A song in a language that you don't know.

I listen to a fair amount of music in languages I don't speak. If you limit yourself to only music in your native tongue, you may miss entire subgenres or variations of ones you're familiar with. Mix it up.

The track I chose to answer this particular prompt is by Kapela ze Wsi Warszawa (in English, the Warsaw Village Band), who play traditional Polish folk music. The track "Do Ciebie Kasiuniu" ("To you, Kasia") from the 2001 Wiosna Ludu (Spring of the People) album is a wild, sweeping tune with intense, upbeat rhythms, sharp horns, and ethereal vocals. It's one of those "holy crap, they make music like this?" moments.

What’s your favorite collaboration between artists?

Easy one here: "Come Widdit" by Ahmad, Ras Kass, and Saafir. Sadly, the original (and best) version from the Street Fighter soundtrack is not available on streaming, but here's the next best remix.

Previously featured Saafir teams up with Golden State Warrior compatriot Ras Kass and fellow west coaster Ahmad for a track I still consider a top tier collaboration from the mid-1990s. Perfect flows, dope wordplay, and solid production.

Share a song that tells a great story.

For some reason, the first one that popped up to me was Saafir's "One of the Hardest," specifically the third verse starting at 2:40 where he tells the story of surviving the plane crash of TWA 843 in 1992. He jumped from the plane onto the inflatable slide before it had fully inflated, resulting in a spinal injury that eventually led to a cancerous tumor. It's an intense verse over a relatively light beat.

Saafir passed away last year at 54.

In 1985, when "I Miss You" was released, for some reason this song of longing by the six person R&B group previously known for "Meeting in the Ladies Room" really hit with a fourth grade kid that had no idea about love. That lack of knowledge didn't prevent that 10-year-old from calling into Hot Hits 98 WCAU FM in Philadelphia to dedicate "I Miss You" to several of his classmates... who he would see the next day in school.

As I recall, the dedication made it on the air, though I may be mis-remembering.

In any event, the song still hits and so you know: I miss you.