The Urban Retro Playlist

As I've done in previous times I would do this again; I make a list of the albums I've listened to Completely in a year. I really like to keep track of music I've listened to, because I listen to a lot and I tend to Ignore or forget about some of it unintentionally. 

Jay-Z is someone that's been around for a very longtime, his understanding of his genre is pretty much unparalleled to none. You don't really need to be a fan to tell, the kind of success he's been able to amass is incredible; the connections at his disposal, the artist he's been able to bring up, the ones under his control among other lucrative ventures.
I've done a lot of musical research and  when it comes to hip-hop he's mention in numerous circles and has had strong influence on a lot of the present artists in this genre. And has that stopped him from making more music? No it hasn't, though obviously he hasn't been as dominant in recent times he's been able to still make his presence felt on a number of features while still trying to revolutionize music in form of his own streaming service.
What I like most about Jay Z is his charisma. Yes you might say its fundamental for every artist to have this but his is just different I don't think there's a way to explain it. When you hear him you just know its him. Also, his ties with Kanye West is worth a mention, he has contributed to a lot of his tracks in one way or another and they have their own peculiar story which I would go into another time. So here are some of my favourite Jay Z songs from over the years;

Davido emergence to the spotlight has been considerably different from other individuals.
A short while after he burst in to the scene he was able to cement his place among the most recognized in the Nigerian mainstream music industry. Though having just one album at the moment, he has been able to release dozens of hits and he has collaborated with number of artists in the continent and around the globe.
He's considered a hit maker and has proved this over the last few years, since his mega hot Dami Duro was released he has not looked back releasing more and more hit.
You know that moment when you want to do that fire dance playlist, Asin that one when you need ginger to move the one with the Afro beats you just have to have Davido on it. You can as the DJ's or any party rider around you they would tell you. So here is a playlist of some of my favorite Davido songs, hope you find some of yours on here too.

I'm going to start by saying I've been listening to Omari for give or take three years, though the style/approach might change the message is still the same. He's one of the only new school, urban Nigerian conscious rappers I really listen too. His music is too content filled. Recently he released a new project; No Mans Sorrow which is still in line with his first mixtape.
I remember the first song by him I heard "Church Is For The Wild", then listening to subsequent songs and how his sound has improved from that point. His music is usually heavily sampled cutting across various genres of music and sometimes not even music. He's almost always sending a message with the music be it creating awareness, educating individuals about day to day vices, the arts and so much more.
This article wouldn't be complete without mentioning his long standing partnership or relationship with his producer CODED who has been present and played a pivotal role in every project Omari has released till date. He has released over twenty different songs that they have worked on together.
Omari is not just a musician but an artist, as his music is well arranged and  designed in a particular way that's pretentious but in a good way I guess . Also, he does the designs for his album artworks and his digital booklets and trust me they are really high end.
I can talk continually talk about the artist in focus, I mean I haven't even really talked about the music or the skits he's done but I've got to conclude. I would say you should listen to Omari and he would take you on several journeys. So here are some of my favorite songs by him, enjoy!

I wonder how Chris Brown is still just 26 and he's been around soooo long, I mean howw?
That's posterity right there, I mean he's found a way to just remain relevant irrespective of the way he's chosen to do that. Though he has tarnished his squeaky clean image, people seem to love his bad boy phase even more.
The area that concerns me most is his music with everything that my be going on with him he finds his way to consistently drop new projects that are just "bam". There was the dance phase were he had songs like kiss kiss, wall to wall the more emotional songs like don't judge me, no air, deuces and a lad of smash hits that I don't know where to start mentioning from.
So Ive selected randomly some of my favorite songs by and that include Chris from over the years, hope you enjoy.

