MC’s MUSIC LOUNGE for the week of January 28th, 2025

Collaborations can either hit really hard, or fumble even harder. Once an artist finds a winning formula though, there’s potential to create new trends and movements through the sounds established. Mariah Carey did it in 1995 when she invited ODB to hop on the remix for “Fantasy”, ushering in a whole new library of R&B/Hip-Hop collaborations between female artists and rappers (which JLo benefitted from quite a bit in the early aughts). Fast forward a few decades, and we have Bruno Mars re-inventing the collaboration in his own way. We’ve seen him experiment with Adult Contemporary and K-Pop through his most recent hits, and now he’s taking on rap with the release of “Fat Juicy & Wet” featuring Sexyy Red.

Enough time has passed since Mariah’s “Fantasy” that an artist trying different genres isn’t nearly as controversial as it once was. One could argue that it is because of artists like Mariah in the 90s paving the way for artists like Bruno to do similar things in their music, without much pushback. Thank you, Mariah! I’ll get into Bruno and Sexyy’s fun release in a bit, but my own personal suggestion to Bruno is to continue riding this wave of female collabs, and make an album full of them. Lady Gaga, Rosé, and now Sexyy Redd join the exclusive club of “Bruno’s Angels” as I’ve been playfully saying. The beautiful part of all of it, is that it’s not just Bruno who is reaping the benefits, but the ladies are too. Rosé is slaying the charts with her debut solo album, and I’m ready to see Sexyy slay the charts too. Lady Gaga just announced the release of her new album Mayhem slated for March 7th, with a single and video release the Sunday night during the Grammy Awards. We are about to get FED… more women winning is always encouraged over here, honey.

Bruno and his angels aside, this week also is generous with doses of 2000s nostalgia (and if you know anything about me, MC, you know that I couldn’t have dreamed for a more festive musical theme). The use of samples, interpolations and what qualifies as such has been a hot topic of conversation in music for the last decade. We had the infamous Marvin Gaye estate vs. Robin Thicke situation, and more recently Normani’s “Wild Side” being heavily compared to Aaliyah’s “One in A Million” (even though the song didn’t use a direct sample of the classic track). A little MC vocabulary for you all: I call those types of tracks “vibe samples”; it may not be directly sampling the song, but it DEFINITELY samples the vibe (or in Robin’s case actually does sample it lol) so it counts to me! My rule of thumb in those cases and determining what that fine line is, is that as long as it adds to the song, then I have no problem with it. Fear not gossips, this week there are some serious tracks that pass the vibe sample test with flying colours.

Next week we’ve got the new album from The Weeknd Hurry Up Tomorrow to look forward to, and if it’s anything like the past week, we’re sure to be in for some surprises as well. When I first introduced myself to you all a few weeks ago, I mentioned how the streaming age has allowed for every day to feel like my birthday, due to the sheer amount of songs available. This past week of new releases is a prime example of that, because the amount of new tracks that has hit the waves this week was a music lover’s dream. Today, I am featuring new music from the duet king himself, a woman who is bringing pop stars back, the trailblazer of UK rap, a 2000s teen queen and a musician you may not realize you’ve been watching for years on Netflix.

Listen on…

MC’s PICKS OF THE WEEK

“Fat Juicy & Wet” by Sexyy Red & Bruno Mars

Bruno, Bruno!! I have to say, my initial reaction to this song was shock. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Bruno Mars throw down so much profanity in his songs before so I was totally clutching my pearls. After the initial clutching was done, I allowed, as Shakira says, for my hips to tell me the rest of the story. My hips said yes, this is a banger a la “My Neck My Back” by Khia. Some people have been comparing the song to “WAP”, but to me this has way more of a 2000s rap vibe, which I’m sure is a huge reason why my hips were moving like they were; I’m a sucker for nostalgia. I have been a tad critical of Sexyy Red over the years, not because I don’t love me some explicit female rap, after all Megan Thee Stallion has always been a favourite, but when it comes to Sexyy, it’s mostly because I never found her music to be any good, period. She serves on this track though, something about bringing this riskier side out of Bruno makes her energy more appealing to me on the song. I’m open to listening to more from her going forward, I have a soft spot for the girls who can make music to twerk to. Sexyy Red being added to the list of women Bruno has collaborated with in this new era wasn’t on my bingo card, but it works. The video is fun; Bruno with all his angels, the women he is bringing to the top of the charts with him. If he does end up naming his upcoming album Bruno’s Angels, I want some residuals. Not that he needs any of my advice, after all he did just become the first artist to ever hit 150 million streams on Spotify lol.

“Sports car” by Tate McRae

After almost the entirety of her new album leaked onto the web last week, Tate is moving forward with the album rollout (all leaks have been pulled from the internet). She even acknowledged the leaks when she announced the video to this new single just last week. When I talk about sampling a vibe of another song, this is exactly what I am referring to. The third single off Tate McRae’s upcoming album is “Sports car” and my gosh is it ever a Britney Spears meets PCD song. Fans online have already started putting together mashups with “Buttons” (although if you ask me, the song sounds more like “Bottle Pop”). I’ve always been heavy into pop music, but in the last decade I feel like there was a lack of bad-bitch pop, the kind I grew up loving. I can appreciate that Tate is giving her all to bring that back into the genre, and I feel it compliments her choreography much better. When I went to see Tate last summer in concert, my one criticism was that there weren’t enough high-energy pop songs that complimented her dance skills. It seems that we will finally be getting the dance-pop album that we deserve from Miss Tate McRae. I know the Britney Spears comparisons can seem tired at some points, but there’s no denying her influence here… especially in Tate’s vocal delivery. As a Britney mega fan, I love it. Maybe it’s because I miss Britney’s music so much, but either way, Tate has got a fan in me, or should I say Tatiana (Tate’s alter ego that her fans have given her when she creates fierce music); it’s all a 2000s nod anyway.

