The Spaceman Show

MGMT - Congratulations review

2010-03-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

“Congratulations”, psychadelic alternative rock duo, MGMT’s sophomre album, is definitely a change from their debut “Oracular Spectacular.” Like they said, there is no “Kids”or “Electric Feel”, but elements of their other songs are there. “I Found A Whistle” sounds similar to “The Youth”, but better and more developed, while “Siberian Breaks is structured similar to “Metanoia”, but that song has so much going on, it’s easier explaining what isn’t in the song. I guess the main difference is the trade of Oracular’s infectiousness, for Congratulation’s superior production. The debut was a random mixtape, more or less, of catchy songs, compared to this albums cohesiveness. The first two songs “It’s Working” and “Song For Dan Traecy” are fast paced, toe tapping, surf rock, with their usual psychedelic twists. “Song For Dan Traecy” even includes a bongos! Unfortunately, the way the album is sequenced “Brian Eno” wounds up sounding like a overly quirky mash of other two though. A lot of the quirks do pay off though. “Lady Dada’s Nightmare” is ironically a dreamy sounding (when you don’t listen to the death moans in the background) instrumental, with strings, pianos and synths, while the almost undisputed best song “Siberian Breaks” just keeps developing with every new sub song, until it’s utterly dazzling finish. The leak of “Flash Delirium” now makes sense and is probably the catchiest and subtly funkiest song on the album. I guess the glaring problem from this style change is that these are good songs, but their debut was full of compelling anthems for people. People could relate to “Kids” and the idea behind “Time to Pretend”, which just added to the catchiness. These songs kind of feel soulless, other than the finale, the title song “Congratulations”. It is the only time where Andrew Vanwyngarden’s vocals take center stage and easily the most compelling song here. The album is definitely a giant leap forward musically, but just as much of a giant leap backwards in everything that made Oracular Spectacular what it was. Take that sentiment anyway you want, personally I like this.

7.8/10
Listen to: “Siberian Breaks”, “Flash Delirium”, and “Congratulations”
Avoid: “Brian Eno” and “Someone’s Missing”

Billionaire Boys Club "Sapce Magician" T-Shirt: I Need This

2010-03-18T20:10:00.001-07:00

As much as I hate BBC/Ice Cream, I really think this shirt suits me. Hence the name of the blog. Well friends... can anyone spot me a quick $80 :)?

Here's a link to handsomeclothing.com for details: B.B.C. Space Magician

Posted using ShareThis

Daft Punk - Discovery: classics album review

2010-03-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

This album originally came out in 2001 and though Daft Punk, the electronica duo, isn’t as ubiquitous as say Brittany Spears or Jay-Z, whose careers are just as long, you (John Q. Public) probably know of Daft Punk’s work, on this album in particular. For those of you who don’t know this is the duo responsible for “One More Time” (we’re gonna celebrate, music’s got me feeling so free… yeah that song… yes that’s a duo… no, none of them actually are singing). And to be honest, in the past decade, “One More Time” probably has gotten more airplay and club play in such a variety of places, whether it is a Top 40 radio station to the Rap/R&B station DJ’s mixes, than anything Jay-Z, Brittany Spears or anyone else that has been around since the ‘90’s, ever since the single came out. Since the end of last year, while all of the major websites were doing their best albums of the decades, it so happened this album was at the top of most lists, so I decided to investigate. Again, for artists who may not be the most household names in the U.S., a good chunk of this album has been in the consciousness of this country for almost the whole decade. “Digital Love” is a G rated vocoder laden love song, with warm synthesizers, that was made famous in widely popular Gap commercials, at the time. “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” is a song with a simple mantra and distinctive symbols that has had it’s fare share of commercial exposure, as well as being sampl… rapped over by Kanye West in “Stronger”. Not to mention other songs like the “Aerodynamic” and “Veridis Quo” have also been sampled throughout the years. The whole album has a ‘70’s/ ‘80’s disco vibe and, other than the horrifically cheesy “Something About Us”(in an album known and love for its cheesiness), it is danceable the whole way through. However, you would not be missing out on much if you just downloaded the aforementioned songs, but I suggest listening to the whole album. If the whole autotune movement going on today, which probably in a way is a result of this album, or disco and other assorted dance genres aren’t your thing, you probably will not like this album, but the effect it has on pop music today is still very evident.

9/10
Listen to: “Aerodynamic”, “Digital Love”, and “Harder, Better, Faster Stonger”
Avoid: “Something About Us”…honestly that’s it

My Favorite Song Right Now

2010-03-14T20:32:00.001-07:00

MGMT - Flash Delirium

It takes a few listens to really soak up the song. It's got the whole psychedlic pop vibe as usual, but it isnt as poppy as "Kids". It's really an odd song. I think listening gives it more justice than typing about it. The "Here's a growing culture..." is my favorite part.

Who Wants Some Whale Sushi?

2010-03-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

So this high end restaurant is known for serving typically unusual animals, but the problem is that the particular whale found was endangered. Not that I support eating endangered animals, but I think it was more crazy that the feds discretely went to a restaurant, snuck DNA samples to test, like it was some Law & Order SVU episode, all for some food violation. You'd of thought it was some drug-related murder case.If there is any food that should be outlawed its turducken… that’s a crime against nature and common sense.

Here’s the clip on abc news

paste the url for the cnn article: since no one wants their links on blogger :)
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/11/california.whale.meat.charge/index.html

sushi pic via http://partners.visitrenotahoe.com
turducken pic via:http://www.pinedale-transformers.org

Ludacris - Battle of The Sexes album review

2010-03-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

So when I first heard the concept of the album, I thought it was Luda running out of the creative ideas seen on the preceding albums (Release Therapy and Theatre Of The Mind) and the “men vs women concept” was his way to make generic relationship songs, while still trying to be seen as “pushing the envelope”. On the contrary, rather than pushing any boundaries, the album sees Ludacris regressing more than anything. Though Luda still is capable of making urban and pop hits (“How Low” on this album is doing very well on the charts along with his collaboration with teen sensation Justin Beiber) and he still shows he has solid lyrics throughout, there is nothing on this album that I can see being played in a year from it’s single release. The album is nothing memorable, to be blunt. The first half of the album sounds like early 2000’s Luda, with typical strip club style southern beats that he hasn’t really seemed to have needed since “Chicken N Beer”. The only difference is Chicken N Beer sounds like an album around 6 years ago, because that album WAS 6 YEARS AGO. Other than “How Low” being a catchy radio song, the only thing on the album that stands out up to the 7th song is Nicki Minaj’s verse on the second single “My Chick Bad”, which is typical Nicki Minaj; ok lyrics, the same flow, and random voice switching. At least it’s memorable though. Honestly, the 8th song, “Hey Ho” really only stands out, because it’s a change in production style, with an organ loop, and Lil Kim sounding like Nicki Minaj. Or maybe it is the other way around. Honestly, Nicki Minaj is a Lil Kim knock off anyway, so I guess they should sound the same. The album really doesn’t even mention the whole “Battle of the Sexes” concept too much either. There’s strip club songs, songs about how his “chick is bad”, and of course the usual supposedly seductive songs, but there really are only 2 or 3 songs that actually deal with relationships “maturely”. The real battle of the sexes on the album is former DTP artist Shawnna getting shut up, not on the mic, but on paper, by appearing on a lot of the tracks, but not being credited, since her move to T-pain’s label. Take that feminism. Really the album was a giant leap back for Ludacris, but even consistency has to give in eventually.
6/10

Listen To: “My Chick Bad”, “Can’t Live With You”, and “Hey Ho”
Avoid: “How Low” (though it is pretty hard to now), “Party No Mo”, and “Everybody Drunk”

DJ Khaled - Victory album review

2010-03-03T13:29:00.000-08:00

So DJ Khaled is on his 4th album, “Victory”. Honestly, I don’t see why people didn’t think he would be successful, he gets popular rappers, puts them all together on posse cuts, with catchy hooks. He has shown through the years he has a consistent record of making hits, by staying to this formula. Unfortunately for Victory, its strength is it’s downfall. Not only does this album sound like every other Khaled album, structure wise, not execution wise (more on that later), but the songs sound pretty much the same on the album. Khaled albums are a whose who of Southern Hip Hop artists, but we know of his especially close connections with Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Plies and T-Pain. That in mind, it’s no surprise they are all back (Rick Ross and Young Jeezy with multiple appearances). Honestly, I am surprised that there is no Fat Joe or Lil Wayne, because they’re usually around too. What is still around are those drowning synths present on every Khaled and Ross album, that usually sound triumphant, but more often on here sound overdone. However when they do have that triumphant feel, it definitely works. The lead single “Fed Up” features (of course) Rick Ross and Young Jeezy, but now Usher is thrown in the mix, along with everyone’s new “Last name Ever, First name Greatest” rapper, Drake. The beat works, Ross and Jeezy sound at their best, while Usher’s hook really is catchy, and like him or not, Lil Wayne Vanilla is pretty infectious. I am disappointed though, because what Khaled usually is good at is picking good combinations, which he still is, but they are not used as effectively as in the past. “Rockin’ All My Chains On” features Bun B, Birdman, and Soulja Boy, however Bun B is the one doing the hook, and all three have a verse. I would think Soulja Boy would have made the same hook twice as catchy, while Bun B could have taken either of the other verses. Also, “Ball” Features Schife (…me neither) on hook duty, while Jim Jones gets 3 verses on the same type of production. First, why does Jim Jones have 3 verses, he rarely does a whole 3 on his own best songs, and Khaled could have gave one of the few non-southern artists a non-southern sounding beat. These songs aren’t even the low points of the album, that’s just the trend. The bright spots though are when the sounds vary, like the when the pace is slowed down on the title track that features Nas and John Legend and a solo by Rum, over a dark, menacing production complaining about wanting real rap back. In all, Victory is more of the same, but watered down than the last 3 cds.

5.5/10
Listen To: “Fed Up”, “Victory”, and “Bringing Real Rap Back”
Avoid: “Ball”, “Bring The Money Out” and “Killing Me”

Throwback: Jim Jones - Summer Wit Miami (Feat. Trey Songz)

2010-03-03T06:59:00.000-08:00

I always liked this song and if you live... well anywhere in the US you've just been hit with week after week of snow, so I know you're looking forward to Summer too. Ironically, this is one of my favoite songs, but I cant stand any of Jim Jones' newer music and I now think Try Songz sings like a woman in labor.

