Oldie Butta GoodieBar: Lola’s Birthday Edition!!

So, today (February 4th) is my birthday – whoop whoop! Although I still went to work and went through all the painful motions of getting up and staying late, I actually had a great day and felt good about being a year older (gasp!) for once. Another year for me means another year of the ChokLit Factory! This means more music, more videos, more album reviews and more reminescing. It also means more blog readers, more discussions and more growth. Most importantly, more growth. I am doing my best to expand the CF and getting more of my over 300+ daily readers more vocal in how I run things. You can also expect more trips and more Region Music features, like the ones we did for Atlanta.

Since it is my birthday, I can listen to whatever I want and today’s choice for an Oldie Butta GoodieBar includes two selections!

First: Donnell Jones – Knock Me Off My Feet.

Stevie Wonder to me, is one of the greatest singers and performers of our (or before my) time. Msost of his work is covered by many artists because it really is that good and that timeless. I came upon Donnell’s song and video for Knock Me Off My Feet a week or so back and haven’t been able to shake it since. I think Donnel has done Stevie so proud with this cover; his voice is effortlessly smooth like velvet. The video is shamefully low budget in an attempt to be artistic. I see they were trying to go for an abstract look, but the song deserved more effort, in my opinion. Check out the video!

Second: UGK feat. Outkast: International Player’s Anthem (I Choose You)

And for my next selection, I wanted to showcase something a little closer to my heart right now. I just turned 27 and my older brother and his girlfriend of 5 years are contemplating settling down, while my mother wonders when I will do the same :S Welllll nothing is in the stars yet for this Aquarius, but I know my brother is feeling the heat to put a ring on it. UGK and Outkast contemplated the idea of marriage in their classic video for their hit song, International Player’s Anthem (I Choose You). Produced by Three Six Mafia’s Dj Paul &  Juicy J, with a video directed by Bryan Barber, the video is a testimony to the absurdity all some men and women associate with marriage. My favourite line: “If that B*tch do you dirty, we’ll wipe her ass out as in detergent“  Classic.

Published in:  on February 5, 2010 at 3:12 am Comments (2)
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Sweet Tooth: Usher – Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home) Video

Usher released the video for his buzz single (now updated to official first single) Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home). This song has grown on me since first hearing it a good month or so ago, so I was excited to finally see the finished product. Usher and director Chris Robinson have a good formula so they once again collaborated for this project.  The video lead, French model Noemie Lenoir plays Usher’s beautiful love interest, who he is eager to come home to, but ends up neglecting near the video’s end (a spoiler?). Meanwhile, Usher is seen rehearsing with a bevy of long-legged rhythic ladies for a show he will be performing. The dance moves are a little less than what I expect from Usher and co, though the ladies do put on a good show. The video aims at giving a more ‘realistic’ insight into the life of an R&B superstar, with many ups and a glimpse of the downs. It will be interesting to see what else Usher has in store for his forthcoming album, Raymond vs. Raymond. Enjoy!

*Sidenote: Although there is a radio remix to Hey Daddy featuring Plies, he was not invited to the party on this one.

Published in:  on February 3, 2010 at 11:25 pm Comments (3)
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Suga & Steez: The 2010 Grammys Award Show

Although I had a great time twittering with my followers on my Twitter Sunday night, overall, the Grammy’s were terribly boring. I had more fun with the AMAs a couple months back. But there were some noticeable highlights on the show.

The Michael Jackson Tribute where Carrie Underwood, Celine Dion, Usher and others sang trubute to the King. Usher was a bit weak on his vocals, but Carrie surprised with some impressing ones.

Image courtesy of JustJared

Jennifer Hudson shows off her post-baby hot body alongside her pipes for the MJ Tribute.

Image courtesy of JustJared

Beyonce wins big at the Grammys, taking home 6 trophies – the most ever won by a female artist in a single night. She preformed a Medley of, If I Were a Boy and Alanis Morisette’s You Oughta Know. I found the performance a bit bland, but Beyonce killed on the vocals, as usual.

