MUSIC IN 2011

(MY) TOP ALBUMS OF 2O11

21- ADELE

In hindsight this should’ve been the album called, “Watch The Throne”, not that crap by those two Ni**as in Paris. There is not a dud in this well crafted album, I’m so surprised that only two singles were released so far (Rolling In The Deep; Someone Like You) with the third (Set Fire To the Rain, should’ve been Take It All if you ask me) said to come out soon. It says a lot when the best album of the year gets dropped in February and everybody still remembers it by the end of the year.

WATCH THE THRONE- THE THRONE

About a year ago, my friend Yoye and I decided to from a group called The Throne, we even decided to call our proposed album, “Watch The Throne”, except everyone thought we meant the toilet seat. This year Jay-Z and Kanye West released their collective debut titled… yes, you guessed it, “Watch The Throne”. Not only did they steal our album title, they stole our name and everybody’s praising them. Due to this my proposed album with Yoye will now be called, “Watch The Clones”, but on a serious note this album was the SH*T! “Niggas In Paris” is by far the best song of the year! Sorry Adele.

4- BEYONCE

The third album on the list is called 4… and wait there’s more. See how I rhymed there?! Initial reaction to this album was mixed. If you ask me it was largely because queen B missed the road on We’re-all-making euro-dance-music avenue and went straight to I’ma-do-what-I-wanna-do-casue-I’m-queen-B-I-set-trends-not-follow-them street and the result is a great album. However I’ll tell you where Beyonce really f*cked up, she picked the wrong singles. Aside from Best I Never Had and Party, there were better singles to promote like I Care, Start Over (my personal favourite) and End Of Time. Hire me Bee!

COLE WORLD: THE SIDELINE STORY- J. COLE

What do you do when you’re signed to the greatest rapper of the moment, but he puts your ass on the bench for a long time that you even release a standout mixtape (Friday Nights Lights) that should’ve been your debut album? If you’re J. Cole you just make another classic. Sure, this album won’t save the industry, leave that to rap’s one hit wonders and Lil’ Wayne’s YMCMB clique.

UNDUN- THE ROOTS

A lot of rappers talk about making concept albums… very few really do. The last two successful concept albums in Hip Hop were Jay-Z’s “American Gangster”, which got criticized for being a revert to Jay’s Reasonable Doubt days (I loved the album anyhoo) and Fabolous’ “Loso Way” (named after the gangster movie Carlito’s Way), which came off more like toying with the idea of a concept album than actually being one. Well fret no more, because Hip Hop’s greatest live band has pulled it off with no complaints. Undun is the story of hustler Redford Stephens told over 10 tracks (tracks 11-14 are instrumentals). There is one catch to this album… it’s told backwards from Stephen’s death to where it all began, which makes sense, because in my opinion the last track, which is actually the beginning is the best. Or maybe it’s because you hear it backwards so when you get to track 10 it all makes sense and makes you appreciate it more. I mean imagine if it was the first track, would you have liked it as much and if you did, would it be weird that the first song was the best and everything henceforth had to measure up to it? WOW!!! What a concept! P.S. There’s a mobile phone app that helps illustrate the story for those of you that have a problem understanding anything beyond two syllables.

HELL: THE SEQUEL- BAD MEETS EVIL

This ain’t for everyone, especially on the surface Eminem fans who are used to his silly antiques. This album goes deeper! Sure the old Eminem is around, but rather than craft songs for one of his commercially viable albums, Em’ alongside original hype-man, one-time friend turned one-time nemesis turned friend, Royce Da 5’9, throw away all existing formulas for making a commercially viable record and spend mostly the whole album trying to out-rhyme each other. And this may surprise you, but Royce does win on more than one occasion, which shouldn’t be all that surprising if you’ve heard him before. While reading a comments section of a review of this album, someone wrote, “Why did Eminem do an album with this guy? Did he owe him a favour?” Actually, if you heard the Shady 2.0 BET cypher, you’ll realize all these guys (Joe Budden, Crooked I, Joell Ortiz, Yelawolf and Royce Da 5’9) help make Em’ more relevant. He may sign their checks, but let’s face it, a good boss ain’t nothing without a good team.

THE DREAMER, THE BELIEVER- COMMON

Technically I shouldn’t include an album released in December, ‘cause it’s supposed to count as next year, but I heard this on time and I gotta say I love it. I’ve always been a fan of Common and his 9th LP sees him return to form after the dismal Universal Mind Control. If it wasn’t for the Roots pulling a Memento on their album, I would’ve put this ahead of their CD.

