Show 20 - The '90s On My Mind

As I've begun to go back and listen to some of the iconic albums of the '90s, I've discovered that the jazz and soul-influenced aesthetic of underground hip-hop from the previous decade makes for really great summer music. Maybe it's that things seemed a little sunnier in retrospect, what with the economic recession and all? Whatever it is that made '90s hip-hop so buoyant, it seemed worthwhile to spend an hour looking back at the '90s by playing one (or two) track from each year of the decade -- with the exception the opening track by Giant Panda, which served as thematic inspiration.


Show 20 - The '90s On My Mind
27 July 2009

1. Giant Panda - "'90s," Fly School Reunion
2. Mic Break
3. Brand Nubian - "All For One," One for All
4. Gang Starr - "Love Sick," Step In the Arena
5. The Pharcyde - "Passin' Me By," Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde
6. Souls of Mischief - "That's When Ya Lost," '93 'Til Infinity
7. Nas - "The World is Yours," Illmatic
8. Mic Break: Ol' Dirty Bastard - "Rawhide (Instrumental)," Rawhide (Single)
9. GZA - "Liquid Swords," Liquid Swords
10. The Fugees - "Fu-Gee-La," The Score
11. De La Soul - "The Bizness," Stakes Is High
12. Rakim - "It's Been A Long Time," The 18th Letter
13. Black Star - "Definition," Black Star
14. Mic Break: Lauryn Hill - "Doo Wop (That Thing) (Instrumental)," The Live Education of Lauryn Hill
15. The Roots - "The Next Movement," Things Fall Apart
    

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Show 19 - Summer Jams

When I was growing up in the Seattle area, my brother and I got our hip-hop from KUBE 93.3. I don't know if they still do this, but every summer, KUBE would throw a huge festival, appropriately named Summer Jam. (I imagine this is not unique to Seattle or KUBE.) I never had to occasion to go to Summer Jam, but the warm weather of a few weeks ago made me want to throw my own Summer Jam. (This seems especially appropriate a few weeks late given the unbearable heat the is currently oppressing the Pacific Northwest, from whence I just returned for a visit.)

There are certain tunes that just sound like summer. Some because of their content (DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince's "Summertime" for one) and others simply have that summery something that goes perfect with a glass of lemonade and a warm July breeze. Consequently, the Summer Jams theme of Show 19 was less rigid than past shows and more about capturing and setting a mood. It was my Summer Jams mixtape of sorts.

Show 19 - Summer Jams
13 July 2009

1. DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - "Summertime," Homebase
2. Mic Break: Mungo Jerry - "In the Summertime"
3. Q-Tip - "Let's Ride," Amplified
4. Blu & Exile - "First Things First," Below the Heavens
5. Pep Love & Jay Biz - "Days of Blueness," The Shamen
6. Common - "Make My Day," Universal Mind Control
7. Mic Break: Sublime - "Doin' Time (Marshall Arts Remix Instrumental)," Sublime (10th Anniversary Edition)
8. Blackalicious - "Blazing Arrow," Blazing Arrow
9. People Under the Stairs - "San Francisco Knights," The Next Step
10. Blue Scholars - "The Inkwell," Blue Scholars
11. A Tribe Called Quest - "Can I Kick It?," People's Instinctive Rhythms and the Paths of Rhythm
12. Mic Break: Exile - "Your Summer Song," Radio
13. Coolio - "Fantastic Voyage," It Takes a Thief
14. Zion I - "Country Baked Yams," The Takeover
    

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Tonight on Yo! KALX Raps!

Summer jams to celebrate the beautiful weather I've been enjoying here in the East Bay.

Tune in to KALX 90.7 FM (or go here to listen online) tonight from midnight to one.
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Show 18 - Michael Jackson Tribute

In addition to how unexpected his death was, the craziest thing about Michael Jackson's passing -- for me at least -- is that up until a few weeks ago, I had never lived in a world without Michael Jackson. Granted, MJ occupied a peripheral place in my world growing up mostly limited to that song he did for the Free Willy soundtrack. (As blasphemous as it is to say at this time, I have never owned a Michael Jackson record.) While he wasn't someone I listened to with any regularity, Michael Jackson was always someone I enjoyed. And for the record, "Thriller" stands as the quintessential Halloween track.

Over the last few weeks, the King of Pop's catalog as gotten more than it's fair share of attention. As important as it is to pay tribute, I'm sure I wasn't the only one getting a little tired of hearing MJ everywhere from MTV to NPR. For last month's bonus Yo! KALX Raps! I decided to honor Michael Jackson's legacy by looking at hip-hop songs that have sampled his work.


Show 18 - Michael Jackson's Legacy
29 June 2009
[Sampled Song and Album Listed in Brackets]

1. Naughty By Nature - "O.P.P.," Naughty By Nature [Jackson 5 - "ABC," ABC]
2. Mic Break : Michael Jackson - "Bad (Dub Version)," Bad
3. Little Brother - "Watch Me," The Minstrel Show ["With a Child's Heart," Music & Me]
4. Jeru the Damaja - "Mental Stamina," The Sun Rises in the East ["Billie Jean" (drum kit), Bad]
5. Ghostface Killah - "Street Opera," More Fish ["Ain't No Sunshine," Got To Be There]
6. Puff Daddy - "It's All About the Benjamins (Remix)," No Way Out [Jackson 5 - "It's Great to Be Here," Maybe]
7. Murs - "Can It Be (Half A Million Dollrs and 18 Months Later)," Murs For President ["I Wanna Be Where You Are," Got To Be There]
8. Aaliyah - "Got To Give It Up," One In a Million ["Billie Jean" (drum kit), Bad]
9. Mic Break: Michael Jackson - "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough (Instrumental)," Off the Wall
10. 2Pac - "Letter 2 My Unborn," Until the End of Time ["Liberian Girl," Bad]
11. Nas - "It Ain't Hard To Tell," Illmatic ["Human Nature," Thriller]
12. Jay-Z - "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," The Blueprint [Jackson 5 - "I Want You Back," Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5]
13. Kanye West - "Good Life," Graduation ["P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)," Thriller]
14. DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - "Rhythm Trax - House Party Style," He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper ["Thriller" (Vincent Price's laughter), Thriller]
15. Mic Break: Michael Jackson - "The Way You Make Me Feel," Bad
16. De La Soul - "Breakadawn," Bulhoone Mindstate ["I Can't Help It," Off the Wall]
    

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