New Monument

Remember last month when Bush visited Iraq unannounced and got a pair of shoes thrown at his face? Of course you do, it was hilarious. Well, a few days ago this Shoe monument was built by orphans of the Iraq war. I'm sure Bush had dreams about a monument being built in his honor, but this has to be a surprise

Regardless of your stance on the war, I think you'd have to agree that the person responsible for the invasion of your country walking around smiling, talkin bout how the troop surge was one of the greatest successes in US military history is kinda bogus. It's a slap in the face of the people whose country you crapped on.

"This is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog." With those words, and the hurling of his shoe at Bush, Muntadar al-Zaidi became a national hero. He put an action to the feelings of a lot of his countrymen. Hell, there are quite a few Americans who'd like to throw something more than a shoe at Bush. My GPA in college was higher than his approval rating when he tok that last flight on Marine One after Obama's inaguration.

Bush destroyed lives in multiple countries and trashed our reputation in the global community. I wish one of those shoes had've hit him in his fat mouth mid-sentence.

Do you.

Slumdog Millionaire

I recently saw Slumdog Millionare, and the hype was justified. The story was good, it was told well, and executed well. Here are some thoughts:

I've been to Africa a few times and thought I saw poverty, but some of the parts of India are on a whole different level. The amount of heart, determination, and desperation needed for him to get where got by the end of the movie.

I can understand why some Indians felt the movie was exploitative and/or disrespectful to their country, but you can't deny the facts. Millions in India are living in horrible conditions while they (the offended) are comfortable and well-fed. Don't be mad. If you want India to be portrayed better, then make it better. That goes for any and every country in the world!

M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" is a dope song, and I hope she wins an award at the Grammys'.

In fact it's so dope that one of the hottest rap collabos of the year samples her song. You know your joint is hot if it's being sampled WHILE STILL IN ROTATION! If "Swagger Like Us" wins any Grammy's, M.I.A. should get one too.

Slumdog Milli follows the classic rags to riches plot but the way it's presented makes it fresh and exciting rather that boring and predictable.

GO see it.

Do you.

Keepin up

Man, it is tough to constantly post good new material for a blog! Well, at least for me it is. It's probably becuase I don't have a theme or particular focus - I basically put up whatever I feel like. A lot of times I'll have an idea, thought, or observation during the day, but if I can't jot it down, I'll either forget, become disinterested, or something else will come up and distract me from it. For the moment, I have these quick hits:

• Blago became the second straight bogus Gov. we've had in IL.

I think it had more to do with his horrid hairstyle, than his corruption. If he had been a Chicago politicain, he'd still be in office. SMH.

• Alicia Keys' new album is surprisingly not nominated for Album of the Year.

I thought all she had to do was open her mouth to get nominated. The album was good - surprising omission by the Grammy folks.

• Not a single Republican Senator voted for Obama's stimulus plan.

They just keep looking worse and worse. I understand they're all well-heeled, but the rest of us need a lil help from our Government.

• Obama is shaking things up a the White House with his later start to the day and relaxed dress code. White House staffers are shocked.

Apparently "Dubya" was too caught up on appearances to govern our country.

• I am addicted to Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock.

I'm a young Jimi Hendrix, Jr. in training.

• After many, many listens, 808s and Heartbreaks has grown on me.

I was critical of it early on, but it's full of honesty and emotion, and is well produced. Definitely not his best album, but one that was O.K. and probably very therapeutic for him.

• Blogging takes work man!

Yeah, it does.

Do you.

Blasphemy!

I know what I'm a bout to say will sound blasphemous to hip-hop fans that are about 26 and older but,we need to get past Big and Pac.
Really, we do. I'm a huge fan of both and I can't deny the impact they had on hip-hop's history. Many rappers have emulated their styles and their words (Jigga...). Many rappers owe their careers to the late icons, but at some point the idolization must stop.


People need to stop using them to make themselves money while claiming to honor their memory,(Diddy...) and artists need to stop using unreleased tracks to bolster their own mediocrity (too many to name). True Keyshia Coles' new joint with Pac is hot, but he's been dead for over 12 years. Find another rapper please.