RETURNOF4EVA- BIG K.R.I.T

Never heard of him? Well download the mixtape. BIG K.R.I.T is not only a rapper, he’s an amazing producer as well; he produced T.I’s “Flexin’”. But you know what he did that pissed me off? He shot two videos, both of which should not have happened. Sure “Country Sh*t with Ludacris and Bun B was ok, but he had better songs that featured him only and making a video for a song like “Vent” was just wrong homie! You had better songs! Did I mention he produced his whole mixtape?! AWESOME!

HOUSE OF BALLONS- The Weeknd

Another mixtape, this time by an R&B upstart, who like all musicians misspells his name (and we blame the government for falling standards in education). This guy picks up where The-Dream left off (at least The-Dream can spell, if only he knew how to use hyphens)). This guy does R&B like he invented it, that is to say he doesn’t pay attention to the rules of song making with such stunts as two songs morphed into one, cussing at every opportunity, cause he f**king can… just like that!

Best Debut Of The Year (and No. 6 on our list):- Superstar byy Wiz Kid. (Apologizes to Ice Prince). I have a confession… I haven’t heard this album in its entirety, maybe just 85%, but from the much I’ve heard, Wiz Kid has dropped the best debut of the year despite too many party songs (but what did you expect though). I would’ve given it to The Throne (those two Niggas in Paris that stole my group name), but that debut group features two veterans, so not fair.

Most Slept-on Album Of The Year: The Dreamer Project by SDC. How does an album with at least five potential singles (which is very rare for a Nigerian album, let’s face it. We’re constantly been feed substandard singles, just because Don Jazzy produced it, doesn’t necessarily make it a hit. Tiwa, get your money back!). How did this album pass the general populace with no notice? Lack of promotion? They should hire me! “Jede, I know you met me at La Casa, but that was my first time there!”

Most underrated Album Of The Year: Radioactive by Yelawolf. Sure Yelawolf might not be underrated in the real sense of the word, but his album deserves more attention. For starters Yelawolf (or his label, Shady) made the mistake in my opinion of picking the wrong singles and went with what could easily be played on the radio. The problem is when you sound the same as everybody nobody gives a fuck. Songs like, “Good Girl”, “Made In The U.S.A”, “Everything I Love The Most”, “Throw It Up” (where Eminem has the weakest verse, not really,) and “Radio” have been overshadowed by less than perfect records like “Hard White” (the remix with T.I and Slaughterhouse is awesome though) and “Let’s Roll”, which are just going to confuse listeners about the white boy’s approach to Hip Hop.

Artist of the Year Not Named Adele: Pitbull. You gotta give it to Pitbull, he really came full circle this year from one of Miami’s hottest rappers to one of the world’s biggest pop artist. Sell out? Never! Like Cee-lo Green and Andre 3000, Mr. 305 Mr. Worldwide (as he’s now referred to) has paid his dues, he can do whatever he wants. Plus you know we had to give an award to someone not named Adele for artist of the year, so technically Pit is just second place.

THE TOP 20 SONGS OF THE YEAR

Niggas In Paris- The Throne: Not since G-Unit’s tentatively titled Stunt 101 has a song stunted on our morally damaged material loving psyche quite like this song. “Stunt so hard that shit cray!”

Someone Like You (and every other song from 21)- Adele: If you ask me Take It All really is the classic holding this album when it comes to ballads, while Rumour Has It holds the uptempo part of the album.

Beautiful People- Chris Brown ft. Benny Benassi: Last year Mr. Deuces told us to get out of his face while chucking his two fingers in the air and we embraced him. So this time around he came back calling us “Beautiful People”.

We Found Love- Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris: Calvin Harris is the genius here, no doubt.

Sure Thing- Miguel: I refused to be a fan of Miguel even when this song was popping up everywhere on TV, I thought he might have been one of those artist that was being overrated, kind of how I felt about Drake when he first came out. Then one day my ears caught a line from the song, then another, then another, then next thing I’m downloading, then we’re here at whatever number this song is on the list.

Miracle Worker- Super Heavy: On paper this group should not work: Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, Damien Marley, composer A.R Rahman and Dave Stewart (who I guess is the producer of this super-group), but somehow they do as evident by their first single, Miracle Worker.

Lay It On Me- Kelly Rowland ft. Big Sean: I have a confession… I’m the only one on this planet who does not like Kelly Rowland’s “Motivation”. What the hell is that? This right here was the better (and slept-on) single, although Motivation had the better video. The video for Lay It On Me was plain wack! I can’t stand the degradation of the male specie. When will women learn to see us for more than just flesh?! And why does Kelly Rowland’s outfit make her look like she’s wearing pampers?

