Donnell Jones featuring Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes - U Know What's Up (CD1 & CD2) - (1999)

CD1 - LaFace Records ‎– 74321 72275 2 / CD2 - LaFace Records ‎– 74321 72276 2

Donell Quinn Jones (born May 22, 1973), better known simply as Donnell Jones, is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Just for clarification purposes, this Donnell Jones is not the same person as 1970s funk/disco producer Donnell Jones.

Lisa Nicole Lopes (May 27, 1971 - April 25, 2002), better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American singer, rapper, songwriter, and producer. Lopes was best known as one-third of the R&B girl group TLC, alongside Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas.

In 1999, just three short years before Lisa's untimely death, these two cats hooked up to make a chilled R&B classic.

I won't waste your time - CD2 is for the club/dance crowd and ain't for me. I'm including it here for sake of completion.

No, for my money, ignore that and go straight to disc 1 where you have the classic version in either a with or without rap flavour. Left Eye kicks one of (if not) the best verses I'd heard her spit up til that point so both versions work for me.

I miss ya, Lis!

Tracklist CD1

1. U Know What's Up (Album Version)
2. U Know What's Up (Album Version Featuring Left-Eye)

Tracklist CD2

1. U Know What's Up (Jeremy B Radio Edit)
2. U Know What's Up (Jeremy B Main Mix)
3. U Know What's Up (Jeremy B The Edge Dub)

Download: DJ-UKWU.7z | Filesize: 57.5MB

Raphael Saadiq & Q-Tip ‎– Get Involved - (1999)

Hollywood Records ‎– 0101185HWR

Raphael Saadiq (born Charles Ray Wiggins; May 14, 1966) is an American singer/songwriter, musician, and record producer. In his early days in the New Jack Swing era he was a member of the multiplatinum selling group Tony! Toni! Toné!

Like similar-minded musician D'Angelo, Raph would go on to have a really interesting career putting out the highest quaility neo soul and R&B, always seeming to be a cut above the majority of his contemporaries. Check out albums such as Instant Vintage or Stone Rollin' to get what I mean. Also much like D he isn't overly prolific, but is slightly more so than the Voodoo man.

Q-Tip (born Jonathan William Davis; April 10, 1970), who would later change his name to Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, is an American rapper, record producer, actor and DJ. Nicknamed The Abstract, and a founding member of legendary Hip Hop crew A Tribe Called Quest (arguably my favourite band along with The Roots and the Wu), 'Tip is noted for both his laidback mic skills as well as his production prowess.

You know this track is gonna be a killer right from the start when those strings (sampled from the Gamble & Huff produced 1973 track I'll Always Love My Mama by The Intruders) kick in. Q-Tip informs us of how "the S-A-double-D-I-Q" wants to get involved leading us into the typically flawless vocal stylings of Raph.

DJ Thomilla's Benztown Remix (or RMX) is actually really good and I like it a lot. It's incredibly difficult to see past the brilliance of the original though. Makes a pleasant change over the original for sure.

Bottom line: I LOVE this song! Jump straight into the pitch-perfect Original Version but do check out DJ Thomilla's version.

Tracklist

1. Get Involved (Album Version)
2. Get Involved (DJ Thomilla's Benztown RMX) (Edit)
3. Get Involved (DJ Thomilla's Benztown RMX) (Extended)
4. Get Involved (Instrumental)

Download: RS&QT-GI.7z | Filesize: 31MB

Chico DeBarge featuring Erick Sermon & Redman ‎– Soopaman Lover (Remix) (1999)

Motown ‎– UDM-56233

It's my birthday today and you'll have to excuse me being self indulgent: I'm dropping two tasty joints from my favourite DeBarge today - the badboy of the fam, Mr Chico DeBarge.

First up is the oh so wicked remix of Superman, the red hot Soopaman Lover remix featuring Def Squad heavyweights Erick Sermon and Redman (my man).

This remix is straight fire with a hot beat supplied by Mr Sermon, surely one of Hip Hop's most underrated producers (EPMD were effing with the funk before a certain Dr Dre had even conceived of G-Funk)? All props are due. 

