Welcome to Timeless Tuesday
Welcome to the first installation of Timeless Tuesday! This is a new series we will welcome to the Mic Drop page every week, featuring the Mic Drop Team’s special selects. This is a hand-picked list curated for listeners who want to dive back into the classics. Whether these tracks are new to you or heavy in your rotation, we can all appreciate them together. Again, and again. Time after time. Welcome to Timeless Tuesday.
Cheyenne’s Selects:
“Buy U A Drank” (Shawty Snappin”) – T-Pain Feat. Young Joc (June 5, 2007)
T-Pain’s, “Buy U A Drank” will go down in music history as a 2000’s club classic. Whether it be a club, party, birthday, you name it and it will get everybody dancing. This track has remained a heater for years on end. “Buy U A Drank” was T-Pain’s and Young Joc’s first number 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100. Produced by T-Pain, the tune opens up with an addicting snap integrated into the beat, and you can’t help but snap along. There are references to other popular hip hop songs at the time, making the track undeniably easy to sing along to. “Buy U A Drank” is Cheyenne’s first pick of the week.
“American Boy” – Estelle Feat. Kanye West (March 28, 2008)
This song won “Best Rap/Sung Collaboration” at the 51st annual Grammy Awards. This was a track that truly helped Estelle breakthrough in her career and reach a global audience. Estelle collaborated with household names like Kanye West and Will.i.am to create the funkiest R&B track to travel across the Atlantic Ocean. “American Boy” reminds us all of meeting a lover from another country, whether they are American or not, and navigating romance together. Kanye and Estelle’s back and forth banter make this track fun and entertaining. Another timeless selection from Cheyenne, “American Boy” remains a global banger we’ll always appreciate.
“C.R.E.A.M.” – Wu Tang Clan (January 31, 1994)
Wu Tang Clan. The hip hop group that remains a staple representation of artful lyricism in rap music, has made a much-deserved appearance on our first installation of Timeless Tuesday. Wu Tang is recognized for their raw depiction of life in New York City, and does an exceptional job of rhythmic storytelling, while staying on the beat. The acronym “C.R.E.A.M.” is one of the group’s iconic sayings that is still expressed by many today – “Cash rules everything around me, C.R.E.A.M.Get the money. Dollar, dollar bill, y’all.” Wu Tang Clan has revolutionized rap music. When rap culture needed it most, Wu Tang Clan pioneered the underground and revolutionized rap music for years to continue. “C.R.E.A.M.” is our New York native’s third and final pick of the week.
Nathan’s Selects:
“Cool On You” – Mariah Carey (2007)
Next, we have “Cool On You” by Mariah Carey. The perfect record to listen to after a breakup, Carey speaks of a past relationship that she is no longer interested in. Carey is “Cool On You” and there “ain’t no coming back from that”. Mariah Carey is one of the Queens of R&B from the trendsetting generation of the 2000s. Y2K continues to inspire communities around the world and Mariah Carey will always be considered as one of the pioneers who led the way. This is Nathan’s pick this week, for Timeless Tuesday.
Laneisha’s Selects:
“Time After Time” – Cyndi Lauper (March 27, 1984)
Cyndi Lauper is a timeless icon. She drove the fresh new wave of soft rock and unique individuality to 80’s pop culture. This track is no doubt a classic that we had to include in honor of the first, Timeless Tuesday. If there is a song that pulls on your heartstrings time after time, it’s absolutely this one. “Time After Time” was released from Lauper’s debut album, She’s So Unusual. Winning the 27th Annual Grammy Award for Song of The Year, this heartfelt ballad features the deep range of Lauper’s vocal talent. Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” was a spark that helped launch her debut into the music industry. This spark would go on to introduce her art that influenced the decade.
“I Wanna Be Down” – Brandy
Next on the list, we have Brandy’s “I Wanna Be Down”. A track that has gone on to influence decades, came from another debut album! Like Lauper, Brandy’s release of “I Wanna Be Down” is from her debut self-titled album, Brandy — and it was the spark that erupted her career. “I Wanna Be Down” reminds listeners of what it feels like going through the emotional valleys of love. Brandy, like many notable others in this industry (Rhianna, Aaliyah, and Miley Cyrus), rose to stardom at a very young age. “I Wanna Be Down” was released during her teenage years, 15 to be exact. This timeless classic is one that is relatable to all.
“Everybody Wants To Rule The World” – Tears For Fears (March 22, 1985)
Last, but absolutely not least, is “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” by Tears For Fears. This is another ageless classic from our friends in the UK (England). “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” is a track that speaks on the cultural climate of that time (nearing the end of the Cold War) – this song is a piece of historical art. The record was released in 1985, with impactful lyrics surrounding ideas of freedom, power, Mother Nature, and quite literally “ruling the world”. Tears For Fears created music that would go on to impact listeners around the globe.
Timeless Tuesday: Episode 001
While we are talking timeless tracks, you will often find artists on this list that Mic Drop acknowledges as absolute legends in the music industry. The strategies they’ve applied to their art have surpassed their careers, and continue to influence all of us around the world. Which one of these tracks were your favorite?
Come back next week, for the next episode of Timeless Tuesday!
