ThinkSoul25
Roots
‘Call Me Maybe’ | Covers by Tay Zonday and The Roots + Jimmy Fallon + Jepsen [Videos]
To be honest, at first I really hated the song. I just couldn’t stand hearing it on the radio and I surely couldn’t stand the annoying simplicity of the lyrics. But then (perhaps invasion of the body-snatchers took place,) the song began to grow on me. “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen somehow got stuck in my head and I realized that yes, even though it’s such a cheesy pop song, it’s actually kind of cute.
It’s cuteness (or perhaps annoying-ness) has become somewhat of a pop culture phenomenon. Dudes are making business cards and having it say “Call me, maybe.” It’s the new way of attempting to pick up girls. SMH. And oh, it’s so popular that heck, President Obama was even singing it. Then Jimmy Fallon and The Roots teamed up with Jepsen to do a version of the song using only kids musical instruments.
And now, The “Chocolate Rain” dude, Tay Zonday, did a cover of the song. Let’s just say that his version isn’t cute…more like awkwardly creepy, yet funny. I don’t anyone will be wanting to “call him” after watching him sing the song. Call him…maybe? Um, no. More like lose his number. lol. Sorry, couldn’t help myself.
Anyways, watch the covers below. Are y’all tired of this song yet? Or do you find yourself randomly singing it while waiting for your latte?
©Jasmine McGee.ThinkSoul25. http://thinksoul25.com
Undun | A Short Film by The Roots
I still haven’t had the chance to pickup/download The Roots album Undun, but I’ve checked out a few tracks from the album and I’m loving the vibe. You can’t go wrong with The Roots, it’s simply good music.
The Roots has a timeless knack for taking the everyday struggle and methodically crafting music that eloquently expresses the struggle. Undun (from what I’ve heard so far) is an amazing album that shows off the eclectic vibe of the band, and as usual Black Thought, ?uestlove, and the rest of the gang create a grandeur fusion of true hip-hop, blues, and jazz. You’re most likely not going to find any extremely commercialized beats and tracks on this album because, well, that just isn’t The Roots; selling out monetary value hasn’t appeared to be the driving for their music.
The Roots will always be one of my favorite bands (my other favorite is Dave Matthews Band.) I enjoy seeing them every night on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, and I’m glad to see them providing us with these short music videos for tracks of their album Undun. The videos have been a nice black and white serving of conscious music and social commentary, but now The Roots have provided us with a 9 minute short film for the album.
I’ve noticed a growing trend of independent artists and some major artists creating short films for their music videos, which reminds me of the classic Michael Jackson music videos. All of his videos were beautifully crafted avant-garde films, not just 3-4 minute videos of butt shaking, bling, and swagged out guys. Michael Jackson knew how to do a music video (man, miss him so much….) I credit him for starting the trend of music videos being full stories instead of short videos, which is why I think it’s wonderful that more artists are starting to produce short films for their albums.
Undun is the latest edition to short films for music videos and it tells the story of a young kid who becomes a criminal, yet that was never his intended desire. He is the official video description from The Roots.
“undun is the story of this kid who becomes a criminal, but he wasn’t born a criminal. He’s not the nouveau exotic primitive bug-eyed gunrunner… he’s actually thoughtful and is neither victim nor hero. Just some kid who begins to order his world in a way that makes the most sense to him at a given moment… At the end of the day isn’t that what we all do? – The Roots.”
Powerful concept….watch the short film below.
©Jasmine McGee.ThinkSoul25. http://thinksoul25.com
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Hip-Hop Rhymes & Yo Gabba Gabba
Guilty pleasure: I enjoy watching Yo Gabba Gabba from time to time. It’s not like I watch it everyday, but every now and then I’ll pass by it and click on it. The dancing is so cute and it’s like a cooler but less creepy version of the Teletubbies. I’m sorry but the Teletubbies suck! They could never ever be Yo Gabba Gabba.
Yo Gabba Gabba is a pretty cute show and the songs are soooo catchy. The best song I ever heard on their is this one called “Baby Teeth.” It so annoying but kind of catchy and fun to sing. I know it seems like Yo Gabba Gabba and shows on Disney are strictly for kids, but I’m not ashamed to admit I like watching ANT, Jessie, and Good Luck Charlie. I don’t think it’s that embarassing; at least I’m not watching them everyday.
But apparently Yo Gabba Gabba is trying to reach a wider audience, and they’ve teamed up with Erykah Badu, Bootsy Collins, The Roots, and Biz Markie. They made an appearance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon a few days ago and performed their latest song “We’re Gonna Party Today.” I doubt any kids were up watching that late at night, so it was kind of like a performance for kids, but it was fun enough for the adults to clap to and enjoy. The best part of the performance is watching the Yo Gabba Gabba characters dancing around and doing this cute choreography. Check it out!
But wait, while you’re at it, check out Jimmy’s new game show as well. Everyone who watches his show knows that Jimmy loves good music, especially good hip-hop. He’s had The Roots on his show ever since it first started and he makes sure his show is diverse. He doesn’t just bring out the same type of guests, and he makes sure to liven up the show with funny comedic spoofs and game shows. His latest install in his game show segment is called “Ready, Set, Flow.” This game show takes three audience members and has them test their skills on the mic. However, the stipulation is that a machine called Rhyme Wave must give them a location, an item, and a person. Whatever the machine comes up with at random, they must include it in their freestyle. It’s such a cool game show and I’m loving it, so check it out!!!
Ready, Set, Flow
Yo Gabba Gabba “We’re Gonna Party Today”
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©Jasmine McGee.ThinkSoul25. http://thinksoul25.com
Jimmy & Justin: History of Rap Part 2
Image via Wikipedia
The other night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Justin Timberlake came on the show to talk about his new movie. Friends With Benefits hits theaters today and JT had a great time promoting it on the Jimmy Fallon show, but he couldn’t leave without performing the history of hip-hop with Jimmy.
There’s nothing I love more than seeing two of the coolest white boys reciting classic hip-hop songs and awkwardly dancing. It’s classic! I’m a huge fan of Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon, especially since their skits on SNL as the Bee Gees. The history of rap part 2 was a hilarious segment on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show and I had to watch it a couple of times.
If you’ve never watched Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, then you’re missing out! The Roots band is always getting caught up in Jimmy’s randomness and the segments are always ROFL funny. Watch the video for Jimmy and Justin’s history of rap part 2. They both did a great job rapping, those white boys rock!
