Sexiest Women in Hip Hop: Shakira, Beyonce, Ciara, Pussycat Dolls, Rihanna, Toni Braxton, Mariah Carey

"NEVER EVER"  CIARA Ft. Young Jeezy

Ciara combines a confident attitude with creative sexy dance moves, a body that challenges fitness models, yet unlike some of the other R&B divas, Ciara has a sweet homegirl vibe.   "Never Ever" is a collaboration with Young Jeezy.   Their song has been described as hard enough for guys to feel able to crank it up in their cars, but still a soft R&B love song.   Ciara's primarily in sweatpants and a tank top dancing in the video and it's just as sexy as her big production videos like Love Sexy Magic (with Justin Timberlake).

"BEAUTIFUL LIAR"  SHAKIRA with BEYONCE

Back in the 90's, rock videos would put beautiful women dancing in their videos intermingled with scenes of the ugly guys in the band (see Van Halen's Finish What You Started as an example!)  No worries here, Shakira's Latin hips are shaking, mixed with Beyonce in her tight, low cut dress showing off her moves.  They look so alike in the video, you're not sure who you're looking at 100% of the time.  The highlight is the video is when they come together, first on the floor, then segued to a Middle Eastern dance beat and belly dancer moves choreographed to the hot beat.   One of the sexiest dance videos of all-time!   Fun Fact: there was a Spanish version of this song called Bello Embustero.  

"STICKWITU"   PUSSYCAT DOLLS

Nicole Scherzinger, formerly of the Pussycat Dolls, is near the top of my list of the sexiest women in hip hop.   Nicole has gone solo and during the 2012 Super Bowl, a Go Daddy ad hinted at a new lineup for the band.  But what an incredible impact the PCD made in their short seven year career.  The Pussycat Dolls had multiple Top Ten hits including Don't Cha (Wish Your Girlfriend Was Hot Like Me), Buttons, and When I Grow Up.   Their ballad, Stickwitu, showed a softer version of the band, laid back, the natural side of the girls, love it!   I first saw Nicole with another all-girl group, the reality show created Eden's Crush (IMO the sexiest group of all time!).  Even back then you could see Nicole had superstar potential.  

LINK TO: "RIHANNA" 

Link to:  "YESTERDAY" TONI BRAXTON











"THE ROOF"   MARIAH CAREY

A lot of Mariah haters out there!   "She's fat, she's a diva, her high pitched voice is irritating......"    Yet, you ask guys and see polls like Maxim's Top 100 Sexiest Women and Mariah's amazing smile and curvaceous figure was usually on the list back in the day.   She's recently had a baby and has seen her weight fluctuate over the years, but she's bounced back better than ever.   Check out the CD COVER of her new single, Triumphant,  set to release next month, smoking hot!    "The Roof" is Mariah at her best, taken from the 1999 Butterfly CD.

 

Ninjas, Bocephus, and A New Band To Discover: Rihanna and Coldplay, Dead Sara, Hank Williams Jr.

"PRINCESS OF CHINA"    COLDPLAY and RIHANNA

Rihanna describes her look in this video as "gangsta goth geisha".  This blending of styles and my combination of bands in today's blog show that music is universal and mixing genres sparks unlimited creativity.    Chris Martin of Coldplay calls this collaboration with Rihanna as his favorite track on Mylo Xyloto.   When I first saw the pairing, I was curious about how they would blend.   It's a song that will grow on you during repeated listens.  The video is epic.   Ninjas, Chinese imagery, costumes, and the incredible screen presence of Rihanna is visually stunning.

"SORRY FOR IT ALL"    DEAD SARA

Here's a new band I just discovered with such intense vocals that I want to learn more about them.  Emily Anderson is their lead singer and they've recently released their first full CD.   Dead Sara just made their network TV debut on Jimmy Kimmel this week.   Their lead single, "Weatherman" is powerful and striving for airplay but this post-hardcore ballad has me mesmerized.  

"THAT AIN'T GOOD"    HANK WILLIAMS JR.

Bocephus is back!  "Old School, New Rules" is his latest CD due out in the next few weeks.   Like the CD title, this is the classic Hank Williams Jr sound with a little update.   Rockin' guitars, defiant, tongue-in-cheek lyrics of Southern Pride, and Hank's attitude of speaking his genuine, don't give a damn mind(often times politically-incorrect but we love it!).    He also has a duet with Brad Paisley that will likely put him back on the top of the charts as the follow-up single.

Charity Singles: Lauryn Hill with Mary J Blige, Jay-Z, Bono, Rihanna, and John Cougar Mellancamp

"EVERY NATION"   RED HOT R&B ALL-STARS

Princess Diana's death in August 1997 caught the world off-guard.  The beautiful Princess of Wales was young, vibrant, a role model to many young woman, and a humanitarian world leader in charity work.  Diana posthumously received a Nobel Prize for her work in campaigning to ban landmines.   Her tragic death in Paris created a variety of tributes including the biggest selling record of all-time, Elton John's rewrite of Candle In The Wind.   R. Kelly contributed a song to her tribute CD and got Lauryn Hill, Gerald Levert, and Mary J. Blige to contribute.   All of these records raised more money to continue Diana's philanthropic causes.  "Every Nation" is AMAZING!   It never got publicity so if you missed it, enjoy!

"STRANDED (Haiti Mon Amour)"  JAY-Z, BONO, RIHANNA

A friend of mine is originally from Haiti and she has family still living there.  Imagine the horror to hear in Nov 2010 of the massive earthquake that leveled a major portion of the Caribbean island.  The Haitians needed major help and it was great to see some major music artists jump up and help out in the best way they could, using their musical talents to generate lots of charity money for this dire situation.  "We're not going to leave you stranded" was the hookline, Bono and The Edge created.   By the end of the day, producer Swiss Beatz, enlisted Jay-Z and Rihanna to join the collaboration.    The song may feel a little rushed but you can feel their passion and commitment to the cause.

  
"RAIN ON THE SCARECROW"   JOHN COUGAR MELLANCAMP

The American farmer had hit hard times in the mid-1980's.  Major farming corporations were taking over and hundreds of hard working American farming families were going bankrupt, unable to compete with big business.   Foreclosures were becoming an epidemic.   John Mellancamp teamed up with Neil Young and Willie Nelson to start the Farm Aid concerts.   They are on their 26th year and have raised close to $40 Million dollars to help the U.S. small family farmers.  

Addicted To Shakira (New Video): Rise Against, Shakira, Rihanna

"ADDICTED TO YOU"  SHAKIRA

From her new CD, "Sale el Sol", Shakira brings back her blonde hair style, a HOT salsa beat, and Spanglish lyrics as the lyrics alternate between Spanish and English throughout the song.   It's scenes of Shakira walking in the countryside, in a bathtub, on her bed, and dancing.    Hmmm, that describes most of Shakira's videos but if it's not broke, don't fix it.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN"   RIHANNA

Rihanna's back with a Euro-dance pop video that must have broke the bank.   Multiple set locations, five or six intricate costume changes, special effects, multiple choreographed dances, a big budget video that ultimately suffers from trying to do too much in four minutes.    Love Rihanna and her style, this song is pretty good by her standards, but still better than most of the videos out today. 

"DIRT AND ROSES"    RISE AGAINST

Rise Against join an all-star lineup on the "Avengers" movie soundtrack.   "Dirt & Roses" is a highlight, punk rock beats, a chorus that stick in your head, Tim's scream at the end, great summer song!   Rise Against just toured St Petersburg with A Day To Remember, heard it was a great show!   Anyone know if this song was used in the actual movie?

 

Rihanna Discography: Favorite Song From Each CD

2011:   Talk That Talk  -   "ROC ME OUT"

Love Rihanna, she somehow manages to maintain a sweet girl image while releasing some of the most provocative and raciest lyrics.  "Roc Me Out" perfectly fits that description.  The song combines the sexually enticing
style of Rude Boy and the rock vibe from her Loud CD.  The CD, "Talk That Talk" overall feels a little rushed and some of the songs sound too familiar but it's still a fun listen and better than most of the R&B on the radio. 

2010:   Loud      "California King Bed"       

Close call for my favorite song:  "Skin" is amazing as Rihanna borrows from Janet Jackson's concert move of choosing a male fan and giving him a simulated lap dance for performances of "Skin".   But I'll go with "California King Bed".  It's essentially a rock power ballad and clearly one of Rihanna's best vocal performances ever.   Spin Magazine described the lyrics about distance, unsaid emotions, and heartbreak as "the waking death of a relationship, the stage of limbo before the final crash." 

2009:   Rated R    "RUDE BOY"

Barbados and Jamaican vibe in full effect on Rihanna's 6th #1 hit.  The video photography and the zebra suit is unforgettable.  "Russian Roulette" is my all-time favorite Rihanna song but I put it on an earlier blog.  In 2009,  I saw Rihanna perform this live at the MTV Super Bowl Preview concert in Tampa.    Lifehouse opened and did a great job but Rihanna was incredible live!

2007:  Good Girl Gone Bad - "DISTURBIA"

The CD was re-released with bonus tracks "If I Never See Your Face" and "Disturbia", two of the Rihanna's best songs.  "Disturbia" has a thumping club beat, addictive tempo changes, and a frantic message of anxiety.   The use of a vocoder adds to the tension.   This song won the Grammy for Best Dance Song.    I remember hearing it at Busch Gardens Hollow-Scream!

2006:  A Girl Like Me - "UNFAITHFUL"

Co-written by Ne-Yo and inspired by Evanescence's piano ballads, this was Rihanna's first big slow jam.  "Unfaithful" has painful lyrics about remorse over cheating and the string section adds to the tension of the dramatic lyrics.   The song was originally titled "Murderer".

2005  Music Of The Sun - "PON DE REPLAY"

It all started with this smash!  This song was on Rihanna's demo CD given to Jay-Z.    Simple song about getting the DJ to turn the volume up but the fusion of reggae and hip hop beats was fresh and exciting coming from this unknown Island girl.   Rihanna has musically grown so much since this initial release.

Russian Roulette: Rihanna, Ginuwine, and Ziggy Marley

"RUSSIAN ROULETTE"   RIHANNA

My favorite song from 2009, Rihanna's powerful turning point of her career.    After the Chris Brown mess, Rihanna was at a crossroads.   Her career, her dating relationship, and image changed after this song and CD was released.   The lyrics say it all, "I'm terrified but I'm not leaving, I know I must pass this test."  Intense song and video, Rihanna is the new Madonna, reinventing her image with every new single.   From R&B to reggae to hip hop to techno dance tracks & rock-influenced jams, Rihanna meshes it all yet always stays true to her Island roots, Rihanna is at the top of her game right now.

"IN THOSE JEANS (Remix)"   GINUWINE

Ginuwine first hit the charts with the insane funky beat of  "Pony" and hit #1 with his ballad "Differences" released during the 9/11 tragedy after his father committed suicide.   "In Those Jeans (explicit version)" is classic sexual R&B, Ginuwine's  complimenting the ladies for driving us guys wild!  The remix version has a hot dance breakdown at 3:22 between Ginuwine and his partner.      

     
"BEACH IN HAWAII"   ZIGGY MARLEY

Ziggy is the oldest son of Bob and Rita Marley.   He was the first to have a big hit after his father's death when "Tomorrow People" became a reggae favorite.   "Beach In Hawaii" is a simple longing love song wishing he could share the beautiful Hawaiian Islands with his distant loved one.