My Mixtapes
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Song & Lyrics: Now On – I’m Sayin (14KT Random Horns Remix) Ft. Aloe Blacc
It's been too long since I've brought a gem to your attention, so I thought I'd drop some 14KT production gold on that ass. This song by the group Now On (lower pic) and produced by 14KT (top pic) has occupied my brain waves for the past 6 months. Everything about this song is hip hop perfection. Let me break it down for you while you listen.
Now On – I’m Sayin (14KT Random Horns Remix) Ft. Aloe Blacc
(right click and save to download)
Production: 14KT has some of the ILLEST beats around. So if you've been sleeping, it's time to wake up. Believe me, you'll want to stream his whole discography HERE after listening to this song. (Also peep some Red Bull Big Tune footage of him in the video below). From the abrupt start, to the jazzy intro, to the first snare and snap of the high-hat, you can tell something is about to go down here. The drums seem to preside over the muddled background sample and a metronomic head nod is sure to ensue. But there are so many subtleties in the beat that are easy to overlook. Listen carefully and you'll hear all the random background horns, chimes, and whispers in the chorus. 14KT said he made his "Random Horns Remix" in 15 minutes, which was a record for him. I guess sometimes when a genius gets a wave of inspiration, it doesn't take much time for them to create a masterpiece. According to 14KT, the random horns at the end of this song were taken from one of the songs that he produced for Buff1 in '06 called "Pretty Baby" (peep it below - it has been my newest favorite song for the last week).
Buff1 - Pretty Baby
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Chorus: The oh so important hook. Something that can separate a good song from an amazing song and in this case we have Aloe Blacc to the rescue. The man who brought you the FUCKING phenomenal song "I Need A Dollar" kills this chorus, which is only on the remix version. With a catchy chorus like this, why aren't they playing this on the radio?!?! If you don't know Aloe Blacc, watch the video below and thank me later. I know you will.
Lyrics: It really wasn't until around the 10th time I listened to this song that I even processed one word of the lyrics (besides the chorus). This happened for two reasons. 1) The beat was so amazing & 2) In most rap songs the lyrics are adapted to fit the beat, but in remixes the beat is adapted for the lyrics, often making them less prominent and improperly accented. This often is annoying, however if done properly, is extremely appealing since you must listen more actively to the song to understand the words. In this case, the lyrics happen to be worth every second of your time and give the song its real charm. This song is about reminiscing on an old lover and, as you know, I'm a sucker for those songs (Remember my first mixtape Love: The Most Dangerous Game). I decided to take the time to write up the lyrics to this song because I wanted the full love story and could not seem to put everything together without writing it out. I have posted these below. Enjoy your hip hop!
-Chorus-
I never thought that it would end
Wonder how we are gonna be just friends
And I don't know what I'm gonna do
I never found another quite like you
The blue gloom shaded my room for many moons
I stay zooted, creating tunes stating truth
Letting pain make moves with the bass and the boom
Groove shaking my walls, who's breaking my falls?
Pacing the halls, heart racing to stall while awaiting your calls, I was faced with it all
No hatred involved, I'm embracing your touch like the craving it was, still tasting your love
I wasted the days in a daze just tracing your face and your name on the page, what the fuck!
Crazy, a goner, chasing my thoughts of how we could talk of days that were awesome
I laid with you often, you offset the drama
Softened my rock-hard problem of karma
You're saying you're smarter, walking for caution and saving the loss of your favorite friend. Fuck That.
-Chorus-
Your love moved me, I was at home in your arms
So strung you carried my insecurities along
Broke 'em down to basics, you were my foundation
Placing me adjacent to the pain I was facing
Made love by the river, on the shore we'd lay
Climax, closed eyes, together we'd pray
Searching for an understanding in a time so grey
Dreaming of a place far away and what it would take - to achieve you believe when the others was blind
But in time you changed mind, hill too hard to climb
Stop reaching for the ceiling like it's holding back
I pulled my back working hard, so ain't no stopping my tracks
We crashed, smashed windshield and totaled us out
Review, I'm still in love and always will no doubt
Out with the dreams far away, will always claim, the love of my life you know the answer name, and that's real.
Makes me wanna go, makes me wanna go back
Makes me wanna go, makes me wanna go back
Makes me wanna go, makes me wanna go back
Makes me wanna goooooo, ohhohhohh
-Chorus-
Props to Potholes In My Blog for originally posting this song!! Respect.