Friday, August 29, 2008

Look At What This Country's Got

If you've watched CNN at all over the last few days, you probably noticed how much it resembles ESPN- the play-by-play coverage of the Democratic National Convention was even captivating enough to lure-in a political cynic like me. Last night, Barack Obama set the nation on fire with his invigorating acceptance speech. But prior to that, other speeches were delivered by the current lot of iconic Democrats, and although they're all pretty lengthy, I suggest watching if you haven't already:

Democratic Presidential Nominee: BARACK OBAMA

"And Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America's promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our "intellectual and moral strength." Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient. Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents; that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need.
Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility - that's the essence of America's promise."

Democratic Vice-Presidential Nominee: JOE BIDEN


Former President: BILL CLINTON

"Most important, Barack Obama knows that America cannot be strong abroad unless we are strong at home. People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power."

NY Senator and former first lady: HILLARY CLINTON


Wife of the Democratic Presidential Nominee: MICHELLE OBAMA


But just when you think it's a unified slam-dunk, the Republicans had to make it even more interesting...

I woke up this morning with a text message from Jen, informing me that McCain had just picked a female running mate: Sarah Palin of Alaska. I turned on CNN, and put the needle back in my arm... it seems as though getting my fix of the excitement is far from over. 

Republican Vice-Presidential Nominee: SARAH PALIN

As I watched her speak, it occured to me that those undecided swing voters may look at her as representing a different kind of hope. It was crazy already with Obama being the first African American nominee for President, but now, with a woman VP? This is so historic, I don't even know what to do with myself...

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Mystic Referee, Don't Look On Me With Scorn


MGMT has a 13-minute song called "Metanoia."
S Dot told me about it, and then I found an explanation of what Metanoia means on The Sky Report, a blog that was unknown to me until now. Pretty dope...

Metanoia in the context of theological discussion, where it is used often, is usually interpreted to mean repentance. However, some people argue that the word should be interpreted more literally to denote changing one's mind, in the sense of embracing thoughts beyond its present limitations or thought patterns.

MGMT continues to tickle my soul.
Courtesy of Blind I For The Kids, you can listen to the track HERE.

And also on Blind I, an interview with founding members of HipHopRepublican.com is posted. It's absolutely worth watching... these kids don't know anything about hip hop, and Blind I's iReport hands them their ass. Catch it HERE.


Janelle Monae co-signed Solange pretty hard
by posting a Myspace blog supporting her.

Frankly, I'm not surprised... I would generally make fun of this sister-of-a-pop-star move, but I listened to SoL-Angel and The Hadley Street Dreams, and Solange's honesty alone proves she's more truthful and real than her never-candid sister, Beyonce. From Ms. Monae:
I would love for you guys to support Solange. I think she is one of the coolest and sweetest girls I have met in the "music industry" so far... and I am very picky about who I hold conversations with. She believes in art and is unafraid to express herself creatively, which I think an artist must embody. I think it is important, for the sake of music and art, to have more girls like Solange around.
Solange's album is currently up on her Myspace page.



Bloc Party's album Intimacy was released digitally,

but I haven't bought it yet.
PMA posted some tracks that leaked,
and they definitely sound good.


Listen to them HERE.






(via NahRight), Rolling Stone covers
the 10th anniversary of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

You can read it HERE.

Hate It Or Love It

Went to Game's show at Irving last night.
Little did I know, it was secretly SummerJam...

Cameos and Guests included: Yung Joc, Irv Gotti, Joe Budden, Raekwon, Ghostface, Kool Herc, Fat Joe, Dana Dane, Maino, Dre (of Cool & Dre), Teyana Taylor, Newz, Jim Jones, Frekey Zekey and Young Buck.

Joey performing "Pump It Up"... blurry at first, but gets better!


Ghost and Raekwon came to support, and The Chef spits a little something...


Game performing "Hate It Or Love It" -Peep Kool Herc dancing, Fat Joe wandering around, Dre (of Cool and Dre), and Joey near the DJ...


Game brings out Maino, freestyles, and then we get some "Hi Hater":


Young Buck gets his defensive shining moment.. voice cracking a bit?


And lastly, Capo comes out and delivers a lackluster performance...

Whoever paid for tickets definitely got their money's worth at this anti-50 convention!

Monday, August 25, 2008

Show Me The Answers, I Need To Know


Ladies and gentlemen... allow me to introduce 
They're referring to this UK singer/songwriter as the male Amy Winehouse, and he toured with Mary J. Blige earlier in the summer.

