isn’t as intentional or fortunate:
Damn, woman, you are with your baby! I guess you can’t win em all. My problem is that I can’t tell if Sisqo was wearing a thong too…
He’s probably trying to look R&B Thug “hard” in this picture, but he just looks like he is pouting like a five year old who just got told he can’t go outside. Damn.
-Brock
=================UPDATE=================
Good eye on this my man. One thing I must say is that cats really need to watch that video again. I mean, despite the fact that there aren’t nan thongs in the video itself, it was a truly exhilarating and innovative piece of music video history. First of all, this video was the high watermark and definitely a solid beginning to the video hoe era. I mean, he had hoes en mass in that joint. Also, total respect for the “I like it when the booty go, da-da, da-da” with the drop pump move by the chicks.. I mean, that joint got me all over again and it’s been like 10 years. I guess a solid booty drop stays fresh and relevant across time and space and in case you’re wondering, that’s long about the 2:28 minute mark on that video. Then he took it to the night vision hoes too? Sisquo was as fruity as a Christmas basket, but homey was talented. Haaa definitely stole Jodeci’s style, but I liked it all the same. Great post.
I had these albums two weeks ago just got my hands on my 50 Cent and Kanye West albums.
Predictably Mr. Cent’s album has a decent song here and there, most notably “I Get Money” which I must say is hot.
I took Quarter Water and sold it bottles, for two bucks
Coca-Cola came and bought it for Billions, what the f*ck
Dude, you have to give it to 50… this cat came out of nowhere and showed far more range than anyone thought he had back in his “Get Rich or Die Trying” days.
(gotta love how cats rock the iced out Jesus piece with a gun)
I mean, who among us thought this cat wouldn’t literally die trying, really, before he got rich. But dude has shown he’s a real bitniz man. Respek.
But with that said, there is a clear winner on the who had the best album. Again, no shockers here, Kanye’s blows 50’s joint out of the water.
I know, I know, “Fiddy” claimed he’d retire if Ye sold more albums.
You gotta love 50’s Republican level game aka “yall are stupid as hell” repeated made up beef to push units whenever he’s about to drop an album. Unfortunately, this time I think he’s ushered in the discussion that maybe he really should stop rapping, because this joint isn’t all that impressive.
I contrast, with Graduation, Kanye proves again that he’s a true artist with songs we knew, Stronger and Can’t Tell Me Nothing (even though this may be the worst video ever made) and even joints we didn’t like Champion, Flashing Lights, The Glory, and Homecoming to name a few and though I could do without Drunk and Hot Girls and Big Brother (a little too much dack riding for me, but to each his own), I still appreciate all of it.
The thing about Kanye is that his soup to nuts control of every aspect of his musical production really gives you everything you want on the back end of that final product. You can listen to this stuff 50 times and it just keeps getting better. Sure, I had the pre-release, I’ll admit it, but I’ve got to go cop this joint TODAY out of respect alone.
Us Versus Them 
