Wednesday, December 31, 2008

::Who freaked it the best?::


Tamia "Officially Missing You" (2004)
Director: Paul Hunter



Janet Jackson "I Want You" (2004)
Director: Dave Meyers


Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar!?

Thursday, December 25, 2008

::Ancestry In Progress::


01.17.27-12.25.08

Your legacy has left an indelible impression on the world-at-large.
Thank you for the precious gifts you bore.
May your journey be peaceful and radiant.

Friday, December 19, 2008

.::Acropolis Now::.


Though not as profound a historical statement as the tearing down of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the utilization of the Acropolis as a billboard for social commentary shares a similar sentiment. Some may feel that this is a blatant display of disrespect for an ancient structure which lends to the rich history of Greece. But when the voiceless grow weary of oppression, sooner or later they will get their message across by any means necessary. In this instance, a call for serious political reform was rationalized as more important than the preservation of the false sanctity of a world heritage site. What's more profound is that one of the banners hung from the Acropolis contained the word "Resistance" in English, Spanish, Greek, and German. It was rumored that the group that hung the banners did so in protest of the wrongful death of a teenager shot by Athens police. Not only did the second banner announce the date of a full scale protest march in Athens, but the group also encouraged other European cities to follow suit.

I say more power to them. Though the police states around the world may have modified their tactics over the past half century, they have intensified in their egregious abuse of power. Their breadth of intelligence has broadened immensely, allowing them full access to any corner of the world be it within or outside of their jurisdiction. Basic rights are being intruded upon and obliterated. It's clear that it's time to reassess the situation from a grassroots perspective. If these Grecian youth could link up with the Arab and Black youth that wreaked havoc on Paris in 2005 and 2007, they might have a transcontinental revolution louder than a bomb on their hands. Check here for more info.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

.:Musical hero of the week: Roger:.


If you never broke a sweat at a family reunion or cut a rug at the club to a Zapp song, you ain't lived. 'Nuff said. As the undisputed king of the vocoder, his synth skills laid the groundwork for 80s funk. T-Pain should be ever so grateful.





Tuesday, December 9, 2008

..::Stones Throw @ Love (NYC)::December 11th::..


Love is a sh*tty venue, but I really fu*ks with Stones Throw. One of the most consistent indie labels out there. Their output is incomparable. Period. And after their CMJ 08 sets back in October, I'm convinced that a prerequisite to being signed is being a dope ass DJ. Get to this gig early enough and get sh*tfaced on vodka-Red Bull cocktails for FREE!

Monday, December 8, 2008

..::Dear Tom Brokaw::..



Our former president was a self confessed reformed alcoholic and widely rumored former coke head (I say he still toots), and you ride Obama for smoking cigarettes?! Maybe you should have just slid him a copy of Thank You For Smoking during a commercial break instead of being a nitpicking Nancy. You fail.

.::Musiqal Thoughts::.


Normally, I don't enjoy dining on the delicacy of my own choice words. But in this instance, I must put on my bib and grin and bear the feast. The Musiq album is actually pretty decent. It appears that he's cut the apron strings of producers Ivan Barias and Carvin Haggins. The result is a discernibly fresher sound. BTW...Warryn Campbell did the damn thing on "Until," my favorite track here. Not convinced? Be your own judge.

.::FREE COMMON SHOW::.

Have you seen this poster wheatpasted around and about your neck of the woods?


No? Well, you can thank me for bringing it to your attention later. But right now, hustle over to this link
to find out how to get on the list for an upcoming FREE NYC show featuring none other than Common! NBC
is being real Secret Squirrel about this one, being that the time, date, and location have yet to be disclosed. To get on the list, you have to pass a "test." This consists of the ability to correctly identify a random group of four NYC landmarks. Good luck!

Friday, December 5, 2008

::Wax Poetics:Issue 32::


In the latest issue of Wax Poetics, I give the run down on a dope little early 80s joint by Baltimore songbirds Alton McClain & Destiny in the RE:Discovery section! On newsstands now!

Now available in two split covers!

So you can git wit this:


Or you can git wit that:


Don't matter...just git it!

::Cinematik::

Stuff I'm looking forward to seeing next Friday:







If anybody has any of these on bootleg and feels they weren't even worth throwing popcorn at...I'll hunt you down if you
let me waste my money!!!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

::Ancestry In Progress:


12.31.30-12.2.08

Your legacy has left an indelible impression on the world-at-large.
Thank you for the precious gifts you bore.
May your journey be peaceful and radiant.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

::Tom Morello fights the power...again::


Tom Morello
The Nightwatchman: The Fabled City (Epic)

I need y'all to give me a late pass for this one. Yeah, this jumpy is three months old. But when I saw the cover of this one the other day I was definitely intrigued, to say the least. I was like, "AWWW, SHUCKY DUCKY! TOM MORELLO DONE TURN'T BLACK NATIONALIST!" I just knew he was going to have guest appearances from Chuck D, Paris, Kam, Dead Prez, and N.Y. Oil. So much for dreams, right? Considering his personal background (his Kenyan father was a revolutionary in the Mau Mau rebellion who later became the country's first UN delegate; his uncle was Jomo Kenyatta, first president of independent Kenya; his long time activist mother founded Parents For Rap and Rock, a pimp slap to Tipper Gore's preposterous Parents Music Resource Center committee), it was inevitable that Morello would get back to creating music with a profound message. If you ask me, him and Zach de la Rocha should just do us all a big favor: get Rage Against The Machine back in the studio for another album. The Audioslave concept just sucked. I'll give this one a few spins. Thoughts:soon:come.

::Copy Cat?::


Sly & The Family Stone
Life (1968)



Ludacris
Theater Of The Mind (2008)