Bilal

Bilal Sayeed Oliver (born August 23, 1979),^[3] better known mononymously as Bilal, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and producer. He is currently an independent artist residing in New York City.^[4]

Bilal is noted for his wide vocal range, his work across multiple genres, and his live performances. He has been well received, both nationally and internationally, with an extensive list of collaborations including Kendrick Lamar, Common, Erykah Badu, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Guru, Kimbra, J Dilla, Robert Glasper, The Roots, and many more.

Bilal was born as Bilal Sayeed Oliver in Germantown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up in a religiously mixed household, his mother being a devout Christian and his father, a Muslim. He regularly attended church with his mother in a small church that consisted of mostly family members. It was where Bilal grew an interest in music and singing.^[5] Bilal attended The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.^[6] Attended and Graduated from the High School for Creative And Performing Arts (CAPA) in 1998.

for more information & reference : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilal_(American_singer)

1st Born Second (Album)

1st Born Second is the debut album of American neo soul musician Bilal, released July 17, 2001 on Interscope Records. Production for the album was handled primarily by Bilal and Aaron Comess.^[11] Bilal’s stage name also serves as an acronym for “Beloved, Intelligent, Lustful and Livin’ It”.^[12] Bilal was trained in jazz and classical music before recording and joining the Soulquarians collective, which contributed in producing the album.^[13] 1st Born Second features an eclectic sound incorporates musical elements of jazz, hip hop, scat, reggae, and rock music.^[14][15][16]

The album attained moderate sales, but received acclaim from music critics upon its release. The album is now out of print.

for more information :  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Born_Second

Producers of the album : Bilal, Mike City, Aaron Comess, Dahoud Darien, Megahertz, Dr. Dre, Dre & Vidal, J Dilla, Andres Levin, Mel-Man, James Poyser, Questlove, Raphael Saadiq, Soulquarians

Tracklisting + Album Download &  Listening : 

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	“Intro”	Dubble, Richie Rich	Bilal	1:47
2.	“For You”	Bilal Oliver	Megahertz	3:47
3.	“Fast Lane“	Oliver, Damu Mtume, Fa Mtume, Michael Flowers	Dr. Dre	4:37
4.	“Reminisce” (feat. Mos Def & Common)	Oliver, Dante Smith, James Yancey, Lonnie Lynn	J Dilla	4:35
5.	“All That I Am (Somethin’ for the People)”	Oliver, Dahoud Darien, Lynn	Dahoud Darien	3:56
6.	“Sally”	Oliver, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Richard Serrell	Dr. Dre	3:41
7.	“Sometimes”	Ahmir Khalib Thompson, Oliver, James Poyser	James Poyser	7:12
8.	“Love It“	Mike City	Mike City	3:48
9.	“C’mere (Skit)”		Andres Levin	2:12
10.	“Soul Sista“	Oliver, James Mtume	Raphael Saadiq	5:21
11.	“When Will You Call”	Oliver	Aaron Comess	4:47
12.	“Queen of Sanity”	Oliver	Aaron Comess	5:21
13.	“Love Poems”	Oliver, Keisha Whatley	Aaron Comess	5:25
14.	“You Are”	Marsha Ambrosius, Natalie Stewart	Dre & Vidal	4:17
15.	“Home”	Oliver	Bilal	5:23
16.	“Slyde”	Oliver, Darien	Dahoud Darien	4:07
17.	“Second Child”	Oliver	Bilal	6:49

Download album : http://hiphop4realness.blogspot.co.il/2016/04/bilal-1st-born-second-2001.html?m=1

 

Erykah Badu

Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971),^[1] known professionally as Erykah Badu (/ˈɛrɪkə bɑːˈduː/), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, disc jockey, activist, and actress.