Another Naïve Individual Glorifying Greed and Encouraging Racism- BIG K.R.I.T: If you look closer at the title of the song it reads Another N.I.G.G.E.R. See it? This has to be the best social-conscious song of the year with K.R.I.T singing, “I don’t wanna be another Nigger!” Clearly he didn’t get his passport to Paris.

The Lost Art Of Killing- King Fantastic ft. Killer Reece One and Troublemaker:- (I understand the title might be disturbing) Remember the 90s when rappers were misogynistic (like that has really changed), when they could say anything they wanted like faggot (try that today), and words like Jew and Hebrew were not immediately bleeped out like when Ice Cube told his former band mates, “You let a Jew break our crew”? Yes you can’t say anything negative with the words Jew and Hebrew connected as you can easily say “cracker” or “nigger”, even if it’s a “positive” stereotype like “Stack chips like Hebrews” (Jadakiss). (Not that I encourage anti-semitism… or any of those other things. I’m just trying to make a point here). Well those days are back… at least on this record. No Jews are stereotyped on this record nor are women degraded with the exception of “my bitches in the kitchen”, but it reminds of when songs weren’t so quickly edited. Words like ‘faggot”, “gay” and terms like “d*ck-sucking lips” do however show up. A sample of the lyrics: “I encourage L.A to stay away from that Techno-pop of the day/That shit is gay/ The good old years I talk about was when a loud-mouth Nigga still got stomped out/Now everybody’s so passive aggressive/ You will get locked up teaching Niggas a lesson/” That’s my favourite line… and my worse, cause I like the techno-pop shit of the day! And no it ain’t gay! What’s up Chris Brown!

Pretty Girl Rock- Keri Hilson: I find it funny that when Keri Hilson finally makes a song that I really like (I usually prefer her on other people’s songs), it’s one that I can’t sing in public. So I wait till I’m alone at home… in my bedroom… pass midnight, to sing, “My name is Keri/ I’m so very/ Fly/ Oh my/ It’s a little bit scary/ Boys wanna marry/ Looking at my derri/ -er/ You can stare/ But if you touch it/ I’ma bury/”. Does this constitute as getting 14 years?!

Lay your head down- Lloyd: I was reminded how great a song this was when I saw a video for the live version of it. Lloyd is perhaps underrated and nowhere near the popularity he enjoyed when he first debuted with Murder Inc, but he’s still a great artist nonetheless.

Double Burger With Cheese- Lupe Fiasco : No one does concept records quite like Lupe Fiasco these days. If you grew up watching black cinema (I mean from the 90s: Boyz N Da Hood, Menace II Society, Juice, Above The Rim, New Jack City, Paid In Full- I think the last one was made in the ‘00s -and not the stuff from the ‘70s) then you’ll get this song! The beat is from electro-dance duo Justice, they that “stole” a best video award from Kanye. “I had one of the best videos, fam!”

Shady 2.0 B.E.T Cypher- Yelawolf, Slaughterhouse and Eminem: I’m putting this song here, because it would be injustice if this isn’t preserved for future generations to teach them what rap is all about. “Hi, Rihanna!”

Pumped Up Kicks- Foster The People: Just because… these guys are so cool!

Super Bass- Nicki Minaj: I feel somewhat compelled to put this song on the list. Not that I didn’t enjoy it, it was great. A year with no mention of Nicki Minaj doesn’t seem right anyway!

If I Die Young- The Band Perry: A country ballad like no other, this ain’t no Taylor Swift sh*t!

Look At Me Now- Chris Brown ft. Busta Rhymes: Notice I omitted Lil’ Wayne from the title, yeah I didn’t like his verse that much.

We On One- D.J Khaled ft. (everybody and their mama) Drake, Rick Ross and Lil’ Wayne: Another star-studded cut by I-didn’t-produce-it-I-just-shout-my-name-on-the-record D.J Khaled. This cut was produced by T-Minus, who put in some work this year producing for the likes of Lil’ Wayne as well.

Song so good it should be a crime: Meek Mill’s I’mma Boss ft. Rick Ross.

Song that always gets the party started: Pitbull’s Give Me Everything ft./ Ne-Yo, Nayer & Afrojack.


FAIL OF THE YEAR: Jason Derulo’s sampling of Robin S’ Show Me Love. He’s sampling of that Africa song was better. I forgot who did it. Beyonce’s sampling (and mishandling) of Major Lazer’s Pon De Replay for “Girls” should be here too, but I was more disappointed with Jason Derulo ruining one of my favourite songs from the 90s. You should not ruin great 90s songs, especially the dance ones; they were very few great ones.