We Are The World 25... I Know It's A Good Cause, but WOW...WOW

2010-02-14T14:24:00.001-08:00

This really is Horrible. I dont know where to start. Justin Bieber having the audacity to start off the song, Lionel Richie being Celine Dion's personal audience in the vocal booth, the autotuned section of the song (Lil Wayne, Akon, T-Pain... all back to back), then the actual rapping. No wonder Lady Gaga pulled out (pause). If you're going to donate something for Haiti, more power to you, but personally I wouldn't waste hard drive space on this.

Edison Has Always Been A Cultural Wasteland, But Today Its A Frozen One Too

2010-02-10T20:15:00.001-08:00

Peep the effects of the Blizzard of 2010 on a certain little township in Dirty Jerz.

Honestly, It could have been a lot worse. Keeping the head to the sky, along with the pie.

-Spaceman in the 'Son

My Favorite Beats 2/9/10

2010-02-09T07:32:00.000-08:00

What I'm into this week:

Andre 3000 - Prototype

Spaceman Fact: This is actually my favorite song of all time

J Dilla - Take It Back

A Tribe Called Quest - Luck Of Lucien

Ghostface Killah - Jellyfish (Prod MF DOOM)

Amy Winehouse - Tears Dry On Their Own (Prod Salaam Remi)

My favorite Faux 80's Group Is Coming Back!!!!

2010-02-09T07:28:00.000-08:00

It's no secret I'm a big Chromeo fan, so it's cool that not only are they back, but they have a new blog! Here's their first vid for the blog. Also, peep the music in the vid. They always have something funky in the background.

Yeah Their Album Was Garbage, But Play Clothes Looks Cool

2010-02-07T14:03:00.000-08:00

So the Clipse bombed on that last cd, who cares. When they made good music (Hell Hath No Fury) no one bought it anyway. At least they’re delivering with their surprisingly successful clothing line Play clothes. I’m especially diggin the g-shock (of course) and fitted hat. Maybe they could give Pharrell some tips.

Here's a fitted to match:

*g-shock pic via Highsnobiety, fitted pic via strictlyfitteds.com

Is NBC's Black History Month Menu Racist? Mmmm...

2010-02-04T14:08:00.000-08:00

pic via sloyoyster.com

We all know NBC is no stranger to shuckin' & jivin' (i.e. Tracy Morgan), but peep how 30 Rock celebrates Black History Month. Their menu now includes fried chicken, collard greens w/ smoked turkey, white rice & black-eyed peas, and jalapeno cornbread with aquafina water or soda for 7.50. Apparently this from ?uestlove of the Roots'twitter (Jimmy Fallon's not too awful Show's band). Honestly, it probably isn't maliciously racist (it's still racist though). Maliciously racist would be adding packets of Kool-Aid to go along with the water. Not to mention for 7.50 that's a good deal. Sans the rice & black-eyed peas, and the fact it's at NBC studios, I'd be all over that. The problem more or less is that people should have been informed beforehand, because who wouldn't have foreseen this backlash (...OH AND THAT IT'S RACIST). Definitely not the best look for NBC.

Here's ?eustlove's twitpic:

My Favortie Beats 2/3/10

2010-02-03T19:15:00.000-08:00

Since I had so much fun reminiscing by posting some of my favorite instrumentals last week, I decided to make this a weekly thing. It's like a slice of my mind every week... my mind = pie in the sky

5. Ghostface Killah - Alex (Prod. MF DOOM)

4. Commom - The Light (Prod. J Dilla)

3. Lily Allen - Littlest Things (Prod. Mark Ronson)

2. Lupe Fiasco - Theme Music To A Drive By (Prod. Prolyfic)

1. Lupe Fiasco - Gold Watch (Prod. Chris & Drop)

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

2010-01-29T17:15:00.000-08:00

"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.

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

2010-01-24T20:43:00.000-08:00

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.

Post #101!!!! My Favorite Beats EVER

2010-01-19T21:04:00.000-08:00

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)

SWAGGER X G-Shock "Shock the World" DW5600VT

2010-01-15T19:41:00.000-08:00

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

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

2010-01-12T22:37:00.000-08:00

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”

2010-01-12T08:55:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-12T08:34:00.000-08:00

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

Kesha - Animal cd review

2010-01-11T21:43:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-11T17:58:00.001-08:00

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.

Artie Lange Tried to Commit Suicide... Get Well

2010-01-07T20:51:00.000-08:00

*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

2010-01-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

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…

Lil' Wayne - Rebirth review

2010-01-06T21:32:00.001-08:00

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

2010-01-06T18:43:00.000-08:00

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...

Lite (Coolroy) – Out To Lunch Mixtape Review

2010-01-05T21:34:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-05T20:25:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-05T20:18:00.000-08:00

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

First Man-Scarves, Then Man-Bags, Now…Man-Skirts :(

2009-11-30T19:06:00.000-08:00

*spotted on http://www.tumblr.com/

H&M let out it’s Spring 2010 line last week, and they are taking unisex to a new level. I’m sorry, but if you have to put a “man” in front of it (man-bags, man-scarves, man-dals, skinny man-jeans, etc.) it’s not for me. More power to whoever has the properly ventilated gonads to rock this outside. Then again, in 2004, it was cool for guys to where nightgown sized white tee's. Oh well.

Lady Gaga x Kid Cudi – Make Her Say (Live): Uniting People Through Songs About Getting Head

2009-11-30T19:03:00.000-08:00

So everyone’s new favorite singer/dancer/instrumentalist/(gaudy) fashionista EVER, Lady Gaga decided to explain how colorless, classless, and uniting the power of music is… by bringing out everyone’s favorite neurotic emo rapper/singer Kid Cudi to perform is hit “Make Her Say”…you know the song with the lazy Kanye West sample of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face”(the song that she said was really about poking some other girl’s face…however that works). Lol at promoting unity, through a song where a rapper says bitch and nigga plenty of times… to the Lady Gaga audience (you know who makes that up…yeah they do, but I mean the other part of her audience). Well…it’s the thought that counts. The song does sound good live anyway.

I Love This Song, But...

2009-11-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

Clipse - "Popular Demand" (Feat. Cam'ron)

I love the song, I like the video, but you know Dr. King is probably rolling in his grave right now. Not only does the song/video reinforce the whole materialism, violence, and crime thing, but Damn... they had to be eating fried chicken while doing it. Honestly, this looks like a parody of a rap video. I still like it though :)...I'm just saying...

I'm Sorry...But She Is Just Too...How Can I Say it Tastefully?

2009-11-12T20:42:00.000-08:00

Not that I'm HUGE on pop music, but as I've said many times I love some ornately produced alterna-pop. The biggest name in pop music today is Lady Gaga and let's be honest, she knows how to make a catchy song. Though I would never blast it on my car radio (especially in some parts...say Plainfield) I actually kinda liked "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". She really has great production. "Bad Romance" is no different...except it sounds straight (...ok not straight) out of an alternative lifestyle ball. I don't discriminate, I believe in love & let love & what not, but really...does the music have to be so ga...frui..."festive". Then the video...what the hell what was that. Is it symbolic of something. The vid starts off as her as sperm? I guess, then she becomes a robot, then a polar bear, and lights on fire. It's a 5 min wtf moment and the pop audience is gonna love it. Good thing that "Fame Kills" Tour got scrapped & Kanye isn't associated w. the 10 10 10 shabam-ness (google it).

That's It! Billionaire Boys Club Is Officially Dead

2009-11-11T20:27:00.000-08:00

I thought the whole BBC/Ice Cream/BAPE fad was over when every little hoodrat had the bootleg BAPE hoodies back in 2005, which took away from the exclusivity of the tackiness. However, since people thought it was dead, it was cool for just the hipster rappers to keep their BAPE & BBC on, so it went back to being exclusively hip. Now though, it's officially dead. I know they didn't just acid wash a pair of (unquestionably skin tight)jeans, put a picture of a fox/rabbit/jackel jumping on the crotch hole. and you know it's gonna sell for an arm & a leg. Shame on you Pharrell Williams for continuing to make horrible looking clothes, and making virturally the same 6 songs for over a decade.

*pic spotted on freshnessmag.com

Btw: What is that thing on the crotch of the jeans and why does it have to be right on the lap?! Is it a fox or a rabbit? Sidebar: Does anyone even wear BBC under a certain tax bracket?

There's a Speed Racer G-Shock?!?!? Where Was I?

2009-11-11T20:10:00.001-08:00

I was browsing on my new favorite site mygshock.com, it's where I find all of my gaudy, cereal box-ish digital watch ideas, when I came across this wonder. There's a Speed Racer inspired G-Shock. It's perfect. It's the cleanest concept G-Shock I've ever seen (sorry Ultraman, Astro Boy, and Spike Lee G-Shocks). In a perfect worl you'd be mine...*tear drop*

Healthy Ice Cream… All They Need Is Healthy Family Size Apple Pie w/ Cold & Lonliness & I'll Be Set

2009-11-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

According to msnbc.com, food scientists are tinkering around with ice cream to make it healthier for the digestive system. Downside, it’s still going to have the same fat and calories, it’s not going to taste that good, and since they’re gonna load that trick up with dietary fiber, you’re probably gonna be blowing up toilets afterwards. Yeah… Well the article is an interesting read anyway.

Here is the link:
(sidebar: Blogger is a dick for disabling the links)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33838750/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/

LOL :) …Sesame Street’s Taking Shots at Fox News

2009-11-08T14:48:00.000-08:00

Guess who’s next on the list of people taking shots at Fox News, after Liberals, Rappers, and people with common sense… yup, the children’s educational puppet show, Sesame Street. Actually the episode is 2 years old, but all of a sudden, people have finally paid attention to the obvious jab. A fictional news channel “Pox News” is described as “trashy news”. Here’s the clip, but it’s more or less the offended people who make the whole situation funny.

Here's an example of the outrage, from a poster on the Big Hollywood blog, via yahoo news.

If Mom and Dad watch cable news, it’s better than 50/50 they watch “POX News.” So what gives? PBS — a network partially funded with my tax dollars — has the right to tell my kids that their parents watch “trashy” news? The message is clear, I can’t even sit my kids in front of “Sesame Street” without having to worry about the Left attempting to undermine my authority...

Honestly, if Barack Obama didn't win the election and "paint the White House (half) Black" ,as Ludacris would say, there would be no complaints. No one caught this when Bush was in charge.

-Spaceman

Extra: My favorite (of many) O'Reily Moments

...yet another reason Cam is one of my favorites

...Chester French Never Fails

2009-11-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

When I'm not listening to "urban music", what do I listen to you ask? Duh... I listen to ornately produced alterna-pop. One of my favorites, if you follow the blog you know, Chester French released yet another of their hilarious covers. This time, it's a cover of Pitbull's Calle Ocho. Yeah, they didn't sell any records, but at least they know how to have fun.

