Hurricane Sandy
It's only a matter of time before Hurricane Sandy's assault on the east coast reaches full power in New York City. Listening to the wind whipping through the trees had us searching through our iTunes library for some hurricane-related tunes. Check out some of our favorites after the jump.
1. The Roots, Mos Def, Dice Raw, Common, Flo Brown, The Jazzyfatnastees "Hurricane"
Recorded for the 1999 biopic of wrongly imprisoned boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, this track is truly an Okayplayer affair, featuring the original crop of Okayartists - The Roots, Mos Def, Dice Raw, Common and the Jazzyfatnastees, as well as Flo Brown, a fiery talent plucked from the OKP Message Boards. While the song itself might not be the greatest work of any of the featured artists, it definitely takes us back to a time when folks still shouted "OKAYPLAYER!!!" at shows, and the Klangskwad was in full effect.
2. Herbie Hancock "The Eye Of The Hurricane"
Released in 1965, Herbie Hancock's "The Eye Of The Hurricane" has become a jazz standard. It's also one of our favorite tunes from one of our favorite Hancock albums, Maiden Voyage.
3. DJ Hurricane "Kickin' Wicked Rhymes" (feat. Ad-Rock & Black Thought)
Best known for his stint as the Beastie Boys DJ (or as a member of The Afro's, if you really know your stuff), DJ Hurricane dropped his album Don't Sleep in 2000 which featured this cut from Ad-Rock of the Beasties and Black Thought of The Roots.
4. The Click "Hurricane"
E-40, Suga T, B-Legit and D-Shot formed the Bay Area supergroup The Click and had a bit of a nationwide hit in 1995 with "Hurricane'," a pretty powerful drink 40 Water got hipped to while in college. We might be sipping on a few Hurricanes while we wait for Hurricane Sandy to blow over.
5. Grace Jones "Hurricane"
We missed out on Grace Jones' show in New York City this past weekend, but we're sure it was quite the spectacle, as Miss Jones isn't known for being conservative in any part of her public persona. In 2008, Jones released her first album in nearly 20 years,Hurricane, which brought Jones back to the pop infused Reggae sounds that made her early 80s albums bonafide classics.
6. Hurricane Chris "A Bay Bay"
Hurricane Chris' "A Bay Bay" definitely isn't the best song in the world, but it's certainly infectious. From the moment we first heard it, "A Bay Bay" has been stuck in our head. Some days we fight it. Other days we give in. In light of today's weather, we're gonna give in.
7. Mos Def "Dollar Day"
Post-Hurricane Katrina, Mos Def unleashed this scathing criticism of the Bush administration's response to the storm over Juvenile's "Nolia Clap." Mos was so upset that he performed the song, guerrilla style, outside the 2006 MTV VMA's, only to be arrested.
8. O.G.C. - "Hurricane Starang"
Repping the Boot Camp Clik, Starang Wondah, Louieville Sluggah and Top Dog aka the Originoo Gun Clappas aka OGC released the single "Hurricane Starang" from their 1996 album Da Storm. Peep the split video with "Danjer," another banger from the album.
9. Hurricane G "Somebody Else"
The First Lady of the Hit Squad, Hurricane G made a name for herself dropping guest verses on albums by Keith Murray and Redman before dropping her solo record and having a kid with Erick Sermon.
10. Raphael Saadiq "Big Easy"
Raphael Saadiq channels the spirit of the Big Easy on his ode to a post-Katrina New Orleans. We've always found it a little odd that a song with such grim roots has such an upbeat feel to it.
