ho:wo

artist | hugo
track name | 99 problems

twentysix.september.twentytwelve

tip my hat to the sun in the west, feel the beat right in my chest.  at the crossroads a second time.  meet the devil, change his mind.  if you’re having girl problems, i feel bad for you son.  i got 99 problems and a bitch ain’t one.  

hugo’s had a fascinating life - he’s half thai-royal family, half british decent and he spent his life growing up in thai palaces.  he was discovered for a song he’d written for a charity album to benefit the victims of the 2004 tsunami and left thailand to pursue a career in music.  however, after three hard years of work, his album was dropped and his confidence shattered.  instead of continuing to pursue a career as a performing musician, he started writing songs for other musicians which quickly became lackluster.  he was about ready to throw in the towel and head back to thailand when at last he got his big break and one of his penned songs was selected for a new album being produced for beyonce.  after further collaborations, he eventually was convinced to give singing another shot and so he was signed to jay z’s roc nation.  man, talk about living the american dream.

now, pardon my french, but i fucking love the banjo.  in this complete overhaul of jay z’s 99 problems, hugo completely re-worked the lyrics keeping nothing but the main chorus and gave it an awesome bluegrass twist with a rocking banjo, killer beat and a touch of tambourine.  try to listen to this song without tapping your heel - just try, i dare you.

flicka