PRESS PLAY & LISTEN TO "The Quest":

He might be gay- I can't tell yet. But I don't care... oww!
The record is incredible, and his delivery on the hook can't be ignored. 

Saturday, August 23, 2008

No President Ever Did Sh*t For Me

Everyone loves Barack Obama.
Many think he's going to fix everything that's wrong with America. 
Others view him as our savior.
"Think about this," Mrs. Cheney said. "This is such an amazing American story that one ancestor, a man that came to Maryland, could be responsible down the family line for lives that have taken such different and varied paths as Dick's and Barack Obama's."
Mrs. Cheney's spokeswoman Ginny Justice gave CNN's Ed Henry more details, saying the two unlikely relatives are related through a French Huguenot named Mareen Duvall. Cheney and Obama are both descendants of her.
According to Justice, the vice president is related to her through "the first" Richard Cheney, who came to America in the 1650's. His granddaughter married Samuel Duvall, son of Mareen Duvall.
But Obama's family ties to the Bush administration don't stop with Cheney. According to an article in the Chicago Sun-Times last September, Obama is also an 11th cousin of the president himself. The two share a 17th century Massachusetts relative.
So Barack is related to both Bush and Cheney? "Amazing American story" my ass. I know I'm not related to Dick Cheney! Are you?! Maybe I sound like a lunatic conspiracy theorist, but when I first heard this news LAST YEAR, it didn't sit well with me then, and it still doesn't now. What's even worse is that I thought this was common knowledge, but when I ran it by a few people this week, they had no idea. 

I don't want to offend anyone, so before you get riled up, please know that I'm not against Obama; experience has just shown me that anything sounding too good to be true, generally is. I hope I'm wrong about this, trust me- but I don't think people waiting for him to come in and make it all better should hold their breath. He probably won't even win- the voting system is rigged, remember? But Obama Fever has infected culture so aggressively, our glasses are fogging up, and we can't see that he's still a politician. 

For example, 
the Big Boi/Mary J. video for "Something's Gotta Give"...
I love that it's uplifting, but I'm nervous it's giving us false hope.


Am I being a Debbie Downer?
I guess I just believe that it has to get much worse before it gets any better.
If you think I'm wrong, let me know.




Young Jeezy f. Nas "My President is Black"

Friday, August 22, 2008

I Got Stripes... ADIDAS

A track labeled "S.L.U. f/ T, J, K, W" was sent to me on Monday. 

I put it on, and I hear M.I.A.'s "no one on the corner has swagger like us" line looped.
And then I hear Kanye over the beat. Then Jay - BP3 material perhaps? 
When Wayne gets on next, I realize I'm receiving pieces of a puzzle... 
WHO'S T? - Must be T.I. 

"S.L.U. f/ T, J, K, W" = "Swagger Like Us" featuring TI, Jay-Z, Kanye and Wayne.

If it's real, this song might spontaneously combust. Whose is it, though? And will they all remain on there until the end, when the finished product is released? Don't forget- this is a product, and an incredibly marketable one at that. All four of those gentlemen have pretty indisputable swagger. I mean, who else, besides Andre 3K, has swag that competes with this bunch? You don't see Jeezy on there! 

I was asked to keep the track to myself, 
but I just saw NahRight's Eskay do what I should have done first...
...post about it.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Get Ready, 'Cause Here I Come

I can't find the video anywhere online, but Raphael Saadiq's "Love That Girl" makes you feel like you've hopped in a time machine and been whisked away to the days of old school soul. And apparently, his entire new album (The Way I See It) is like that, warming your heart like Eddie Kendricks of The Temptations...




I've wanted to post this track for a while, and since Raphael Saadiq used to date Joss Stone, it's finally appropriate to do so now:

Clipse f. Joss Stone 


Like Joss, Beth Rowley is another UK import with a soulful sound.
I saw her perform this week at Joe's Pub, and her voice is truly impressive. Little skinny blonde thing with crazy pipes, covering Etta James. Her stage presence needs work, but if you close your eyes and just listen, it's bananas.


John Legend also has that old school, throwback swag... 
and the "Green Light" video with Andre 3K is cute:



And last but not least, 
Terrence Howard 
came in to perform for us this week. 

Besides being exceptionally 
handsome (and knowing it), 
the music was actually pretty good. 
He was playing everything accoustic, 
so I'm eager to hear the full album 
with the rest of the background instruments.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Is It So Wrong To Crave Recognition?

