In Memoriam: Michael Jackson Smooth Criminal [1987]

"Smooth Criminal" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his seventh studio album Bad [1987]. It was written by Jackson, and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. It was released as the album's seventh single on November 14, 1988. It features a fast beat with lyrics about a woman who has been attacked in her apartment by a "smooth criminal". The refrain "Annie, are you OK?" was inspired by Resusci Anne, a dummy used in CPR training. "Smooth Criminal" peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the sixth top 10 single from Bad. It also peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart. It was certified 2x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America [RIAA]. The song reached number one in Belgium, Iceland, the Netherlands and Spain. Though "Smooth Criminal" was not one of the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, in retrospective reviews it has been regarded as one of the best songs on Bad and one of Jackson's signature songs. It has appeared on numerous greatest hits albums and was performed on all of Jackson's solo tours.  The music video for "Smooth Criminal" premiered on MTV on October 13, 1988. The video is the centerpiece of the 1988 film Moonwalker. The 1930s influenced setting and Jackson's white suit and fedora pays tribute to the Fred Astaire musical comedy film The Band Wagon. In the video, Jackson and the dancers perform an "anti-gravity lean" that appears physically impossible.  "Smooth Criminal" was re-released in 2006 as a single as a part of Jackson's Visionary: The Video Singles boxset. Rolling Stone ranked the song sixth on their list of the 50 Best Michael Jackson Songs, writing that it was "his best blend of R&B groove and rock edginess, and a turning point in his shift toward darker, harder-edged material".

Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smooth_Criminal

In Memoriam: Fred Astaire Smooth Criminal [The Band Wagon] [August 7, 1953]

 

The D.O.C. It's Funky Enough [August 1, 1989]

 

Busta Rhymes ft. Kendrick Lamar Look Over Your Shoulder [Lyrics] [#Explicit #NSFW] [October 29, 2020]

 

In Memoriam: Michael Jackson Ghosts [December 12, 1996]

In the village of Normal Valley, a small child is scared by the ghost stories and tricks of Maestro [Michael Jackson], a magician who lives on the outskirts of town. The Mayor (also Jackson) leads a group of outraged villagers to Maestro's spooky mansion, where he demands the mysterious outsider leave town. Instead, Maestro challenges the Mayor to a scare-off, delighting the children and parents with a series of tricks and musical numbers, performed with help from some ghosts.

Featured Songs: Is It Scary, 2 Bad, Ghosts

Lila Iké Stars Align [Live Session] [October 29, 2020]

 

DJ Jazzy Jeff Friday Night House Party [Halloween Edition] [#Explicit #NSFW] [Live October 30, 2020] [#ThisIsForTheDJs]

 

UMI [Live October 28, 2020 Afropunk Live Session]

Tierra Umi Wilson [born February 9, 1999] is an American singer and songwriter. Born in Seattle, Washington, she attended the University of Southern California, but dropped out in 2019 in order to pursue music. She is best known for her 2018 song "Remember Me", which has over 50 million streams on Spotify. She also accompanied Conan Gray as an opening act on his Comfort Crowd Tour in 2019.

Wilson was born in Seattle in 1999 to an African-American father and a Japanese mother. Her mother taught her how to read, write, and speak Japanese. Wilson's mother plays piano and her father plays the drums. UMI started writing music when she was 4 or 5, with a songwriting journal. Throughout high school, she was involved in DECA [Distributive Education Clubs of America] and her track team at Tahoma High School in Maple Valley. She then studied at University of Southern California before dropping out in 2019 to pursue music. In high school, she discovered YouTube beats and started writing to tracks. She would record the songs with a USB mic and upload them to SoundCloud and YouTube. She soon started to get copyrighted on SoundCloud by posting covers of other songs. This made her start writing and posting her own originals.