I didn't want to do this playlist until I listened to his first album Son Of A Kapenta, well I have now and I'm kinda indifferent about it or maybe I just don't really get it yet, then I really like that Omoge Campus song but that's just by the way. His songs especially from his last two albums; Merchants, Dealers & Slaves and Tabula Rasa have clearly defined themes or a particular direction which he was able to continually thread on contrary to what most may think his is actually difficult to pull off. Also, his sound has become more and more congruous as he progresses and not like overly commercial harmonies.He has this traditional sound he's been able to retain as he's been moving forward. Then the guy is just too Yoruba always on all these proverbs and wise sayings, I guess that's something that makes the music even more interesting. Most of all his songs instrumentals usually consist live instruments like trumpets, drums, gongs and the likes. Also, after listening to his albums I guess I understand better why he had problems with his former label, I guess I was oblivious to a lot of things but now a number of those things have become clearer. Finally, I would be compiling some of my favorites from his albums.

I'm not sure if  I've done anything similar to this but what the hell. Jesse Jagz has become one of my favorite Nigerian artist in the last couple of years. He actively returned to the music scene late in 2013 with an album different from the music he had been doing and he released a follow up to that album the next year. If you've been able to listen to his three albums you should be able to spot the way his sound has taken a different and more intense form. I haven't listened to the Chocolate City album that was released earlier this year to check out what his done this year, but I've heard Summer Time so yeah and that's a really cool joint. I hope he drops a new project soon, I mean he's probably been working on some new sounds. So im going to be looking through the years how his sound has changed with the following songs.

Arguably the best rapper to have come out of Nigeria and I guess it's Safe to add in the whole of Africa. He really changed the hip-hop game in Nigeria, though he developed a more commercial approach eventually his wit and overall delivery cannot be overlooked.
 I was sad about his long inactivity but he dropped a really cool album last year so man cant complain. So im going to put up some of my favorite songs by MI from over the years.

I'm going to start by saying I actually don't have a specific reason why I like Schooboy unlike other artist but I just do. I mean when you mention him two this come to my mind; His XXL freshmen freestyle and The first song off Habits and Contradictions Sacreligious. I really like the way he has his own thing going on and it just work to well for him. So im going to look list some of my favorite  songs by him from Setbacks to Oxymoron

If you've been reading the URP for a while I you might know i'm into Miguel's kind of vibes and I listened to the EP he released late last year ( btw all those songs appeared on his New album Wildheart which is my current soundtrack). So I've listened to his three official albums and can really see how his sound has evolved while still maintaining his deeply sensual vibes. So I've selected 10 really cool songs by him I like from his older projects to the latest one he dropped this year.
I hope you enjoy this playlist.

Anytime I turned on the radio around this period all I hear was UB 40, UB 40, UB 40. It was on for like a month. Then like a week to the show I was given a ticket to attend the event. I actually didn't know who they were and didn't know if they were really worth the hype. So I went into my closet and got out my Sherlock Holmes Hat (Yes I have a Sherlock Holmes hat, cant you pay attention to whats really important though) and my laptop to familiarize my self with the band and found out they were a British Reggae band and checked up a few of their songs and Red, Red Wine became my jam.

Well back to the concert. I cannot remember what was happening when a group of white guys who we apparently fed up with the other acts and the organizers for putting UB40 last. It seemed like it would take forever for them to come up and the were the ones they came to actually see. It was around past one I guess when they (mostly the white people) began to chant impatiently for them to bring UB40 to the stage and before you know it the presenter just came up and bounced who ever was performing or was to perform next and introduced the next group performing as UB 40.
 The screams of the audience became louder and even louder as appeared on the stage with their
instruments. The screaming went on for a while even after the band were set up and prepared to play.
After what seemed like forever everyone settled down and they began to play. The group consisted of a guitar player, saxophonist, a lead singer and a rapper (I guess I can call him that). These guys performed for a long time, I like after thirty minutes. But not before they performed my Jam Red, Red Wine. They really knew their instruments and during their performance it seemed like their supporters were just emerging from every where and sang along to almost every song they did.
As I was leaving they performed this hit  I Cant Help Falling In Love now this is another jam by the way, as thought of how I was going to to stay at work in the morning the next day because it was around two o'clock in the morning.
But above everything it was a really nice experience, hopefully I would attend much more interesting concerts and would write more on my experience. But until then I hope you enjoyed this piece.
I guess I forgot to mention it was a concert held by Classic FM  actually.


