Second Listen: "Fake" (Alexander O'Neal)

Back in 1987, Alexander O'Neal released his biggest hits to date which was the infectious thumping joint "Fake." Peaking at number one on the R&B charts"Fake," which was produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis helped spur sales of O'Neal's sophomore album Hearsay and would make him an international star.

"Fake"  still goes for me in my book and its Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis beat is still as fresh as it was back in 1987. With that said, take a second listen to the old-school jam "Fake" from Alexander O'Neal below and Enjoy!

Song of the Day: "Power of Love/Love Power" (Luther Vandross)

"Power of Love/ Love Power" - Luther Vandross

• Writers: Luther Vandross, Marcus Miller, Teddy Vann
• Producers: Luther Vandross & Marcus Miller
• Record Label: Epic
• Released in 1991 from Power of Love
• Peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 & #1 on the Hot R&B Singles chart

Interview: Kaytranada

Hailing from Montreal, Kaytranada and his 99.9% album are currently taking the music industry by storm. With features from Craig David, Anderson. Paak, Vic Mensa, Goldlink and many more the sound is genre bending and will have you on the edge of your seat with the turn of every track.

Joining Sway in the Morning he speaks on his childhood in Canada and how he came across Fruity Loops and began to make music. Taking inspiration from everything from The Neptunes to Michael Jackson to 90's pop, he began crafting a sound all his own.

Getting noticed on Soundcloud through his various beats and remix's he caught the attention of Janet Jackson and Madonna. Given the VIP treatment by Madonna while opening up for her he speaks on how touring opened up the door for depression after going through the same routine day in and day out. Revealing his sexual orientation to The Fader he opens up about how coming out of the closet helped ease his depression.

During the rest of his time he speaks on the different in the music scenes of Montreal and Toronto and jokes about making a giant Canadian collaborative album.

Watch his interview below from Sway in the Morning and if you haven't gotten his new album 99.9%, go check it out!

Podcast: "Express Yourself" (The BackBeat)

On this week’s episode of The BackBeat, we discuss the historic 2016 TONY Awards in which all four acting categories in a musical went to people of color. Next, we discuss VH1’s plan to bring back their Hip Hop Honors show with Queen Latifah as the first honoree this year. Do you remember Miki Howard? If you don’t we have you covered with a short review of her recent biopic, Love Under New Management. We take on the 2016 XXL Freshman Cover, which doesn’t feature any women artists before we discuss Prince’s induction into the Apollo Walk of Fame. We end with reflections on recent concerts from Anderson Paak and Beyonce!

Stay tuned until the end of the episode where we discuss our songs of the moment! Marcus chooses cuts from Chasing Destiny, Miki Howard, and Kaytranada. While Kyera takes us down south to New Orleans with bounce classics from Big Freedia, Nicky Da B, and Sissy Nobby.

Second Listen: "Keep It Between Us" (Kelly Rowland)

While Kelly Rowland is in the midst of working on her forthcoming studio album, I am still stuck jamming to her smooth cut "Keep It Between Us" from her third studio album Here I Am.

While "Motivation" really went hard on the charts from Here I Am, Kelly semi released "Keep It Between Us" from the LP and it really is my favorite release from her third solo album. With that said, you can take a second listen below to this solid cut and Enjoy!

Song of the Day: "Crown Royal" (Jill Scott)

"Crown Royal" - Jill Scott

• Writers and Producers: Jill Scott and Lee Hutson, Jr.
• Record Label: Hidden Beach Recordings
• Featured on 2007's The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3