Search Results

Former J Records recording rap star Shells seems to be lost in obscurity these days. But no worries as we at Obscure Sounds proceed to shine the light on this underrated up-north spitter. Following his successful run as an underground battle rapper, the New York-bred MC caught the attention of talent scouts at J Records looking for fresh unsigned hype, and Shells was their winning pick. After hopping on his labelmates’ remixes (Lyric’s “Episode”, Mario’s “Just a Friend 2002”), Shells pieced together a profound cohesive body of work entitled “Welcome to Times Square”, geared for a late 2004 drop. Despite hype garnered from the single “Why I Love You” being featured in the Samuel L. Jackson-, Ashanti-starring drama flick “Coach Carter” (2005) and its many other singles circulating on radio ahead of the effort’s planned release, “Welcome to Times Square” was frustratingly shelved. More than likely, the album’s unreleased state was an aftereffect from J Records dealing with conflicting merging business deals among RCA and Arista. Still, this did not at all stop the album from being leaked online to YouTube and white label vinyls. Here is an imagined track-listing for the project: 1.) Ladies & Gentlemen 2.) Pull Over (feat. Mashonda) 3.) U a Gangsta 4.) Bronx Connection (feat. Remy Ma) 5.) Frontin’ 6.) Imagine That 7.) Put Ya X Up 8.) I’m So BX (feat. Remy Ma, Drag-On & Liveson) 9.) I’m Laughin’ 10.) When We Met (feat. Lumidee) 11.) Catchin’ Feelings (feat. Anthony Hamilton) 12.) We Can’t Lose (feat. Styles P) 13.) What We Do (Freestyle) 14.) Difference 15.) Over the Top (feat. Grafh) 16.) Internationally Known/Throwback Freestyle 17.) Why I Love You 18.) I Bet It’s Gonna Pop 19.) Get Your Roll On Lyrics 20.) They Wanna Spit Like... 21.) No Problem (feat. Remy Ma) 22.) Watch 23.) Shorty 24.) Neglected

Check out the full collection of songs taken from Queen Latifah's collaborative compilation with her Flavor Unit Records signees: Storm P, Aposouls, The Athletes & Confidential, entitled "100% Hater Proof" (2002). Though the album isn't unreleased, it was an overlooked gem that dropped in stores on October 8, 2002 to modest praise from CD consumers and even got mentioned in the paper, most notably "Billboard" and "Jet" magazine, the latter where Latifah mentioned that she would be putting her focus on the business aspect of the music industry by promoting her Flavor Unit acts and the "Hater Proof" CD through her co-founded label after securing masters for a back catalog of her previous works hailing from the '80s and '90s. Latifah mentioned that she wanted to promote her understudies like how Motown Records did with their artists back in the day. She also informed "Jet" that she would be juggling roles as a music businesswoman with being a mainstream actress as she was due in line to be part of a planned CBS television series titled "Molly Anderson"; however, as time elapsed it was later decided that executives at the network would not be moving forward with the pilot nor series. Track-listing is as follows: 1.) Gutta 2.) The Unit 3.) Calzone 4.) Me 5.) We Be 6.) Whooh! 7.) Benjamins 2002 8.) Off The Wall 9.) They Don’t Want It 10.) Guns & Butter 11.) 100% Hater Proof 12.) Funny Cats 13.) Get Down 14.) Duz Dat 15.) Give It Up 16.) Street Life

Known outside of her solo work as an initial member of ‘90s R&B girl trio 702 and former part of Pharrell Williams’ Star Trak-signed Latina R&B group Affair, Tiffany Villarreal attempted to make it her all with her lone studio album, the simply self-titled CD: “Tiffany Villarreal” (2004). Its most notable single “You, Yourself and You” flew under the radar when not much promotion was given for the radio friendly tune, later costing its album’s release to be shipped exclusively overseas in Japanese regions and being ultimately shelved in the states. What makes it more troubling aside from the axed U.S. release, was the noteworthy fact that there were additional gems left off the album for creative reasoning. Tunes like “Boogie on the Upside” and “Played Out” were ultimate melodic sweetness to the auditory senses and slower paced offerings like “Hill of Falling Stars” and the cancelled remix to “You, Yourself and You” were sure to be played at heavy rotation at the clubs and local gatherings alongside being queued for slow jam night sessions on every known R&B radio station across the nation. Here’s a list of the rare unreleased leftover tracks that could have been featured on Villarreal’s non-U.S. debut release: 1.) Boogie on the Upside 2.) I Don’t Know 3.) Played Out 4.) Hill of Falling Stars 5.) You, Yourself and You (Extended Remix)

