Singers get bootlegged too, ya know

Click the album covers to download.

This chick does her best impressions of Lauryn Hill, India Arie, and Angie Stone through 14 tracks. Not really, but picking up on her influences is far from difficult. That doesn't mean the album sucks, cuz it definitely doesn't. It isn't great either though. There are definitely good songs: "Walk In My Shoes", "U & I", "Moon", "Never Be Lonely". Some not so good: "Color Blind", "Alright". It's an alright album to clean the house to. And yeah, she's racially ambiguous. And oh yeah, she can sang.


I know. It's old. You should already have it by now, but in case you don't. Toma.


I don't even think I downloaded this, but maybe you want it.


Give it a shot. I did. Album's old. If you liked Feist, you should dig this. It's hot. She's Russian.

Cool, Cooler...

Lupe Fiasco - The Coolest

For the people

Duly noted, DK.

And yes, my heart wept gently looking at that picture below.

The Heart Gently Weeps

On Da Drought 3 he said he "keep a bad bitch skating like NuNu" but I aint believe him...

Speaking of the heart weeping... apparently the WU vs. RZA beef was all too real.

Ghost added this to the fray...

"RZA ain't listening," Ghost revealed. "He wanted to make [8 Diagrams] how he wanted it and it ain't come out right. He wanna always do the whole thing himself, produce the whole album. We're like, let's bring in some other producers too. Bring in Kanye, bring in Pharell. You ain't gotta do the whole thing yourself. He wanna make his own instruments and s**t and it sounded real horrible."

"So now it's like when fans come up to me like, 'Ghost, why you let them put that out,' it's like nah, we ain't taking the blame for that," Ghost continued. "That's what Rae was saying. We ain't co-signing that. It's like, the game is different. It's not how it was 10 years ago. We're trying to tell him, you can't just put a Wu-Tang album out and just think it's gonna sell just because. We been gone for what, six years? It's hard to win new ni**as. A lot of the fans now was in f**king diapers when we first started doing this. That's why a ni**a like me drop every year. I stay relevant."

Grease you need to find that Big Doe Rehab album and post, post haste!!!

We in the house

click the album cover.

The !!@#$?

So much is wrong with this... so much so, that it's right.

Broken Record

Until Wale wins a Grammy, a Source Award, and is a 106 &Park/TRL mainstay, expect to be updated every time he coughs, sneezes, or makes the cover of a magazine. Read it. It's a very well-written article.

Long live hype.

P.S. I'm definitely jealous of his Supreme hoody. I need that.

Bootleg for life

It's officially Christmas Time, so I dropped a rack of music for yall and re-upped the playlist. The Player is too big for the space, but oh well, we keeps it bootleg like that.

P.S. I'll be happy when November is over. Me and November never got along quite well.

Start the season off right

"Elevators" - Wale

"Kiss Kiss" (Remix) - Chris Brown ft. T-Pain and Wale

"Welcome to DC" - Mambo Sauce

"Get Into the Party Life" - Little Beaver

'Tis the Season

I listened. 3000 Miles and Running. An album with all Dre verses.

Art of Storytelling Part 4 is off this album.

Good Morning

Yo I dont know whether to blame 'Ye or Murakami for this joint... what do u think?

What Kinda S-Type Donda West Like?

Apparently Dr. West, was the Hip-Hop Mom, because everyone is really taking her passing to heart... even the kids at Cal-Riverside...

Billy GOAT Gruff

Anyone who asks me who is the greatest rapper of all time is usually shocked to not hear me immediately shout "Jay-Z" or put the Roc-a-fella diamond in the air. The truth is, Jigga is my favorite rapper, but I've never been completely comfortable giving him the crown as the greatest. That doesn't mean I don't consider him the GOAT, but it does mean that I'm open to changing my assessment when a good argument is made for other greats like Biggie and Rakim. Biggie made "Somebody's Gotta Die," "Suicidal Thoughts," "I Got A Story To Tell." Rakim's lines have been bitten so much that they've become hip hop cliches. Do you understand the lyrical power of creating a catalog of cliches?

But those aren't the only artists I feel are worthy of the throne. (There's, of course, Weezy F. Baby--please say the "Baby". Sike nah!) But really, Andre 3000 may be quietly taking the scepter for himself. Think about it. Homie has done everything every great rapper has done. Lyrical? Heck-muthaphreakin-yiggidy-yes-yes-yall. Stories? Yezzir. Thuggery? That too. Charismatic delivery? And you know this. Flow? Heavy, like a period gone bad for a fat girl. He even went psychedelic and made The Love Below. Other great rappers did the same thing, just not to much acclaim and with such cohesion. (Electric Circus anyone? Cee-Lo Green and his Perfect Imperfections? The Soul Machine was fantastic tho.) Andre went left and we still couldn't help but follow. Blond wig, hammer pants, bird chest and all, we were double-clappin' to women shaking like a polaroid picture.