DISCOVERIES OF THE YEAR:

Alexis:- 16 year old Alexis debuted her first single, “Five In The Morning” this December/last December (depending on whenever I post this). The first time I heard it was the very first day it got played on Cool FM and I gotta be honest, I thought it was corny. Then I heard it the second time and I swear like an impulse I started singing, “Five in the morning/ Fiiiiive in the morning/ loving/… Five in the morning/ Fiiiiive in the morning/ loving you/”

Array Moore:- With her sultry voice, you can’t help but side with Array Moore when she sings, “Call Bolaji… tell him it’s over! Mo sufo wo!”

BEST NEW ARTIST(S) OF THE YEAR:

1. J. Cole
2. Meek Mill

16 Years Ago (1995) We Got Defended!

What's that sample Tupac, Eminem & Kanye West?

Three heavyweights in hip hop have found a sample in this classic record:

2pac's "Shorty Wanna Be A Thug"

Eminem's "No One's Iller" ft. Swift, Bizarre Kid & Fuzz Scoota

Kanye West's "Drive Slow" ft. Paul Wall & GLC

What's that sample, Beyonce?

So you've all heard Beyonce's "Girls", an alright song if you ask me, but the video's crazy! Anyway the sample you hear at the beginning is from Major Lazer's "Pon De Floor".

Check out the original song here:

You may have some issues with the first video, so here's another:

And here's Beyonce's video:

Sound Alike? Pt. 2

My homie Five from the Faculty, did an awesome song titled, "I Am". One day while listening to Nas's "Nas Is Like", I couldn't help but notice the similarities between both songs lyric-wise, so I called up Five and asked him if he was inspired by the Nas record. He replied, "No!", but that I wasn't the first person to tell him that and as a matter of fact he took such statements as a "compliment". Well wouldn't you, if you got compared to Nas?

Just to give you a heads-up, here's the Nas record in question:

And here is Five's "I Am":

SOUND ALIKE? PT.1

So here's a segment I hope to keep coming with on my blog, it's called, "Sound Alike?", where are take two songs that sound somewhat identical be it lyrics or production-wise. So for the first post of it's kind, we have Jay-Z "Public Service Announcement" (2004) produced by Just Blaze and Common's "Misunderstood" (2007) produced by Devo Springsteen. Each track samples previous songs, but would you believe it, they don't sample the same songs, yet they sound alike. First off is Jay-Z's "P.S.A", followed by Common's "Misunderstood". Listen to the bass. The one on Jay's "P.S.A" is more uptempo, while the one on Common's seems slowed down.

Jay-Z's P.S.A:

Interesting fact: Not to add fuel to the fire, but while looking at the track-list of Jay-Z's Black Album, I noticed the 9th track is "99 problems". On the track info it reads thus: "9-99 problems". Turn that shit upside down! HA! HA! HA! HA! (Sorry Jay, it seems you have 666 problems, but a bitch ain't one... as your wife constantly reminds us!)

By the way, here's the main record Just Blaze sampled for P.S.A. It's by a group called Little Boy Blues and this record is from believe it or not 1968:

And here is Common's Misunderstood:

Here's the record Devo Springsteen sampled for "Misunderstood" from the legendary Nina Simone:

IN DEFENCE OF OUR MUSIC

Now anyone who knows me (I guess they aren't a lot of you out there) knows I'm sometimes not a fan of Nigerian music, at least not all of it. Our music is at times... rushed to say the least, but every now and then true gems come out and surprise us. Case in point D'Banj. Say what you will about his lack of lyrical prowess (which shouldn't even be a debate when considering "Fall In Love" has been his most coherent well thought of song anyone can relate to), his longevity is a testament to his ability to wow any audience, especially Kanye West.

