Tonite’s radio show will be mostly gnaoua/gnawa/Maghrebi cassettes, inspired by Ron’s Morocco visit. Including styles i havent posted or talked about here on the blog. Spliced in with choice flamenco cuts? You never know how a show’s gonna go down until it happens.
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[insert Langston quote here]
I played this on my radio show a week ago today — not knowing what it was. A handful of listeners contacted me saying the tune was indeed amazing and asking if it’d been IDed yet. Yes indeed. I like The Dream’s radio-friendly R&B pop nuggets (Shawty is a Ten etc) but Ditch That is on a whole other level of magnitude and songwriterly flex. Yikes!
Let’s catch up with some of 2007’s best music in 2008, The Dream being a few steps ahead…
& from this interview w/ The Dream: “I am very vocal when it comes to things I am passionate about. Very political, maybe more political than people would think as a Black, urban artist. Just real no nonsense, I got a lot of whippings when I was little. No nonsense, get your ass in a lot of trouble, do shit that makes sense, use the principles that were beat in you. So that’s me man, I’m just cool.”
I remember being bowled over hearing ‘Ditch That’ on the radio. Like the Swizz Beats album, lyrically it focuses a little too much on none-too-subtle bragadoccio (why do producers do that when they become artists?), but sonically it’s just gorgeous. Haven’t heard the album yet, but I’m hoping for BIG THINGS.
I agree there is too much braggadocio in it, similar to Swizz but overall the song is really good. I have the CD I like it, in Luv Songs he uses references from Crank Dat Spiderman, with is creative. His CD is very bragging but he focuses so many of his songs on a female that it takes some of the focus off him. Toward the 8-12 tracks excluding the higher octane ones they sounds very similar, many a little too similar. Worth getting though!!!!