Images from thenet.ng

So yeah like I said it was a classic/oldies concert  so yeah it was mostly guys that were kinda old that
performed. Uhm so when the presenter called up the next act which 9ice the crowd began to come alive, I guess this was when the show really got started. The crowed received him so well I think he was the most relevant Nigerian artist that performed on the night.
He started up slow and performed strictly the hits mostly from his 2004 album  you know Street Credibility, Gbamu Gbamu and so on. The crowd was really into it, I could see a lot of people started to sing along moving their heads to the beat the seemed to be enjoying themselves. Then Gongo Aso came on a portion of the audience just lost it. People got up singing on top of their voices dancing and stuff, I didn't know older people could turn up this much. I was genuinely surprised the crowd pretty much performed this song, 9ice was cool for most of the performance.

For the next three posts i'm going to talk about three song from a concert I attended that held in February last year. It was of mostly oldies but it was the only opportunity I had to see a concert at the time (I don't get out so much, so if your in Lagos and you have extra concert ticket please hook your boy up) and it was even more fun than I imagined it would be.
I would start by saying Brandy is an amazing performer, my gosh the way she did her thing on the day was mind blowing. Maybe there was something in the air that day but She performed over ten songs, I don't mean like just lip syncing kind of performance or just regular singing nah! She went all out you could hear hear actual voice, you could see how herself and her dancers were in sync almost all through her dance routines. I can only imagine the amount of practice she must have put in for the performance and I can genuinely say she was worth every penny I paid.

You know that one guy that does that amazing song but just can come up with another hit?
I've heard a few of those types of songs lately and I wondered what could have really happen to this person that they were unable to follow up? There were a number of reasons that came up in my mind before I eventually shook it off my mind. So I decided to think back and make a playlist of some one hit wonders I can remember. Enjoy!

This Is Why I'm Hot - M.I.M.S
Sexy Can I - Ray J
Say Ok - Vanessa Hudgens
Replay - IYAZ
I Love College -Asher Roth
Lori Le - X-Project
Alanta - Artquake
Teach Me How To Dougie - Cali Swag District
Hold Yuh - Gyptian

The black eyed peas have been around for quiet a while, they've been kinda on and off with members Will.I.Am and Fergie sometimes pursuing their own successful solo careers. The have various sounds but most recently and notable is their EDM era and the album The E.N.D. They enjoyed the most success and were very prominent around the release of this album.
Prior to The E.N.D album they were more like a hip-hop group and began to evolve their sound adding elements of R&B, Pop and Electro to their sound. This was a move that really paid off nicely for them. I remember saying they've been around a while, they have been around over 15 years and have won numerous awards including several Grammy's. Well I'm going to just stop here and go on with the playlist.

If you didn't know or hear about the Numb/Encore mashup with Linkin Park and Jay-Z either you're a little too young or you're from another planet. That mash-up was just crazy and  it spread everywhere; it was on TV, in video games radio it really went round, that was what initially brought my attention to the rock band Linkin Park.
Sometime in the future I met a very close friend of mine who is a very big fan of rock music (I mean actual rock) so he influenced me I guess. But Linkin Park are amazing and I think what I find appealing about their music is the way their rhythm is its almost like they are rapping sometimes.
 So I would be going ahead with the Linkin Park 5 Playlist.

