Random iPod Track of the Week - Case ft. MJB & Foxy Brown "Touch Me, Tease Me" (90's R&B Classic)

I just came across this 50 Cent video for a new song called "Touch Me".  I instantly recognized the beat which is from Case's "Touch Me, Tease Me" ft. Mary J. Blige and Foxy Brown from The Nutty Professor Soundtrack circa 1996. 

I thought 50 might just be jacking the beat but he ended up keeping Case's hook and Foxy's second rap as well as the original video.  I'm a little confused why he made a video for this since it's basically just a freestyle/remix but I guess he must have been bored in between Entourage shoots or something...

"Touch Me, Tease Me" was one of my favorite R&B joints from the late 90's.  It was kind of a slow jam but the beat was still hard enough that it could have easily been used for a straight up Hip Hop track.  Here's the original video to bring it back full circle:

 

Remember when Soundtracks to movies actually mattered?  There used to be at least 2 or 3 dope tracks that would be released as singles and the album sales would always be near the top of the charts.  It's crazy how things have changed in such a short period. 

The Nutty Professor Soundtrack was definitely hot back in the day and was solid all th way through.  Along with "Touch Me, Tease Me" it also featured Jay-Z's "Ain't No N****" and respectable tracks from Montell Jordan, LL Cool J, Def Squad, Warren G to name a few.  I might have to go back and listen to this entire album to take me back to the good old days! 

1. "Touch Me, Tease Me"- 3:53 (Case, Foxy Brown & Mary J. Blige)
2. "I Like"- 4:43 (Montell Jordan & Slick Rick)
3. "My Crew Can't Go for That"- 3:49 (Trigger tha Gambler & Smoothe da Hustler)
4. "Ain't Nobody"- 4:47 (Monica & Treach)
5. "Pillow"- 4:51 (Richie Rich, D'wayne Wiggins & Rame Royal)
6. "Last Night"- 4:28 (Az Yet)
7. "Come Around"- 3:56 (Dós of Soul)
8. "We Want Yo Hands Up"- 3:44 (Warren G & Malik)
9. "Ain't No Nigga"- 4:27 (Jay-Z & Foxy Brown)
10. "Breaker 1, Breaker 2"- 3:22 (Def Squad)
11. "Doin' It Again"- 4:00 (LL Cool J)
12. "Nasty Immigrants"- 4:00 (12 O'Clock & Raekwon)
13. "Love You Down"- 5:04 (Da Basement)

What are some of your favorite movie soundtracks from back in the day?   

DjRyB.com

Random iPod Track of the Week - Warren G "Regulate" (YUP!)

REGULATORS!!!  Mount up!

Those three words right there still get me fired up every time I hear "Regulate" come on the stereo or my iPod.  It has to be one of the smoothest Hip Hop tracks of all time.  You can play this song anywhere and someone is going to recognize it and sing along.  I still know every damn word to this song and I am not afraid to sing the Nate Dogg verse.  My rendition is ill!  Ha Ha.  

It's gotta be that sample from Michael McDonald's "I Keep Forgettin'" that gets the older white people fired up.  That is one of the funkiest and smoothest bass lines of all time.  And honestly, who doesn't love them some Michael McDonald?  He might be the funkiest white dude on the planet still to this day.  Peep the sample below.  DOPE!!!   

Click Here for the Full "Regulate" video since Universal is a bunch of douchebags that won't let me embed their video. 

Michael McDonald - "I Keep Forgettin'" 2003 Live Performance

Random iPod Track of the Week - 2Pac "So Many Tears" (DOPE!)

Here's a nice 2Pac throwback to start the week off right. This came up on my iPod the other day and it instantly took me back to high school when this album first came out. This is probably one of my Top 5 favorite 2Pac songs of all time. It's almost impossible to pick a favorite but this is right up there.

"So Many Tears" is dope on so many levels. This is probably one of the best and most intricate rhyme patterns of 2Pac's career and the lyrics are some of his deepest and most introspective. The beat is a complete monster and samples another an all time classic, Stevie Wonder's "That Girl".  Mad props to producer D-Flizno for making this track.  The darkness of the beat goes perfectly with Pac's lyrics.  Unreal.

Here is Stevie's "That Girl" so you can compare the tracks and try and find that harmonica sample they use in "So Many Tears".  It's right around the 2:40 mark:

I was also able to find this live performance of "That Girl". Check out Stevie with the Afro and headband! Dude was Pimpin' back in the day!

