Song #11 On My MP3 Player - 99 Problems by Jay-Z (Explicit Lyrics)

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Jay-Z's '99 Problems' is the eleventh song on my MP3 player and was featured on the 2004 release The Black Album. If you know the song then you are familiar with the line, "If you're having girl problems, I feel bad for you son/I've got 99 problems and a bitch ain't one." For years I thought Jay-Z was referring to a woman as a "bitch", but his book titled Decoded states that the "bitch" he's talking about is a female police dog.

If you listen to '99 Problems' then you know that Jay-Z has beef with the industry, some dude who is pissing him off, and the police. Jay-Z mentions an instance in the song where he's pulled over by the cops with a car full of drugs. You might think Jay-Z is giving you some valuable legal advice in the song, but you are wrong. This article from the St. Louis University School of Law breaks down that part of '99 Problems' to show you what Jay-Z got right and wrong in the song.

'99 Problems' is on my MP3 player because it's one of those songs you need to hear to get you through a stressful situation. Also, it helps out when you are having a crummy day. I'm a hip-hop fan and '99 Problems' is one of the best hip-hop tracks of all time. I've got more hip-hop on my MP3 player, but I want you to check out Jay-Z's '99 problems' below. Enjoy.

Sunday Cool - Lavender Girl by Heth and Jed

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Sunday Cool is a new series at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll where I select cool songs to chill out with on a Sunday with a cup of joe.

Heth and Jed Weinstein are two buskers who play the streets, clubs, ferry stations, and subway stations of New York City to make a living. Performing original material, this brotherly duo has created a large following and has sold some 50,000 CDs on their own while busking. Heth and Jed's experiences are chronicled in their book, Buskers, which is a fascinating read.

I've been a fan of their music for years and discovered this act when I reviewed Heth's CD, Clean, ten years ago for Erasing Clouds, a music and literature blog. Since then, I've followed the exploits of the brothers Weinstein and have been impressed with their busking career. I've selected one of my favorite tunes from Heth and Jed titled 'Lavender Girl', which shows the duo's pop sensibility and showcases their trippy, atmospheric sound. The song is embedded below so enjoy.






Also check out Heth and Jed on 'Playing for Pocket Change', a series that followed the New York City busking movement.