The way I started listening to the band we're focusing on today was through a TV show I can't even remember which one it was but the scene I was watching was just too epic then this the song just came on and snatched my attention. Sadly I've only fully listened to two of their albums;

I'm going to start by saying bounced back after some years of inactivity was amazing they haven't died down since. The most recognizable member of their band, Adam Levine has also enjoyed a lot of individual success and is pretty much the face of the band. The pop/rock band was originally called Kara's Flowers but changed their name along the way and I prefer Maroon five. They have a lot of catchy songs an they using love related songs if i can put it that way. There are so many songs by them I really like, but I can only list 5 and here they are:

On today's edition of the Group 5 playlist we have South African House Band Mi Casa, whose members are:Dr. Duda, J'Something & Mo-T. They give off this rhythm and soul-ish vibe and they are fond of using actual instruments which I like.
I always knew they had nice song but I never really payed much attention to them till recently when I got their full album and im must say it was really cool and some of the songs have just been doing it for me. Here are my actual 5 faves from their album Su Casa:

For the next couple of days im going to be dropping playlists consisting of 5 songs I really like done by different Bands or Musical groups. Today's features British rock band Coldplay whose Lead Singer is Chris Martin whose been featured by several other artists. Other members of the band are Guy Berryman, Will Champion & Jonny Buckland. I wouldn't say I picked my favorite songs precisely because they have so many amazing songs I guess i just picked the ones that first came to mind.

The song of the day is by the rap group Slaughterhouse from the 2011 album Our House, that one a really crazy album I mean everyone killed it: Joel Ortiz, Royce, Crooked eye and Joe Budden. Also, Eminem featured on a number of songs among other Hip Hop artists.
I digress but back to the topic; this song particularly is my favorite from the album. I would begin by saying it brings back memories, it opened my eyes to other difficulties others have faced and helped me overcome a difficult period of my life.
I don't know who did the chorus but it sounded like a male voice and there were back up female voices(I should get the digital booklet soon) and it was slower than the normal Slaughterhouse tempo. Each member of the group had a verse to express their present emotional state, to reminisce about the times they had and memories of the ones they lost no matter how short it was. Each person had a different story, a different experience but the common thing between them was overcoming and saying goodbye to the times they had and the ones they had lost.
Not to be too "emo" I think it was actually a wonderful rendition; almost poetic even.
I do recommend you give it a listen and it would make a lot more sense if you follow the stories that are told.

For me this is a day dedicated to remember fond memories that continually linger in my mind of someone I lost.  May your memories live on in our hearts.

Remember all my Lil' Wayne talk from the last Lil Wayne playlist,
I must have mention that he was one of the most featured artist at a point.
So i'm going to be mentioning some really cool songs that he has featured in.

Sweetest Girl by Wyclef
I Can Transform Ya by Chris Brown
Into You By Jenifer Lopez
Girls All Around The World by Lloyd
Down by Jay Sean
Brown Paper Bag by DJ Khaled
Duffle Bag Boy by Playaz Circle
No Love by Eminem
Unstoppable by Drake
Soldier Remix by Destiny's Child
Make It Rain by Fat Joe

I'm actually a fan of Rihanna's music and I really liked her sneaker game before she went and joined Puma.With an album long over due I guess I have to make do with the the songs presently available. So I decided to  make a playlist with some of my favorite songs by Rihanna.
Hope you enjoy!

Pon De Replay
Whats My Name featuring Drake
Please Don't Stop The Music
Take A Bow
Unfaithful
Man Down
Te Amo
Hard featuring Young Jeezy
Rude Boy
Lost In Paradise
Four Five Seconds featuring Kanye West & Paul McCartney

I'm gonna be looking at how J.Cole's music has evolved within recent years.
Fun fact: J.Cole has dropped a new project each year since 2009. He started with Friday Night Light and in 2014 he dropped 2014 Forest Hills Drive.
What really motivated me to do this particular playlist was I watched him on Letterman, I realized he
had a lot of songs and I actually really like him a lot.
So im going to list some of my favorites songs by him, starting from the newer songs and ending with his older songs. Enjoy!

