ChokLitFactory Exclusives: Top 25 Songs of 2009 – PART I

The wait is OVA! We finally have the long-awaited LIST of 2009 for all you ChokLit fiends haha!

2009 was a decent year for R&B music and Urban artists. Unfortunately, we did not see a lot of new roads being paved or new acts breaking through, though  artists like K Michelle, Young Steff and K’Jon made some decent headway. 2009 was really the year of the veterans. Maxwell hit us back just like he said he would with a much anticipated album, Ne-Yo showed the us how to be a Gentleman, Mimi showed us she was imperfect, Alicia fell in love while R.Kelly came back for his crown. Meanwhile, in the Urban/Pop world, Rihanna brought some heat, Beyonce maintained her crown, TheDream survived the sophomore slump, while Ryan Leslie quietly retained his genius. Lets get on with the list already! Let me know your thoughts on these!

25. Charlie Wilson – There Goes My Baby – Besides being a homemade tribute to Snoop Dogg and his wife’s marriage, Charlie Wilson lands the perfect song for his syrupy drawl with this hit song. Written by Babyface and originally recorded by Calvin Richardson, Charlie definitely does the song justice.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

24. Musiq Soulchild – So Beautiful – Musiq managed to lie mostly under the radar this year with the release of his album Onmyradio during the end of 2008. I blame his lead single Radio that didn’t go over well with fans. Luckily, So Beautiful was that type of song that his fans were waiting for. One of those feel good, chill & reminisce songs. So Beautiful is a great addition to Musiq’s catalog.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

23. Ne-Yo – Never Knew I Needed – During an impromptu interview about the meaning of the title song to The Princess & the Frog movie, Ne-Yo explains, “It is about two people who feel like they know what they want…know what they need in life, then realize through meeting each other that they don’t know what they need…the realization becomes that what they need is love and they find that with each other“. That is a pretty spot-on description of the relationship of the two main characters from the movie. Ne-Yo writes and performs the song and does a very good job writing a clean, PG-rated song with substance. The soundtrack to the film was released in November 2009.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

22. K Michelle – Fakin’ it – Memphis-bred K Michelle has made a bit of a presence for herself oh the Mixtape circuit with songs like Self-Made featuring Gucci Mane, but her standout track has been Fakin’ It. It features Missy Elliot as a musical co-signer and is produced by up-and-coming production team Hitz Committee. In the song, K Michelle sings about faking ‘it’ for the man she loves but who is clearly clueless in the bedroom. The message is not Choklit-approved, but the song is dope!

*Sidenote: Here is some footage of K Michelle doing a stripped-down performance that showcases her talent. This is an Artist!!! Great voice!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

21. Young Steff – Slow Jukin’ – Even though newcomer Young Steff had a serious hit on his hands with this song, and we  sung our praises for the young 20 year old dancer/singer, his career did not really jump off as we had hoped. Still, Young Steff has a bright future ahead of him. Slow Jukin is that song them 16-year olds be playing while slow-grinding on each other, tryin to act all grown. While all the 25-year olds be gettin’ their grind on behind closed doors 😉

Keep reading!!

Now Playing: Album Review: Electrik Red – How To Be a Lady

What a perfect formula: Dream songwriter Terius Nash writing lyrics, producers Tricky Stewart & L.O.S managing the boards, Urban powerhouse Def Jam backing the project, and 4 beautiful, fun video-girls turnt sangas along for the ride. Sounds like a Platinum album made in Heaven, right?

I may be one of few (or many) people who were not feeling Drink in My Cup or W.f.y (We F*ck You), the singles first circulating around the ‘Nets when Electrik Red first appeared on the scene. Def Jam head L.A Reid was touting their album as the Female version of (Dream’s first album) Love/Hate. Blasphemy, I proclaimed! I pretty much refused to acknowledge the girls until they released a little song, So Good, which was a perfect mix of sweetness and sass, vulnerability and street smarts; the making of a Lady in today’s day & age. So now, Electrik Red had my attention. After throwing Lil Wayne on the remix to So Good, they had the attention of the 106 & Park crowd as well.

So now, faced with listening to the entire CD, I had my reservations, but still left an open mind to enjoy the music. I cannot say the ladies disappoint. Still, I must issue a minor disclaimer: You need to listen to this CD a good couple times to fully appreciate it. After a day of repetitive listens, I am proud to say I am ready to dish out my hard-earned cash for this album.

Butta of the Week: Electrik Red feat. Lil Wayne – So Good Remix

Sooo, yesterday was our busiest day at the ChokLit Factory yet! Thanks everyone for comin through and showing love! But where the comments at? Next time, next time.

I know this is a late posting, but I didn’t know this video was out yet! So, my bad. Better late than never. You already know, I’m feeling this song, and the Remix is definitely a good look for the Electrik Red ladies. They are rockin’ the Chola look in this video with some cute choreography and the same flirty attitude. Only critique, the girls need to work on their lip-syncing skills…

Wayne shows up halfway through lookin like the self-professed Goblin he is – in nerd glasses no less. Is it me or is Wheezy shrinking? Maybe its just me. Anyways, peep the video, thats all for tonight, I’ll catch up on the weekend! Much Love!

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Melt in Your Ears: Triple Scoop! Cassie, Ne-Yo & Electrik Red

Alot of music is leaking onto the Nets lately, good news for us! I’ve got a triple scoop for y’all to taste today!

Cassie & Diddy

First off we have Cassie & Diddy, a track they did together that was produced by Mario Winans. This was leaked a couple weeks ago but I guess I missed the Memo (Bad Boy, holla atcha girl!). Cassie, Cassie, Cassie. Some say she f*cks for tracks, she has no talent, she’s nothin’ but a pretty face, etc. But at the end of the day, she is close with Diddy, so she isn’t going anywhere anytime soon…the same can be said for Christina Milian thanks to her close relationship with TheDream. Nevertheless, on a good day, I dig Cassie. Not sure how she will fare now that she doesn’t seem to be working with Ryan Leslie anymore, but I’ve heard an improvement in her voice lately and I actually like some of her music! Her last single, Official Girl took a Looooong time to grow on me, but once it did, I really got into it. Too bad it went nowhere. This song has similar potential. Its slow-moving, nothing too special upon the first couple listens. But the brooding production seems like it may grow on me in the near future, so we will see. Check it out after the jump!

Still in the W(rapper): Electrik Red – So Good

(L-R)Lesley, Sarah, Naomi & Binkey

I have been meaning to talk about these ladies for a minute, mostly because they are co-signed by TheDream and their upcoming debut album, How To Be a Lady Volume 1, is being touted by Island Def Jam honcho L.A Reid as “a female version of [Dream’s first album] Love/Hate” Upon first glance of the ladies, I recognized at least three faces. That’s because these ladies have been prominent video vixens/dancers and have appeared in videos such as Pretty Ricky’s Grind with me, Ying Yang Twins (remember dem?) The Whisper Song, and have toured with Usher and Chris Brown. Two of these ChokLit ladies  are actually originally from Toronto (Go Girls!)

Read on…