Chester French - Calle Ocho Cover

Here's the one before that, the Shakira - She Wolf cover.

It's like every crossover latin song gets totally ruined lol. The only other time latin music is this funny is when Fat Joe tries to stay relevant.

Twitter is on Notice!!

2009-11-06T07:16:00.000-08:00

I've been flooded with exams and papers to blog as much over the past two weeks (things have calmed down now, so expect more regular posting), but Twitter FINALLY responded in restoring my twitter account: TWO MONTHS LATER

My original e-mail: (Sept. 16)
My name is _______ and I mistakenly deleted the wrong twitter account.
The account I accidently deleted's user name was SpacemanNEL and the
password to the account was ________. The verification to restore my account
was supposed to have been sent to ___________, but I have not
received it any of the few times I clicked to receive an account restoration
verification. Is it possible for the restoration verification be sent to
__________? Thant would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time,

Their response: (Nov. 2)
Got it!

Your request made it to Twitter Support. Someone from our support team will review it as soon as possible. Please note: we do not accept attachments. If your request included an attachment, please reply to this email with the contents of the attachment in the body of the email, or we will be unable to see the details of your request.

...really twitter? It took 2 months just to say you'll look at it. This is why facebook is winning, you guys need to step it up. Who runs twitter anyway (I assume some stupid twatwaffle with adult ADHD and/or Tourettes who honestly believed random people would care about listening to every little thing that pops up in their head, because real people he/she knows doesn't care. Dude probably is a bed wetter...). Anyway, if twitter keeps up, they'll end up like Xanga (I'm assuming you just thought "what the hell is Xanga"...exactly). That's just how I see it.

-Spaceman

Wale - Attention: Deficit... Buy It

2009-11-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is my blog and I'm not making this anyone's marketing tool, however in the interest of promoting cool music, clothes, and occasionally spewing random objective hate, I'm pushing this cd so hard, because I really think this is good music and it should really be heard. The cd comes out November 10, next Tuesday, so here's 2 of my favorites:

Beautiful Bliss (Feat. J. Cole & Melanie Fiona)

Momma Told Me

Here's the lead single "Chillin'" (Feat. Lady Gaga). (It's easily the worst song on the album though, which says how good the leak sounded. I admit though this song does kinda get annoying after a while)

G-shock x Mr. Cartoon

2009-11-06T06:43:00.000-08:00

*pic spotted on casio.com/news

For those who don't know, Mr. Cartoon is a famous tattoo/graphic artist that is known for being the tattoo artist to the celebrities, as well as releasing some limited edition Nike's not that long ago, that the sneaker-heads went crazy for. Hoping to recreate that success, he linked up with G-shock for a limited line. I doubt you'll be able to buy this at the local Macy's, but it's no big deal. It's cool and if the G-shock fairy just happened to drop this off at my house, I'd wear it (Sidebar: Spaceman turns 20 in a month...not that I'm asking for it), but like the Nike's he released, I don't think it's worthy of all of the hype. I just think Mr. Cartoon is just trying to get some money. Check it out:

http://www.gshock.com/

shouts to mygshock.com for the heads up

Wale – Attention: Deficit album review

2009-11-01T20:59:00.000-08:00

After years of putting out critically acclaimed free mixtpaes, DC rapper Wale, has finally put out an official album (Technically the cd is out Nov. 10, but it leaked). For everyone who deosn’t know, here’s Wale in a nutshell: DC rapper, who combines rap and elements of DC go-go music, who was signed to the record label of Grammy-Winning producer Mark Ronson. In the past many publications have compared him as a combination of Lupe Fiasco and Lil Wayne, which really is accurate, but this album proves he is more original than that.
Just as his mixtapes, Wale is most at home when he is backed by ornate production, which the album is full of. Almost all of the songs are full of energetic horns, percussion, hand claps, and the occasional synthesizer. The album contains production from Ronson, as well as, the Neptunes, Green Lantern, 9th Wonder, and Cool and Dre. If you think the production variety is big, then see the guest list; Bun B, Lady Gaga, Pharrell, Chrisette Michele, Jazmine Sullivan, K’Naanm J. Cole, and the man, the myth…Gucci Mane (and others). Usually when debut artists have this much production and guest vocals, it usually is a way to hide the lack of talent of the artist, but Wale definitely holds his own. Tracks like “Momma Told Me”, “Mirrors” , and “Beautiful Bliss” show Wale’s lyricism, while “90210”, “Diary”, and “World Tour” give the listener a taste of his ability to tell a story.
Attention: Deficit’s does have drawbacks, as does every ambitious debut. At times the production can be a little to overpowering for the rookie MC, and you may find yourself listening to the beat, rather than Wale. Also, not all of the guests work well with Wale. Lead single “Chillin’” is clearly one of the weaker songs, with weak lyrics and Lady Gaga doing her best M.I.A. impression. Obviously the point of making this a single was to capitalize off of the pop singer’s fame (no pun intended). Also, Pharrell’s contribution “Inhibitions” falls short of expectations. On the other hand, Bun B and K’Naan’s appearances on “Mirrors” and “TV in the Radio” respectively upstage Wale’s efforts. The best collaborations come from 2nd single “Pretty Girls” (Feat. Gucci Mane) and “Beautiful Bliss” (Feat. J. Cole and Melanie Fiona). On these two, Wale is complemented, and the results are pretty great. In all, the album is a very good listen and has my pick of rap debut of the year. It shattered my already high expectations, despite a few missteps and, turned out to be a great foot to officially start a career on.

8.5/10: Listen to: “Pretty Girls”, “Beautiful Biss”, “Momma Told Me”, and “90210”
Avoid: “Chillin’” and “Inhibitions (Let Loose)”

Lil Wayne – No Ceilings mixtape review

2009-11-01T20:15:00.000-08:00

It’s a well-known fact that I don’t like Lil Wayne. Personally, I think all Lil Wayne does is put words together, instead of actually rapping about something. He gives occasional entertaining moments, but I always thought he was more known for being hyped up by his own flood of mediocre Internet material. Apparently I’m the exception, because aside from some hipster circles who value “real hip hop” (the stuff no one buys outside said hipster circles), everyone loves Lil Wayne. So when it was announced Wayne was coming out with a new mixtape, “the streets” (the Internet, college campuses & urban-pop radio dj’s) were in frenzy. So how is the mixtape you ask?
There are two things that can’t be taken away from Wayne; dude knows how to make a punch line and he is naturally infectious. The mixtape is what any other generic mixtape is, a bunch of assorted freestyles and scrapped songs lumped together with a few drops to make some cohesion. Through the tape, Wayne raps over everything from Mario’s “Break-Up”, to Jay-Z’s “Run This Town” to Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling”. His flow is amorphous and seems to adapt to all of the different beats, while still rambling his seemingly bottomless supply of one-liners. My personal favorite is “Leave a p***y microsoft like Windows Vista”. I have to admit he really is the biggest name of the genre for a valid reason.
I guess the flaws of the tape are when he lets his weed carriers aka Young Money try to make their names for themselves. Jae Millz was and still is unnoteworthy, Shannell will probably always be Nicki Minaj’s second banana, Gudda Gudda’s only function (other than being another body cavity to smuggle coke, weed or whatever rappers smuggle these days through an airport) is to fill time for Wayne to catch his breath, while Tyga is still most notable for being the punching bag of the hip hop, before Yung Breg took that from him. The only fault with Wayne’s performance is that he pretty much does the whole kill you and screw your girl free association thing for almost an hour. Fans will love this, but the average listener will get bored, which I was. It made me realize the purpose of seemingly obscure detours of his catalogue, such as “Lollipop” and “Prom Queen”. They were unpredictable, which is what the mixtape lacked, but after all it is only a mixtape. For now, I guess you win Mr. Carter. However when you screw up, next time, I’ll be on your ass like…you and Birdman (pause).

7.9/10 Listen to: “Swag Surfin’”, “D.O.A.”, “I Run This Town”
Avoid: “Break Up”, “I Think I’m In Love”, and “Poke Her Face”

Vans Del Barco LX Chukkas

2009-10-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I hate Vans. I really hate Vans. In fact here is my hierarchy of things I hate:

1. People who are too cocky & just beg to be knocked down a peg
2. Lil' Wayne (& his dickriders)
3. Vans
4. Preachers who aren't actually Preachers
5. Pathmarks (aka ghetto Shoprite)

-but I digress. As much as I hate Vans, since they are just popular, becuase the hipster/skater thing is popular, I must say I really like these shoes. Seriously I need these like yesterday. Both colorways are super cool.

*pics spotted on http://nicekicks.com

Gravedancing (Yes...Actual Grave Dancing, not Figurative a la Diddy & Al Sharpton)

2009-10-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

I really don't know how to respond to this. I'm disgusted, but entertained and ashamed, yet still willing to watch it again. It's like BET in it's purest symbolic form...Yes I just pressed replay...

*rule number one keep your fazers on stun*

New Music Tue...Wednesday

2009-10-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

Yeah kiddies, I'm late... here's whats interesting this week

Clipse - "Popular Demand (Popeyes)" (Feat. Pharrell & Cam'ron)

It's all the coke puns you like about Clipse and Cam at his most fun sounding, over Pharrell with an appropriately toned down beat. Besides, who doesn't love a song about drama at Popeye's? If I had a nickel...

Mr. Hudson - "Knew We Were Trouble"

I reviewed the cd last week. It's one of the songs that doesn't remind you of 808's & Heartbreak. I could see this being a hit in the UK.

Lil Wayne - "Run This Town"

Lil Wayne never lets a moderately popular song fade into obscurity without free styling over it. It's one of his better ones. Don't get me wrong, I don't like Lil Wayne, you could even call me a hater, but like the late great "Star" of "Star & Buckwild" (He's not dead, just his career), the hate is all objective. Honestly, I've heard worse (especially today)

Kanye-Proof!! Donnis is Officially My Favorite New Rapper!!!!

2009-10-26T21:40:00.000-07:00

"Don’t say I lucked up, call it perfect timing". Look what happens to new-rapper, Donnis, a week after I listen/reviewed his mixtape. Watch when some random dude tries to Kanye up Donnis’s moment, he not only goes berserk, but has the stage presence to build up dramatic tension before. Let’s see Drake do that, all while rocking a pair of skinny man jeans.

