2) Music
This is my favorite part of my year in review blog posts, where I talk about the greatest songs from this past year.
The most popular song of the year had to be Pharell's "Happy".
The song was LOVED by EVERYONE! Children, teenagers, college students, old people all danced to this song!
It was an international hit, with dancing flash mobs dancing from all corners of the globe.
Last year, I said Bruno Mars was he next King of Pop. While he had a GREAT Super Bowl halftime show, I think he's got competition for the throne from Pharell. That guy can do it all - produce, dance, sing, rap, whatevers!
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Of course, you can't have another year without hits from Mr WorldWide ........ Pitbull!
Towards the end of last year, he released "Timber", his song with Kesha, which became a hit in the early months of this year.
Pitbull was just getting started. He collaborated with GRL for "Wild Wild Love"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAyzpLGBI1E (official video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuOpXHunq6U (lyric video)
Then Mr WorldWide made The Official Song for this year's most popular sporting event...........The World Cup!
Being that the World Cup was in Brazil, the official song had to have some Latin flavor. So it Pitbull (world's most popular Latino rapper) with actress/singer J.Lo and ..................Brazil's own Claudia Leitte.
Pitbull w/ J. Lo & Claudia Leitte
"We are One (Ole Ola)"
[The Official 2014 FIFA World Cup Song]
But Pitbull's not done, he ended this year with a New Year's celebration song "Time of Our Lives" featuring Ne-Yo
The video starts with the end of 1999, prepping for 2000. This was before Pitbull became a star, so the video reminisced about the time when Pitbull was still living in the barrios of Miami, when he was still struggling to pay the bills and couldn't afford to party at the elegant nightclubs that now play his songs!
But even in tough times, Pitbull reminded us
This for anybody going through tough times
Believe me, been there, done that
But everyday above ground is a great day, remember that
Pitbull w/Ne-Yo
"Time of Our Lives"
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Australia's Iggy Azalea went from underground to mega-star this year.
Of course, we all know that "Fancy" song (w/Charli XCX)
We also had "Black Widow" (w/ Rita Ora), as well as songs with TI, Ariana Grande, J. Lo and more
However, with all success comes jealousy, made even larger due to her being of European ancestry. So another rounds of cries of "it's another Elvis, stealing our music". It's like any "white" rapper who has a hit (even a minor hit) is accussed of being the next Elvis to outshine "black" artists! I wish those wolf-criers would STFU already! Iggy isn't taking away success from black artists, she just made songs that people like.
Lesser known artist Azealia Banks was on the attack, whining about "cultural appropriation" and Iggy stealing her "shine" (as if she was entitled to popularity)
Iggy tells it like it is with this
Take that Azealia Banks!
Q-Tip also stereotyped Iggy with his assumptions that a suburban "white" girl hasn't done her research on her own genre. Then he tweeted the whole history of hip-hop to Iggy as if she was some 12 year old!
Here is her classic response
AMEN to THAT!
Though if Azelia Banks & Q-Tip want a history lesson, they could learn from Dr Dre who was making hits when Beastie Boys, House of Pain and Vanilla Ice all had mainstream radio play! Did Dr Dre whine about "cultural appropriation"? No! He kept making hit records, kept introducing new artists (ie Snoop, Dogg Pound, Nate Dogg, etc), started several rap labels and ........................he found his own white rapper to mentor! (that would be Eminem)
Or they could rev-visit the history of T.I., who was making hit records when Eminem, Paul Wall & Bubba Sparks all had mainstream radio play! Did T.I. whine about "cultural appropriation"? No! He kept making hit records, became "King of the South", and .he found his own white rapper to mentor! (Iggy)
Why can't Azelia Banks just STFU about "cultural appropriations", start MAKING hit records, be the example where even white rappers have to look up to her?
Though it would be funny if Iggy goes on stage and rap's W.C. diss of Q-Tip! (W.C. fans would know what I'm talking about)
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Last few years, people wondered if Lil Jon was done making hits. Nope!