Remember when Jay went left? Oh, that's right, he went right and made Kingdom Come, the album where he flew to Mars in his G-4, cigar in hand, and left us behind. He said he wanted to expand the scope of the music. He did, but so did Andre, to much more artistically gratifying results. I'm not advocating for 3 Stacks here, nor am I turning my back on Hov (pause), I'm just presenting a case. My biggest gripe with Jay is not that he doesn't have the capability of artistic genius, but that he doesn't live up to it. In fact, he refuses to. His egocentricity does not allow him. He was comfortable with being recognized as the greatest. He didn't feel the need to go 72-10 or 16-0. The championship ring was enough for him. He views each of his accomplishments as something that trickles down to the common folk of the hood. He is the carrot in front of the horse, the pool beneath and the branch above Tantalus; the unattainable goal. His brand of altruism is about self-indulgment first, which is itself a contradiction. "I do this for my culture/ To let 'em know what a nigga look like when a nigga in that roadster." Thanks Jay. We appreciate it. The hood needs that. Black people need that. :-|

I contrast that to Andre 3000's first lines from "Da Art of Storytellin' (Part 4)":

She said, "Why in the club you dont make it precipitate?
Ya know 'make it rain' when you could make it thunderstorm?"
I’m like, "Why? The world needs sun. The hood needs funds.
Theres a war going on and half the battle is guns.
How dare I throw it on the floor when people are poor?"
So I write like Edgar Allan to restore. Got a cord,
Umbilical, attached to a place that can't afford no landscaping or window draping
This old lady told me if I ain't got nothing good, say nathan
that's why I don't talk much
I swear it don't cost much to pay attention to me...

You lie, Andre. It does cost to listen. Would Jay make it rain in the club? Hecky nah, son, but for completely different reasons. "I gotta get mines, you gotta get yours," would undoubtedly be his reply to a chick asking him why doesn't throw his cash in the air for fans to grab. You get the feeling that Jay thinks that he worked hard to make this money, not to give it away. And if he is giving it away, better believe he's getting something for it. <>It's the hustler's mentality.< /sarcasm>

To be fair, an artist's worth and talent cannot be a derivative of his perspective. If it were, a 5 year old's crappy crayon drawing of the sun, flowers, and happy faces would be viewed as "better" than intricately detailed drawings of ugly ish. So I'm not saying that just because 3000 has a more community-conscious conscience, he's better than Jay. If that were the case, Talib, Mos, Common and every other rapper do-gooder would be the subjects of endless GOAT debates. (And sadly, in some circles they are.) It's really about the level of artistry. Most neglect to put Tupac in the list of Top 3 rappers for the simple reason that he wasn't lyrical. Yes, he could touch you in ways unimaginable (no homo/jacko), but he was often lyrically simplistic and metrically one-dimensional.

Jay and Dre are artistically heavyweights in all categories. However, you get the feeling that Jay has no problem being lazy when Dre cannot stand the thought of it. Where Jay can come up with a hot 6 lines and feel that's enough to coast through the rest of a song, Dre has to make sure the whole verse is hot. He wants you to quote the entire verse on your Facebook page, not just a hot couplet.

And that's why I'm ready to consider: Andre Benjamin > Jay-Z

Discuss.

(And yes, I said "Da Art of Storytellin' (PART 4)". Exclusive! *DJ Clue echo*)

It's a crew song

I'm butter right now.

Just discovered that Wale's "Nike Boots" is the iTunes Single of the Week. What that means (outside of the fact that homey is making waves) is that you can download it for free from iTunes. That is, if you didn't download it for free off the blog two months ago.

But even if you did get it, download it off iTunes just for good measure. It's free, and it will help promote an artist with actual talent. Win. Win.

Fuh realz.

Nobody know karate more bodies than "Kill Bill"

Sorry had to get that out. Word to Roscoe P. It's wild in the streets of Philly son. I heard that 2 cops got shot last night. In case you don't know, cop-killing is serious ish. No Scorcese. It approaches anarchy.

In other news, I went on (another) field trip with my kids today to the Franklin Institute. It was vicious son. I really like teaching in Southwest. Yup, that's all I have to say on the subject. Either that, or start droning on for another 2 hours. I don't have the energy; you're not that interested.

Lastly, I upgraded the music player (Audiophilia). Although the tape player looked cool, a lotta ppl had issue with how to pause it and all that jazz since the buttons were a little hard to find, so I went with a standard looking jawn. Also threw a new mini-playlist up with some mellow personal faves. It's getting colder, days are shorter, might as well let the music fit the mood, ya dig?

Cuz after Turkey Day, it's all Christmas music son!

Disfruta.

Can't Get Out The Game

Winter is fast approaching people. The day's are getting shorter, the nights colder, and my bank account, smaller. I've pretty much satiated my denim desires. (Still holdin' out on the PRPS and some grey levi's though.) The hoody game is deader than the dunk game. All I need is a plain grey zip jawn. I'm thinking old school Champion or Russell Athletic. Yeah nigga, Russell Athletic. The tee game is non-existent. I mean, it's bout to be winter, and I'm a nigga's nigga. I do not play when it gets cold. The less amount of skin visible, the warmer (and friendlier) I am.

Still, that nagging issue persists. Kicks. If it weren't for that cot durn swoosh, my life and bank account would be bursting at the seams like my closet or a fat girl in a cheap cotton leotard.

This Saturday's a big day too. For one, I have class from 9am to 4pm (kill me now). Secondly, two vicious Air Force 1's are releasing.