Donnis – Diary of an ATL Brave mixtape review

2009-10-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

So when the mixtape originally came out in August and I found out 10 Deep (the hipster NY clothing brand that brought you hipster rap mixtape classics such as; Wale’s “100 Miles and Running” and “The Mixtape About Nothing” and Kid Cudi’s “A Kid Named Cudi”) presented the tape, I figured it would be like listening to T.I. talk about skinny jeans. So when I heard the opening “It’s 10 Deep shawty!” drop, I quickly deleted the tape. Fast forward to earlier this week. (Kanye’s DJ) A-trak, whom I like his remixes, blog and brother’s duo “Chromeo”, singed Donnis to Fold’s Goold Records, I was interested. A-trak is known for techno, so in an attempt to look for something to hold me over before Wale’s Attention: Deficit album on November 10th (no thanks necessary Daniel Wiesman), I decided to see what this mixtape was about; and honestly I am impressed.
The intro “Beginnings” properly introduces who he is, the challenges of being a “hipster rapper” and making it in the industry. Not to mention, he really is lyrically talented. When Donnis raps, it does sound like he is channeling some of his fellow hipster labeled contemporaries; “Beginnings” sounds like Drake with a southern accent, while other times he adds his southern twang to songs I wouldn’t be surprised if Wale made in a different world (using Go-Go, rather than southern influences, of course) like “Underdog” and “Country Cool”. Donnis even works with some of Wale’s frequent collaborators; Bun B (Country Cool) and Colin Monroe (I Am Me). However, Donnis really shines when it seems the hipster mentality and southern swagger form a unique identity; like the pump-upper anthem “Gone” and the smooth “Sexytime”. Also, it helps that the force behind Rick Ross’s longevity, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, provide their usual triumphant production for many of the songs. Honestly, none of the songs are flat out awful. Maybe “Song For Every Ex” may e the cliché “I did my lady wrong song” and “Here to Stay” isn’t Marsha Ambrosius’s best hook ever, while :Over Do It” is more or less just okay. In all the mixtape more than holds its weight and I look forward to more from Donnis.

7.5/10: Listen to: “Gone”, “Sexytime”, and “Pop Them Thangs”
Avoid; “Over Do It” and “Here to Stay”

Mr. Hudson – Straight No Chaser album review

2009-10-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

So if you couldn’t get enough of Kanye West’s 808’s & Heartbreak the first time and you found yourself craving even more borderline-suicidal sounding “singing” after 808’s Part II (Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon: The End of the Day), then don’t hesitate to cop part 3 of the trilogy (unless Common screws up what he has with Serena Williams and decides to go emo as well), Mr. Hudson’s Straight No Chaser. Hudson, along with Kid Cudi were both instrumental pieces to Kanye’s 808’s & Heartbreak, so when Cudi’s cd came out, it was easy to see what he brought to the table. Mr. Hudson’s G.O.O.D. music debut also makes it clear what he brought on 808’s as well, however, a lot of people did not like it the first time, more did not like it the second time, so a third helping may not be the best thing.
That being said, it’s obvious the cd isn’t going to be the most danceable thing in the world. Like 808’s and Man on the Moon, this album’s strength is in the amazing choruses. The (UK) smash “Supernova”(Feat. Kanye West) is a prime example. The chorus fits the 80’s synths and it is guaranteed to get stuck in your head. Along with “Stiff Upper Lip” and “Time”, these are uplifting moments of the album manage to be catchy, without the melodrama that can make the rest of the cd easier to listen to an a bad day. “There Will Be Tears” and “Knew We Were Trouble” has chorus and production combinations as well as “Supernova”, but at the wrong time, the songs can come off as grating and annoying, more-so “There Will Be Tears”. Then, some of the songs are, to be blunt; boring. “Instant Messenger” and “Central Park” really are what you would expect when one (from an American point of view) thinks of as boring British music. Then, the two Kanye guess spots “Supernova” and “Anyone But Him” make the songs seem like it’s Kanye’s album all over again, while Mr. Hudson plays back-up. The cd wasn’t bad and it definitely proves “Paranoid” and “Street Lights” on Kanye’s 808’s & Heartbreak were not just catchy flukes. Mr Hudson, as well as West and Cudi are all doing well with the alterna-pop route, it’s just Hudson isn’t doing as good a job as the other two.

6/10: Listen to: “Supernova”, “Time”, and “Knew We Were Trouble”
Avoid: “Anyone But Him”, “Instant Messenger”, and “Central Park”

THIS IS THE REASON I BLOG: I can't believe I am so late to this

2009-10-21T19:09:00.000-07:00

This is too good... I really don't know where to start. There's the first dude, sounds like he's Gucci Mane's cousin, he's as Bama (country) as a ketchup sandwich. Then, I don't even know what was up with the judges. There were the two guys who were waaayy uncomfortably close. I'm sorry, but the day I let a man get up on me like that is the day I completely lose all hope for finding love & am realdy to bite the big one (no homo) shortly afterwards. Then, Eli Porter... Is he mentally challenged, is he on lean (cough syrup + some type of fruity soda), is he a crack baby or just acting stupid. I don't know or care. Finally, they had the nerve to do all of this over one of my favorite songs ever (Cam'ron - "I Really Mean It"). That's it. I'm officially not listening to anymore rap tonight. Off to listen to Lady Gaga...or whatever the pop audience thinks is cool for the night.

-N

Kanye West – We Were Once a Fairytale (short film)

2009-10-19T18:16:00.000-07:00

The short film/music video thing was directed by Spike Jonze, who also directed Kanye’s Flashing Lights video (the one with the white woman with enormous milk makers strips & kills Kanye in the back of a truck). Honestly, it’s a pretty sad thing to watch, because you actually feel for Kanye, because all of the scrutiny he’s getting (especially by white girls under 25; sidebar white girls under 25 keep the music business afloat). The vide…film gets pretty creepy at the end, (when he starts to puke rose petals, which is just the beginning…) but the symbolism is pretty obvious. I guess he is supposedly killing his inner demon, the thing that makes him act so crazy, other than liquor, cameras, or free publicity. It’s long, but worth the time. Also, the “See You In My Nightmares” remix at 3:41 is crazy.

Gucci Mane – Wasted; The best waste of four minutes ever!!!

2009-10-17T20:58:00.000-07:00

I was listening to Hot 97’s Cipha Sounds and Peter Rosenberg morning show and they brought up a good point about Gucci Mane‘s new club banger “Wasted”. When you really listen to the lyrics, they really are horrible…horribly entertaining. In less than 5 minutes Guuci Mane (yes, Mane- so you have to sound like a southerner regardless) promotes not only recreational drug use, but getting grandma on drugs, being a man-whore (without a reality show), and a Whitney Houston and Brittany Spears reference. Rappers talk about this sort of thing all of the time, but this is a new low, and with any achievement, the achiever must be celebrated. One time for Gucci Mane for setting the bar so low. Please read the lyrics, pass to a friend, hell – make some youtube parodies. Here’s the song so you get the effect w/ music and lyrics are under the clip. Just let the words sink in. Tell me your mood didn’t rise after reading the lyrics.

There’s no hate without love,
-Spaceman

Hook:]
Rockstar lifestyle might don't make it
Lliving life high everyday click wasted
Sippin on purple stuff rolling up stanky
Wake up in the morning 10 o'clock drinkin
Party party party let's all get wasted
Shake it for me babygirl do it butt naked
I'm so wasted she so wasted
Tell the bartender send me 20 more cases

[Verse 1:]
Living like Witney geekin like Brittney
Gucci no hippy but these stones on like jimmy
Ex pill poppin geeked up crazy
Whole click rolling everyone is wasted
Purple codeine sprite paint don't wasted
Mix it up grandma drank it then taste it
Now grandma sippin syrup leanin wasted
Walkin around fuck up twistin her finger
Homegirl snoop up drunk got wasted
Now she backstage and she tryin to get famous
She be up drinkin drinkin gucci mane checkin
Club night damn right gucci mane wasted

[Hook:]
Rockstar lifestyle might don't make it
Lliving life high everyday click wasted
Sippin on purple stuff rolling up stanky
Wake up in the morning 10 o'clock drinkin
Party party party let's all get wasted
Shake it for me babygirl do it butt naked
I'm so wasted she so wasted
Tell the bartender send me 20 more cases

[Verse 2: Plies]
I Don't wear tight jeans like the white boys
But I do get wasted like the white boys
Now I'm lookin for a bitch to suck this almond joy
Say she gotta stop suckin cause her jaw sore
Gotta a bitch on the couch a bitch on the floor
My partner just pop another one now he rollin more
Was on three pills now he on four
I don't know why but the remy turn me into a whore
Walk into the club pocket full of big faces
Got the .40 on my waist and is off safety
About 40 goons with me and we all wasted
On remy straight tonight dogg no chasin

[Hook:]
Rockstar lifestyle might don't make it
Lliving life high everyday click wasted
Sippin on purple stuff rolling up stanky
Wake up in the morning 10 o'clock drinkin
Party party party let's all get wasted
Shake it for me babygirl do it butt naked
I'm so wasted she so wasted
Tell the bartender send me 20 more cases

[Verse 3: Gucci Mane]
Whole Click Faded we geek up crazy
Big boy bracelets we white boy wasted
No shirt fuck it I let her see the tatted
We strap joint disgusted and liquour keep wasted
285 eastside Me and plies wasted
Wasting several big booty brawl chasing
Spring bling 50 thousand white girls shakin
Some dancin naked but everyone wasted
Magic city monday ball player wasted
This is for the other drink dustin buds wasted
12 pack wasted I need more cases
And gucci down at oasis all my diamond carcasion

[Hook:]
Rockstar lifestyle might don't make it
Lliving life high everyday click wasted
Sippin on purple stuff rolling up stanky
Wake up in the morning 10 o'clock drinkin
Party party party let's all get wasted
Shake it for me babygirl do it butt naked
I'm so wasted she so wasted
Tell the bartender send me 20 more cases

Oh snap...pimps can wear J's with their suits now

2009-10-15T21:15:00.000-07:00

Here's the new Air Jordan 1's, the "Leroy Smiths", named after Michael Jordan's mentor, or motivator or somebody who clearly must of gave off the vibe that he was on acid frequently. For now, these are only being released in Japan (figures), where hopefully they'll stay. These were just so fugly, I had to post them.

