I’m assuming the majority of you didn’t even know Jamie Foxx had a music career before he kicked “Slow Jams” with Kanye Titta and Twista back in 2004. Funny thing is, I have a feeling the fantastic Mr. Foxx didn’t either.

After the transitioning actor found out eleven years prior that unsubliminally awesome album titles like Peep This don’t sell records by themselves and subsequently moved on from his childhood passion, the burgeoning actor found himself on the receiving end of a game-changing alley-oop from the hands of the young son of Chicago, who would ultimately change the face of the soul genre that Jamie had once himself once tried to conquer.

Ever since, the man who vicariously won awards for the late Ray Charles peruses his way onto pretty much any high-profile industry release without a hitch. Which leads me to one question; Is Jamie Foxx really as talented a singer/songwriter as his resume reads, or did he just come across the perfect outliers to slide into a prime spot as the entertainment industry’s Bo Jackson?

The past week or so has been consumed by the sounds of Sir Lucious Left Foot and amongst nothing but choice material, the only song I skip is the Foxx-featuring “Hustle Blood.” It’s too grown and sexy gaudy for an average gent like myself. Once that singular realization hit, my overall disdain for Jamie Foxx’s music started to unravel further, dating back to the days of his lackluster layers on The Massacre, Doctor’s Advocate and Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, to name those in my personal collection. Sure, there were some huge hits in there — with “Gold Digger” and “Blame It” — but both were set off by hype surrounding his counterparts and not the God-given talent that sets the special artists apart from the average. On the contrary, a few of Foxx’s new songs have stirred up certain interest, but then the only time I hear the man on the radio is when I flip over to Sirius for funnies. Apparently getting gigantic guests like Justin Timberlake and T.I. for your mediocre single doesn’t even cut it anymore.

So, to answer my own question. I think it’s both. Foxx may have stumbled upon success in the one field that alluded him for years, but he’s also a legitimate musical talent. The problem, however, lies in the fact he has become type-cast in the role he plays. Not in movies, though, but in every forced, label-made playboy/high-class-hooker love song that he accepts royalty checks on behalf of.

Once Jamie and J Records stop shoving cheesy, Saran-Wrapped® odes to the opposite sex down the throats of Beyoncé’s fans and realize that respect and loyalty in the music industry lie in the very same honesty and emotion that earned him an Oscar, only then Foxx may see the more classy music career he’s always envisioned for himself.

When it was announced Mikey got signed up by J Records, I pleasantly vowed to behead anyone who misguided the path of my favorite Southfield, MI singer. Now, here we are, mere months later, watching an official visual for one of Mike’s most popular tracks…and it’s not even the best version of the song.

But, apparently justified.

Previewed on Posner’s One Foot Out The Door mixtape, Gigamesh’s version of “Cooler Than Me” is a driving force of phased frequencies that turns up the tempo on the Big-Sean-assisted original and sacrifices the first-version’s sing-along appeal for more dance-floor prowess. The previous incarnation might have been more personal and possibly ear-appealing, but this discoteche time-bomb is bound to blow big; as it’s already driving the kids crazy at his live shows, plus making the rounds on Top 40 stations in the Midwest. Now, the major-label music video is here to tie it all together.

Next thing you know, Mike Posner will actually drop an album, blow up and become a household name. Then, we’ll all hate him for it.

(I keed…I keed!)

At this time last year, if you would’ve told me the new mixtape from a white suburbanite, Southfield, MI Pop producer/singer named Mike Posner would make my most anticipated releases of 2009 list, I would have laughed straight in your face. Read the rest of this entry »

This is the moment so many artists envision for themselves, yet very few actually attain. Read the rest of this entry »