People are so creative. The video below was made by duoSniper Twins, who, instead of rapping and singing about stacking paper, are on that computer braggadocio with"Stack The Memory."
The hook is wavy, no? And they shot some of it at Tekserve- hilarious. Thanks to Mr. Jones for sending this my way weeks ago... I should have posted it earlier.
In the next clip, NY Magazine interviews a guy who took trash bags and made really impressive inflatable street art.
I want to commission him to make me a Zilla :)
And with his bright ideas from a few months ago, I'm not surprised that Mick Boogie dabbled with another good readymade project on this one...
"Adele’s album 19 set trends and created influence in the pop, rock and international worlds. But what would happen if the vocals and instruments of 19 were combined with the hip-hop sensibilities of the late 1980s, considered by many hip-hop’s golden age?"
Love songs and hip hop history: We are the mash-up generation.
Speaking of love, it's likely that you've seen this already, but my appreciation for N*E*R*D continues to grow with their video for "Sooner or Later":
They turn a love song into a metaphor for the economic crisis... I guess money just broke up with us :( If you want more, watch them perform the song (and others) live at Roseland.
And this might be 2 years after 1988, butSpecial Ed's "The Mission"used to be my jammy jam.
This is a mission, not a smalltime thing.
I didn't have cable growing up, but my brother and I had some episodes ofYo! MTV Raps on VHS.
Fred Hart, a student at University of Arizona (Fine Arts) made a series of song covers for Kanye's808s and Heartbreak. They blew me away and I had to post my favorites:
Amazing. Truly. And there are more! Jacked from Boz (thank you!), via GWHH.
There's so much to write and post about, but there aren't enough hours in the day. And when I can't give something the full attention it deserves, I throw it on the back burner and turn the gas off. It's a bad habit, I know. But as you read this, I'm manning up. I'm gonna stop whining and find the time. Just have to harness some focus first! In the meantime...
air and light and time and space
"–you know, I’ve either had a family, a job, something has always been in the way but now I’ve sold my house, I’ve found this place, a large studio, you should see the space and the light. for the first time in my life I’m going to have a place and the time to create."
no baby, if you’re going to create you’re going to create whether you work 16 hours a day in a coal mine or you’re going to create in a small room with 3 children while you’re on welfare, you’re going to create with part of your mind and your body blown away, you’re going to create blind crippled demented, you’re going to create with a cat crawling up your back while the whole city trembles in earthquake, bombardment, flood and fire.
baby, air and light and time and space have nothing to do with it and don’t create anything except maybe a longer life to find new excuses for.
In addition to discussing (and warning us about) the future of intellectual property and copyright law, he also talked about his interaction with Barack Obama when they were colleagues at Stanford. I totally recommend watching this:
Youtube video makers, song samplers, and photo jackers beware! Lessig argues that a "war" is being waged on "kids and others who create and consume art," comparing that war to the overly-criminalized and equally unsuccessfulwar on drugs. But through compromise, he suggests ways to bridge the gap between the two opposing sides: (1) politicians and artists' lawyers who cling to the copyright fundamentals of the past vs. (2) the generation of creative criminals who live and breathe artistic mash-ups.
I had never heard of Lessig, but I bought the book anyway. Technology has instigated a new kind of artistic renaissance, and as a blogging participant, I should probably educate myself and be more aware of the legalities surrounding the unlicensed media I use on this site. That, and it's really about the kids (lol)- the technology will only get better and our resources are bound to multiply -- if being artistic makes us all criminals now, then future generations are in a lot of trouble.
It's a weak analogy, but just imagine if they didn't let kids use tape recorders ten years ago... Kidzilla would never have conducted her first artist interview or written an article about it for her local newspaper. Like in Back To The Future, I'd get erased from the photo! Third Eye Blind and Dishwalla may not be super relevant today, but back then, they helped me figure out that I wanted to build a career in music. And coincidentally, the lead singer of Third Eye Blind was in my office a few weeks ago... My boss completely blew up my spot and (true story) had me show him the article I wrote. Ten years later, the whole experience came full circle- right before my very eyes.
Have you seen the new Guitar Hero commercial? A-Rod, Tony Hawk and Michael Phelps slide into the room in their undies a la Tom Cruisein"Risky Business." Kobe then does the same, and proceeds to lip sync "Old Time Rock N Roll" while the other boys back him up.
I'm more of a Rock Band girl, but you have to admit that Kobe stole the show.
"Found on the streets of London - this wilting, dying memorial of flowers with a sign reading ‘in loving memory of the boom economy’. At least the guerrilla street artists are having fun."
Word up. CaNiBa, what's the status with your street art?
They had balls of steel then, and they still do now.
And speaking of being in your face with information, please take the time to watchZeitgeist: Addendum below.