His comeback song was "Turn Down for What", with its crunk beats and crazy video
(and check for the remix with JuicyJ, 2 Chainz & French Montana
he also had a hit with Tyga, yelling "bend over touch your knees with your elbows". But the video didn't show people trying that! :( It would've been classic if it did!
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Other hip-hop hits
Juicy J, Wiz Khalifa, Ty Dolla $ign all came together for the theme song of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
"Shell Shocked"
TeeFili & 2Chainz "24 Hours"
Taking from Snap's classic "Rythym is a Dancer", Jeremih & YG had
"Dont Tell 'Em"
Big Sean had the song with E-40, with the title ........... well, you can find it! The beat to the song is irresistible, even if the title is very explicit!
Omarion came back, this time with Chris Brown and Jhene Aiko on "Post to Be". Aiko shined the most on this song, But the most important verses on the song, where Omarion and Brown sang
But I know that she your girl
She chose up, are you mad, or nah? (Bruh!)Bruh don't be mad about it, these chicks be for everybody
hey, sharing is caring
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And while Azelia Banks was whining about "cultural appropriation" (as if Iggy brings in a flood of Euro-Australians to take over rap), Aloee Blacc succeeded in a mostly "white" alternative music world.
Late last year, Aloe Blacc worked with Avicii with "Wake me Up"
But this year, Aloe Blacc was THE MAN! His song appeared in "Beats by Dre" ads with mega-start athletes like Richard Sherman, Kevin Garnett, Colin Kapernick and Ces Fabregas! He was THE MAN!
And this is his song
Aloe Blacc "The Man:
and the remix with Kid Ink
On to the pop music scene
Whereas Azelia Banks whines about being outshined by Iggy, Beyonce was THE Queen of Pop/R&B
She released her secretly recorded album late last year, and performed the following song in this classic Grammy's performance with her husband Jay-Z
Beyonce & Jay-Z "Drunk in Love"
Beyonce also competed with J.Lo & Iggy's "Booty" video with her 7-11 video!
And talking about classic Grammy performances, here is Katy Perry with Juicy J
"Dark Horse"
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John Legend became more of a legend this year, with his biggest hit yet "All of Me"
John Legend also had a song and music video about women struggling to deal with beauty standards
"You and I"'
"You and I"
and another song about beauty standards
Meghan Trainor "All About the Bass"
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Ariana Grande was the new princess of pop this year. Last year, she had her hit "The Way" which featured the sounds from Big Punisher's "Still Not a Player". This year she had several hits with "Problem" (featuring Iggy) and "Love me Harder" (w/The Weeknd, who sounds like Chris Brown)
But her best song was "Break Free"
"Break Free"
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and the new prince of pop is Sam Smith.
"Latch"
Sam Smith "Stay with Me"
Watch Sam Smith sing Tracy Chapman's classic: "Fast Car"
Sam Smith "La La La"
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Of course, you can't talk about 2014 without talking about Taylor Swift. This year, she decided to take a break from country roots and go into pop full-time. (She'll probably dabble into country again in the near future, so all you whiners yelling "sellout" should just chill)
We all saw her funny video "Shake it Off"
and of course, another revenge song against an ex-boyfriend "Blank Space"
Other pop/r&b songs
Charli XCX (who sang the hook for Iggy's "Fancy" and Icona Pop's "I Love it" ) had her own solo classic "BoomClap"
"Boom Clap"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOPMlIIg_38
Nico & Vinz "Am I Wrong" (came out in 2013, became a hit in 2014)
Nico & Vinz "Am I Wrong"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg1sT4ILG0w
Tinashe "2 On"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s7TCuCpB5c
(note: i remember hearing this in the club right after Cassie's "Me and U", those songs are perfect when played back-to-back)
and the remix with Drake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvPJXiRHOZ8
Lorde, known for last year's "Royals", had this follow-up "Tennis Courts"
people onced said let's settle it in the b-ball courts or the football field, Lorde will settle in the tennis courts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3CyuxqH8e0
Mr Probz "Waves"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MH9qWemtPo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwkoXft0dXU (remix with Chris Brown & T.I.)