Lady Gaga showed up like this but gave a solid performance alongside special guest, Elton John. I liked the overall theme of her show; performance-wise, she never disappoints! She should also be happy she took home two Grammys: Best Electronic Dance Album & Best Dance Recording for Poker Face.

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Published in:  on February 2, 2010 at 11:21 pm Comments (1)
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ChokLitFactory Exclusives: Top R&B Albums of 2009 + Producers of the Year

In addition to the top songs of 2009, we added a list of the top albums as well as the top producers that kept the unique beats coming this year. We are going to keep these lists pretty short & sweet and in no particular order.

Top 10 R&B Albums of 2009

Maxwell – Black MidSummer’s Night

Mariah Carey – Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel

TheDream – Love Vs Money

Chrisette Michelle – Epiphany

R.Kelly – Untitled

Alicia Keys -  The Element of Freedom

Pleasure P – The Introduction of Marcus Cooper

Ryan Leslie – Transition

Trey Songz – Ready

Whitney Houston – I Look to You

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R&B Producers/Songwriters of the Year:

The Dream & Tricky Stewart - These are the official go-to guys for Urban Pop & R&B these days. You want a hit record? You hit up these two. 2009 was no different for the Producing pair who racked up hit records for Fabolous (Throw it in the Bag), Snoop Dogg (Gangsta Love), Rihanna (Hard) and Mariah’s full album. We will definitely be hearing more from this pair in 2010.

Los Da Mystro – One of my favorite producers, Los has recently branched out from doing songs for TheDream, producing R.Kelly’s Like I Do and Trey Songz’ I Invented Sex. You may also remember Los’ work from the Dream’s Walking on the Moon, Rockin That Sh*t and My Love.

Ryan Leslie - Not only is Ryan Leslie an incredibly gifted artist and songwriter, he is an amazing producer as well. Aside from producing his dedicated work on Transition, Leslie has also contributed tracks to Chris Brown’s Famous Girl and Mary J. Blige’s Said and Done for 2009.

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Published in:  on January 29, 2010 at 1:14 am Comments (2)
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Milk Dudd: Mariah’s two new videos with Nikki Minaj & Ne-Yo

As much as I love me some Mariah *straighface* , I had to name this post Milk Dudd. Last month I reported that Mariah would be releasing a remix album to her Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel album that was a solid effort but failed to catch on commercially. Next I heard, Def Jam was cutting the strings on promotions for Angel, but would still move forward with the Remix project. They released Up Out My Face feat. Nikki Minaj and Angels Cry feat. Ne-Ye  some weeks back. Now we have the videos to accompany the music. Ummmm the jury’s out for me on this project – it is getting the side-eye from me. Nick Cannon directed both videos…and it looks like Mariah possibly paid for both videos. Mariah and Nikki are definitely very cute and animated, bringing life to their song. With Angels Cry however, I couldn’t get past the first minute…without yawning. See what you guys think.

*Sidenote: I wonder how Nikki’s album is coming along. She is EVERYWHERE these days!

Mariah feat. Nikki Minaj – Up Out My Face Video

Mariah feat. Ne-Yo – Angels Cry Video

Published in:  on January 28, 2010 at 1:17 am Comments (1)
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ChokLitFactory Exclusives: Top 25 Songs of 2009 Part II

So we hit you with the first 15 hot ones of 2009, and now we have the top 15. This group of songs are a bit more uptempo and more well-known songs from either veteran artists or  newcomers who broke through with a hit record. Included in the list of newcomers is Keri Hilson who rose from her role as a resident songwriter to being a resident hit -maker and artist. Melanie Fiona also made a name for herself in 2009, hoping to make an even bigger name for herself in 2010. But instead of me spoiling the suspense, keep reading the find out who makes it to number one!