My friend Andy Madaki, a superb writer coincidentally read an article, which I had read about a couple of weeks ago also. While said article raised some points, it in one instance disregarded a whole generation of musicians. Say what you will about our music, just like D'Banj, its longevity is a testament to our time. To think 20 years ago, no one would go to a party and request for Naija music that wasn't from our parent's generation or one which they liked (K.S.A, Shina Peters) to now mentioning artists that just came out last week. Here's Andy's article and like I said, while there are a lot of weak points in the Nigerian music industry, it's these weaknesses that show us our strengths and illuminate those artists who are meant to last beyond being the flavour of the month, that one-hit wonder that comes every now and then. Enjoy:-


LET THE MUSIC PLAY BY ANDY MADAKI

You had a black and white TV in 1960, you felt it was the best thing since late night stories under the Iroko tree, would you call us senseless if we are now fazed by large flat screen TVs? I frown when I see grown men (the youth of today) wearing tight jean pants which they call skinny jeans but I let it slide because our parents and even some of us wore those things (bala bala trousers ) in the 70’s and 80’s until they came back into fashion in the early 2000’s and surprisingly some parents thought their children had lost their marbles. Before you close this page, I’ll let you know what this is all about. This is not a comparison, this is about a girl I love, one I share with millions of people around the world, she is way older than I am, and we call her MUSIC. Just like so many things in life, some parents and the immediate older generation may not be pleased with the girls of today, the same way they disapprove of the songs made in “our time”. This is about music, a writer’s generalization and the one-sided opinion we are expected to accept just because it is not what it used to be.

A week ago I saw a post on www.234next.com by Ikhide R Ikheloa in his “EMAIL FROM AMERICA: Stop the music. Please”. He had this and a lot to say about Nigerian music and musicians:

“Most of today’s Nigerian musicians remind me of Cacofonix. From D’banj on down, they should all be tied to mango trees and their mouths plugged with fake Naira notes, never ever to play music again ever. ..”

(Link: http://t.co/6RHY4Dp )

Apart from the fact that I find that post very condemning and condescending, I have also tried to see some sense in what the writer had to say. Yes he gave credit to Asa before saying it seems like anyone who hahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifs access to the internet can go to a “studio” in Ajegunle and “release” something. Seriously there have always been the good musicians and the bad ones, you had Madonna and people like Marylyn Monroe and we have the Lady Gaga and Dbanj of our time. The older generation in your time frowned at the music you listened to and the films you watched, it is okay to point out the fact that there are some totally senseless songs out there right now, but the truth is that you had more or even worse in your time. Why don’t we all say ATM cards and Computers are straight from hell and should be burnt to ashes because they are signs of the end time? The writer literally had nothing good to say about modern music and he even went as far as trashing Fela’s music before adding that Fela had “common sense to strike out in an original direction”. I have one question: What do you want Sir?

There are a million and one reasons for the youth of today to be depressed and confused, the music you call rubbish has given a handful of Nigerians some form of employment, that studio which you think they are all in “Ajegunle”, has got a producer, an artiste and maybe a sound Engineer and simple maths should equate that to three people off the streets with guns. For some of us, the music you call horrible is the single thing that makes us smile when we have everything to frown about. The truth is that music doesn’t have to even make sense to be good. You don’t need to understand it. I’m sure you listen to songs like Kumbaya which the slaves sang and you will call that original music. The beauty of music is the fact that you hear a song in Spanish or a song like Windeck in French or Portuguese and you find yourself bopping your head to it even though you don’t have an idea about what they mean.

All I ask is that you and your generation should give us a chance; a chance to smile, a chance to create opportunities and jobs for ourselves rather than condemn literally everything out there. It is because the older generation has hijacked the jobs to recycle and share amongst themselves that is why some young people are out there trying to sing because that is one of the few sectors your generation hasn’t kidnapped from us “YET”. This is why you hear people trying and some of them making music that hurts the heart and ears. With all due respect Dear Writer, you talk about studying our music in earnest and then the artiste you choose to do your research on is “Vocal Slender”? Seriously you base your research on artiste bankrolled by BBC for a documentary which had nothing good to say about your country Nigeria? Let’s take about 40 steps back to your time, how many African Artistes from your days made it to the Billboards or International awards? These guys you literally condemn like Dbanj, 2Face and M.I have brought international attention to the African Entertainment Industry. They have won international awards so maybe, just maybe they are doing something right. Give our generation some credit rather than general condemnation. I’m sure you love bob Marley and Marvin Gaye but it is okay to call music by 2face and modern artistes horrible?

The column is called “Email from America”, I will not accuse the writer of sitting down in America and condemning modern Nigerian music, because i know this would be doing what he has done which is generalizing. I know young Nigerians in America, Canada and Britain who have played a major role in making our music get to the fans who love and appreciate the music you call horrible. Check www.notjustok.com www.jaguda.com www.gidilounge.com www.iblend.net www.bellanaija.com and a lot more ... give our generation some credit, it may take a while but gradually we are getting there and we have results to show. The glass you sit behind is very transparent, even if you don’t throw stones, you should understand that people are watching and listening... It is just like music, LET IT PLAY.

