Xposition - January, 2019

Attention!!!

Golden Globe Awards 2019

Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody won the coveted award for Best Motion Picture – Drama amidst stiff competition while Rami Malek won Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for his brilliant portrayal of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in the same film. A Star Is Born garnered 4 nominations but it only managed to win Best Original Song for Shallow written by Lady Gaga and Mark Ronson. Best Original Score was won by Justin Hurwitz for First Man.

Missy Elliot, Cat Stevens and John Prine among 2019 Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductees

Missy Elliot is making history as the first female rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Elliot is just the third rapper following the prior inductions of Jay-Z and Jermaine Dupri. Also being inducted are British icon, Cat Stevens and country-folk legend, John Prine.

Lady Gaga bags big wins at the 2019 Critics’ Choice Awards  

Lady Gaga took home two wins at the 24^th Critics’ Choice Awards where she received Best Actress for A Star is Born in a tie with Glenn Close for The Wife and Best Song for Shallow, her duet with Bradley Cooper. Meanwhile, Justin Hurwitz won Best Score for his work on First Man.

Nominations for 91^st Academy Awards revealed

The nominations for the 91^st Academy Awards were announced with A Star is Born receiving 8 nods including Best Actress for Lady Gaga, the second highest after Roma and The Favourite which received 10 each. Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody has received 5 nods including Best Actor for Rami Malek and Mary Poppins Returns has received 4 nominations. The nominees for Best Original Song are:

-          Kendrick Lamar & SZA – All the stars (Black Panther)

-          Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – Shallow (A Star is Born)

-          Emily Blunt – The place where lost things go (Mary Poppins Returns)

-          Jennifer Hudson – I’ll Fight (RBG)

-          Willie Watson & Tim Blake Nelson – When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs)

Women lead 2019 BRIT Award nominations

Anne-Marie, Jess Glynne and Dua Lipa lead this year’s nominees with four nods each. Anne-Marie is nominated across 4 different categories: Female Solo Artist, Album of the Year for Speak Your Mind and Single and Video of the Year for 2002. Jess Glynne was also nominated for Female Solo Artist, Single of the Year for I’ll Be There and Rudimental collaboration These Days and Video of the Year also for These Days. Dua Lipa is up for Single and Video of the Year for both IDGAF and Calvin Harris collab One Kiss. 

Britney Spears Announces Hiatus

Britney Spears is taking an indefinite break from music to focus on family. She announced that she would be putting family first after her father was hospitalized and almost died as a result of a ruptured colon; he is currently in recovery. The global superstar cancelled her Las Vegas residency, Britney: Domination, which was to commence in February at the new Park MGM resort and her pending collaboration with Pitbull and Marc Anthony may also be on hold.

Daryl Dragon Passes Away

Daryl Dragon, best known as Captain from the group Captain and Tennille has passed away at the age of 76 due to renal failure. The duo is best known for their hits Love Will Keep Us Together, Do That To Me One More Time and Muskrat Love.

R.Kelly facing Criminal Investigations over Sexual Misconduct

A formal investigation into sexual misconduct by US rapper R.Kelly is underway. Prosecutors are checking whether the artist should face criminal charges. The case was prompted by a six-part documentary series on Lifetime titled Surviving R.Kelly, wherein women who were allegedly abused by Kelly speak out. Kelly has vehemently denied all allegations and has sworn to sue those involved. Meanwhile, radio stations have suspended playing his songs and his collaborations have been asked by artists such as Lady Gaga to be removed from streaming services.

Sony Music drops R.Kelly

Following social media backlash and protests in front of Sony Headquarters in New York, Sony Music has finally dropped R.Kelly from the record label. Prior to this a campaign titled #MuteRKelly was initiated to achieve this objective. R.Kelly has been in the middle of a massive controversy involving sexual abuse allegations with several artists withdrawing their collaborations with him on streaming services following the documentary Surviving R.Kelly being released on Lifetime.

Michael Jackson is coming to Broadway

The Michael Jackson estate has confirmed the production of a musical titled Don’t Stop ‘Till You Get Enough, inspired by the life of the King of Pop. The production is to be directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Christopher Wheeldon and will premiere in Chicago this year and make its Broadway debut in 2020.

Playboi Carti found guilty of assault

Jordan Carter more famously known as Playboi Carti was found guilty of assault and damaging a tour bus in Scotland in February 2018. He was fined £800 following a trial at the Dumfries Justice of the Peace Court. While Carti had denied the assault charges, he had admitted to damaging the tour bus.

Chart News

In the US, Ariana Grande started off January at the top with Thank, U Next completing 7 whopping weeks but was replaced by Halsey’s Without Me in the second week. This again was dethroned by Post Malone & Swae Lee’s Sunflower, off the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack. Halsey’s Without Me returned to the top during the last week. During the month Post Malone’s Wow and Benny Blanco, Halsey & Khalid’s Eastside entered the top 10.

In the UK, Ava Max’s Sweet But Psycho was the first No.1 of the year dethroning Christmas No.1, LadBaby’s comic version of Starship’s We Built this City. Max’s formidable 4-week reign was ended by Ariana Grande’s 7 Rings, a sampling My Favorite Things from the beloved The Sound of Music soundtrack.  During the month, Pink Fong’s Baby Shark, Zara Larsson’s Ruin My Life, George Ezra’s Hold My Girl, Gesaffelestein & The Weeknd’s Lost in the Fire and Sam Smith & Normani’s Dancing With a Stranger, all entered the top 10 during the month.

