FashionIndie » Nas

Nicki Minaj Debuts “Right By My Side” Video

Amanda Gabriele — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:01:23 +0000

It’s a day full of Nicki Minaj at FashionIndie! She debuted the video for “Right By My Side” featuring a crooning Chris Brown from her sophomore album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. She even is gifted a car from Queens native Nas before sharing a kiss with the rapper. See the whole shebang after the jump.

A Posthumous Amy Winehouse Album to Be Released in December

Lester Brathwaite — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:43:54 +0000

While she may have gone too soon, as the adage goes, Amy Winehouse left a strong musical legacy built on her two albums, 2003′s Frank and 2006′s Grammy juggernaut, Back to Black. Luckily for us, her collaborator on those albums, music producer Salaam Remi, is polishing up twelve previously recorded tracks for Lioness, to be released this December.

Remi gave a few select journalists — our invitation, like everything else, was clearly lost in the mail – a listen to seven of the album’s tracks, based mostly on demos and early takes of songs. Winehouse recorded a reggae version of Ruby & The Romantics’ 1963 classic, “Our Day Will Come” in 2002, while “Between the Cheats” — purportedly about ~~ex-enabler~~ ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil — was recorded six years later.

“Tears Dry” was the first version of Back to Black‘s swinging “Tears Dry on Their Own” recorded in 2005. For “Like Smoke,” rapcon — i.e. rap icon — and one of Winehouse’s favorite artists, Nas, dropped in after the song’s recording to add his verses. Remi also tapped The Roots’ ?uestlove for some percussive accompaniment to “Halftime.”

Closing out the listening session were two covers, “The Girl from Ipamena” and “A Song for You.” Recorded in the singer’s home in London in 2009, the latter track may or may not make the final cut since, according to an Island Records exec, ”It may not be the best song technically.” However, the actual recording of the song was clearly emotional for Winehouse.

“She was just lying down on a couch,” Remi relates, “with the mic in her hand and by about halfway through the song she was crying, really weeping, with makeup running down her face.”

Not included in the preview were “Best Friends,” an early version of “Valerie,” a demo of “Wake Up Alone,” a cover of The Shirelles’ “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” and Winehouse’s duet with Tony Bennett, “Body and Soul.”

While her record label might try to milk her ghost for all its worth, Remi was adamant about staying true to Amy Winehouse’s legacy, saying “We want this album to be good enough to exist on its own merits….Whether you can hear every lyric on every song or not, you can always hear the emotion there.”

So what do you think kids? Are you excited for this album or do you think they should just let the lady rest in peace? [Guardian]

Runway Trax: Putting a Little Spring in Your Step

Lester Brathwaite — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:04:04 +0000

In New York, it is stiflingly gorgeous outside and it’s got us all kinds of cheerful. Luckily, temperatures drop and clouds will descend tomorrow shocking us back into our March misery — we don’t need smile wrinkles this early in the year, thank you. But before that happens, we assembled some of our favorite songs that remind us of spring to keep the good vibrations rolling. The official first day of that glorious season is this Sunday, so you can start digging out the poom poom shorts and burying those chunky knit sweaters.

Amanda

1. Led Zeppelin – “Misty Mountain Hop”

2. Nick Drake – “One of These Things First”

3. Lil Wayne – “Hustler Musik”

Joshua

1. The Knife - ”Heartbeats”

2. The Rolling Stones - ”She Smiled Sweetly”

3. Sublime - ”Santeria”

Lester

1. Stevie Wonder – “Ordinary Pain”

2. The Smiths – “The Boy With the Thorn in His Side”

3. Nas – “Halftime”