As soon as I heard that, my spidey senses went ballistic. But since I was consumed with a couple of other tasks, I couldn’t really get my hands on the tune…UNTIL NOW!

“Doesn’t Mean Anything” is a very beautiful tune. I honestly think this joint is flawless. From the lyrics to the beat and everything in between- I DIGZ IT!I should’ve known Ms. Keys was coming with something after those beautiful vocals emerged on Jay’s “Empire State of Mind”.

Word around  town this is from her fourth solo album. This was supposed to hit not till later this week or next week, but I felt otherwise, lol!

Alicia Keys- Doesn’t Mean Anything

Sincerely

Low “Great Job, Alicia” Key

Lists’ like these are always difficult to construct. On one hand, you’re attempting to remember every song that was forced down your throat and actually considered “hot”. But then, on the other hand, I’m trying to keep in mind that just because I liked that song, doesn’t mean the entire universe had to fall in line with my opinion.

Either or, these songs held a significant amount of weight in 2008. Whether it was the impromptu love for the hook, the infectious beat or the illegitimate lyrics that made not 1/3 bit of sense, but you just HAD to recite them, these songs will be known as 2008’s Top Tunes. Oh, and if I’m missing any, don’t be shy…go head and add them in the comments section. ENJOY

10. T-Pain ft. Lil Wayne- Can’t Believe It

This track not only forged a BFF alliance between the two, but it EASILY took over radio DIRECTLY after its release. Soon after, the dread headed twins conceived “Got Money” and their highly anticipated joint Lp, He Raps, He Sings. I can’t believe it….no seriously…I CAN’T!

9. T.I.- Whatever You Like (Produced By Jim Jonsin)

“Whatever You Like” did some extraordinary damage on the Billboard charts thanks to a little help from “Lollipop” producer, Jim Jonsin. And thanks to T.I., every tender roni I encounter thinks she can have whatever she likes. Sorry ladies, keep that sentiment to yourself.

8. MIA- Paper Planes (Produced By M.I.A., Diplo and Stitch)

Though 2007 marked it’s official crash landing on earth and February 12 marked its official US iTunes release, “Paper Planes” didn’t gain official commercial and U.S. acceptance until it’s appearance in the movie trailer for “Pineapple Express” back in June. Shortly after, pretty much EVERY rapper and their sidekicks tried their hand at remixing the catchy tune. Oh, did I mention it snatched a Grammy nod for Record of the Year?

7. Alicia Keys- Superwoman (Produced By Alicia Keys)

A song dedicated to EVERY strong female in the world? Hell yeah it’s on here as well the list of nominees for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards (Best Female R&B Vocal Performance). I bet you Barack hears this song every time he glances at Michelle…

6. Neyo- Miss Independent (Produced By Stargate)

Neyo gained so many brownie points from the females because of the songs context and he ALSO gained an EXTREME amount of cool points from the fellas because of the bulky amount of eye candy trotting through the visual. It also didn’t hurt that he invited Jamie Foxx and Fabolous along for the remix. Only sad thing about this is every female with a debit card thinks she can claim independence….it’s ok to ask for help babygirl, we got you.

5. T.I. ft. Kanye West, Jay-Z & Lil Wayne- Swagger Like Us (Produced By Kanye West)

Only reason why this isn’t further down on the list is because A.) It was a late bloomer and B.) It wasn’t officially pegged as a single from T.I.’s project but played through every club, radio and ipod speaker on God’s green earth. Sidebar: Since “Swagger” is a word I sincerely hate right now, A HUGE thank you is in order for Kanye West and MIA.

4. Usher ft. Young Jeezy- Love In This Club (Produced By Polow Da Don)

First time I heard this lil ditty, I was hooked. I even thought Usher was heading in the direction of Confessions, but of course, I was let down to 8th degree. Regardless, Jeezy came correct, Polow did his thing, and Keri Hilson will FOREVER be my mistress of choice…sorry future Mrs. LowKey!