Hot New Picks of the Month

1.       5 Seconds of Summer ft. Julia Michaels – Lie to me

2.       Sam Smith – Fire on fire

3.       Chris Brown – Undecided

4.       Sabrina Carpenter – Paris

5.       Ozuna – Baila baila baila

6.       Gabrielle Aplin – My mistake

7.       Calvin Harris & Rag’n’Bone Man – Giant

8.       Mike Shinoda – Can’t hear you now

9.       Westlife – Hello my love

10.   Hardwell ft. Snoop Dogg & Conor Maynard – How you love me

11.   The Cranberries – All over now

12.   Vice & Jason Derulo ft. Ava Max – Make up  

13.   Twenty One Pilots – Chlorine

14.   City Girls ft. Cardi B – Twerk

15.   Alec Benjamin & Alessia Cara – Let me down slowly 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Ultimate Christmas Party Playlist

Attention!!!

Tis the season to down the eggnog, snog under the mistletoe and of course rock around the Christmas tree to some awesome jingle bell rock. The yuletide brings with it office parties, family lunches and dinners and gatherings of friends. Such parties need uptempo music and not slow carols like Silver Bells, Silent Night and Joy to the World. This compilation provides you with the best Christmas party songs and if the original is too slow the best version for a party. 

Taking the crown is Jessica Simpson's Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, originally sung by Brenda Lee. At a close second place is A*Teens' I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, originally by Wizzard. The only two carols to make it to the list are Boney M's versions of Mary's Boy Child and Zion's Daughter. While we have the usual songs such as Jingle Bell Rock, Sleigh Ride, Jingle Bells and Santa Claus is Coming to Town to the newer ones such as Santa's Coming for Us, Santa Tell Me and Underneath the Tree. So here are the top 40 songs for a Christmas party:

1. Jessica Simpson – Rockin’ around the Christmas tree
2. A* Teens – I wish it could be Christmas everyday 
3. Daryl Hall & John Oates – Jingle bell rock
4. Jane Krakowski – Run run Rudolph
5. Boney M – Feliz navidad
6. Mariah Carey – All I want for Christmas is you
7. Justin Bieber – Santa Claus is coming to town 
8. Britney Spears – My only wish (this year)
9. Chris Young – Christmas (Baby please come home) 
10. Jane Krakowski – I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus 
11. Boney M – Mary’s boy child/Oh my Lord 
12. Elton John – Step into Christmas 
13. Hillary Duff – Sleigh ride 
14. Sia – Santa’s coming for us 
15. Cascada – Last Christmas 
16. Jackson 5 – Frosty the snowman
17. Kylie Minogue – Christmas isn’t Christmas till you get here
18. Selena Gomez and the Scene – Winter wonderland 
19. Steps – Merry X-mas everybody 
20. Spice Girls – Christmas wrapping 
21. Shakin’ Stevens – Merry Christmas everyone 
22. Jim Reeves – Merry Christmas polka 
23. Pussycat Dolls – Santa baby 
24. Lady Antebellum – Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow 
25. Kelly Clarkson – Underneath the tree 
26. Michael Bublé  – Jingle Bells 
27. Kylie Minogue – At Christmas 
28. Sia – Ho ho ho 
29. Glee Cast – Here comes Santa Claus 
30. Boney M – Zion’s daughter 
31. Echosmith ft. Hunter Hayes – Happy Xmas (War is over) 
32. Jim Reeves – Dear Senor Santa Claus 
33. NSYNC – Merry Christmas, happy holidays 
34. Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton – You make me feel like Christmas 
35. Leona Lewis – One more sleep
36. Ariana Grande – Santa tell me 
37. Destiny’s Child – 8 days of Christmas  
38. Mariah Carey – Oh Santa 
39. LeAnne Rimes – Must be Santa 
40. Katy Perry – Every day is a holiday 

Till the next carol...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - April, 2017

Attention!!!

The 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards 2017 was held in March where Fifth Harmony and Kelsea Ballerini were the big winners. Song of the Year however went to Shawn Mendes’ Treat You Better while Britney Spears was honored with the first Icon Award for her contribution to music. Some of the best performances of the night included Hailee Steinfeld’s medley of Most Girls and Starving, Train’s Play That Song, Julia Michaels’ Issues and of course the Spears’ tribute where a medley of Oops!... I Did It Again, Circus, …Baby One More Time and Till The World Ends were sung by Kelsea Ballerini, Sofia Carson, Hailee Steinfeld and Jamie Lynn Spears. The other significant winners of the night were:

·         Best Female Artist: Ariana Grande

·         Best Male Artist: Niall Horan

·         Best Group: Fifth Harmony

·         Best Band: DNCE

·         Breakout Artist of the Year: Alessia Cara

·         Best New Artist: Grace VanderWaal

·         Best Collaboration: Machine Gun Kelly & Camila Cabello – Bad things

·         Fiercest Fans: Harmonizers

·         Country Favorite Artist: Kelsea Ballerini

·         Country Favorite Song: Kelsea Ballerini – Peter Pan

Next up we have the 2017 Billboard Latin Music Awards where Nicky Jam made a massive comeback winning 6 awards where his song Hasta El Amanecer won the Hot Latin Song of the Year as well as Digital, Streaming and Latin Rhythm Song of the year. Artist of the Year was won by Late Juan Gabriel who also won the Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year – Male, Latin Pop Albums Artist of the Year – Solo and his album Los Duo 2 won Top Latin and Latin Pop Album of the Year. Enrique Iglesias took away 4 awards including Latin Pop Songs Artist of the Year – Solo and Latin Pop Song of the Year for his collaboration with Wisin on Duele El Corazon. Other winners of the night include:

·         Artist of the Year: New – CNCO

·         Tour of the Year: Marc Anthony

·         Social Artist of the Year: Jennifer Lopez

·         Hot Latin Song Artist of the Year: Female – Shakira

·         Hot Latin Songs Label of the Year: Sony Music Latin

2017 Academy of Country Music Awards was also held in April where Jason Aldean was awarded Entertainer of the Year. Meanwhile, ACM Song of the Year went to Thomas Rhett’s Die A Happy Man and Album of the Year was awarded to Miranda Lambert’s The Weight of these Wings. The other winners of the night were:

·         Male Vocalist of the Year: Thomas Rhett

·         Female Vocalist of the Year: Miranda Lambert

·         Vocal Group of the Year: Little Big Town

·         Songwriter of the Year: Lori McKenna

·         Single Record of the Year: Florida Georgia Line – H.O.L.Y

·         Video of the Year: Artists of Then, Now & Forever – Forever country

The world’s apparent greatest songwriter, Ed Sheeran has privately settled a case against him which was lodged last year. In 2016, Sheeran was sued by songwriters Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard, writers of Matt Cardle's 2011 single Amazing, for USD 20 million for copyright infringement. US judge James Selna confirmed Ed’s case had been dismissed last month after the Suffolk born star reached an agreement with the writers, with no admission of guilt. Details of the settlement have not been made public. Following this saga, his titanic global hit Shape of You also came under fire as critiques alleged plagiarism from TLC’s legendary 90’s smash hit No Scrubs. Since then Sheeran has added both Kandi Burruss and Tameka Cottle who penned the R&B track as co-writers alongside the song's producer Kevin Briggs.

Glastonbury Festival 2017 has announced its full line-up where along with its headlining acts – Ed Sheeran, Foo Fighters and Radiohead, a number of other high profile artists such as Lorde, Shaggy, Katy Perry, Clean Bandit, Birdy and Stormzy are to perform. Glastonbury will take place at Worthy Farm, Somerset from June 23-25.

Good news for N-Dubz fans as the Hip-Hop trio have indicated that they will reunite in the near future. Fazer confirmed that the group was anyway only on a hiatus and that he along with Dappy and Tulisa will return to the studio to produce new music. When that will exactly be God only knows.

Moving onto chart news, in the US Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You remained unmoved at the top during the entire month accumulating 12 non-consecutive weeks at No.1. Meanwhile, Drake’s Passionfruit, Kendrick Lamar’s Humble and Harry Style’s debut single Sign of the Times all debuted in the top 10. Future’s Mask Off and Sam Hunt’s Body Like a Back Road also entered the top 10.  

In the UK, Sheeran’s reign with Shape of You was only interrupted when Harry Styles debuted atop the charts with his Sign of the Times.  During the month Julia Michaels’ Issues, Zedd & Alessia Cara’s Stay and Kendrick Lamar’s Humble all entered the top 10.  

Other songs which became popular during the month were: 

1.       Drake ft. Travis Scott & Quavo – Portland

2.       Future ft. Rihanna – Selfish

3.       Kyle ft. Lil Yachty – iSpy

4.       Zayn ft. PARTYNEXTDOOR – Still got time

5.       Stargate ft. Pink & Sia – Waterfall

6.       Lana Del Rey ft. The Weeknd – Lust for life 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - August, 2016

Attention!!!

August began with the announcement by Event Craft Productions that Hardwell would be making a stop in Sri Lanka in his highly anticipated Go Hardwell or Go Home Tour on September 30, 2016. However, this was a bust as later in the month the event managers released a disappointing statement that the concert has been cancelled - "due to an enormous number of obligations including some from local authorities given the genre and the magnitude of the event."  

Moreover, August also witnessed probably the most boring and uncontroversial MTV Video Music Awards in the history of the ceremony. There was no twerking, making out on stage or announcements for candidacy for US Presidency. The night belonged to Rihanna and Beyonce. Beyonce led the nominations with 11 and winning 8 and with a total of 24 VMAs, it makes her the artist with the most wins at the VMAs passing Madonna's 20. 

Rihanna was the recipient of the coveted Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award and she opened with a stellar performance of a medley of Don't Stop The Music, Only Girl (In The World), We Found Love and Where Have You Been. Ri-Ri also had three other performances which she aced all of which were medleys of her biggest hits except Umbrella. 

Britney Spears returned to the VMA stage after 9 years since her disastrous 2007 performance of Gimme More which led to her very public meltdown. She clearly redeemed herself with a steamy take of Make Me... featuring G-Eazy plus singing the part of Bebe Rexha in Me, Myself & I. Other awesome performances of the night included Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj's newest single Side to Side, Nick Jonas ft. Ty Dolla $ign's Bacon and the pre-show performance of Alessia Cara and Troye Sivan singing a medley of Wild Things, Wild and Scars Beneath Your Beautiful. 

Disaster hit the VMA stage when The Chainsmokers and Halsey performed their newest hit Closer. There's nothing much to say about this performance except that Andrew Taggart (one half of the Chainsmokers) should stick to the background music and not pull a Calvin Harris, because not every DJ can sing. This was evident as Taggart found it difficult to keep up with the powerful vocals of Halsey during the EDM duet. 