I need these ppl. It's not a game. Eff UPenn.

I'm an internet square

Word to Katt Williams.

L'Chaim

The soundtrack to the movie. Click the album cover.

And here's a very interesting article from New York Magazine. It's a conversation between Frank Lucas and Nicky Barnes about their past as drug kingpins, the movies coming out about them, and other stuff. Real talk. Pun intended.

Sweet.

It's Only Entertainment!

Click the album cover to download.

This is the retail version of American Gangster. The first version was just the webrip. What that means to the bootleg-illiterate is that this is what will actually be in stores and sold online. The webrip didn't have all the songs and faded out many of the songs early. You thought AG was already dope? Guess what buddy, there's more.

And my (very) premature judgment of AG: Jay's 3rd best complete effort after Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint. (For the record, I think both are tied for first place in any ranking of Jay-Z's catalog.)

Cool points to anyone who can tell me where Jay bit his first line from "Success."
I useta give a -uck, now I give a -uck less
What do I think of success? It sucks--too much stress.

The Greatest Show on TV.... EVER.

Wait, it's not TV. It's HBO. If you are not a fan of The Wire, then I will assume you just haven't seen the show yet. Get the DVD's, or better yet, watch it OnDemand. Season 1 is up right now and you can play catchup until January. It beats whatever other garbage they're putting on TV these days.

And if you have seen the show but still aren't a fan, let me know. I will not waste time trying to convince you of its genius, originality, and realism. I will just regard you as an idiot who has been masquerading as a person with a functioning brain.

Wu-Tang Killer Beatles?

RZA discusses "The Heart Gently Weeps." This interview makes me love the song even more. He describes the process of getting to redo a Beatles song (which if you don't know, is near impossible) and explains the premise of the song.

Watch and enjoy.

Yall niggas betta bundle up

This winter's bout to be cuh-razy. Lupe Fiasco's The Cool. Wu-Tang's 8 Diagrams. Jay-Z's American Gangster.

Lupe Fiasco - Dumb It Down

Lupe Fiasco - And He Gets The Girl

Lupe Fiasco ft. Verbal & Sarah Green - Can You Let Me Know

Wu-Tang Clan - The Heart Gently Weeps

Get a scarf. It's [gonna be] a cold winter.

> 1000 words

Let Me Talk My S@#% Again Part 2

I'm sure this is a moot point to you that have been used to his on-air lunacy, but Bill O'Reilly might have truly lost his mind...

From carpetbaggerreport.com:

At a minimum, I can’t help but think Bill O’Reilly needs to get out more. He explained the other day, on the air, that he and Al Sharpton had dinner together in Harlem, and O’Reilly was amazed by what he found. Regrettably, he wasn’t talking about the food.

“[W]e went to Sylvia’s, a very famous restaurant in Harlem. I had a great time, and all the people up there are tremendously respectful. They all watch The Factor. You know, when Sharpton and I walked in, it was like a big commotion and everything, but everybody was very nice.

“And I couldn’t get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia’s restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it’s run by blacks, primarily black patronship.

On the same program, O’Reilly was describing his experience to NPR’s Juan Williams. “There wasn’t one person in Sylvia’s who was screaming, ‘M-Fer, I want more iced tea,’” O’Reilly said, adding, “You know, I mean, everybody was — it was like going into an Italian restaurant in an all-white suburb in the sense of people were sitting there, and they were ordering and having fun. And there wasn’t any kind of craziness at all.”

It might not have been quite so offensive if O’Reilly didn’t sound so surprised.

What did O’Reilly expect to find in Harlem? Why does he assume that white people at a suburban Italian restaurant are civilized, but black people in Harlem may be prone to “craziness”?

Put it this way — if O’Reilly had gone to an all-white restaurant, would he have found it worth noting on the air that none of the patrons were screaming, “M-Fer, I want more iced tea”? I suspect not. Call it a hunch.

There’s also the broader context. If O’Reilly had never uttered racially insensitive remarks on the air before, one might be more inclined to find a more forgiving interpretation of these remarks. But Media Matters noted some of the Fox News blowhard’s recent tirades on race.

* On the June 7 edition of The O’Reilly Factor, O’Reilly said of Edwin Roy Hall — the man charged with murdering 18-year-old Kelsey Smith after abducting her from the parking lot of a Target store in Overland Park, Kansas: “[T]his guy who is charged has a child and a wife. You know, he’s like white-bread guy. And we’re all going, ‘What is that?’ ”

* On the August 16, 2006, edition of The O’Reilly Factor, O’Reilly argued extensively for “profiling of Muslims” at airports, arguing that detaining all “Muslims between the ages of 16 and 45″ for questioning “isn’t racial profiling,” but “criminal profiling.”

* During the April 12, 2006, broadcast of The Radio Factor, O’Reilly claimed that on the April 11 edition of The O’Reilly Factor, guest Charles Barron, a New York City councilman, had revealed the “hidden agenda” behind the current immigration debate, which, O’Reilly said, was “to wipe out ‘white privilege’ and to have the browning of America.” O’Reilly suggested that this “hidden agenda” included plans to let “people who live in the Caribbean, people who live in Africa and Asia … walk in and become citizens immediately.”

