#TBT: Contagious by @TheRealRonIsley feat. @rkelly {Written by @Natural_Nation}

In honor of my brother's birthday, this Throwback Thursday is dedicated to one very special song. Fifteen years ago, back in April of 2001, Ronald Isley came out with the single Contagious; the song that could easily be called the father to Trapped in the Closet.  Chante Moore and R.Kelly joined Mr. Isley on what would be the story of  a lifetime, to this very day for, me and my brother .

If you were born in or before the 90's and you were Black this song was unavoidable. For anyone reading this who has no idea what I'm talking about, get your life, and question your childhood. This song is one of the few excuses a grown man has to break out into a short segment of musical theater at any given moment. Life quickly becomes a short episode of The Young and The Restless and to sing this song correctly everyone gets a part. The beauty of this song comes from the sheer magic of Mr. Isley's narration. It was the first time my brother and I had listened to a song that was actually suspenseful. We had no idea what was going to happen next, we just knew it couldn't be good. 

The Breakdown

So, check this. The song is from a mans perspective; a mob boss called Mr. Biggs (Ron Isley) and Mr. Biggs has a lady at home. Let's call this woman Crystal. One day, Mr. Biggs leaves his home for the day to take care of some business. He does not end up returning until late that night. He calls Crystal to let her know that he is on his way home but can't seem to reach her. After he calls her mother and can not seem to reach her there either he goes home to relax. But, in the middle of watching TV he thinks he hears a noise upstairs. Approaching the stairs silently he can hear Crystal's voice coming from the bedroom and she's screaming.

" You're contagious touch me baby give me what you got."

                                                                                                                            -Ron Isley

Now, as you can imagine Mr. Biggs is TIGHT and if you haven't guessed by now, Crystal is with another man. Mr. Biggs runs downstairs, grabs his ninja cane of mass destruction (part cane/part sword) and busts in the room to approach them both. At this point Crystal starts to play herself. She tries to convince Biggs that when he walked and saw her slapping skins with Mr. Kelly he was mistaken and they were actually just doing laundry. But what Mr. Biggs doesn't know is that this is the same man who slept with his wife back in the day! Long story short Mr. Biggs threatens to merk them both if the don't get up out of his house. Many people may not know but the feud between Mr. Biggs and Mr. Kelly started with a music video called Down Low and continued way after Contagious. For my brother and I Contagious will always be the first and the last and NOBODY can play Mr. Biggs like my brother can. Enjoy. 

Check out the adventures of Kells and Mr. Biggs

#TBT: Out My Mind, Just In Time by @fatbellybella (Erykah Badu,) Written by: @Natural_Nation

In honor of her new mixtape: But You Caint Use My Phone dropping Thanksgiving weekend, I dedicated this here Throwback Thursday to Ms. Erykah Badu; my mother from another lifetime. 

 As a whole Erykah’s music has shaped my taste in music from a fairly young age. She was the reason everyone called me an old soul. She is the reason, still to this day, that people acknowledge my likeness to her. I always admired her eccentricity. I loved everything about her, from her voice down to her hair. She embodied a part of me that I didn’t know was there yet and she helped me realize that not only was it cool to be different but that it was beautiful. I came across this particular song Out My Mind, Just In Time much later in life. I can still remember lying n my room watching the ceiling fan turn as I sang under my breath.

“ I’m a recovering under cover over lover”

                                     “…..recovering from a love I can’t get over"

The lyrics were and still are so relatable. It was like she was singing for me. In the song, Erykah tells a story of a relationship we have seen so many times before: a woman who would do anything for a man.  She takes you through her range of emotions and thoughts during her experience. She’s a woman engulfed in a love that is no longer present. Her other half wants to move on to someone new. After time passes there are many moments of pain and self reflection. She knows she is smarter than the way her actions portrayed her. Love made her blind and naïve but she realizes that was only a moment in time and she has the ability to correct herself. By the end of the song she acknowledges the part she took in her own downfall and refuses to make the same mistakes again.  

 The song is and emotional combination of jazz, blues, and soul; something for an overcast day in the middle of autumn. I have an affinity for long/two part songs. They always seem to tell a great story and I am a sucker for a good story. This track tries to give Parliament’s Knee Deep (seriously the longest song I have ever heard in my life) a run for its money but falls short at ten minutes and forty-eight seconds long. If you're a lover of  jazz or just a Badu fan who hasn't made their way to the New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh  album yet, this is a MUST LISTEN in her arsenal. It's a tale of a love lost...who hasn't been there?