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Friday, January 29, 2010

"...Your Coloring Book": Why Kanye West Inspires Me More Than Barack Obama

"WHEN IT'S ALL SAID AND DONE, REMEMBER THE FEARLESS, REMEMBER THE DREAMERS, REMEMBER THOSE WHO REPRESENT THE GHETTO...THE FAIRY TALE OF NOTHING TO SOMETHING. I'M BRIEFLY SADDENED BY NEGATIVE COMMENTS, BUT I HAVE TO REMEMBER THOSE PEOPLE ARE SCARED, INCAPABLE OR JUST PLAIN IDIOTS. WE ARE THE FUCKING ROCK STARS BABY. NO COCAINE, JUST LIFE MY NIGGAS!! NO COCAINE, JUST LIFE! IT'S FUNNY TO ME WHEN FASHION BLOGGERS DOWN OUR OUFITS AND THEN SUPER JOCK OUTLANDISH SHIT ON THE RUNWAY BUT THEN THEY DRESS MAD PRUDE AND DON'T LIVE FASHION. WE LIVE IT MAN. FUCK THAT, WE LIVE IT!!! WE LIVE IT SO HARD PEOPLE LIVE THROUGH US! WE REPRESENT YOUR INNER SPIRIT!! THE CHILD IN US ALL, THE BRUTAL HONESTY, THE NAIVETY, THE BRAVE WARRIOR, THE ADRENALINE THAT ALLOWS A MOTHER TO LIFT A CAR IF HER CHILD WAS TRAPPED UNDER IT! REMEMBER, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN EVERYBODY DISSED MICHAEL JACKSON EVERY CHANCE THEY COULD. IMAGINE THE PRESSURE OF BEING A TRUE ICON. VERY FEW HUMAN BEINGS ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO TAKE CONSTANT HATE!!! IF WE DON'T DO WHAT YOU FEEL IS THE SHIT, YOU BEAT US UP VERBALLY AND MENTALLY, LIKE A CATHOLIC SCHOOL TEACHER BEATING A CREATIVE STUDENT INTO SUBMISSION. I CAN HEAR YOU SCREAMING 'COLOR INSIDE THE LINES!!!' WELL FUCK YOUR COLORING BOOK, COLOR BY NUMBERS APPROACH TO LIFE. AT THE END OF THE DAY WHO ARE WE HURTING??? OH "THE NEW BLACK???" SINCE BARACK IS PRESIDENT BLACKS DON'T LIKE FUR COATS, RED LEATHER, AND FRIED CHICKEN ANY MORE?! WHEN YOU TRULY UNDERSTAND CULTURAL SETTINGS, BOUNDARIES, AND OUR MODERN DAY CASTE SYSTEMS, THEN YOU CAN FEEL THE GLORY AND PAIN FROM THE DAYS OF KINGS IN AFRICA TO THE NEW KINGS OF THE MEDIA. LET THE BALL PLAYERS DANCE AFTER THEY SCORE! IT'S LIFE MY NIGGAS, IT'S LIFE! REMEMBER CLOTHING IS A CHOICE. WE WERE BORN NAKED!!! FRESH IS AN OPINION, LOVE IS OBJECTIVE, TASTE IS SELECTIVE, AND EXPRESSION IS MY FAVORITE ELECTIVE. NO MORE POLITICS OR APOLOGIES!!!"

-Kanye West via his blog

This rant got me more amped up than November 4, 2008... Let's be clear what I mean, I respect, like, supported, and voted for President Obama, but personally, I don't find him as compelling. Plus, there's like 4 different quotables in the rant, put those on a T-shirt and sell it.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

I'm Super Late, But The Inner Geek Couldn't Resist... Marvel vs Capcom 3 (sorta)

I know this is just a bunch of people with too much time on their hands using the MUGEN (create your own video game) program, but it looks so real. Marvel Vs Capcom 2 WAS the only reason I got PS2, so I couldn't ignore this. Enjoy! Sidebar: Deadpool's adlibs = extra icing on a donut.



Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Post #101!!!! My Favorite Beats EVER

I think a fun way to celebrate my completion of 100 posts is to share my favorite instrumentals, not songs. 101 & beyond...