Badu’s career began after opening a show for D’Angelo in 1994 in Fort Worth; record label executive Kedar Massenburg was highly impressed with her performance and signed her to Kedar Entertainment.^[1] Her first album, Baduizm, was released on February 11, 1997.^[2] It spawned three singles: “On & On“, “Next Lifetime” and “Otherside of the Game”. The album was certified triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).^[3] Badu’s first live album, Live, was released on November 18, 1997 and was certified double Platinum by the RIAA.^[3] Badu is hailed as the queen of neo soul.

Badu’s second studio album, Mama’s Gun, was released on October 31, 2000.^[4] It spawned three singles: “Bag Lady“, which became her first top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100peaking at #6, “Didn’t Cha Know?” and “Cleva“. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA.^[3] Badu’s third album, Worldwide Underground, was released on September 16, 2003.^[5] It generated three singles: “Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)“, “Danger” and “Back in the Day (Puff)” with ‘Love’ becoming her second song to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #9. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA.^[3] Badu’s fourth album, New Amerykah Part One, was released on February 26, 2008.^[6] It spawned two singles: “Honey” and “Soldier”. New Amerykah Part Two was released in 2010 and fared well both critically and commercially. It contained the album’s lead single “Window Seat“, which led to controversy.

Influenced by R&B, 1970s soul, and 1980s hip hop,^[1] Badu became associated with the neo soul subgenre in the 1990s along with artists like D’Angelo.^[7] Her work has often been compared^[8] to jazz great Billie Holiday.^[9][10] Early in her career, Badu was recognizable for her eccentric style, which often included wearing very large and colorful headwraps. She was a core member of the Soulquarians. As an actress, she has played a wide range of supporting roles in movies including Blues Brothers 2000, The Cider House Rules and House of D. She also speaks at length in the documentaries Before the Music Dies and The Black Power Mixtapes.

Mama’s Gun (Album)

Mama’s Gun is the second studio album by American neo soul singer Erykah Badu. It was recorded between 1999 and 2000 at Electric Lady Studios in New York and released on November 21, 2000, by Motown Records. A neo soul album, Mama’s Gun incorporates funk, soul, and jazz styles.^[1] It has confessional lyrics by Badu, which cover themes of insecurity, social issues and personal relationships.^[2] The album has been viewed by critics as a female companion to neo soul artist D’Angelo‘s second album Voodoo (2000), which features a similar musical style and direction.^[3][4][5] Critics have also noted that while Baduizm contained its share of cryptic lyricism, Mama’s Gun is much more direct in its approach, and places the artist in a subjective position more than its predecessor.^[6]

The album contains the single “Bag Lady“, Badu’s first top 10 Billboard hit, which was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and for Best R&B Song. The song “Didn’t Cha Know?” was also nominated for Best R&B Song. The album features substantial contributions from several members of the Soulquarians outfit, of which Badu was a member. It also features guests such as soul singer Betty Wright and trumpeter Roy Hargrove. Mama’s Gun was met with great critical success and sold strongly, reaching Platinumtwo months after its release. Thematically the album explores topics regarding self-esteem, relationship breakdowns, and police brutality, and features a more eclectic sound than its predecessor. Rolling Stone magazine named it one of the Top 10 Albums of 2000.

reference & more information :  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erykah_Badu

The album prduced by J Dilla & co-produced by James Poysner

Track Listing + Album Listening :

The Roots

 

The Roots are an  hip hop band that was formed in 1987 by Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots are known for a jazzy and eclectic approach to hip-hop featuring live musical instruments.^[1] Malik B., Leonard “Hub” Hubbard, and Josh Abrams were added to the band (formerly named “The Square Roots”).

Since its first independent album-length release the band has released 10 studio albums, two EPs, two collaboration albums (with other artists), and also collaborated on recordings and in live shows with a wide variety of artists in many musical genres. The Roots served as the house band on NBC‘s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from 2009 to 2014, and in the same role (and accompanying show guest artists) on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon since 2014. The Roots’ work has consistently been met with critical acclaim. About.comranked the band #7 on its list of the 25 Best Hip-Hop Groups of All-Time, calling them “Hip-hop’s first legitimate band.