* In a February 27, 2006, conversation with a caller about the disproportionately few jobs and contracts that have gone to locals in the rebuilding of New Orleans, O’Reilly said: “[T]he homies, you know … I mean, they’re just not going to get the job.”
* On the September 13, 2005, broadcast of The Radio Factor, O’Reilly claimed that “many of the poor in New Orleans” did not evacuate the city before Hurricane Katrina because “[t]hey were drug-addicted” and “weren’t going to get turned off from their source.” O’Reilly added, “They were thugs.”

Where all the ladies in the house?

Prompted by David Kenneth's posting the Rich Boy video with the beautiful Keri Hilson, I have decided to compile a list of The Top 10 Hottest Women In The Game. To compile this list, I consulted the Brain Trust (no homo), which in this case, is myself. This is not You Hype! Sike Nah...'s list, seeing as Mr. Kenneth will most assuredly be dismayed to discover that Amerie is not on my list. Nonetheless, he and all readers are fully encouraged to contribute their own lists of the The Top 10 Hottest Women In The Game.

Being as I'm left of center, some of these women may be unfamiliar to you. Still others may not even be attractive to you. But that's when you realize that you don't matter as much as me and my opinion. :-)

Now, without further ado, the list:

The Top 10 Hottest Women In The Game

10. Scary Spice

She's not so scary. And maybe Eddie Murphy has some heterosexual left in him after all. And yes, she made the list purely off this photo.

9. Julianne Moore

Yes, I picked a pasty white woman who's closing in on a half-century years old. You cot durn right I did. Seen Boogie Nights? Seen Children of Men? If you have and didn't find that pale, old, red-headed white woman sexy as you-know-what, ur gay.

8. Kerry Washington

The whole time I watched "I Think I Love My Wife," between the times I thanked God for downloading it and not paying to see it, I gawked at just how B-B-B-B-B-BAD Kerry Washington was. And "Last King of Scotland," where she was a sexy lil African. Oh and Ray, where she was a blind man's gorgeous lil girl-next-door wifey.

7. Jessica Alba

C'mon ppl. She's Jessica friggin Alba. It's so cliche, but cliche or not, she's the truth.

6. Santogold

Santowho? I know, you've never heard of her. Youtube + Myspace. Waste time. Expand your horizons. If you're in NYC, go to a show.

5. Paula Patton

Yes. I chose the least tasteful of all the possible pictures. But I feel as though this (and her love scene with Andre 3000 in Idlewild) provides the best explanation possible. Sue me.

4. Keri Hilson

Without her, there would be no list.

3. M.I.A.

Stab yourself in the eye with a pitchfork if you don't know her by now.

2. Lauren London

No brainer. Pun not intended.

1. Vashtie Kola

Yes, this pic makes her look as though I randomly facebook-stalked some chick, but she's actually big on the underground, a girl about town, with a very famous on-and-off-again boyfriend. Google. It won't be so anti-climactic of an ending for you.

The Top 10 Hottest Women In The Game. I'm sure I forgot a few noteworthy women. Mel B aka Scary Spice aka Eddie Murphy's baby mama is barely on the list, but I doubt that anyone else could get knocked off (Not even Julianne Moore). An honorable mention goes to Taral Hicks and the dark-skinned chick from Pharrell's "Frontin'" video. Were they still making waves, they'da been on the list.

Adieu.

How To Pimp The Music Industry

You gotta love it...

Projects to Penthouses

"We eating joe, you still saying no cobbs"
Common, Southside feat. Kanye West

Some of y'all may have mistaken it for yet another hip-hop euphamism from the oft over-ya-head Com, but Chicago's 80's babies understand why this line was so dope.

Once upon a time in Chicagoland's grammar schools (elementary for tha out-of-towners), proclaiming "no cobbs" was the only thing that stood between a lil nigga on free lunch from coming up on your fruit roll-up, capri sun, lunchable, squeeze-it, teddy grahams... I could keep going. YES, it was that serious. As a free lunch youth from time-to-time, I was one of the few overzealous students who preyed upon the unsuspecting wielder of Now-And-Laters (known in the hood as 'Niahlatas'). As ridiculous as this sounds, if we caught you slippin and called "cobbs" before you could drop a fittingly preventative "no cobbs", the unwritten law of the classroom meant you got taxed...

As random of a sidebar as this is... I'm getting somewhere with it, bear with me lol. Last night I connected with one of my guys from Wash U that now resides in the DMV. Now I havent really kicked it tough with this cat in minute, but in real nigga fashion, we picked up where we left off. Interestingly enough, he's on the corporate tip now and as it turns out, has some of the same specific aspirations I carry in terms of investments and financial education. Reflection upon our dialogue was empowering and inspirational enough to make blog two days in a row.

Bringing me back to the Common line...

As young black professionals, ranging from a variety of backgrounds and demographics, we share one consistency... someone (mother, father, auntie, tt, madea, somebody nigga!) busted their hump so we could dream with no limitations. Sadly enough, it is our audacious conservatism as a people (it aint yo fault... look up Souls of Black Folks for more insight) that keeps us so complacent with simply surpassing the next nigga or collecting degrees. We are so worried about protecting the little bit that we've accomplished that we're afraid to stray the beaten path and go for ours.

