I'm On The Right Path To Who I'm Gonna Be At Last

After running into 9th at the Highline show last Tuesday, I decided it was necessary to attend the Jean Grae in-store he'd be performing at on the following day...

In the PictoBrowser below, click the tabs to view my photos from Fat Beats:

They were there to promote the Jeanius album's re-release(s), and it felt really good to be among hip hop heads. I've said it before; Jean Grae is not only the best female MC in the industry, but she's up there with most males who rhyme as well. I felt horrible for missing her 11/30 Highline show, so I couldn't skip this intimate performance.

Footy via AnalectsBlog. 

They have more great footage on the Fat Beats blog, so if you want to see Jean performing alongside Talib Kweli and 9th, I suggested you go there. They were both signing albums after, but the line was crazy long, so I'll just support via Amazon- as you should. Thanks to Ls and Cani8a for coming with me!

That same night, 

10.Deep hosted their holiday party at Element...

KiD CuDi throwing me a deuce...

Disappointed at first, I'm now kind of glad the flash wasn't on.

Ahhh, con flash. Much better.

He ended up performing at the party too...

Hollywood Holt was hammer-, uh, having fun. (I'm not a fan.)

But how adorable are these three?!?...

Asher Roth in attendence...

Thanks to Boz y Brenda for the bracelets :)

"Dont Rush Me":

Pin The Tail On The Donkey

Late to post about it, but JD and I went to see Jim Jones perform at Mercury Lounge two weeks ago. I'm a sucker for Capo's bafoonery, so I looked forward to the intimacy of the small venue, and my company. 

Juelz made an appearance... along with most of Byrdgang - sans Cam.

Mr. Santana got to showcase his artist, Starr...

I had heard a few of her tracks in early '08, and she can definitely sing. 

To his credit, Jim put verses on two great songs this year - "Electric Feel" and "Day N Nite" - and he took time out to perform both at the show.

Sa-Ra opened for him...

I was a fan of their funky vibe, but seeing them do their thing live?!? 

Those dudes are pretty wild...

Although Pitchfork is notorious for being overly critical, I'd unfortunately have to agree with their thoughts on SA-RA. Word to the wise: If you want to be misogynistic, at least make it big first, so that when you do it, we give you a pass...

Like Puffy, with his portable harem; I'm sure you've seen his 007esque I Am King ad on TV, in cabs, and on billboards:

A bit more tasteful, Dolce & Gabanna use Miles Davis' "Nuit Sur Les Champs-Elysées" in their ad for men's fragrance, The One (below). I had just left the room, and it was the music from this commercial that made me go back and look at the TV:

Luckily for me, A Time To Kill was a great book, and Matthew McConaughey playing the lead in the '96 film didn't bother me then, and this shirtless ad doesn't bother me now. Oww.

Lastly, and to prove I'm not completely boy crazy, here's Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle TV ad with Keira Knightley. Joss Stone covers Nat King Cole's song "L-O-V-E":

It's a good look for the british songstress, whose voice is always recognizable. Speaking of which... Joss, where are you?!? The game needs you!

Flyer Than The Rest Of 'Em

The evolution of Hip Hop? Watch a video from the dude who's arguably the best rapper of all time, and then watch one from the dude who is on his way to earning the crown... yeah, I said it.

Jay-Z "Brooklyn Go Hard" f. my girl Santogold

Wale "Nike Boots"

UCB, I see you!

Haven't been so excited for a show in a loooong time...

The Way We Connected, It Was Something Electric

Thursday night, I had the privilege of attending

Hip Hop Monologues:

The Life and Mind of Jim Jones.

I say privilege both seriously and sarcastically: Jim performed only two nights by invitation only, but... it's also Jimmy. Naturally, I was expecting a train wreck. But there was no such thing! In fact, the whole production was executed in a somewhat decent manner. That said, it's important to note that Jim's story is admittedly not too compelling. Okay, you were a hustler. Okay, you have haters in the hood. Okay, all the ladies want to hump you- we get it. If the musical showed me something I hadn't seen before, then I could let all the self-aggrandizing that came with it go. But it didn't. So I can't.

However, my love for Capo lives on despite this average theatrical experience. He did something amazing last week, and threw two verses on MGMT's "Electric Feel" - the song I constantly co-sign as my favorite this year.

I have to give Jimmy credit for this move... out for almost a year, the song is so hot, I'm actually upset he's the one who got to it first. Wale's manager posted the remix on Elitaste, admitting that it's a shame Mr. Folarin missed the boat. I wholeheartedly agree- Wale would have murdered that track. But then again, there is so much sex appeal and swagger on Jim's version, and it's actually not bad. MGMT + Capo Status = oww. Listen to the track HERE.

Other stuff I'm loving?

