I'm Not A Thug

We know that goes without sayin...I mean....I do have a blog, it's rather obvious that I'm more so the inverse of thug. Plastic Little, from Philadelphia aren't thugs either. Bullies maybe, but thugs they are not. They have just released their third single tittled what else but "I'm Not A Thug" in celebration of this fact, or mourning. Either way, they currently went to the UK to promote this new jam, so they wont be around the US too soon. To see if you enjoy this brand of brash and idiotic party music, viddy these two songs, to see how you fancy them (note the brit speak cuz their in the UK-holla):

Club Banger-








Dopeness-








Plastic Little myspace

A Huge Cry From Whoville

Dang-flabit!

I was all set to go see The Grinch! Musical with my Christmastime friend, when a threat of a strike put those plans to an end.

Luckily for me, and my fellow Who's

the actors had a choice, and to not strike they did choose!

James Sanna, the producer of said adventure,

said he would keep the show open, to spread joy, merriment, and holiday splendor.

But all of a sudden, the producers' league silenced such jubilation,

and threatened the Grinch with a mild stipulation.

Those jerks and those monsters, those bastards abound,

are dedicated to the idea, of keeping The Grinch! on lock down.

The cast of the show, prevented from serving their function,

then slapped that damn league with a legal injunction!

But unfair and unjust as this fiscal malarkey still is,

those jerks and those suits have forgotten the kids.

So now we must wait, most likely past Christmas day,

much to the chagrin, tears ,and feverent dismay of not just of the audience, but those in the play.

So now that you know, perhaps change your plans? It's sad; not even Christmas can escape the grasp of "the man"....

Tis The Season Pt. 2

Back to hints!

This group, is from the UK and will soon embark on a US tour. The band is said to have a very punk rock feel, and has been written up in Drowned In Sound Magazine.

Happy Hunting!

My First Anti-Def Jam Rant

I love-love-love Def Jam for what they've done for hip-hops, so don't take this as hatin'. It's just that, they just released a rarities album that firstly, only contains 13 tracks, and secondly is limited to Nas, Ne-yo, Redman, Bobby Valentino (He's still releasing albums?), Rihanna, Fabolous, and one song from Method Man.

Oh, Ghostface doesn't have any outakes? Bullfunky! Jay-Z can release 5000000 underground tracks that I can search the internet for days to find, but if I buy an outakes album, I can't get one? I can't help but feel cheated. Maybe I've just come to expect more, or perhaps [more likely] I just haven't fully realized how corporate Def Jam has become. Weak.

The Cool- Revisited

So its just snowballin from here. After the five post from yesterday alone on Lupe, now we have a tracklist. So you can make up raps in your head to pretend you can perceive what's going on to be this album. I'm hoping "Free Chilli" is about mexican penguins (it makes sense- don't judge), and that "Hello Goodbye" is not a Bealtes cover- because that could ruin Lupe for me...

Here yo go kids:
The Cool:

01 Iesha Poem
02 Free Chilly
03 Go Go Gadget Flow
04 The Coolest
05 Superstar [ft. Mathew Santos]
06 Paris Tokyo
07 High Definition [ft. Snoop Dogg and Pooh Bear]
08 Little Weapons
09 Hip-Hop Saved My Life [ft. Nikki Jean]
10 Gold Watch
11 Street on Fire [ft. Matthew Santos]
12 Hello Goodbye
13 Gotta Eat ["Perhaps the oddest song is 'Gotta Eat', which is apparently written from the perspective of a cheeseburger and is rife with food/life metaphors."]
14 Dumb It Down [ft. Gemini and Graham Burris]
15 The Die [ft. Gemini]
16 Put You on Game
17 Fighters [ft. Matthew Santos]
18 Go Baby Go

Mo things to mention-
The album is officially slated to come out December 18th, and boast production from Fall Out Boy singer Patrick Stump(GAH!), UNKLE, Chris & Drop, and Soundtrakk.

Also- word is that The Cool suggests that after this album, there will be one more release titled L.U.P.N., then Lupe's done with the game. But no more on that till an interview drops or the album is analyzed.

Mo' Magic

It's been a post heavy day, and I hope that this will be the last one, so I can spend the rest of my day trying to find a job. So Mos Def- remember that dude? He released a record last year on Geffen, that only sold 86,000 copies, called Tru3 Magic. Well he's switchin gears, and jumpin ship, and is working on a new album on Downtown Recordings.

I was just talking shop with my boy Buzzed Recall about how Mos has had creative inconsistencies and fall's short of grace because of his dedication to his own craft rather than popular tastes. He is supposed to work with Kanye on this album, so I'm hopping that 'Ye can help tap into some solid expression, so that he can get the acclaim that he deserves. I just hope the sound doesn't get to glossy. Mos doesn't rock chains, or bust caps, or move weight, but he does spit hot fire. Here's to hopin!

I Did It My Way

Jay-z speaks on his growing popularity at the open of "I Did It My Way"(the Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse) with "They have people, waitin at the airport like five days like I'm a Beatle or somethin" before he launches into a contemplative banger about his climb to fame. The track, backed by Paul Anka didn't warrant much thought at the time, and was dismissed as Hip-hop chauvinism. A week after the release of American Gangster, it seems that perhaps, Jay is a little more like a new age Beatle(looking past the Grey Album) than we could have ever imagined.