14. The Dream – Rockin’ that Shit – TheDream is another artist who had a great year professionally and personally. Not only did he marry his pregnant sweetie, Christina Milian, he was promoted over at Def Jam due to his ability to score hits for Def Jam’s many artists. In 2010 TheDream will release his last solo album *tear* Love King. Rockin That Shit was the ish when it was released early last year. Heavy syths and a thumping bass complement Terius’ soft vocals. TheDream can create a melody like a beast and this song exhibits this. And if you don’t remember, the remix to this song was even better.

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13. K’Jon – Oceans – Detroit native K’Jon scored a big hit with his serene feel-good song Oceans. In it, K’Jon uses the metaphor of sailing with reaching one’s goals and happiness in life. A very nice song, with some nice vocals from K’Jon.

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12. Keri Hilson, Kanye West & Ne-Yo – Knock you Down – We predicted this song would be Keri’s last chance to hit it big and that’s just what happened. Knock You Down is Keri’s biggest hit to date, in North America and abroad. Alongside the Chris Robinson-directed video with guests Kanye and Ne-Yo making appearances, this song helped solidify Keri as a force in the Industry to be reckoned with.

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11. Dirty Money – Love Come Down – Diddy has really been feeling himself musically lately. While working on his latest album, Last Train to Paris, he hooked up with former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard and singer/songwriter Kaleena to form the group, Dirty Money. Since their formation, the group has been releasing some really promising music, the best being Love Come Down, a homage to the Total days of Bad Boys with Kaleena providing some sexy vocals over a banging beat and a Jay-Z sample from H to the Izzo.

Keep reading for the remainder of the list!

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Published in:  on January 26, 2010 at 2:10 am Comments (3)
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ChokLitFactory Exclusives: Top 25 Songs of 2009 – PART I

The wait is OVA! We finally have the long-awaited LIST of 2009 for all you ChokLit fiends haha!

2009 was a decent year for R&B music and Urban artists. Unfortunately, we did not see a lot of new roads being paved or new acts breaking through, though  artists like K Michelle, Young Steff and K’Jon made some decent headway. 2009 was really the year of the veterans. Maxwell hit us back just like he said he would with a much anticipated album, Ne-Yo showed the us how to be a Gentleman, Mimi showed us she was imperfect, Alicia fell in love while R.Kelly came back for his crown. Meanwhile, in the Urban/Pop world, Rihanna brought some heat, Beyonce maintained her crown, TheDream survived the sophomore slump, while Ryan Leslie quietly retained his genius. Lets get on with the list already! Let me know your thoughts on these!

25. Charlie Wilson – There Goes My Baby – Besides the homemade tribute to Snoop Dogg and his wife’s marriage, Charlie Wilson lands the perfect song for his syrupy drawl for this hit song. Originally written by Babyface and recorded by Calvin Richardson, Charlie definitely does the song justice.

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24. Musiq Soulchild – So Beautiful – Musiq managed to lie mostly under the radar this year with the release of his album Onmyradio during the end of 2008. I blame his lead single Radio that didn’t go over well with fans. Luckily, So Beautiful was that type of song that his fans were waiting for. One of those feel good, chill & reminisce songs. So Beautiful is a great addition to Musiq’s catalog.

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23. Ne-Yo – Never Knew I Needed – During an impromptu interview about the meaning of the title song to The Princess & the Frog movie, Ne-Yo explains, “It is about two people who feel like they know what they want…know what they need in life, then realize through meeting each other that they don’t know what they need…the realization becomes that what they need is love and they find that with each other“. That is a pretty spot-on description of the relationship of the two main characters from the movie. Ne-Yo writes and performs the song and does a very good job writing a clean, PG-rated song with substance. The soundtrack to the film was released in November 2009.

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22. K Michelle – Fakin’ it – Memphis-bred K Michelle has made a bit of a presence for herself oh the Mixtape circuit with songs like Self-Made featuring Gucci Mane, but her standout track has been Fakin’ It. It features Missy Elliot as a musical co-signer and is produced by up-and-coming production team Hitz Committee. In the song, K Michelle sings about faking ‘it’ for the man she loves but who is clearly clueless in the bedroom. The message is not Choklit-approved, but the song is dope!