The college degree in Black America has become a symbol of status, another marker of inter-social hierarchy and is losing its dynamism. By all means, achieve and tack as many letters onto your name as you can, but instead of simpy relying upon that to promote your bachelor eligibility in a swanky nightspot; start an investment group with your bourgie-ass friends (I did), promote financial education amongst your peers and the misguided youth, start your own business, travel the world, but by all means... don't settle!

In the last few weeks, my cousin was gunned down in wanton gang violence. He was the typical black child raised by the unforgiving streets, for lack of responsible parenting. Despite the path he walked and numerous jail stints, I loved him as a brother and did everything in my power to protect him. Whereas most of my family had gotten to the point of simply trying to protect his physical, I wanted to preserve his mind. As an elementary school dropout and repeat offender, he believed that his ambition for normalcy was unrealistic because he didnt have the stats behind him that myself or our cousins carried. His death showed me ever more, the importance of claiming our destinies and pushing it to the limit.

Y'all can keep callin' "no cobbs", but I'm over here eating. The pursuit of my passions will not stop, simply out of fear for what another man thinks.

What Money Do...

You know usually I hate bloggers (lol), because I always feel like only 10% of them are intelligent (Souls of Black Folk 2007) but I can't help but sift the masses of ignorance in the comments from the bigger blogs (sohh.com, allhiphop, etc.). Recently, I came across one particular comment that caught my eye. Now I didnt care enough to go back and quote exactly or cite, but to paraphrase, someone asked...

Why after we just sat through a Super Tuesday showdown which produced 1.7 million record sales in a week for two millionaires, 'Ye and 50 are virtually tight-lipped about the weightier causes going down in the states (Jena), when less-mainstream artists are contributing their influence to said issues while they could be shamelessly self-promoting.

I'm not gonna get holier than thou' about it and initially it didnt phase me, but after seeing 50 all but dissapear from the rumor blogs and press junkets, and Kanye appear, solely to bitch about injustices against his ego... I felt some kind of way about it. By all means, your money is your money and your time is just that, yours. However, know that there is always a greater calling out there.

If the drama in Jena, or the hate crimes in West Virginia dont matter to you, then by all means, do you. I'll be the first to admit in true Kanye-fashion, I straight forgot and wore chocolate and tan on the 20th, but it is what it is. I just feel as though if they want to, these guys could have the ears, minds and hearts of 1.7 million people instantaneously if they felt the drive to rally support and social unrest behind these kids in Louisiana.

Now dont get me wrong, I'm not going to point fingers and single out the stars of Super Tuesday 2007... because hundreds of influential black artists fall in the same boat, but i'm a little sensitive because we as a country just gave 17 million dollars to Jean-Bernard Levy of Vivendi Universal (the beast that owns Def Jam/Roc-A-Fella AND Interscope/Aftermath/Shady/G-Unit) on the strength of two men's influence.

Recently super-producer, Timbaland provided a bit of insight into the concerns of hip-hop's nouveau-riche

Timbaland on "Super Tuesdays" & other niggas with money:

"To make it be some talk, I gotta go against my big brother. He's my big brother. [Who are] the two quarterbacks? Peyton Manning and Eli? When they have to go against each other, it's like, 'Do I really wanna go against my big brother?' Dre is my mentor. That would drive people to the stores. Like, 'Oh snap, Tim and Dre!' That would be big. I asked Jay-Z who he would go against. He said, 'The only person I would go against is my other homeboy: my friend Eminem.'"

...

"He [Jay-Z] wants me to do the next single," Tim said. "He just does it for fun. We talked about [his next album]. He says it's just a hobby, ain't nothing else to do. When a person tells you that, what you supposed to say? 'You crazy'? He said, 'I don't wait for nothing. I'm there. I'm doing it for the love of music.'"

Twista on the Jena 6 rallying efforts:

"I commend Mos for what he's doing. It's definitely time for more rappers to speak their minds, you know what I'm saying?" he said. "I'm going to be there to show my support. This is stuff that was always paid attention to in the early days of rap..."

I've recently downloaded Adrenaline Rush 2007, but I'm headed to Best Buy to get my copy on payday homie.

EXCLUSIVE!!! with a lil hate on the side...

I guess it has been getting a bit cool outside lately...

Peep the new single, Lupe Fiasco - Superstar (Feat. Matthew Santos)

By the way, I'm mad at u Grease. I bought my first pair of selvage last week (they too, were APC's) and I called you for comfort (no homo) over the smooth $170 I dropped for em. Needless to say, you didnt answer. I've had to take solace in the number of Chicagoans that greeted me with "you must've paid a grip for them joe" this weekend.

Back in the Booth w/ The Paxtons

I'll have the mastered product for u heads shortly!

Damn

It was worth the curse word. Go Alicia.

Let's Get Dirty

Jay-Z - Blue Magic (Dirty)

Jay-Z = Next Kanye. Commence the hype.