Friendly Fires "On Board"

Groovy percussion; definitely one of my faves on their album. Also, FYI, the lead singer's dance moves are out of this world! Peep their "Paris" performance on Later with Jools Holland:

He deserves a cookie for the hip action, and his voice isn't too shabby either.

And lastly, if you haven't checked it out yet, watch

Gnarls Barkley "Mystery Man"

Never disappointing, Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo continue to create magic. Learn more about it at Stereogum.

Oh yeah, and "Pop Champagne" is officially my guilty pleasure...
...making me a sucker for catchy club records, and a hypocrite :)

"I wanna see you dance- see you dance"... SMH.

My President Is Black

Rahm Emanuel, Obama's newly hired Chief of Staff, is a total babe. Sadly, I'm not the only one who thinks this fiery, salt and pepper-haired hunk is great... just as I started digging up incredible articles from Rahm's past, the mainstream media also went to town. Gawker, it seems, is equally obsessed, and rightfully so! Didn't you hear about the steak knife?

"The best Rahm Emanuel story is not the one about the decomposing two-and-a-half-foot fish he sent to a pollster who displeased him... No, the definitive Rahm Emanuel story takes place in Little Rock, Ark., in the heady days after Bill Clinton was first elected President.

Revenge was heavy in the air as the group discussed the enemies - Democrats, Republicans, members of the press - who wronged them during the 1992 campaign...

Suddenly Emanuel grabbed his steak knife and, as those who were there remember it, shouted out the name of another enemy, lifted the knife, then brought it down with full force into the table.

''Dead!'' he screamed.

The group immediately joined in the cathartic release: ''Nat Landow! Dead! Cliff Jackson! Dead! Bill Schaefer! Dead!'''

I love him. F*ck Ruff Ryders and Sarah Palin; the meanest pitbull in a skirt is Rahm Emanuel- former ballerina turned political assassin. And now he's the Obaminator's right hand man.

And what a family!...

His brother, Ari Emanuel, is the Hollywood agent who inspired famed Entourage character, Ari Gold. If descriptions like "bad cop" and "watch dog" aren't enough to win you over, Slate had a great article on Rahm, and I'm sure you can learn more about him via Google.

OWW.

But before I let my hormones get the best of me, it's necessary to note how much Hip Hop has embraced Obama. In fact, NPR had an article on some rappers who've penned rhymes solely for his cause:

"Mark Anthony Neal is a professor of black pop culture at Duke University and a visiting scholar at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. He says that in the past 20-odd years, hip-hop historically has been black America's first response to national news."

While the hip hop community may have known about these songs, it's refreshing to see the mainstream media point them out as well. But beyond music, there's plenty of other celebratory stories to be told. Check out Obama's Flickr album from election night, watch footage of him and Michelle doing a happy dance, and read a relieved letter from Fahrenheit 9/11 filmmaker Michael Moore. Of course, all of this media is just skimming the surface of the cultural domino-effect that Obama's campaign triggered, and like I've been saying all along, we can only hope that this momentum continues to inspire real change.

And lastly, it wouldn't be right to celebrate without bidding farewell to the elephant in the room, the frightening Sarah Palin- a woman who's religious beliefs stood to demolish the rights that women have fought for for decades; a woman who made feminist Eve Ensler have nightmares.

South Dakota's Measure 11, California's Proposition 4, and Colorado's Amendment 48 are just a few examples of state legislation that was proposed by Palin-like religious neo-conservatives, and all are detrimental to a woman's right to choose. According to Woman's E-News...

"California's ballot initiative would require a woman under 18 to notify her parents before having an abortion, and wait 48 hours between the time of notification and the procedure."

-and worse-

"The Colorado measure would alter the state constitution to define human life as beginning 'with the moment of fertilization,' giving full legal rights to the mass of cells formed immediately after sperm and egg meet."

Yikes! The South Dakota legislation was even more direct- calling for a complete state ban of abortion in circumstances outside of rape, incest and endangering a woman's health. In other words, death of Roe v. Wade. Luckily, none of that garbage passed, but not hearing about it in the news prior to election day is disheartening. I'm not sure about yours, but in my book, reporting on what rights you might lose trumps which politician might win.

But you know what, Sarah?

Your own Alaskan constituents didn't want to hear it a few weeks ago...

And neither did Americans on election day- thank god.

Putting those small, important victories aside, there was one outcome from election day that managed to really bother me... 70% of African Americans voted in favor of California's Gay Marriage ban, Proposition 8.

That's right. In a year that brought race and equality issues to the forefront, the majority of African American voters in California were unable to see gay marriage as a civil rights issue :( Again, I blame the influence of religion -not skin color- for this unfortunate reality check. It's truly sad that such an uplifting moment in history can be tainted by such a (is it wrong to say, "ironic"?) step backward.

