The Audacity of Dope

Some of the melodies in this song are really catchy…

John Legend – “There With You”

When do we leave?

Man, it’s a shame this video didn’t drop a little earlier because the song and visuals would have been perfect for the summer.  I’m not sure I really like the stutter video effects, or if I really understand highlighting the hair spin maneuver, but I still dig the video and the song is flawless.  I could listen to those drums all day.

While I was hoping the latest single from John’s Evolver album would be “Cross The Line,” this one will do pretty nicely.  It probably won’t break out on most radio stations, but the video could be perfect for VH1.  Plus, us white people do love us some John Legend.

Courtesy of OnSmash.

As much as I love all my favorite classic artists, there’s really nothing better than seeing the next generation come up and begin to establish themselves.  I remember when I first heard of B.o.B., I was impressed, but not blown away.  Fast forward to almost 2 years later and now I’m definitely a huge fan of Mr. Bobby Ray.  He killed every verse and hook in 2008 and ‘09 will officially be his break out year.

Not only is he insanely talented, but he’s also a real cool dude.  You all saw a glimpse of that in the “Autotune” video, but I got to see it firsthand when B.o.B., Playboy Tre, and their manager B. Rich came through Sound Session to chop it up a while back.  We talked all about their backgrounds, B.o.B.’s upcoming debut album, the lead single (“I’ll Be In The Sky”), their ability to write infectious hooks, why their music has to be genuine, why the industry needs a reality check, and much more.  You can check out the full interview below:

B.o.B. & Playboy Tre on Sound Session – http://www.mediafire.com/?xnlx1wmo0gz
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/54012448089f57ba/ )

Big shout to the whole crew for dropping by and a special shout to TJ Chapman too.  Get ready for the B.o.B./Tre takeover in ‘09, for real.

If you missed this great remix from Cook Classics when I first posted it up, you’re getting a chance to atone for your mistake.  Thanks to GregTheDude, we now have some dope visuals to go with the mix so peep ‘em and grab the mp3 right here:

John Legend ft. Andre 3000 – “Green Light (Cook Classics Remix)”

Remember the name Cook Classics.  For real.

The homey Cook Classics is clearly one of the dopest up and coming producers in the game and here’s his latest production: a remix to John & Andre’s insta-classic, “Green Light.”  I had a chance to help make this remix happen and I couldn’t be prouder of the result.  Shout to Joel van Dijk on the guitar and Joe Gonzales on the bass as well…everyone killed it.

John Legend ft. Andre 3000 – “Green Light (Cook Classics Remix)”

If you’re sleeping, Cook came through Sound Session a few weeks back and you can peep the show here.  We played some of the stuff he did with TiRon and Avriel Epps, which is all incredible.  Be on the lookout for more of his beats on projects by Pacific Division, U-N-I, Diamond D, Noah King, Inverse, and more.

5-C’s like what.

Hahaha, I’m not even mad at this.  Rock City redid John Legend’s song of the year contender, “Green Light,” with a nice little twist.  Reminds me of Chappelle’s real life Pretty Woman: “…youuuu need to get the f*ck out.”

Swiped from TunjBob Squarepants.

That picture never gets old.  Here’s a brand new reggae-tinged remix of John & Andre’s smash “Green Light,” put together by the British Afroganic crew.  Definitely a different vibe than the original, but pretty damn ill.  Check it out:

John Legend ft. Andre 3000 – “Green Light (Afroganic Remix)”

John’s been slowly starting to unleash music from Evolver, first “Good Morning” at the end of the “Green Light” video, and now a live performance of “If You’re Out There” at the Democratic National Convention that kicked off today in Denver.  When I spoke to John last month for Sound Session, he talked extensively about this song and the reasons why he wrote it.  If you missed that interview, you can peep it here.

Between John’s performance, Edward Kennedy’s inspirational appearance, and Michelle Obama’s excellent speech, the Convention is off to a great start.  Kanye, N.E.R.D., and Wyclef are supposed to be doing something out there this week, so hopefully video of those performances will hit the net too.

gObama.

Finally!  Here’s the oft-talked about video for one of the best songs of the year, John Legend’s “Green Light” with Andre 3000.  I’m hard pressed to think of a better guest verse on a R&B song than what Dre drops here.  Ridiculous.  Also, you get a quick preview of another track off Evolver, “Good Morning,” right at the end.  Dope ish.

If for some reason you still need this song, grab the high quality wav here and cop Evolver when it drops!

Video courtesy of OnSmash.