For more information :  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Roots

Things Fall Apart (Album)

Things Fall Apart (also referred to as When Things Fall Apart) is the fourth studio album by American hip hop band The Roots, released February 23, 1999 on Geffen Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at Electric Lady Studios during 1997 to 1998, coinciding with recording for other projects of the Soulquarians collective, including D’Angelo‘s Voodoo (2000), Erykah Badu‘s Mama’s Gun (2000), and Common‘s Like Water for Chocolate (2000). According to Spin magazine, the album is a landmark moment for The Roots and the collective, as it “swelled the Roots clique into a movement-style posse”.^[2]

The album has been considered by music writers as The Roots’s breakthrough album, earning praise from major publications and critics, while becoming the group’s first record to sell over 500,000 copies. It includes the song “You Got Me”, which won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, while Things Fall Apart was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album of the same year, losing to Eminem for his The Slim Shady LP.

Rolling Stone called it a “top-flight record”, while AllMusic cited it as “one of the cornerstone albums of alternative rap.” The album takes its title from Chinua Achebe‘s novel of the same name, which in turn took the phrase from William Butler Yeats‘s poem “The Second Coming“.

For more information :  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Things_Fall_Apart_(album)
Track listing :

 

Please listen to the full album :

 

Common

Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. (born March 13, 1972), better known by his stage name Common (formerly Common Sense), is an American hip hop recording artist, actor, poet, and film producer. Common debuted in 1992 with the album Can I Borrow a Dollar? and maintained a significant underground following into the late 1990s, after which he gained notable mainstream success through his work with the Soulquarians.^[1] In 2011, Common launched Think Common Entertainment, his own record label imprint, and, in the past, has released music under various other labels such as Relativity, Geffen and GOOD Music, among others.

Common’s first major-label album, Like Water for Chocolate, received widespread critical acclaim and tremendous commercial success.^[2] His first Grammy Award was in 2003, winning Best R&B Song for “Love of My Life“, with Erykah Badu.^[3] Its popularity was matched by May 2005’s Be, which was nominated for Best Rap Album, at the 2006 Grammy Awards. Common was awarded his second Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, for “Southside” (featuring Kanye West), from his July 2007 album Finding Forever. His best-of album, Thisisme Then: The Best of Common, was released on November 27, 2007.

Common won the 2015 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and the 2015 Academy Award for Best Original Song, for his song “Glory” from the 2014 film Selma, in which he co-starred as Civil Rights Movement leader James Bevel. Common’s acting career also includes starring significant roles in the films Smokin’ Aces, Street Kings, American Gangster, Wanted, Terminator Salvation, Date Night, Just Wright, Happy Feet Two, New Year’s Eve, Run All Night, Being Charlie, and John Wick: Chapter 2. He also narrated the award-winning documentary Bouncing Cats, about one man’s efforts to improve the lives of children in Uganda through hip-hop/b-boy culture.^[4] He starred as Elam Ferguson on the AMC western television series Hell on Wheels.

reference & more information  : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_(rapper)

Like Water for Chocolate (album)

Like Water for Chocolate is the fourth studio album by Common, released March 28, 2000 on MCA Records. It was a considerable critical and commercial breakthrough for Common, receiving universal acclaim from major magazine publications and selling 70,000 copies in its first week.^[1] The album was certified Gold on August 11, 2000 by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[2] According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album has sold 748,000 copies by March 2005.^[3] The video for “The Light” was frequently shown on MTV, adding to Common’s exposure. The album also formally marked the formation of the Soulquarians, a collective composed of ?uestlove (of The Roots), Jay Dee (formerly of Slum Village), keyboardist James Poyser, soul artist D’Angelo and bassist Pino Palladino, among numerous other collaborators. This group of musicians would also be featured on Common’s next album, Electric Circus.

The album’s cover photo, 1956 Alabama by Gordon Parks, is a photo of a young black woman in Alabama, dressed for church, and drinking from a “Colored Only” drinking fountain