... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Classic: Ready or Not
While their Roberta Flack cover of “Killing Me Softly With His Song” deserving got the majority of the attention on The Score, there was another song that blew me away more towards the beginning of the album.
The Fugees are beyond legendary. I don’t think anyone really knows what’s going on with Pras at any given rhyme, but Wyclef and Lauryn are pivotal figures in cultural music. Period. Their rhythms are strictly and singularly theirs. Clef brings Haiti with him in every syllable while Ms. Hill carries all women and real people on her back. Needless to say, I got both of Lauryn’s undeniably classic solo efforts as well as all six of Wyclef’s solo albums.
"Ready or Not" is as catchy a song as you're ever going to hear. And not just because it features that same exact sample as that one Mario Winans song that you actually know all the words to. This is the vocal performance that made me fall in love with Lauryn Hill for all of eternity. And yet she still comes harder on her verse than your favorite thug rapper? Dang. I also included the Bootleg Versions remix of the track for kicks. And the aforementioned absolutely murder the remix as well. You don't even know.
... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.
Monday, March 23, 2009
That Does Make You Crazy
You were either enraptured by “Crazy” or you were annoyed at its come-out-of-nowhereness to prime super songdom. Gnarls Barkley has an immensely special place in my heart. First off, their music is doper than your favorite artists music, so I wanted to settle that right off the bat. But it’s just the back-story of it all.
You have to be a pre-Gnarls Cee-Lo fan to understand. Since ’94, dude has been one of the most doubly talented artists of any and all generations. That tiny little eight ball shaped man has more soul power in him than an army of … soulful things. Yet he can still out-rap any rhyme spitter from any region you pick out. With Goodie Mob, he was the vocal forefront of one of the most distinguishable rap cliques out preaching real life in the midst of the world’s fakeness. As a solo artist, he was the most daring singer emerging from a musical bouquet of every imaginable genre and facet of lyricism there was. As a featured chorus singer, he was adding elements to peoples’ albums pre-Akon and pre-T-Pain, still remaining true to himself while making bank. He had all the critical recognition anyone could imagine. But the masses didn’t really know him like they should.
Then Danger Mouse’s production came along. And suddenly with a little intense drum intro and some psychotic-questioning vocals, everyone knew him. “I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind. There was something so pleasant about that place. Even your emotions have an echo in so much space.” Just really deep stuff. Whether you acknowledge it or not, a rapper having to condense his normally long-winded rhymes into smaller singing segments can create some crazy intricate stuff.
Through all his struggles to gain mainstream acceptance through bringing straight knowledge to the world, it was a single pop-influenced effort that got him there. While “Crazy” sounded like nothing else out there, it didn’t really sound like Cee-Lo, either. But the fact that it wasn’t like anything else made it like Cee-Lo. But for whatever reason, “Cee-Lo” wasn’t the outlet to steal the public’s attention. The ingenious promotion of the “no-one-really-knows-what-or-who-Gnarls-Barkley-is” thing stole it. And the “Crazy” song.
So while heads whine about Cee-Lo seemingly laying down his mic ferocity, even going so far as accusing him of not being able to rap anymore, I just appreciate the two hundred and four tracks in the Soul Machine playlist on my iPod. Goodie, Cee-Lo, Gnarls, or a feature, the man’s more talented than whomever you think is talented and has been. And will continue to be. No matter what stylistics persona gives the next musical offering. And “Crazy” is a dope song anyway. Forget you if you don't like it.
You have to be a pre-Gnarls Cee-Lo fan to understand. Since ’94, dude has been one of the most doubly talented artists of any and all generations. That tiny little eight ball shaped man has more soul power in him than an army of … soulful things. Yet he can still out-rap any rhyme spitter from any region you pick out. With Goodie Mob, he was the vocal forefront of one of the most distinguishable rap cliques out preaching real life in the midst of the world’s fakeness. As a solo artist, he was the most daring singer emerging from a musical bouquet of every imaginable genre and facet of lyricism there was. As a featured chorus singer, he was adding elements to peoples’ albums pre-Akon and pre-T-Pain, still remaining true to himself while making bank. He had all the critical recognition anyone could imagine. But the masses didn’t really know him like they should.