I Hope It's Gonna Make You Notice...

Just some artists/videos/songs that you might want to check out:

The Knux "Bang Bang"

Feeling these N'awlins boys. Not what I expected, which is always refreshing.

Kings of Leon "Use Somebody"

By far, one of the best songs on "Only By The Night." I love that it starts out seeming broad and impersonal, but you eventually realize he's singing about one person in particular. I love him.

Jim Jones f. Ron Browz and Juelz Santana "Pop Champaign"

A friend sent me this record a few months ago when it still belonged to Ron Brownz, asking what I thought about it. I wrote back "Superstars, no Lupe" - it was clearly catchy, but I need more than that these days. I'd call Jimmy "Deebo" for making the track his own, but we already knew that's how he rolls.

All American Rejects "Gives You Hell"

Not a fan of the band's generic sound, but the lead singer is cute as a button, and the song is so hilariously bitter and anthemic, that I had to post it.

Keyshia Cole f. Tupac "Playa Cardz Right"

Keyshia and Pac sound perfect together. Too bad they had to go and ruin the song by spelling the title stupidly!

Matt & Kim "Daylight"

A dude at work directed this video. The treatment is beyond creative...

Q-Tip "Move"

Q-Tip proves that at almost 40-years old, he can still look flyer than most of these industry guys. Even if he is biting Michael. Pause.

And just as a bonus, my new fave band Friendly Fires covered

Lykke Li's "I'm Good, I'm Gone."

After touring together for months, I'm glad they got some kind of gem from her!

Listen to the song HERE.

We Watch The Stars... They'll Be Out For Us

After the showcase at SOBs, I headed to Bowery to catch 

Friendly Fires

I've put you on not ONCE, but TWICE already. Seeing them perform LIVE with a fly lead singer, TWO drummers, a possessed guitarist, and lots of cow bell somehow made leaving Wale worth it; the D.C. emcee will be back soon to promote his album, but these guys are Brits. Read more info about the show over at TastesLikeCaramel.

Here they are, performing a piece of "Ex Lover":

In the last 3 seconds, you can hear security tell me "NO VIDEO." 

Oopsies! Listen to the full song HERE.

The vocal mic sounds very faint, but HERE'S footage of them performing "White Diamonds," their song that was used on an episode of Gossip Girl. Quirky and energetic, these guys used a DUST BUSTER on their guitars toward the end of the show, presumably to tinker with the sound...

It was way cool.

Unfortunately, I couldn't record them performing "Paris," 

so here's the video instead:

"I'll find you that french boy, you'll find you that french girl- I promise. I'm on it."

Just like Lykke Li, (the headlining act they opened for,) 

these guys were really fun to shoot. 

Two Turntables And A Microphone

Mega late... Beck played three shows at United Palace two weeks ago. Just like what Fort Tryon is to NYC parks, United Palace is one of New York's most stunning venues- but unfortunately, people tend to not take the trip so far uptown. If you've never been to the church/concert venue, put it on your to-do list.

Beck's stage setup was really cool... chunky lights and a backdrop reminiscent of Lite Brite. (Note to self: Buy one off E-Bay.)

We were in complete view of the set list:

And at one point, he and his band stopped playing their instruments, and performed a song electronically on MPCesque equipment. It was bananas.

Although I adored him back in high school, his live show was a bit of a snoozefest. But then again, I'm not a super-duper fan either. I am, however, a super-duper fan of his opening act. That's right folks, MGMT opened for him, and it was a very good look for them.

Andrew, the lead singer, is so dreamy!

Here they are, performing "Weekend Wars":

And my favorite song of the year, "Electric Feel":

BTW- Guess who's on the cover of November's SPIN?

They're clearly 

"Where It's At."

Let Your Atmosphere Surround Me

Last Thursday was unbelievable. Tickets to Maxwell's first New York show in years (at Radio City) arrived at the eleventh hour, and since I wasn't planning on going, it was extra delightful. PS: He KILLED it... every person in that theater was vibing.

Favorite Maxwell song? Might be "Submerge: 'Til We Become The Sun"...

Even though his sexuality is ambiguous, I still love him! A big THANK YOU to AF for hooking up the ticket :) Unfortunately, I had to scoot early (at the encore) to head downtown to SOBs to see Styles P. perform. High five to Milly for accompanying me! At least there were some girls there this time...

He was a little shy at first...

But was able to warm up with some beverages...

And (see right hand), some herbal relief.

Once acclimated, he jumped into the audience to get up close and personal.

If you're a fan of him, this show was pure joy- Pause.

And I think our favorite rapper's favorite rapper got really into it.

Just look at how he was embraced!?!?

Those middle fingers symbolize unification and love ;)