3. Beyonce- Single Ladies (Produced By Tricky Stewart)

It’s an amazing sight to witness when you’re standing by the bar, the first 12 seconds of this record comes on and you see EVERY female (Bartenders, waitresses, female janitors and female security guards included) go APE sh*t, gyrating in every way possible known to mankind. True story, I once saw a married woman secretly take off her wedding ring for 3:13 JUST to call herself a single lady and then put it back on as if the song never existed. DAMN YOU, BEYONCE

2 . Young Jeezy ft. Kanye West- Put On (Produced By Drumma Boy)

Everyone…and I mean EVERYONE (yup, even her) thought they were from Atlanta when Jeezy unleashed this massive hit to the public. It gave you the sense of urgency to rep WHEREVER you were from (yup, even her again) whenever this song tickled your ear drum. This was also the first time we heard Kanye exercise his right on T-Pain’s golden apparatus. I PUTTTTTTTT ONNNNNNNNNNN!

1. Lil Wayne- A Milli (Produced By Bangladesh)

1. Lil Wayne- Lollipop (Produced By Jim Jonsin)

Really…..do I NEED to explain myself on either of these?????

Sincerely

Low “At least ONE of these songs gets some kind of burn in my day to day operations” Key

Barack Obama is almost one month away from being sworn into the White House and the question still remains: Who is going to perform at the Inaugural Ball????? A couple weeks ago, Beyonce’s name was thrown into the mix, and now I’m hearing A.Keys is now being considered to take on this historical moment.

During an episode on The Tyra Banks talk show, Keys was pressed by Banks as to whether or not she was performing. Though she didn’t confirm or deny, she did seem optimistic about the alleged rumor.

So, I pose this question to you; Who would you like to see perform at the Inaugural Ball in January and why??? Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Keyshia Cole,  ____(Fill in your choice).

Sincerely

Low “It doesn’t matter to me, as long as they do a good job” Key

Since I’ve been slacking on my Question of the Day responsibilities, I figure why not bring it back with a post that we ALL could enjoy, right? Alright, so last time I asked my aspiring rappers if they would rather have T-Pain or The Dream on their first single, and it drew a pretty good response. However, I felt that question was directed, more so at the hip hoppers and not the R&B crooners. So today, I’m issuing the Question of the Day to ALL aspiring artist (Male, Female, R&B, Hip Hop and everything in between).

Both of these beauties have amazing talent; extraordinary even, but it’s insanely obvious they bring different things to the musical table. Without further ado, I pose this question; If you had a choice, what R&B beauty would you choose to have on your first single? It could be a hip hop single, R&B single, Neo-Soul single….whatever, just tell me who you would pick, what type of single it would be and why exactly you made that specific choice. Yea, this is a tough one, but I’m sure you guys will make the BEST choice possible, lol.

Sincerely

Low “Sighs…..I love both of you” Key

It’s the concert heard around world, well at least East Rutherford, NJ on the night of June 2, 2008. NYC’s HOT 97 officially took over Giants Stadium last night with its 15th Annual, Summer Jam. Unlike last year, the weather for the night’s festivities was crystal clear and the entire Tri-State was ready to go. Seeing how I walked in about 20 minutes into the show, I missed Ray-J and Yung Berg perform their smash single “Sexy Can I” (I didn’t mind one bit). Judging by the luke warm response, the crowd wouldn’t have mind missing it either.

ATL’s own, The Dream hit the stage next. And like his Madison Square Garden set, The Dream took care of business in a timely fashion. To be honest, his backup dancers held my attention for the entire time….I’m not even gonna front like I was paying attention to him. His material (”I Luv Your Girl”, “Falsetto”, “Shawty Is A Ten”) was performed exceptionally well, but them dancers…boooooy I tell ya.