Enough about the performances, take a look at the most significant wins of the night:

• Video of the Year: Beyonce - Formation
• Best Male Video: Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna - This is what you came for
• Best Female Video: Beyonce - Hold Up
• Best New Artist: DNCE
• Best Pop Video: Beyonce - Formation
• Best Rock Video: Twenty One Pilots - Heathens  
• Best Hip-Hop Video: Drake - Hotline Bling
• Best Electronic Video: Calvin Harris & Disciples - How deep is your love 
• Best Direction: Beyonce - Formation (Director - Melina Matsoukas) 

The lineup for the Apple Music Festival - previously known as the iTunes Festival - has been finally revealed. The festival now in its tenth year, is famous for drawing in huge acts to perform at London's intimate Roundhouse in Camden. This year's full lineup is as follows:

18 September: Elton John

19 September: The 1975

20 September: Alicia Keys

21 September: OneRepublic

23 September: Calvin Harris

25 September: Robbie Williams

26 September: Bastille

27 September: Britney

28 September: Michael Bublé

30 September: Chance the Rapper

It is with so much joy that I move on to chart news as the reign of Drake ft. WizKid & Kyla's One Dance is finally over. In the US, Sia ft. Sean Paul's Cheap Thrills dethroned One Dance from the first week itself and held on to the top spot for the entire month. Sia becomes the first female over 40 to reach the top since Madonna reigned with Music in 2000. Meanwhile, by the fourth week of August Drake has accumulated a whopping 48 consecutive week in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 tying with Ace of Base for the second longest consecutive streak among all acts, second only to Katy Perry. Meanwhile, Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber and MØ's Cold Water debuted at No.2 and The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey's Closer and Twenty One Pilots' Heathens both entered the Top 10. 

In the UK, Drake's dreams were muddied by Cold Water the gargantuan collaboration of Major Lazer, Justin Bieber and MØ, which ended One Dance's hold over the crown. The trio reigned for the remainder of the month. The Chainsmokers' Closer, Twenty One Pilos' Heathens and DJ Snake ft. Justin Bieber's Let Me Love You all entered the Top 10 during the month.

Other songs which became popular during the month are:

• Charlie Puth ft. Selena Gomez - We don't talk anymore
• Olly Murs - You don't know love
• Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa & Imagine Dragons - Sucker for pain
• Digital Farm Animals ft. Cash Cash - Millionaire
• Mike Perry ft. Shy Martin - The ocean
• Martin Garrix ft. Bebe Rexha - In the name of love 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - May, 2016

Attention!!!

It's that time of the year when all of Europe and selected outsiders come together for the biggest singing competition in the world. Move over, Idol, The Voice and The X Factor, as 2016 Eurovision Song Contest is the biggest yet, with 43 countries battling it out for the trophy. With Russia as the favourite going into the competition even Australia who is now granted the status of a fully fledged contestant has entered one of its strongest competitors. After Sweden took the crown in 2015, it was Stockholm's turn to host the show. With two semi-finals and a final which saw 26 countries vying for the crown.

The ultimate winner of the contest was Ukraine with the song 1944, performed by Jamala. This was Ukraine's second win and its first since 2004. This was the first time since the introduction of professional jury voting in 2009 that the overall winner won neither the jury vote, which was won by Australia's Dami Im with Sound of Silence, nor the televote, which was won by Russia's Sergey Lazarev's You Are The Only One, with Ukraine placing second in both. As soon as the results were announced petition was signed by Change.org to get the organizers of the contest to cancel the results, doubting Jamala's victory. However, the European Broadcasting Union stood firm and affirmed their initial decision. 

The 2016 Billboard Music Awards was also held in May hosted by Ludacris and Ciara and The Weeknd leading the nominations with 20. Leading up to the awards there was drama involving Kesha and Dr.Luke who are still embroiled in litigation. Dr.Luke's Kemosabe Records who initially granted approval to Kesha to perform at the awards, thereafter rescinded it which led to a major media backlash and a huge fan uproar. However, this decision was again changed and Kesha was allowed to perform, which led to her first official performance at an awards show since her infamous lawsuit. 

The BBMA kicked off with an opening medley by the 2016 Billboard Millennium Award recipient Britney Spears whose medley included iconic hits such as Toxic, Womanizer and Work Bitch. The best performance of the night however was Pink's Just Like Fire which saw her putting on a marvelous acrobatic show. Other awesome performances include DNCE's Cake By The Ocean, Ariana Grande's Dangerous Woman/Into You, Rihanna's Love On The Brain and a tribute to Prince by Madonna and Stevie Wonder. The Weeknd was the big winner of the night grabbing 8 wins including Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Song Sales Artist, Top Radio Songs Artist and Top R&B Artist. Adele won 5 awards including Top Artist, Top Female Artist and Top Billboard 200 Artist. Other winners included:

• Top Male Artist: Justin Bieber
• Top New Artist: Fetty Wap
• Top Duo/Group: One Direction
• Top Touring Artist: Taylor Swift
• Top Hot 100 Song: Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth - See You Again
• Top Billboard 200 Album; Adele - 25
• Top Dance/Electronic Artist: David Guetta
• Top Dance/Electronic Song: Major Lazer & DJ Snake ft. MO - Lean On
• Top Dance/Electronic Album: Zedd - True Colours 
• Top R&B Song: The Weeknd - The Hills
• Top R&B Album: The Weeknd - Beauty Behind The Madness 
• Top Rap Artist: Drake
• Top Rock Artist: Twenty One Pilots 
• Top Soundtrack: Pitch Perfect 2
• Billboard Icon Award: Celine Dion