It opens with Red in fine style revisiting one of his own Soopaman Lover rhymes - Soopaman Lover Part II if I recall correctly? Chico then takes the reigns and re-sings, in a new styley, the lyrics of his Superman track, which is included as track 4 on this CDS, from his excellent Long Time No See album (you really should check that out if you've not heard it. It's full of Neo Soul goodness). Erick Sermon has a verse at the end to wrap it up. It's R&B/Soul/Hip Hop perfection and I love it as much today as I did back then. Twenty years old now. Damn.

I can't big this track up enough. It's 90s R&B perfection.

You have a street and clean version so take your pick as to if you like profanities or not. There's a nice instrumental as well for mixology. We then have the album version which is a great song as well, just with a different vibe, and it's ably finished off with another cut from Long Time No See, Virgin. It's a really nice track and all round a seriously heavy release.

Next post is the ever so sexy Iggin' Me from the same album. Boom.

See you on the flipside.

Tracklist

1. Soopaman Lover (Remix) (Street Version) Featuring – Erick Sermon, Redman
2. Soopaman Lover (Remix) (Clean Version) Featuring – Erick Sermon, Redman
3. Soopaman Lover (Remix) (Instrumental Version)
4. Superman (Album Version)
5. Virgin (Album Version)

Download: CD-SL.7z | Filesize: 42.5MB

Lynden David Hall - Sexy Cinderella (Remixes) (1999)

EMI Records 7243 886588 2 9

Kymba's note: I'm reupping this in 320kbps. For the record, I wasn't feeling the C&J Mix at all and much prefer the organic neo soul vibes of the original mix, for me, like Mick, it's all about the Perfect Love Song version with Blak Twang - an artist I've loved since Dettwork Southeast. The Original of Perfect Love Song featured on the LP 19 Long Time wasn't one of his finest cuts, but spliced with the DNA of Sexy Cinderella it becomes one of his best. Essential stuff. x

The text below is Mick's original write-up.

This is another fine addition provided by Alifunk, the 1999 re-release of Sexy Cinderella. The C&J Remix supplied by Cutfather and Joe for XL Talent. There is also the very competent Live Acoustic Version of Medicine 4 My Pain recorded at Café De Paris by BBC2 for their 'Soul Night' programme. It's hard to work out where the label were coming from with this release cos there are three random tracks with no particular purpose other than to gain some extra mileage off the back of Lynden's '98 Mobo award.

Whatever the reason, it's a good release because it features Perfect Love Song by Black Twang featuring Eldee. Tony Olabode a.k.a Tony Rotten a.k.a. Blak Twang is an award winning hip hop heavyweight, who has released two albums and has worked with artists such as Beverley Knight. In this instance he has built his own song around the chorus and groove of Sexy Cinderella. Eldee, sorry, LD is obviously Lynden who supplies the vocals for the chorus. Don't go thinking that The Twang has simply stolen Lynden's groove though because the video clearly shows them working together. The last few seconds show them fooling about together so it's legit.

Tracklist

1. Lynden David Hall - Sexy Cinderella (C&J Remix)
2. Blak Twang featuring Eldee - Perfect Love Song
3. Lynden David Hall - Medicine 4 My Pain (Live Acoustic Version)

Download: LDH-SCR.7z | Filesize: 31.5mb


Big shout out to José Manuel. Respect!

Beverley Knight - Made It Back 1999

Parlophone Records CDRHYTHS 18

Finally, the second of Alifunk's Beverley Knight's Made It Back CD singles. Released in April 1999, this was the first single taken from her re-packaged album. Made It Back '99 features a more commercial production provided by TNT and Mike Spencer, who introduce a sample of 's Good Times by Chic into the song. The Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards groove with its bitchin' bassline, has been used more times than a 2 Bit hooker but Boy, does it feel at home on this number. Not much left of the Soul Inside production of course, but what the hey, it still includes Redman & Specialist. I guess you can't make an omlette without breaking eggs?

The single became Knight's first top 20 single in the UK when it peaked at #19 upon its release. It was supported by a re-released version of Prodigal Sista, which contained this and two other remixed tracks. A new video was also created, but was not included on the CDS but I've included it here. As with the original, it uses the TNT 7" Mix which does not feature Redman. The Booker T Night Time Dub is typical 4x4 Garage fodder although it does retain much of the vocal.

• TNT Good Times 12" Mix
• TNT Good Times 7" Mix
• Booker T Night Time Dub
• Original Album Version

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Beverley Knight.rar Filesize: 58.6 MB