The trailer (really, a trailer?) for Jay's new single, Blue Magic. If you haven't heard the song yet, don't worry. Payola will take care of that for you. (You could also scroll down and download it). The beat at the beginning of this video is BANANAS. I hope Jay spit to this one. I'm not sure how this whole "concept album" thing is gonna go. "Blue Magic" isn't exactly Jay at his best. Really, it's not even Jay at half-tank. Especially if this is sposed to be reminiscent of a Rakim joint. I mean really, if I were Rakim, I wouldn't wanna be associated with this. And if you heard the "I Get Money" Remix with Jigga, Fiddy, and Diddy, then you should be worried. Jay sounds hella rusty. But maybe I'm just being too harsh.

Maybe not.

Abracadabra

Jay-Z - Blue Magic

The 3rd Coming

Hov is back. Yes, you read right. The Jiggaman is in the studio recording a new album, and he's already 9 songs deep. The first single should be leaked soon. When I get it, you'll get it.

Until then, peep the NY Times exclusive. (Since when did rappers announce their albums dropping in the New York Times?)


And to hold you further:

Kanye ft. Trick Daddy - I Can't Say No

Jay-Z - Allure/Flashing Lights Blend

Funny thing about this is that, not long after listening to "Flashing Lights" and falling in love with the track, I made a 2 song playlist entitled "Hypnotize Minds". The two songs on it? Kanye's "Flashing Lights" and Jay-Z's "Allure". Guess I'm not as avant garde as I thought.

And lastly, it's September 20. This week, my kids have been reading about the Jena 6 and so I wanted to remind everyone about today's importance in remembering how our country is still effed up. (In case any of you forgot that after earning your degree(s)).



I'll be posting the Real Talk with Bill Maher ft. Cornel West and Mos Def soon. Be on the lookout.

Burying the Hatchet

In lieu of Kanye's first week sales of 957K, many are considering 50's 691K a loss, citing it as the beginning of a downward trend...

I must say this, 691K is never a "loss" in pop music period! I will admit that the combination of waning interest, public displays of sensitivity, and a lukewarm album are the reason he didnt break 1.1M first week sales of The Massacre, however, his public tirades against 'Ye made that 957K possible. Dont get me wrong, 'Ye might be the Jesus Christ Superstar of post-millenial hip hop, but we all know that no amount of gimickry, street cred, or bds spins can beat old-fashioned anticipation; and thats just what Curtis did. His dramatic interviews and soundbytes make us care about these two releases. Sad part is, he hipped the world to the fact the 'Ye had an utterly awesome album under his belt and built the fever pitch against himself.

To all those who thought 50 would trump 'Ye, I ain't mad at ya.

To those who thought 50 would catch a complete brick, I bite my thumb at you.

Unless Interscope folds, Dre TRULY retires from his extended vacay, and Eminem starts writing books about fatherhood in the vein of "The Cos", 50 will NEVER BRICK. On Get Rich or Die Trying, 50 Cent convinced White America that he was the face of the streets, single-handedly brought fitness back to the hood despite a McDonalds on every corner, made everyone from Ivy Leaguers to D-Boys nationwide believe Many Men wished death on them, sold 2M in India alone, and garnered the seal of approval from the two biggest entities in Hip Hop left of Jay & Nelly. [In case you forgot, the thumbs up from Marshall and Andre made Obie Trice go gold twice, and D12 multiplatinum] And as much as y'all hate, The Massacre spawned Disco Inferno, Outta Control & Just A Lil Bit.

Now to speak to the relevance of 50's market. Suburban & rural White America comprises 70% of this nation. Is it any wonder that he does Hannah Montana numbers!?

Mr. West, on the other hand, might have finally developed the necessary controversy and drama to move in on that coveted market.

The beauty of Kanye's icon status is that he has championed the niche market. By niche I mean, select cultural demographics within America's population that are not large enough to individually propel an artist to Nelly numbers, but will keep him visibly relevant and banking on tour. Examples include The Roots, Common & Talib Kweli, children of the Post-Native Tongues/Late 90's underground scene. Kanye is the king of the college students (dropouts & post-bacc med students alike), the 30+ y/o golden-agers (who were us, ten years ago) that hate snap and loathe uber-violence, trend humpers & streetwear fashionists or former backpackers-turned-capitalists (myself) , skate/rap pre-teens, the black bourgeouis (talented 10th), and select hoods around the states. Whereas this collaborative market has kept Com' with grammy noms and solid sub-platinum numbers; Kanye has been able to combine this group with media-freak status and Time/Rolling Stones critical acclaim to bat 2-3M every time.

50 has no real footing on this turf, but when you're number #1 in the 'burbs and middle America, you cant go wrong. This distinction is the difference between 50's combined first week numbers of 1.9M for Get Rich and Massacre and Ye's combined 1.3M for Dropout and Registration resulting in US sales of 15M for 50 and 5M for Kanye.

Realistically, Kanye is to be commended for striking multi-platinum in a realm where his peers (Mos Def & Common) have made their money of tours and endorsements, not units; but 50 Cent is a beast. Kanye may put the greatest effort into his product, but 50 does the best job of product placement. And to really keep it funky, this 1st week may honestly not reflect the final numbers once the dust settles.

I'm putting all my chips on the Good Life single tho... if that dont draw like In Da Club, I might just be deaf, dumb and blind. If 'Ye dont start doing High School Musical numbers this is what we might be left with...

