This past Wednesday, August 25, 2010 marked the ninth anniversary of Aaliyah Dana Haughton‘s (known to fans as “Aaliyah”) death.  She was only 22 years young at the time and both her music and acting career was exploding at the time of her death.  We’ll never know why our Creator calls some of us home so much earlier than others, but Aaliyah short life has certainly not been forgotten by celebrities and fans alike.

In memoriam of Aaliyah’s sudden and tragic passing 9 years ago, I’m dedicating this week’s Throwback Friday post to her.  “Back and Forth” was a song off Aaliyah’s first album “Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number” (in 1994) and was her first music video.

AALIYAH-BACK AND FORTH
Uploaded by pierrot77. – See the latest featured music videos.

Need some fresh tunes for your playlist? Check out all of my Throwback Friday posts by CLICKING HERE.

Related Links

• MTV (Rap Fix)- Aaliyah Remembered Nine Years After Death
• Starpulse.com- Missy Elliott Pays Tribute To Aaliyah
• Real Major- RIP Aaliyah
• Liveagl.com- Throwback Fridays: Aaliyah- If Your Girl Only Knew <– hey! i thought i was the only one with Throwback Fridays…

See!  I told you this week I would go back a decade.  Time for some 70s spring/summer lovin’ music.  Released in 1976, “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” is the title track off Roy Ayers’s album.  A native of LA, it only seems natural that this jazz artist would pen a song like this.  As I listen to it now, it feels like a precursor to sounds you hear in G-Funk made popular in the late 80s and 90s by folks like Snoop Dogg, Warren G, and Nate Dogg.

Roll down the windows, open the sunroof, throw on some shades, and ladies make sure your lip gloss be poppin’ (lol) and just vibe out to “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” by Roy Ayers.  There’s no official video for it, but  I found a live performance that was pretty hot.

Enjoy!

In case you’re completely unfamiliar, I thought it would be helpful to add the album version below.

Looking for some funky fresh tunes to add to your playlists? Check out ALL of my THROWBACK FRIDAY posts!!!

Just thinking of this song makes me smile as I think back to my days of listening to this tape on my boom box and the old dances we used to do to this song.  My favorite line “break out before you get bum-rushed.”  Oh, and for you 90s babies, the Will Smith version is not the original one.

Enjoy this trip back to 1987 with “Wild Wild West” by Kool Moe Dee!

A little about Harlem native Kool Mo Dee (he’s since dropped the “e” from his middle name)…

While Kool Mo Dee’s commercial rap success had a finite window, he has some notable accomplishments to his resume.  Kool Mo Dee kicked off his rap career with the Treacherous Three in the 70s.  When he went solo he enlisted the help of then unknown Teddy Riley.   The single “Wild Wild West” is from his second solo album “How You Like Me Now” released on Jive Records in 1987.  In video for the single by the same name (How You Like Me Now), he rolls over a kangol hat that kickstarted a beef with LL Cool J that really didn’t go far (thank God!).  In 1989, Kool Mo Dee became the first rapper to perform on the Grammy’s.

Read more about Kool Mo Dee by checking out the links below:

• OldSchoolHipHop.com- Kool Mo Dee (biography)
• Answers.com (odd source, but info seems accurate)- Kool Mo Dee
• VH1- Kool Mo Dee

Looking for some funky fresh tunes to add to your playlists? Check out ALL of my THROWBACK FRIDAY posts!!!

Richard Termine/Reuters

Before there were channels like Nickelodeon and Disney and Noggin, there was just good old public broadcasting (PBS).  Before there was cable and VCRs and DVDs and DVRs to watch children’s programming there was PBS.  Through PBS, we were introduced to what became an international phenomenon “Sesame Street.”  Today, Sesame Street is still going strong as it celebrated 40 years on air.  How many shows out there can make that claim?  What a beautiful legacy to pass on from generation to generation.

There’s a million songs I could have picked, but I chose “Somebody Come and Play” because I remember that being a song I’d sing to myself when I couldn’t go outside, or just playing with my dolls in my room listening to those 45s that came with the book that had the Tinkerbell sound letting you know it was time to turn the page (remember those?), or waking up on a weekend morning and being so excited to go outside and play all day.

Funny side story.  When I was at Morgan State, I remember browsing through some antique shops with one of my besties at the time and we ran into the Sesame Street record.  It had a bunch of classic songs and the album jacket served kind of as a book cover with pages inside with pictures and words to each songs.  “Somebody Come and Play” may very well have been on that album, but I know it had the “Rubber Duckie” song and Big Bird‘s “ABCDEF-GHI.”  My mom had bought me that album when I was a kid and she used to also take it to play at the schools where she taught.  Anyhoo, my bestie and I made this pact because we both wanted to buy the album (not even thinking that finding a record player would soon be virtually obselete) and there was only one copy.  He got to buy it, but we both agreed that whoever has children first would ultimately get to have the Sesame Street album.  Funny, neither of us has kids…also something we didn’t think about.

Oh, I just found the album cover on the internet.  Gotta love technology!  And, yes, it does have “Somebody Come and Play.”  My goodness!  It was released in 1970! (before I was born for those starting to do mental calculations).  For you youngins or old folks going down Memory Lane with me, take a look.