In 2017, UMI released five singles before her four-track debut EP, Interlude. This led to making it onto Spotify’s Fresh Finds Best of 2017 playlist. She opened for rapper ODIE in Los Angeles. UMI's most popular release to date is "Remember Me". She has over 21 million views on YouTube and 53 million plays on Spotify. UMI debuted “Remember Me” with a music video, highlighting universalism by portraying couples of different race, class, and sexual orientation. She said, “the message in the video, for me, is that no matter who you love or how you love, we all hurt the same in the end.”

She released the Balance EP on May 17, 2019, which included the songs “Ordinary” and “Down To Earth.” On October 30, 2019, she released her EP, 'Love Language' On June 21, 2020, she released her EP, "Introspection".

UMI has cited her biggest musical influences as Frank Ocean, D'Angelo, Jhené Aiko and SZA. She grew up listening to R&B, soul, gospel and Japanese pop/rock. UMI has been described by Vogue as having a "lo-fi, alternative, laid back, R&B style".

Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UMI_(singer)

NPR Music Ty Dolla $ign: Tiny Desk [Home] Concert [#Explicit #NSFW] [October28, 2020]

 

H.E.R. Hold On [Live October 27, 2020 Saturday Night Live]

 

H.E.R. Damage [Live October 28, 2020 Jimmy Kimmel Live]

 

In Memoriam: Courtesy San FrancischooL1989: Tupac Shakur Tribute Mix [#Explicit #NSFW]

 

Courtesy Unwrapped: Tupac Tribute Medley [2003]

 

Brandy, Erykah Badu, Teyana Taylor & H.E.R. [#Explicit #NSFW] [Live October 27, 2020 Hip Hop Awards]

 

Courtesy: Cliff Perkins [Generation Of Soul Radio Show, WMEL Radio] Lulu To Sir With Love [Lyrics] [September 1967]

 

Courtesy: Cliff Perkins [Generation Of Soul Radio Show, WMEL Radio] Soul Generation ft. Cliff Perkins One Thing On My Mind [2002]

 

WMEL Radio [Live October 27, 2020]

 

DJ Cassidy Pass The Mic [Volume 3] [October 15, 2020] [#ThisIsForTheDJs]

Earlier this year, when it was clear that 2020 was a year like no other, I was inspired to find a way to help people around the world. Remember the time, when they smiled more. When they sang louder, when they danced harder. I wanted to connect people to their musical heroes in a more intimate way than ever before, and in turn, pay homage to the heroes around the world.

With Pass The Mic: Volume One, I celebrated my heroes of soul music from the 1970s and 1980s. With Pass The Mic: Volume Two, I celebrated my hip hop heroes of the golden era. With Pass The Mic: Volume Three, the celebration of my musical heroes continues.

When I was about six years old, the sounds, energy, and flavor of hip hop transformed R&B forever, and a result, some of the most infectious, most funky, most universal, most classic records were created. If you’re like me, you had a dance routine to every one of these songs.  If you’re like me, you know the words to every one of these songs. If you’re like me, these artists are your heroes too.   So turn your speakers up loud. Turn your speakers up proud. Allow this music take you back to that special place. And remember the time. --- DJ Cassidy

DJ Cassidy Pass The Mic [Volume 2] [August 6, 2020] [#ThisIsForTheDJs]

With PASS THE MIC: VOLUME TWO, in association with Rock The Bells, I hope to continue that tradition, this time by uniting my Hip Hop heroes. You see, without these artists you’re about to see, I do not exist. As a child, they influenced the way I walked, the way I talked, the way I danced, the way I dressed, the way I thought, the way I fought. I am a deejay because of them. I am me, because of them. I am here, because they were there. I am forever grateful to my Hip Hop heroes for their decades of music, culture, urgency, and inspiration, and with them, I celebrate the heroes around the world. --- DJ Cassidy

Billy Lawrence ft. Mc Lyte Come On [1997]

Billy Lawrence [born May 3, 1971, in Boca Raton, Florida] is an American R&B/soul singer-songwriter, record producer and arranger.

