As much as I love Taz and the whole SRCP, there’s no way I could have been on set for this one. I can listen to “Southside Blood Cuz’n” maybe three or four times repeatedly when I’m here and trying to get into a zone for working. But imagine having to hear it repeatedly over the chorus of a 12-16 video shoot? On second thought, it’s those repeat plays that sometimes make a song likeable. Who knows. If I ever run into Coodie & Chike, I’ll ask them how it made them feel. My guess is the response will be “tripped out.” Read the rest of this entry »

Even though I consider myself well versed in SRCP and their catalog, I’m not even sure if this joint is actually new. What I do know and understand is that “Southside…” is the musical equivalent of a Phil Niekro knuckleball, going several different directions before reaching its destination in the strike zone. And just like the aforementioned pitch, remember that looks are always deceiving when dealing with Taz. Peel back the layers and there’s sound after sound to be found within all of the seeming quirkness. New or not, it’ll be the first single from Mr. Arnold’s Hood Love as he ventures out to release a solo LP. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s still somewhat crazy to see how far Trey Songz has come in the past five years. Rewinding back to my high school years, dude was a local prodigy who was known to jack popular beats and add his own two cents to ‘em. Yup, seems like yesterday when there would be barbershop arguments on how far his talent would actually take him. While he’s still got a considerable distance to go to truly maximize his potential, Petersburg, Va.’s own still stands as one of the more popular names in R&B. Read the rest of this entry »