Check out a collection of songs by Cash Money Records’ first R&B group Official (formerly known as Unplugged) with their scrapped debut “Tellin’ Our Story” (2001). The unreleased project was due to boast guest contributions from fellow labelmates Christina and Lil Wayne, alongside west coast R&B musician TQ. The album was led by two singles; the first being the Lil Wayne-featured “I Don’t Know”; the follow-up “Anything You Want” (also featuring Weezy) was given the full fledged single treatment with a nationwide CD/vinyl/radio release and an intriguing music video. While it’s unclear why the effort suffered the shelving curse, it is presumed like so may lost urban music treasures of the yesteryears that it was an aftereffect of lackluster single chart performance. Track-listing is as follows: 1.)    Intro – 2 Unplugged 2.)    Anything You Want (feat. Lil Wayne) 3.)    Let's Talk About It 4.)    My Apology 5.)    No Sympathy 6.)    If I Were 2 Die 7.)    Hennessy 8.)    Bye Bye 9.)    4eva 10.)  Bump Da Bump 11.)  Freak (feat. Christina) 12.) As Long 13.)  Supastar (feat. TQ) 14.)  Seperate Ways 15.)  R U Down 16.)  Why (Interlude) 17.)  Why 18.)  U Stayed 19.) Thank You 20.)  I Don’t Know (feat. Lil Wayne) 21.)  Don’t Cry

A collection of rare unreleased leftover material that failed to make the final cut of the standard track-listing to Missy Elliott’s former Goldmind Inc. signee Tweet’s sophomore album “It’s Me Again” (2005). The following content was originally recorded between 2003 and 2004 and eyed a release for late 2004; however the majority of the tracks would be scrapped due to Tweet’s previous label Elektra Records merging with Atlantic Records in the middle of the album’s production, causing Tweet to abandon the initial tracks and retool her effort while under Atlantic as part of a legally-abided contractual agreement. Track-listing is as follows: 1.) Shook Up (feat. Free of 106 & Park) 2.) See Ya 3.) Proceed 4.) Face to Face 5.) Tu Tu (Toot Toot) 6.) You (feat. Missy Elliott) 7.) Thugman (Remix) ft. Missy Elliott 8.) Hypnotic (feat. AZ) 9.) Whisper 10.) How Girls Get 11.) Cool Breeze (Just Another Day) (feat. Whitney Houston)

It will always be exhausting looking at the list of R&B musicians who were robbed of a proper career, and Ms. LaTangela Newsome has to be among the grandest pick for most underrated vocalists of an era. Long before her venture into television as the sassy antagonist on Nickelodeon’s “Taina”, LaTangela had whipped up an album’s worth of material that would be shopped to numerous record labels during the mid-‘90s as hopes to be signed – and according to her, she had a number of deals on the table. What has been presented from her vault personally over the past few years is 6 demo tracks, five being recorded in 1995 when she was practically a teenager and the remaining selection being a 2000 demo for her referenced by powerhouse songstress Deborah Cox. You don’t want to miss out on this listening experience, track-listing is as follows: 1.) Don’t Cry 2.) Far Away 3.) Just the Thought of U 4.) Love Walked In 5.) A Million Miles Away 6.) I Just Can’t Get Enough (Demo) ft. Deborah Cox [*] [*] = recorded in 2000 as a demo for LaTangela as part of a potential contract deal with Motown Records

Apologies in advance for such a hefty delay in posting. So much has been going on in my personal life that I've had to postpone a number of things. But one thing's for certain I'll always try my very best to update y'all weekly with these grand gems. Resuming back to our normal schedule I present to you what was a upload favorite on my old YouTube channel - the rare unreleased leftover material that failed to make the final cut to Ginuwine's third studio effort "The Life" (2001). The following tracks featured production by the likes of Timbaland, Static Major of Playa, Soulshock & Karlin and Big Dog. Track-listing is as follows: 1.) Fix It 2.) Give It Up 3.) G's Got a Thang for You 4.) Don't Think Wit Yo Dick 5.) Wine 6.) So Anxious (Timbaland's Anxiety Mix, Pt. 2)

Like the rest of the world, I tend to wonder where Mona Lisa is currently hiding these days. Did she want to live a private life and focus on another profession, or was she burnt out from broken promises from the music industry when her presence was seemingly thrown to the shadows due to fierce competition R&B had to offer towards the turn of the new millennium? One thing’s for sure, this lovely songbird had cooked up some of the most memorable material for the ‘90s scene, and she was due to strike with another outing with her debut’s follow-up entitled “Gett’n It On” (1998), led by the radio single “Peach”. The song produced a rare, limitedly released music video directed by Ron Norsworthy and was additionally planned to be remixed by Ja Rule and his Murda Inc. entourage. Sadly, when the song failed to pick up successful momentum from the public, its album was decidedly shelved. From the sounds of what has leaked so far, the album could’ve followed the same vein of ’98 albums on Billboard: decent charting position coupled with strong favorable reception by some of the most renowned music reviewers of its time. For now, here’s an imagined track-listing: 1.)    Peach 2.)    Gett’n It On 3.)    Lead Show (feat. Willie Lead) 4.)    Rapture 5.)    Who Do You Love? 6.)    It’s Alright 7.)    Silent Night 8.)    Peach (So So Def Remix) ft. Ja Rule