Moving on to chart news, in the US Desiigner's Panda finally ended the 9-week reign of Rihanna ft. Drake's Work. After only two weeks at the top Drake ft. Wizkid & Kyla's One Dance grabbed the top spot. One Dance became Drake's first No.1 in the US as a lead artist while he earned the top spot alongside Rihanna with Work and What's My Name earlier and came as close as No.2 with Hotline Bling and Best I Ever Had. The fourth and final week of the month saw Justin Timberlake's Can't Stop The Feeling! from the original soundtrack from the movie Trolls grab the No.1 spot. The charts witnessed a surge in hits by Prince in early May as the superstar's death caused his fans to purchase, stream and request his hits on the radio. As a result When Doves Cry and Purple Rain, his two signature hits re-entered the top 10, both of which had a stint at No.1 back in 1984. 

Next up Queen Bey's surprise sixth studio album Lemonade was released after which Beyonce became the first female artist to chart 12 or more songs on the US Billboard Hot 100 at the same time, with every song on the album debuting on the chart. She passed the previously held record of 11 by Taylor Swift's Speak Now album. Formation, the lead single from Lemonade debuted at No.10 on the Hot 100. During the month The Chainsmokers ft. Daya's Don't Let Me Down, Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna's This Is What You Came For and Rihanna's Needed Me all entered the top 10. 

Meanwhile in the UK, Drake's One Dance continued its supremacy over the charts being at the helm throughout the month and accumulating six consecutive atop the charts. JT's Can't Stop The Feeling!, Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna's This Is What You Came For, Galantis' No Money, DJ Snake ft. Bipolar Sunshine's Middle and Desiigner's Panda all entered the top 10 during the month. 

Other songs which became popular during the month include:

• Drake ft. Rihanna - Too good
• Fifth Harmony - Write on me
• Twenty One Pilots - Ride 
• Jennifer Lopez - Ain't your mama
• Little Mix ft. Sean Paul - Hair  
• Ruth B - Lost boy 
• Tim McGraw - Humble and kind 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

(All images used in the posts unless otherwise mentioned are drawn from https://images.google.com/ and the author does not hold copyright over the photos used.)

Best Dance Hits of the 2000s

Attention!!!

The best years of those born in the 80s were during the 2000s when they would be in the latter ages of their teens. The 2000s may also prove to be the last vestiges of Alternative Rock and Hard Rock as the 2010s have massacred the genres to the point of no return. Eurodance was dead and in its place Europop was building itself as a genre with a significant contribution from Romanian Pop. As far as dance music goes Rap, Dancepop and Hip-Hop ruled the dance floors with the likes of Flo Rida, Black Eyed Peas, 50 Cent, Sean Paul, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira and Pitbull shaping the industry as they took over the mainstream charts. With an immense stress on beat and rhythm rather than lyrics, the dance music of the 2000s is unique. 

Those artists that began their careers in the 90s such as Britney Spears, Eminem, Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias have become superstars with several dance hits and some like Shakira, Pitbull, Rihanna, Sean Paul and David Guetta have entered the mainstream with several dance hits. With his debut dance anthem Low, Flo Rida entered the hearts and minds of the party people during the 2000s and claims the top spot on this compilation. At No.2 we have Usher's Yeah in which he collaborated with veteran rappers Ludacris and Lil Jon. With a different flavour at No.3 we have Shakira's Hips Don't Lie where former Fugees member Wyclef Jean is featured. With the highest number of entries we have Black Eyed Peas with 8 whopping entries followed by Sean Paul with 7, 50 Cent and Jennifer Lopez with 6 each, Timbaland, Akon, Pussycat Dolls, Rihanna, Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake with 5 each, Flo Rida, Britney Spears, Madonna, Shakira, Bob Sinclar, Pitbull, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Inna with 4 each, David Guetta, Kylie Minogue, Sugababes, Missy Elliot, Ludacris, Beyonce, Gwen Stefani, Eve, Pink, Destiny's Child and Cascada with 3 each. So here are the best dance hits from 2000-2009: 