"Truth In The Lies” by Central Cee, Lil Durk

Now onto a song that actually does use a real sample, and in a comforting way. Right when the song starts, anyone who knows their R&B will recognize the smooth beat of “So Sick” by Ne-Yo. The entire song is rapped over that same classic Ne-Yo instrumental, reminiscent of Fabulous’ “Into You” since that song is also done over the beat of a previous R&B hit. While both artists featured on this song are rappers, there is an undeniable R&B presence throughout; you almost wouldn’t even realize there isn’t an actual signer attached. Talk about a winning formula. Cench teased the song on his TikTok over a year ago, followed by a video on IG a few months later split into two parts. Even after all the incredible goodwill the song got online, and fan requests for the full version, it took over a year for us to finally have it on streaming in full. Now with the release of Cench’s long-awaited debut studio album, we can finally add this Hip-Hop/R&B infused treasure on all of our playlists. Cench’s entire debut album Can’t Rush Greatness is a masterclass in UK rap, and is the perfect introduction to the genre if you haven’t really seen much of it before. I was jamming to this album the entire weekend, and I may or may not have had a glass of wine or two to this particular song already.

“Ready To Love” by JoJo

A highlight off her newest EP, “Ready To Love” is a mid-tempo R&B jam, which undeniably makes you think of Aaliyah’s work in the 90s. The sound feels so organic for JoJo, especially since as she mentioned in her memoir Over the Influence that she was once signed to Aaliyah’s former label Blackground Records. A huge reason Aaliyah’s uncle signed her was because she reminded him of her. I know if baby girl were here today, she’d be proud of JoJo for this one. Singing about longing for connection and getting the courage to love again over a beat that would make any early-aughts mind feel the feel, JoJo delivers a groove like only she can. Her full EP, NGL, is worth the listen as well; it’s always great to see an artist releasing music that they feel passionate about on their own terms. With all the trials and tribulations that JoJo has had to face during her time in the industry, I’m just grateful she is still sharing her talent with us all after all these years.

“Basic Being Basic” by Djo

If you’ve watched Stranger Things then ladies and gentlemen… Steve Harrington (or Joe Keery if we’re going by his real name) is a freakin’ rock god!! He’s on his third album, and the first single from the project has just come out and it is giving serious Fatboy Slim, late-90s alternative rock, driving with the top down, Third Eye Blind teas. He performs under the stage name Djo, and has already earned quite a few viral hits over the years, including the monster hit “End of Beginning” which hit #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 last summer. Now this new track shows that he knows exactly what his sound is, and if you ask me, it’s something that has been missing from music today, especially in the mainstream. Expect to hear this song on the radio this spring, but if I’m wrong with that prediction you can at least expect it to be on top of my yacht rock playlist… which really is better than any Top 40 station.

MC’s VIRAL PICK

“POOKIE’S REQUIEM [hehe look y’all I made it longer]” by SAILORR ft Summer Walker

https://www.tiktok.com/@fromfloridasfinest/photo/7436557426532355358

@fromfloridasfinest
hey pookie we made the song longer @Summer Walker
♬ POOKIE’S REQUIEM (feat. Summer Walker) [hehe look y'all I made it longer] - SAILORR & Summer Walker

@garthchocolate
@SAILORR & @Summer Walker made a masterpiece #summerwalker #rnb #rnbvibes #fyp #fypシ
♬ POOKIE’S REQUIEM (feat. Summer Walker) [hehe look y'all I made it longer] - SAILORR & Summer Walker

@444pray
Hey Pookie
♬ POOKIE'S REQUIEM - SAILORR

@raejeenshainae
She slid
♬ POOKIE’S REQUIEM (feat. Summer Walker) [hehe look y'all I made it longer] - SAILORR & Summer Walker

She’s only three singles into her career, and she has already managed to accumulate over 2 million listeners on streaming. SAILORR has a SZA-esque flow to her vocals, but manages to keep her own style and individuality throughout it. She uses many different cultural references in her music and lyrics, and in a recent interview with Dazed Magazine she claimed that she wanted to make “music that bad bitches cry to”. Give me something more SZA-esque than that.

SAILORR caught the attention of many fans online for her usage of black grillz over her teeth, which she says is actually a reference to her cultural Vietnamese background (as described in this TikTok). Since the original “POOKIE’S REQUIEM” dropped in November, the song earned over 125k uses on TikTok, and caught the attention of R&B diva Summer Walker resulting in this dare I say iconic R&B remix. The song is addictive, catchy and theatrical all in one. The lyrics are a bit of a cry for help after a relationship gone wrong and having a hard time getting over it… while still wishing them the best. The catchiest lyrics in the song are “I hope you’re happy” repeated in that unmistakable melody. Her mix of R&B, Hip-Hop and theatrics is sure to make for a career filled with timeless gems; it’s no wonder my fellow R&B-heads have gravitated to her sound and style so quickly.

You can also check out my “MC’s MUSIC LOUNGE” Spotify playlist here to keep up to date with my weekly picks throughout the year.

Attached - JoJo out in New York last week to promote her new music.

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With Love,