Alicia Keys, who was decked out in a wife beater and some NICE fitting denim’s, pranced out on stage and literally toyed with EVERY male figure in attendance. I mean to be honest, there’s NO reason why she looks that good and quite frankly, I’m fine with that lol. Alicia had no problem running through her slew of hits since (”N.Y. State of Mind”, “Like I’ll Never See You Again”, “No One, and “Teenage Love Affair”) the crowd recited each song line for line. Though her set was amazing, it was her bevy of surprise guests that won the fans over. First, she brings out Brooklyn rapper, Main-O (I’m just as surprised) to do a quick verse from his current single, “Hi Hater”. Next, Raekwon runs out for a quick verse from the classic tune “Incarcerated Scarfaces” which sent the the crowd into a tizzy. Method Man emerged next and shut things down with a verse from “C.R.E.A.M”. Shortly after, Ghostface appeared to add his portion to the song as well. Method Man continued for about 10 more minutes and felt the need to jump into the crowd, which actually won him cool points with the entire Tri-State Area

Hometown favorites, The Lox, hit the stage and they too brought some of their famous friends along. After performing a couple of underground hits (”Wild Out”, “F*ck You”, “2 Gunz Up” and “The Benjamin’s”) Nature and Nore came out for a quick trip down memory lane with a energetic performance of “Banned From TV”. Surprisingly, Red Cafe, Fat Joe, and Fabolous came out to perform the remix to Red Cafe’s “Paper Touchin”. Awesome! Styles P then brings out Swizz Beatz to perform “Blow My Mind” and we all know what that means. Let’s just say the contact I caught was a WONDERFUL experience! Swizz then breaks into his own semi set performing “Money In The Bank” and his new single “Where Da Cash At”. And to close things out, legendary DJ, Kid Capri, brings out Mr. Todd Smith (LL Cool J) for a “wheredidyoucomefrom” type performance which included “Rock Your Bells” and “HeadSprung”. So far, Summer Jam 2008 was shaping up to be a pretty damn good experience.

Mr. Teddy P and his colorful cohorts were next up to bat and boy did they hit a homerun. Quickly running through a couple of his remix verses from “2 Step” and “Walk It Out”, T-Peezy then decides it would be appropriate to add a little dance number to Chris Brown’s “Kiss Kiss”. Not for nothing, it was pretty entertaining. He then decides to bring the first of his monsoon of guest appearances out. Shawty Lo aka Mr. T.I. Aint From Bankhead, trots out to do a quick 16 from the heavy horned anthem, “Dey Know”, which I must admit was pretty friggin superb. If I wasn’t standing on a frail folding chair, I would have been running in place as well *begins to do so now*. Since T-Pain is on EVERY song ever conceived, I refuse to run down any additional information in regards to his perfomance (quit crying). Instead, I’ll just list who he brought out with him. DJ Khaled, Ricky Ross, Ace Hood, Fat Joe and Akon. Right after a brief “Bartender” performance with Akon, T-Pain proudly blurted out “In the words of George Bush, F*ck ya’ll n*ggaz, IM OUT”. CLASSIC!

The Martian, Lil Wayne took to the stage and, well…..did what he does, which I have yet to figure out. Performing his second single from his ALREADY leaked album, The Carter 3, “A Milli” blarred through Giants Stadium while everyone attempted to keep up with Dwayne’s machine gun flow. While spitting his verse from the infamous “Dey Know” remix, Shawty Lo emerges for a quick photo opp and disappears once Wayne finishes the song. Titty Boy appears next, Duffle Bag and all, to spill out the infamous sounds of “Duffle Bag Boy”. To keep it funky, Wayne could have done that tune alone, but Titty still held his own. After sharing the limelight, Wayne reintroduces himself to the audience and gets down to business. He rips through “Cash Money Millionare” and “Leather So Soft” (guitar and ALL…UGH!). Following the horridness of his guitar strings, he proceeds with the full acapella version of “P*ssy Monster” (Yikes!). I’m assuming he was was either on something (like he’s ever sober) or he just got real creative, but during the song, he proceeded to molest the floor in which I turned to my homey Jamal and said “He’s still going to sell 500,000 copies just because of ish like this”. After retiring the random explicit stage acts, he brings out Kanye West to perform the remix to “Lollipop”. DOPE!