Then Danger Mouse’s production came along. And suddenly with a little intense drum intro and some psychotic-questioning vocals, everyone knew him. “I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind. There was something so pleasant about that place. Even your emotions have an echo in so much space.” Just really deep stuff. Whether you acknowledge it or not, a rapper having to condense his normally long-winded rhymes into smaller singing segments can create some crazy intricate stuff.
Through all his struggles to gain mainstream acceptance through bringing straight knowledge to the world, it was a single pop-influenced effort that got him there. While “Crazy” sounded like nothing else out there, it didn’t really sound like Cee-Lo, either. But the fact that it wasn’t like anything else made it like Cee-Lo. But for whatever reason, “Cee-Lo” wasn’t the outlet to steal the public’s attention. The ingenious promotion of the “no-one-really-knows-what-or-who-Gnarls-Barkley-is” thing stole it. And the “Crazy” song.
So while heads whine about Cee-Lo seemingly laying down his mic ferocity, even going so far as accusing him of not being able to rap anymore, I just appreciate the two hundred and four tracks in the Soul Machine playlist on my iPod. Goodie, Cee-Lo, Gnarls, or a feature, the man’s more talented than whomever you think is talented and has been. And will continue to be. No matter what stylistics persona gives the next musical offering. And “Crazy” is a dope song anyway. Forget you if you don't like it.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Pause
Just got back to school from spring break. I'll get my game up this week.
Oh, and the entire album's done. I Get That a Lot. And coming soon for free on a BlogSpot near you: No Really, I'm a Rapper EP. I'mma get this music thing going whether you think it or not.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Classic: Still Alive
Dope beats and dope rhymes don't have to be mutually exclusive. I mean, a lot of times they are since the nicest of wordsmiths sometimes have dead ears for production. But sometimes, just sometimes, there exists a song that you can proudly crack the windows for and ride with (if the bass doesn't crack the windows first) while still keeping your brain cells from dieing.
I think the only thing that's limited AZ in his career is that his very first verse ever was perfection. How could any rapper ever be expected to top that? So while AZ doesn't make it on anybody's all-time list and has yet to deliver that single classic album as a whole, any given song of his could feature a verse better than nearly anything you've heard before. It's just the concept of the song after that one that leaves you shaking your head a little. But I'd love to see AZ's rhyme book for myself. He's up there in a class with Eminem in the way he can string together effortless assonance along with his rhyme schemes. The resulting sound of any given line is just sick. Simply sick.
"... if you in the car, pull over, put your hazards on and let the windows down ..."
You better do what he says. This beat could cause you to set off your own air bag.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Classic: No Alibi
So far I've enjoyed the Jimmy Fallon show pretty well. You can tell he's nervous as crap most of the time, but he'll figure out what to do to keep the awkward talk show moments to a minimum sooner or later. But indelibly, The Roots simply kill it. Like brutally.
So in honor of the legendary Roots crew, I'll post their classic "No Alibi". Off Illadelph Halflife, it just showcases Black Thought's effortless flow over any sound ever.
"So if you seen or you heard it, maybe probably I did it. Maybe or maybe not, I admit what I committed. Exhibit the truth because I'm livin proof why, I have no disguise. Ain't no alibi."
They're honestly hip hop's only legitimate band, and even if another one came out, I highly doubt they could compete. While a solo album is supposed to be in the works for Tariq, he's one of the only real emcees who ever stayed straight loyal to be part of a collective and not capitalize strictly on himself. And he definitely could have done that at anytime. Think Joe Johnson/Shawn Marion all being perfectly content in their systems instead of whining to be solo stars. Kinda.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
If You Catch Me Dreaming ...
Anthony Hamilton has always been the master of heavy-hearted tracks that really connect. His voice is perfectly suited for the soft power needed to emotionally hit the soul. Whenever I'm straight down on anything in my life, I tend to pull his name up on the iTunes. May sound corny, but I swear I do. I just really like this song.
This letter to the only One who knows what's actually going on absolutely moves me like something else. I could listen to the piano on this track looped forever. It's that nice. Then there's just perfectly placed accentuations with rain-like injections, off-branching melodies, tambourine jingles, and drum pattern changes. And then the choir comes in? Man!
I really need that song after pulling a 60 on my second Chem II test. I mean, like, that combined with UK losing to GEORGIA yesterday ... please hide all medication from me for a little while. I ain't quite on a roll as of late. But Mr. Hamilton serves as a pleasant whisper in the moment that I want to scream at the top of my lungs.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
#8: Say No ...
