Who Sampled Me? "Everybody Loves the Sunshine"

What hiphop/r&b artist sampled Roy Ayers' 1976 classic, Everybody Loves the Sunshine?
**hint: the name of the song was also the name of the album...

CLICK HERE FOR THE ANSWER

Put On Yo' Record: Krystal Tezeno

why is music important to you?

"Music is the soundtrack to life! Music motivates and moves me with it's melodic tones. It speaks not only to my heart, but feeds my soul. Music says the things I'm scared to say, those things I wish I could, and composes my thoughts into masterpiece stanzas. That is why music is important to me!"

favorite song...

"Donny Hathaway "A Song for You". I love, love this song. Starting with the introduction of the piano scales played at the beginning and then it continues mid song; it captures my attention. There are moving verses throughout the song that are my favorite, such as "Your image of me is what I hope to be" and "You taught me precious secrets of a true love. You came out in front when I was hiding. Now I'm so much better" and "I love you in a place where there is no space or time". This song talks about one who is afraid of love and is experiencing what it's like to learn to love without limitation and have love expressed to you without qualification. It's powerful and I love it!"

favorite musician...

"I fell in love with Prince when I was a little girl. "Purple Rain" introduced me to this amazing musician, songwriter, vocalist, and performer. He captivated me and still continues to with his talents. He is simply one of the greatest of all time!"

Top 5 Albums... 

#5 Erykah Badu: Baduizm (Introduced me to an era known as neo-soul; in my opinion, she is in a class all by herself)

#4 Beyonce: Dangerously In Love (love the musical arrangement on this album and her vocals; this album introduced us to the solo artist and diva that we know today as BEYONCE!)

#3 Tupac: Me Against the World (Tupac is referred to as a gangster rapper but to me and and many others, one of the greatest street poet/lyricist of all time)

#2 R Kelly: R (love and passion at its finest, enough said)

#1 Isley Brothers: Mission to Please (I love, love, the Isley Brothers. I was introduced to them at a young age, not by my parents, but simply hearing them on my city's local old school R & B radio station and thought "I like how they sound. That man is smooth (referring to Ronald Isley)" From there I became a fan!

how do you keep REAL music alive?

"I keep real music alive by supporting and demanding those artists that produce that real music. I support and demand them by purchasing their music, going to their musical sets/concerts, telling others about the artists' work, and supporting blogs such as "Put Yo Records On" :-)"

Whatcha Know Bout "Blacks & Blues"

Bobbi Humphrey, a legendary flute player in the 70's from Dallas, TX made a name for herself as the first female signed to Blue Note Records. Check out the self proclaimed "First Lady of the Flute" and her beautiful tune!

Whatcha Know Bout...."BLACKS & BLUES"

Janelle Monae Covers "Smile"

Janelle Monae does a beautiful rendition of Charlie Chaplin's, "Smile". I love her voice and unique style. Can't wait to hear her next project. Check it out!

Is it just me or are her riffs reminiscent of Lauryn Hill?

Jam of the Day: Common- Retrospect for Life

Check out today's Jam from Common featuring Lauryn Hill called Retrospect for Life. You may recognize  the hook from Stevie Wonder's "I Never Dreamed You'd Leave". Enjoy!

Recap: UNCF Tribute to Chaka Khan

Last night BET aired UNCF's tribute to the great Chaka Khan! It was surprisingly good (minus Ginuwine's tribute...smh). Chaka Khan is a very difficult artist to tribute in my opinion...it's not easy singing her songs, but Ledisi, Faith Evans, Angie Stone and more did an excellent job on their performances dedicated to the lovely Chaka! Check out some of the performances below in case you missed it...

Side Note: Was anybody else super impressed when Chaka's daughter did such a great job? Aside from her boobs being such a distraction, her vocals were on point!










Oh and by the way, let's not forget the main mission of this tribute...CLICK HERE to donate to the United Negro College Fund!!

Who Sampled Me? "Heartbreak Hotel"

Guess which r&b group sampled the Jackson 5 classic, "Heartbreak Hotel"...
**hint: they're from Houston, TX

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR ANSWER!

