Rebecca Black's Black Friday: Vanity music project sees teen labeled a YouTube laughingstock

An intro for those of you who aren't familiar with Rebecca or "Friday" yet along with some interesting background info.

Rebecca Black's Black Friday: Vanity music project sees teen labeled a YouTube laughingstock

444 - Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded

Before Public Enemy and gangsta rap, there was BDP. Criminal Minded is notable for both its "conscious" rapping (not necessarily political, but using rap as journalism from the street) and for the beef the album promoted between BDP and MC Shan and other Queensbridge rappers. The samples are funky punches in the gut. The lyrics mention gun fights, crack, and prostitution. KRS-One's boasting of his emcee skills isn't in the silly vein of rappers just a few years before. You get a feeling he's backing up his skills with armed force.

But this isn't a couple of thugs trying out rap. "Poetry" is a great demonstration of KRS-One's rhyming and delivery. Although, at this time, I have a hard time hearing KRS-One without envisioning him delivering these lines with a smile on his face. At the time, however, this was rough stuff.

Songs I knew I liked: "South Bronx"

Songs I didn't know but now like: "Poetry," "9mm Goes Bang," "Dope Beat," "The Bridge is Over," "Super-Hoe," and the frequently sampled "Criminal Minded"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: None in particular.

443 - Sam Cooke - Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963

I was familiar with Sam Cooke's singles such as "Chain Gang," "Cupid," and "Twistin' the Night Away." But I was not prepared for hearing this live performance. What I felt were pretty good songs, are turned into rousing secular gospel songs in concert. Sam's passion when singing comes through clearly on this album. He sings to the audience and coaches them into singing. He comments about the songs and advises the crowd during and between songs. The man exerts such energy that you've got to imagine he is coated with a thick layer of sweat after just a couple of songs. This album completely transformed how I will hear his songs from now on. I will have to avoid PBS on the weekends so this mindset isn't altered by the elderly R&B and soul artists' performances.

Songs I knew I liked: As I mentioned at the top, I knew the studio version of many of these songs beforehand.

Songs I didn't know but now like: Nearly everything.

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: I don't know that I'll add this to my collection, but I may check it out from the library or find it online to listen to on occasion.