Um ... I stole this girl off of Brian's Thoughts About Airplanes.
If you're not already effected, visit this lil' site right here. Completely clean and safe, I promise. Woooooooo. That's all.
... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Expectations
This pretty much goes hand-in-hand with the previous Kanye post, but I've been thinking recently about what people expect from the rappers they listen to. I think that's mainly where hip hop gets its bad rap. Hmmm ...
Why would I listen to Young Jeezy unless I was in the mood to hear nursery rhyme paraphrasing from a self-proclaimed non-rapper? Why would I listen to 50 Cent unless I want to hear him going at another hip hop figure with more talent than him, threatening to murder his siblings, household pets, and the family doctor's entire patient list? I mean, the easy counter to that point is the fact that thugged-out mother goose rap is forced down our throats as the majority representation on any urban or pop radio station. Even worse on your frequent offender TV music video channels.
But that's pretty much a moot point in that radio-intended music moves the most numbers, in turn receiving the most promotion, and furthering the watered down intentions of many musicians to cease creativity and fit in a radio-friendly brand. But for the most part, I've solved that issue in my life. It's two things mainly:
1) equipping your internet's "favorites" bar
2) having a transportable car setup for your iPod
I should write a self-help book. Goodness. I see all these rapper interviews all over the place and the most retarded question ever (and one that is always asked) is what they think about the state of hip hop. Everyone asks questions they already know. Do you really need Obama to tell you during the Stat of the Union that the economy is on par with a Lil' Wayne toilet metaphor? Radio sucks and the underground scene is whiny. What other insight do you think they have that everyone else hasn't already said? But even with all of that, there's still about a hundred dead nice emcees, vets and newcomers alike, who consistently make dope music. It's that simple.
Who are you listening to? What blogs are you hitting up? Do you leave comments in support of quality artists? Do you big up rappers on their MySpace pages? You ever try to contact an indie-type artist you actually enjoy? Too many people straight complain on end like their cries for revolt will change the music industry. But it won't. Any machine driven strictly by money will remain corrupted. But individual souls aren't corrupted.
I control the playlist on my headphones. I cop the albums I think are worth my money. I bothered brandUn DeShay and Praverb enough until they musically hooked up with me. That's what I can control.
If Lil' Boosie comes on, I expect a chalk board-pitched spelling marathon. If Lil' Wayne comes on, I expect a dope line or two sprinkled in with ish jokes and autotuned moaning while people sweat it regardless. But I'll tell you what I don't expect. I don't expect to bump Gucci Mane or Jim Jones or Birdman or a multitude of others and actually feel a passion for quality, fulfilling music through their sounds.
So lastly, I ask you ... what did you ever expect from anyone?
Who Can't Rap?
It's always been an issue. Ever since "H to the Izzo" when his raps first popped up on the scene, everyone's had an extreme opinion on whether or not Kanye West can rap. Like ... at all.
I've always been one to say his lyrics are under-appreciated while the majority of heads will say he's the most overrated rhyme dropper since MC Hammer. I won't even participate in someone questioning his producing ability, but his spit game has always been under a harsh microscope. It's beyond a love/hate thing. It's a genius/scum-of-the-earth thing. No need to remind anyone, but the debate got even more heated once the 808's project rolled around.
One thing I gotta say is that they can funnel all of their suppressed anger towards his usage of the accursed autotune, but I'll focus more on the bars he's dropped on other artists' records whether they noticed or not.
N*E*R*D - Everyone Nose (Remix feat. Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, & Pusha T) "In the club always the flyest, always got her hands the highest. She stopped drinkin Diet Coke, she on that coke diet. "
Madonna - Beat Goes On (feat. Kanye West) "Is it impromptu I want you? Now I'm goin to tell you what I want to do to you. Your girlfriend, she wants to? Beautiful. Just flew in from Paris. Voluez Vous."
Lil' Wayne - Lollipop (Remix feat. Kanye West) "Don't worry why my wrist got so freeze, tell yo girl like Doritos that's not yo cheese."
88-Keys - Stay Up! (Viagra feat. Kanye West) "Make a old aggin give keys to Jaguar, just to keep from all the teasin laughter."