Check out Ikhide R Ikheloa’s “STOP THE MUSIC POST” ON 234NEXT Link: http://t.co/6RHY4Dp

Randomly Yours,

That_Andy

July 2011

BON IVER'S NEW SINGLE!!!

Now some of you may not know Bon Iver, but they're the group Kanye West sampled on his Lost In The World track off his MBDTF album (I can't write it out, it's too long). Anyway the lead singer reprised his vocals for the track as well as sang on Monster. Yeah that's him. Anyway the group are back and this is their new single from their sophomore album titled... "Bon Iver". Anyway I absolutely think y'all need to donwload this bitch. All you gotta do is send them ur e-mail (no scam, I swear) and you'll get the song: (http://www.twentyfourbit.com/post/5549927292/download-bon-iver-calgary-our-first-taste). Also check out the standout track from their last album, For Emma, Forever Ago, it's called, Skinny Love and I'm sure you might have heard it on a few of your favourite TV shows. You're gonna have to search for that one on your own. PEACE!

THE HELL WITH OSAMA... WHERE ARE TUPAC AND BIGGIE'S KILLERS?

It took about a year to find Saddam’s ass in a cave and now with the news of Osama’s capture, that’s almost 10 years the U.S having been trying to find the F.B.I/C.I.A’s most wanted, but more than fifteen Goddamn years later, no word on who killed Tupac or Biggie. The F.B.I released a supposed secret file claiming Tupac got threats from the Jewish Defense League (the most powerful Jewish lobby group in the world). First of all no one in their right mind wants to fuck with the Jewish League; the minute you start speaking they get all sensitive and start accusing you of anti-Semitism, which is the most misused term in the racial dictionary, because technically Arabs are Semites too, which will make the U.S government the most anti-Semitic group in the last 10 years. Also no one wants to deal with the stigma of being labeled, “anti-Semitic”, even when the term is used wrong as it so often is.

Two, the Jews ain’t kill Tupac (just like they ain’t kill Jesus… and which prophet you know ain’t never been sold out by his own people). If we find out a Jew or two were involved in Tupac’s murder, what’s that got to do with a whole race? These days all suicide bombers are Muslims, but not all Muslims are suicide bombers. Get it? Do you think the Jewish league was jealous of “thug life” or angry that Tupac was drinking Alize? Hebrew please! They already own alcohol. If they were threatening Tupac for anything, it was probably because he was claiming West-side, when in fact they own all the property on the West-side (word to Eddie Griffin). That’s it, nothing more.

So I ask you, now that they’ve got Osama, will we ever find out who killed Tupac and Biggie… and Jam Master Jay? I’ll be waiting… till that day! (See how I put that little rhyme there) And since the world is supposed to be on “high-alert” in case “Al-Qaida” feels the need to seek revenge for the death of their leader, it had me thinking. Were Al-Qaida ever to join forces with the Jewish Defense League (for reasons I could never think of), they’d probably be called, “Intifada Supreme”. One word against them and… Kaboom! No suicide note, no video messages, not even a letter claiming responsibility. You know why? ‘Cause real Gs move in silence like the 'g' in Lasagna.

On a more serious note, did anyone notice the Benylin looking bottles on the shelf in Osama’s bedroom on that video that they showed after the shootout? …I’m just saying… someone might have been bumping Far East Movement and “sipping sizzurp in my ride, getting slizzard”. And for those of you who are wondering how it all went down, don’t worry! The good old and always accurate folks at Hollywood are making a movie on this very event and it’s by the team who made Hurt Locker (http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.ap.org/hurt-locker-team-plans-film-bin-laden-hunt-ap). Can I hear Oscar? Now I wonder who will play Osama? And by the way for all you people, specifically Muslims who might feel some sort of sympathy towards Osama Bin Laden, apart from telling you not to please kill me, may I remind you of the words of the Egyptian scholar Amr Khaled, who when asked about Osama Bin Laden said, “Osama Bin Laden says he’s speaking for us… who asked him?”

Pigmeat Markham - Here Comes The Judge + The Trial - 1968

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvMBxlu62c0

One of the first hip hop records back before Hip-Hop was exposed in 1979. This is from 1968. Rap being around longer than you know!!!

Pigmeat Markham as "The Judge".

WHAT'S ON ROTATION AT THE T.R.P OFFICE?

