Classic: “It Was a Good Day” by Ice Cube

Happy birthday, Ice Cube!

O’Shea Jackson (born June 15, 1969), better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper, record producer, actor, screenwriter, film producer, and director. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined N.W.A (Niggas With Attitudes).

After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer, director, actor and producer in cinema. Additionally, he has served as one of the producers of the Showtime television series Barbershop and the TBS series Are We There Yet?, both of which are based upon films in which he portrayed the lead character.

He was ranked #8 on MTV’s list of the 10 Greatest MCs of All Time, while fellow rapperSnoop Dogg ranked Ice Cube as the greatest MC of all time.

“It Was a Good Day” was released in February 1993 as the second single from his third solo album,The Predator. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It was ranked as the 81st-greatest rap song of all time by About.com and number 77 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s. In 2008, it was ranked number 28 on VH1’s 100 greatest songs of hip hop.

June 16… 1942 : Edward Levert 1949 : Peppy Castro 1950 : James Smith 1952 : Gino Vannelli 1971 : Tupac Shakur 1987 : Diana DeGarmo June 15… 1937 : Waylon Jennings 1941 : Harry Nilsson 1954 : Terri Gibbs 1969 : Ice Cube 1976 : Dryden Mitchell 1981 : Billy Martin
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June 16…

1942 : Edward Levert

1949 : Peppy Castro

1950 : James Smith

1952 : Gino Vannelli

1971 : Tupac Shakur

1987 : Diana DeGarmo

June 15…

1937 : Waylon Jennings

1941 : Harry Nilsson

1954 : Terri Gibbs

1969 : Ice Cube

1976 : Dryden Mitchell

1981 : Billy Martin

Classic: “Karma Chameleon” by Culture Club (1983)

Happy brithday, Boy George!

Boy George (born George Alan O’Dowd on 14 June 1961) is an English singer-songwriter, who was part of the English New Romanticism movement which emerged in the early-mid-1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by rhythm and blues and reggae. His 1990s and 2000s-era solo music has glam influences such as David Bowie and Iggy Pop.

During the 1980s, Boy George was the lead singer of the Grammy and Brit Award winning pop band Culture Club where he became known for his soulful voice and androgynous appearance.

“Karma Chameleon” is a classic hit song by British New Wave band Culture Club, featured on the group’s 1983 albumColour by Numbers. The single spent three weeks at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in early 1984, becoming the group’s biggest hit and only US #1 among their many Top 10 hits. “Karma Chameleon” was also a huge global hit, hitting #1 in sixteen countries worldwide, and the Top 10 in several more.

Worldwide, “Karma Chameleon” went on to sell over 7 million copies worldwide,UK & US sold up 2.7 milion copies alone, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.

In an interview, Culture Club frontman Boy George explained: “The song is about the terrible fear of alienation that people have, the fear of standing up for one thing. It’s about trying to suck up to everybody. Basically, if you aren’t true, if you don’t act like you feel, then you get Karma-justice, that’s nature’s way of paying you back.”


(wiki)

rollingstone: “The record is my story,” Morissette says. “I think of the album as running over the different facets of my personality, one of them being my sexual self. To isolate “You Oughta Know’ is a misrepresentation of the whole story. By no means is this record just a sexual angry record. That song wasn’t written for the sake of revenge, it was written for the sake of release. I’m actually a pretty rational, calm person.” Jagged Little Pill was released 18 years ago today. Find out what Alanis Morissette had to say about the album in 1995.
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rollingstone:

“The record is my story,” Morissette says. “I think of the album as running over the different facets of my personality, one of them being my sexual self.

To isolate “You Oughta Know’ is a misrepresentation of the whole story. By no means is this record just a sexual angry record. That song wasn’t written for the sake of revenge, it was written for the sake of release. I’m actually a pretty rational, calm person.”

Jagged Little Pill was released 18 years ago today. Find out what Alanis Morissette had to say about the album in 1995.