Young Jeezy - Put On (feat. Kanye West) "I feel like this but aggins don't know the stress, lost the only girl in the world that know me best. I got the money and the fame and that don't mean ish. I got the Jesus on the chain and that don't mean ish. So when the Jesus pieces can't bring me peace, yo I need just at least, uh, one of Russell's nieces."
DJ Khaled - Go Hard (feat. Kanye West & T-Pain) "I flow sick. Aggin, how sick? Sea sick. Got your hand out? Don't look at me, snitch. You lookin at who made me rich. You lookin at who made me rich."
T.I. - Swagga Like Us (feat. Kanye West, Jay-Z, & Lil' Wayne) "My swagger is Mick Jagger. Everytime I breathe on the track I asthma attack it. Why he so mad for? Why he gotta have it? Cuz I slaved my whole life, now I'm the master."
T-Pain - Therapy (feat. Kanye West) "You know how all that gossip is. Next mornin, Bossip, Perez. And me, girl, I take out. Media Takeout, I need a break now before I break now."
John Legend - It's Over (feat. Kanye West) "News flash: shorty we over. We like Def Jam and Hova. We like Bobby and Whitney, except without the kiddies. We like Pamela Anderson's career, except without the titties."
Estelle - American Boy (feat. Kanye West) "Dress smart like a London bloke, before he speak his suit be spoke. And you thought he was cute before? Take a look look at this peacoat, tell me he's broke."
Malik Yusef - Promised Land (feat. Kanye West & Adam Levine) "They say we needin a prophet that could touch on the topics and make it hotter than the tropics. Well you got it."
Really Doe - Plastic (feat. Kanye West) "I see you shinin, shinin like a mirror ball. Why when we're abroad we don't never hear of y'all? You local, retard. I'm the king of the world, so the king of your city by default."
GLC - Big Screens (feat. Kanye West) "I have more beats than I have rhymes. How they say you got more girls than you got time to spend with em? So I throw em all on a team. Only problem is it seem they all wanna ring."
Jamie Foxx - Digital Girl (feat. Kanye West & The-Dream) "When you send a picture, cut off the face and cover up the tattoo by the waste. Let the emcee search till I reach third base. And when I get home I'mma hit home plate."
N.A.S.A. - Gifted (feat. Kanye West, Santigold, & Lykke Li) "And I just want my credit. Don't get it, twist it or dread it. I am the king and will not be headed to the morgue no time soon, brethren."
The-Dream - Walking on the Moon (feat. Kanye West) "Where you come from on this lonely night? I swear God must have made lightning strike and I bottled it up. You hit the red carpet and modeled it up. We hopped in the 'Rari and throttled it up."
T-Pain - Flight School (feat. Kanye West) "With all the cars, the clothes, the lights, the boats, I guess I was just tryin to sow my raw oats in the penthouse position with penthouse snitches. See I pimped my crib so I must exhibit."
Keri Hilson - Knock You Down (feat. Ne-Yo & Kanye West) "Wo is me. Baby this is tragic, cuz we had it. We was magic. I was flying, now I'm crashin. This is bad, real bad: Michael Jackson. Now I'm mad, real mad: Joe Jackson. You should leave your boyfriend right now, I'mma ask him."
I mean, I still like his singing anyway, but if it takes this list for you to realize that one of the most polarizing musicians of our generation this side of Lil' Wayne's syrup cup at least can really rap some of the time, then I don't know what to tell ya. I'm not saying that the Ye is Pharoahe Monch or anything, but he's got them words working a lil' bit. Just admit it. Just a lil' bit. And even if you don't like the words themselves, he's still got mic presence. Until he rhymes exclusively about his Louis Vuitton luggage and doesn't hit us with any real tracks, then I still got faith in dude. Even though I kinda expect a corny Louis V commercial jingle at some point from him. My only wish is that he'd hang out with Talib Kweli a lil' more like old times. Ha.
Edit: And I'm NOT posting the tracks cuz that would get this post murdered in a millisecond.
Exxx-Girlfriends
Straight dirty, so don't download if you have sensitive ears, but I just really like this song.
This beat is something I'd kill to have. The gentle acoustics come off so hauntingly awesome. Joey dominates the chorus, though. Not sure if I could one up that. I really like the 9 or so songs I've heard from Padded Room, but it, as all albums (I digress), has gotten terrible reviews by heads as a 6 year late sophomore effort. But it got great reviews by mainstream mediums that only hit audiences who wouldn't buy a Budden album anyways. I'm definitely gonna cop it at some point, though, when we cross paths.
