Pure Positivity

Royce has always trotted the line between commercial success and underground phenom. Very fitting for an artist who appears to be rather juxtaposed on the content of his music. He goes from spewing lyrical taunts to excessively thought provoking material from track to track. In terms of wordplay Royce has mastered the ability at a level befitting of royalty. I've always been amused tuning into the struggle he portrays in many of his songs. In "Shake This" he depicts the events in his life that ultimately resulted in jail followed by reemerging as an artist and person. This song proves that people can move forward after a tragic event, take that lingering pain and push towards a more positive lifestyle. DJ Premier lends his services to this joint to ensure that production is perfect. Enjoy. Lyrics: Royce Da 5'9" - Shake This Being enlightened is no longer enough You must apply Being willing is no longer acceptable You must do Make it count Nanana Nanana I gott

There is no track that will ever be able to challenge the importance of this song to me. It now has been over 10 years since this ballad was originally released and for some reason it still resonates with me ever so deeply. I can repeat every lyric of this song flawlessly because it's more of mantra for me than anything else. Amp Live (the producer of this beat and member of Zion I) is flawless in his production. The beat is bananas and creates the perfect ensemble for this legendary track. The reality is there are no adjectives worthy of describing this track and I lack the creative writing ability to ev er serve this song any shot of real justice. Lets just say it's an appreciation song for more than meets the eye. Lyrics: Zion I & Grouch - Silly Puddy Zion I intro: Lord gimme what I need gimme what I need. Gimme what I need gimme what I need. Lord gimme what I need gimme what I need. [Zion I] Dear Lord you show me the best of times You show me the worst of times Confusio

Struggle builds character and if there is one artist that personifies that expression his name is Macklemore. Back in 2005 he broke out into the scene with, "The Language Of My World" which in my opinion is an instant classic. If you listen to that cd it's clear that he was toying with his love for drugs. Roughly 4 years later he made a breakthrough on multiple levels. A more refined and refreshed sober Macklemore hit the scene running. This song shows just a sliver of what happened during his 4 year stint. Macklemore has done countless mixtapes, remixes and cameos only to solidify his desire to be a thought provoking revolutionary artist. If you like this song download the EP for free with this link Lyrics: Macklemore - Life is a Cinema I don't know why But it's like I can't stay quiet This is my voice I can't let it die inside me See I'll be scared if there wasn't a riot Pushin and pullin, grabbin some hair, Pukin and fuckin up the sidewalk This

I guess the fact that it's Thanksgiving made me think of this song. At the beginning of verse 4 Nas eloquently explains his views of this delightful day, "The indians saved the pilgrim, in return the pilgrim killed them, they call it Thanksgiving, I call it holiday hell day, cause I'm from poverty, neglected by the wealthy." Pretty powerful stuff if you ask me. Nas has always had a way with his words stemming back from his timeless classic Illmatic. Not much more to say than enjoy this song and more posts to come soon. Lyrics: Nas - Poison [Chorus] Ayo its poison, ecstasy, coke You say its love, it is poison Schools where I learned they should be burned, it is poison Physicians prescripting us medicine which is poison Doctors injecting our infants with the poison Religion misoverstood is poison [Verse 1] *****s up in my hood be getting shot giving poison In hospitals, shots rittle the block Little children and elderly women run for their lives Drizzling rain come o

If you don't know now you Kno. Death is Silent by Kno (of Cunninlynguists) was just released a couple of days ago and this CD has been playing almost nonstop in my que. I suggest you all go out and purchase it. Many of the tracks are hard hitting with cameos from some of my favorite artists. In particular I think "Spread Your Wings" shows some pretty raw emotions. Deacon delivers some real life strife discussing the difficulties of love and long distance. The constant turmoil of his career has created chaos in his love life. These kinds of problems are common in many peoples lives and it has become something that we just have to learn to deal with. On the other hand Kno expresses the pain associated with abortion from a males prospective. You can tell he still thinks about what could have been as well as the remorse and guilt from not trying to stop the process. This is all pretty deep and touching for a hip-hop track. What else would you expect from the Cunninlynguists??

