87|09 Special | Aaliyah - illist10

Here is the mix I promised. Better late than never. I try to comprise my favorite tracks into one continuous mix. While the beginning is pretty slow, I really enjoyed the latter half of the mix. Click pic to download.

411 | A new life for Jena 6 teen

G101.3 | La la la, la-la, la-la-la

My freshman year of high school. My first Homecoming. I went a girl who was a friend. I was ready to party the night away. I was ready for them to play the dance song of the summer. Three hours of the hottest tracks of the year, and they wait to play it as students exit the Commons area. I had never heard of Kylie Minogue before her Fever album. I never knew she was an international hit even with her own 80s version of the catchy "Locomotion." But this hypnotic song remains one of my favorite of what I call the TRLra. She was hot, the song was hotter, and the video was the hottest.

'00 | Eve's great, no matter where she goes

Had a Disney Channel flashback today. I believe this may have been Tyra Banks theatrical debut. LOL Before Lindsay went loco, she was an adorable ginger-haired girl who needed a friend. Conveniently she wishes her black Barbie to come to life and bring happiness to her miserably bleak life. Great for a 90skd, but the '09 adult is sensing some frank parallels to the plot today. An African goddess - simple and subservient - nurtures a lonely white girl and her widowed father. Woooow. But I digress. Here's the best part of the film where Eve sings her theme song. Oh, yeah, she sings for the white people, too.

411 | 'DWTS' cast announced, debuts Sept. 21.

Not that I'll be watching or anything. (Heroes will be on, and I never liked the show anyway.) But I put my money on the sexy underrated Mya. I mean she has experience. I know ya'll remember this. I'd say she's the closest thing to a true follower in Janet's footsteps. Too bad no one will give hear a chance to be great.

Mya - My Love Is Like...Wo

'04 | Cause there's no better love

People tend to forget this classic R&B/Hip-Hop collabo, since it was only one of few singles from the Roc-a-fella duo, the Young Gunz. It's one of my favorite tracks.

GNR | Diddy, I wanna sing!!!!!

I had never seen this performance before, but it sums up my sentiments of Cassie 100%. Diddy must have promised The Talented Mr. Leslie keys to the city to co-sign this trick.

8709 Special | Crunk Came, Saw, and Conquered

Watching the idiot box when I came across Lil' Jon & the Eastside Boyz's "What U Gon' Do." It seems like for-e-ver since Crunk capitalized on Easy Bake rhymes and bombastic southern funk. I was a middle schooler when Jonathon Smith unleashed "What!?!?" & "Okay!!!" in our music veracular, and as a youngin' I became addicted. I rode the crunkmobile all the way to high school right up until lyrical competance became a significant part of hip-hop again. Nontheless Crunk will always hold a special part in hip-hop history......and *tear* in my heart. So here are my top five favorite Crunk hits.

• Let's Go - Trick Daddy ft. Twista & Lil' Jon - Between the "Crazy Train" sample and the inescapable ad-libs from Mr. Smith, this was a definite banger. The year it came out our high school band would tease us with the first 16 bars, and then go into the rest of Ozzy's original headbanger.

• Knuck If U Buck - Crime Mob -

  "I'm that ghetto, pistol-holding nigga on your damn street"

• Some Cut - Trillville ft. Cutty - Damn. My dad even bumped this crunksexycool song. I wasn't sure what cut was then, but i do know. LMAO Dude's voice on the chorus was too cool. Sounded like a 70s pimp.

• Wait (the Whisper Song) - The Ying Yang Twins - How do I explain this one? I first heard this on our church bus on a local trip to WalMart. Don't ask.

• U and Dat - E-40 ft. T-Pain - Monumental moment where Crunk paired with its west coast cousin Hyphy for clubtastic results. I was obsessed with this track for awhile.

Honorable mentions: Damn - Youngbloodz Freek-a-leek - Petey Pablo Neva Eva - Trillville Get Low - Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz ft. Ying Yang Twins

G101.3 | And you don't know why...

Been meaning to post this for a minute. I was pretty much obsessed with this song for a good month after first hearing it on a thing called a radio; and seeing it on something called MTV. I think everyone goes through a stage where they just don't know why. I remember really liking the video too. sidebar: I literally just realized their name, Vertical Horizon, were total opposites. FAIL! LOL

'01 | Zone of the Enders

Now this is a classic I'd love to see get the next gen treatment. I distinctively remember trippin' out when my best friend and I played this on his PS2. The entire game was sick from the story, to the gameplay. One of my favorites.

'00 | Bamboozled

. Keepin it 100: You're not black, with a "c," if you haven't seen this movie.

'01 | Even though he's thuggin'

Does anyone else remember this soulful single from LovHer. I remember seeing the video on BET all the time. I guess it was on the Rush Hour soundtrack.

illlist | dangerousNEGRO

An apparel line for the "talented tenth" in all of us, dangerousNegro replaces the normality of urban wear with knowledge food for the mind and soul. In the mist of ignorance and thug culture, dangerousNegro focuses on re-educating the minds of young African Americans to pursue more enlightened ventures in life. Their organization not only reaches aspiring future leaders across the country, but has also penetrated the world of hip-hop. They've most recently established dangerousNegro ENT. and signed their first artist, Rhymefest. Get familiar.

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Channel Surfin' | ABDC Season 4

While SYTYCD finishes up through July, MTV's America's Best Dance Crew will consume most of my August starting the 9th. The trailer below showcases how the West has dominated the competition for the last three seasons. Maybe that will change this season.

Hands down my favorite moment from all seasons. While SuperCrew was dope, Fanny Pak should have won.

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'04 | I can't live my, I-I can't live my

Woke up this morning to the news that my cousin - who would have graduated from high school last month - will serve six for dealing cocaine. He faced up to 60, which is a definite blessing that I hope he realizes. This is the closest I've come to prison in my life. We always hear or read the news of another brother whose caught a case. We momentarily feel for him from a far, but are still removed from the situation - it's not our problem. But the truth is it is our problem. And now the problem has a face and a name that will penetrate my thoughts and prayers for the next six years. This is dedicated to him and all our brothers and sisters caught up in the system. Whether you feel you're there justly or not, there's always a choice. You always have a choice.

SOS | Boy you make me float

Been a while since I posted a Song of Summer. Chose this after popping the disc in last night after work. Coldest summer.

Bad | Smooth Criminal

The killer music movie from Michael's Bad, which was a part of the short film Moonwalker. Here he pulls one of the illist moves ever - the gravity-defying lean. Alien Ant Farm had a hit with their rock cover during TRL-ra.

P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)

Another classic from Jackson's sixth studio album. Here are recent songs which featured this song as a sample.

P School | Never Can Say Goodbye

Song was recently flipped for Rhymefest's Man in the Mirror mixtape.