N.O.R.E. - "Nothin"

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

This is my favorite hip-hop song of the moment, the beat is mesmerizing, seems the bollywood thing is catching on.

― Chris, Wednesday, 31 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

What I'm noticing about a lot of this subcontinent-inspired stuff though is how I'm getting off on the more, um, lets call them superstructural elements (lay off Josh) - here it's the snakecharmer clarinet (although admittedly the clarinet hook is pretty essential to the groove), on Foxy Brown's "Hood Scriptures" it's the sashaying strings, on Truth Hurts' "Addictive" it's the to-all-intents-and-purposes from-my-perspective babblelogue of the vocals on the backing track.

It's sort of like there's a dual narrative going on - one of technical innovation eg. Timbaland's cavernous waterlogged beats, and one of pure exoticism-fetish, where it's the alienness of context rather than specific sonics that are entrancing.

Often they appear hand-in-hand so it's hard to separate the two threads, but what really crystallised it for me was hearing The Avalanches' play an excellent remix/bootleg which drapes "Get Ur Freak On" in (unknown-to-me) Turkish-sounding strings a la "Kiss Kiss" (but quite a bit better). The groove-oriented action of "Get Ur Freak On" and the more melodramatic flair of the strings rub up against eachother deliciously because they're not working towards exactly the same ends.

― Tim, Wednesday, 31 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i love that bit... but you only really feel the full force of the exotic when the mysterious weaving strings suddenly collapse into the ultra-homely boot-scootin' church organ george michael bit. actually when i first heard it (not all that long after sept. 11) i fancied there was a bit of an east/west do battle comment happening. (dexta also played 'rivers of babylon' that night). that's probably bollocks but there is definitely a strong sense of 'the other' at play here.

― minna, Wednesday, 31 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Best use of any Smash Mouth related hook ever -- and that includes the original band itself, of course. I love the bass on the song when it suddenly bubbles up more strongly...what also intrigues is how the song has this weird...I wouldn't call it a 'hollowness' per se, but there's a sense of space in the arrangement that provides both depth and something claustrophobic.

I think it works best with hearing "God's Favorite" as the lead-in, because that's a beautifully dramatic arrangement going on there, slippery and strong at once, the way the strings lurk in the mix. But I can't figure out if the idea of him complaining about how he let himself down with the last album is braggadacio ("You thought THAT was great, now listen to this!") or weird-ass apologia ("Sorry, sorry everyone, made a mistake!")

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 31 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually, a more urgent and key question -- what the hell is that beautiful eighties tinged synth/guitar arrangement/sample on "Lova Ya Moms"? Because it sounds real damn familiar and it's used wonderfully.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 31 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

aw, you remembered. that's so nice, tim.

― Josh, Wednesday, 31 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

what the hell is that beautiful eighties tinged synth/guitar arrangement/sample on "Lova Ya Moms"

Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper...

― JoB, Wednesday, 31 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ned, that's kind of funny seeing as on "Invincible" off last year's CNN album he also apologises ("Sorry I fucked up and made a half-ass album"). Clearly "Mervyn Flint" and its universal unpopularity have deeply scarred the boy.

― Jacob, Wednesday, 31 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper...

It WAS that! I was guessing that but because of the recent thread on her I wasn't too sure if I was just thinking of that instead. Thank ya, Job.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 31 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Clearly "Mervyn Flint" and its universal unpopularity have deeply scarred the boy.

Dear grief. Can't wait for the next album. "COMPLETELY sorry, that was utter shit..."

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 31 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

y'all is crazy. weakest and most quickly played out Neptunes hit in quite a while. "Grimey" absolutely destroys it, and the only thing worse than the Smashmouth ref is that he actually retreads in the remix "hey now, you're *still* an all star". sheesh.

― al, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

five years pass...

How hasn't this been bumped in five years?

― The stickman from the hilarious "xkcd" comics, Wednesday, 2 July 2008 09:18 (seventeen years ago)

you've been away?

― Mark G, Wednesday, 2 July 2008 09:19 (seventeen years ago)

NORE: still eatin'. a lot.

http://i30.tinypic.com/212tqnm.jpg

― titchyschneiderMk2, Wednesday, 2 July 2008 09:22 (seventeen years ago)

TITCHY: still readin'. rap blogs.

― some dude, Wednesday, 2 July 2008 13:44 (seventeen years ago)

still have no idea what the fuck the chorus is going on about in this song, really portended a lot of overly wordy Pharrell hooks to come. she's a haggler no i'm not taggin her? wtf.

― some dude, Wednesday, 2 July 2008 13:47 (seventeen years ago)

basically, the guy says he was not chatting up his bird, she was chatting him up. Then threatens him away.

― Mark G, Wednesday, 2 July 2008 13:51 (seventeen years ago)

one of the best/least annoying/punchable pharrell hooks.

― titchyschneiderMk2, Wednesday, 2 July 2008 13:51 (seventeen years ago)

it's not even one of the best Pharrell hooks on a N.O.R.E. song!

― some dude, Wednesday, 2 July 2008 14:04 (seventeen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.