What EMS Is Watching ... @MelanieFiona - "Ay Yo"

In light of TMB's "Friday's Five Random Questions with Melanie Fiona," I figured it'd be more than appropriate to post one of her videos. I remember when I first heard this song on the radio... I was like, "who is that? Is that Melanie Fiona?" and sure enough it was. In my personal opinion, I haven't heard ENOUGH of this caliber of music on the radio. What I love most about Melanie Fiona is that her spirit and music is raw, she wears ALL of her clothes and the girl has got a set of pipes. If nothing else, she, along with Chrisette Michele, Jazmine Sullivan and a few others are examples of how it is possible to have a great music career and be fully dressed and not have to shake your tail in front of a camera. You don't need gimmicks or any of that. You just need raw, unadulterated talent. So I tip my hat to you Melanie. Show'em how it's really done. Ay yo!!





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Friday's Five Random Questions with @MelanieFiona

Picture via Rocawear NEXT Ad Campaign

When Melanie Fiona hit the scene, I was like damn!!! Her soulful voice just blew me away. Her album, The Bridge, was dope from front to back. Most recently Melanie teamed up with John Legend, The Roots and Common for a remake of "Wake Up Everybody."

The North of the Border songstress is currently working on the follow up to her debut album. I'm looking forward to that.

Anyway, thanks to my homeboy Kozza, Melanie Fiona decided to take the challenge this week. Check out how she answered five random questions.

Hometown: Toronto, ON Canada
Current City: Today... Chicago
How long have you been doing music: Since '86
Discography: The Bridge (2009), The MF Life (forthcoming 2011)
Label: Titlenine/SRC/Universal Motown
Describe your music in five words or less: Classic, Real, Live, Soulful, GOOD!

Picture via Rocawear NEXT Ad Campaign

TMB: Okay, first question. Your celebrity crush at age 10, 15 and now?

MF: 10- Larenz Tate. 15- Kobe Bryant. Now- Common

TMB: What TV character would you be and why?

MF: Buffy The Vampire Slayer- I feel I possess that unexpected super human strength in a female who can kick ass!

TMB: You're at dinner with five people from history (living or dead) who are they? What's the conversation?

MF: Bob Marley, Sam Cooke, Gandhi, Lauryn Hill, President Obama. The Conversation: Knowledge on how to make it as a revolutionary, musical, peaceful, female artist who will lead people to a better day.

TMB: Which three songs would be on the soundtrack of your life and why?

MF: "Part Of Your World" The Little Mermaid. "The Greatest Love of All" Whitney Houston. "Ay Yo" Melanie Fiona.

Cause I've always been a simple girl with big dreams, who believes in love, hope and the will to succeed. And I'll always be that way. All 3 songs are individually sooo special to me.

TMB: Okay, last question. You walk in the studio for a session and find out Jesus (yes, that Jesus) and Kanye West are producing the track for you. What's the name of the song?

MF: Destiny.



www.melaniefiona.com
twitter.com/melaniefiona

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Throwback Sessions w/ EMS ... Mint Condition - "U Send Me Swingin'"

I figured I'd try a little something new. Add a little more to my plate. We all get mad excited when we haven't heard something in a long time. You know, that good 90s music or stuff in the early 2000s? Well, I'm starting the "Throwback Sessions w/ EMS" series. I'm taking suggestions from you, the fans, on classic throwbacks that we all know and love. Plus, I'll give you a little shout out/kudos for bringing me the great music. To start things off, enjoy Mint Condition's "U Send Me Swingin'" ...




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Kudos: @J1Lyrical

What EMS Is Watching ... @MarcBroussard - "Come In From the Cold"

You know here at TMB we always like to give you a little something different. Today, I bring you one of the most soulful men I've heard sing in a long time, Marc Broussard. I first heard about Marc from working at this bottle opener company I worked for right after college. Only two people worked there so on alternate days, they took turns listening to the kind of music each person liked. The Boss liked rock 'n roll, some country and soul music. When "Come In From the Cold" came on his iPod, I instantly liked it and looked at the Boss' menu to find out who it was. I've been in love with Broussard's music ever since.

