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 50 Essential R&B/Urban Anthems, as picked by Davidson & ML Hammer95 |
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 Apr 6 2016, 07:52 PM
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#41
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 BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 4 October 2014
Posts: 5,610 User: 21,265 
 
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WSTRN - IN2
2015 UK: #4 Surely nobody thought I'd not include this!  I love it when a song I discover slowly catches on before blowing up into a massive chart hit... In2 is a prime example of that. Heard it first back in July from reliable sources such as GRM Daily and late night 1Xtra and caught my ear instantly - the guitar twangs add a fresh dimension to the RnBass formula while the chorus was perfect for my growing confidence around girls and dating. Just continued to grow throughout the remainder of 2015 as the hype grew and it was only really denied a #1 by Adele, Justin Bieber and that Sax song on the Christmas adverts. Hard to pick out what I love most about this song - so laid back but makes you nod your head and the cheeky rap by Louis Rai stand out for me. Destined to be on the KISSTORY hour in 2025 as a much loved 2010's R&B classic! Love this.  |
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Apr 9 2016, 07:46 PM
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#42
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There's a frisbee in my brunch
Joined: 29 September 2013
Posts: 3,748 User: 19,860
     
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Enjoying being reminded of so many of these <3. Certainly loads of modern essentials so far.
Usher's been producing the goods in multiple genres for many years but I'll always see 'Climax' as just that in terms of his overall career. Listening back, it still sort of surprises me how he pulls it off so perfectly - one of those rare tracks where the lyrical content, production and range of emotions driving the vocal delivery are all completely spot-on both individually and in complementing each other. Still sounds flawless now. I could say much the same about 'Adorn' and 'Hold On We're Going Home', and can completely relate to the late-night memories of the latter that dhwe mentioned.  I'd actually forgotten 'Hard' is from as far back as 'Rated R'/2009  . I guess I've always thought of it as ahead of its time, to the point that I didn't 'get' its appeal on release. Would stand surprisingly high on my Rihanna singles rankings now~'Bed Rock' is an amazing blast from the past, and it's indeed interesting how it was such a seminal track in breaking through so many names to the mainstream. Great quality write-ups in general, guys, but on that one in particular. Keep up the good work! 
This post has been edited by Noahspike: Apr 9 2016, 07:49 PM |
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Apr 9 2016, 08:18 PM
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#43
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 4 October 2014
Posts: 5,610 User: 21,265
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CHRIS BROWN FEAT. LIL WAYNE & TYGA - LOYAL
2014 UK: #10, US: #9 Whatever your view on Chris Brown, this song is pretty undeniable. Especially that chorus - the sort to be drunkenly sung in the club without any sense of irony. This was released at the back end of 2013 but really rose to prominence the following spring with a video and new verse from Tyga. Lil Wayne appears on all three versions, iconically rhyming "hoes" with "flamingos" before Chris Brown delievers the killer hook. I remember this seemed to be one of those songs that everybody had an opinion on (mostly positive in my experience) and I'd go as far as to say this is the perfect Chris Brown song! The mid 10's has been full of DJ Mustard-inspired ratchet R&B which needed to be represented here... in a year which saw similar songs such as Drunk In Love, Fancy and Don't Tell 'Em dominate the airwaves and the clubs, this stood out for me. |
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Apr 11 2016, 08:20 PM
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#44
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 15 September 2010
Posts: 10,456 User: 11,847
 
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sorry for another break in proceedings. my next pick is:
T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake - Dead & Gone 2009 UK: #04, US: #02 Feel like this gem is way too often forgotten and I am actually guilty myself for not going back to it as often as I should. The song acted as T.I.'s second big breakthrough hit in UK, coming straight after his other mammoth 'Live Your Life'. Although I loved it's predecessor and I know a lot of BuzzJackers may remember that more fondly, I have always massively preferred 'Dead & Gone'. Justin's chorus and vocals are just lovely and I always found the song very honest and heartfelt. It definitely deserved to be the big hit it turned out to be and deserves it mention here in the countdown of 50 R&B essentials. |
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Apr 11 2016, 08:56 PM
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#45
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 I found the love, I found the love in me
Pronouns: He/Him
Joined: 13 December 2007 Posts: 87,435 User: 5,042
      