Check out a collection of songs recorded during the era of one-third SWV member Coko's shelved sophomore album "Music Doll" (2001). The project was led by the buzz single "Think" which circulated underground on mixtapes and according to an article by Sister2Sister magazine, "Music Doll" was due to enlist production by Missy Elliott and Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Track-listing is as follows: 1.) Happily Forever After 2.) Ghetto Girl 3.) Gotta Hold Over Me (Easy Lover) 4.) Tears in Heaven (feat. Lady Tibba) 5.) Think 6.) My Girls 7.) Untitled [*] 8.) Triflin' (Swizz Beatz Remix) (featuring Sean Cross) [**] [*] = likely recorded in the 2010s, once thought to be "Let Him Go" (featuring Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child & Kameelah "Meelah" Williams of 702) [**] = bonus track; recorded during the "Hot Coko" (1999) era.

Complete collection of known songs recorded during the era of one-third TLC member T-Boz's unreleased solo debut album "Still Cool" (2011). The effort entered production as early as 2005 with the track "My Heart" being listed as a warm-up demo and later evolving the recording sessions into club-themed material, with the initial offering "Get It, Get It" being leaked to the internet circa fall of 2009. The single unfortunately fell on deaf ears, hence the effort went through a re-recording process to satisfy T-Boz's creative decision. By 2013, when the final song from the album's set hit the net ("Champion") it was later unearthed that recording for the album ceased circa 2011, and that a separate new album was underway with a track titled "F*** It" to be released as a lead single. Unfortunately, both that album and its single were canceled as well. Track-listing is as followed: 1.) Get It, Get It (feat. Too Short & Yung Joc) 2.) U Got Me Open 3.) Game Proof (with Chilli of TLC) [*] 4.) Champion 5.) Rebel Yell (feat. Lil Wayne) 6.) Start Off New 7.) Can It Be Love 8.) My Heart 9.) Miracles 10.) Someday 11.) Wanna Take Me Back [**] [*] = denotes track recorded in 2006 for fellow TLC member Chilli's unreleased solo debut "Bipolar" (2008) [**] = denotes track recorded in 2000 for the Jay Z documentary film's soundtrack to "Backstage"

Partial collection of songs taken from one-third TLC member Chilli's shelved solo debut album entitled "Bipolar" (2008). The project first entered production in 2006 with the working title "Point of View" and was originally due to be led by the Polow da Don-produced single "Straight Jack'em", featuring guest verses by best friend Missy Elliott and rumored introductory vocals by Pepa of legendary hip-hop trio Salt-N-Pepa. Unfortunately, due to its unforeseen leak in February 2007, the song was deleted from the album and was then recycled to Nicole Scherzinger of The Pussycat Dolls' shelved solo debut "Her Name Is Nicole" (2007) per the track "Whatever U Like". Another single entitled "Dumb-Dumb-Dumb" was due to be released in summer 2008 after it was announced by Chilli via MySpace that she was holding a dance contest for the single, as effort to capitalize off the Soulja Boy 'Crank That' trend; and, the winner of the competition would be featured in the song's official music video. Due to lack of interest from the public, the idea was canned and the single was only granted a limited release via radio and online. It is believed by the end of '08, Chilli abandoned the project and steered her focus on Vh1-related projects, among them included her reality series "What Chilli Wants" (2010), which was rumored to produce a soundtrack hosting some content off "Bipolar"; however, that idea was dispelled as just a rumor and "Bipolar" was left in the shadows.   Track-listing is as followed:   1.) Straight Jack'em (feat. Missy Elliott & Pepa of Salt-N-Pepa) 2.) Glidin' 3.) Gameproof (feat. T-Boz of TLC) 4.) Dumb-Dumb-Dumb 5.) Flirt 6.) Flirt (Demo) ft. TC the Songwriter 7.) This Is Me Now (Demo) 8.) Turn Me On

For those who didn't know, long before Ne-Yo ventured out into the spotlight with his debut album "In My Own Words" (2006), he had already composed his very first album on Columbia Records, the cleverly titled "Welcome to the World According to Schaffer" (2001). The album generated only one single, with the somber offering "Lonely, Sad and Blue", which received light rotation on east coast radio stations but failed to impact elsewhere in the states. As consequence, the album and its follow-up single "Killin' It" were immediately canned and Ne-Yo was dropped from the Columbia roster. To make matters worse, his deep album cut "That Girl" was re-recorded by a then-budding solo star Marques Houston without his permission. Track-listing is as follows: 1.) Lonely, Sad and Blue 2.) I Used to Know 3.) Killin' It 4.) I'll Get It 5.) La Di Dah 6.) Love Symphony 7.) That Girl 8.) Not Like Me