Here is a track which some of you may not have heard before. Steady Ground which features the likes of Playa's – Static Major and producer J-Dub is one of the left over tracks which was originally going to be put on Aaliyah's third studio album, self titled AALIYAH. Below I have a mini interview where J-Dub himself talks about the making of this track and why it never made the cut on the album. Now again, I was going to share the audio content via youtube, but youtube likes to be annoying by deleting the audio content, so luckily I have the audio content myself which I will share with you via my Tumblr blog. :o) I remember when I first came across this track, I was like wow, how have I not heard this before. I always make it part of my duty to know everything and anything about Babygirl, so if I come across something new I have to share it! :o) Production wise, I like the use of beats as it's not something you hear everyday. Very innovative both musically and lyrically. Anyways, please listen and enjoy this lovely track! :o)
Listen here for Aaliyah ft. Static Major – Steady Ground
J-Dub:“It was really the first single after “Rock The Boat”, but my engineer was mixing the record and somehow lost the vocals. So the vocals that you hear are really just the demo vocals. The final vocals got erased, so yeah. So that’s why it didn’t make the album.”
Where Could He Be is a rare unreleased track which leaked around February 2005, and features the likes of Missy Elliot and Tweet as backing vocals. The song was originally meant to be included on Aaliyah's final studio album, but never made it to the cut. During 2005, the song got a lot of air play on the radio, and was expected to serve as a single for her second posthumous album titled The Aaliyah Duets Album. However, Blackground was not having any of this and stated that the track was illegally leaked, thus resulting all radio stations to remove the song. Quite a shame really, because the song was so popular on radio stations that it almost managed to chart on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart.
Now as for samples you all know me, I had to go to the very root of of this one. If you listen to the chorus, you'll notice that it actually samples Lisa Stanfields – All Around The World (classic 90's joint) which you can find down below to compare. Anyhoo, please check out the videos below and enjoy guys! :o)
Now before I begin this post, I believe that people should always understand and be aware of where the original samples come from. Now as dedicated Aaliyah fans, we all know that the song Don't Think They Know was a rare, unreleased track which was originally a duet with Playa's – Digital Black. Recorded in 2001, it was later released on his album Memoirs Of A R&B Thug in 2005. Afterwards, a whole frenzy took place in 2013 and we encounter Chris Brown's – Don't Think They Know (first introduced as They Don't Know, but was later changed for digital retailers)who adds his own little flavor to this track on his album X.
Now when I first came across the little snippet of Chris Brown's version, I gotta say that I was both excited and skeptical. Excited because nothing brings me more joy then knowing what Aaliyah is featured on, but skeptical as I know a lot of rappers such as Drake for example, who seem to be a little too 'obsessed' with someone who is not even around. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Drizzy (more so his singing compared to his rapping) but sometimes people go a little too far, and we have to remember that respect should be of the utmost high importance.
With that being said, I am really impressed by Chris Brown's version of the track, production wise Babygirl's vocals fit very well. Still got love for the original though. The only criticism I would have is the video, as it doesn't really fit with the song content. I can understand someone waning to do something for a good cause, but keep the content coherent. On a positive, I like the use of red, black and white in the video since these were colours which Aaliyah was very fond of (You can clearly see I have thought out the layout of my blog accordingly!) Another important factor which not many people would of realised is that Chris Brown has a interpolation from Jon B's – They Don't Know. You can find the video down below to see how the lyrics have been sampled.
I also came across a full written interview from Digital Black himself talking about Chris Brown's version (read below for interview) which you can also find here at http://youknowigotsoul.com/. Enjoy guys! :o)
There has been a lot of buzz surrounding Chris Brown’s new single “Don’t Think They Know’ featuring the late Aaliyah. Of course fans of Aaliyah would already know that the song is actually a remake of the record she originally recorded with Digital Black from the R&B group Playa. YouKnowIGotSoul had a chance to speak with Digital Black about the history behind the track “Don’t Think They Know”.
The origins of “Don’t Think They Know":"It was a trip, J-Dub gave me the track in Australia when Aaliyah was working on “Queen of the Damned”. It was one of those records that I specifically wanted to do for the fans because Aaliyah really cared about her fans. It was a song to give back to them. Just knowing her and being around her, I just tried to write a record to let the fans know that we would do this thing for free because it’s an honor for people to appreciate our music. We recorded the record when we got back to LA and that was after they had mixed and mastered the album, so it was supposed to be on Playa’s album".
Finding out Chris Brown would be remaking the song:"I was blessed, I felt it was an honor because of how many songs Static and I had recorded that haven’t been released. For him to choose a record that was probably already heard, it was an honor. In this business, you do it with a chance of making money which is good, but for me it was also confirmation that the Playa sound is still alive. I always felt we were underrated as a group, so it’s just confirmation that years later, a record that wasn’t even heard, would come out. It just shows you that you’ll never know how long it takes for that seed to become a tree, but once it becomes a tree, it bears a fruit. It’s a blessing".
Chris Brown’s version:"I love it.I’m a fan of Chris Brown. He’s one of the true singers in the younger genre of R&B/Pop. I’m just being honest, it’s a dope record. I love what they did".
Thoughts on new artists using unreleased Aaliyah material:"It’s a touchy subject. I’m indifferent with it because I feel both sides. I understand the people who say the stuff shouldn’t be touched and I feel the people who feel like it should come out. Aaliyah poured her heart out to everything she did and sometimes you feel like it’s a shame that some of the stuff won’t be heard".
Playa’s influence on the new generation:"Drake sampled us last year and Chris Brown is using our record now. I know I can speak for Static Major and Smoke E. Digglera on this, when you do music you want people to enjoy it. Sometimes it takes a minute for people to catch on. I know we have a huge underground following and I know I’ve heard people say that Playa was the most underrated group. I guess our legacy is still being written. I’m just enjoying my view right now. I mean come on man, Chris Brown and Drake listen to our music. I wish Static was here to see it. It feels pretty good though, I can’t complain".
Future plans:"I’m working with my son on his project right now. I’ve been working with a few producers and just getting my feet wet again. I still do music when I feel like it because I’m a father as well. The next thing is definitely my son Richy B, he’s only 18. All my kids sing and I wasn’t singing as a good as my daughter when I was 14. You definitely heard the last of me because with music, you’re always a hit away".
Label: Blackground/Believe Music & Recall (UK)/Snapper (Netherlands)/Avex Trax (Japan)
Here is the second compilation album which includes two CD's and one DVD which features a range of interviews, promo clips, special features and documentaries. You can check out a one of these down below. The first CD showcases all of Aaliyah's greatest hits, but leaves out a majority of her other hits like Age Ain't Nothing But A Number and Journey To The Past. Which is quite surprising because you would think an album titled Ultimate Aaliyah would show all of her work from beginning to end. However I do like the extra tracks on the second CD showing some of Aaliyah's lesser known featured artist tracks such as Man Undercover and John Blaze.
Here is one of the documentaries you will find on the DVD. I originally had the videos saved on Youtube, but someone decided to delete them (typical hey!). So I have given you the links to each part from my very own research. Please sit back and enjoy this very detailed documentary on Babgirl's musical journey. It was quite tough watching some of these interviews within my research without feeling emotional, so just a heads up for you guys out there and keep that tissue box beside you.