-Spaceman
*shake n bake; Ricky Bobby* (just marinade in how randumb that was...)

so it hits me.... I NEED TO START A TWITTER BEEF

2009-10-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

In a (shameless) attempt to promote my blog and just for kicks, I have come up with a pretty decent idea, if I say so myself. I'm gonna start a twitter beef with a rapper. I need to find a B list rapper who a) has a twitter account, b) famous enough for people to care about, c) not to famous to reply back & take the twitter bait. Unfortunately, Wale, Fabolous, and Soulja Boy have already had twitter beefs, so I cant start something with them, so here are my options:

1. Juelz Santana

2.Nicki Minaj

3.OJ Da Juiceman

All three are garbage rappers and are one liner bait. Help Spaceman move up in the ranks of hiphopblogoshpere... I think it's time for some people to be knocked down a few chains (cough* Eben Gregory*)

New Music Tuesday

2009-10-13T12:44:00.001-07:00

So, since I've been absent a lot of new music has came and honestly, I'm finding myself listening to a lot of stuff i probably wouldn't have listened to. So here's what's really hot right now or what I am sure will be hot.

1. Young Money - Bed Rock (Feat. Lil Wayne, Gudda Gudda, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Tyga, Jae Millz, and Lloyd)

As much grease as I spit toward Lil Wayne and Drake, I have to admit they consistently make catchy radio hits. (Yeah I'm complimenting Lil Wayne without a back handed insult alluding to him having a homosexual relationship with Birdman or his codeine addiction...miracles happen)Bed Rock is not as catchy as the 1st single "Every Girl", but I am sure it will get heavy rotation.

2. Wale - Inhibitions (Feat. Pharrell) It's one of those "ladies songs", but Wale always knows how to make a "ladies song" tolerable enough for dudes to rock with too. Attention: Deficit 11/5

3. Lady Gaga - Paparazzi SNL Performance was crazy (not that I'm a fan). It was kinda too "alternative lifestyle" for my taste, but I can appriciate the singing, dancing, synth solo, and theatrics of the performance. She's odd, but she puts a show on.

I finally listened to the Blueprint 3: Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3 review

2009-10-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

Initially I didn’t want to give BP3 a chance since the leeks were frankly…atrocious. “Off That” is a cliché bouncy, yet still monotone Timbaland throwaway club attempt, with Drake at his most interchangeable, “Venus ys Mars” is the same thing (minus Drake or club intentions), and Reminder is still horribly annoying. Luckily, they were easily the worst songs. The singles “D.O.A.”, “Run This Town (Feat. Kanye & Rihanna)”, and “Empire State of Mind (Feat. Alicia Keys)” are indications for the album as a whole. The album has lyrics, but are overshadowed the the catchy beats and guest hooks. “On to the Next One (Feat. Swizz Beatz)”, “Already Home (Feat. Kid Cudi)”, and “Young Forever (Feat. Mr. Hudson)” are all replayable and are definite highlights. It’s also nice to see Kanye at his best, actually using pretty unexpected samples, rather than the laziness he’s been known for lately (“Swagger Like Us” “Brooklyn We Go Hard”, and “Make Her Say”). In all the album turned out very good, minus the maybe 5 low points of 15 songs. To answer my own poll; it is good (rather than the expected weedplate).

8.6/10 Listen to: “D.O.A.”, “On to the Next One”, and “Young Forever”
Avoid: “Reminder”, “Off That”, and “Venus vs Mars”

Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story

2009-10-13T12:38:00.000-07:00

When I first walked into the theatre, I thought I was just dragged into using my Friday night to watch a depressing documentary about how big business finger-pops the average person. When I left the theatre, I realized that was exactly what happened, but the movie itself was entertaining. Also, I learned some interesting facts:
o Apparently a Taco Bell manager makes more than your average pilot… seriously. Apparently the pilot that’s flying you to your luxury vacation 8 out of 10 times just came off the food stamp line.
o Your favorite companies love to hire people that are likely to die so they can make insurance of them. Honestly, as horrible as it sounds, it could be worse. It’s a recession people…& the sickly need jobs too. If you’re frail-looking, I suggest you fill out a Wal-Mart application and take that job. I mean you’ll be dead so you wont feel them dance on your grave.
o Only old people see documentaries on Friday nights. We were the only people there under 40 (I assume, it could have been older). It definitely didn’t have the mass-appeal of Zombieland.
If you’re into being edu-tained, go ahead and see it. I’d suggest going to the matinee though. It’s not like you were gonna bump into Mr/Mrs Right if you went on a weekend night anyway.

Paranormal Activity – Vote for it

2009-10-13T12:34:00.000-07:00

So apparently this is supposed to be the scariest movie EVER, however since it’s an indie movie (and was made for less then Malaysian sweatshop workers’ salaries), it’s not showing everywhere. So go on the website, vote for it, so allegedly, when it gets a million votes, it can be released everywhere. Why not…it beats being scared by reality.

Here’s the website http://www.paranormalactivity-movie.com/

UPDATE: Before I could actually post, apparently the goal has been met, so I guess the movie is coming out. Woo.

MTV Hottest MC List 2009

2009-10-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

Here's the trailer and here's the list:

1. Jay-Z
2. Lil Wayne
3. Drake
4. Kanye West
5. Rick Ross
6. Gucci Mane
7. Young Jeezy
8. Fabolous
9. 50 Cent
10. Raekwon

First Off, as much as I dsilike Gucci Mane, Drake, and Fabolous, I think they desrve to be there. 50 and Rick Ross are maybe's. Then, Jay-Z, Kanye, and yes- Lil"cough syrup sippin, old man tongue swallowin'" Wayne and his new Vanilla flavor, Drake are definitely worthy of their positions. However, there needs to be some serious revision (sorry that means Raekwon needs the axe). If I had to make a Hottest list, based on how "Hot" (which I'm assuming means ubiquitous)and nothing else, here would be the most accurate list:

1. Jay-Z
2. Lil Wayne
3. Kanye
4. Drake
5. Gucci Mane
6. Rick Ross
7. 50 Cent
8. Flo Rida
9. Kid Cudi
10. Fabolous

to quote a mediocre rapper...I'M BACK LIKE A SPINE!!!

2009-10-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

So exams have quieted down a little at school and I finally have some time to breathe, so it's time to catch up on the craziness since my last post. I look forward, not behind, so I wont need to post about any of these things again. Without further delay, here's the past month, if you've been under a rock. Michael Jackson's finally buried, Kanye ruined another award show, white teenagers want to lynch Kanye, Lil Mama ruined Jay-Z's moment, there's new G-shocks, a bunch of average cds came out, and Summer is finally over. I know it was random, and obviously a run on, but who cares? I wont take so long for the next post.

-Spaceman
*Feet on the ground, eyes toward space

Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: The End of the Day album review

2009-09-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

Ever since the XXL Freshmen 2009 cover, the new rappers on that cover have surrounded by buzz for their respective debut projects. While some came and went in a flash of mediocrity (Asher Roth, Charles Hamilton, and Ace Hood), others used the buzz to reach new heights in their careers. Kid Cudi is in the latter of the two categories. Since then, "Day N' Nite" has become an international hit, "Make Her Say" is climbing the charts, and supposedly the "A Kid Named Cudi" mixtape has reached one million downloads. Now that the official cd has leaked, (it will be out next week) it is time to see if Scott Mescudi confirms expectations.

From his mixtape or if you did not bother to listen and decided to go by XXL's interpretation, you know Cudi has a reputation for having a sing songy delivery, exceptionally catchy hooks, and the theme of being lonely and having mental issues. The final product of all this hype does in fact confirm the reputation he has built. Between Cudi's sing songy delivery and the spacey synths and orchestration, the cd comes off as more Alternative than regular Rap. There is no real display of lyrical excercise (by Cudi anyway), Cudi's strength relies on the production and his raw emotion displayed in his hooks. "Day N' Nite" was so succesful, because the hook was cathcy and also, because you genuinely believe he is a lonely stoner. This is what seperates Kid Cudi form Drake in my point of view. Cudi is less talented, but his songs sound genuine and less formulated. "Pursuit of Happiness", "Heart of a Lion", "Solo Dolo", and "Sky Might Fall" work for all of the same reasons "Day N' Nite " do, because of the beats, hooks, and you can feel what he is saying.

Unfortunately, the flaws are as obvious as Cudi's emotions, Kid Cudi is an average at best rapper and his singing voice is not technically... good. On "Make Her Say" Kanye, Common, and the Lady Gaga sample steal the song, "Enter Galactic" and "Alive" probably could have been done better by better singers, and "Up, Up, and Away" was pointless. Even the songs that are the higlights work, because you really do not have to pay attention to the actual verses, where he barely rhymes. All in all, the cd, as a whole was a very good listen. Just do not expect verses of the year, or the "AAAWWWW up in the cypher" moment. Really, the album is one of those cds that is more suited to ipods and quiet rooms, rather than your car. However, musically, the cd really holds up to the buzz and makes it worth the wait.

7.9/10 Listen to: "Day N' Nite", "Sky Might Fall", and "Pursuit of Happiness"
Avoid: "Up, Up, and Away" and "Alive"

My Love/Hate of Pop Art

2009-08-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

So I guess I should explain what exactly Pop Art is for those not in the know. Pop Art is art that uses things in media & pop culture to make art out of. For example, the infamous Campbells Soup paintings by Andy Warhol are considered pop art. Today, being influenced by pop culture, a lot of Pop Art has been intertwined with music. Takashi Murakami, japanese artist, who also done famous collaborations w/ Louis Vuitton, did almost all of the promotional art for Kanye West's 2007 Gradation album (That's why the album cover looked so trippy). NY artist KAWS, who is known for his "Original Fake" clothing line, as well as his "art" is doing similar work with rap duo, The Clipse. Then, there is So-Me, who does all of the art for Ed Banger Records artists like French Electronica duo, Justice. I think it's cool that the lines of art & music are intertwinning, but a lot of what I see doesn't really strike me as impressive. In my opinion, *brases self for hate of the uber-hipster art crowd* all KAWS does is find famous cartoons and crosses out their eyes, then waits for the boatload of money someone will eventually fork over. The work I've seen from So-Me reminds me of a collage made from the '70's "School House Rock" ,except it costs 700$ to buy. Judge for yourself below:

So-Me's Complex cover shot w/ Keri Hilson, which inspired this post. I love looking at Keri Hilson in general, but I dont need the creepy '70's animals looking back at me in judgement:

Or take a look at KAWS's "original":

I am not an artist, nor do I claim to be, but c'mon. If this is what makes money, I should quit trying to be a therapist right now, google image the Geico Gecko, clip art some wings & a pimp hat on him, and I could porbably make enough money to last 2 months. No hate intended, I'm just saying...