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EDM
Calvin Harris was a major player in this year's EDM scene. EDM tend credits the song to the DJ/producer more than the singers.
Calvin Harris was singing in this song
Calvin Harris "Summer"
Harris was credited these songs he produced but didn't sing in!
Thinking About You (sung by Ayah Marar)
"Blame" (sung by John Newman)
Chainsmokers had their stupid "Selfie" song, but they had a classic with "I Wanna Be Like Kanye", which was better than anything Kanye West did the last few years.
Also check out
Clean Bandit (feat. Jess Glyne) "Rather Be"
(remember seeing the video and thinking "the singer is Asian? She sounds European", and later in the video, we see the real singer on stage, who is European)
Kiesza "Hideaway"
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Alternative Rock
Not a major alternative fan, but there's a few alternative stuff that I like.
Phantogram had their hit "Fall in Love", while a love songs played on alternative rock stations, has a beat that reminds of the sounds for New York gangsta rap groups Mobb Deep, Dipset or Wu Tang Clan
Phantogram "Fall in Love"
(yep, I could imagine Mobb Deep, Dipset or Wu Tang rapping along to the beat)
Phantogram also has a smoother song that I really liked, but didn't get mainstream radio attention. That would be "CPU 2.0" with Big Boi (of Outkast fame) and Sade.
That song was about loving someone on a computer screen.........which makes it the modern verison of Zapp's future prediction 80's hit "Computer Love"
Big Boi (w/ Phantogram & Sade) "CPU 2.0"
And within the alternative rock genre, I can't forget about this one......
One Republic "Counting Stars"
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Other Music
I dont listen to heavy metal as much as I used to! With so much on my mind, I don't really keep my ear to the underground like I did when I was a teenager.
But I was really happy Mastodon defied the stereotype of heavy metal being too serious.
Back in the 80's, metal videos had party videos with girls dancing. But with the comings of grunge, trash metal and nu metal, the heavy metal genre has gotten a reputation of being too serious. Yeah, I know Andrew W.K. had his party songs a decade ago ....... I loved it..........but it wasn't enough.
This year, Mastodon, who is from Atlanta, highlighted another Southern craze in their videos........... twerking!
Yep, a metal band FINALLY had girls twerking.
And it was controversial .............for something that has been common in hip-hop videos for at least a decade.
Here's the video.
Mastodon's "Motherload"
Here's Dom Lawson complaining about how "sexist" the video is
here was my response on facebook
Here's an article where one of the twerk dancers in the video defend Mastodon against the Radical Feminists and other politically correct morality chumps!
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Whereas Bod Geldof was trying to guilt other British artists into doing charity songs for Africa, many Africans standing up to Geldof patronizing ways.
Here is my facebook post on that issue
and a comment I added to this
One of the songs mentioned is a collaboration of various African artists, titled "Africa Stop Ebola".
"Africa Stop Ebola"
(listed artists include Tiken Jah Fakoly, Amadou & Mariam, Salif Keita, Oumou Sangare, Kandia Kora, Mory Kante, Sia Tolno, Barbara Kanam and rappers Didier Awadi, Marcus (from the band Banlieuz'Arts) and Mokobe, and also includes the musicians Sékou Kouyaté (electric guitar, bass, electric kora) et Ludovic N’Holle (drums).
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Hawaii radio stations play so much Hawaii reggae songs that when I heard Magic's "Rude" I thought it was just another song from local reggae band. Then to find out the band is from Canada? And the singer looked like this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIh2xe4jnpk (official video)
He looked more like an alternative singer than a reggae singer. But who cares, the song was catchy and the video was funny.
And here's the animated version of the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjqQfVY0yAc (animated video)
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I got to close this section of my blog post with Weird Al Yankovic, the man who outlasted so many artists he parodied over the decades. Even with so many amateurs doing parodies, the King of Musical Parodies still shine.
Here are a few Weird Al stuff from 2014
"Handy" (Parody of Iggy's "Fancy"
Word Crimes (I wish this was around when I was growing up, LOL!)
Tacky (parody of "Happy"
Foil (parody of Lorde's "Royals")