1. Flo Rida ft. T-Pain – Low
2. Usher ft. Ludacris & Lil Jon – Yeah
3. Shakira ft. Wyclef Jean – Hips don’t lie
4. Pitbull – I know you want me (Calle ocho)
5. Sean Paul – Get busy
6. Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg & Kurupt – The next episode
7. 50 Cent – In da club
8. Nelly – Hot in herre
9. Flo Rida ft. Kesha – Right round
10. Black Eyed Peas – I gotta feeling
11. Timbaland ft. Keri Hilson & D.O.E – The way I are
12. Bon Jovi – It’s my life
13. Rihanna – Don’t stop the music
14. Lady Gaga ft. Colby O’Donis – Just dance
15. David Guetta ft. Akon – Sexy bitch
16. Eve – Tambourine
17. Justin Timberlake – Sexyback
18. Madonna ft. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland – 4 minutes
19. Vengaboys – Shalala lala
20. 50 Cent ft. Olivia – Candy shop
21. Kelis – Milkshake
22. Black Eyed Peas – Let’s get it started
23. Bob Sinclar ft. Gary Pine – Love generation
24. Sean Paul – Temperature
25. Missy Elliot – Get ur freak on
26. Black Eyed Peas – Hey mama
27. David Guetta ft. Kelly Rowland – When love takes over
28. Daft Punk – One more time
29. Eminem – The real Slim Shady
30. Black Eyed Peas – Boom boom pow
31. Yves Larock – Rise up
32. Las Ketchup – The ketchup song (Asereje)
33. DMX – Party up (Up in here)
34. Jennifer Lopez – Let’s get loud
35. Black Eyed Peas – Pump it
36. Pussycat Dolls ft. Busta Rhymes – Don’t cha
37. 50 Cent ft. Snoop Dogg, Lloyd Banks & Young Buck – P.I.M.P.
38. Baha Men – Who let the dogs out?
39. *NSYNC – Bye bye bye
40. Destiny’s Child – Jumpin’ jumpin
41. Sean Kingston – Fire burning
42. Spiller ft. Sophie Ellis Baxtor – Groovejet (If this ain’t love)
43. Alex Gaudino ft. Crystal Waters – Destination Calabria
44. Lady Gaga – Poker face
45. Benny Benassi – Satisfaction
46. Jay Sean ft. Lil Wayne – Down
47. Daddy Yankee – Gasolina
48. Atomic Kitten – The tide is high (Get the feeling)
49. Chamillionaire ft. Slick Rick – Hip hop police
50. Steve Angello & Laidback Luke ft. Robin S. – Show me love
51. Cascada – Evacuate the dancefloor
52. LMFAO – I’m in Miami bitch
53. Shakira – Whenever wherever
54. Gwen Stefani ft. Eve – Rich girl
55. No Doubt ft. Bounty Killer – Hey baby
56. Eve ft. Gwen Stefani – Let me blow ya mind
57. Modjo – Lady (Hear me tonight)
58. Snoop Dogg ft. Pharrell – Drop it like it’s hot
59. Basshunter – Now you’re gone
60. Edward Maya ft. Vika Jigulina – Stereo love
61. Eric Prydz – Call on me
62. Fergie – London bridge
63. 50 Cent – Just a lil bit
64. Kevin Lyttle – Turn me on
65. Britney Spears – Toxic
66. Rihanna – Disturbia
67. Guru Josh Project – Infinity 2008
68. R.Kelly ft. Wisin & Yandel – Burn it up
69. Pink – Get the party started
70. Crazy Town – Butterfly
71. Timbaland ft. Justin Timberlake & Nelly Furtado – Give it to me
72. Nelly ft. City Spud – Ride wit me
73. Puddle of Mudd – She hates me
74. Outkast – Hey ya!
75. Jennifer Lopez ft. Jadakiss & Styles – Jenny from the block  
76. Black Eyed Peas – Don’t phunk with my heart
77. Beyonce ft. Jay-Z – Crazy in love
78. Kat DeLuna ft. Elephant Man – Whine up
79. Counting Crows – Accidentally in love
80. Beyonce – Single ladies (Put a ring on it)
81. Nelly Furtado – Maneater
82. Eminem – Just do it
83. Soulja Boy – Crank that
84. Sugababes – Round round
85. Bomfunk MC’s – Freestyler
86. Junior Senior – Move your feet
87. Britney Spears – 3
88. Blue – All rise
89. Fragma – Toca’s miracle
90. Shaggy ft. Rikrok – It wasn’t me
91. Mary J. Blige – Family affair
92. S Club 7 – Don’t stop movin’
93. Nicole Scherzinger ft. T.I. – Whatever u like
94. Smash Mouth – I’m a believer
95. Chris Brown ft. Juelz Santana – Run it!
96. Jennifer Lopez – Play
97. Missy Elliot – Work it
98. Inna – Hot
99. Bob Sinclar with Cutee B ft. Dollarman, Big Ali  & Makedah – Rock this party (Everybody dance now)
100. Britney Spears – Gimme more
101. Madonna – Hung up
102. Axwell ft. Steve Edwards – Watch the sunrise
103. Eminem – Without me
104. Pussycat Dolls – When I grow up
105. Truth Hurts ft. Rakim – Addictive
106. Britney Spears – Circus
107. LL Cool J ft. Jennifer Lopez – Control myself
108. Inna – Amazing
109. Sugababes – Get sexy
110. R. Kelly – Ignition (Remix)
111. Teriyaki Boyz – Tokyo drift
112. Akcent – Jokero
113. Michael Buble – Save the last dance for me
114. Terror Squad ft. Fat Joe & Remy Ma – Lean back
115. Destiny’s Child – Bootylicious
116. Cascada – Everytime we touch
117. Basshunter – All I ever wanted
118. Jamelia – Superstar
119. Flo Rida ft. Nelly Furtado – Jump
120. Nina Sky ft. Jabba – Move ya body
121. Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne & Swiss Beatz – I can transform ya
122. DJ Sammy & Yanou ft. Do – Heaven
123. Pitbull – Hotel room service
124. Shakira – Objection (Tango)
125. Kylie Minogue – Love at first sight
126. Sean Paul – Gimme the light
127. Andreea Banica ft. Dony – Samba
128. Nelly Furtado ft. Timbaland – Promiscuous
129. Crazy Frog – Axel F
130. Rihanna – SOS
131. Panjabi MC – Mundian to bach ke
132. Ashley Tisdale – Crank it up
133. Pink, Christina Aguilera, Mya & Lil’ Kim – Lady Marmalade
134. Nelly Furtado – Say it right
135. Bob Sinclar ft. Steve Edwards – World, hold on (Children of the sky)
136. DJ Laz ft. Flo Rida, Pitbull & Casely – Move shake drop  
137. Destiny’s Child – Lose my breath
138. Sidney Samson – Riverside
139. Lumidee – Never leave you (Uh oooh, uh ooh)
140. Sugababes – About a girl
141. Beyonce ft. Slim Thug – Check on it
142. Dizzee Rascal ft. Armand van Helden – Bonkers
143. Pussycat Dolls ft. Timbaland – Wait a minute
144. Black Eyed Peas – Shut up
145. Bob Sinclar with Cutee B ft. Gary Pine & Dollarman – Sound of freedom
146. Pussycat Dolls ft. Snoop Dogg – Buttons
147. Akon ft. Eminem – Smack that
148. Justin Timberlake – Rock your body
149. Anastacia – I’m outta love
150. iiO – Rapture
151. Rihanna ft. Sean Paul – Break it off
152. Madonna – Music
153. Ludacris – How low
154. Sean Paul – Like glue
155. Kylie Minogue – Can’t get you out of my head
156. O-Zone – Dragostea din tei
157. Pink – So what
158. Inna – Love
159. Katy Perry – I kissed a girl
160. DJ Otzi – Hey baby (Uhh, ahh)
161. Holly Valance – Kiss kiss
162. Jennifer Lopez – Ain’t it funny
163. Madonna – Sorry
164. Daniel Bedingfield – Gotta get thru this
165. Pitbull ft. Akon – Shut it down
166. Fergie ft. will.i.am – Fergalicious
167. Rihanna – Pon de replay
168. Fatman Scoop – Be faithful
169. Enrique Iglesias – Be with you
170. Tinchy Stryder ft. N-Dubz – Number 1
171. Shakira – She wolf
172. The Offspring – Pretty fly (For a white a guy)
173. 50 Cent ft. Ne-Yo – Baby by me
174. Mr.C The Slide Man – Cha-cha slide
175. Cascada – What hurts the most
176. Sean Paul – We be burnin’
177. Jennifer Lopez – Love don’t cost a thing
178. Sophie Ellis-Bexter – Murder on the  dancefloor 
179. Cobra Starship ft. Leighton Meester – Good girls go bad
180. David Guetta ft. Estelle – One love
181. Kylie Minogue – In your eyes
182. Ludacris ft. Shawnna – Stand up
183. Akon – Belly dancer (bananza)
184. Black Eyed Peas – My humps
185. Michael Buble – Sway
186. Cupid – Cupid shuffle
187. DJ Bobo with Irene Cara – What a feeling
188. Blu Cantrell ft. Sean Paul – Breathe
189. Gwen Stefani ft. Akon – The sweet escape
190. Mika – Grace Kelly
191. Missy Elliot ft. Ciara & Fatman Scoop – Lose control
192. Inna – Deja vu
193. 50 Cent ft. Justin Timberlake – Ayo technology
194. A.R. Rahman & Pussycat Dolls ft. Nicole Scherzinger – Jai ho! (You are my destiny)
195. David Deejay ft. Dony – Sexy thing
196. Mary Mary – Shackles (Praise you)
197. JLS – Beat again
198. Chamillionaire ft. Krayzie Bone – Ridin’
199. Avril Lavigne – Girlfriend
200. Chayanne – Boom boom  