*Sidenote: Here is some footage of K Michelle doing a stripped-down performace that showcases her talent. This is an Artist!!! Great voice!

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21. Young Steff – Slow Jukin’ – Even though newcomer Young Steff had a serious hit on his hands with this song, and we  sung our praises for the young 20 year old dancer/singer, his career did not really jump off as we had hoped. Still, Young Steff has a bright future ahead of him. Slow Jukin is that song them 16 year olds be playing while slow-grinding on each other, tryin to act all grown. While all the 25 year olds would get their grind on behind closed doors ;)

Keep reading!!

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Published in:  on January 25, 2010 at 1:30 am Comments (2)
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Hot ChokLit: 50 Cent & Governor Mix up a HIT!

I’ve been gushing about this song and video for so long, I forgot to actually post on it : P I know you all must have seen the video or at least heard the song by now so let’s discuss the Highs & Lows!

Highs: 5o and newcomer Governor (previously signed with T.I’s Grand Hustle Ent) bring the SEXY! *Whew* Most former 50 haters can’t hate on his new grill and his buff but lean physique. Also 50’s confidence oozes through the screen…I’ll stop now. No, I’ll continue. I will be doing a feature on Governor, my new-found favourite new Artist. Governor’s small part singing part on the song’s hook and bridge were enough to keep me interested in the song.

Lows: Poor Vivica. Yes she redeemed herself recently by stepping out in Atlanta with her new, younger man. But the first time I saw this video I shook my head and said, Vivica, you played yourself!

Highs: Chris Robinson directs a visually appealing, urbanized and slick video. With some eye candy courtesy of video vixen Tahiry and actress Tamala Jones and an artistic scene where 50 and his G-unit soldiers nod their black fitteds to the beat, the video is seamless and original.

Lows: The story suffers a bit at the end when Vivica blows up the building 50 is in…yet he appears at the end of the video only to wipe her tears….mmmm ok… Governor looks good in his scene :)

Published in:  on January 20, 2010 at 1:17 am Comments (3)
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Pour a Lil’ ChokLit Liquor: R.I.P Teddy Pendergrass

On January 13th, 2010, we lost one of the great R&B performers of the genre, Teddy Pendergrass. To the hip hop generation (myself included), Pendergrass was often associated with T-Pain antics (“Teddy Bend-her-ass-down”) and Jaheim, to whose voice many say compares to Teddy’s. His famous song Wake Up Everybody, who he performed alongside his band Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, has been covered many times by other artists, including when it was re-recorded by Babyface for the 2004 Democratic Presidential campaign. Pendergrass also recorded the massive hit, If You Don’t Know Me By Now with his band before splitting from them and going solo.

Once solo, Pendergrass became a renowned sex symbol, performing hit songs Close the Door, Turn off the Lights and my favourite, Love TKO. At the peak of his success, Pendergrass suffered a car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down in 1982. This was a fact I had no idea of! Thanks Wikipedia!

Teddy definitely brought the sexy back in his heyday and was one of the founders of R&B sex symbols that we wish we know today. His voice was velvety and smooth with a baritone that make most women clench their loins #toomuchinformation Enjoy my favourite Teddy Pendergrass song Love TKO below. May he rest in peace!

Published in:  on January 18, 2010 at 1:59 am Leave a Comment
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Butta of the Week: Omarion – Speedin’ video

After releasing two hip hop-themed buzz singles, Omarion has finally released the real R&B track we were hoping for.  Well, its more of a pop & B collabo, but still a good one.

In Speedin’, Omarion sings about a love gone wrong and trying his hardest to get back into his lover’s heart again. The music is dramatic with the help of  drums, an electric guitar and screeching tire effects throughout the song. Omarion gives a stirring vocal performance that makes you wonder why he didn’t release this song as his lead single. Ollusion is in stores right now! Go cop that ish!

Published in:  on at 1:11 am Comments (1)
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