Random iPod Track of the Week - Black Star "Definition"

This is a true classic right here.  "Definition" was the first time I ever heard of Mos Def or Talib Kweli but from that point on I was a huge fan.  I was instantly attracted to their different style and flow, unique voices and broad subject matter.  I'm still a little disappointed that they never put out another album as Black Star (still hoping) but they do appear on songs together from time to time so I guess that is almost as good.  Hopefully there will be a reunion with a new Black Star album in the future.

This track holds up suprisingly well even though it is over 10 years old.  I feel like they could release this today and it would still be a major hit.  It's crazy that this song came out in 1998 because that was when "Jiggy" and "Bling" and commercial Hip Hop were in full effect.  There were no shiny suits or crazy video budgets for these guys though.  That's for sure.  Just check out the cop trying to shut them down halfway through the video.  They were rappin' in a freakin' van in the middle of the city!  What's the problem officer?  It doesn't get much more low budget than that.... 

Apple Releases iTunes 8.1 and iTunes DJ Feature (COOL)

Apple released iTunes 8.1 last night with some much needed performance updates and a few extra features.  It used to take iTunes forever to load, especially if you had a large library of songs.  I have about 80 GB of music and movies on my MacBook and it probably took a good 30-45 seconds to get going.  That doesn't seem like a lot but it is an eternity when you just want to start playing some music.  It was painful.  I haven't downloaded the new version yet but based on comments I've seen in other articles, people are seeing a shift from 30-40 seconds to as little as 7 seconds to load now with iTunes 8.1.  That is a HUGE improvement.

The other interesting update was the addition of the iTunes DJ feature which was formerly named Party Shuffle (which SUCKED).  iTunes DJ allows guests to request songs with the Remote app using their iPhone or iPod Touch.  The Remote app allows them to find your iTunes library through WiFi.  Once they are connected, they can search your library of songs and pick which song to play next or add to the queue.  If there are enough people with either device, they can also vote a song up or down in the queue.  This will keep wack song selections to a minimum if the rest of your party has a clue about good music. 

I'm not sure how much I like the idea of this feature since I am a DJ myself and would prefer to control the music and mix at my own parties but of course I do have the option to just shut it off. It's a control thing but also a trust factor since most people have TERRIBLE tastes in music but a lot of non-DJ's will probably like this addition.  It will help lazy people and/or nerds with no clue about music step their party up a bit and it will also bring a fun factor that might have been lacking at their lame wine and cheese party.  

You will need to allow guests to access to your WiFi so you may need to remove your password for a night.  It should be worth it though since it will be a really cool addition to the party and can get everyone talking about music which can be fun and scary all at the same time.  Just pray that you don't have any Phish or Dead Head Freaks in the crowd or they will go on and on about some 40 minute jam session bootleg they downloaded from some dude in Germany.  Freakin' hippies!  

For parties/BBQ's where it's just a chill atmosphere and I don't feel like putting together a huge playlist or have time to pre-mix tracks, this will be perfect.  A lot of my friends are lame and still don't have an iPhone or iPod Touch so it may not always work but it still could be cool if I just allowed people to select songs by using my iPhone.  That way I can relax and drink some beers and not worry about the music so much.  That always stresses me out, even when I'm not at my own house.  I can't stand crappy music at a party.  This could defintiely be a way for me to fix that problem at wack parties now!  FINALLY!  Let's just hope they have a few decent songs in their iTunes library.  Wack music libraries cannot be fixed by this update, unfortunately.  

Random iPod Track of the Week - Beenie Man "Who Am I"

Sim Simma
Who got de keys to my bimma
Who am I de girls dem sugar
How can I mek luv to ah fella in ah rush pass meh de keys to my truck
Who am I de girls dem lock
And I and I we make love to precious but...

That's that shit! This is such a classic Dancehall tune. I was in college when this came out and it was played at every party for about 3 straight years. All of the girls loved shaking their asses to this one. Even though most people couldn't understand what the hell Beenie Man was saying (we still don't!), they could always chant along with the "Sim Simma, Who got the keys to my Bimma"!!!

As with most hit Reggae and Dancehall tracks, "Who Am I" was released more than a year before it became a hit in the U.S. It first dropped in 1997 and was a UK Top 40 hit but it wasn't until 1998 that the U.S. finally caught on. If you were up on your Dancehall, you knew about this track for awhile but there weren't many people (especially white folk) that were into this style of music back then. Funny enough, it was a tiny little white girl that asked me if I had this track when I was DJ'n at the club one night. She went on and on about how much she loved the track and told me I just HAD TO GET IT.  I figured if she was this passionate about this song, I had to at least do a little research and give it a listen. 