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

The Ultimate BDSM Playlist

Attention!!!

With the advent of Fifty Shades of Grey, BDSM has gone mainstream. Gone are the days when the topic was taboo and confined to the dungeons. Now when someone refers to bondage your reply could only be love me like you do. BDSM is a term which was formed joining Bondage & Discipline, Domination & Submission, and Sadism & Masochism. The phrase is now used as an umbrella term for all kinky practices. BDSM is definitely not something new and these behavioral practices have also been the subject of various songs. Rihanna's S&M with its more popular remix featuring Britney Spears topped the charts in the 2010s and takes the top spot on the list. At a close second is Natalia Kills's Mirrors whose explicit lyrics about BDSM is accompanied by a somewhat artistic video. Britney Spears has the highest number of entries with 3 whilst The Weeknd and Madonna have 2 entries each. So here are the best BDSM songs of all time:

1. Rihanna ft. Britney Spears – S&M
2. Natalia Kills – Mirrors
3. Depeche Mode – Master and servant
4. Madonna – Erotica
5. The Weeknd – Earned it
6. Britney Spears – Work bitch
7. Ariana Grande ft. The Weeknd – Love me harder
8. John Mellencamp – Hurts so good
9. Guns N’ Roses – Pretty tied up
10. Eurythmics – Sweet dreams (are made of this)
11. Robin Thicke ft. Pharrell Williams & T.I. – Blurred lines
12. Goldfrapp – Strict machine
13. Madonna – Hanky panky
14. The Velvet Underground – Venus in furs
15. George Michael – Freeek!
16. Soft Cell – Sex dwarf
17. Britney Spears – I’m a slave 4 u
18. Green Day – Dominated love slave
19. Thin Lizzy – S&M
20. Frank Zappa – Bobby Brown (goes down)

Till the next beat…

At Ease!!!

The Ultimate Stripper Playlist

Attention!!!

