Flashback Fridays - LL Cool J - Who Shot ya

First and foremost, huge shoutout to my fellow GEM district contributor Laquita Luv!

Not only is she picking up all my slack with regards to posting, but is putting my written word skills to shame. Thanks Lady..

But on Fridays I always tend to think of the music I used to listen to at "top level" on my "walkman". The flashbacks are always songs that contributed to my decreased hearing ability. lol

Enjoy, because honestly these huge star studded tracks are few and fewer these days. No hooks, no chorus, just an attempt to be the best MC on the song.

Keith Murrary ( a monster at this time), Prodigy ( he was at the peak of his writtens here), Fat Joe (before he leaned back, and did songs with Ashanti, he was the DITC rep that had the illest mic presence), Foxy Brown ( I cant lie, other than a few songs I was never a fan but she murdered her bars), and LL... say what you will. If he isnt "the", he is obviously a G.O.A.T. ( greatest of all time). You show me someone else who has been able to evolve and consistantly make good music. (btw Mr. Smith is his best album to me : which has this song)

Flashback Friday.. jeah mang jeah

My Goodness, My Goddess

by LaQuita Luv

It's no secret that I have delusions of grandeur. In another life I am a thriving pop star with a signature style, stellar costumes, and honey-drenched voice. While that ship has sailed for me, it remains alive and well in Florence Welch, a.k.a., Florence + The Machine.

The 26 year-old ginger-haired British goddess hits strong and hard, only to retreat an instant later to lure you back in for another smack. I am completely spun out when I listen to her debut album, Lungs, as images of the celestial heavens are burst open by a speeding bullet.

Like many people, my first real taste of Florence + The Machine was at the 2010 MTV VMAs. She was epic...ethereal...powerful...talented...limitless...and only in her mid-20s. Thinking that her entire album would follow the path of "Dog Days Are Over"---a whirlwind of tempos, theater, and a bluesy drag of voice---I was confounded by "Kiss With a Fist," a sassy, violent, and catchy track that has long garnered comparisons to Kate Nash.

When she stops in Chicago on her next tour, Florence and I are hitting up the Lyric Opera and then lounging at a hookah bar. Wanna join?

Head to the official Gem District Drop Site for a limited time to download a sampler for your listening pleasure.

I've personally requested that she cover "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush, but I doubt she's heard my plea.