Put On Yo' Record: Dirrick Butler

why is music important to you?

"Music is important to me because it is a way of escape in the hustle and bustle of my day to day life. It can change my mood in a second. Music tells my story, because I listen to certain genres based on my emotions and state of mind at that moment. Music is a universal language and allows you to communicate without saying a word."

favorite song...

"That is really hard to answer but off the dome, I would have to say that my favorite song is either Deja Vu by Beyonce or Baby I'm a Star by Prince. I know you said one but it was sooooo hard to pick one, lol! Deja Vu reminds me of a Michael Jackson song and its just a happy, feel good song. I actually filmed my first music video project to this song in High School. Baby I'm a Star is just a great song all together, I love it. Every time I hear it I think of the finale scene of Purple Rain, when Prince is performing it. By the way I cant find my Purple Rain movie, I'm pretty upset about that."

favorite musician...

"Its funny you say musician and not performer or artists, it makes it a little more difficult, but I would have to say that Prince is my favorite musician. He is a freaking musical genius. On his first album he recorded all 28 instruments by himself, what kind of person does that. He is a modern day Mozart. From his musicianship to his performances he is the real deal. Plus he is short like me, I can relate to him, lol!!"

top 5 albums (if stranded on an island)...

"If I were stranded on an island I would have to have with me a good mixture. definitely the Purple Rain Soundtrack by Prince or the Greatest Hits by Prince, either or, anything Erykah Badu, Wake Up by John Legend & The Roots, Last Train to Paris by Diddy-Dirty Money, my new favorite, and finally I gotta have a little Bey so I would have to say I am...Sasha Fierce. You know what I would just bring my iPod (Lil D, thats his name, lol!) so I could have a bigger selection."

how do you keep REAL music alive?

"I keep it alive by listening and exposing myself to all kinds of music. I love music! I'll be jamming to music in my room and my roommates will be like "Dirrick what are you listening to!?" and I'll tell them about this new Neo-Soul artist or Jazz, Rock or country artist and I'll put them on and they end up loving it. So I keep it alive by sharing it as well. I'm kind of an old soul so a lot of music I listen to is old school R&B, Hip-Hop (real Hip-Hop) Funk, and Pop all that, so I know it all."

Whatcha Know Bout "Hercules"

Because I have such an old soul and a passion for rediscovering the songs people forgot about, it brings me great joy to play something and hear an older person shout, "Whatcha know bout dat, youngsta!" Lol, sometimes I end up knowing a little bit more than them. My mom has called me on several occasions to ask me "who sang this?" and "what was the name of that?" about singers and songs from her time period and nine times out of ten I would know the asnwer. All this to say that in the "Whatcha Know Bout..." segments I will be posting the forgotten songs, sparking up old memories for some and creating new interest for others.

To set this thang off I'm going to share with you a song by Aaron Neville....

Whatcha Know Bout...HERCULES?

Jam of the Day: A Tribe Called Quest- Check The Rhime

"Check The Rhime" by A Tribe Called Quest is our Jam of the Day! A Tribe Called Quest contributed some great albums (The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders) to the world of hip hop. Some of their more popular cuts include Bonita Applebaum (one of my personal favorites) and Electric Relaxation. The group split in 1998, but rapper Q-Tip continues to still make a name for himself with solo projects and hits such as "Vibrant Thing" and more recently "Getting Up".

Peep todays Jam!

Who Sampled Me? "My Jamaican Guy"

What hip hop pioneer sampled the track, My Jamaican Guy by Grace Jones? Name the artist and song...
*hint: ladys love him :-)

CLICK HERE FOR THE ANSWER!

Put On Yo' Record: Courtney Lindsay

why is music important to you?

"I think music is important because its a sense of relaxation, comfort and freedom of expression. Music allows your mind to explore possibilities of love, heartache, pain, fun times and every human emotion associated with life. Music has struggled just as humans struggle. Music has helped people get through hardships such as the Civil Rights and other horrifying acts and events of our time and I think that if it wasn't for music being used as a healing method, some of those scars and pains would be left unhealed to this day!"

favorite song...

