SoulAkademic Sundays: That Good Good Soul Musiq

The horns in this song are hot FIYAH!


Willie Hightower most underrated soul musicians of the 60's.



This jawn makes me wish I had a caddy with white wall tires and a bangin' stereo system.



This song is for all my "Nathan Jones" out there.  



Ummph! George just takes the funk to a "hole nother level." Nasty!!!



This song just makes me wanna grow an afro!



You may recognize this big ditty from Busta Rhymes hit "Don't Touch Me."



No sir you may not "slide down into my canyon."



Daddy D is too smoove with it!

Souled Out Discount of the Day: Oh So Juicy!!!

Need a fix for your fashion jones that won't leave your bank account looking more anorexic than Serena William's new nose?

Get 30% off Juicy Couture in stores and online with this little gem:

 

SoulAkademic Funkalicious Sundays: Rainy Day Ed.

Rainy Day Playlist

Today is one of those perfectly rainy Summer Sundays, and with music as my muse I am inspired. Like most summer rains, today's storm is merely a brief reprieve from the scorching heat. So I offer this short list of dope tracks to get you through til the sun shines again.  ENJOY!



"I Wish That It Would Rain" - Mayer Hawthorne
This guy gets points for creativity and pure dopeness alone.  Usually I would be the first to knock yo' grandmama down on my climb to the nearest soapbox, so I could rant and rave about the co-option of black music + white muscians+how we black folks can't have nuffin*SMH* But I'm sorry ya'll, Mayer Hawthorne's just has too much soul to be labeled a copycat.  He's down ya'll (or @ lest I hope he is) ;/


"I Wish it Would Rain" - The Temptations
Now I shouldn't have to even explain this one.  I would be remiss to compose a rainy day playlist without this soul stirring classic.  Just peep how Ruffin shakes the hell outa the microphone while hitting those notes and don't forget the dudes in the back.  People dancing in unison can always make me swoon. No Groupie.

   
"I Wanna Go Outside In The Rain" - The Dramatics
Now imagine how broke ya' heart's gotta be before you think about playing in the rain.  Listening to this dude makes me think my man's feet are dangling from the curb with a serious case of drunk sock all around the ankle, like he's lost his best friend. 

 
"The Rain" - Oran "Juice" Jones
Meet the original JUICE MAN.  This video is pure crack, 80's fashion, HIGH-larious montages, and the voice-over midway through is too good.  "The Rain" is the consummate you broke my <3 now PHUCK OFF, it's like an Rn'B punk song.  "You without me is like cornflakes without the milk."  They just don't write lyrics like that anymore. (Sigh)

 
"Rain" - SWV
It's SWV, duh...

 
"Purple Rain" - Prince
If there was one thing we could send into outer space to show signs of human intelligence, I would send up PURPLE RAIN (movie) and THE PURPLE ONE's entire catalog.  It's never been a contest with me, there is only 1*index finger goes up* Prince. 


 
"Love Reign O'er Me" - The Who
Because Pete Townsend is a genius and figured out a way to capture the best thunderstorm of the century on wax. 


"I Can't Stand the Rain" - Anne Peebles
Most of us young bucks don't know Nann' about Anne Peeples, but are more familiar with Missy Elliot's song of the same title that sampled this 70's chart topper.  Feel free to check out the studio version of this song, but I kinda dig this rustic version.



"Candy Rain" - Soul 4 Real
Because kid groups that can really sing and dance are cute!
 

"Walk On By" - Isaac Hayes
Anybody that can think of an album title called, HOT BUTTERED SOUL, really is thee black Moses.  In the words of Paul Mooney, "Know Ya' History."


Make it Rain - Fat Joe ft. Lil Wayne
Because I'm ignant, and felt like concluding this post with a random Lil Wayne song. Hey, at least it's got "Rain" in the title.

SoulAkademic Funkalicious Sundays: N'dambi

Instant Cipher

Miles Davis labored The Birth Of Cool, Oscar Brown Jr. brought us Sin&Soul...and Then Some, but in the summer of 2001 N’dambi was Tunin Up & Cosignin.
  

Crash course in N’dambi 101:  She honed her chops singing in her father's Chuuch', sang back-up vocals on Erykah Badu's Baduizm, co-wrote Hey Sugah on Badu's Mama's Gun, and her indie-produced debut album sold over 70,000 units world wide through word-of-mouth fans/college radio dials.

Tunin Up & Cosignin is a two-disc set, replete with a Cosmic Slop of be still, my beating heart live tracks from her 1992 debut LP, Little Lost Girls Blues + dope new tracks like these:

Track 6: Call Me/N'dambi

Tunin Up & Cosignin

Track 12: Black Star/N'dambi

Tunin Up & Cosignin

Driven by a dedicated word-of-mouth fan base, the success of Little Lost Girls Blues showered the Texas native with indie street cred, As If! she needed it...not hardly! 

When Tunin Up & Consignin dropped on the thirsty ears of fans from here to Japan, it was declared a certified classic.  N'dambi's sound is more mood than music.  Backed by a stellar band, her instrument is instant cipher [raise ya' hands and stomp your feet].
  
A Weird Kind Of Wonderful (2005) and Pink Elephant (2009), are the most recent gems that definitely warrant prime ear bud real estate by any means necessary.   
Stax Label producer/legend/Homo sapien, Leon Sylvers III (whose produced for everybody...like Gladys Knight everybody) lent his expertise to Pink Elephant.  N'dambi's 2009 release is a testament to both her growth as an artist and what can be achieved in 
a room of one's own.