*the spaceman says everybody look down, it's all in your mind*

Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: The End of the Day Album Snippets

2009-08-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

*shouts to http://amajanese.blogspot.com/ for the heads up

Via german amazon.com, here's the 30 sec snippets of the Kid Cudi debut album. From what I can hear, it sounds like the opposite of 808's & Heartbreak, topic wise. While 808's wallows in sadness, MOTM goes full circle and has moments of low and high. My personal favorite's from the sampler are the upbeat ones, "Heart of a Lion" and "Hyyerr", as well as an altered version of "Sky Might Fall", with new drums and what sounds like more synths on the hook. Songs like "Mr. Solo Dolo" and "My World" sound a little too minimalistic, but it's only a sampler. Here's to the full retail. Oh yeah, the last 4 songs wont be on the US release, they're from the Kid Named Cudi Mixtape, except the "Day N Nite" remix, which has been around forever, you can find that yourself.

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B002N6WX3G/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1251566890&sr=8-15

Wale & UCB will be VMA 2009 house band

2009-08-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

I don't even know why I bother watching the VMA's, because it always is boring. It really is a POP show for the POP audience, which I happen not to be a part of. However, this year, I may actually have a reason to watch. As the title says, Wale & UCB will be there the whole night as the house band. I had no idea how much power Mark Ronson had. It's not surprising, since Wale can be very POP when he needs to be(Chillin', W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E., and freestyles over pretty much every UK #1 hit since 07). Tune in to MTV on Sept. 13 to watch. You know Ms. Lohan will if the picture above's an indication.

Jay-Z x Drake (aka Wheel Chair Jimmy) - Off That

2009-08-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

The song really is just Canadian Maple Syrup flavored mediocrity. Timbaland has produced better songs, Drake's hook could have been done by anyone else, so it's obvious Jay just wanted to feed off the buzz, and Jay's bars were forgettable. However, since this is Jay-Z and Drake, people will say its the best song ever (this week). Listen to it at your own risk, hell if you're a fan of bubblegum, this may be up your alley. Spaceman doesn't mess with this.

*Born to lose, Built to Win*

Wale - My Sweetie

2009-08-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.zshare.net/audio/641724166212a047/

Above is the z-share. I really like this song, even though I don't dance. It definitely took me a lot less time to like this song than Chillin (Feat. Lady Gaga - you know that chick with the song about poking some other girl's face...however that goes). This song's really a good representation of Wale's style in general, being from DC, where they're huge on Go-Go. The song's supposed to be unfinished, so expect it to be different on the album: "Attention: Deficit"

I Know I'm Super Late, but Justice is Killing it

2009-08-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

Parisian-Electronica duo Justice live in Paris

I liked D.A.N.C.E., when it came out, but it took me 2 years to actually limewire the cd "Cross" (it's a crucifix yes...I'm just judging the music, I try not to involve their religious motivations). By all means I'm not a fan of electronica (as well as glowsticks, ecstasy, or anything else that relates to Europe raves), but this cd is crazy. I've been listening to it for 3 days now. I just felt I needed to post live visuals so everyone can hear the beautiful abuse my ears have been going through.

-N

Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: The End of the Day tracklisting

2009-08-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

*standard cover on the left, deluxe on the right*

ACT 1: THE END OF THE DAY

1. In My Dreams (Cudder Anthem)
2. Soundtrack 2 My Life
3. Simple As…

ACT 2: RISE OF THE NIGHT TERRORS

4. Mr. Solo Dolo (Nightmare)
5. Heart of a Lion (KiD CuDi Theme Music)
6. My World ft. Billy Cravens

ACT 3: TAKING A TRIP

7. Day N Nite (Nightmare)
8. Sky Might Fall
9. Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part 1)

ACT 4: STUCK

10. Alive (Nightmare) ft. RATATAT
11. CuDi Zone
12. Make Her Say ft. Kanye West & Common
13. Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare) ft. MGMT & RATATAT

ACT 5: A NEW BEGINNING

14. Hyyerrr ft. Chip Tha Ripper
15. Up, Up & Away (The Wake & Bake Song)

Though Cudzilla can't really rap or sing, he knows how to make a catchy hook, which in 2009 equals a good song. I'll definitely be buying the cd and you all should too. Think of him as the emo Akon/T-Pain...Sept. 15 kiddies!

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

2009-08-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

Cam'ron and DJ Drama link together to bring yet another Gangsta Grillz mixtape that is sure to "set the streets on fire". A plus to the mixtpae is that everything is new, not counting the leaks,. Especially with how lackluster Crime Pays sounded, I was definitely looking foward to new Cam. Unfortunately, like Public Enemy #1 in 2007, he uses the mixtape to showcase his new "artists"; Vado, Byrd Lady, Darnell, and Charlie Clips. Sidebar: Whatever happened to that Penz dude who was all over Public Enemy? Anyway, musically, this makes Crime Pays sound like a Rick Ross cd, yes the production is that bland, but it is a free mixtape so what do you expect. There are a nice amount of good moments though. The songs with Mase and Rick Ross are good, not to mention Cam's rhymes are consistent through the whole cd. Even Vado, who is pretty much on every song does not embarrass himself. It's just the production really was bland, a lot of the time. Honestly, the best beat was on the Charlie Clips solo "Stop", which was supposed to be a preview on the sequel to the tape. Hopefully it will be a more interesting listen.

5.9/10 Listen to: "Get It", "Drama", "Can't Say Goodbye" & "Stop"
Avoid: "We In This Thing" (really the songs did not stand out enough not to like)

Mr. Hudson - Time

2009-08-13T08:41:00.001-07:00

I really like this song, the beat is like on an endless loop in my mind. Too bad the cd comes out in the UK before here. Oh and sorry for not updating in like forever.

-Spaces
*the spaceman says everybody look down, its all in your mind*

Tuesday playlist: Allegedly Jay-Z - Blueprint 3 tracklisting & cover art

2009-08-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

via hiphopdx.com

1. What We Talking About (Produced by Kanye West)
2. D.O.A. (Produced by No I.D.)
3. Weigh Me Down Feat. Kid Cudi (Produced by Kanye West)
4. Unforgiven (Produced by Kanye West, Additional Production: MGMT)
5. Run This Town Feat. Rihanna & Kanye West (Produced by Kanye West)
6. Empire State Of Mind Feat. Nas (Produced by Kanye West & No I.D.)
7. When It Comes To This (Produced by Timbaland)
8. Always Feat. Drake (Produced by Kanye West)
9. Scenes From The Past (Produced by No I.D., Co-produced by Kanye West)
10. Everyday A Star Is Born Feat. Mr. Hudson (Produced by Kanye West)
11. Already Home (Produced by Kanye West)
12. Forever Young (Feat. Mr. Hudson, Produced by Kanye West)
13. Thank You (Produced by No I.D.)
Bonus Tracks:
14. Sound Of The 70s (Produced by Kanye West)
15. We Made History (Produced by Kanye West)

Okay, so I love me some hipster music (not the culture), but I don't want a Jay-Z cd w/ Kid Cudi, Mr. Hudson or Rihanna. Frankly, I think Old Man Carter needs to give it a rest, but if not, he should stick to what he does. Rap music is the only genre where a person's speaking voice can make a song sound fake. Usually a "soft" voice shouldn't be rapping about selling nose candy & flipping packs. On the same token, it'll sound odd to hear Jay-Z with hooks from hipster/pop artists. The cd will be sonically pleasing, but ultimately, he is too hard to be making songs like what I am assuming it will sound like.

-Nate

WTF Moment: Felony Franks Hot Dogs

2009-08-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

Apparently, since this video, the hot dog stand, Felony Franks opened up a couple of weeks ago. In my opinion, not only is it clearly exploitive, but it's pretty much 21st century slavery. Grabbing ex-cons who no-one wants, who are probably working for next to nothing, then exploiting their history with tasteless names like "misdemeanor weiners" is simply shameless. The sad part is, the workers probably have little else to turn to. When Al Sharpton's done dancing on Michael Jackson's grave he should really look into this.

*rule number one keep your fazers on stun*

Bow in the Presence of Greatness

2009-07-26T21:42:00.000-07:00

*Shouts to Andrew for the visual

Darth Vader x Hello Kitty

Just let this marinade...

*rule number one, keep your fazers on stun*
rule number two: once they're stunned set your fazers on dazzle

Super Fresh:

2009-07-26T21:18:00.000-07:00

*from hypebeast.com

The Generic Man 2009 Fall/Winter

The Dynamics of the First Handshake

2009-07-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

Real life situation: I’m in college and a classmate and I talk and introduce ourselves and we go for the handshake. Pause: Now many things can happen from here. I could do the formal firm handshake, I could give the surprisingly ubiquitous brutha-man dap (which in itself spawns a myriad of different variations), I could have given a brief pound, but in a split second, It’s hard to judge a person enough to determine what kind of handshake. Luckily for me, he went in first with an overtly open palm, which lead to dap, but I had a thought; Does the “first handshake” form a permanent perception of a person? It’s an awkward situation when one person attempts a dap, but the other person clearly has no idea of what’s going on. But then again, a formal handshake in the wrong situation can make you come off uptight and over polished. Not to mention, whatever choice of handshake can form others’ opinions on your socio-economic background or put you in a position that it seems that you are judging someone (ie: offering dap simply because someone is Black or Hispanic). Mr Spaceman’s advice on this situation is to move your approaching hand in a 270-degree circle, before actual handshake contact. That way, it allows you time to analyze the handshakee’s arm movement. If the handshakee does a low thrust, contact should be a firm formal shake (it has to be firm, weak shakes convey insecurity). However, if the handshakee goes wide and if you are in an informal setting don’t be afraid to dap it up.

Wise words from a decent man,
-Spaceman

*rule number one, keep your fazers on stun*

sidebar: check the video and try this for a first handshake lol.

Random Coolness: The Killers - Spaceman (Peep the lyrics)

2009-07-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

Mr. Spaceman says, "Everybody look down. It's all in your mind."

*rule number one keep your fazers on stun*

Mr. Spaceman Hates...

2009-07-21T21:28:00.000-07:00

5. Mandals: I've said plenty of times about how I'm not big on the fake surfer thing (sidebar: I actually was in Hollister today for the 1st time), but frankly, Mandals (Man sandals, flip flops) are the reason why. I really think flip flops should be left to the ladies, who keep their feet done. That's all. Also, if you're a guy & you keep you're toes meticullously in shape...you have other issues to worry about, my friend.

4. Drake: I've dedicated enough posts to how much I dislike Vanilla Lil Wayne.

3. Hating for no reason: I'm actually a fan of objective hate, but I can't stan people who can't mind their own business long enough to let other people breathe. If it doesn't affect you, mind you're business. Go for yours and I'll go for mine.