"I Wish by R. Kelly, because my Senior year in high school I think that song told my story in a sense. I was becoming a man and losing my uncle who was only 3 years older, so it seemed like I was losing a brother and a best friend. I found comfort in putting that jam on."

favorite musician...

"R.Kelly, because from the time I recognized what sounds good to me, it was R.Kelly. When I realized what type of music set a mood, it was R.Kelly. When i realized how versatile human beings could be in terms of love, passion,  pain and pleasure in my era, IT WAS KELS!"

top 5 albums...

R.Kelly- TP2

Jodeci- Forever My Lady

John Legend- Get Lifted

Michael Jackson- Off The Wall

David Hollister- The Book of David

how do you keep REAL music alive?

"By playing and listening to real music, whether its in my car while giving people a ride or in my home when I invite people to chill."

YouTube Covers: LaCHARDON

One of my favorite things to do is listen to different people on youtube cover great songs! I came across this young lady named LaChardon whose rendition of Andre 3000's "Prototype" blew me away.

Please check her out, homegirl can SANG!

Jam of the Day: Groove Theory- Tell Me

Today's "Jam of the Day" comes from Groove Theory! Remember them? This is where Amel Larrieux got her start. Check the jam!

Artist on the Rise Spotlight: Esperanza Spalding

Esperanza Spalding is rapidly becoming one of my favorite jazz artist.  This bassist jazz singer has managed to reach audiences both young and old with her sound and music style. At age 26, Esperanza has collaborated with and performed for power house musicians such as Stevie Wonder and Prince. She's even performed for President Barack Obama. I'd say she's someone who is passionate in perfecting her craft and the hard work is definitely paying off, which is why today she is my pick as Artist on the Rise...Keeping Real Music Alive!!!

Check her out and support good music.

"Diggin' In the Crates" Artist Spotlight: Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye, known for his sultry and sexy voice is our "Diggin In The Crates" Artist Spotlight of the day! I'd like to feature one of my favorite video clips of him rehearsing one of his best songs, "I Want You". Enjoy!

p.s. peep how buddy is just lying down chillin' as he sings effortlessly. #TrueTalent

Music In The Making: Alicia Keys - Speechless

There is nothing like watching the birth of a great song! Check out Swizz Beat's video of the making of Speechless by Alicia Keys.

What happened to GOOD music!?

I've asked this question to many, time and time again. It breaks my heart to turn on the radio and hear Soulja Boy sing about a gucci bandana, smh... And if it's not something like that it's a sample of something from the past! It's like no one makes any new good music, they just take the old. Like Lauryn Hill stated on the Fugees album, "You can't create, you just wait to take!" C'mon people!!!! What happened to real live instrumentation???


I can appreciate artist like Jill Scott, Alicia Keys, John Legend and The Roots who create new soulful sounds and put on awesome shows. Theres a cat named Ryan Leslie who reminds me of a young Prince, playing every instrument you can think of on his album and refreshingly original. I'm grateful for these artist, but why don't we hear more of THEM on the radio? Why instead must we be reduced to the sounds of autotuned tunes with catchy hooks, but NO real sound or feel? I can recall a time when ballads were written to draw emotions out of you, making you want to fall in love, happy to be in love or hating you were ever in love. Now, I don't get that same feeling. 


My mom and I had a conversation about how a lot of music in the past didn't even rhyme...it was like the artist then, just sang whatever they felt, the way they felt...It didn't have to be to a certain beat or 8 count...they sang out! Thats what sounded good, and that's what music today is missing!! Artist are so busy trying to be like everybody else and sound like the next man because it seems popular, but really how can the new generation know what they're missing out on if they never hear anything outside of that...the new status quo? I listen to Marvin Gaye's "I Wish I Didn't Love You" and hear the real and raw emotion in his voice from a true experience. I thought to myself now that was something that happened to him in REAL life and a REAL song was created from that. Maybe that is the answer to my question. Is anyone transparent enough anymore to express their deep feelings and emotions through their music? Or is just about doing whats popular to get your records sold? I thought music was suppose to inspire...


What do you think? What happened to GOOD music?