Winter Hibernation

So I completely slipped on my plan to blog my thoughts on the most influential hip-hop songs in race relations. I had planned on doing it this weekend, but I got up early yesterday to go to a basketball tournament, and then today was sports madness with BU-Vermont hockey, USA-Canada hockey and Nuggets-Lakers. So it didn't happen. Maybe next year? But over the past couple of weeks, I've been reemerging from my winter music hibernation. I copped Wale's "Attention Deficit," Clipse's "'Til The Casket Drops" and Method Man & Redman's "Blackout! 2," three discs that I had put off buying for quite some time. I also picked up a bunch of singles, and downloaded Tapemaster Inc's "This Is Hip-Hop 10" off of datpiff. And then in this month's Playboy there was an eMusic free 25 songs offer that I just couldn't turn down. I used it to grab a bunch of older songs that we can play for the baby. And since I can never buy/download any music without compiling them into a mix cd or two. Here's the playlists. Feel free to turn it into your own mix!

Winter Hibernation, Disc 1:
1. Wale: World Tour f/ Jazmine Sullivan
2. Janelle Monae: Tightrope f/ Big Boi
3. Juelz Santana: Swimming in Money
4. Clipse: Counseling f/ Nicole Hurst
5. Nas & Damian Marley: As We Enter
6. Freeway: Battlefield
7. Lloyd Banks: Beamer, Benz or Bentley f/ Juelz Santana
8. Wale: Pretty Girls f/ Gucci Mane & Weensey
9. DJ Kay Slay: Self Destruction f/ Sheek Louch, Bun B, Papoose, Busta Rhymes, Uncle Murda & Jay Rock
10. Styles P: Try Sleepin' With A Broken Heart
11. Michael Jackson: Rock With You (Q-Tip Remix)
12. Method Man & Redman: Hey Zulu
13. Clipse: Footsteps
14. Mariah Carey: Up Out My Face f/ Nicki Minaj
15. Wale: Beautiful Bliss f/ Melanie Fiona & J. Cole
16. Rihanna: Hard f/ Jeezy
17. Kid Capri: Turn It Out
18. Young Money: BedRock f/ Lloyd
19. Clipse: Freedom
20. Method Man & Redman: Four Minutes To Lockdown f/ Raekwon & Ghostface Killah
21. Snoop Dogg: I Wanna Rock Remix f/ Busta Rhymes & Styles P

Had to toss in Rihanna and Young Money into this even though I got them awhile ago. That Michael Jackson cut is woefully out of place, but since Q-Tip remixed it, it had to be included. I wasn't aware Kid Capri was still alive, so that was a nice surprise. Also, I didn't know what would happen first, a good Nas "concept" project with another artist, or a good Juelz Santana song. This mix has both. Historic! Also, I'm in love with Tightrope (Pitchfork would be proud of me) and the "Self Destruction" cut is a nice change of pace, especially for the artists involved.

Disc 2:
1. Van Morrison: Brown Eyed Girl
2. Teena Marie: Square Biz
3. Yarbrough & Peoples: Don't Stop The Music
4. Go West: King Of Wishful Thinking
5. SWV: I'm So Into You
6. The Spinners: I'll Be Around
7. The Isley Brothers: Caravan of Love
8. Chaka Khan: Through The Fire
9. TLC: Baby-Baby-Baby
10. The Delfonics: La La Means I Love You
11. The Isley Brothers: That Lady
12. SWV: Weak
13. TLC: What About Your Friends
14. Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes: If You Don't Know Me By Now
15. The Isley Brothers: Between The Sheets
16. Herbie Hancock: Chameleon

Yup, I'm all over the place on this second one. From jazz, to classic rock, to 70's soul, to 80's cheesy rock, to 90's R&B. My baby is going to know it all, just like his big poppa!