"I don't believe Cam'ron, I don't believe Jim Jones, I don't believe Lil Wayne, I don't believe Baby, I don't believe Game and I don't believe Fat Joe. My best friend sells the most records and makes the most money ... I've seen checks for $5.5 million that 50 is generating monthly just from Vitamin Water," he stated. I could call 50 right now and borrow $5 million dollars. It's not a problem.

This new album, I'm calling it 'I'm 50 Cent's Tax Write-Off.' I really don't care if it sells or generates any money towards Interscope, because Interscope only cares about three people: Eminem, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. I'm not going to sit here and grow gray hairs over it. I'm gonna give you the best music possible because 50 is going to make sure I'm all right. I can do five shows with 50 and make over $100,000 being his hypeman. So me going on tour with 50, I can generate millions of dollars that a artist would make doing shows off their own album."
-Tony Yayo

"Yeah they hyped out, but the b----s be lovin it"

"I'm feeling myself like I lost my keys"

mark ronson + amy winehouse + wale = eargasm

Wale - "Nike Boots"

P.S. Burmese food is the ish. just can't find em on the map.

Umm... wtf?

youtube. did the world even exist before it?

Kanye gets his John Tesh on

I'll be happy when i'm not posting kanye stuff anymore, but dangit, ole boy keeps making it too easy. Kudos to whoever his publicist is. Knowing 'Ye, its prolly him.

Good Things Come in Small Keri Hilsons... or sumthing

I feel for Rich Boy, I really do. Polow taking his shirt off was the worst thing that could have happened to Rich's career, no homo. But seriously though... legitimate Keri Hilson camera time!!!

Can I Talk My S*** Again!?

Now being the 'Ye advocate that I am... I normally wouldnt bring these issues to light, however being that VMA Nom'd Justice didn't get their due props for best video, I gotta keep it funky. How's the Louie Vuitton Don going to bitch and moan about 'Stronger' (a truly dope video... if you've seen Akira and fantasize about Harajuku Cassie, otherwise... ehh) getting snubbed against Justice's "D.A.N.C.E.", but he clearly liked it enough to draw inspiration for "Good Life". What's next? Body paint and sparks flying in the video for "Big Brother", with a complimentary Jay feature... iunno bout it. Either way Good Life is a dope video, the video ho is doper, and Graduation is human crack in the flesh!

Lauren London's got some comp

This may very well be premature, but either this youngin has a great stylist, or she's just bad. Oh yeah, nice video too. Very Parra-esque.

And hopefully MTV Jam of the Week is enough of a consolation for Yeezy.

Kanye West and Lil Wayne

"I'm a grown man, but I wear pampers"

This never gets old. Weezy kills 'Ye in this one. Maybe this dude shoulda wrote Weezy's verse for "Barry Bonds"

Back again for the first time

This is it people. It's Sunday night. I'm on my way to bed. When I wake up tomorrow, I'll be a teacher again, in a new classroom with 30 new faces in front of me and 180 days to fill and fall in love all over again (no Jacko). I'm nervous. My stomach won't stop churning. The truth is that I'm much more prepared for this first day of school than I was last year. I know it, but I don't feel it. Not yet. Maybe it'll all come back to me once I see them, but I doubt that. It's more likely to come back when I see my former students than these unidentified beings on my class list. Nonetheless, the future is here. My mornings, afternoons and evenings will now be spent almost entirely in Southwest Philadelphia. All the stuff I said I wanted to do, I gotta do now. Time to show and prove.

Epictetus said "Only the educated are free." I'm ready to liberate. Let's not call it the first day of school. It's more like Juneteenth.

walk with me. (round 2)

The kids need you Mr. Garr...

"Plies is an interesting name for a rapper, how did you get that nickname?"

"Plies is a tool, You can use it to put the squeeze on things, like I'm doing to these niggas in the rap game. I got the squeeze on them real tight, they feeling the pressure, or you can use it to pull things out. I pull out all the bullshit and keep the real you feel me? It also a word you can use in terms of things goin' on in yo life, ya dig. You may hear something I say and say that it plies to me. Plies straight to me."

"I've heard of a tool called a Pliers and the term applies."

"You know what I'm trying to say my nigga, just buy my album, I'm from the South my nigga, we don't learn no grammar. My Album out August 7, 2007, cop three copies each, it's Christmas in July fo' real, ya dig?

-Plies Interview @ Ozone Awards

Nuff said... save the music y'all.

Let man's soul be a sphere

So I decided to buy a book the other day. The decision was a long way in the making, seeing as I had at some point over the Summer realized that reading was, indeed, fundamental. Checking out books from the library was cool, only thing is it gets frustrating cuz you can't (/not supposed to) write in a library book. So I came to the conclusion that I would actually have to take sneaker money and put it towards something more erudite.

Seeing as this is my first true foray into leisure reading for a very long time, I figured I should ease myself into the practice. A book of poems would be best, by someone I could count on for quality writing. The result: Riding Westward by Wash U prof Carl Phillips.

I won't say much about what I've read so far other than it's vicious. And intense. Yeah, that's it. No reviews here. I haven't even finished reading the thing. But can I shout out the cover art on this one? Is that alone not reason enough to buy the book? Well, if that isn't enough for you vultures, I guess I'll give y'all an excerpt.