Kanye’s performance was confusing, but still entertaining. He performed “Diamonds”, “Champion” “Homecoming”, “Get Em High” (screwed, so awesome), and “Jesus Walks” with so much energy it reminded us why he’s the #1 artist in Hip Hop. After bringing out Good Music artist, Consequence, for a quick verse from “The Good Bad & The Ugly” he jumps into a dope performance of “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” following up with a special but brief appearance from ATL’s #1 trapper, Young Jeezy. “Put On” which features Kanye West, sounded CRAZY on the sound system, but I don’t think to many people were that familiar with the song just yet. After Jeezy’s exit, Kanye starts up “Flashing Lights”, but forgets his first verse (same thing happened at The Garden a couple weeks ago). After fumbling a couple more words, he gets things back on track and finishes up strong. He disappears for a couple minutes and returns for a passionate performance of “Stronger”. After spitting one of the sickest acapella freestyles I’ve heard in a minute (”She watching the draft, she got your jersey already/she bout to pick out a crib in Jersey ALREADY”!), T-Pain comes back out to finish things off with an excellent performance of “Good Life”. SPECTACULAR!

Public Enemy (Flavor Flav and all) hit the stage for a militant, but yet informative performance. Running through their classic catalogue which included “Bring The Noise”, “Shut Em Down”, “911″, “Can’t Do Nuttin For Ya Man”, and “Fight The Power”. During the performance both Chuck D and Flavor Flas gave respective speeches about not believing the hype (their hype was probably different from the audience’s, but most of us understood). Regardless, it was a moving performance and I’m glad HOT 97 incorporated them into the mix, even if that meant half of the audience leaving.

Jim Jones brought out Juelz Santana and the rest of the Byrd Gang flock, but it wasn’t anything special or worth capturing on my camera (it was dead anyway). NYC still welcomed Jimmy and Juelz with open arms as they ran through a couple of their Harlem hits which included, “Santana’s Town”, “Ballin” “Baby Girl” and Jimmy’s remix verses from DJ Unk’s “Walk It Out” and “Two Step”.

Overall the show was freaking awesome, and right now my eyes are 30 seconds from shutting. Attended this year’s Summer Jam, well let me know your favorite part to the show and what part you hated the most. If you’re more attracted to visuals, scroll down and check out some of the photos I snagged during the show.

Sincerely

Low “Summer Jam never disappoints! Well, at least the last 2 years I attended lol” Key

Alicia even looks splendid on the jumbo screen…

I’m telling you, Dream dancers…….SIGHS!

Sheek Louch from The Lox was VERY excited to be on stage…

Swizzy tore it down with his new single “Where Da Cash At”

You can tell T-Pain and his buddies were having a blast……

Weezy was there too……

Rick Ross, Shawty Lo, Fat Joe and DJ Khaled getting busy!

Jadakiss came out to play as well…..

Akon took over with T-Pain, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe and Ace Hood.

Lil Weezy felt it was necessary to have guitar practice during his set……

Really Rick Ross….REALLY?!?!!

 

According to a press release, Alicia Keys is undergoing medical treatment by a physician for a vocal illness that is putting a damper on her tour. Keys’ swollen vocal chords have forced her to cancel a second show on her popular As I Am Tour (get the dates here). The singer cancelled her Pittsburgh, PA show on Tuesday night and is now cancelling her Cleveland, OH show on Thursday. She is expected to be back on the road on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. Tickets holders for the cancelled shows will be able to have them honored at the Columbus show if they contact their respective venues.

Despite her condition, Alicia Keys still hosted 106 & Park with Terrence & Rocsi last night (Wednesday).

Alicia Keys recently came under fire for some statements she was quoted saying in Blender magazine. But the R&B diva quickly called in to Ryan Seacrest’s radio show to clear them up.

In a nutshell, Blender mag quoted Alicia, blaming the government and the media for gangster rap and the assasinations of 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G. But she says her words were misrepresented.

Read the story here, and tell us what you think.

–KIM O.