Throwback Track: My Love is the Shhh! - Somethin' for the People

Somethin' for the People - New Music - More Music Videos

Speed: 63 bpm

The DJ’s Take: When this song was at the top of the charts back in 1997, I admit that I was not feeling it. But looking back, I was just a rebellious-minded suburban teen who thought he was too cool for school with his preference for Native Tongues hiphop. This is straight up grinding music that probably played a role in producing 3% of the nation’s high school class of 2015.

My Love is the Shhh! has probably been forgotten around the country, but if you’re spinning for a crowd of black people in their 30s, or at the end of the night as couples are pairing up for some early morning exercise, this is a solid option. I haven’t tried it out yet, but if you’re a dj with key adjust on your decks, try speeding this one up a little and blending it with Aaliyah’s Are You That Somebody for a solid late 90s baby-making mix.

Download the MP3: My Love Is The Shhh! (Album Version)

DJs - mix this with: Are You That Somebody

Throwback Track: Get Low - Lil Jon

Lil Jon - New Music - More Music Videos

Speed: 101 bpm

The DJ’s Take: Ok; I know that even though I’m labeling this a “throwback track,” it isn’t that old. But in today’s pop climate, with all the turnover on the charts (does anyone remember who Flo Rida is?), it’s ancient.

That said, it’s also a guaranteed TMD (Track of Mass Destruction). Simply put, you cannot go wrong with this song, and 93.2% of the time, you will bring the house down. I have spun this on a regular basis for clean-cut Caucasian crowds, and even they start singing, “To the windooooowwwws, to the wawwwsss...” Plus it has a nice, clean break at the beginning, so you can mix it in pretty easily. Get the explicit version, but keep it under wraps if it’s a wedding or event where grandparents and kids are around. Unless you feel like seeing the 6 feet under face.

Download the MP3: Get Low [Explicit]

Throwback Track: Walk It Out - Unk

Speed: 80 bpm

The DJ’s Take: This track is one of the rare “highlights” from rap’s dark age. If you weren’t dj’ing then, or weren’t paying attention, there was a trend from 2004 to 2007 toward slower, southern-style beats that probably took about 5 minutes to make, laced with “rhymes” that took about 30 seconds to write. Remember Laffy Taffy? Yeah; it was actually #1 on the charts back in 2006. Ridiculous. In fact, I spun in a college bar down South back then (they had a glow-in-the-dark NASCAR mural on the wall), and this was the kind of stuff that got requested. Fortunately for me, the bar owner had no problem letting me drink while I was working, which made the nights fly by a little faster.

But back to Walk It Out - it’s still a popular song with a hook that top 40 fans can sing to and dance to. And if it’s good enough for ABDC on MTV, it’s good enough for me.

Download the MP3: Walk It Out [Explicit]

DJs - Mix this with: Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z, Rude Boy - Rihanna

Throwback Track: Be Faithful - Fatman Scoop

Speed: 101 bpm

The DJ’s Take: Probably one of the most polarizing dancefloor bangers in hiphop history. On one hand, if Dubya had somehow found this track in Iraq after all his fronting, his approval rating would’ve jumped about 10 points - it’s that potent. That said, break out the earmuffs (or just get the edited version) for a more reserved crowd, because it can go from pandemonium to crickets when Fatman Scoop starts yelling, “Who fu**in tonite, who fu**in tonite, who fu**in tonite!” Yes, I speak from experience, and no, I have not learned my lesson. Do as I say, not as I do.

Download the MP3: Be Faithful [Explicit]

DJ’s - mix this with: Crazy In Love - Beyoncé ft. Jay-Z

Music Review: Nothin On You - B.o.B ft. Bruno Mars

Speed: 104 bpm

The DJ’s Take: Call it a case of the crossover. Let’s be real - popular hiphop isn’t really black anymore. Sure, we all “secretly” knew that white people were rap’s biggest fans, but the genre is now openly bending over backwards to further expand its target market over racial and cultural lines. It’s sort of like a hot girl in modern society. Initially, she’s cold and distant, which makes all the dudes gravitate towards her. But as she gets older and hungrier for attention, the ovaries start rumbling, and society starts saying it’s ok to be a cougar, she starts taking the initiative. And while that’s kind of nice for you, it’s also kind of strange.

Don’t get me wrong - this is a nice track for easy listening. But why does it sound so much like a cross between that Fray song from Grey’s Anatomy and Maroon 5? In any case, whether you like it or not, rap is turning into the musical equivalent of Chinese food - whether it’s authentic or not, people are buying what today’s artists are selling.

Download the MP3: Nothin' On You [Feat. Bruno Mars] (Album Version)

Music Review: Rude Boy - Rihanna

Speed: 87 bpm

The DJ’s Take: For all the times Rihanna asks whether you can “get it up” in the hook, is there any doubt this should be the new anthem for those Viagra commercials? Nothing tells the listener you’re from Barbados better than fake steel drums. Also, while I didn’t like this track after listening to it the first time, I have to say that the booty in this new video makes me hear it in a new way. Rude Boy has top 15 Billboard mainstay written all over it. Plus, you can mix it with Empire State of Mind, in case you’re one of the 3 DJs in America who hasn’t effectively worn that song out in the last couple months. Anyway, long story short, take it from the Bernie Madoff of top 40 analysts - invest in this mp3 and get it in your rotation as soon as possible.

Download the MP3: Rude Boy [Explicit]

Throwback Track: It's Tricky - Run DMC

Run-D.M.C. - New Music - More Music Videos

Speed: 128 bpm

The DJ’s Take: You know how I know I watch too much MTV? It’s strange for me to watch a music video where Rev Run is actually rapping, has hair, and isn’t going “hrrr-nrrr-hrrrr” or texting some profound life message on his Blackberry as he takes a bubble bath.

Seriously though, this song is money in the bank. I have never gotten a bad response when I’ve put this on. Ever. Easier to mix in than Ovaltine, which means you can seamlessly blend it in with something like I Gotta Feeling (yes, people still love that song) or any of today’s 125-130 bpm hits and set off an old school-new school party. If you spin anything 80s, this is a staple track, so get it before you forget.

Download the MP3: It's Tricky