Slick Rick

Six Songs That Have A Bit Of “Thriller” In Their DNA

noah | June 25, 2009 11:00 pm
noah | June 25, 2009 11:00 pm

thrillerThe late Michael Jackson’s landmark 1982 album Thriller wasn’t a collection of songs as much as it was an event that upended the pop landscape, and birthed much of what would come in its wake. But in addition to thinking about it as a direct influence on today’s pop stars (i.e. the “I heard ‘Billie Jean’ and knew that I wanted to make music my life” narrative proffered by so many artists in the wake of his passing), one can also think about how the songs themselves were sampled by musicians who came in Jackson’s wake, deconstructed so that they became still-recognizable parts of a greater, slightly updated whole. Six of Thriller‘s musical descendants after the jump. (Thanks to Idolator emeritus Jess Harvell for helping me with some of the brainstorming here.) More »


When Rappers Cry

Dan Gibson | April 15, 2009 1:30 am
Dan Gibson | April 15, 2009 1:30 am


I spend a somewhat absurd amount of time thinking about themed mixes, despite the fact that I haven’t made all that many in the last few years (and haven’t even started on a few that I’ve promised people earlier this year). Nonetheless, the one idea that every few months I kick around but never get around to putting to disc is a collection of depressing rap tracks. Not “depressing” in the sense of being of poor quality, or even emo-rap tracks by Atmosphere or artists of that sort, but just songs where the braggadocio slips away and the sensitive side shows for three or four minutes. Today seems like a good day to get a little help from this site’s hyperintelligent peanut gallery. The first songs I thought of to go with the Slick Rick classic “All Alone” (above) are behind the cut.

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