Category: Music

I just want to let everyone know that this 30-Day Music Challenge is really bringing me joy. Thanks to everyone who has participated, commented, and read about all of the drama surrounding my picks. Your tolerance is greatly appreciated. On Day 16, I’m picking one of my favorite songs from a movie. When I’m home spending time with my mom and sister, we all fall into our own little domestic roles. In my case, said roles includes managing the Bluetooth speaker in the house and the aux cord when we’re…

We are moving closer to the halfway point of the 30-Day Music Challenge. Today, I get to share a dope song that features my favorite artist. It has been only a few months since I made the conscious decision to determine my Top Five. I have always been of the mindset that “I like what I like.” Anyone who knows me personally has probably seen me adamantly refuse to answer the “who’s your favorite rapper” line of questioning that I often get from (male) strangers. As I grow older, it has become…

Critics rip apart the music I love for glorifying drugs, killing and the general gangsta mentality. While a case can be made, either way, I will always defend hip-hop because the genre is filled with misinterpreted cautionary tales. Not to mention, glamorized gangsterism dominated pop culture long before hip-hop came along. On Day 18 of the 30-Day Music Challenge, I picked a song from my birth year that gave fair warning to the youth about the consequences of choosing a life of crime. Slick Rick’s 1988, “Children’s Story” may be…

I am sick and tired of being called a millennial. In some ways it's become a derogatory term, used to classify young people as strange, whiny and weak. I have to admit that I use the term here and there when more sophisticated words fail me. For example: I'm currently visiting a friend and her fiancé in Queens and their apartment is beyond beautiful. There is lots of chrome on everything and there are big windows everywhere. Not to mention, her fiancée did his thing on the decor. After waking…

Today, I'm going to cut a few corners by referring you to a Mother's Day tribute I did with the GrungeCake team a few years back. Call me a cheater, but today is a song that reminds you of your mother, and I can't think of one any different then the one I chose before. So check out Songs That Remind Us of Our Mothers on GrungeCake and then comment and tell me what song reminds you of your mom.

Day 21. We are almost halfway through the 30-Day Music Challenge. The music gods gave us unlimited choices today. There are almost as many songs with a person’s name in the title as there are people with names.  Don’t Google it. Just go with it. I have a few favorite songs with a person’s name in the title and those favorites stretch across a few different genres. I decided to veer a little from the instructions by picking a song that isn’t necessarily a favorite.  In fact, I try to stay…

There is more than one kind of motivation.  Most days, I don’t have too much trouble getting out of bed. While my schedule is flexible, I typically still get to work on time.  This 30-Day Music Challenge is helping me stay motivated to write. My employer might describe me as a self-starter.  That’s not always the case when it comes to exercise. To my credit, I only really need the motivation to actually get up and go to the gym or the running trail. Once I get there, I’m good…

Can I rub you the wrong way for a moment? Truthfully, I don’t need your permission.  If you’re still reading, I’ll consider that consent. On Day 23, I must choose a song that I think everyone should listen to. I’ll do my best to set this one up so you can understand me. You might be offended. That’s the bottom line. Pastor Troy’s “Vica Versa” will undoubtedly challenge the more traditional, Christian ways of thinking. On this record, Pastor Troy threatens to make you use your time. Then, he makes good…

Let me start by telling you something that you probably already know: The 90s was rich with bands and groups. When deciding on my selection for Day 24- A song by a band or group you wish was still together—it was tough to determine which groups actually broke up, and which groups simply aren’t recording anymore. If streaming was a determinant in those days, one album would have been certified diamond based on the number of spins it got in my mother’s house alone.  That woman played Brownstone’s From The…

I just finished reading Original Gangstas: The Untold Story of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, and the Birth of West Coast Rap, by Ben Westhoff. Filled with interesting stories about the pioneers of west coast hip-hop, the book served as my nightly entertainment for almost two months. Westhoff’s storytelling created a huge FBI-like map with little red strings connecting everyone involved in the west side connection (not to be confused with the group). It wasn’t until today that I realized that one of the artists’ accolades only amounted…