2. Preachers who are not Preachers: Some people have the habit of giving out advice, when it is not needed or when they're not in the position to be giving out advice. If someone needs help, go for it, but please don't feel you need to interfere with someone's life to feed your ego.

1. Not having enough hours in a day lol.

-Spaceman

*rule number one keep your fazers on stun*

Mr Spaceman Loves...

2009-07-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

5. The Future : "Never looking back, or too far in front of me, the present is a gift & I just want to be"...but the future is where it's at.

4. "Love the Future": The Chester French cd, that cd is really something else, cop it.

3. Space: (no pun intended), but sometimes me time is vital for mental health.

2. Advice from Friends: Far enough from you to be too critical, but close enough to you to have your best interests in mind, Mr. Spaceman values peer advice very highly.

1. Self Esteem: "No one believed, until I believed me" (I'm quoting Common like crazy on this post, maybe I shouldn't have called him irrelavent yesterday). As long as you know who you are and what you stand for, tell the haters to drop dead, and go for yours.

Advice from a friend,
Spaceman
-N

*rule number one keep your fazers on stun*

Kid Cudi - Make Her Say (Feat. Kanye West & Common) video

2009-07-20T20:58:00.000-07:00

Kid Cudi is pretty much the epitome of the hipster rapper. He raps/sings over spacy beats while wearing jeans tight enough to cause a yeast infection, yet I actually like him. "Make Her Say" is Kanye West at his laziest produciton-wise, sampling a live performance of a Lady Gaga song from like 3 months ago. It's the song where she wants to poke some other chick's face...whatever that means. Anyway, the song is lazy, Cudi can't sing or rap, and Common hasn't been relavent since...ever. However, the song is pretty catchy. Well played Mr. West.

Drake - Best I Ever Had video

2009-07-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

If you've been following this blog or know me personally, you know I don't like Aubrey Graham aka "Wheelchair Jimmy" bka "Drake". I didn't want to give free promotion, so I didn't post the vid when it came out, but now since people have seen it, I can give an opinion. Personally, I don't think the video or the song is bad. The song is catchy pop, with two rapped versed. That's just my opinion. There's nothing wrong with pop and Vanilla Lil' Wayne has plenty of pop potential, as heard on the rest of his mixtape "So Far Gone". I just hope the buying public doesn't get decieved into thinking pop potential = rapping ability. Unfortunately, that's exactly what is going on.

*rule number one keep you fazers on stun* - which the ladies of the video do clearly

Sidebar: Here's the link to my review of Drake's mixtape http://mrspacemanelz.blogspot.com/2009/06/drake-so-far-gone-mixtape-review.html

My Opinion on Nike Air Flight 1's (the bootleg Air Yeezy's)

2009-07-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

So about a month ago, I made a post about how I would never rock the Air Yeezy's because they were gaudy moonboots or something to that effect. Coincidentally, the Air Flight 1's have seem to be more prominent in shoe stores, probablly due to the similar design of the much more popular Yeezy's. To be honest, I wouldn't wear either of them. However, if I had to pick, I guess I'd go with the Air Flights. A man should not be wearing red moonboots with straps. Above's the pic I took at a Footaction, because I was bored.

*rule number one keep you fazers on stun* - not shock

I Know Max Drummey Didn't Bust Out The Geisha Gear?!

2009-07-16T21:14:00.001-07:00

Chester French - C'mon (On My Own) on Jimmy Kimmel
It's like Roger Troutman (The original T-Pain) x Memoirs of a Geisha

*rule number one keep your fazers on stun*

Mr. Spaceman

2009-07-16T20:48:00.001-07:00

Protoknew, was the name of the prototype of the blog. I didn't really know if I would still even want to blog after the first week. However, as time went by, I realized I really enjoy doing this. I don't plan on actually making money off of this, but it's a way to release some stress and say what I think needs to be put out in the open. From now on it's Mr. Spaceman, (or just Nelz if we're cool). There's a new name, but the same random social commentary, the same reviews & the same style bashing.

Mr. Spaceman
-N

*rule number one keep your fazers on stun*

My opinion on the Maury show

2009-07-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

*pic from vanedave.xanga.com

I know that the general consensus of the Maury show is that it is a combination of hoodrats, trailer trash, and other randomly assorted losers airing out their personal problems for America to see in a minstrel show fashion. However, I think the show does a great service to people in general. First of all, if the people did want to be exploited, they wouldn't have put themselves on that sort of platform anyway. So what if Jacquannel has 5 kids and there's 8 possible fathers; it's her bussiness if she wants to put herself out in the open. Plus, these women actually are getting help, when they go on those paternity tests. Rather than having to pay for it, they can take care of what needs to be taken care of by paying...in entertainment value. The Woman wins, her kid(s) win, Maury wins, and we win for watching. My favorite part of the show is when they have the unruly teenage girls who have done a crazy amount of drugs and have had literally a football team run up in them, and Maury tries to reform them of their deplorable ways. Apparently their parents weren't solving the problem, so Maury may as well step in. I call for all of the, frankly haters, to come up with a better solution for these problems. Any course in sociolgy would tell you a lot of these situations are products of environments that the people have little control over. If anyone can give a rational solution to help those teenage girls reform, provide single mothers the access to find their childrens' fathers and even provide a source of pride for the transgendered (Quess what: were they born a boy or a girl episodes), then I will eat my words. Until then, Maury Povich...you are doing a service for America.

Asher Roth - Alseep in the Bread Aisle album review

2009-07-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

Asher Roth is labeled the new Eminem for two reasons, because: A. Roth has a freakishly similar voice to post Encore Eminem and B. because they’re…tall (Fresh Prince reference) – because Roth is the first White rapper with a real buzz since Eminem (sorry Bubba Sparxxx, homeslice from Atmosphere, and whatshisface that won that white rapper show on VH1). Though they’re both white and sound the same, there are obvious differences. Eminem uses extraordinary lyrical prowess to explain subjects that are as light-hearted as picking up girls and being a bad influence to the deep and borderline too personal topics of his family’s past. Asher Roth, on the other hand, is more or less an average suburban college graduate(?) who raps about what he knows…girls, weed and partying, which really isn’t creative at all. Asleep in the Bread Aisle is pretty much about those three subjects. Occasionally, he’ll try to get deep like on “His Dream”, which is about his father or “Sour Patch Kids”, which is Asher’s stab at social commentary, but to be blunt the cd is just girls, partying, and weed. That necessarily isn’t a bad thing, but the problem is, Asher really isn’t a talented rapper. “Lark on My Go-Kart” is Asher’s staple “lyrical exercise song”, a song that every rapper needs to prove they can actually rap, but really, it is just him putting random words together. What the cd does excel in is the surprisingly good production and Asher knows how put together catchy choruses. Whether he is doing his song’s chorus/hook in songs like “I Love College” and “La di da” or being assisted, like “Be By Myself” featuring Cee-Lo, “As I Em” featuring Chester French or “She Don’t Wanna Man” featuring Keri Hilson, the songs really are catchy. One big problem for me however was that, frankly, I can not stand Asher’s voice. In a nutshell, the cd really is listenable, however do not expect to be impressed. It’s a mostly fun cd aimed at young adults and to be honest, it fills its purpose.
5/10 Listen to: “I Love College”, “Lark on My Go Kart” & “His Dream”
Avoid: “Lion’s Roar”, “She Don’t Wanna Man”, & “Fallin’”

Playlist of the week: 7/11/09

2009-07-15T16:20:00.000-07:00

Also, I'm stopping the song of the week, because I guess it's kind of redundant.

1. Lupe Fiasco - Shinning Down (Feat. Matthew Santos)
2. Wale - Chillin' (Feat Lady Gaga)
3. Chester French - Bebe Beull
4. Kanye West - Paranoid (Feat. Mr. Hudson)
5. J Dilla - Smoke (Feat. Blue)
6. Andre 3000 - Prototype
7. Ghostface Killah - Outta Town Shit
8. The-Dream - I Luv Ur Girl
9. The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name
10. Santigold - Shove It (Feat. Spank Rock)

As Personal of a Post as I Plan on Going

2009-07-10T19:26:00.000-07:00

For the past month, via this blog, I have given the internets a taste on my way of seeing things. I’ve reviewed music, gave my opinion on current events, clothes, and even tackled some issues on society. I’ve got positive, negative, and most importantly constructive criticism, and I really appreciate everyone’s help. Although I seem to be going on random tangents, most of the time, I actually have a goal for this blog. By goal, I mean more than just putting people on to “good” music & clothes or getting a quick laugh. I want to encourage dialogue, as cliché as that sounds. I think people, in general, have a problem bringing certain things up or opening up to a certain degree around other people. The people that are willing to open “uncomfortable” subjects of dialogue are usually cast off as awkward, which is maybe why I gravitate toward “awkward” people lol. When people have “real talk” people learn from each other, so I try to learn something from every person I meet, and integrate it to what makes me so loveably quirky. So before Google starts acting funny or I move on to a different medium, I just want it to be known what my intentions are. So let’s talk. Comment me, if you know me in the “real” world, let’s chop it up. People talk all of the times, but never have much to say. Let’s change that.

-N

Sidebar: I don’t do shout outs, but if you read carefully, you may find a subtle one
b.t.dubs: I admit I swagger-jacked “sidebar” ( & b.t.dubs too lol)

Cam'ron - Crime Pays: Album Review

2009-07-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

After "disappearing" for two years, Cam'ron is back with his 6th cd. Cam'ron is one of those rappers you either love or hate, because of either his trademark flow (some call it ABC flow, others call it style) or what he represents as the cliche' NY gangsta rapper. Cam has always managed to remain relavent in hip hop, because he's always been entertaining. From beefs with Jay-Z, Nas, 50 Cent & now his fellow Diplomats, he knows how to create drama & uses it to influence his craft. Honestly, this cd is everything what's wrong with rap music; Excessive language, violence, sex content, drug dealing & materialism, but Cam's dry wit & rhyme scheme have always served to distinguish himself from hundreds of other no-name rappers doing the same thing.
Oddly, this cd probably has the worst production value of any Cam cd yet. Beats on songs such as, "Never Ever", "Chalupa", "Woo Hoo" sound pretty cheap and generic. It sounds like someone is rhyming over video game soundtracks. Then, some of the better produced songs sound pretty cliche'd anyway, like "Homicide" and "Got it for Cheap". However, when the songs do work, they are gritty and full of classic Dipset style. "Cookin' Up"'s whole first verse is quotable, "Spend the Night" is hypnotic, "My Job" is probablly some of Cam's best lyrics and concepts ever, while "Get It in Ohio" is straight gutter music. All in all, the cd plays like a mixtape, since most of these songs have been around for like a year, and because of the production. However, more than any of Cam'ron's other cds, Crime Pays puts the spotlight on Cam & his lyrics and delivery, which he has enough for a few rappers.
6.9/10: Listen to: "Cookin' Up", "Spend the Night"& "Get It In Ohio"
Avoid: "Cookies & Applejuice", "Never Ever", & "Bottom of the P***y"

KFC vs Popeyes: Yup...I went there

2009-07-07T19:18:00.001-07:00

So for the past 2 weeks, the Black Celebrity Community has been relentlessly trying to reclaim Michael Jackson. From dedicating the BET annual mess of an award show, to Rev(?) Al Sharpton constantly reminding the public of MJ's accomplishments, to black & urban radio (not the same thing) all of a sudden adding MJ to regular rotation, whereas a month ago, he was too pop. Today's memorial was a new one, however. Magic Johnson explained how humbling of an experience it was to learn MJ messes with KFC. Oh word?!