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'Dead & Gone' is great. In fact his whole 'Paper Trail' album/era was brilliant. I'm one of those which slightly prefers 'Live Your Life', just because I find it a lot more catchy and fun to listen to casually.
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Apr 12 2016, 03:07 PM
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#46
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 15 September 2010
Posts: 10,456 User: 11,847
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Beyoncé - Love On Top
2011 UK: #13, US: #20 Bey has a lot of career defining songs over the last 10 years, but I have chosen 'Love On Top' get a special mention as it is one of my personal favourites, and in my top 5 songs from her ever. When the album was released I remember people not being too sure about it but with it's release as a single and the iconic MTV Music Video Awards performance of the song when she announced her pregnancy, the song started to become a fan favourite and to this day is a Beyoncé classic. The throwback feel of the song was so refreshing for the charts at the time; harking back to the days of the Jackson 5 and Stevie Wonder, the song definitely felt like an authentic node to the Motown era; this being emphasised by the wonderfully care free video. I always think of 'Love On Top' as her best vocal performance to date - I challenge anyone else to nail those four key changes like she does. Overall, it is just a joyous affair. |
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Apr 12 2016, 04:04 PM
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#47
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 4 October 2014
Posts: 5,610 User: 21,265
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Love 'Dead & Gone,' now for a huge song...
FLO RIDA FEAT. T-PAIN - LOW 2008 UK: #2, US: #1 Barely a club night goes by without hearing this - the song that introduced us to Flo Rida. A mammoth hit back in 2008 and probably one of the catchiest songs of the decade to boot. Much of that (as in all Flo Rida songs) is down to the chorus, this time delievered by the auto-tune king T-Pain. The call to get "low, low, low, low..." never fails to bring carnage to the dancefloor! As 2008 hits go, this has been very enduring and I'd argue that Flo Rida hasn't had a song that's crossed over QUITE like this did. Perhaps that's because before he was established as a light pop-rapper or whatever. Doesn't change the fact this song was massive. |
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Apr 13 2016, 02:11 AM
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#48
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 The horrors persist, but so do I
Joined: 14 July 2013
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YES at Love On Top, one of the best songs from an incredible album. I agree that the classic feel is the best thing about it.
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Apr 14 2016, 09:41 PM
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#49
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 15 September 2010
Posts: 10,456 User: 11,847
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Frank Ocean - Pyramids
2012 UK: DNC, US: DNC It is time for one of the most influencial R&B artists of the last 5 years to get a mention. It is amazing to me to remember that Frank is yet to have a song chart anywhere near the top 40 (not including 'No Church In The Wild') due to just how massively popular and quite how big his impact has been in influencing modern R&B since the release of 'Channel Orange'. Obviously the whole album is flawless but I can't post every song so I am picking the absolute beauty of a single 'Pyramids'. The original version (gutted I can't post it here, it and the video are no longer on YouTube) is almost 10 minutes in length and is all the better for it; the song really is of epic proportions. What makes it so wonderful is Frank's incredibly imaginative story-telling; the song breaks into two halves, the first using wonderfully descriptive imagery of ancient Egypt where his "black queen Cleopatra" has been taken and cheetah's have been sent out to bring her back. This is perfectly interwoven with a modern-day version of black Cleopatra, who is found working in a strip-club, with Frank narrating the story from the perceptive of her pimp. The way in which the song changes style, time, place and narrative focus so seamlessly whilst being so damn beautiful to listen to is like no other. I am gushing, but there is no denying how wonderful 'Pyramids' is. |
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Apr 14 2016, 10:30 PM
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#50
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on a bench in coney island
Joined: 9 August 2007
Posts: 17,594 User: 4,089
 
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'Pyramids' is just perfect, one of my favourite songs ever. I remember hearing it for the first time and just being speechless at how great it was (and then listening to it on repeat for days). Can't wait for the second album, it's got a lot to live up to though!
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Apr 16 2016, 05:09 PM
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#51
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It's still will be the return of the Mack 4eva
Joined: 1 February 2011
Posts: 53,640 User: 12,915
  
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'Sweet Life' for me was the best from Channel Orange by Frank Ocean although this is good.
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Apr 17 2016, 06:21 PM
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#52
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 4 October 2014
Posts: 5,610 User: 21,265
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My favourite Frank Ocean song would be Lost...
EMINEM FEAT. RIHANNA - LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE 2010 UK: #2, US: #1 Six years on from being the biggest selling single of 2010, I don't hear this very often anymore. However it's not hard to remember just how big this was. Dominated the summer of it's releases alongside 'Airplanes', as a fifteen year old I quite often saw the lyrics to the song quoted on Facebook. Being about domestic violence, it still manages to be an accessible song which allows teenagers exposure to deep issues. Eminem was really on form this era (loved Not Afraid and No Love too) and this was a time of peak Rihanna, red hair and all. Started a trend of rappers making serious songs with stadium-sized choruses (think Champion, Written In The Stars, Read All About It etc...). |
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Apr 20 2016, 10:41 AM
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#53
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It's still will be the return of the Mack 4eva
Joined: 1 February 2011
Posts: 53,640 User: 12,915
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The best song from Eminem to never reach #1. A modern hip-hop classic this.
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