We’re in the first half of the year, but I’ve already got three albums on rotation: Adele’s 21 (a clear contention for album of the year), Big K.R.I.T.’s latest mixtape Return Of 4eva (the mixtape before his Def Jam debut i.e before he goes commercial and stops spitting intellectual. You know how labels make you dumb it down) and Canadian R&B sensation, The-Weeknd, whose mixtape House Of Balloons is the best contemporary R&B album (let’s face it, a mixtape is now an album) out so far this year. He reminds me of The-Dream. They’re both soulful (The Weeknd even more) and they cuss quite a lot, the kind of R&B I like. The two of them are definitely the new generation of Jodeci.

So here’s a list of where to find what’s on my rotation:

Adele’s 21: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/21-20110217(If it’s still not free to listen to at Rolling Stone.com, do like a pirate...)
Big K.R.I.T’s Return Of 4Eva: http://www.returnof4eva.com/
The Weeknd’s House Of Balloons: http://the-weeknd.com/

THE TOP 20 MOMENTS, EVENTS, PEOPLE AND PLACES THAT CHANGED THE ABUJA MUSIC INDUSTRY

FEEL FREE TO COMMENT, DEBATE, ADD AND OF COURSE CORRECT! IF YOU'RE GONNA ADD, WRITE WHY YOU FEEL ITS OF SIGNIFICANCE AND NOT JUST BECAUSE YOU LIKE M.I.

1. PAYBACK TIME RECORDS
In the words of Terry Tha Rapman, “Back then, back then”, a group of up and coming MCs formed a collective known as S.W.A.T R.O.O.T.S on a label known as PAYBACK TIME RECORDS and set Abuja music lovers on a frenzy. They were Nigeria’s answer to the Wu-Tang Clan, our own So Solid Crew. Like Wu-Tang, individually they were stars and collectively they proved there was strength in numbers, but like So Solid Crew in the U.K, their reign as a group was short-lived. With only a handful of the collective putting out solo albums, most famously Six Foot Plus and Terry Tha Rapman, the group album never materialized. Till this day, it’s hard to pinpoint where it all went wrong, but for the moment these guys were on the scene, they reigned supreme almost over nearly everyone.



2. STYL-PLUS
No other group in Abuja has enjoyed the fan success that Styl-Plus has, maybe except Age Beeka and some up and comer named M.I. Blowing up almost entirely on radio and word of mouth, Styl-Plus became Abuja’s first bonafide superstar group. After their first single Olufumni aired on radio, every single and video of theirs became an event.



3. AUDI MAIKORI
When Audi Maikori brought his Chocolate City imprint to Abuja from Jos, not many people knew the impact it would have on the city. Signing a then unknown R &B/Gospel singer, Jeremiah Gyang one of its premiere artist, Chocolate City became a springboard for other acts to emerge through the label, most notably M.I and the Choc Boys. Chocolate City became the city’s most recognized label, probably after Payback Time. Now the label has expanded its investments to Lagos as well as venturing into other sectors of the entertainment arena.



4. THE UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
There’s no denying that if it weren’t for the University of Abuja, musicians in this city would not be as hot as they are. Back then (in the 2000s), it was a rite of passage for any big Abuja artist to show up at Gwagwalada to perform for students, ask Styl-Plus, Age Beeka and even P-Square who schooled there.



5. THE COOL FM CREW
Back when Styl-Plus were the hot new group in town, Cool FM seemed like the station that premiered all their songs and upcoming info. They were the Al-Jazeera to Styl-Plus’s Bin Laden notoriety (in the group's case, everybody loved them). The crew back then, which consisted of Nike Coker, Wale Ewedemi, Tyeng Gang among others helped championed Abuja artists giving them a platform to shine. Obviously Cool FM has gone through some changes in staff, but there’s no denying its impact on the Abuja music scene.

6. THE THIS DAY DOME
Built by the THISDAY company (or rather shipped from Scotland) as a venue to hold its annual THISDAY festival, the THISDAY Dome has became an attraction for events ranging from music festivals to comedy shows and even weddings. It was first “constructed” to hold the Abuja leg of the THISDAY music festival, which featured Rihanna, Jay-Z and Usher. Ever since, countless concerts and shows have been held at the Dome.

7. AGE BEEKA
There’s no denying there was a time Age Beeka ruled the airwaves. In the aftermath of the Payback Time era, when Abuja was still relatively young in terms of music, came Age. With almost entire self-promotion, Age Beeka became the artist to beat. His soulful crooning brought life to a city that was thought to be soulless. After the brashness of the S.W.A.T R.O.O.T, Age provided a pill to those who may have suffered a concussion from all the “hard-coreness”.

