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Pop Rock Nation

Category: News

music-news-from-breakups-to-the-lastest-buzz

  • Something Tells Me George Michael Doesn’t Want This Publicized

    Something even more embarrassing than getting caught soliciting an undercover cop?

    A video from the early days of a popular singer/songwriter’s career that finds him sporting a white tee, a leather jacket, and no shoes…RAPPING.

    While I’d been aware of Wham!’s “Fantastic!” album (and have owned it for years), I had no idea that a video existed for the duo’s first single, “Wham! Rap”, until my friend Dave alerted me of the fact a week or so ago.

    If you need some comedy to start off your week, look no further, my friends.

    How sad is it that George Michael circa 1982 raps better than most emcees on the charts today?

    Those of you who are familiar with “Wham! Rap” will also notice that George re-wrote the lyrics for the single/video version.

    Still shaking your head, huh? Don’t say that MHW has never brightened your day.

  • The Infatueighties Countdown: #101: “Ain’t Nobody”

    Chaka Khan. Chaka-chaka-chaka-chakakhan. Chaka Khan. Oops,wrong song.

    A year before she had her biggest hit with a cover of a Prince album track, the woman whose momma named her Yvette Marie Stevens joined forces with her old band Rufus for the last time and produced this electro-soul classic. If they were gonna go out, I guess why not go out with this, right?

    The cover of the 45 for \"Ain\'t Nobody\" by Rufus & Chaka Khan.

    Some of you may remember “Ain’t Nobody” from the movie “Breakin’”,which it made an appearance in after it’d already become a hit. What some of you may not know is that the song, which was written by Rufus member David “Hawk” Wolinski, was originally earmarked for use on “Thriller” by Quincy Jones (I can hear Michael singing it). However, Wolinksi decided to keep the song and use it as one of the two studio tracks on “Live-Stompin’ at the Savoy”. Add Chaka’s unusual phrasing and one of her most powerful vocals, you wind up with one of the best-loved songs of her career, although it’s chart position (#22 pop) wasn’t exactly earth-shattering. Nevertheless, the song won Rufus & Chaka a Grammy, and to this day, no Chaka concert is complete without it.

    I did not realize this song had a video until, you guessed it, I popped over to YouTube earlier today. No big surprise that the rest of Rufus appears nowhere in this video. Nevertheless, witness Chaka in her full-fledged big-haired glory. And bust a move like Turbo and Ozone.

  • O’Neal McKnight’s “Check Your Coat”: This Has To Be a Joke

    I’ll admit that I’m not much of a TV watcher anymore. Once sitcoms started to suck in the mid Nineties (and I went five or six years without an actual television set), my couch potato days were over. As of right now, my television watching usually consists of sports (or “Sportscenter”), “Law & Order” reruns, “Scrubs” and “30 Rock”. And VH-1 Classic and VH-1 Soul, pretty much the last things anyone over 30 has in terms of music television.

    I was sort of mindlessly watching VH-1 Soul one night two or three weeks ago, when the video I’m about to unveil popped onto the screen. I was talking to a friend on instant messenger as this was playing, and I couldn’t help expressing my distaste (disgust?) to him (his response: “Why does he have two last names?”). There are so many things wrong with this video, from McKnight’s 1980 MJ-meets 1991 Boyz II Men look to the cameo by faded rap star Greg Nice (of Nice & Smooth fame). For a while, I thought this had to be a joke, because no one could have bankrolled or shot this with a straight face. Right? RIGHT?????