Yu Yu Barrea

This is the “People Named Michael Jordan” submission of the week. This week’s submission is Michael Jordan, the COO for the Department of Administrative Services for Oregon. He the jumpman for Oregon #23

House of Hoop Dreams

When I grow up I want to be a House of Hoops in a nondescript mall. Put me next to the Cheesecake Factory (or the H&M). 

Top 5 G-Side Songs Post-Starshipz and Rocketz

“Starshipz and Rocketz” was the turning point album for G-Side. As Codie-G said in the intro of “The One”, each album saw the group in an improved recording studio. Many groups struggle under the weight of expectations. G-Side continued to grow, adding synths on top of their trademark vocal chops to help the transition from lo-fi to high tech. The top 5 post “Starshipz” songs:

5. Pictures

jThis song about sexting is also one of the deepest beats that Clams Casino ever made.

4. Run Thingz

This closing track to “Starshipz” continued the techno crunk movement they started with “Rollin’”. Also, the epic production of this could only be created within a larger studio setting.

3. Hit Da Block

The difference between “Hit Da Block” and a song like “Flickin” is the studio setting. It’s all there, the screwed up vocal samples, the hazy beat add the subtleties of the background production and you got G-Side 2.0.

2. Y U Mad

This track is the “Freebird” of the group’s catalog, on some 3 different parts in a 5 minute song tip.

1. Speed of Sound

This is #1 cause this song of “Starshipz” showed people that G-Side could make epic songs like this with or without a deal.

Top 5 G-Side Songs Pre-Starshipz and Rocketz

G-Side’s output can be divided into pre and post “Starshipz and Rocketz”, but the trademarks of the group - the screwed up vocal samples, the forward production, the introspective lyrics - were there from the very beginning. Here are the top 5 G-Side tracks, pre-Starshipz.

5. “Woodgrain”

This song is the “Still Tippin’” of the G-Side catalog. Also, their distortions of the vocals showed that nothing was sacred.

4. Soul Glo

It takes about 5 seconds to recognize this.

3. Flickin

Screwing up the vocals is a constant theme here. Years later, “Flickin’” is still one of the deepest songs the group ever made and wraps their trademarks into one. I used to drive around US-59 in Houston at 1 am with this song on repeat and everything felt deep like I was in an episode of “Friday Night Lights” with Block Beataz capturing my introspection.

2. “Rollin’”

This is a track from long-time collaborator Jackie Chain. This track put them on the map in about 10000 ways, not least because it got remixed 10000 times. Whatever hesitations anyone had about their musicality was squashed by this beat. This is one of the early tracks where SMS explored the crunk/techno sound that would lead them to success once they moved on to larger studios. “Rollin’” is the most important pre-“Starshipz” G-Side track because of the foreshadowing.

1. “Ice Kissez”

This was one of the first Slow Motion Soundz track that appeared on their Myspace page. “Ice Kissez” is crunk soul, halfway between Kanye West vocal samples and crunk that dominated music in 2007.

For me, these tracks were like early-Kobe waving off Karl Malone at the all-star game. Now the group needed a Phil Jackson type (in the form of larger studios to magnify their sound) to bring out the next level. Part II, the top 5 G-Side songs post-“Starshipz and Rocketz” will appear tomorrow.

Life at 2 am

Walgreens taking over the hoodie game