I ignored them for a while, but Black 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 Moon mixtape. 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:
Boiler Room, 2000

Sunday, August 17, 2008

You'll Be The Rhythm, And I'll Be The Beat

Lykke Li's album Youth Novels drops this Tuesday.
I highly recommend it. Just listen to the intro track:

I had never heard it before... I love her.
And for a bonus, here's her performing "Window Blues,"
the record that anchors the album, at SXSW:




I found this Lupe clip on Busy's Blog. Having a little fun with "Hi Hater"...



I never knew him that well, but seeing stuff like that makes me miss working on artist projects. And I initially saw this next one months ago, but watching Lupe get his gold plaque at Atlantic makes me reminisce a little...



Lastly, Epic had a showcase for new Australian artist Lenka on Thursday.
It was at Dylan's Candy Bar, on my birthday - amazing.
Lenka is innocent and hot at the same time, and I like the music a lot.
Not my fave track, but maybe you've heard "The Show" in this Old Navy ad?:


If you go to her Myspace page, listen to "Trouble Is A Friend."

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Glass Of Johnnie Walker Red...

Sandy turned me on to The Lefsetz Letter this week...

His piece "All Summer Long" (after Kid Rock's current single) discusses digital music sales' effect on overall sales. He asks many thought-provoking questions while discussing why an artist (like Kid Rock and Jay-Z) would not release their album track-by-track on iTunes. Bringing up the concept of a career artist (vs. a one hit wonder), Lefsetz also analyzes the benefits and drawbacks for an artist participating in the mp3 market. You can read the full piece HERE, but the excerpts below are what I found most interesting...
Is Kid Rock selling a hundred thousand CDs a week because his album is not available on iTunes?

Last year,
Jay-Z famously refused to sell his new album at iTunes because he thought it would break up the flow, that it needed to be heard as a whole. Despite being available digitally at Amazon, as a full album only, "American Gangster" debuted strongly and soon fell down the chart. Was this the lack of hit singles or the refusal to be on iTunes?

Conventional wisdom is iTunes makes up approximately 30% of overall sales. It’s certainly the largest music retailer in America. But, you don’t have to buy the whole album, you can purchase only the track(s) you want. Therefore,
Katy Perry has a giant hit single and sells very few albums. But is that because people believe she’s only worth the single? That she’s not a career artist? Or could it be that Katy Perry appeals to a young demo that has only known MP3s/iTunes/P2P, and only wants the single? Would Katy Perry be better off if you could only buy her complete album?
Lefsetz also addresses the benefit of artists making music that appeals to multiple formats...
I believe the number one reason that Kid Rock’s CD is flying off the shelf is because it’s a hit in multiple formats. Not only is it number 6 on the Mediabase Top 40 chart, but it’s number 15 on the Country chart!

So many of the Top 40 wonders are just that, one hit wonders. With manufactured singles that have more to do with the producer than the artist. But country is different. Sure, producers are powerful and performers often don’t write their own material, b
ut artists have three-dimensional identities, which their fans support.

Katy Perry has got this summer’s number two song. And she’s in a completely different category from
Kid Rock. She’s a newbie. She’s a phenom. Her sales are driven by both impulse and hysteria. Still, she’s not the Jonas Brothers, she doesn’t have a full-fledged identity, people only want the novelty single.
Kid Rock ended up responding... read that HERE.

Lee Ann Womack is a country singer who sells a lot of records. I'm not a fan of hers, and I never actually thought I'd post country music up here, but there's a cameo in her latest video that I had to share... 

Clayton Stroop of Thriving Ivory 
plays Lee Ann's drunk musician/ex-boyfriend in "Last Call"





This video is literally a drunk-dialing PSA, and Clayton is easy on the eyes ;)

Friday, August 15, 2008

I Wanna Be Down

I'm surprised that more people don't think 
"One Wall Street analyst said the sale by Cohen, chairman and chief executive of Warner Recorded Music North America, contradicted management's contention that the company's shares were undervalued.
"While Warner Music Group's (organic) revenues continue to decline, we are quite surprised to see Mr Cohen selling such a large block of stock at these levels," said Pali Research analyst Richard Greenfield, a long-time critic of the company's management."
I don't really have anything witty to say about it. I'm just thrown and wanted to share.


Jordan came in to play us the REAL Brandy single a few weeks ago. Now that it leaked and I've heard it again, I have to admit I really, really like it. 


Damn Brandy, you got a MySpace page and everything! Just 14 years ago, you had me "Sittin' Up In My Room," wanting to be down...


And FYI...
Cypress Hill, De La Soul, Slick Rick, Naughty By Nature and Too $hort 
will be honored at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors

Premiering on VH1 and VH1 Soul on Tuesday, October 7 at 10P :)