In 1992, Lawrence made her start in the music industry as a background singer for Jamaican singer Jimmy Cliff. Not long after she was signed to Eastwest Records when she recorded her debut One Might Say in 1994.  The album was a mixture of R&B, soul, rock, contemporary jazz, and newjack-hiphop. She was also featured on the song "Freedom" on Mario Van Peebles' Panther soundtrack in 1995.  In 1997, Lawrence had the first single and music video from the platinum soundtrack to the film Set It Off with the song "Come On" that featured rapper MC Lyte. Elektra Entertainment released Lawrence's second album Paradise. She was then featured on label-mate Rampage’s debut single "Take It to the Streets". She went on to tour with Busta Rhymes, Rampage and the Flipmode Squad. She made a cameo on Rampage's video for his second single "We Getz Down" with 702. She also released a non-album track as a maxi-single called "Up & Down" which sampled the disco song "The Glow of Love" by Change featuring Luther Vandross as a second single.

After Paradise, Lawrence was featured on the debut album of rapper Mase, Harlem World which had multi-platinum success. Along with her brother Kyra Lawrence she wrote and sang background on Jennifer Lopez's debut album On the 6. She also wrote and sang background for Mariah Carey’s group Allure. Charli Baltimore recruited Lawrence to be on her debut album Cold as Ice on the song "Pull the Alarm". The album was never released. Lawrence also was at the helm of the album from Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes' group Blaque. In 1999 Hinda Hicks covered Lawrence's "Truly" from her debut album One Might Say, and released it as a single from her album Hinda.

In 1999, Lawrence was recording for her next album Too Many Times for Elektra Entertainment during this time. Too Many Times featured producers Poke & Tone, Trackmasters, Darrell "Delite" Allamby, Dallas Austin, and Organized Noise. Lawrence wrote or co-wrote eight out of the 11 songs. She also produced or co-produced five songs. Lawrence also remade Anita Baker's "Fairy Tales". The album was set for a November release date, but was pushed back until eventually Elektra Entertainment shelved the album due to the previous poor performance of the first two albums.  After leaving the label, Lawrence signed with Epic Records, and she wrote and sung background on two songs for label mate, Mandy Moore on her debut album. Moore's debut single "Candy" had Lawrence on background vocals.

Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Lawrence

DJ Cassidy Pass The Mic [Volume 1] [Live October 16, 2020] [#ThisIsForTheDJs]

At the beginning of May, in the heat of the quarantine, I was FaceTiming with my friend and mentor, Verdine White of Earth Wind & Fire. While catching up, Earth Wind’s classic record, “That’s The Way Of The World,” came on my speakers. Hearing that song, while on the phone with Verdine, struck a chord and sent chills down my spine. I thought about how fortunate I was to have relationships with so many of my musical heroes. I wondered if I could find a way to share that special feeling with people, so I sat at my turntables and began Zooming with my favorite Soul artists from the 1970s and 1980s. They each sang along to their classic records, literally passing the mic from one home to the next, in effort to honor and uplift the heroes around the world on the frontlines of health, freedom, and justice. The result was PASS THE MIC, featuring my legendary R&B heroes - Philip Bailey and Verdine White of Earth Wind & Fire, Siedah Garrett, Patrice Rushen, Deniece Williams, Ray Parker Jr, Ricky Bell of New Edition, Bobby Brown, Jeff Redd, Meli'sa Morgan, Robert “Kool” Bell and Khalis Bayyan of Kool & The Gang, Steve Arrington, Marcus Miller, Cheryl Lynn, and Howard Hewett of Shalamar --- DJ Cassidy

Nairobi & The Awesome Foursome Funky Soul Makossa [December 12, 1982]

 

Nairobi & The Awesome Foursome Funky Soul Makossa [Free Beats] [December 12, 1982]

 

H.E.R. Hold On [October 25, 2020]