In the interest of killing respectable journalism & falling into racial stereotypes, in one foul swoop: Here is my answer to Diddy's Chicken Challenge. Frankly, I prefer Popeyes. Tastewise, comparing the two is like steak vs white castle sliders. Popeyes is just better tasting, albiet a lot breaddier. Not to mention, KFC chicken has a wierd dark color in my opinion, while Popeyes looks like the perfect piece of fried chicken. The only problem is Popeyes' are 8/10 times in um...interesting areas (strike Curtis Mayfield - Freddie's Dead). If you're just looking for great chicken (& an interesting experience to get it) go to Popeyes.

Tuesday playlist 7/7/09

2009-07-07T18:43:00.000-07:00

Via comments send me what songs you're listening to & I'll post the results during next week's playlist. Put on a stranger to fresh music. A stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet. Here's my playlist until I get some results.

1. Kanye West - Paranoid (New Mix) (Feat. Mr. Hudson)
2. Kanye West - Robocop (Live from VH1 Storytellers)
3. K'Naan - T.I.A.
4. Michael Jackson - Baby Be Mine
5. Santigold - Lights Out
6. Justice - DVNO
7. Wale - Chillin' (Feat. Lady Gaga)
8. Chester French - Bebe Buell
9. Kid Cudi - Make Her Say (Feat. Kanye West & Common)
10. Chromeo - Waiting 4 u

Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt classics review

2009-07-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

This is Jay-Z's first album, and is claimed by hip hop heads & hipsters alike as Jay-Z's best cd. It is even seen on the level of Nas' Illmatic FYI: Which is the best rap album EVER (according to those same hipsters & old people). So is Reasonable Doubt that good? In 2009, it still is, honestly. Of course the "Columbian"(probablly Puerto Rican) talking nonsense on the beginning of a lot of the songs is annoying, and some of the production seems dated, being 13 years later. Other than that, Jay is at his best lyrically. "Can't Knock the Hustle", "Aint No Nigga" & "Brooklyn's Finest" (Feat. Biggie) still run respectable radio rotation in NY stations, because those songs still emain lyrical, yet catchy even half a (young black - let's be real)lifespan later. "D'Evils" and "22 Two's" still remain witty and hardhitting lyrically, while "Feeling It" and "Regrets" are laid back riding anthems. I'm not one of those old people (who frankly should have stopped listening to rap, in favor for circa 90's R&B) or hipsters (who should be at some Santigold or Cool Kids or whatever they listen to concert) who tell you IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THIS CD, YOU'RE NOT HIP HOP. However, the cd really is good. It isn't repeatable for casual listeners of 2009, like say Jay's 2001 Blueprint. If you do enjoy 90's rap or raw lyrics, though, you'll love this.

9/10 Listen to: "Brooklyn's Finest", "Feelin' It", "D'Evils" & "Dead Presidents"
Avoid: "Coming Of Age" ...really thats it

What I Rock

2009-07-06T15:29:00.001-07:00

-G shocks: If you've been following the blog, then you know my love/hate relationship w/ g-shock digital watches.

-American Rag/ H&M button up: lately I've been into button ups. They're simple, come in many colorways, inexpensive, and timeless.

-Levi's: I'm into Levi's 505 regular fits. I don't do the distressed look anymore. I like basic blues, not circa 2004 gangsta baggy or circa 2008 hipster-skin tight.

- Nikes air forces/dunks: I like simple colorway Nikes. All white or even all dark blue. If I want a gaudy pink/turquoise sneaker w/ polka dots, I'll buy Bapes. Sidebar: If I'm buying Bapes, call 911, because I must have hit my head on something.

My hatred for plaid shorts

2009-07-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows I hate things that are associated w/ hipsterdom. I really don't rock fitteds like I used to, I'm not big on the newest Jordans, and I hate skinny man-jeans w/ a passion. However, I have a special hatred for the surfer look, especially plaid shorts. They really scream "I am trying hard to be casual, please notice." I am only posting this, because someone actually thought it would be a good idea to wear plaid shorts...Yeah. Once you start with the plaid shorts, then you go to the tacky (not to mention unsanitary) filp flops, then next thing you know I'm up in Hollister w/ a fake californian accent rambling about nothing. I'll stick to my levi's thank you Anita.

Kanye West - 808's & Heartbreak album review

2009-07-05T17:40:00.000-07:00

(I know I'm real late, but I just downloaded the new version of Paranoid & thought now's a good time.)

The premise of the cd was that Kanye was mourning the passing of his mother & split from his fiance, so in a cathartic rush, he released a cd about how he felt for those few months. To be honest, because of the autotune, for most of the cd he sounds like he is singing while a garbage disposal is running behind him. He really does not have a horrible normal voice, so the lightly autotuned songs are very impressive, as well as the production of the cd as a whole. It's just the autotuned vocals that ruin the effort. Songs like Coldest Winter, Say You Will & Paranoid work, because the autotune isn't as prominent as other tracks. While songs like Robocop, Heartless & Love Lockdown have production so interesting, it really doesn't matter who is singing over it. Either way, the cd is generally good, but the vocals can get grating at time. Also, because of the rush to put the cd out, some songs seem unfinished. Streetlights is basically 1 hook being repeated over and over, Bad News is more of an interlude, and the cd version of Paranoid (though undeniably catchy in it's futurisdtic retroism) is barely two minutes of Kanye singing (I guess...). All in all, if the same production was given to an actual singer (say Ne-Yo) who took the time to write full songs, this cd would have been near perfect. Oh well. Kanye doesn't screw up that badly doing his own singing.

7.9/10 Listen to: Say You Will, Coldest Winter, Heartless (& download the video version of Paranoid)
Avoid: Street Lights, Love Lockdown, See You In My Nightmares

My opinion on Michael Jackson

2009-07-04T19:41:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson is the most influential artist in music today. Period.

Michael Jackson did not finger-pop those kids

Michael Jackson was a mentally ill man who was so insecure about his physical features, that he transformed himself from a black man to a white man to a transgendered person of sorts, with vaguely asian features.

His death really wasn't a shock b/c he looked like he could have bit the big one (no pun) at anytime for the past few years.

There is no way people should have been so shocked to find out that this man was an addict. (C'mon! look at that picture & tell me he wasn't high)

With all due respect, his passing was sad, but not nearly as shocking as people make it out to be. It is sad, he did not get the respect he worked for, but he did a lot to bring the ridicule to himself.

-Proto

Tuesday playlist of the week: 6/30/09

2009-06-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, since I still have no playlists (I know its a work in progress) I figure I'll have to give another playlist of my own this week. You know I love to do this anyway. And now, because the internets need to be exposed to more good music, here's my picks of the week (Note the MJ prominence):
1. Michael Jackson - PYT (Pretty Young Thing)
2. Kid Cudi - Sky Might Fall
3. Wale - Um Ricka (Feat. K'Naan)
4. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
5. Michael Jackson - Human Nature
6. Kanye West - Paranoid (Feat. Mr. Hudson)
7. Mr. Huson - Supernova (Feat. Kanye West)
8. The Killers - Spaceman
9. The-Dream - Fast Car
10. Chester French - She Loves Everybody

Not only am I (& apparently everybody else) is listening to MJ more lately, but I'm really digging the 80'sy sound right now. You all know the drill, comment me w/ your playlists or random songs you're into right now & I'll post next Tues,

Proto
-N

G-shocks...where is this taking me?...the village?

2009-06-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

Ok...so in the not too distant past, I blogged about how I'm really digging g-shock watches right now. However, over the weekend I got the cold slap of reality that I really needed. I was dead-bent on bying a new watch so bad, I was about to settle for a white g-lide g-shock, which I have turned down several times, until:
*enter 2 "hipster-ish" guys (whose g-shocks looked meticulluosly color coordinated w/ their clothes) behind me*

Hipster A: Hey man look at this, here's the g-shocks
Hipster B: Aw man, I need this red one.
Hipster A: It's a plain one
Hipster B: Yeah, but I love the color

Hipster A: I'm loving this one, it matches my pradas, you know the pair.

Hipster B: Aw man, that joint would look good on you.

That was my cue to exit, w/o a new watch. Is that where the g-shock train leads to; on the midnight train to San Francisco!?! I'm begging someone to hit me up in comments to explain if people like the watches b/c they are hip or just because they are unique.

*pic spotted on http://stepupyagame.wordpress.com/category/fashion/accessories/

Why Conscious/Backpack Rap Will Never Be Radio-friendly

2009-06-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

*spotted on:
http://www.brooklynbodega.com/2008/12/page/2/

Before you write this post of as some teenie-bopper ignorance, I'd like it to be known that I like what people would consider conscious/backpack rap. I mess w/ Common, Lupe, Q-Tip & etc. Being a fan of this music is not the same as being a stuffy elitist who scoffs at anything w/ even a smidge of radio-friendliness.

First, just take a look at the picture. You'll notice backpack rappers like Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli & J Dilla looking like a awful 70's theme office party on LSD. That right there is just one example of how conscious rappers doesn't even try to become radio friendly. Take that in mind the next time you comment about why the radio never plays "real music" on whatever hip hop blog leaking the new Gucci Mane coaster of a mixtape. Also, to be honest, if I wanted to learn, I would turn off the ipod (b/c backpack rap is never blasting through a car "down the block") & pay attention in school. I am a full time student, when it's education time, it's education time and when it's fun time, I'm not in the mood to be lectured (especially b/c backpack rappers do not know how to make catchy hooks). Elitists: just enjoy "your music" & don't always feel the need to bring the mood down.

And now: Hop out of bedddd/ turn my swag onnn/ take a look in the mirror like wasup. Yeah