5. Nelly Furtado - Do It (Prod. Timbaland)


4. Common - Real People (Prod Kanye West)


3. Common - It's Your World (Prod J Dilla)


2. Kanye West - Last Call (Prod. Kanye West & Evidence)


1. MF DOOM - Coffin Nails (Rapp Snitch Knishes instrumental) (Prod. MF DOOM)

Friday, January 15, 2010

SWAGGER X G-Shock "Shock the World" DW5600VT


pics via freshnessmag.com

As much as I hate looking like a lumberjack (I never liked Biggie) or the word "Swagger", it's no secret I love cyber-windowshopping a new G-Shock watch. For a watch with a lumberjack print, I really like this. I wouldn't pay for it, but it's interesting. I do think the timing could have been better though. Wouldn't a lumberjack plaid watch sell better at the start of Fall and through Winter. Then again, I do not work in marketing. Here's the rest of the pics:

SWAGGER x Casio G-Shock - "Shock The World" DW5600VT Watch | FreshnessMag.com

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Cam'ron & DJ Drama - Boss of All Bosses 2 mixtape review


After a long wait, the sequel to the summer’s Cam’ron and DJ Drama collaboration is finally here. I reviewed the last one when it came out…6 months ago, and I remember hoping that the sequel Cam’ron alluded to would be better. Well, half a year later, that mixtape really grew on me, and I appreciate the “mixtape-ness” Boss of All Bosses 1 had. The real purpose of a mixtape is to promote; not necessarily to be a cohesive project, which is what the album is for. Over time, the rap game evolved into a genre of music where some artists don’t even get an album before their 5 seconds of fame is up, so mixtapes have been treated like albums to ensure the rapper gets their fare shot. Because of this, ironically, these days an artists’ mixtape can come out better than the album meant to promote. When comparing this mixtape to Cam’s last album “Crime Pays”, honestly the album’s high’s were higher (as they should be), but this tape was a lot easier to listen to throughout the whole way, compared to Crime Pays’ lows, not to mention this tape’s predecessor, Boss of All Bosses 1. This tape’s flaws are that of any Cam’ron project; The tape seems too long, too much filler, too many unfunny skits, and not enough solo Cam’ron. Like part 1, Cam’s new protégé Vado is on virtually every song and he is not a bad rapper, however he does not have the character of Juelz Santana and Jim Jones or raw lyrical ability of JR Writer or Hell Rell. Unfortunately, none of the aforementioned former protégés of Cam are present (again). However, as ususal Cam’s trademark off kilter rhyme scheme and dry wit are the highlights of the tape. Lines like “Her blackberry, color of strawberries/my pradas were blueberries, she tweakin’ like starberry/ listen boo them boys silly like Mark Curry (comedians)/ girl don’t miss the boat so Ma hurry!” on the Oh Boy-esque “Ohh Baby” or “Fuck all the press and the media/I’m vest with the heater/ my dudes come to see ya, dressed like Madea” on “Do Wrong” show Cam is still master of his craft. One difference from the 1st Boss of All Bosses is that the production value is consistently much better, courtesy of Aarabmusik, who has been getting a lot of hype himself lately. Boss of All Bosses 2 turned out to be worth the wait… even if the wait was 6 months from when Cam said it would originally come out.

7/10: Listen to “Ohh Baby”, “Stop It Slime”, and “Point the Finger”
Avoid: “Get Away” and “Nothing Personal”


Download Mixtape Free | LiveMixtapes.com Mixtape Player

Nike SB Zoom Stefan Janoski "Army”



I spotted these on Hypebeast today. I like the Stefan Janoski’s. I know they’re supposed to be skater shoes, which I let it be known I want nothing to do with “skaterdom”, but the Janoski’s have a casual look, similar to a deck shoe. Last year I found myself literally with a pair in my arm and my hand on my wallet. That was until I realized they were in fact skate shoes. They really are cool though and this colorway is no exception.

