mecca_music

tuesday nightcap

omarion | ice box | 21

maybe its the choreography? maybe its the production? maybe its the metaphor of the song? maybe its purely magical collaboration between my favorite producer, timbaland, and omarion. regardless of what element captivates me, its hard for me not to be absorbed by the interconnectedness of the artistic elements at play.  

a small part of me wants to give in to the hostility and anger felt in the song but then i have to stop myself and ask “what is it going to accomplish?” its hard not to be a cold hearted bastard but at what point do you protect yourself against the unnecessary people who are in or have come into your life- and at what cost? how do you shake it off? at the end of the day i need to protect me and mines. no one is going to go to bat for me like im going to go to bat for me.

sometimes the best thing to do is forget it ever existed. acknowledge you missed the red flags, you ignored the signs, then keep it moving. you know next time. well, thats the hope at least.  

a.e

forreal throwback!

sparkle (ft. r. kelly) | be careful | sparkle

i had to take it back yall. ever been in a relationship and feel like you were just done all kinds of wrong? well, sparkle and kells put all those built up sentiments in a song. broken promises, lies, betrayal, deception, the works! what i love most about this song is the fact that there is clearly one situation, however, there are two varying perceptions about what lead to the demise of their relationship. for sparkle, she is  concerned about the phone calls, lies, and unemployment. for kells, he says he was laid off, is focused on being a role model to her son, and doesnt understand how her friends are all up in theirs. just remember how you treat people because karma is a mother-. like sparkle said “you better be careful what you say to me/’cause it might turn around on you/you better be careful what you do to me/’cause somebody might do it to you.” gotta love it. i need hip-hopera to make a return, like yesterday. 

a.e.

boyz II men | one more dance | twenty

boyz Il men. remember them? yeah, that really dope group that had 5 consecutive number 1 singles in the mid 90’s? oh, and did i mention that they have one of the longest number one singles, ill make love to you, in music history? yeah, that boyz ll men. well, theyre back with a new album and this is their latest single/video. 

they definitely put on that grown man weight but they sound just as clear and crisp as they did on their first album (and when i saw them in concert many, many moons ago). here is to some monday morning cheer. 

a.e

sunday nightcap

keyshia cole | i changed my mind | the way it is

oh how my favorite artists grow and mature. keyshia has come a long way from her beginning on the cold streets of oak-town california to the beautiful, classy mother/wife/songstress/sister/daughter/etc. i remember how applicable this track was as a naive undergrad yet its strange how relevant it remains as a young adult. 

on first listen, i remember how this album explored the hideous side of relationships. for some reason, i loved it. i knew it was something i didnt want to go through but alas, as i got older, i realized that i didnt really have a choice. life has a strange way of teaching lessons. sometimes those lessons are manifested most in “romantic” relationships. 

anthony.emeka