It took me a couple of weeks to find the album because the single had not been released yet (at least in Boston). This was well before internet downloading and even before any real online purchasing so I literally had to go digging in the crates from store to store in various locations across Massachusetts.  I looked every freakin' where!  The Reggae section in most stores was either wack or just didn't exist but luckily Tower Records on Newbury St. had a humongous World music section so I was able to finally snag a copy.

I think that is one of the main reasons why I love this track so much.  I had to put in some major effort to find it but once I finally got my hands on it, all of that madness paid off. I fell in love with the track because it was dope as hell and every time I played it the crowd went nuts. The fact that I was one of the first local DJ's to know about or have this track made it that much crazier for me. There was a certain swagger that went along with having exclusive tracks back then. Now you can just download a track at any time and can even have it in your hands minutes after it's been released or even completed.  I love that instant gratification but the fun of the search for the " buried treasure" is no longer there. 

Due to the wonders of YouTube, I was able to find the ORIGINAL video for "Who Am I".   It doesn't get more ghetto than this.  Seriously. I mean WTF is this big ass dude doing in the beginning to that poor girl?  That must be the molestation dance the Jamaicans practice up in the clubs.  I've just never seen it in broad daylight!  Does he think that's sexy?  That shit is scary! 

If you've ever been to Jamaica (specifically Negril), this will give you some flashbacks which may not necessarilly be a good thing if you are a good looking lady (or even an ugly one!) or a dude that had your money stolen by a dude with a machette (true story). I was bugging out while I was watching this thinking back to all the madness that ensued on Spring Break in 1999.  Those dudes just didn't give a F$#k!  They would basically be dry humping the shit out of a girl on the dance floor like they were the only ones there.  It was wild!  Now that I am thinking about it, I made it on an episode of MTV's The Grind with Eric Neis! Ha Ha! Classic.

Random iPod Track of the Week - The Beatnuts ft. Big Pun and Cuban Link "Off The Books"

I got all fired up when I heard "Off The Books" bump on the system this morning on the way to work.  This is such a nasty track and has to be one of Big Pun's best rhymes of all time.  Dude is just on point and slices the beat like a razor.  Check this:

Big Pun:
Hey yo it's all love, but love's got a thin line
and Pun's got a big nine, respect crime but not when it reflect mine
The shit I'm on is wrong but it lasts long
Pull a fast one, then Pun'll wake up, with the stash gone
I'm mad strong, and my cream is fast
Smoke the greenest grass, my bitch got the meanest ass
and a taste legit, I don't have to waste a whole case of Crist'
All it takes is my pretty face and my gangsta wit
Lace the click, cause we all share
It's all fair like love and war, thug galore with the long hair
Big Pun, Pun the name that makes the kids run
Like spelling murder reverse it deliver redrum
Come one, come all, if you wanna brawl
I'm the mighty Thor clotheslining motherfuckers like Steven Segall
Cause all you gonna get, is your ass kicked or up in a casket
That's it (that's it?) That's it

SICK!!!!  Everyone stepped up their lyrical game on this track but it's the beat that makes it so good.  The Beatnuts are one of most underrated beatmakers/producers in the Hip Hop game and are slept on quite a bit.  I haven't heard from them in awhile so I don't know what they are up to but I am sure Juju and Psycho Les are making dope beats for someone out there.  They are too good to let that talent go to waste. 

I have most, if not all of their albums and every single track has a dope beat and/or a crazy sample that will get your head noddin'.  If you pay close enough attention, you can hear them sampling Sesame Street, kids records and some other crazy shit.  They are crazy!  Cop some old Beatnuts albums if you want to hear some real Hip Hop.  You won't be disappointed.  

Random iPod Track of the Week - Ice Cube "We Be Clubbin"

I just realized that I've been slackin' and haven't put up a new "Random iPod Track of the Week" post so I thought I would throw this one up for Ice Cube's "We Be Clubbin'" since I heard it last night on the way home.  I definitely had that shit cranked to 10 with the rear view vibrating and had a few old folks looking at me all crazy. 

I will play this once in awhile when I'm DJ'n at the clubs.  It's not quite as well known or as much of an instant party starter like "U Can Do It (Put Your Back Into It)" but it still gets the place moving when you need a nice throwback joint.  It's a great track that doesn't sound dated and will still get the ladies shaking their booties instantly.  You can't ask for much more than that.