Unpolluted tenacity is one of the most dignified character traits I can think of. Burning and yearning for nothing short of success is what ultimately will land you in that realm. In a soiled industry The Roots have tangled and vigorously intertwined themselves to triumph. What's the key ingredient? Passion pinned to the point of perfection...or as they like to call it "The Fire." Without that internal desire to push yourself beyond your bounds of reason you'll never experience the history you are meant to make. Push on. Lyrics: The Roots - The Fire ft. John Legend There’s something in your heart, and its in your eyes It’s the fire, inside you Let it burn You don’t say good luck You say don’t give up It’s the fire, inside you Let it burn Yeah, and if I’m ever at the crossroads And start feeling mixed signals like morse code My soul start to grow colder than the North Pole I try to focus on the hole on where the torch goes In the tradition of these legendary sports pro

For those of you who don't know much about me I grew up with two psychologists as parents. Both of them are bay area born and bred while being steeped in a heavy brew of 60's and 70's San Francisco culture. My father grew up in an impoverished part of Richmond and has lived enough life to be considered one of the most wise men I've had the pleasure of knowing. This isn't me being biased in way shape or form, in fact multiple people tend to agree with me when it comes to the encompassing knowledge base my father has. At any rate he and I once sat down and he told me an awesome anecdote that I utilize to this day. He said something along the lines of this: Son there are two types of people in this world; Rolling Stones fans and Beetles fans. Both groups are two of the most prolific game changers that influenced the music we listen to today. What you need to realize is that the Stones are a bit dark. And the Beetles, ahh the Beetles, they are light. They sing about lo

This Jacksonesque gnarly beat bangs! It's just an uplifting song that simplifies the loss of innocence. Human nature dictates that regret is a huge part of life and as we float through this universe the friction of living slowly corrodes our purity. I know I certainly have looked back at some events of my life and said, "wow did I really do that!?!" This song is dedicated to the people who want to get back to that fresh, sincere, unadulterated place. In some rights; I just want to be the man I used to be = ). Lyrics: K-Os - Man I Used to Be I tried it, I couldn't fight it Now I just wanna get back to me ohh baby, hoo hoo Back into the man I used to be Things that I said I wouldn't do, I did 'em Secrets below the surface of truth I hid 'em This man kind is past, but can he erase The tears of a million years is human race Of animals, that talk and walk upright Then slave all day and fall in a trance at night Roamin' the planet, trying to find missing lin

The art of story telling has been lost in much of hip-hop. This song pungently restores all that has been forgotten. With the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra eloquently lacing this beat, the three verses intertwine like fine wine and a buttery block of brie. The passion and intensity of a story about 3 lives coming to a chaotic crash made me cry. One thing you should know about me is that the underdog is my dog. Every now and then a situation that clearly favors the unjust and makes losing hope the only option, courage and pure righteousness rectify a situation. This song is the epitome of one of those moments. Lyrics: Hilltop Hoods - Stopping All Stations (Restrung) Verse 1– Pressure Early morn, train station, aching from the arthritis, This war veteran knows what a hard time is, He needs his pension, dementia and half blind is, The reason he rides the train with no car license, So he boards with an expired ticket has a swipe, Gets a fine cos the change he got don’t add up right, We’re ta

When it comes to inspiration the Living Legends have always sparked a part of my soul that few people are able to ever access. I love how much of a constructive yet positive message their songs tend to put forth. There is something to be said about the tact and prowess that they consistently produce when manufacturing songs. In this song my favorite verse is actually Gift of Gab's. When I heard it I was reminded of a point in my life where I was juxtaposed about what was important to me. Like all of us I'm human and a very important thing to remember is that, "to error is human." We go through ups, downs, lefts, rights and finally when things seem like they are on the right path a giant curve ball comes bolting in your direction. Life is about harnessing all of these crazy unforeseeable occurrences and growing to become the best possible person. For a while I really got caught up in the rat race. At a young age I always talked about making a change for the better. Lea