I told you about the first Zeitgeist film a few months ago, but instead of just scaring us, the Addendum actually presents some solutions. Just like last time, I'm not saying I stand by ALL these assertions, but I do think it's important to be open minded and critical of our government. That is what freedom and patriotism should mean, no?
Keane's song "Spiraling" was already on repeat in my office, but the video really does it justice considering the lyrics are so sick:
It uses that glowing light animation technique during the chorus, and strangely, I took a photo this week at SOBs, and was completely mesmerized by it BEFORE I even saw the video:
Jazmine Sullivan's album was released on Tuesday, and although I really like it, I think I need to spend a bit more time with it before completely co-signing every track. In the meantime, Boz sent me a song called "Best Of Me" that didn't make the album, but should have!
Ladies, you need this fire in your life! ListenHERE.
Also from Boz, it looks like Trey Songz has something to tell us... Going hard at his label in "Misunderstood," he narrates his story of the past 4-5 years, citing the success of both Ne-Yo and Chris Brown, pointing out that they used to open for him at shows, before people knew who they were. Shoot, I'd be mad too!
And speaking of Ne-Yo, his song with New Kids On The Block is so catchy, I want to throw myself out a window. Listen to itHERE, and check out my homie Jacquelina, hangin' tough with the boys this week:
Kiefer Sutherland's label Ironworks shares a group called HoneyHoney with Universal Republic. Their video for "Little Toy Gun" is not only entertaining, but the song itself is fun and deserves some shine. The video isn't posted anywhere yet, but you can listen to the songHERE.
Also on Ironworks, pop-rockish band Lifehouse returns with a solid video. "Broken" is a powerful song on it's own, but the intensity of the visual (directed by Kiefer!) only enhances that strength. This might be the video that takes them from their previous "Hanging On A Moment"/"You And Me" radio-hit fame, and catapults them to a new level of legitimacy...
Snow Patrol'snew album A Hundred Million Suns is out on 10/27. Their single,"Take Back The City"grows on me more with each listen, but admittedly, there's a song called "The Golden Floor" that I heard off the new album, and OMG, I can't wait to have it leak so that I can post it!
My tolerance for oddities is pretty brolic, but Sia's aesthetics are a bit strange- even for my tastes. Still, her video for "Soon We'll Be Found" is uber-creative, and it's honestly unfortunate that more people don't know about her. Her voice is unique, and the song will prove that:
Anytime I see a violin, I'm sold! The Airborne Toxic Event came in to perform, and their single "Sometime Around Midnight" is the perfect example of a "builder" song... steadily building for 2-3 minutes, and then sonically exploding toward the end. Even though Pitchfork destroyed them, Zilla thinks you should please listen/watch...
"You know that she'll break you in two."
Friendly Fires are an incredible new find, and I think their coolness will speak for itself. They're opening for Lykke Li in October, and my ass already has a ticket! Watch "Jump In The Pool" below:
And lastly, the immensely talented
Justin Nozuka
performed on Kimmel last week.
It's obvious to me that he was nervous in the clip, but I've seen him live and he doesn't hold back vocally. Can't wait for his show on Monday :)
The following ladies (save Melissa, Sheryl, LeAnn, but add Nicole Scherzinger)
performed together Friday night for the Stand Up To Cancer television special...
Natasha Bedingfield, Leona Lewis and Carrie Underwood stood out, and Miley Cyrus made a fool of herself:
I love that they just put them all in t-shirts and they still look beautiful. I mean... Women don't need to get dolled up all the time, do they?
My mom sent me the Current TV clip below, and wrote only "hmmmm" in the body of email. WATCH IT: a cute girl performs a social experiment, testing what she can get for free from men- first dressing plainly, and then dressing more sexxed-up. What happens doesn't surprise me, but it does make me shake my head...
Men respond. And if you want to get an even closer look at the minds ofyoung men,Newsweek had an article on what some might call Peter Pan Syndrome; the refusal and inability to transition from adolescence to adulthood:
"Once the preserve of whacked-out teens and college slackers, this testosterone-filled landscape is the new normal for American males until what used to be considered creeping middle age, according to the sociologist Michael Kimmel. In his new book, "Guyland," the State University of New York at Stony Brook professor notes that the traditional markers of manhood—leaving home, getting an education, finding a partner, starting work and becoming a father—have moved downfield as the passage from adolescence to adulthood has evolved from "a transitional moment to a whole new stage of life." In 1960, almost 70 percent of men had reached these milestones by the age of 30. Today, less than a third of males that age can say the same."
"Beyond the practical dangers, the world of twentysomething males can also be an alienating place, where the entrance fee is conformity and the ride is less than advertised. At a waterfront bar on Fire Island, there is gleeful solidarity as the guys chink glasses and catcall en masse to passing women (who resist). But on their own and without their liquid courage, there is also isolation and discontent."