Bonus: Ice Cube "U Can Do It"

Random iPod Track of the Week - Wreckx-N-Effect "Rump Shaker"

All I wanna do is zoom-zoom-zoom-zoom and a boom-boom
Just shake your rump

Check, baby, check, baby, 1-2-3-4
Check, baby, check, baby, 1-2-3
Check, baby, check, baby, 1-2
Check, baby, check, baby, 1

YUP, YUP!!!  I just had to put this one up.  Wreckx-N-Effect's "Rump Shaker" always put me in a good mood.  It reminds me of making out with flat chested girls with flat asses during middle school parties.  Kind of ironic, huh?   


I don't care if I have heard this song roughly 3 billion times. It will never get old.  This was like a gift from the gods growing up as a horny teenager.  It was literally like watching soft porn except you didn't have to hit the A/B button like a maniac or watch the scrambled Playboy channel to catch the occasional ass and boob.  Um, not that I know anything about that.  I've just heard people talk about that and stuff.  Um, ya...

Random iPod Track of the Week - Mark Morrison "Return of the Mack"

Oh, hell yeah!  This is my joint right here!  I almost freaked the F out the other day when Mark Morrison's "Return of the Mack" came up on the iPod.  I was singing and dancing in my car like I was 17 again, cruisin' down the Hampton Beach strip with my boys in my Delta 88 Hooptie looking for some fly honeys.  There's no doubt the people behind me were afraid I was gonna swerve off the road or take out the car in front of me.  I have listened to this 5 times already while typing up this post.  This song never gets old!

I swear that I will be able to play this song in 20 years (yes, I will still be DJ'n!) and everyone will still get down like it's 1996!  There's just something about the beat and Mark Morrison's voice and lyrics that makes everyone bug out when they hear this.  I used to drop this into a set once in awhile when I was rockin' some old school and this was always that jam that got the party started.  It got to the point where people were requesting it every week because they knew I had it and would play it.  Good times! 

There are two very small details about this song that I absolutely love.  The first part is the intro on the extended album version (below).  It starts off with an insane piano riff which could be a song's instrumental by itself.  It's just unreal how awesome it sounds and how well it works as a build up for the beat to kick in.  When it finally hits, you are definitely ready to get down.  My second favorite detail is the "bridge" with the dope scratchin' routine.  This is only available on the extended version of the song, as well.  I remember "air scratchin" to that part of the song (around 3:12) thinking to myself that I have to learn how to do this for real.  I would definitely add this to my list of reasons why I wanted to become a DJ.  Enjoy!

  

Random iPod Track of the Week - Fat Joe ft. Big Pun, Nas, Jadakiss and Raekwon "John Blaze"

I love it when Fat Joe's "John Blaze" pops up on my iPod because it gets my hyped every time I hear it.  The beat is just unreal with that booming bass and intense horn loop.  This has to be one of the best "possee" cuts of all time.  Every single rapper on this track was either in or close to their prime and each of them absolutely RIPPED the mic to shreds on their verse.   It also doesn't waste any time with a long chorus.  Just a few simple scratches of Method Man's "Johnny Blaze Ain't A Damn Thing Changed" and then right to the next first.  Sick.

This has to be one of Fat Joe's best tracks of all time but a lot of people don't know about it because it wasn't a huge commercial single.  This is when people were still making videos for the 3rd or 4th single from their album and didn't have to worry about commercial appeal.  This is just straight up 90's griminess.  This shit is hard!
  
Hottest lines: 
Big Pun -
"My crew puff lye, anyone test the Pun must die
Just give me one try -- 'Now you know you done fucked up right?'
Hah, you ain't got no wins in my casa
Que te pasa, you ain't even in my clasa"

"I'll appear in your dreams, like Freddie do, no kidding you,
Even if I stuttered I would still sh-sh-sh-shit on you"

Fat Joe -
"It's simple mathematics, you gotta love us
Cause Joey Crack plus gat equals a lotta dead motherfuckers"

Official Video w/ Shitty Echoing Sound Quality

Random iPod Track of the Week - The L.O.X. "Money, Power, Respect"

So I originally wanted to use "Ride or Die Bitch" by the LOX for this weeks Random iPod Track of the Week since that's the song I actually heard on my iPod yesterday but once again, Universal Music Group has disabled embedding of all their videos.  These dudes are ridiculous.  Do they not realize I am giving them free promotion for songs that are mad old?  If even one person goes and downloads a track from iTunes after watching a video I put up on this site wouldn't it be worth it?  WTF.  Freakin' corpo morons.