Here's the link to Hypebeast's full post:
http://hypebeast.com/2010/01/nike-sb-zoom-stefan-janoski-army/

You’re Favorite Music May Be Used To Torture at Prison Camps

So like 2 weeks ago, I was watching ABC’s World News, since I like to keep up with current events, and I found out something interesting. Apparently at Guantanamo Bay and prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan, they use music to torture detainees in interrogations. The music is played extremely loud and looped over and over again for hours, and in a video from Russia Today, a former prisoner explained afterwards the interrogation detainees “could barely walk”. It has gotten so bad that musicians have banded together to get the government to declassify when music was used for torture and to stop the practice. I can understand it though. Music is supposed to be an art form that people devote their lives to creating. It’s kind of a let down, to say the least, to know what you have put so much into is actually seen as so bad for a person it can be used as torture. Like that those awful Kesha & Lil’ Wayne cds I reviewed recently. They were painful for me to listen to at normal volumes only once. I could not imagine listening to them at sound barrier breaking levels for hours. Here’s a list of some artists they use as torture and the 2 videos:

ACDC
Barney
Sesame Street
Marilyn Manson
Christina Aguilera
Eminem
Metallica
Queen
Bruce Springsteen
The Bee Gees
assorted commercials

ABC World News
Music Used to Torture at Gitmo

Russia Today

Monday, January 11, 2010

Kesha - Animal cd review


With the success of her hit “Tik Tok”, I guess I felt I may as well see what the hype was about. If it was some random pop song, I would have overlooked Kesha (I a m not going to make the effort to put a dollar sign in place on place of an “s”), but she had the nerve to make a rap (-ish) song, so I had to investigate. I thought rapping would be her gimmick, but she does not rap on the whole cd. Actually, I did a little research and found out not only is she the voice behind the chorus of Flo Rida’s hit single “Right Round”, but she has done background vocals for Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears. That being said, you can tell Kesha is not going to be the voice of the generation, but in a cruel, ironic sort of way, she already is. The songwriting for the album is awful. There is no other way to put it. I was actually surprised that she only co-wrote her songs. I mean who would really pay money for lyrics like “lookin’ like pimps in my gold trans am, got a water bottle full of whiskey in my handbag, getting my drunk text on… dirty freak for all” (Take It Off) or “you’re looking like a tool not a baller/ you’re acting like a chick why bother” (Kiss N Tell). Subjectwise, it’s like an MTV reality show put to music; it really is all partying, getting drunk, other girls being “bitches”, and random sex. Not that all of those things are awful, but 15 songs of the same thing – C’mon. On the horrific, rather than just simply lackluster, collaboration with 30h!3 (I know, was I really expecting anything more) she flat out says “Turn around boy let me hit that”. I didn’t even know girls could do the turning around and hitting. To make matters worse, the whole album pretty much has the same dance floor ready beat, drowned with beeping and buzzing synthesizers. Honestly she is probably the voice of this generation, because she is a blatant product of pop culture. The music is horrible, because our culture (youth culture) is horrible. “Tik Tok” remains the album highlight, because it is one of the rare times the album is quotable in a good way. The only other few highlights seem like horrible rip offs from other artists. “Boys & Boots” is tolerable only because it sounds like a Lady Gaga B-side and “Dinosaur” is Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl”, except about old men. About two weeks ago I remember watching ABC World News and they reported how they use music to torture prisoners at Gitmo. Well, this collection of songs could subdue Osama Bin Laden himself. I officially have an appreciation for Lil’ Wayne’s Rebirth album now. This really is that bad… but I am sure “Tik Tok” will not be her only hit single from the album. It is the soundtrack of the generation after all.

2/10: Listen to: “Tik Tok”
Avoid: honestly the rest of the album, but in particular “Blah Blah Blah”, “Kiss N Tell”, and “Party at a Rich Dude’s House”

TOO FUNNY: Lady Gaga x Lord Gaga Bad Romance Parody



I actually spent an hr watching this over and over Not only is this funny because of the video, but the lyrics are an accurate parody of Stefani Germanotta. It gives Al Yankovich a run for his money.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Artie Lange Tried to Commit Suicide... Get Well



*pic spotted on http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/

Sidekick on the Howard Stern radio show and MAD TV alum, Artie Lange apparently tried to kill himself. According to the NY Post, among other sites, the comedian stabbed himself 9 times. Dude was always funny to me and MAD TV is one of my favorite shows ever and probably what created my warpped sense of humor. Suicide is not a joke. It goes to show you that you never know what trials the person next to you faces. Get Well.