P.S. I will pay 1,000 Zambian Kwacha to whoever knows where Phillips got the title for his book. (Without using the internet) I'll even pay it in US dollars.

STL Stand Up

Jenny Owen Youngs - Hot in Herre

This is a white girl from New Jersey covering Nelly's hit. I'm still not sure how I always seem to find stuff like this.

Trickle Down Nigganomics

I'm setting up my classroom. That means one thing: Summer's over. Not officially, we have 20-something days till it's officially Fall. But Labor Day is this Monday, and like I said, I'm setting up my classroom. That basically means fun in the sun is done. So, since I'm bored and waiting for my couch and coffee table (upgrades abound, son), I'ma put some of y'all onto some ish.

Dunks are dead. This is very old news to the true sneakerhead, (as is the fact that--like hip hop--a good Dunk never dies), but to the masses, Nike Dunks are still the ish. People come to me a lot and ask me about Dunks as though they're discovering something. I try my best to help them without shattering their dreams, but Nike pretty much exhausted the creative possibilities of the Dunk model a few years ago. [stunting] I've only bought one pair of Dunks in the last 2 years and I've worn em less than 5 times [/stunting]. I say this not for the stuntastic arrogance of it, but more so to let you know that the golden days are long gone. Even more so for the Dunk SB game. So stop buying dunks to stunt. You're failing. You look like everybody else.

For the newbie sneakerhead, some words of wisdom: buy what you like. That may mean you buy those composition notebook dunks cuz you like them. Whatever, to each their own. An arrogant old head such as myself will look down on u, but hey, who listens to Al Sharpton these days anyway? Secondly, do your research. Don't get had by fakes. College provided me with hour upon hour of unstructured time with which I was fortunate enough to procrastinate with a purpose. The result: I know too much about sneakers and not enough about English Lit. I can spot a fake in the dark from across the street, but can't remember most books I've read. (Think about how many books I actually read.) Lastly, know that the sneaker game is not what it used to be. There is no reason to let capitalism force you to pay 2 times the retail price of a pair of kicks unless they were only released in some random place like Turkmenistan in a limited run of 274 pairs. Otherwise, chill. If ebayreseller24 wants $200 for a shoe he paid $65 for, come up with a creative expletive and tell it to him. It's not that serious.

There are exceptions though. I mean, you can't put a pricetag on love and if the shoe is one of ur grails, then honestly, it's fair game. That's how I got my OG Flightposites. But that's when u gotta make sure u do ur research. You may really crave some strawberry jam (hmm), but that doesn't mean you're gonna pay $12 for a 8-oz jar. Just means u might get it at Whole Foods (pause) and not at Wal-mart. Ya dig?

So yeah, Dunks are Dead, but if you still like what they're making, by all means, cop till you drop. But if u wanna be stuntastic, stop. Especially if ur only buying SB Dunks cuz of the "SB". Those ppl are losers. Don't be a loser.

Really, I say give up on the sneaker game altogether, unless ur buying OG (original) joints from back in the day. Buy yourself some jeans. Nice ones. And by "nice" I mean "These ain't Diesel, nigga, these is Evisu" type nice. And don't be a jerk and get a whole bunch of ridiculousness on the backpocket to announce what you're wearing. Do you really want everyone staring at ur butt cheeks?

Here. I'll name drop; you google:

LVC
Sugar Cane
APC
PRPS
Samurai

This is by no means exhaustive and it's actually not as ballerific of a list as I guess I could make, but they make good stuff. And while ur at it, look up "selvage" so you can be a snob. (I'm being more genuine than sarcastic here). To conclude the ostentation (sidebar: pretensions of any sort annoy me, including this post), I just picked up a pair of APC's today. I have a pair of Canes and the LVC's were my first pair of raw selvage denim. They're fading nicely. If I win the lotto, I'll buy myself a pair of PRPS, but I since I don't play the lottery, I guess I'll have to steal them when I need street cred to get my rap career off the ground.

Oh look, the couch is here.

Haters hate

I got 'em. Do you?

And no, I won't be posting links for it. Sucks for you, huh? Ha. What can I say, I'm getting back into teacher mode.

Call Me... "Mr. Bootlegger"

"Nothing made sense anymore. Nothing at all...."

2 Weeks Left. P.S. "50's" brief soliloquy is classic.

You be the judge...

Kanye West ft. John Legend - "Home"

vs.

Kanye West ft. Chris Martin (of Coldplay) - "Homecoming"

"Home" is over 4 years old. "Homecoming" is on Kanye's upcoming album. Let's just say that if I thought the latter was better than the former, I wouldn'ta made this post, but judge for urselves.

Kenny Chesney - Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates in stores September 11.

And in case u haven't noticed, I like hyperlinks.

I want a space suit

Common ft. Lily Allen "Drivin' Me Wild." Features my current favorite woman, Lauren London, and every man's everyman, Jeremy Piven.

3 cheers for cocopuffs. 4 cheers for decent rap videos.

R.I.P. Ringtone Rap

Told you so.

Let's hope he isn't killed by the growing hype.

*Edit* MTV won't let me post the video here (what's the point of having an embed code then?!) so click the link they have and u can watch it on their website.

*Edit #2* Why be selfish?