I recommend reading the whole article HERE. It brought up a lot of solid points, and serves as commentary on my generation's crop of (could-be, would-be) men. But by no means am I pointing the finger at the entire male species here- in fact, I think the author of this article might have written it just to better justify his own recent marriage. And admittedly, it's not just guys who are guilty of dragging their feet to adulthood! To my fellow Peter Pan brothers (and sisters!), what do you think it will take to get us to finally grow up? Is it love?
I don't want to think about this anymore. I'll just go buy shit instead...
The watch-bangles of hers are fun, too... tick-tock, tick-tock.
Similarly, these rings from Yuko Fukuhara pretend to be something they're not:
Consumer distraction jokes aside, I really did like how the Newsweek article discussed the changing evolution of youth culture. Wishing for pixie dust to help whisk you off to Neverland might work for now, but the long-term results may not be worth it. Just ask MGMT, for example...
I ignored them for a while, butBlack Kids have won me over. Their song "Love Me Already" is in heavy rotation inside my skull... and over the weekend, I may have momentarily lost my composure and danced around to it in my living room.
If you listen to the song's lyrics, you know he's concerned that his girlfriend is cheating on him with his best friend, Teddy. In the end, it turns out that Teddy and wifey were just planning a surprise birthday party for him, and he looks foolish for not trusting her.
Ironically, the new Estelle video for "Pretty Please" explores an extremely similar scenario, but Estelle isn't paranoid that her friend is trying to steal her man, she's weary of his party planning accomplice instead:
Shout out to the director, Zipper On Fly Butta Leather. I don't think she takes me seriously when I tell her she's one of the most inspiring people I know, but it's true! And I'm not the only person who feels that way: My friend and fellow nerd/creative genius CANiBA had Zipper as a mentor for a semester, and since he does video work of his own, I asked him to create a mash-up using the Estelle video and the Black Kids song:
Because we're already discussing similarities in music, I have to mention that Bloc Party's "The Prayer" is one of my favorite tracks off A Weekend In The City. Throughout the song, lead singer Kele Okereke asks us how we feel about craving recognition, and his lyrics question whether or not selflishness is morally acceptable...
"Lord give me grace and dancing feet
And the power to impress
Lord give me grace and dancing feet
Let me outshine the moon"
"Is it so wrong to crave recognition?
Second best, runner-up
Is it so wrong to want rewarding?
To want more than is given to you?
Than is given to you"
"Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle them with my wit
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle, I will outshine them all."
Coincidentally, Kid Cudi also has a song called "The Prayer"from his Man on The Moonmixtape. Taking similar topics and humbly pushing them to the next level, Cudi nods not only at success and notoriety, but at achieving artistic immortality as well:
Both versions of"The Prayer" clearly demonstrate the artists' desire to invoke acceptance and admiration. Taking the form of a romantic plea,Black Kids'"Love Me Already" and Estelle's"Pretty Please" reveal the same desires as well- asking not just for recognition, but to also be loved. Is anyone else seeing a pattern here?!?! Is having a "gimme-gimme" mentality okay?
Speaking of a Man on The Moon,CANiBA is finally letting me post what he calls his "visual milestone on the road to maturity," or better yet: "the twenty-something angst of a man told to sit in a cubicle all day and not create."Like many of us, CANiBA is running in the recognition rat race, but something tells me he's doing just fine...
Lastly, just when she thought I'd forgotten about this...
Boz - also "running" - is in the Estelle video at 2:14.
Take a gander at these screenSHOTS:
POW, POW!
And since we're already exposing cameos...
I'm not positive it's him, but I think I know this person:
Last week, I came across the August issue of Paste.
Since I've been thinking about getting into international music lately, I was amped to read all the juicy articles inside. Cover to cover, this wonderful publication served it's purpose, and enlightened me on all theglobal heat out there. Like Carrie said in Sex and The City about Vogue, I literally spent my time readingit instead of eating..."it fed me more." I love you, Paste. Truly, I do.
Interestingly enough, one of the articles was on Emmanuel Jal, the Sudanese child soldier who I blogged about in May after I saw his film "War Child" at the Tribeca Film Festival. In true organic,coincidental,Labyrinth form, I received a related article this week from a new friend:
Sudan's president was charged for genocide in Darfur.
Read the article HERE. Thanks to Derrick, who spells his name in a really cool way.
Beyond Africa...
L-Boogie came back from 2 weeks in China recently, so I wanted to discuss some of her cultural observations and post her photos (I mean, I'venever been to China). And then, magically, I stumbled upon an article on Chinese text messaging. I happen to be in an interesting text message squabble myself, so clearly, this is all meant to be...
"Graylin says the Chinese have a hard time expressing deeply personal emotions. A text message allows them to do it without bumping up against old cultural norms."
"So far, text messaging is beyond the reach of China's infamous government censors. Internet dissident YuJie says activists use text messages to organize protests."
Read the article HERE, and take a look at Boogie's photos:
