Suite903 TV: The Amerie Interview, Part 3

Amerie writes all her own music. That is gangster. She also handles her business, is extremely intelligent and has great style. This is part three to the series, wherein she came to the Suite903 HQ and kicked it with us for approximately three hours talking about music and how she deals with relationships. Then Felipe tried to kick it to her. The relationship part was in part one, this is the part where she talks about producers on her album, including the history of her hot Mint Condition-sampling single “Pretty Brown.”

Suite903 TV: The Amerie Interview, Part 1

Our conversation with Amerie was less like an interview and more like an hour-long Dr. Drew-style open forum on love, relationships, and power. This woman is kinda the shit—smart, savvy, and in charge in addition to her clear talent—and she knows some things about some dudes. As such, we broke our video interview down into three parts—so you can absorb it real slow. Here’s the first installment.

Amerie, “Heard ‘Em All”

Amerie is really going hard in this one, and we love the Matrix-y beginning and band of blonde white girl dancers (who are clearly meant to be a pack of Daryl Hannahs just like in the movie Blade Runner. However, we do like it better when she’s really SINGING, but as a pop song this is far and above most of what’s out there right now.

Amerie f. Trey Songz, “Pretty Brown Eyes”

You know mama thought she was gonna be mad for messing with Mint Condition’s classic ’90s love rubdown “Breakin My Heart,” but if anyone could do it justice, apparently, it was Amerie and Songz. Amerie clearly understands the rich emotion of the original, and when she breaks into the chorus, it’s even more jubilant in her voluminous soprano. And, sue us for saying so, but Songz already has the sweet boy tone of Mint Condition, so it wasn’t much of a stretch. What do you think?

Download: Amerie f. Trey Songz, “Pretty Brown Eyes”

Amerie ft. Lil Wayne “Heard Em All” Remix

The beautiful Amerie and the not so beautiful (but no less talented) Weezy Wee got together for a remix of her album’s second single, “Heard Em All”. With a little bit of a dancehall flow on Amerie’s end, it’s something of a different look for the pop starlet, but a different we can appreciate. What do we get from Weezy? The otherworldly braggadocio he’s surely patented, and we still love it. Already we can see some chick in the club building to a dutty whine from two step, or maybe we just spoiled the video!

Download: Amerie ft. Lil Wayne “Heard Em All” Remix

Amerie, What Cha Know About Amerie mixtape

Pop R&B princess Amerie is something like a rapper. Not because she talks about over saturates her music talking about money or or swag, but because with her album on the way, she’s giving us a mixtape with DJ Ruckus to get the people talking. Calling it What Cha Know About Amerie, actually makes perfect sense. A mix of the singles we know and love, like “Why Don’t We Fall In Love,” and some great album cuts that never made it to radio, this mixtape is the “if you don’t know, now you know” reintroduction for the the fair-skinned stunner. Some songs are even remixed for fresh looks. In Love & War, releasing September 29th, boasts the singles “Why R U” and “Tell Me U Love Me,” but it’ll be nice to see what else Amerie has in store for us this time around.

Download: What Cha Know About Amerie mixtape

Amerie f. Nas, Jadakiss, Cain & Rick Ross, “Why R U (Remix)”

Amerie certainly is an inquisitive little thing, isn’t she? First it was “Why Don’t We Fall in Love,” and not long after, “Can We Go.” Now we simply have “Why R U.” Well, lemme hit you with question… Not actually, but if you found it weird that her label abandoned marketing her in the states after some stellar pop singles, “Why R U,” with its Whodini sample and grafted R&B quotables isn’t going to give you any incite into their thought process. This remix is decidedly more hip hop than we’ve known her to be, but stacking big Ricky Ross on top of Jada and Nas would seem can’t-lose enough to melt even the coldest of (brave) hearts.

Download: Amerie f. Nas, Jadakiss, Cain & Rick Ross, “Why R U (Remix)”

Suite903 Podcast 001

1. Maxwell – Cold
2. Chrisette Michele feat. Ne-Yo – What You Do
3. Erykah Badu – Vibrate On
4. Mos Def feat. The Ruler – Auditorium
5. Sa-Ra Creative Partners – The Bone Song
6. Amerie – Why R U
7. Slum Village feat. Marsha Ambrosius – Cloud 9
8. Lorett Fleur (Yann Kesz remix) – Slam
9. Miles Bonny – JZS Children (Exclusive)
10. Ryan Leslie – You’re Not My Girl
11. Drake feat. Lykke Li – Little Bit
12. Mark De Clive-Lowe feat. Lady Alma – I Can’t Help It
13. Michael Jackson (Tangoterje Remix) – I Can’t Help It

Download: Suite903 Podcast 001

Download: Suite903 Podcast 001 (m4a version, chapters supported)

Mixed By OP!

Is Amerie’s “Why R U” The New Radio Killer?

Outside your window is the sound of Amerie’s street cred making a comeback. So Amerie doesn’t have the war stories to go toe-to-toe with your favorite rapper, but her singles are music’s top guns. After an endorsement overdose by—none other—Funkmaster Flex last week on Hot 97, Amerie’s new single “Why R U?” is next on deck.

Now one of the leading ladies on Island/Def Jam, Amerie is the female a-alike to the Dream—a real radio killer (zing!). “Why R U?” produced by the Buchanans (responsible for Jay-Z’s “What More Can I Say?”) borrows the break-beat drums of “Ego Trippin’” by the Ultramagnetic MC’s—a warm hip-hop welcome to her new digs. L.A. Reid is billed as executive producer for the crucial fourth album, titled In Love & War by the Korean/African-American siren. Since jumping ship from Colombia records, the new record deal last year with Def Jam is already making up for Amerie’s last effort, Because I Love It which wasn’t released in the U.S. Check out how Amerie’s pop-friendly vocals blurs the line of Go-Go music and late ’80s rap below.

Download: Amerie, “Why R U”