Old-School Hip-Hop

Here's a small sampling of songs from the earliest days of hip-hop music, ranging from the late 1970s to the mid-'80s. These are the foundations on which modern hip-hop is based. Funny, there's a lot more positivity, far less emphasis on sex, drugs, and violence, and hardly any objectionable language to speak of in these songs. What happened, hip-hop?  ~  JH

1)  Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force  ~  "Planet Rock"

2)  The Sugarhill Gang  ~  "Rapper's Delight"

3)  Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five  ~  "It's Nasty"  (It's not really...)

4)  Spoonie Gee  ~  "The Big Beat"

5)  Newcleus  ~  "Jam On It"

6)  Treacherous Three  ~  "Feel The Heartbeat"

7)  Funky 4 + 1  ~  "That's The Joint"  (Not that kind of joint...)

8)  Kurtis Blow  ~  "The Breaks"

9)  Busy Bee  ~  "School Days"

10)  Lovebug Starski  ~  "You've Gotta Believe"

11)  Cold Crush Brothers  ~  "Fresh, Wild, Fly, And Bold"

12)  Fab 5 Freddy  ~  "Change The Beat"

Canciones Para El Cinco De Mayo

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo! In honor of this Mexican (and American) holiday, aquí está una muy excelente colección of songs by popular Mexican-born singers and bands. Enjoy!  ~  JH

1)  Paulina Rubio  ~  "Me Gustas Tanto"

2)  Carlos Santana  ~  "Europa"

3)  Ximena Sariñana  ~  "Mediocre"

4)  Rodrigo y Gabriela  ~  "Hanuman"  (There's only one appropriate word for this song/video: AMAZING!)

5)  Anahí  ~  "Mi Delirio"

6)  Luis Miguel  ~  "La Incondicional"

7)  Thalía  ~  "No Me Enseñaste"

8)  Alejandro Fernández  ~  "Estuve"

9)  Fey  ~  "Canela"

10)  Hello Seahorse!  ~  "Bestia"

11)  Elis Paprika  ~  "Hasta Que Te Conocí"

12)  Cristian Castro  ~  "Yo Queria"

13)  Ana Gabriel  ~  "Luna"

14)  Control Machete  ~  "Si Señor"

15)  Alejandra Guzmán  ~  "Mi Peor Error"

16)  Porter  ~  "Espiral"

17)  Gloria Trevi  ~  "No Querías Lastimarme"  (Fair Warning: This one ends with a BANG!)

18)  Maná  ~  "Bendita Tu Luz"

19)  Carla Morrison  ~  "Compartir"

20)  PXNDX (aka Panda)  ~  "Saludos Desde Turquía"

"Deep" & "Shallow" Songs

This is exactly what it appears to be. A collection of songs with the words "Deep" or "Shallow" in their titles. It's a good combination of hits by mega-stars and lesser-known gems by up-and-coming artists. Enjoy!  ~  JH

1)  Adele  ~  "Rolling In The Deep"

2)  Matthew Santos  ~  "Shallow Grave"

3)  Bee Gees  ~  "How Deep Is Your Love"

4)  Laney Jones  ~  "Shallow Pockets"

5)  Nine Inch Nails  ~  "Deep"

6)  Vivacious  ~  "Shallow"

7)  Ella Eyre  ~  "Deeper"

8)  Wreck Of You  ~  "Shallow Man"

9)  Damian Marley  ~  "In 2 Deep"

10)  Mad Marge And The Stonecutters  ~  "Shallow Grave"

11)  Genesis  ~  "In Too Deep"

12)  Maya Johanna  ~  "Shallow Waters"

13)  Hurricane Love  ~  "Deep Under Water"

14)  Holcombe Waller  ~  "Shallow"

15)  Tennis  ~  "Deep In The Woods"

16)  Rain Light Fade  ~  "Truth Runs Shallow"

17)  Data Romance  ~  "The Deep"

18)  VITNE  ~  "Not Far From Shallow Water"

19)  Vandaveer  ~  "Dig Down Deep"

20)  Mt. Wolf  ~  "Midnight Shallows"

"Top" & "Bottom" Songs

Yesterday's intro was far too long. Today's is not. Enjoy!  ~  JH

1)  Imagine Dragons  ~  "On Top Of The World"

2)  Queen  ~  "Fat Bottomed Girls"

3)  Carpenters  ~  "Top Of The World"

4)  Bright Eyes  ~  "At The Bottom Of Everything"

5)  Oh Land  ~  "Cherry On Top"

6)  Citizen King  ~  "Better Days (And The Bottom Drops Out)"

7)  Bridgit Mendler  ~  "Top Of The World"

8)  Stevie Wonder  ~  "From The Bottom Of My Heart"

9)  Delta Goodrem  ~  "Sitting On Top Of The World"

10)  KISS  ~  "Rock Bottom"

11)  Twin Shadow  ~  "To The Top"

12)  Delta Rae  ~  "Bottom Of The River"  (This band hails from just a couple of hours away from me, in Durham, North Carolina! And they're amazing!)

13)  Tyrone Wells  ~  "You And Me On Top Of The World"

14)  Ashlee Williss  ~  "The Bottom"

15)  Tom Petty  ~  "Room At The Top"

16)  Britney Spears  ~  "From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart"

17)  The Osborne Brothers  ~  "Rocky Top"

18)  Fountains Of Wayne  ~  "Sink To The Bottom"

19)  Bing Crosby, Mitzi Gaynor, Donald O'Connor, & Zizi Jeanmaire  ~  "You're The Top"

20)  Eric Clapton  ~  "Bell Bottom Blues"

21)  The All-American Rejects  ~  "Top Of The World"

22)  The Tom Fun Orchestra  ~  "Bottom Of The River"

23)  Beyoncé  ~  "Love On Top"

24)  Babyface  ~  "Rock Bottom"