What could never get a negative nod is if a Slaughterhouse record actually pops up at some point. That would be a straight miracle.
Lumberjacks
The lost child of the Dungeon Family collective to me is the Livin' Life as Lumberjacks album. Not sure if it was just my copy, but the album had one of those queer copyright imbed codes on it to where you couldn't even play the CD on anything that wasn't strictly a CD player. That meant no copying to your iPod or even registering on a computer at all. Needless to say, the Khujo & T-Mo half of Goodie Mob effort wasn't the most successful from the DF.
But it still has some definite gems on it. Unfortunately at its release, Cee-Lo was completely out of the picture, OutKast was on hiatus, and Big Rube was poetically missing. Witchdoctor and Gipp lent some assistance, but the Lumberjacks themselves carried the bulk of the album. And that means aggressive choruses over some straight Dirty South production and lots of history and fightin' words. You'll definitely come out with some knowledge. My favorite incarnation was the more laid-back "Superfriends", a 3-piece Goodie joint with a really nice vibe. The rest of the album's still got quality, but this lane-changer really stood out to me in that ... I just really like this song.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Classic: The Craft
If you know where your radio rappers come from, then you've prolly got Oakland pinned down. If it ain't E-40 or Too $hort making up words or reusing a certain 5 letter word, then it ain't the Bay Area.
... sorry, I just slapped myself. If the SoleSides collective isn't in your music library, then you're definitely missing out on a highly distinctive and brilliant encapsulation of what Oakland music can be on the other side of the radio. [Shouts to Hiero, too. I'm not forgetting them.]
While I have to admit that Lyrics Born may be in my top 10 of all-time if you remind me, Gift of Gab is one of the most poetically inclined emcees ever and represents the other-side-of-the-tracks kind of music that SoleSides can offer. With DJ Xcel weaving enthralling journeys of sound through decades of genres, Gab is trailing with such lyrical verbosity that you can't help but be dazed at times. Every type of poetic device you learned in high school, Gab has mastered it and intriguingly reminds on a bar-by-bar basis that you can actually say something all while impressing hip hop heads and having fun at the same time.
I made a quick skimming of these internets we got going and found that the album from which "The Craft" came from, um ... The Craft, got reviewed rather poorly by a lot of sites. This irks me to no end. Allow me to scootch over this soap box real quick. I absolutely hate about 98% of all music reviewers, regardless of genre. The majority of them are mired in that egregiously bitter TA (teaching assistant) kind of mind state. They're usually not in the position they wanna be, so instead of focusing on what good they can do in the position they're doled out, they are firmly entrenched in negativity just looking at any hint of imperfection as their way to exert dominance over their underling subject being "reviewed". Or maybe that's just my Physics Lab TA Gururaj who is the devil incarnate. Hmm ... naw, it's music reviewers, too.
Instead of appreciating music, they dissect it beyond the souls that created it. They complain of subject matter, lyrics, sounds, and structure all while discrediting attempts to push those boundaries in a positive manner. Ignorance is called out as such yet intelligence is labeled as "trying too hard" or "out of touch". Conformity is called out as such yet originality in breaking genre molds is labeled "too alternative" or "a failed musical experiment".
Informing me that all attempts at genuine, talented, good-intentioned music making will never live up to the standard of your favorite Atmosphere or Ghostface album is not productive in any way, shape, or form to anyone's life. That's one of the reasons no one buys albums anymore, cuz depending on which website you pulled up, "Welcome to Heartbreak" was either "one of the few genuine mirror-inspecting songs by a rockstar ever" or "a corny try at seeming to regret fame and connect with the audience". If somebody hates somebody else's favorite song off an album, others tend to lean towards the hate and label the positive reviewer a Stan. So then the blanket statement of any given album being "trash" is started.
Person A: "Hey, I was thinkin' bout pickin' up that new Kanye. For real, I don't mind that 'Love Lockdown' that much."
Person B: "Naw, that album's trash. Kanye can't sing. I won't even listen to it cuz I read he's straight emo the whole thing."
Person A: "Dang, I don't wanna hear no slit-my-wrist music. Forget that."
