Ellie’s Pick: “Cool It Now” – New Edition
Although Boston, Massachusetts is home to many iconic artists, my favorite, hands down, is New Edition. Growing up listening to my parents’ mixtapes and CDs, the majority of the tracks were Hip-Hop and R&B. Formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown, other New Edition members include Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, Johnny Gill, and Ralph Tresvant.
Occasionally members left to pursue solo careers or other groups such as Bell Biv DeVoe. Though the lineup would constantly change throughout the years, all six members have reunited for The Legacy Tour this spring!
My all time favorite song by New Edition is “Cool It Now.” One of their earlier hits, “Cool It Now,” had released on August 27, 1984. Although classified as R&B, there are other influences in the production such as 80s pop and rap. “Cool It Now” was actually one of the first songs of its genre to include a rap interlude. Ranking #4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in ‘84, there’s something about this song that just makes you happy. Innocent and fun, to this day, “Cool It Now,” will make me bust a move any time, any place.
Catch New Edition at Bridgestone Arena on April 16th!
Claire’s Pick: “Swing & a Miss” – Mofie
For my intern pick this week I’m excited to share “Swing & a Miss” by Fort Collins based artist, mofie. Growing up in Fort Collins, music was always appreciated and largely apart of the culture. Although, it wasn’t until high school that I was exposed to the music being made in the community. Morgan Fields of Mofie completely changed my trajectory as a listener and aspiring artist. Morgan is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist that self-released her debut ep Black Hole in 2021. The project was produced by friend and collaborator Corey Coffman of Gleemer. Together the two redefine elements of shoegaze with spoken emotive vocals and coming of age songwriting.
“Swing & a Miss” is a song that for the small victories. The instrumentation is sparkles sonically with clean breaks, pocketed grooves, and bright guitar layers. Morgan plays drums on all of her recordings and also for shows. She toured late last year interchangeably with Modern Color, Gleemer, and Soft Blue Shimmer. I am excited for all that is to come from the emerging artist!
Christina’s Pick: “Doo-Wop (That Thing)” – Lauryn Hill
Although Lauryn Hill isn’t from my specific hometown (Lawrenceville isn’t home to any artists yet), she is an artist I admire who is still from New Jersey. Her iconic track “Doo-Wop (That Thing)” dropped in 1998 off of her album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
Growing up in a musical family, Hill was surrounded by all different types of genres. However, she found the most inspiration for her own songs through the influence of Bob Marley and The Temptations. Hill’s parents encouraged her and her siblings early on to pursue music, and as a result Lauryn began singing in the church choir at a young age. It wasn’t long before the singer was forming her own band, The Fugees, which later led to her success as a solo artist.
“Doo-Wop (That Thing)”, Hill’s breakout single, managed to hit #1 on Billboard charts as well as pulling in two Grammys for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Not only did it establish the singer as one of the leading female hip-hop/R&B artists, but she’s one of the only few women to have a number one song that was written, produced, and recorded all on her own. Lyrically, Hill warns both men and women to avoid being exploited by the opposite sex for ‘that thing’ while encouraging them to stay aware of their self-worth.
Caden’s Pick: “Straight Out The Gate (Feat. Serj Tankian)” – Tech N9ne
Being from Kansas City, MO, my choice of artist was fairly simple. I did have to put a good amount of thought into the choice of song, though. It feels like an impossible task to pick a favorite song, but I have decided to go with “Straight Out The Gate” by Tech N9ne (ft. Serj Tankian).
Growing up near Kansas City, it was inevitable that I would hear Tech N9ne’s name. I had heard the name long before I started listening to him. Given that I did not enjoy many other genres than rock in junior high/high school, I really had no desire to hear Tech’s music. After getting to college, I decided to branch out a little more, so I gave him a try. Now I know that high school me had been doing himself a disservice.
Tech N9ne started his own label with a business partner entitled Strange Music. Because of Tech’s, and the label’s, success, Tech has been able to feature many mainstream names on his songs. Some examples are T-Pain, Eminem, Corey Taylor, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, The Rock, and many more. He has even gotten some lesser-known artists on some of his songs. Like the song “Worldwide Choppers”.