Sesame Street is an American educational children’s television series and a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. Sesame Street is well known for its Muppets characters created by Jim Henson. It premiered on November 10, 1969, and is the longest running children’s program on US television. The show is produced in the United States by the non-profit organization Sesame Workshop, formerly known as the Children’s Television Workshop (CTW), founded by Joan Ganz Cooney and Ralph Rogers. (source: wikipedia)

Without further ado, here’s this week’s Throwback Friday post “Somebody Come and Play.”

The original version

Version sung by Ernie

I thought I also remember a version with a young girl with a high voice singing it, but I didn’t see it on YouTube.

1969 to 2009 and still going… Wow!

Related Links

• Ifelicious Thoughts- all Throwback Friday Posts
• Muppet Wiki- Sesame Street Discography
• The Original Sesame Street Lyrics Archive- Albums Listing
• Sesame Street official website- History of Sesame Street
• PBS Kids- Sesame Street
• Washington Post- DVD Review “Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days”
• IMDB- Sesame Street
• National Geographic- Sesame Street Goes Green at 40–But Warming “Too Scary”

This week, I’m taking a more serious turn from my regular Throwback Friday posts in light of Rihanna speaking out about abusive relationship at the hands of Chris Brown.  Also, I have maybe a handful of artists at most that are my absolute favorites and Tracy Chapman is one of them.  It was actually my dad that introduced me to her.  He received a copy of her self titled debut album, released in 1988, on cassette tape and dubbed a copy for me (a real treat in our house growing up) after realizing that I enjoyed listening to it so much.  Again, that’s probably a cassette tape that I still have stored away in a shoebox or one of my cassette tape storage cases (you youngins won’t know anything about that).

Yes, that’s the album that had “Fast Car,” but it also had this song “Behind The Wall” among many others that were full of spirit and meaning.  I was drawn to her soulfulness of her voice.  In general, I am particularly drawn to artists that excel lyrically, vocally connect with the audience to the point where you feel every word, and musically I’m not as picky (hence the fact that I listen to a variety of music genres).  I have every one of her albums, and remember going to see her in concert at Merriweather Post Pavillion with one of my best girlfriends back in high school who shared an equal love for Tracy Chapman’s music.  Back then, it was mostly Tracy and an acoustic guitar.  Simple and beautiful.

To tell you about how much of a fan I became comes with more stories than I have room for in this post and for most of your attention spans.  I mean, I remember being out in San Jose, CA at a record store with my cousin and convincing the store to give me the Tracy Chapman poster they had hanging up on the wall.

Now that I’m a writer, I should try to reach out to Tracy’s people and see if she will grant me an interview.  It would be a dream come true for me.

“Behind The Wall” speaks of domestic violence and is sung a capella.  There was never a video made of the song, and I didn’t see a quality enough live performance of it online to share with you, but in a way, that’s absolutely perfect because this song is more about the message than visual effects.

Rihanna, this one’s for you, girl!  I got yo back.

Related Links

• Ifelicious Thoughts- all Throwback Friday Posts
• Tracy Chapman official website- www.tracychapman.com
• Myspace- myspace.com/tracychapman
• Twitter (Tracy Chapman News)- tchapmantour
• About Tracy Chapman- DISCOGRAPHY
• About Tracy Chapman- BIOGRAPHY

This is like a no-duh for today considering I just put out a bunch of posts from my interview with Warren G.  Who knew that we’d all be chillin’ out to a song that felt a bit like your parents would enjoy but was still cool enough for you.  G-Funk.

Released in 1994 where it peaked at #2 on the Billboard charts, “Regulate” takes me back to college days when dating my boyfriend (now husband).  I thought he was so cool because he had a car with air conditioning.  See, you youngins won’t ever have that moment.  You probably don’t know anything about rolling down your windows by hand (although, maybe you do, recently had a cheap rental with no power windows) I’m sure air conditioning is probably standard these days.  My boyfriend, that guy I married 12 years ago this coming Sunday was infamous for his bootleg tapes, and this was one of them.  At the time, I would complain when he put this song in the cassette deck, but now it makes me smile, nod my head, move my shoulders, and hold my fingers out like I’m smoking an imaginary joint.  LOL!  I love how our minds capture memories.

Regulators
We regulate any stealing of his property
And we damn good too
But you cant be any geek off the street,
Gotta be handy with the steel if you know what I mean, earn your keep!
Regulators!!! mount up!

Enjoy this week’s Throwback Friday post “Regulate” by Warren G featuring Nate Dogg.

Morgan State, what you know about this??

Related Links

• Ifelicious Thoughts- all Throwback Friday posts
• Ifelicious Thoughts- all posts from Warren G interview

Reggae has always made its way into popular music.  British singer Maxi Priest hit #1 on US pop charts with “Close To You” back in 1990.  When I think of Maxi Priest, it brings back all kinds of memories.  This smooth single was a little reggae, a little pop, and a little love.  One of those tunes that you’re not sure if you should slow dance or just sway easily from side to side.  I’m sure I still have the cassette tape stored away somewhere in a shoebox.