So what could possibly be your favorite album of the year if you went into it with an open mind has now been labeled and crossed off your mental check list. You ignorantly skipped out on an opus because you heard that somebody read something about it sucked. I'm all for criticism and honest opinion, but I am definitely NOT for getting back a 56% lab report just because my TA hates his life and thinks everyone else should be just as miserable as him. What am I talking about again?
"This craft, this beat, this rhyme, this vibe, this style.
They say music gives new life from a source inside that is forever flowin.
This stage, this mic, this crowd, this show, this life.
I've been given a gift tonight and for that, I vow to be a vessel."
So when I read that Blackalicious suffers from seeming "like a prick" for "taking a stagnating art like it's an important meeting with higher ups more than an indelible passion", I get thoroughly pissed. What Gab did was choose a subject matter and write the hell out of it, way more articulately than any CokeMachineGlow mentally incapacitated reviewer could exude his suppressed indelibility towards garbage in any given album review. Whatever. That's an impossible battle to take on. Cuz then I'd get called out by Pitchfork on some other type ish defending their write to say all music besides Wolf Parade or Of Montreal suck. And now's the time when I formally send out my apology to The Lonely Island. Sorry, guys!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
My Oscars Wrap-Up
I ended up watching every second of the whole show ... just to see if the camera panned to her again. That's all I really remember.
Classic: Biochemical Equation
To appreciate the legendary RZA as a rapper, you have to come to grips with his off-beat rhyming. And not off beat like in ... different. Off beat like in ... he fricking doesn't rap on beat. But there's an art to it, I swear!
I am pro-[Doom+Wu] in all situations. While Metal Face could never be legitimately compared to any rapper in history, he's mentally somewhere is a realm that possibly you could see the Wu-Tang's galaxy from if you looked really hard for it through a ridonkulous zoom telescope. Probably. Maybe. Whether he's producing for the whole Clan or allegedly prepping a duo album with Ghostface, it's definitely material to look for.
Who knows how the Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture album came about, but I'm glad it did. This beat is so far beyond amazing that I want it to be my life's theme music. Like from this very millisecond onward.
"I'm/ not/ givin/ mine/ a/way to Satan,
Al/though/ I/ know/ that/ he's awaitin."
Music You Need in Your Life
Absolutely bonkers. If you heeded my advice and copped the first one, then you already know the dopeness that lies beyond a couple mouse clicks above. If not, I beg of you to learn. brandUn DeShay is a monster.
And if you need a more personal connection to the album, everyone's favorite Steven Gilpin just maybe might be ripping the guitar something else on "Dream Chasers". It's quite possible. But you'll never know for sure unless you check it. And truuuuuust me. It's worth your time.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
#7: Millionaire of Not ...
Woo. I'll prolly never see Slum Dog, but she's already my favorite.
... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Overdrive
Not quite another mixtape from the most musically saturated rapper out there, but definitely a zip file from his personal collection of some of his redonkulous production. I'm drawn to start a Charles Hamilton instrumental project incredibly bad. I gotta finish my for real album first. But I can't tell you how crazy the vibes on these tracks are. Man.
Stimulus Package
Flagrantly jacked this one from Metal Lungies. Not worth a music post detailing it, but hilarious nonetheless. And really, why did Barack Obama turn off the power in my dorm tonight? I wish you woulda stimulated my electricity. Hmm ...
Footsteps in the Dark
I really, really, really like this one. Whether sampled directly or interpolated more modernly.
Isley Brothers - Footsteps in the Dark
[Sample Bonus]
"Are we really sure,
That a love that's lasted for so long can still endure?
Do I really care?
Let's talk about the distractions going on elsewhere."
This is lyrically interpolated on old Hamilton-hater's mostly-classic Blue Collar album with sometimes popular/sometimes nonexistent R&B singer Mario. Hilarious song pointing the finger back at women just because. Something I'm always a fan of. Equal guilt and shame for everyone. But in a simple coinkadink before they were non-beefing, CH released a standalone track over his blog featuring a sample of the original song. They're both worth my time. You may recognize it more from Ice Cube's classic, but that doesn't count. I'll include it anyway, though.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
It's a Big Blue Watery Road
They have their moments. Saturday Night Live was rebirthed out of irrelevancy due to this past election coverage, but they're having a hilarity hangover with their recent musical shorts.