"Always make your words sweet..."
NY Post article: http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/stern_sidekick_in_suicide_try_5m9Hwhn1OvpONlzbsiW3oJ

Domino’s Pizza Finally Admits How Horrible Their Pizza (Is) Was



So I was watching TV last night, and all of a sudden a Domino’s commercial for their horrible, sweatshop factory mass-produced pizzas came on. At first I thought it was just another ordinary commercial, but then the chef dude read complaints about their pizza that I have thought to myself for years. The complaints were about how their “crust tastes like cardboard” and “sauce tastes like ketchup”. Really, I was taken back by their honesty. That crust does taste like cardboard, while their sauce does taste like ketchup. I don’t mean Heinz ketchup either, that stuff is good. I put it on everything (have you ever tried Heinz Ketchup + Lays Potato chip, it’s the poor man-child’s Nathan’s Hot Dog Fries). When I mean their sauce tastes like ketchup I mean that horrible, tasteless store brand ketchup that is always on sale because it literally takes ¼ of a cent to make a bottle’s worth. Now their pizza crust is supposedly made w/ garlic butter and their sauce has more herbs or something. I’m still not going to faithfully buy Domino’s though. It’s not that Pizza Hut is really much better… well it is, but I have never been to a clean Pizza Hut, and I know people who worked for Pizza Hut who admitted to spitting in the food, so I don’t trust them either. I just think for your money’s worth just hit up the no-name Chinese place down the street (there’s always one near-by). I just thought it was really desperate to admit they’ve been selling horrible pizza since the ‘80’s. Not to mention whenever I think of Domino’s I think of this…

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Lil' Wayne - Rebirth review


Officially as of yesterday, Lil Wayne’s Rebirth album was pushed back to June 22. I figured I may as well review this now while people actually still care, but I guess that’s already fleeting, hence the pushback (again). Similar to Kanye’s 808’s & Heartbreak, this is Lil’ Wayne supposed dramatic style change. However where Kanye adopted autotuned, tribal drummed, synth-altenapop, Rebirth is supposed to be Wayne’s debut rock album. Also like Kanye, many predicted this would easily be his worst cd yet, and by the sounds of it, it seems like it. The difference in the two’s stabs at experimenting is that Kanye kept the autotuned, tribal drummed, synth-altenapop theme through the whole album and actually produced hit singles (“Heartless” and “Love Lockdown”). Lil’ Wayne’s album is more rock influenced (at times…) than all out rock, and he has not been able to spawn any hits, unless you count “Prom Queen” selling a lot on itunes, just because it was the first single, and people were interested. In all the album is very bad, I mean awful, but it does have its moments.
On one hand, “Da Da Da” may hands down be the worst song of his career, not to mention the past year. There are too many vocal effects (autotune and distortion), the production is too busy, Wayne doesn’t even try with the lyrics: “I know u want me/give me that monkey/ that funky monkey/ (screwed voice) that funky monkey”. The hook really is him on the autotune just saying da da da. “Get a Life” and “Runnin” really don’t fare that much better either. They are proof that Lil Wayne really isn’t cut out for trying to be “experimental” and should stick to what he knows, because this is not working for him. Also, Shannell (AKA SNL), the singer of Young Money and supposedly the driving force of the album really does not have that impressive of a voice either. With the right production she could make some pop hits, but really she makes Rihanna sound like Whittney Houston pre Bobby Brown. Most of the cd seems like a collage of vaguely rock-ish sounds being put together with Wayne and Shannell singing, screaming, and sounding like their dying with no regard for the actual music. Then some songs, just don’t even seem like it’s much of a rock influence at all. The second single, “On Fire”, with it’s clearly Miami sound would work well on a Rick Ross or DJ Khaled album.
The cd does have definite highlights though. The 1st single “Prom Queen” really is not awful and if all of the songs blended his hip hop roots to the new rock sound, the album may not have turned out so bad. Also, other than Shannell and Tyga, the guests definitely pick up the 2nd half of the album. Eminem delivers a great verse on “Drop the World”, Kevin Rudolf continues to make good (not exactly great) collaborations with Wayne on “One Way Trip”, while Nicki Minaj steals the show on “Knockout”. It actually seems suited for the Z-100 pop/rock base, but Nicki’s autotuned hook sounds poppy enough to get airplay, while she delivers a rap/yelled verse that shows she is conscious of the albums direction. The cd really was horrible, but no one goes to Lil Wayne for pushing the envelope or artistic expression. That’s what Kanye is for. If the cd actually comes out, which may not even happen…who knows, it’ll be interesting to see if it sells just on Wayne’s name alone, since the music wont sell it.