"Lonely Night in Georgia" is another song that's absolutely one of my favorites. I can't figure out which one I like more. I couldn't find a non-live version of "Lonely Night in Georgia," so here's Marc Broussard performing one of his most popular hits at Center State in Atlanta, GA.



If you'd like to keep up with everything else Marc Broussard is doing, check him out at www.marcbroussard.com and Myspace Music

Enjoy.


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Hip-Hop Breakfast Ep 12

I had a little technical difficulty this morning posting this episode of Hip-Hop Breakfast. Okay, I overslept. Hahahaha! I was up working on Soulful Summer last night and uh ... anyway. Ha! I'm back to the regular schedule next week of Monday and Wednesday. Happy Friday and enjoy!

01. Morning - Psalm One
02. Warning - Notorious B.I.G.
03. I'm Ready - JDantexDawnsSon
04. Grindin' - Clipse
05. Cypher Pas De Trois (Feat. Savant) - R.J. and Technique
06. So Fly (Feat. Rasi Caprice) - The Real Jay Mills

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What tha Lady is Listening to ... "Home or Away"

J-Live is at it again. With a new album, S.P.T.A. due in stores 10/12/10, he gives us a taste of what's to come with a free download. The single "Home or Away" doesn't disappoint. With his usual clever lyrical style and dope beats, J drops another banger. Can't wait for the album. Check it out!

twitter.com/ladyblogga
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Jasmine Solano: Take Two

As promised, here is part deux to the interview that was posted earlier this week. In this part, Miss Solano talks to me about what success means to her, her DJ skills, mp3's versus vinyl and what her grind is like. Aside from doing big things for our listening pleasure, her blog is up and running. After the interview, check her at www.JasmineSolano.com Here she is, part deux...

Check her out:
www.twitter.com/JasmineSolano
www.myspace.com/JasmineSolano
www.JasmineSolano.com
www.Frank151.com

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Download ... The Mad Bloggers Presents Soulful Summer

Hey,

It took me a few days to put this together and I'm happy I did. For all the Hip-Hop music I share, soul music is what I was raised on. The actual tracklist on Soulful Summer changed a few times. Some joints found themselves on the cutting room floor because it didn't go with the vibe I was trying to set. For those curious, Soulful Summer is the first part of a multiple part soul compilation series. Obviously there are a gang of tracks that I could have put on this first installment but I believe these 16 jawns set a cool vibe. Well, I hope you enjoy my humble attempt at putting together an enjoyable soul mix. Oh and ladies the cover doesn't mean you should get naked and smoke a cigarette while listening to this, although I've been told it helps. Enjoy.

Peace,

-q

01. Think About it - Otis Redding
02. Kiss and Say Goodbye - The Manhattans
03. Cause I Love You - Lenny Williams
04. For the Love of You (Pt. 1 & 2) - The Isley Brothers
05. Tired of Being Alone - Al Green
06. Cigarettes and Coffee - Otis Redding
07. When You Love Somebody - Leela James
08. Wish I Didn't Miss You - Angie Stone
09. Since I Seen't you - Anthony Hamilton
10. Bad Habits - Maxwell
11. He Loves Me - Jill Scott
12. Feeling Good - Nina Simone
13. Do You Feel Me - Anthony Hamilton
14. Soul Sista - Bilal
15. You - Raheem Devaughn
16. The Point of It All - Anthony Hamilton



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Check It ... All I Want Is You (People's Remix) by Rodstarz and Baron

Shouts to YC The Cynic for hitting us up with the link to this joint. Talk about powerful content.  Rodstarz of Rebel Diaz and Baron of Red Clay took the Miguel and J. Cole joint and flipped it, making it a bit more socially conscious. It's dope. Hit up the comment section and tell me what you think. Enjoy.



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Check It ... OnCue "Let Loose" feat. Nickelus-F & Theo Martins

OnCue is back with the third leak off his Cuey Sings The Blues project. "Let Loose" features Nickelus-F and Theo Martins. It's pretty dope. Enjoy.



mynamecuey.com

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Interview: AUTOMatic is Everlasting

The Milwaukee emcee / producer duo A.P.R.I.M.E. and Trellmatic, known as AUTOMatic, deliver on their latest project, Transistor.

The album is sort of a homage to the days of good music, laced with soulful beats, dope rhymes and classic interludes.

