Thoughts on Rootbeer's remix album

Fun loving hipster duo Rootbeer (Flynn Adam and Pigeon John) recently posted a six-track remix EP of “Pink Limousine” and “Girlies.”

I enjoyed the full “Pink Limosuine” EP when it dropped a few months ago and always love a fresh take on a familiar song. Add in the facts that two remixes are done by notable Christian hip hop figures Ohmega Watts and Theory Hazit and that this thing (appears to be) FREE and you’ve mos def got my ear.

Here are my thoughts on the reworks:

Pink Limousine (Ohmega Watts Lil’ Havana ’83 Remix)
- Enhanced drums and breaks, but still sounds a little bit like a Track-A-over-Track-B remix.

Pink Limousine (Ugly Zombie Remix)
- Lots of energy and feels like a brand new song. Something you might suspect to hear in an alien night club.

Pink Limousine (Eligh Remix)
- A more emotional, dirge-like interpretation. I can imagine this playing in a tape deck of a pink limousine driving me to a funeral.

Girlies (Theory Hazit Remix)
- Fun and poppy. Gets the toes tapping for sure.

Girlies (Remot Remix)
- Gives the song a soulful, European flavor. The lyrics are cut and chopped like an H-town title, but the samples will make you think you’re sitting in a trendy French café.

Girlies (Daedalus Remix)
- This one seems too technical and robotic to me. Its sterile aesthetic robs the great humor of the original.

So obviously, my faves are the “PL Ugly Zombie” and “Eligh” remixes along with the “Girlies Remot” flip.

Listen to clips and download your own copies here.

Cop the first run at either iTunes or Shockhound.com.

Footnote: On “Pink Limos,” Pigeon John’s lyric is “got no time for silly ducks clucking with the fake looks.” It’s clean y’all!

Wade-O interviews NBA All-Star Allan Houston & DJs Father Knows Best Retreat

It’s not every day you get to chop it up with an NBA All-Star, much less about issues that really matter (like faith and fatherhood), but that’s exactly what DJ Wade-O did recently with former New York Knick Allan Houston.

Over Father’s Day weekend, the current Knicks’ Assistant to the President for Basketball Operations invited DJ Wade-O to provide the soundtrack for the campers’ game night. That evening Wade spun and mixed today’s hottest Christian Hip Hop music and later interviewed Houston for The Wade-O Radio Show.

“The whole weekend was such a blessing to me and my family,” DJ Wade-O said. “Allan, his father [former University of Tennessee men’s basketball head coach], and several other notable pro, college and high school coaches taught the kids drills, Scriptures, and how to be men.”

The retreat has been in existence for six years. Afterwards, Houston Tweeted “Thanks for all the support for this year's FKB. This year and this Father's Day was the best ever!”

Also on upcoming episode #115, the guys from the Don’t Waste Your Life Tour (Trip Lee, Tedashii, Lecrae, FLAME, Sho Baraka, & DJ Official) will drop in for a few pointed questions and major announcements about their future projects as well as update us on how the mobile concert series is going thus far.

In addition to Allan Houston, future interviews are scheduled with rap ministers Papa San and Mr. Del.

Listen here.

For more information on DJ Wade-O and The Wade-O Radio Show please visit http://www.wadeoradio.com/

For more information about Allan Houston’s Father Knows Best Basketball Retreat and foundation visit http://www.allanhoustonfoundation.org/

Free DLs: 80's-themed CHH mixtapes

If all the Michael Jackson and Transformers talk this week has you feeling nostalgic, be sure to click and download these two 80's-themed Christian hip hop mixtapes.



Cookbook (LA Symphony) just dropped this one via Sphereofhiphop.com. Dude bears his soul and seems to be getting pretty transparent about recent struggles in his life and career.

I'm particularly feeling "Die Hard feat. Playdough & Theory Hazit," "Solid Gold," and "What's Happening Now." CB did most of the production (if I'm not mistaken) and did a good job at grabbing and then reworking some classic sounds from the Reagan era.

Sample and download the album for FREE here.

1. Cylon-tro
2. Andre The Giant
3. Electric Youth
4. Reganomics
5. Ready For The World
6. Molly Ringwald
7. Growing Pains
8. Solid Gold
9. Inner Space
10. Vision Street Wear
11. LOST BOYS (Still Believe)
12. What's Happening Now
13. The Huxtables
14. Die Hard
15. 7up
16. Time Bandits
17. Never Ending Story



You'll also wanna get KJ-52's "Stuck in the 80's" mixtape. He had this as a promo for his "Remix the Remix" campaign and I noticed it was posted to his podcast page a while back.

This one's more of a mashup mixtape (vs. Cookbook's sample based joint) but still very solid. It's crazy how well some of this stuff matches up.

Download here.

1. Intro: The yearbook signing
2. Interlude: Bueller?
3. Do yo thang mashup
4. Interlude: kj52 introduction
5. Stuck in the 80’s mashup
6. Interlude: “Just say no!”
7. Starbucks takes all my money mashup
8. Interlude: Breakfast club trailer
9. What you want? mashup
10. Interlude: “Goonies never say die!”
11. I got it got it mashup
12. Interlude: “I’m a loner dottie…a rebel.”
13. Still come back mashup
14. Interlude: “truffle shuffle..”
15. Pump that mashup
16. Interlude: Kj52 promo
17. Pushup mashup
18. Interlude: “Here’s a little story..”
19. I almost got shot mashup
20. Interlude: “Miami vice”
21. Interlude: “Don’t stop believing..”
22. Outro: “Don’t you forget about me”

Von Won & Tre9's Much Luvv Radio interviews a Christian stripper???

It isn't often you hear from someone that strip dances for Jesus.

However, it happened to Von Won and Tre9 recently when they stumbled across a young lady who took interest in the Much Luvv Radio interview that was going on while she was touring 4930 Studios.

Von Won explains, "She wanted to sit in on the Tre9 radio interview so we let her. When we were done she started telling us how she was interested in doing Christian music and then she hit us with an unexpected twist about her career."

Check out this week's edition of Much Luvv Radio to find out how/if you could profess Jesus as Lord and work in a strip club at the same time.

Listen and download here.

Tre also has a few questions for the listeners he posted over at DaSouth.com:

• Does it challenge you to be slow to judge?
• Does it make you want to judge more?
• Does it make you sad to hear the confusion or does it make you angry?
• Are you sympathetic or frustrated with this young lady?
• What are your feelings after hearing her from beginning to end?

Michael Jackson Memories

As the news of Michael Jackson's sudden death broke last night I tried to recall my fondest memories of "The Gloved One." (As opposed to all the freak-show moments of his later life.)

Here's a quick sampling:

• My cousin Heather's "Thriller"-themed birthday party as a kid. We had the homemade sparkly gloves and errything.


• My brother Jeremy singing "Man in the Mirror" at an elementary school choir show.


• Watching the "Thriller" video at Nana's house because she was the only one in the family with cable and MTV.


• Listening to MJ's "HIStory" and forgetting it had guest features from one of the best MCs of all time: Shaquille O'Neal. Some dude named Notorious B.I.G. was on there too.

You should also check out my girl Danielle Angah's piece: "Rightly Responding Michael Jackson's Death" found over at DaSouth.com

k-Drama Records Christian MMA Gear Theme

GRITS ain't the only ones getting their game on.

Fresh off his recent concert at a Cincinnati Reds baseball game, k-Drama reports via Twitter that he just recorded and released a new theme song for the "Jesus Didn't Tap Out" MMA-themed clothing line.

Visit http://www.nosubmit.com/ to hear the track and check the gear.

Related:

• Syntax Records sponsors UFC fighter
• Whuteva creates theme song for UFC fighter

Vidz: GRITS & TNA's AJ Styles

Apparently the Nashville connection works again, this time in favor of GRITS and TNA's AJ Styles. (The pro 'rasslin' fed is based in Music City, TN and Sting has used Toby Mac's music in the past.)

Here's the clip of those Tennessee Bwoys' song titled "I Am" for the Phenomenal One.

I think the athlete is better than the track, but so be it and congrats to Coff & Bone for expanding their market.



Related: GRITS perform live on TNA's IMPACT! show