Apparently
Fire Squad
Mo Money
Land of The Snakes
Nobody's Perfect featuring Missy Elliot
Daddy's Litle Girl
Killers
How High
Cost Me A Lot
2 Face
Grown Simba
I Get Up

I'm going to start by saying this is a man with a lot of songs, I have about 8 projects by him and that isn't even complete.
So off my head I decided to compile the songs I really like by Kendrick then put it in one fully packed playlist. Here it goes:

6'7
Hii Power
Poetic Justice featuring Drake
Ab Souls Outro featuring Ab Soul
Opposites Attract featuring Javonte
She Needs Me featuring Javonte
Cartoons & Cereal featuring Gunplay
Famous Pipe Gane featuring Ab Soul
Alright
Average Joe
Hol Up
Growing Apart featuring Jhene Aiko
Rigamortous
How Much A Dollar Cost
Tammy's Song

Obviously Eva Alordiah is the most noticeable Nigerian female rap act, I used to be a big fan but for some reason she has started loosing the grip she had on me. So I decided to look back at her music how it has been able to develop to this point. A lot of good memories I must add and really cool songs as well. Hope this gets to an Eva fan out there, Enjoy!
Down Low featuring Shank
I Done Did It
Crazy featuring Sauce Kid
High
Biggie Biggie
Mercy
Lights Out
Deaf
Shuga
War Coming
Back From The High

The song of the day is by Falz "the bad guy" featuring Yemi Alade and POE from The Wazup Guy album . This was one of if not my best Nigerian song last year.
There are various reasons why I like the song one of then being it addresses one of the serious problems in the Nigerian society which is rushed marriages. Though more common to women, when around a particular age pressure begins to mounted upon such individual to get married. Women are lead to believe that they cannot be considered successes if they don't just get married.
The song shows how a lady was trying to force marriage on any guy that tried to create a relationship with her. She compared her present relationships to expectations, past relationships and other peoples situations.
The song is one that anyone can really vibe to and essentially sends a message.
As usually Falz sounded humorous while passing his message across, Poe entered the song so well and the chorus was nicely taken by Yemi Alade. This song mixed very diverse Nigerian new school sounds so well.

Yes it been a long break for me but finally i'm back. So I decided to pick several heavy hip hop hits from different times, some of them bring good memories while others I got to listen to long after they were released. The songs are majorly throwback songs, they are a reminder of how hip hop used to be. Hip Hop has really evolved.

Dirt Off Your Shoulder by Jay-Z
Go Dj by Lil Wayne
One Mic by Nas
Changes by 2 Pac
Easy To Please by Drake
My Band by Eminem
How We Do by 50 Cent
One Blood by The Game
Hustlin' by Rick Ross
My President Is Black by Jeezy
Dangerous by Busta Rhymes

I realized recently that I actually don't listen to a lot of female artist but then I started to think "which female kinda throwback songs did I listen to?" Then the just started to pour down so I compiled just a few of them.

Hips Don't Lie ft Wyclef by Shakira
Single Ladies by Beyoncé
Poker Face by Lady Gaga
Long Way To Go by Cassie
Knock You Down Featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo by Keri Hilson
What's My Name featuring Drake by Rihanna
Call Me Maybe Carly Rae Jepson
Price Tag by Jessie J
Titanium by Sia
Waking Up In Vegas by Katy Perry
Fun House by Pink

I can't exactly remember what made me compile this playlist, but I started and eventually completed it with my very good friend AY. We considered a few things and really had fun while we were at it. The playlist consists of really big Nigerian hits from different times and different artists.

Yahoozee by Olu Maintain
Do Me by P-Square
Why Me by D Banj
Kiss Your Hand Featuring R2Bees by Wande Coal
Kon Ko Below by Lagbaja
Ijoya By Weird MC
Oleku Featuring Brymo by Ice Prince
Mr Endowed featuring Snoop Dogg & Don Jazzy by D'Banj
Dami Duro by Davido
Safe Featuring Djinee by MI
Gongo Aso by 9ice
Holla At Your Boy by Wiz Kid
You Done Hit My Car by Tony Tetuilla
Oliver Twist by D Banj
Imagine that by Style-plus

In the spirit of the whole playlist thing I've been doing so far I just decided to compile a couple of random really cool Nigerian songs. It also just fits the kind of day I've had.
Again by Brymo
Confessions by OZone
Girl I Used To Know by Darey
African Queen By 2Face
No One Like You by P-Square
Imagine That by Styl Plus
Strong Thing by Banky W
Bibanke by Asa
Rich and Famous by Praiz
Tonight by Burna Boy

Well for some reason unknown to me I'm in love with Jhené Aiko, don't even ask cause really I don't know. I've also noticed that she gets featured on a number of hip hop tracks so decided to make a playlist of only songs she was featured in. Enjoy!

Sparks Will Fly by J.Cole
Pink Toes by Childish Gambino
Drunk Texting by Chris Brown
Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe by Kendrick Lamar
Black Majik by Common
From Time by Drake
I Know by Big  Sean
Post To Be by Omarion
Sex Drive by Schoolboy Q
Growing Apart (To Get Closer) by Kendrick Lamar

Before the problems they faced Mo Hits was a force to reckon with in Nigerian music. They just rolled out hit after hit after hit. I mean I really don't know hat they injected that Don Jazzy  guy with. That was a really awesome time and it's a period I would really want to re-live. So I decided to make this playlist with both Joint tracks by the group and individual hits. Enjoy!

Booty Call by Mo Hits All Stars
Jonzing World featuring Wiz Kid & Jesse Jags by D'Prince
Pop Champaign featuring D'Banj by Dr Sid
Bumper 2 Bumper by Wande Coal
Pere by Mo Hits All Stars
Mobolowon by D'Banj
Mr Endowed featuring Don Jazzy & Snoop Dogg by D'Banj
Close To You by Mo Hits Allstars
Mogbono Feli Feli featuring Don Jazzy
Ba Mi Jo featuring Ikechukwu, Eldee & M.I by Dr Sid
Ten Ten by Mo Hits All Stars

A friend of mine actually inspired this playlist (I see you AY) he came and just found the Drake folder on my computer and we went back all the way to Comeback Season and made our way up to Take Care. So I decided to compile a playlist of some of the coolest songs from this period I hope you enjoy. If you enjoy this you would most certainly love New OVO Sounds

The Calm
Dreams Money Can Buy
Digital Girl Featuring The Dream, Jamie Foxx & Kanye West
Find Your Love
Give Ya Featuring Trey Songz
Best I Ever Had
Unforgettable Featuring Jeezy
Karaoke
Show Me A Good Time
Juice

For the last couple of days I have been attending a program in school and sometimes I get bored. So, I decided to write different random themed playlist based on conversations I've had and mostly music from past time. Over the course of at least the next seven days I would be posting one on each day I hope you enjoy them. Today I would be starting with The Kanye West Playlist.
Towards the last week of my exam for some reason I decided to complete my Kanye West collection.
If you've reading you can tell im a Kanye West fan and previously I did The Kanye West Playlist.
As I was saying I completed my collection by adding College Dropout and Late Registration and I
have been listening to the albums in rotation (Including Graduation). I have really been enjoying
the albums so I decided to compile a playlist with song from the three albums I've been listening
to and im enjoying so far.

Addiction
Flashing Lights Ft Dwele
All Falls Down
Home Coming
Heard Em Say Ft Adam Levine
Good Life Ft T-Pain
Slow Jamz Ft Twista & Jamie Foxx
Crack Music Ft The Game
Through The Wire
Champion

PS If you can listen to the 4 skits from Late Registration you should they are hilarious.