PHENOMenal Singles to get GIDDY About
Aaliyah - "Rock the Boat" (Blackground)
From her latest and unfortunately final album, Aaliyah comes with a slow jam guaranteed to get you in the mood to "rock the boat." Aaliyah's breathy voice combined with the mellow beat only adds to her lyrics, enticing you to "work the middle, work the middle, change positions, change positions..."Jonell featuring Method Man - "Round N Round Remix" (Rawkus)
From the soundtrack of his upcoming movie, How High, Method Man teams up with Jonell and Hi-Tek on a grittier version of their story about playing with one's emotions. Look for Method Man and Redman's movie on Dec. 26 and the soundtrack to How High on Dec. 11.Ms. Jade - "Dream" (Beat Club/Interscope)
"Who the hell is this," says Ms. Jade, and, well... you were most likely thinking the same thing. She's a new rapping prodigy who will be along side Bubba Sparxxx on Timbaland's new label The Beat Club. The feel of the song is a little thuggish, but if that's not your style, the samples of Biggie are sure to catch your ear. Also look out for "Feel The Girl," another blazin' and more jiggy track that's set to be on our "Dream" girl's debut album.Dutch & Spade featuring Ludacris - "Get It Right" (Untertainment/Interscope)
"Tell me what you want, tell me what you like..." Dutch and Spade definitely got it right by hookin' up with one of the hottest rappers right now, Ludacris. This Philly-ATL collaboration is a definite club-banger with its upbeat horns in the background and southern bounce feel.Babyface - "What If" (Arista)
What were we thinking, not putting this song on our PHENOMenal Singles list earlier? This is a killer ballad questioning fate's part in Babyface's recently terminated relationship with his long-time love. He ponders, "What if you were really made for me? What if we were supposed to be together? What if that was supposed to be my house that you go home to everyday?" Babyface, you are the ballad king and your album, Face 2 Face, is PHENOMenal as well.Special PHEature: is De La dead?
Sophomore Daniel Weidenfeld Spends Some Time with Rap Legends De La SoulDW: Why is Carson Daly such a pansy?
Pos: I don't know the dude like that at all, but I've seen it slip a couple of times, especially earlier when he first got on the show, that he's on with some real hip-hop sh-t. But it's kind of like he has to hold it in because he's a little teeny-bopper idol now. He plays the real humble sh-t cause I've seen him slip up when rappers come on - he almost goes into something but then he has to cool down a second.
DW: But you said it best on Buhloone Mind State. "We might blow up, but we won't go pop." You criticized going pop back then, and Carson Daly has undeniably gone pop.
Pos: Like I said, I don't know him like that. All I see is that the phenomena around him seemed to be a natural thing. It wasn't something that he wanted to happen that way, and he's dealing with it the way he needs to deal with it. There are certain things that don't call to be revealed. TRL's fans are a bunch of kids and little girls screaming, and that's what that show is all about. It's not about kicking it with the RZA on TRL. It's just not.
DW: But people did do a double take when they saw you on "MTV's Beach House." Do you have any regrets about going "pop," or do you now believe as you said earlier that going pop is sometimes necessary?
Pos: Even if we would have done Buhloone Mind State and would have been on the Beach House, it wasn't like we had a plan to not do certain things in order to not go pop. If it naturally happens it just happens.
Dave: It goes deeper than that. Trying to take your career to a popular level is very different from taking your music to a popular level. I think that for us to go pop would mean doing a song with The NEPTUNES, getting Jay-Z on it, and playing little keyboard beats on every track. That's what I see as trying to go pop musically. I don't believe that taking your career to a broader scale means going pop, you're just trying to enhance your career. I think the pop that we're talking about that I would never step foot into, is when you start to compromise your music and your art. Unfortunately enough to say, KRS-1 going from "Criminal Minded" to doing a record with Puffy is a good example of someone [compromising] their art.
DW: Could an Art Official Intelligence 2001 De La Soul still rhyme over a 1989 3 Feet High and Rising De La beat and vice versa?
Dave: I think that we could do 3 Feet High and Rising records all day, but that would be compromising to what we do. That's like trying to please only a group of people who just want to re-live that time, and I'm not trying to say that we're over that particular period, because we're not. We could still make those songs everyday, but if I did that I'd feel like I'm wearing the same thing every day for a year. You know, why can't I change my outfit? I wanna feel good wearing something else, and not because everyone is wearing Phat Farm so I'm gonna start wearing Phat Farm, but if I do want to wear it, why can't I do that instead of listening to everyone say, "Yo, please wear your Adidas again." NO, I'M OVER THAT!
For a full copy of Dan Weidenman's interview, pick up While You Were Sleeping Magazine at any Tower Records, Newbury Comics, or other "happening" locations.