I think our hesitance to release them speaks to lack of any great current rappers and our reluctance to accept atrists that push the boundaries of hip-hop.
Jay-Z - Swagger jacker.
Nas - Inconsistent.
Andre 3000 - I don't think music is a priority for him right now.
Eminem - Less about yout wife and mother please. We get it. Life sucks. Move on.
Snoop - Was on No Limit Records....
Everyone else is too regional to be universally accepted or not commercial enough to be included in discussions (shame.)

Pac and Big were victims of the lifestyle their lyrics glamorized. If Hip-Hop is indeed dead, it dies with them. We have become too occupied as a culture to appreciate the artists we have now. Instead of demanding quality from our artists, we demand reincarnations of Big and Pac, as long as you are not blatantly imitating them. It's a tough thing to have to do, to be a post Big and Pac rapper. Sure it's been done successfully, but their prescences remain havey in the industry.

If we want to emulate someone, it needs to be a person like Cornell West, President Obama, or Colin Powell. We don't need to shuck and jive to be successful or famous. We can be intelligent and articulate. We can respected without big cars, nice clothes, groupies, or guns and we can have self-esteem without drugs and sex.

Big and Pac were legends in their own time, but sadly that time is over. The sooner we realize that, the better off we'll be. Our music will probably get better too.

Do you.

Too Old for Christmas?

As I come up on my 24th Christmas, I wonder if there is a point where you really don't care anymore. Like I said, I'm 24, my brother is 21, and my sister is 16 and there isn't really any excitement around the house. There's not even a tree at my mother's house, and Christmas is only seven days away. I still have gifts to buy. I can't really remember the last time I was really excited for Christmas to come. Imagine that when I have children the excitement will come in the form of seeing them enjoy it, but for right now, it's just time off from work - I guess as an adult, that's something to be excited about.

I've know that Santa is a myth for a long time now (4 years...4 sad, cold, years), but I was still excited to see what my parents had gotten me for being nice instead of naughty. It was a time of sheer joy becuase it was the only other time of the year you got new toys. Now, it's cash and gift cards....wait why am I not excited again?

I've also known for a while that Jesus was not born in December, but much earlier in the year. Some have proposed April 18th as the day of Jesus' birth. That explains why I'm so dope...I was born on the same day as Our Lord and Savior. Maybe instead of being dope, I'm on it. Anyway, they chose December 25th in an effort to jack that days' previous celebration, a pagan celebration of the sun, and turn it into a Christian celebration of...the Son. Man, I'm so clever. But not as clever as those marketing geniuses that have intertwined fatal shopping sprees and the birth of Jesus. That takes some skill.

I guess I'm just tired of this day being more representative of commercialism than religion and faith. I mean if we really were celebrating His birth, why not give him gifts, like a grain, or burnt offering? Yeah, just throw an entire cow on a bonfire in the back yard. Bam. Thanks Jesus. Come visit us soon.

So, while the modern Church attempts to de-commercialize "Jesus' birthday," I'll go out and finish my Christmas shopping. After all, you can't celebrate the birth of our Savior without iTunes gift cards.

Do you.

Universal Mind Control

This review is for the
iTunes edition.


Intro- Joelle Ndiaye -
It's short, and in French...
kinda like my girlfriend,
who says this basically
translates into-"Welcome
to a new sound called
Universal Mind Control".7/10.

Universal Mind Control - Pharrell whispers they just
wanna dance a few times at the beginning of the track.
It's an interesting comment on the current state of music,
and perhaps the theme for the album.I did notice a lot of
5 Percenter references which are prevalent in a  lot of
East Coast rap.Like most of Pharrell's tracks, UMC has
a dope beat,and like most of Common's songs, a good flow.
It's been stuck in my head for weeks now.
10/10.

Punch Drunk Love ft. Kanye - This joint is an instant
head-nodder.I love the fact that Kanye is NOT singing
on this one. It's a typically boastful Kanye hook that
I like a lot. 8/10.

Make My Day ft. Cee-Lo - Sounds like he borrowed this one
from 3 Stacks, but it works for him as well Cee-Lo is as
nice as ever on the hook, and the upbeat tempo gives the
love song a casual feel. This one got stuck in my head
as well.
8/10.

Sex 4 Suga- Didn't like this one too much at the first
listen, but it has grown on me a bit. I like the beat a lot
more than at first. Not bad.7/10.