8. AND THE RADIO STATIONS GREW… IN NUMBER
There was a time Abuja had four main radio stations (93.5, 94.7, 100.5 and the no longer here, but in Kaduna 106.5) and as Cool Fm swept in, so did others. Pretty soon the Federal Government commissioned more radio stations across the country and 92.1 and 92.9 came in. Now there are 10 radio stations in Abuja, which means more music, more info and generally more entertainment.

9. THE OCTAGON DOME NIGHTCLUB
Before THISDAY had a dome, there was The Dome, Abuja’s first big nightclub. It succeeded where other nightclubs failed. It brought it in all kinds of crowds from lawmakers to students to of course entertainers.

10. QUEST MEDIA
If you’ve never recorded, being or heard of Quest Media studios located in Garki, you must not be an Abuja artist.

11. ABUJA ARTISTS LEAVING FOR LAGOS
It seems almost like a cliché that when an artist makes it in Abuja, Lagos becomes their next port of call and for some their new home. Six Foot Plus, Mode 9, Terry Tha Rapman, M.I and his fellow Choc Boys all joined the Las Gidi bandwagon. But in recent times, Abuja has seen somewhat of a reverse situation. Dare moved to Abuja from Lagos, Six Foot Plus came back. Other artists from the North, specifically Kaduna move here. Lest we forget there were those that never left like Styl-Plus.

12. THE BRITISH COUNCIL
From its inception, the British Council has hoped to foster relationships with people of various backgrounds through the arts and such other avenues. So it was no surprise that among its usual events that invited Abuja artists to perform, the British Council was the home of WAPI (Words and Pictures) for about two years.

13. THE DIPLOMATIC COMMUNITY
One of the reasons the Abuja music scene has grown is because of the diplomatic community, who wish to experience the culture of the nation as well as its capital. Whether it’s the traditional singers and dancers or the urban entertainers, the diplomatic community has helped raised a platform for Abuja artists.

14. RHYTHM UNPLUGGED
When Rhythm FM launched in Abuja, they brought with it the whole Silverbird package, which in a few years would include the annual Rhythm Unplugged event; a showcase of the industry’s who’s who from Abuja to Lagos to wherever.

15. NTA ABUJA & NT A PLUS
No two local TV stations have showcased Abuja artists like the ones in Abuja; NTA Plus & NTA Abuja. Before the birth of the Sound Citys and the introduction of MTV Base, NTA was where Abuja artists got their first TV exposure. There were also shows like Buzz FM and countless others showing music videos from Abuja artists as well as from other areas.

16. AM EXPRESS
Okay, so we mentioned NTA, but no other show on TV became accessible to Abuja’s talent quite like AM Express. The morning show was shown nationwide, but was led by a crew based in Abuja, which meant they got most of the air-time, which meant they showcased more people from Abuja than any other city. Acts like Kush, Six Foot Plus, Styl-Plus all graced the show at one point or another during its peak. It was Abuja’s 106 & Park, except in the morning and with more news (none of which had to do with when Lil’ Wayne was coming out of prison) and less performances.

17. NAMES ON PLATINUM
Before the Rhythm Unpluggeds and THISDAY Festivals hit Abuja, Names On Platinum was providing an avenue for Abuja artists to shine. Headed by Xtranger, a one-time musician himself, Names On Platinum was one of the first companies in Abuja to organize shows for Abuja artists as well as others.

18. T.G.I.F
Another Silverbird conception, T.G.I.F (Thank God It’s Friday) hit Abuja in 2010 to great reception and once again helped in promoting the city’s finest. Held every first Friday of the month, it hosts local acts as well as headliners from other cities, specifically Lagos. But hey, it’s all love!

19. W.A.P.I
W.A.P.I (Words and Pictures) was one of the first of many such groups to provide a platform for the discussion and promotion of the music scene (as well as other art forms) in Abuja. Held at the British Council on Saturdays, it was hosted by the likes of Audi Maikori and M.I just to name a few. And while it no longer holds in Abuja, it helped create an example for other such organizations to come.

20. SAZZY
There are many prolific producers in Abuja and have always been, but Osaze “Sazzy” Omonbude stands out for one reason. The 26 year old producer who died on the morning of Ocotber 23rd, 2010 was on the verge of stardom. Many outside of Abuja may not have heard of his name, but his impact is beyond that of your usual producer. He produced the first track that M.I and Naeto C ever appeared on in Nigeria and as the time of his death, he had completed what was to be his debut (and unfortunately last) album, RED as well as produced for a slew of Abuja up and comers like Yoye and S. Solar, just to mention a few. He also produced for The African Rockstar, one of Nigeria’s most alternative artists. Sazzy will surely be missed.