3/10: Listen to: “Knockout”, “Drop the World”, and “Prom Queen”
Avoid: “Da Da Da”, “Runnin’” and “Get a Life”

Neon Indian aka Acid the Musical

Honestly, it sounds cool to me. It's definitely not for everyone, but if you like Super nintendo, keyboards, and feeling like you're hallucinating, or just want something interesting to listen to give it a try. It came out last year, but Spin Magazine says they're artists to watch for this year so it must be true...

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Lite (Coolroy) – Out To Lunch Mixtape Review




I’m assuming this is what everyone but me felt like last year when they listened to Drake’s “So Far Gone”. By no means will this get the buzz the Drake tape got, at least not now. The two tapes are similar, they’re both hipstery, rapping/singing, genre-hopping, “emo-raps”. The difference I guess is that Coolroy seems to come off as a more backpacker, underground version of Drake. There’s no “Best I Ever Had” potential, no superstar guests, like Lil’ Wayne, but I can definitely see a buzz building from this tape. As the title and by Coolroy’s own suggestion, the mixtape is something to chill out to. You can definitely tell this guy is from the West Coast. If I had to describe it, It’s probably what Shwayze (remember that guy “Buzzin” ,“Corona & Lime”, that Malibu rapper who never combed his hair & hung around Cisco Alder on that awful reality show on MTV like 2 years ago) was going for, but failed horribly.
Anyway, For the most part the mixtape, production-wise is full of laid back 90’s esque beats and samples, with a few detours, which actually seem to be common these days thanks to Drake & Kid Cudi. “E.T. L” is the now pre-requisite rapper making a electro-pop autotune song, but as far as those go, I’ve heard worse. “Burn” is the “at one time considered pushing the envolope cover of an alternative rock song”, this time by Pink Floyd. Which has been done by Lupe, Cudi, Drake, even Kanye covered Tears for Fears on 808’s. “Red Pumps” and “Never Over” are the attempts to liven the tape up, but really just ruin things. The only change in pace that really works is “My Girl”, it’s sounds like what Shwayze’s first cd could’ve spawned if he had talent. If there was a “Best I Ever Had” on the tape, this would be it. Other than that, the other of the 17 songs are consistent good lyrics and a show of Coolroy’s impressive everyday man storytelling ability. What guy can’t relate to “30 Seconds”…c’mon. Then, songs like “The Feeling” and “The Adventures of Charlie Tuna” really hit home. I really enjoyed this mixtape. Yeah, he pretty much took what already existed and repackaged it to his own image, but the end product really is more than the sum of its parts.

8/10: Listen to: “30 Seconds”, “The Feeling”, and “My Girl”
Avoid: “Burn”, “Red Pumps”, and “Never Over”

What Have I Been Into The Last 2 Months


Since I've been busy here's what I've been into summed up in 5 points.

1.MGMT - Oracular Spectacular: Off of a whim I decided to see what the hype was about, and its an like a warm, psychedelic, musical adventure - give it a listen. (here's my fav, I'm def copping the next album "Congratulations")


2.G-Shock Red G Rescue: It's big, gaudy, and full of functions I'll never use... cool.


3. Vintage MAD TV: With the little more freetime I've had, I've been hitting up youtube and ODing off vintage MAD TV clips from when they were funny.


4. LRG: LRG is starting to look effortlessly cool again. I just may have a reason to shop at Againt All Odds again lol. (I'll post my fav's later)

5. REST :)... It feels good for the grind to slow (it never stops)... A couple of days ago was the first time in months I had nothing to do... one of the best feelings.

Happy New Years
-Nel

...2010 and Forever

It's been a long time, but finals called, so spaceman had to answer. But I'm here now, and looking back... 2009 was probably my favorite year ever, real talk. I think that's the aim of life. Every year should be your new favorite year. I'm gonna be guerilla posting while on Winter break, so enjoy the flood of my mind. So with that, thanks to everyone for making 2009 fantastic & lets make 2010 the next favorite year ever.

-Nel