When I heard their first leak, "Brown Leather," a few months back I knew they were cooking up an amazing project. When I finally received the full album, I worked my way through their 19 tracks and at the end I wanted to listen again. That's rare with much of today's music, where many projects are often over sized. Every track and every interlude make sense on the album. Ultimately, Transistor keeps you interested.

Their sound takes you back to a time when everything about Hip-Hop was dope. When it was less gimmick and more music. When the radio had variety and music channels played ... well, music.

What Prime and Trell do on Transistor is prove contrary to popular belief, quality Hip-Hop is alive and well.

I reached out to the duo for a Q&A just ahead of their August 28th release of Transistor. Check it.

The Mad Bloggers: There are a lot of producer / emcee duos. What makes your partnership successful?

Trellmatic: Its kinda hard to explain but I think we just have that natural chemistry that flows well.

TMB: Trellmatic, how is it working with A.P.R.I.M.E.? What's something you've learned from your partnership?

T: Well, it’s rather easy working with Prime. I can make a gang of beats and know exactly which ones he’d like before he even hears them. 9 times out of 10 I’m correct.

TMB: A.P.R.I.M.E., how is it working with Trellmatic? What's something you've learned from your partnership?

A.P.R.I.M.E.: We vibe so well that Trell knows the direction I’m going without me having to tell him.

TMB: Transistor is the second project. How is it different from the first project? What have you both learned from the previous project that you applied to Transistor?

T: The one thing I definitely notice was growth and maturity, both production wise and lyrically. What I applied production wise was more so broadening the soundcape without taking away from any of the original elements that’s found in our music.

A: We learned how to trust each other. The first album was more so an experiment that turned out well. The one thing that I learned and applied to this album is that you can do the impossible twice.

On the first album, we kinda played it safe. Choosing joints that we thought people would dig, considering that we had so many detractors from the moment we announced that we were forming a group. So, it was a lot of beats with soul samples and that went over well. This time around, I feel, we were more in-sync. We both were heavily into jazz, suffered from the HB's and were determined to make a project completely different from the last. Trell helped me with song topics and I assisted him with sample selection. I think that we were successful with that mission. The one thing that I learned and applied to this album is that same ol' dope beats/dope rhymes philosophy can do wonders.

TMB: Tracks like "Everlasting" and "Once Again", among others, more or less reminisce on what Hip-Hop use to be. How do we get back to producing quality projects and get away from the gimmicks that seem to have over-saturated Hip-Hop music today?

A: Turn off the radio and break out the cassettes and just take in that vibe.

T: I would say turn off the radio and the flat screen, and break out the vinyl and open your ears and mind.

TMB: What's the dopest track lyrically on the project?

T: “Gauntlet”

A: I'm a self-depreciating emcee, so asking me about my dopest song could get a bit messy. However,“Teenage Love” is my favorite. I think because of my detailed account of that relationship, it makes it relatable to an array of people.

TMB: What's the dopest track production wise on the project?

T: “Do you want it” is the dopest. I love the way that I freaked the baseline over that sample. And those drums...bananas.

A: “Nobody" is my favorite. Trell played that beat for me a week before I went to NY and I kept hearing it in my head while I was there. When I got back, I asked him for the beat and he hated that track. Fortunately, he trusted that I would make it hot and now he loves it.

TMB: It seems like the House of M crew have an uncanny ability to put together some amazing interludes and skits. Where do the ideas come from?

A: I went to a comedy college that I found on the back of a bottle of Swag-glo.

As the resident comedian of House of Mutants, my inspiration comes from everywhere. For example, "White Girl Chicken" was inspired by my friend making an ignorant comment about my other friend's white wife, making fried chicken better than black people. Other than that, most ideas come from me clowning between takes in the booth.

TMB: What's the one thing you'd like people to take away from Transistor after listening?

T: That the music we make is honest and comes from the heart.

A: Hopefully you’ll walk away with the feeling that “Damn, Automatic makes some fiiine mediocre music”.




www.houseofmutants.com

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What EMS Is Watching ... Remy Shand - "Take A Message"

It's as if Remy Shand fell off the face of the Earth, but let's not forget how dope he is. This song popped into my head earlier, and I wanted to share. Enjoy.


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