Enjoy this week’s Throwback Friday, Maxi Priest with “Close To You.”  Look at those pleated pants with the tapered legs.  Gotta love all the fashion trends over the years.  They’re always so much funnier when you look back at them.

Related Links

Ifelicious Thoughts- read ALL of my Throwback Friday posts

Having recently covered some hip hop events, I’ve come into contact with some classic hip hop artists.  I had a “Shoo girl! You gettin old!” moment the other day when I was talking to a friend who was completely oblivious to groups like UTFO.  So I feel this week I need to drop a little knowledge and get Generation Y caught up with some of earlier hip hop that paved the way for what they hear today.

UTFO was no exception.  The song “Roxanne Roxanne” was a hit back in 1984 and spawned a hip hop battle as people set out to find the real real Roxanne.  Roxanne Shanté worked with Marley Marl to produce “Roxanne’s Revenge” and the battle raged on.  You can read the detailed account in wikipedia (“Roxanne Wars“).

At Raekwon‘s Only For Cuban Linx Pt II album relase party back on September 8, 2009, I had the pleasure of meeting the main man in UTFO who you hear rapping “Roxanne Roxanne” Kangol Kid.  I’m not sure the entire crowd, even the press, got as geeked up about that moment as I did, but it was an honor to meet the guy whose tune I taped off the radio and played on my boombox back in the day in my bedroom or enjoyed at the skating rink with my shoe skates (remember those??).  It was a song that people used to know all of the words when it played in the club.  One of my favorite sections was this:

You Kango, I don’t think that you’re dense
Buy you went about the matter with no experience
You should know, she doesn’t need a guy like you
She needs a guy like me, with a high IQ
And she’ll take to my rap, cause my rap’s the best
The educated rapper MD will never fess

Here’s this week’s Throwback Friday post “Roxanne Roxanne” by UTFO (produced by another classic group Full Force).

Related Links

Ifelicious Thoughts- check out all of my Throwback Friday posts by clicking this link

Bonus footage

Kangol Kid gives Ifelicious a shout out at Raekwon’s Album Release Party.

As a new generation tries to remake a classic, against my better judgment, I am taken back to the original movie “Fame” from 1980 as well as the tv series that was equally awesome.  Irene Cara really had her moment during this period of time.  As I choose her song from the Fame soundtrack “Out Here On My Own” I am taken back to my school days when this was one of those songs that would inevitably be sung at talent shows, and every kid taking piano lessons somehow ended up learning this song as one of their “cool” songs.  Also, those short bangs that Irene Cara (“Coco”) used to rock were classic!  I can’t tell if I had a crush on Leroy or if he was just one of my favorite characters, but I was always drawn to him, too.  Oh, the whole cast was phenomenal!

If you enjoy musicals (I missed seeing “Fame” on stage), you need to have the “Fame” soundtrack in your collection.  It’ll make you dance around the room and wish you were on Broadway!  I may revisit this soundtrack at a later time with a few other classics, but for this week’s Throwback Friday it’s Miss Irene Cara with “Out Here On My Own.”

Related links

• Ifelicious Thoughts- all of my Throwback Friday posts
• IMDB- Irene Cara
• Official Irene Cara website- www.irenecara.com
• Spout- Fame (original) cast and crew. Actor, actress and director
• Fame (remake) official website- generationfame.com

Bonus!!!  Trailer from original movie Fame

Now the trailer for the remake of Fame opening in theaters today (Sep 25, 2009)

Since you probably no longer have your shoe skates or those white skates that had the metal wheels (man! i’m going waaaaay back on that one)- you know?  the kind they wouldn’t let you use on the floor at Skateland?- just do the wop instead and rock it out to this week’s Throwback Friday post “I Wonder If I Take You Home” by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam.

Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam ~ Wonder If I take You Home

Excerpt of music bio for Lisa Lisa and The Cult Jam from Yahoo! Music. Read the full bio HERE.

Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam were one of the most musically diverse and successful recording acts of the ’80s. With hits produced and written by Full Force, the six-man performing/songwriting/production team from East Flatbush/Brooklyn, NY, they scored million-selling hits with dance-based tracks (“I Wonder if I Take You Home”), beautiful ballads (“All Cried Out”), and unabashed pop tunes (“Head to Toe,” “Lost in Emotion”). They were one of the early exponents of what later became hip-hop R&B. With five gold singles, two number one singles on both the R&B and the pop charts, two platinum albums, and inclusions on various compilations and movie soundtracks, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam were the most successful act of Full Force’s “One Big Family” roster of acts.

Bio from VH1 (excerpt). Read rest HERE.

Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam recorded their debut single, “I Wonder if I Take You Home,” soon after forming in 1985, releasing it as an independent single. The group quickly signed to Columbia Records, which re-released the single; it climbed into the R&B Top Ten and the U.K. Top 20. The group amassed a number of hit songs throughout the ’80s, yet by the end of the decade their success had begun to dry up; they disbanded after 1991′s Straight Outta Hell’s Kitchen. Lisa Lisa embarked on a solo career, releasing the commercially unsuccessful LL 77 in 1993. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide