The DJ 4 Party of 1 : Recent Episodes
DJ 4 Party Of 1
Just an intro to my world. Welcome. Consider this the love letters to my favorite songs and albums. If you are into R&B or Hip Hip I would like to invite you to take a ride down memory lane. I even have a little pop and soft rock wedged into these conversations. Do you remember when radio was king? Let’s talk about it! Do you recall the joy and pain of cassettes and vinyl? Let’s get into it. I’m driving down the memory lane of building a music collection in the 80s, creating a soundtrack to life as a teenager in the 90s and beyond. I am picking up passengers along the way as I discuss all my favorite music from then to now. Are you ready to ride with me?
- 90s Soundtracks (of My High School Years)S2e21: "90s Soundtracks (of My High School Years)." These were a few of the soundtracks that dominated conversations in-class/outside of class w/my crew.#juice #jasonslyric #abovetherim#dj4partyof1 #soundtracks
DJ 4 Party of 1 Podcast S2 EP. 20 - MJ & TR: The King of Pop and the King of New Jack SwingDJ4Partyof1 #dj4p1 #teddyriley #podcast #podcastunderdog#Musicpodcast #music #michaeljackson #dangerous#newjackswing
DJ 4 Party of 1 Podcast S2 EP. 19 - "A Look into the '90s Quiet Storm Era" new episode out now! My thoughts on the 90s Quiet Storm & my Top 5 for this era.DJ4Partyof1 #dj4p1 #quietstorm #podcast #podcastunderdog#Musicpodcast #music #rnb #slowjams
Dear Mama. You've heard the song, it's become a classic, but if you were alive during the time that this song dropped you know that Tupac had a lot going on at this time. I dive into a little of a lot right here in this episode.
2pac #Tupacshakur #tupac #dearmama #1995
controversy #3rdalbum #meagainsttheworld
*S2E16 : Calm after Chaos: The Diamond & Pearls AlbumIn this episode I run down a 90s album that really put all eyes on Prince (again). He had a huge reign - think purple - in the 80s. He did a little acting, dropped more hits, a few misses, dominated the charts with more than one soundtrack and parted ways with The Revolution, all before 1990. This album marks the cool return of Prince after all the chaos that ensues from parting ways with The Revolution to the new sound he created with NPG.#Prince #diamondsandpearls #npgDJ4Partyof1 #dj4p1 #comeback #podcast#Musicpodcast #music
S2e15 The Other Side of the WestWe all know Snoop. No one ever forgot about Dre, but so you know about the other side of West Coast rap? Join me as a yap about 2 of my favorite west coast groups that walked the alternative backpack hip hop kid line.#westcoast #soulsofmischief #casual #backpack #alternative#hieroglyphics #pharcyde
S2 e14: NE: The Breakup After Heartbreak New Edition, one of the most popular teen boy bands of the 80s, split in 1990. In one year we had 3 debut albums from 3 different sides of the New Edition camp. These are my thoughts on that.#dj4partyof1 #dj4p1 #ne #newedition
S2 e12 Th DJ 4 PARTY of 1 Podcast:The Rise of the Remix & Tangible Media in the 90s. New episode out now!!#dj4partyof1 #dj4p1 #cds #remixes #remix #90s #podcast #musicpodcast
S2e10You can hate it or love it, but R. Kelly ruled the 90s in R&B. His name stayed on the charts, and when he wasn't he was still making music. He was often known for remixing a track to help someone else get on the charts. Later we find that he did a whole lot of other stuff too. Here is my 2 cents on just a fraction of his 90s reign in music - before surviving - along with songs that I gravitated towards.Okay, there is a little bit of the surviving R Kelly commentary in here too, just soyou know.
Season 2. Episode 8 - The Art of Storytelling: Ice Cube Long before any of the "Friday" movies were made Ice Cube was crafting some stories through rhymes. This episode takes us for a trip down memory lane to the Ice Cube's red hot streak as he became the eyes and ears of the west coast in the early 90s. #IceCube #Storytelling #hiphop #90s
Season 2. Episode 7"How LL Cool J Made my Heavy Rotation Playlist on 1990"#llcoolj #music podcast #marleymarl #album #dj4p1 #dj4partyof1
S2 E6. Age Ain't Nothing But A Number: Aaliyah & Hi-Five Have Entered the Chat.Hi-Five - "I Just Can't Handle It" Aaliyah - "Age Ain't Nothing But A Number" Are these songs so different? Are these different sides of the same coin?Hi-Five dropped their debut album in 1990. Aaliyah arrived on the scene in 1994.I was a fan (still am) of both Hi-Five and Aaliyah, but I always thought there was a connection between the two songs that I never saw being discussed. Here's the DJ4P1 perspective on their debut albums and the songs from these teenagers that raised eyebrows in the R&B world!#dj4p1 #dj4partyof1 #thepodcastunderdog #aaliyah #hifive #90sRnb
S2 E4. '90s Floodgate of R&B and Hip Hop
'90s Hip Hop & R&B described in one word: floodgate.
That's really how it went down. So much talent, so many artists. I'm not saying that record deals were being passed out like candy, but there was no shortage of new artists for anyone that had a sweet tooth for R&B and hip hop in the 90s.
Some artists had a heavy influence. Some artists are still dropping new music today. There were also some one-hit wonders that made the charts.
Do I discuss all of that here? No. Sorry for the buildup. I got excited typing this too because it really did sound like I was about to drop the definitive podcast of all podcasts about everything good in 90s music. Fortunately, I have already listened this podcast after I recorded it, so I can assure you, it's not that.
This is just a brief cliff notes version of a small fraction of artists that entered the floodgate for this decade! (And as soon as I finished it, I was like, "I forgot to mention....")
90s #hiphop #RnB #neosoul #flashback #90sRnb
S2. E3 Gen X: The Generation that Made the Parental Advisory Sticker Necessary.The 90s started with a bang, and Luke & the 2 Live Crew were in the spotlight right at the start. Rap music was on the radar and albums were being labeled obscene. The parental advisory sticker was getting slapped on a number of albums. Some albums were banned in certain areas ,but we all know what happens when you ban something right? It only makes people want it more!So take another trip down memory lane with me to see it through my eyes in 1990. It's not some all inclusive story of the entirely of parental advisory compliance. It's just my story on how I saw it at the age of 14 when all of this was unfolding.#hiphop #banned #ParentalAdvisory #Explicit #Luke #2LiveCrew #90s #rapmusic #GenerationX GenX
S2 e2. Prelude to the '90s (AKA My Crazy Mariah & Prince Vision of Lovesexy Compact Disc Episode)I promise you that you won't hear this story anywhere else. Yes, I know that Prince released LoveSexy in 1988, and this is no real connection between this and the Mariah's 1990 Vision of Love album. For the sake of this story, however, somewhere in my world, in terms of the changing media of compact discs, these 2 albums played a strange part in the early transition from tape to the CD.
Intro to season 2! I'm back!
Thanks for tuning back in to Season 2!
dj4p1 #dj4partyof1
Season2
- My Favorite '80s Producer(s)
A lot of producers were behind many of my favorite songs and albums in the eighties. Some even produced multiple albums for different artists. In terms of my favorite producer in the '80s I can give you a hint and tell you that it was a duo. Can you guess who?
DJ4P1 #DJ4Partyof1 #80s
- Soul Train in the 80s
My recollection of the weekly airing of Soul Train during the 80s. As someone that didn't have cable in the 80s, let's just say I anticipated this show more than the average person.
Soultrain #80s #DJ4P1 #DJ4Partyof1 #Music #Musicpodcast
- '80s Art of Storytelling in Hip Hop
Join me on this episode where I recap some of storytellers in hip hop that got my attention in my middle school years. One stood out as the giant among the rest, and it only took one song for him to do it. Can you guess the artist and the song?
storytelling #hiphop #80s #podcast #Musicpodcast
Another vital group connected to New Jack Swing. Here I recap my thoughts on the debut album .#dj4p1 #dj4partyof1 #tonytonietone#who #newjackswing
Finally, finally we are that point where I talk about one of my favorite parts of the '80s: the high speed dubbing era!#dj4p1 #dj4partyof1#episode25
- Top Billing for 80s DJs If you wanted to know who got da props in the 80s you didn't need Black Moon to tell. It was the DJ! Some even got top billing. My 2 cents on the DJs of 80s hip hop.
DJ #DJ4Partyof1 #DJ4P1 #topbilling
Halloween '84: MJ + Rockwell,How does Michael Jackson's "Thriller," an album released in 1982, have the title track from the album still charting on the Billboard Top 100 singles in 1984? Tune in and find out how MJ, along with Rockwell, took over the Halloween music playlists of 1984! #Halloween #Thriller #MJ #Rockwell#halloweenplaylist #playlists #MichaelJackson
Should I do another season of the 80s? Dive into the 90s? What's next? Tune in and find out the direction that (I think🤔) I'm moving into next season.#dj4p1 #dj4partyof1#SneakPeek #season2#podcast #eighties #music#OldSchool
Revisiting the Debarge classic "In a Special Way"
The #DJ4P1 Podcast dives further into the 80s this Friday with a #flashbackfridays episode on the 1983 Debarge album, "In a Special Way."
DJ4Partyof1 #Debarge #InaSpecialWay
Eighties #Oldschool #Retro #Blackstreet #MaryJBlige #NotoriousBIG
If you were alive in 1984 you knew that there were some songs that just became mainstream hits. It was a year of great black music crossing over into the pop or mainstream realm. In this episode we are going to flashback to some of the hits that topped the End of Year Billboard Hot 100 charts. (Spoiler alert: you probably know more than a few of these songs even if you were not alive in 1984!)
Imagine a world where there was no YouTube, no file sharing, no Internet. Imagine hearing a song for the first time and wanting to hear it again but having to wait until it came on the radio again (if you didn't buy it first). That was the 80s in a nutshell!
Radio was vital. LL Cool J was right! The "Can't Live Without My Radio" podcast episode is now! Enjoy!
Dearly Beloved,
If you grew up in the 80s, this soundtrack & movie was unavoidable in 1984. In this episode I reflect on that time.
E.12 Prince & the Purple Rain Reign
Prince #purplerain #soundtrack
dj4p1 #dj4partyof1 #80smusic
80smovies
In this episode I dive into my memories on the black music magazines that I grew up with in the 80s. To say that I devoured these magazines is an understatement. For me it was almost the equivalent of buying new music because these magazines tapped into our culture and gave info on new artists, interviews about new music and everything in between for black music culture. Also, you got posters of your favorite artists that you could use to cover your wall. Wait, was I the only one doing that?
So, growing up I didn't have cable. I missed out on #VideoSoul (among other things) & I had to resort to free videoalternatives. This podcast pretty much sums that up that 80s experience that sucked, but I adjusted. 🤨#DJ4P1 - Ep. 11 -"No Video Soul"
Janet Jackson is back outside, the Together Again Tour is in full effect! Her entertainment career is at the 50 year mark, and I thought this would be the perfect time to discuss the early Control and Rhythm Nation years that catapulted Janet in to the spotlight! She also turns 57 this year, so happy birthday Janet Damita Jo Jackson!
I circled back for the B-Side of the other dilemmas of having to buy music, the same music, twice. Have you ever had CD stolen? Have you ever scratched a CD? Has anyone ever borrowed a cassette, CD or album that they didn't return? I discuss a few of those joys and pain of physical music money and spending that hard earned cash back in the day to buy the same songs twice!
Remember the times of 12 cassettes or CDs for a penny? Well, it is one of those “You had to be there!” times. Lucky for you, I bottled up that era and this episode touches on the memories I saved for you millennials and anyone born after that Columbia House and BMG era passed!
It was inevitable. If you bought music in the 80s, at some point, you probably bought the same song. Radio edits, album versions, extended versions, live versions, club mixes...the list just goes on and on. The marketing machine was at work music industry in the 80s, and singles were released and mixed to the point of exhaustion at times!
Still, if you liked a song the various versions gave you the chance to hear the long and short of some of your favorite songs! It may have even prompted you to buy some of these songs! Twice!
- Secret Lovers: The 80s Cheating Anthems That Seduced R&B LoversIt was background noise to me, but cheating anthems were big business when I was growing up. As an adult I took some time to look back at a few of the dominant that were pushed to the top of the charts. It made me wonder, is there a psychology to cheating when music is involved? Do listeners become more favorable to the concept of cheating when there is sweet sultry theme music at the ready? Take a listen and find what elements went into enticing so many music lovers to embrace the cheating anthems by women that thrived in the 80s!
You have heard about my 1st vinyl album. This episode explores my 1st cassette and the early calamities of working as the Doogie Howser of cassette repair. It was, at times, quite chaotic.
I took a moment to reflect on my time in the era 80s fan mail that you could mail for a quarter vs. what it is like to be a fan in the current day of $1000 concert tickets.
This is the episode that explores my connection to a small portion of the funk of the 80s that was shaped by the influences of Rick James and other groups like Zapp and The Time.
Here I talk about my first album and a few that were added to my early childhood vinyl collection. Take a listen and see what album started it all for the DJ 4 Party of 1!
The 2023 Grammys snub uproar appears to be in full effect! The beehive thought that Beyonce got snubbed for AOTY (Album of the Year). Chris Brown asked who Robert Glasper was (not his exact words😁) when Glasper won R&B album of the year. Snoop Dogg said he has been snubbed by the Grammys his entire career with 20 nominations and zero wins. I remember what the Grammys were about in the 80s: the excitement of seeing a few black artists recognized largely on a lily white awards show. It may have been different. From my kid memory bank, however, that is how I recall seeing it. I am sure a younger version of myself wanted to see my favorite artists win, but as an adult I couldn't tell you how many Grammys any of my favorite artists have won (without research). Some of my favorites have never won album of the year or any other Grammy. Can't say I have ever used it as a measuring stick for great music. In this episode I get into the black and white racial dividing line in the music industry when it comes to awards. Michael Jackson was crowned King of Pop with "Thriller." In 2022, there was this social media buzz about Harry Styles being the current King of Pop. With one solo album? C'mon man! Still, he won the AOTY Grammy. Do voting party members of the Grammys even listen to music or do they simple ride the [white] social media tweets/trends to determine the winners? The question I pose, to you, music fans is this: Are the Grammy awards even relevant anymore? * Sidebar: This is sort of off script from the previous episodes in terms of the time span. None of the previous episodes travel beyond 1989 (yet). I am still time traveling back into 80s in my world of music, but I had some thoughts of this whole album of the year buzz in 2023. Thought it would fit in with the 80s flashback in terms of the MJ Grammy Era vs. the current state of what I would call the Beyonce Grammy Era since she had more wins than anyone else in the history of the Grammy awards. It also puts that spotlight on Beyonce every time she has a new album because even with those wins, the biggest award of the night is elusive. The awards committee continues to keep dangling the AOTY award like a carrot that is always slightly out of reach. ...and don't even get me started about that time Macklemore won! I... Okay. Dissertation / Ted Talk finished. Just go and listen to the episode, will ya? Thanks. -CL45. #podcast #GRAMMYs #GrammyAwards #snubs #wins #losses#beyonce #beehive #michaeljackson #thriller #kingofpop #aoty #albumoftheyear #2023 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dj4p1/support
So... the music collection, at this point, is growing. It's the 80s! Still in my preteen years and I am breaking down the 12 inch albums and the 45s. We are also going to put cassette tapes into rotation. Welcome to my life and my music collection from about 1982 band beyond!
--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dj4p1/support
Exploring my first album here. This is the episode where I highlight the early days of starting a music collection coupled with the love/hate relationship with vinyl, the limitations of a single cassette deck and the way I expanded my music collection.
Imagine anticipating a new release and having to actually wait for an adult to take you to get it. Imagine having to leave home to acquire an entire album. It's hard to conceptualize, but that is exactly what I had to do. Wait! I am pretty sure that I was sitting in a backseat of someone's car with a brand new album in hand and I don't know if there was anything that could have made me happier at that time.
The anticipation of new releases will never be the same, but I am happy to share with you that time in life where the journey to building an album collection was an actual physical journey!
Disco was going out in a blaze of glory, funk/soul was evolving. One legend was 18 albums deep & still ruling the charts! Tune in 2 C who ruled 1977 airwaves!
Opening the doors to some of the songs that were dominating the airwaves for soul and R&B fans in the year of 1977.
Join me for the some of the music that made 1976 great! Let's uncover some of the originals from 1976 that were covered in the 90s.