Unfortified Castle

Soft Cell weren't the originators of this song, new wave, or synth-pop, but their take on Gloria Jones set the stage for a decade of music.

You don't sample and rap over Otis Redding and get away with it... right? Unless you're Ye and Jay.

...and I break it down today to pay tribute to the two robots with human souls who made it.

...especially considering the halftime's West Coast hip hop theme perfectly matched the game's outcome.

As I've done twice before, I pay tribute to a recently deceased musician by looking back at one of their works.

Kendrick Lamar's funky 2015 single remains a personal favorite for a slew of reasons, many of which come back to what I like in older music.

Between its sampling dispute, its distinctive vocal elements, and its point of view, the Verve's enduring anthem leaves a unique impression.

I got hooked on Yves Tumor's sound from this track alone and the complex internal war it captures.

Duck Sauce create "disco's revenge" by sampling the genre that preceded it, paying tribute to New York in the process.

Baby, can't you hear? It's nothing like what you expect from an idol like Britney Spears, but it's arguably her biggest hit.

From insane samples to hard-hitting rhymes and a splash of motivation, Mobb Deep's signature track is an all-time great rap cut.

His accomplishments are visible throughout one of the Gap Band's signature and most evergreen songs.

Rising above the weight of unrealistic physical expectations, she delivers a soulful, guitar-driven affirmation of her self-worth.

In reinterpreting Roberta Flack's soul classic, Lauryn Hill does the heavy lifting, but she's also never alone.

AJR present a quite positive, but easily embraceable lens on present-day living in one of the year's best pop tracks.

A standout track of the early 90s is even more intriguing when one applies the context of its introduction to the rest of the track.

A 2020 chart-topper is: 1) the kin of 90s French house; 2) a good starting point for a discussion on interpreting and connecting to music.

I finally talk about a track from my lifetime, and it gives me a chance to appreciate sampling as well as its lyrical perspective.