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  • Friday Throwback – Just A Friend

    I think I was in either the 7th or 8th grade and everyone was singing out of tune. And it sounded like they were doing it purposefully. It went a little something like this.

    Oh baby you, you got what I need

    And then they’d stop and laugh. This my friends, was the day Biz Markie became a household name. Well, at least for a year or so. Markie has never been as much in the public eye since, but as someone whose real skill is DJ’ing and beat boxing, having a hit single that people remember until this day, is a pretty good side job.

    • I didn’t even remember the “Yo mama!” jokes at the beginning of the video.
    • The painkillers one was pretty funny.
    • The girl wanted to make poor Biz wait a year?
    • I’ve always loved how he not only loses his breath, but nearly screws up one line, and yet, it’s still in the finished copy of this song.
    • Let’s not even pretend we aren’t playing the piano Biz.
    • Agatha was kind of fugly.
    • Why is blah blah blah in a bathing suit at the park?
    • Who is that? Oh, he’s just a friend. Those might be the most cutting words in history.
    • The He-Man club?
    • On snap! Biz ended the video by pop lockin’.

    Where is the Biz these days? Eh, he’s still around. Just remember, nobody beats him.

  • Fly Like The Eagles

    So, at the 11th hour, Billboard made an adjustment to it’s chart reporting system, which allowed the new Eagles album (“Long Road Out of Eden”), which is available only through Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and their respective websites, to chart. End result? The Eagles album scans well over 700,000 units, making it easily the #1 album in the country and another feather in the cap of the band with the biggest-selling album of all-time (although personally I will forever mark it with a Barry Bonds-ian asterisk because it’s a greatest hits album and not an album of new material). But I digress…
    Britney’s meltdown wasn’t exactly good for publicity. Not that 290,000 units isn’t a handsome sum in this day and age, but it’s nearly 2/3 off the pace of what her last studio album did in it’s first week. While this development may disturb the folks at Britney’s label, something tells me that Brit is a little too out of it to really care at this point.
    On the singles chart, Chris Brown holds on for a third week at #1 with “Kiss Kiss”, which should bode well for his new album, which will be one of three highly-anticipated releases to chart next week, along with Jay-Z and Garth Brooks. Meanwhile, the song’s featured artist, T-Pain, has THREE songs in the Top Ten, a pretty amazing accomplishment (especially for someone so minimally talented)
    A little further down the chart, Fergie stands at #20 with “Clumsy”, which is the FIFTH Top 20 single from her album “The Dutchess”, giving her more Top 20 singles from one album than any female artist this decade. I’d imagine her bandmate, will.i.am, must be a little steamed, considering his solo effort, “Songs About Girls”, has completely fallen off the chart in just a little over a month.
    This Week’s Top Ten Singles & Album Charts (provided and owned by Nielsen Entertainment)
    Billboard Albums:
    1. “Long Road Out of Eden” The Eagles
    2. “Blackout” Britney Spears
    3. “Carnival Ride” Carrie Underwood
    4. “Avenged Sevenfold” Avenged Sevenfold
    5. “Everything is Fine” Josh Turner
    6. “Raising Sand” Alison Krauss & Robert Plant
    7. “Unbreakable” Backstreet Boys
    8. “Noel” Josh Groban
    9. “Vivire-The Best of Andrea Bocelli” Andrea Bocelli
    10. “Still Feels Good” Rascal Flatts
    Billboard Singles:
    1. “Kiss Kiss” Chris Brown feat. T-Pain
    2. “Apologize” Timbaland feat. One Republic
    3. “No One” Alicia Keys
    4. “Crank That” Soulja Boy Tellem
    5. “Bubbly” Colbie Caillat
    6. “Stronger” Kanye West
    7. “Cyclone” Baby Bash feat. T-Pain
    8. “Good Life” Kanye West feat. T-Pain
    9. “Hate That I Love You” Rihanna feat. Ne-Yo
    10. “The Way I Are” Timbaland feat. Keri Hilson

  • At The Wrecka’ Sto’: 11/6/07 Edition

    Novembers usually bring what the recording industry likes to call “Super Tuesdays”, when tons of “A”-list acts compete against one another for chart supremacy. With the industry in the state it’s in, the star quality of this November’s releases is slightly dimmer than usual, especially later in the month. But that’s not to say there’s not a couple of releases that have the capability of doing boffo business. To wit:

    It wouldn’t be the end of the year without a Jay-Z album, and 2007 is no different, but this one’s a doozy. His American Gangster is based on the movie of the same name, and comes with tons of pre-release hype calling it Jay’s best album in quite some time. This should be the album that reconnects him with his “street” audience, considering the glossy, mature “Kingdom Come” went over a lot of folks’ heads. For those who can’t get enough “Gangster”, the film’s official soundtrack comes out today, merging Seventies classics with new songs by the pristine-voiced soul singer Anthony Hamilton (whose new album comes out in February…I can’t wait).

    http://www.jayzonline.com

    In today’s game of Six Degrees of Separation from Jay-Z, there’s also a greatest hits album from former nemesis Nas. This album rounds up the biggest hits from his Columbia years, along with a new song called “Surviving The Time”. Considering this, is it really going to make sense to release a new album from Nas just a month from now?

    There are two albums that might challenge Jay’s cruise to the #1 spot next week. If you have a daughter under the age of 19, you probably know who Chris Brown is, although you’ve probably not heard his name unaccompanied by an “OMIGOD!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”. Filling in nicely for Usher during Ush’s prolonged absence, Brown is the latest of teen dreams. His sophomore release Exclusive, already contains two huge hits: “Wall To Wall” and “Kiss Kiss”, which is currently the #1 single in the country.

    http://www.chrisbrownworld.com

    Speaking of country, I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you about a release from a little guy named Garth Brooks. After 1999’s Chris Gaines fiasco, Brooks has been remarkably quiet, but the heat is being turned up. Not only was he recently awarded as the biggest selling American solo artist in HISTORY (sorry Elvis and Michael), but his new single “More Than A Memory” became the first to enter the U.S. Country charts at Number One. The Ultimate Hits is a 2-CD/1-DVD Hits compilation released and distributed by Garth himself (like he needs more money) and contains 4 new songs.

    http://www.garthbrooks.com

    And that’s not all, folks! There’s a new album from Blink-182 side project Angels & Airwaves, the comeback album from rapper Cassidy (following an overturned murder conviction and a near-fatal car accident) and, for those who are reissue crazy, a plethora of live albums (Jimmy Buffett, Bright Eyes, Barenaked Ladies, Five For Fighting…who the hell wants to see THEM live??), hits compilations (the 675th greatest hits album from Aerosmith, plus new comps from Van Morrison and Teddy Pendergrass), and…Christmas albums (from The Captain & Tennille and Rick Springfield!)

    Get a complete list of this week’s new releases here: http://www.pauseandplay.com/cdfront.htm

    Happy shopping!!