Anyway, I started with that and had to move on to "Money, Power, Respect" by the LOX since it could actually be embedded.  This is one of my favorite pump up/fight songs from the mid 90's.  The beginning of the track just gets you hyped and ready to push someone or start a riot.  You know, cause that's how I do it and shit.  If anyone starts some trouble up in my cube, you better duck and cover because I'm throwin' bows!

While I was there, I also saw some related videos from the Ruff Ryders affiliates and decided to hit you with the classic "Ruff Ryders Anthem" from DMX (below).  Somehow, I was able to find a copy that wasn't disabled but I am sure the video below won't be working in a few days.  Ridiculous.

All three of these videos/songs take me back to the years when some damn good thugged out, hardcore Rap was coming from Swiss Beatz and the Ruff Ryders.  Swizzy is still making a ton of hot tracks but I am a little disappointed that they all separated and started doing their own thing.  At least we have some hotness from the years that they did work together. 

Ride or DIE!!!!  Ruff Rydahhhhhs!!!!

Random iPod Track of the Week - Souls of Mischief "From '93 Till Infinity"

That's that shit!  If you don't like this song, then you you need to check your head.  Souls of Mischief's "From '93 Til Infinity" takes me back to when Hip Hop was in it's prime during the early and mid 90's.  Every style and coast had it's own flavor but no one was hating on any other style like they do these days and you could just get down with whatever was fly at the time.  There is something very unique yet familiar about this track that makes your ears perk up and pay attention.  I think I have played this 5 times already as I am typing this up...

This is definitely one of my favorite tracks of all time because of the lyrical content, style and chill but funky beat and sample.  I feel like I say this every time I put up one of the Random iPod Tracks of the Week posts but I think it's just because I have been hearing a lot of the best songs on my iPod lately.  You can't F with 90's Hip Hop like Jordan in his prime.

 

Random iPod Track of the Week - Outkast "So Fresh So Clean"

Outkast's "So Fresh So Clean" is by far one of their best tracks and possibly one of my favorite Hip Hop tracks of all time.  It's just a smooth and relaxing joint that makes you feel good and gets your head noddin'.  It makes me want to sit by the pool with a Corona and just chill.   

My boy Sully was doing a little research on Hip Hop samples and he sent me this one about Outkast using an interpolation of Joe Simon's "Before The Night Is Over" which gave me the idea for this post.  Although it is not an exact sample of the song, as you can tell by the first few seconds of the track, Outkast did use it as the main influence for the song's hook, melody and beat.  They did a nice job of not murdering the original but still giving it their own unique twist.   

Sample/Interpolation from Joe Simon's "Before The Night Is Over"

This is a sick mashup from YouTuber DaBeatBreak which joins the two tracks into one sick remix.  I'm not sure if he made this himself but it's nasty, regardless: 

Random iPod Track of the Week - Geto Boys "Mind Playing Tricks On Me"

"Mind Playing Tricks On Me" by the Geto Boys has to be one of the most unlikely rap crossover hits of all time.  It was number one on the Hot Rap Singles charts and was certified Gold.  When it was first released back in 1991, rap was still fairly underground and most commercial hits were very poppy, uptempo or non-threatening (aka MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, etc.).  This song was a lot more serious in content and spoke about paranoia and depression from a stressful life in the hood.  Not many songs ever had this vibe since rap is usually bragging about what you've got and not showing any mental or physical weakness. 

Scarface, Bushwick Bill and Willie D all have their own very unique styles but they do a great job of painting a picture and taking you into the "mind of a mad man".  The video goes perfectly with the lyrics and helps you follow the story clearly.  This is by far one of my favorite old school tracks of the 90's and still holds up to this day.  Classic!

I found this related video by accident and I'm so glad I did.  It's freakin' hysterical!  Watch the real video first and then check out this parody using Sesame Street characters.  I almost lost my ish when I saw Bert is creeping through the bushes after Scarface says "Its somebody watchin the ak; But I dont know who it is, so Im watchin my back".  How do people come up with some of this shit?  So good!

Random iPod Track of the Week - Ice Cube "Check Yo Self"

I decided this morning that I am going to put up a random old school joint every week based on something I heard on my iPod on the drive to work. I have like 10,000 songs on that damn thing, so I get some really random ish on shuffle but occasionally I will get a gem like this one.

This has to be one of Ice Cube's best videos other than "It Was a Good Day". This also might be one of the best opening lines to a rap song ever:

"You betta check yo self for you wreck yo self
Cause Im bad for your health
I come real stealth
Droppin bombs on ya moms, f$*k car alarms"