They amused me. So riddle me intrigued when I found out they were actually coming with a whole album. Incredibad. So I got it. And ... I mean ... it's alright.
If you enjoy the shorts then you'll most likely enjoy the entire album. All I'mma say is they're no Flight of the Concords. They're no Bo Burham. They're no Weird Al. But nobody is. Where it has its moments is in the amazing features they somehow pulled. Jack Black left Tenacious D at home to craft the uproariously hilarious "Sax Man". T-Pain has a sense of humor about his own calling card. Norah Jones, in all Norah Jones seriousness, sells out in the middle of a song to cereal advertising. Those moments are classic.
But the group itself can become more tedious than humorous at times. I don't know. It just seems like they were leaning real hard on the whole we're-white-and-look-how-crazy-it-is-that-we're-rapping angle. And while a song like "Jizz in My Pants" is legitimate in its el-oh-el status, it's because it might as well be a Flight of the Concords song. I guess it's an intentional parody with the accents and rhyming style and brand of humor. But parody of an already pop music parodying-type group is a limited avenue. I don't know. They're aight. I enjoy the boat song.
... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.
Don't Break Up With a Musician ...
... cuz then he makes you the subject of his third mixtape in a single week.
I can't believe Chuck. I thought he was ODing when he was throwing out a tape every two weeks. I didn't know how he would follow his own self up in 2009, but he's definitely on his way. Who even knows what his actual studio album could even begin to sound like. My mind is blown.
This is an 808's inspired project by the way. I wanna hear him and Kanye collaborate at some point. Like, bad.
Monday, February 16, 2009
My Brain Is Still Alive
How you finna drop a mixtape on either side of All-Star weekend?
Charles Hamilton just let the word skim the surface of Well Isn't This Awkward on Thursday night and now he's got a whole nuther one in My Brain Is Alive. Oh my goodness. Who does that? All new material? You serious? For real?
Now I haven't had an opportunity to absorb the newest one yet, but I've bumped the former tape about 6 times now and I'm in love with it. Nasty concept with retarded nice production from all the right songs. And lyrics to boot. Everyone takes for granted how intricately dope CH is on the mic most of the time. Everyone gets caught up in how different he makes himself and try to label him a certain way that they forget the words that are flowing at a ridiculously constant rate. Dude is serious.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Apology?
So Chris Brown channeled his frustrations into a little ditty. I could copy and paste all the rumors of his and Rihanna's situation on here, but I don't know if I have enough strength in my right-clicking finger.
All I have to say is that I really hope that he wrote that. I scribe my life issues lyrically all the time, so I actually feel for dude if he painfully created this out of the emotional void of the last week. But I'm afraid of this as a publicist creation as Akon's "Sorry (Blame It on Me)" was. I hope not, though. Crazy sad story. Even more so if you realize that nobody would care either way if they weren't famous. It would simply be a discrete, accepted occurrence.
UPDATE: After seeing the picture of what he did to her, I don't care what he has to say for a looong, long time. He went absolutely dementedly primative. There is something so deeply wrong with any human being that could possibly lay hands on a woman in that way.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
The Future
I know the world is on LeBron watch as the greatest thing in existence since the invention of time, but I got some other players on my mind to watch today and in the future.
Kobe is today's player. Period. And I'm ready to commit heinous physical violence whenever I read or hear someone saying that LeBron is undeniably the game's best player. Infuriating. Bron will eventually slide in front in a matter of four years or so simply due to respective aging, but whatever.
My two cents is bet upon the league dominance of Brandon Roy and Kevin Durant in the two thousand teens. The thing that separates them from King James is that they're every bit the capable athlete, but with natural (see: smooth) jump shots. Trust me, I've watched enough hundreds of games and had enough stats shoved down my esophagus to know the other things that LeBron brings to the table. Don't make me listen to the rerun again. I just feel that the league has the ability to eventually figure him out. Teams can pack the basket like none other and reduce his contribution to however good his teammates shoot three pointers that night. He'll still put up legendary numbers and break all the "youngest player to ______" stats, but his ceiling is overrated to me. I don't ever see the kid as actually being the winner that everyone has already undeservingly labeled him as.
On the other hand, what I see from Durant and Roy leads me to believe that they will be the distinctive wing players of the next basketball generation. I'll prolly write a bigger column on each of them at another point, but I just wanted to inform you of my foresights. Trust me.
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