Hip-hop lyrics could be frightening sometimes, especially coming from someone as heartless as Young Jeezy. Considering the following confession from his song entitled “Dreamin’”:

Mom’s smokin’ rocks
Same shit I’m sellin’
So who’s wrong, her or me?
She’s addicted to the high
I’m addicted to the cash
Almost put my hands on her
When I caught her in my stash.

Hip-hop is a form of expression. As listeners, we are responsible for making the distinction between art and reality. I love rap music as an art form, but never influenced by the content. As much as I like the ruthlessness in Jeezy’s rhymes, never in this life I would put my hands on my mama no matter how wrong she could have done to me. Even if she wants to kill me, I would not stop her. When I was bad, mom would make a half-chided remark like if she knew (I turn out that way), she would have pinched my noise and let me go when I was a baby. My reponse was it is still not too late, ma. You gave me this life; therefore, you’re the only one that can take it away from me. But deep down inside, I know that you won’t stop loving me even if I turn out to be a monster.

Just decorated the site with some yellow blossoms for our New Year. Instead of posting traditional New Year tunes, I am going to post something a bit different from Clispe called “Chinese New Year.” The chorus goes, “I’m at your door, your eyes are like why are you here / Judging by my steel I got something to do here / Give up the money or the angel cries two tears / Front of your crib sounding like Chinese New Year.” So you better give them the red envelop or you’re going hear, “Brrraaattt… brrraaattt, brrraaattt… brrraaattt, ka-ka-kat-kat,” not the typical firecracker sound.

Julia likes to drink
Julia likes to smoke
Julia likes to mix Arm & Hammer with her coke.

(Ooops! Humming to the wrong tune.)

Julia got her move on
Julia got her groove on
Julia sings better than her auntie Nhu Loan.

Although her fingers are no where near the size of Fats Waller’s bananas, she’s capable of hopping and jumping her way around his infamous “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” Her tempo isn’t as fast as his, but she demonstrates her ability to stride. This wonderful performance is taken from Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz. Nice chops, Keys!

Duke Ellington’s “Melancholia,” a piano-solo composition, got a lyrical treatment from Norah Jones. The live performance is extracted from her appearance on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz. Although Jones herself admitted that writing lyrics to the Duke’s composition is sacrilegious, she pulled it off well without killing it.

In addition to his virtuoso flow, flawless breath control, and idiosyncratic syncopation, Jay-Z has my admiration for his improvisational skill, which means he doesn’t write down his rhymes. Words just roll off his tongue as he feels the beat. Comparing to Jiggaman, I am not even a small time crook, but I know exactly what he meant on the second verse of “Moment of Clarity”:

I dumb down for my audience
To double my dollars
They criticize me for it
Yet they all yell “Holla”
If skills sold
Truth be told
I’d probably be
Lyric-ly
Talib Kweli
Truthfully
I wanna rhyme like Common Sense
(But I did five Mil)
I ain’t been rhyming like Common since
When your sense got that much in common
And you been hustling since
Your inception
Fuck perception
Go with what makes sense

Here is Mr. Dee’s “Di Hoc” from his Giao Thong album. Hope you can find something creative for your skit with this fun, encouraging tune. Would love to hear what you do with it.

Even my mama is feeling this joint!

In addition, I have uploaded “Trong Com” for you. Although the beat and the rhymes aren’t exciting, the tune featured your babes 5 Dong Ke holding down the vocals.

With her Billie Holiday’s sense of swing, Madeleine Peyroux gives “I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate” a playful rendition. Love the way Marian McPartland’s spare keys accommodate Peyroux’s rag-like guitar. They work so well together. The live performance is taken from Piano Jazz program.

Been pimping Young Jeezy’s The Inspiration in my ride lately. Love the little adlib in the begining of “You Know What It Is.” I am definitely feeling this part: “Everybody fucks wit’ you cause of what you do my nigga / What you say, what you speak on these motherfuckin’ beats nigga / Only thing I can motherfuckin’ tell you on some real G shit / Is to stay focused and let these niggaz know you still the… [realest nigga alive].”

While in Panama, this guy was bitten by a mosquito that was host to Bot Fly eggs. The eggs subsequently hatched under his skin.