zilla rocca’s CLAP COWARDS

I’ve read tons of articles and blog posts about Hot Chip.  I never really got into all the hoopla until I heard their cover of Snoop Dogg’s “Sensual Seduction.”  Snoop’s version is the coolest thing a rapper with such a pimpalicious persona has ever done.  The video is brilliant, especially when he’s wearing the bonnet like Prince/working women during World War II while chewing on a vocoder tube.  “Gin and Juice” seems light years ago in comparison.

Hot Chip’s cover of “Sensual Seduction” is different in that they remove the intentional hilarity of a former LBC gangbanger making a cheesy electro R&B jam and focus on the matter at hand–getting those panties off!  It’s really hard to think that guys looking like this can pull women from the same pool as Snoop though:

Anyway, Hot Chip’s cover of “Sensual Seduction” is a slow burner built on a breezy guitar and some Roland drums.  There’s no real payoff–it’s ambient, meditative.  It would work in a makeout session as the song that soundtracks going from 1st to 2nd base.  Fellas, go your TIm Raines on:

http://www.zshare.net/audio/13230120470421fd/

…….

The early 90s were a great time in R&B because some of the biggest acts were so enamored with knockin’ da boots or wearing product in their hair that it didn’t yet occur to them to rip off whatever was big in rap music.  Sure, some of the lyrics were trashy, but dammit some of these guys had CLASS!

Shai was one of the few groups that didn’t make you think one of them had herpes.  Sure they ripped off Boyz II Men’s vocal stylings, but “If I Ever Fall in Love” is better than just about anything on Cooley High Harmony sans “Motown Philly,” including Michael Bivins’ “consulting” fees.  Oh and the guy wearing the neon green hoodie–is that the first Bape outfit ever captured on film? 

Here’s the link for Shai’s “If I Ever Fall in Love”:

http://www.zshare.net/audio/132304133b801bf3/

……

Finally, we have a song from Bilal’s sophmore album which has never seen the light of day.  Bilal is the most interesting singer to come of the Neo-Soul era (’99-’02) because point blank, dude scares me.  For real.  If I saw him in person, I’d hide in a broom closet.  There’s something about him that terrifies me–he looks a panther or a puma.  He’s definitely more of a Rated-R guy than the dude from the PG-13 movie everyone really hope makes it (to quote Michael Scott, “Swingers.  It starred Jon Favareau and the tall guy from Dodge Ball”).

Anyway, the guy’s got some pipes.  It’s been a joy to hear him contribute to songs by Jay-Z, the Clipse, Common, Dilla, Badu and more the past few years.  His first album wasn’t too bad, and “Soul Sista” is still thick and chunky 7 years later.  But what really excited me was hearing this song “Something to Hold On To” from his unreleased second album Love For Sale.  Jay Electronica recently rhymed over it for his demo, and I’m pretty sure Mr. Porter of D12 produced it.  Bilal’s version is phenomenal–arching, string-heavy, soulful, and modern.  Bilal is like the Kenna of R&B in that artists and industry insiders love the guy but he can’t catch a break from a major label.  Sigh…

Check out Bilal’s “Something to Hold On To” than write nasty emails to Jimmy Iovine demanding Bilal’s second album:

http://www.zshare.net/audio/1323074856759e34/

………

Buy Hot Chip’s music here
Buy Shai’s music here
Buy Bilal’s music here

“Love is like the measels: we all have to go through it”–Jerome K. Jerome