Videos of the Week July 6th

Critics have never been shy in calling @kanyewest a genius as an artist, but now I think the credit he receives should be broadened to include his general managing skills. Signing under-appreciated free agent @PUSHA_T, reinvented @2chainz and up and coming @bigsean have all proved to be positive moves so far. This week @g_o_o_d_music continued their ascension with their performance at the @bet awards. That performance combined with the much hyped, high-budget video for @davidguetta's new single featuring the gyrations of @chrisbrown were the two big highlights video wise in the past week.

If you're a fan of Hip Hop dance you'll probably enjoy @justicedanccrew's new Boom Boom video. Also, I found it really hard not smiling when watching @JordinSparks's new Celebrate video that featured the last acting ever done by Whitney Houston in Sparkle. Kudos for the music industry as a whole for doing as many tributes as humanly possibly to honor one of the most influential artists in R&B history.

David Guetta feat Chris Brown &Lil Wayne – I Can Only Imagine (Video)

G.O.O.D. Music Performs at BET Awards

Justice Crew - Boom Boom (prod by David Guetta) (Video)

Whitney Houston & Jordin Sparks - Celebrate
(From Motion Picture Sparkle) (Video)

Wale & Meek Mill feat French Montana - Actin Up (Video)

Twista Begins Whitney Houston Tribute

One of the aspects of Hip Hop that really annoys me is when like 15 different artists jump on a remix of an already over-played track to create a 10 minute megamix. Keep it to less than four features because I'm going to hit next track if it goes beyond that, no matter how great the beat is. There shouldn't ever be a Hip Hop track that is over 5 minutes long and having more features than needed puts that at risk.

What does this have to do with @twistagmg's tribute to Whitney Houston you ask? Well, I'm more than willing to make an exception to the bold statement I made above regarding the number of artists on a track with the tribute below. To this date, I haven't heard of any Hip Hop artist buying a card, writing his condolences on it, then passing it on to anybody willing to lend their thoughts over 16 bars. I say that because that's exactly what Twista did with the help of @traxster who did the beat. Not only did Traxster sample Whitney with class, but the heavy piano and rat-a-tat of the percussion was spot on.

I hope every rapper in Hip Hop leaves a mark on this open letter and blesses it with their own moving memories and thoughts on one of the most influential voices in R&B history. I'm crossing my fingers that a few in my live starting five like @Drake, @JColeNC and @bobatl take to the mic and celebrate her memory by joining Twista in grieving on wax. Keep it going y'all, don't be the dude who keeps passing the card because he "didn't know her well enough." You'd be fooling yourself if you weren't in some way moved by her legendary voice.

Bonus: Elton John speaks on Whitney's death and dedicates Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me to her...


Twista - Whitney Houston Tribute (prod by The Legendary Traxster)

We'll Miss You Whitney

"If I should die this very day (very very very day)

Don't cry, 'cause on earth we wasn't meant to stay

And no matter what the people say (really don't matter)

I'll be waiting for you after the Judgement Day"

It doesn't get much worse when you see social networking start to blow up with fresh news of a celebrity death. Maybe it was because she was younger, but for some reason Whitney Houston's death hit me a little harder than Michael Jackson's death. Neither deaths were really a surprise due to the harsh lifestyles they were rumored to have lived. Put it this way, and I mean this in the most respectful way possible, when someone like Pimp C (who passed away due to an overdose of codeine) writes a song called Bobby and Whitney because everyone will immediately know that you are referring to cocaine, you're living your life on the wrong side of the tracks. ("I got Bobby by the pound, Whitney by the key" - Pimp C)

Even though the proof was in the (white) pudding (mix) and her fate was somewhat sealed as soon as she started going down the wrong path, nothing can EVER take away from her contribution to generations of music. She shaped the way we view R&B singers and helped set the bar vocally for decades to come. What I enjoyed most about her music was that it was always uplifting and positive. From I Wanna Dance With Somebody to I'm Every Woman to It's Not Right But It's Ok to I Will Always Love You, the message was always in some way inspirational.

The aforementioned tracks can all be considered classics, but my personal favorite track of hers has to My Love Is Your Love. I'll be honest in saying when I was watching the video again today, I got a little choked up when I saw her looking so healthy in the video and hearing her sing about death and waiting for the judgment day. It becomes eerie real quick and makes you really appreciate life when you think about it. The lives you've touched through your music are countless, thank you again for all you've given us through the years...#RIP


Whitney Houston - Your Love is My Love