Announcement ft. Pharrell - I love the throwback
feel of this beat-good balance of synth and the drum
beat sounds like a hit from the hip-hop's heyday. I half
expected to hear Biggie go "Uhh" a few times before he
stepped to the mic, with a few Diddy "take that's" in
the background.Solid lyrics again from Common, with a
decent verse from Pharrell-I like how he calls out the
G-Shock biters...ahem...BOW WOW.
9/10

Gladiator - In my opinion, this rivals UMC for best on
the album. Nice flow from Common. This track boasts the
best lyrics of the album. Pharell does a great job of
switching things up for the chorus.Songs like this is why I
bought the album. 10/10.

Changes ft. Muhsinah - The standard retrospective/
inspiringCommon joint-hasn't gotten old yet. Muhsinah
is a god fit on the hook. Changes is a nice Obama-era
laid back, Common type track. His daughter Omoye
adds some nice spoken word to the end. 7/10.

Inhale - The beat is a mix between DJ Premier and the
Neptunes with the airy synths as well as a lil scratching
here and there. It's a very breezy beat, but Common
goes hard lyrically, giving it some weight. 7/10.

What a World - Instantly catchy beat-sounds new, yet
retro at the same time. It's a very funky sound, kinda like
a updated Ike & Tina. I can see Ike on the bass now...
Common spits the throwback 80s flow that sounds right
in line with Curtis Blow and Grandmaster Flash. 
8/10.

Everywhere ft. Martina Topley Bird - Very different
sound for Common, but still nice. On this one, he's content
to let Martina do most of the work. He pops in  to do his
thing on one verse. I like this one because Common
shows that he can flow over all types of beats. 7/10.

Break my Heart(live) - For those who haven't seen
Common in concert, it is a great experience, especially
in a venue like the House of Blues. It's a very interactive
experience, with talented live instrumentation."Testify"
from the "BE:turns into a mini theatrical production.
9/10.

Final Score - 96/120=80 That comes out to a B, even
though it feels more like a B+. UMC is not the typical lay
back and burn one album from common, but dope
nonetheless. I like the fact that Common is experimenting
with a new sound and taking risks. Risks are necessary for
artists and for hip-hop as a whole to grow and develop. It
isn't as good as Be or Finding Forever, but it's no slouch
either.



                                                                                  Do you.

The future of Hip-hop?!

On the cover of this month's issue of VIBE, there is a picture of the future of hip-hop. The picture isn't of Lupe Fiasco, The Cool Kids, Wale, B.o.B, GemStones, or a slew of other up and comers. No, "the future of rap is on the cover of VIBEs December 08 issue and you'll never believe who it is!" Man, truer words have never been spoken..

Plies. Yes, THAT Plies. Algernod Lanier Washington according to the government, and the future of hip-hop according to someone at VIBE who doesn't actually listen to music.
Calling him the future of rap is like calling the SUV the future of automobiles, or Rod Blagojevich the future of Illinois politics, or Al Sharpton the future of Black leadership.
With three releases under his belt in 16 months-Real Testament, Definition of Real, and Da Realest-we can see that Plies is prolifically real. I mean, I'm impressed that after a full day of being a "full-blooded goon," he still has time to record so much music. But after listening to some of his real testaments, I figure each track didn't take more than 30 minutes from start to finish. Even still, that's a lot of goonery. Perhaps after performing tasks befitting of the realest person alive, he simply went to the studio to record said deeds. Perhaps, his albums are merely an auditory journal of sorts that gives us insight on the day to day activities of the realest man alive.

Everything above aside, this isn't about Plies. It's about the sad state of hip-hop affairs. I'm not one of those hip-hop is dead/dying people, but I do believe that we are in a rut of sorts. Anytime someone who is a new artist that sounds just like other mediocre rappers with the same content, beats, and D class jewelery gets heralded as the future of anything, we have a problem. Plies brings nothing new to the table. (Sidenote: Grills are still hot?) Sex for the women, guns for the guys, and jewelery for people that are autistic. (Sorry I shoulda said materialistic.) It's the same formula over and over. Sales are down becuase creativity is down, not becuase of iTunes.

In any case, in order for hip-hop to grow and move forward, we need albums like The Love Below, St. Elsewhere, Electric Circus, and 808s & Heartbreak. Boundaries need to be pushed and minds need to be expanded. That way, the future won't be a step backwards.

Do you.