Stripping is probably the oldest profession in the world, as taking one's clothes off precedes any sort of prostitution. Moreover, if you are going to take your clothes off, you might as well get paid for it. Stripping or exotic dancing or whatever you may want to call it involves a performance, which more or less involves music. The music involved is almost always a slow beat accompanied by lyrics full of sexual innuendo. Slow paced dance-pop and R&B dominates the list with numerous entries by girl bands especially the Pussycat Dolls. PCD takes the crown with their global hit Dontcha, followed by Nelly's Hot in herre and Snoop Dogg's Wet. Most of the songs on the list are full of sultry imagery with girls/women giving it to someone or getting it from someone, or just plainly referring to their bodies, or body parts. Nicole Scherzinger leads with 8 entries along with 4 from her days with PCD and Britney Spears has 6 entries, while Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg have 4 entries each. So here is the Best Stripping Songs of All Time:-

1. Pussycat Dolls ft. Busta Rhymes – Dontcha
2. Nelly – Hot in herre
3. Snoop Dogg – Wet
4. Britney Spears – Gimme more
5. 50 Cent ft. Olivia – Candy shop
6. Pussycat Dolls – Buttons
7. Lil Wayne ft. Static Major – Lollipop
8. Britney Spears – I’m a slave 4 u
9. Christina Aguilera ft. Redman – Dirrty
10. Nicole Scherzinger ft. T.I. – Whatever u like
11. Beyonce & Shakira – Beautiful liar
12. LL Cool J – Doin’ it
13. Christina Aguilera, Mya, Lil’ Kim & Pink – Lady Marmalade
14. Kelis – Milkshake
15. Fergie – London bridge
16. Brown Eyed Girls – Kill bill
17. Beyonce ft. Sean Paul – Baby boy
18. Ginuwine – Pony
19. Pixie Lott – Mama do (uh oh, uh oh)
20. Britney Spears – Piece of me
21. Sugababes – Get sexy
22. Jennifer Lopez ft. Iggy Azalea – Booty
23. Rihanna – Pour it up
24. Alexandra Stan – Lollipop (param pam pam)
25. Santana ft. Rob Thomas – Smooth
26. Destiny’s Child – Bootylicious
27. Marvin Gaye – Sexual healing
28. Enrique Iglesias ft. Lil Wayne – Push
29. Nicole Scherzinger – Wet
30. ACDC – You shook me all night long
31. Ciara – Body party
32. R.Kelly – Thoia thong
33. Pussycat Dolls – Bottle pop
34. Soulja Boy – Pretty boy swag
35. Beyonce – Naughty girl
36. Stella Mwangi ft. Mohombi – Hula hoop
37. Dev – In my trunk
38. Tinashe ft. SchoolBoy Q – 2 on
39. Britney Spears – Circus
40. Timbaland ft. Dev – Break ya back
41. Quentisha Benjamin – Get loose
42. Ciara – Goodies
43. Jennifer Lopez ft. Lil Wayne – I’m into you
44. Truth Hurts ft. Rakim – Addictive
45. Jessica Simpson ft. Lil Bow Wow – Irresistible
46. Beyonce – Dance for you
47. DJ Snake with Dillon Francis – Get low
48. Girls’ Generation – Hoot  
49. Fergie – L.A. Love (la la)
50. Dev ft. Sage the Gemini – Kiss it
51. Mike WiLL Made-it ft. Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa & Juicy J – 23
52. Akon ft. Eminem – Smack that
53. P. Diddy ft. Nicole Scherzinger – Come to me
54. Shaggy ft. Brian & Tony Gold – Hey sexy lady
55. David Guetta ft. Timbaland & Dev – I just wanna f
56. Fergie – Bailamos
57. Iggy Azalea – Pu$$y
58. Usher ft. Ludacris & Lil Jon – Yeah
59. Britney Spears – My prerogative
60. Janet Jackson – That’s the way love goes
61. Ariana Grande ft. The Weeknd – Love me harder
62. Marvin Gaye – Let’s get it on
63. Will.I.Am ft. Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa & French Montana – Feelin’ myself
64. R.Kelly – Ignition (Remix)
65. Far East Movement ft. The Cataracs & Dev – Like a G6
66. TLC – Red light special
67. Daddy Yankee ft. Nicole Scherzinger – Papi lover
68. Lloyd ft. J.Cole & Nicki Minaj – Take it off
69. Sisqo – Thong song
70. Def Leppard – Pour some sugar on me
71. Sean Paul ft. Alexis Jordan – Got 2 luv u
72. Brown Eyed Girls – Abracadabra
73. Shakira ft. Timbaland & Lil Wayne – Give it up to me
74. Jeremih ft. 50 Cent – Down on me
75. Chingy – Right thurr
76. Destiny’s Child – Nasty girl
77. Pussycat Dolls ft. Will.I.Am – Beep
78. 2 Chainz ft. Nicki Minaj – I luv dem strippers
79. Madcon ft. Ameerah – Freaky like me
80. Fifth Harmony ft. Kid Ink – Worth it
81. Dev – Fireball
82. Hilary Duff – Reach out
83. Far East Movement – Girls on the dance floor
84. Jason Derulo ft. Snoop Dogg – Wiggle
85. Britney Spears – Break the glass
86. Belly ft. Snoop Dogg – Hot girl
87. Donna Summer – Love to love you baby
88. Ludacris – How low
89. Timbaland ft. Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake – Give it to me
90. Kesha – Run devil run
91. Tyga – Rack city
92. Flo Rida ft. Ne-Yo – Be on you
93. Inna ft. Marian Hill – Diggy down
94. Girls’ Generation – The boys
95. Robin Thicke ft. Kendrick Lamar & 2 Chainz) – Give it 2 u
96. Will.I.Am – I got it from my mama
97. Enrique Iglesias – Ring my bells
98. Kardinal Offishall ft. Akon – Dangerous
99. Snoop Dogg ft. Pharrell – Drop it like it’s hot
100. Mohombi – Sex your body

Till the next beat…

At Ease!!!