Jay just claimed the number one spot on the Billboard 200 list, for the 10th time in his career, ting him in second place with Elvis. Number one, with 19 number ones- Da Beatles. Now, don't get all guff, and think that I'm saying Jay is going to overshadow our beloved band, but I am saying he may quickly parallel their accomplishments. It's a dizzying thought , to consider one of our own, as in our lifetime, reaching such a historic and meaningful tier. Consider how we all muse and question how there will never be another group like the Beatles, and that their talent combined with their impact and marketability have changed how music is approached today. Lofty thoughts, ya dig? I just thought, for those who, like myself, want badly for hip-hop to have a significant and huge impact on culture globally, that this could be an exciting, as well as sobering thought. Hip-hop ain't just for the block anymore, its for the ages.

Nigga

Speaking of Nas (and albums I forget to mention), the controversially titled Nigga is due out December 11th. I'm just going to stop saying "the list of albums you need to cop" because I keep sticking my blogger foot in my intermouth. I'm still lookin for word on the Fixer's album too, to add to that stupid list.

Anyway, Nas has proven to be at the helm of hip-hop consciousness, and this album will definitely help accent that. This clip is awesome because this poor white girl doesn't realize that regardless of what Nas may say, if she was talking about Nigga with any nigga, she would get those polka-dots stomped. Sorry sweetheart, those words ain't fo play-play, its really real.





It's a pretty charged debate surrounding the album, the word, and those polka-dots, but I'm gonna hold my opinion till after the 11th. Yay for social commentary!

Yes... He Was Still Fresh To Death

After reading up more on Lupe's The Cool, I has ascertained that if you don't know what you're getting yourself into, this is gonna crack any mental processing you may have once been proud of. So you need some back story to properly prep you, and to prevent any brain from oozing from your cranial orifices.

On 2006's Food & Liquor, there was a track called "The Cool", which was a metaphoric tale of ghetto ills. The main character was essentially a hip-hop zombie that refused to die. Peep lyrics to catch up some.

Flash-forward to the album of the same name, and you have this image fleshed out, with complete metaphoric characters personifying unique aspects of our beloved hood. I've said in confidence what I feel confident of saying now- Lupe may be our new Nas, more evolved, and with a distance from the appeal of involvement in underhanded dealing. I'll include an explanation of each character on the album, provided by child rebel solider.

Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool - Cast of Characters

Lupe Fiasco (star/narrator/writer/director)
Born: 1982
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois

Biography: Born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, Lupe Fiasco is a rarity in today’s record industry – an artist more concerned with creating timeless, not timely, music. After years of false-starting label deals and mixtape dominance, Fiasco broke through the mainstream’s shield in early 2006 with “Kick Push,” a breezy skateboarder’s ballad that only hinted at his lyrical wizardry. Such verbal gifts became crystal clear on his critically lauded debut, Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor. Having brushed with fame while admirably maintaining his integrity, Fiasco is now taking his substance-over-style approach to new, conceptual levels on his sophomore effort, Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool.

Cool Points
- In 2005, Fiasco delivered a scene-stealing verse on Kanye West’s hit single, “Touch The Sky.”
- Fiasco was nominated for three Grammy Awards—Best Rap Solo Performance (“Kick Push”); Best Rap Song (“Kick Push”); and Best Rap Album (Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor).
- In addition to the Grammys, Fiasco was also honored at the 2007 BET Awards (Best New Artist nomination) and 2007 Soul Train Awards (Best New R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist nomination for “I Gotcha”).
- His most nominations came at the 2007 BET Hip Hop Awards: Hip Hop CD of the Year (Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor); Hip Hop Video of the Year (“Kick Push”); Rookie of the Year; and Element Award – Lyricist of the Year.
- Through Atlantic Records, his homebase, Fiasco launched his own company, 1st & 15th Entertainment. His first artist (outside of his own projects) will be Gemini.
- In January 2006, Fiasco signed a deal with Reebok. As part of the footwear/apparel company’s “O.G.” campaign, he designed his own sneaker.
- GQ Magazine named Fiasco as the “Breakout Man of the Year” for 2006.

Michael Young History
Born: March 2006
Birthplace: Every Hood, USA

Biography: Since his early childhood days, Michael Young History was conflicted. Raised by a single, hard-working mother, History never really knew his father, a man who abandoned both History and his baby sister. This lack of paternal guidance turned an otherwise intelligent, promising boy into a drug-selling, money-grubbing Scarface-wannabe. Starting off as merely a petty crook, History’s torrid affair with his mentor’s (Game) wife, The Streets, sent him on a downward spiral of greed, deception, and, ultimately, death.

Cool Point
- An unabashed atheist, History anointed his own “holy trinity”—himself, Streets and The Cool.

The Cool
Resurrected: Amongst the undead since September 2006
Birthplace: Six feet under the Earth’s surface

Biography: The Cool is the physical manifestation of History’s debt to humanity. Payback for every user abused and every family torn apart by History, The Cool walks amongst the living as a zombie. “He” – that term used lightly, considering The Cool isn’t human – reeks of death, an ironic contrast to his polished three-piece-suit appearance. Searching for his purpose, The Cool haunts The Streets.

Cool Points
- His only possessions—two diamond earrings, a gold chain, and a letter from History’s eight-year-old sister.
- Despite the long-finished settling of rigor mortis, the sharp sensation of three bullets constantly causes aching in The Cool.
- Only one thought plays in his head like a broken record – “Hustler for death, no heaven for a gangster.”

The Game
Born: Given life the moment the snake suckered Adam and Eve
Birthplace: The Garden of Eden

Biography: An immortal, soulless entity, The Game scours city blocks and country landscapes with equal menace. Scheming from morning until night, he changes targets like the wind – hustlers, politicians, celebrities, and impressionable youth have all succumbed to his charms. His most valued accomplice is his wife, The Streets. Together, this “Bonnie and Clyde” duo have affected the lives of every man, woman, and child. The victim closest to their affections, however, was Michael Young History, a tortured man seeking acceptance through fame and fortune. Of course, nothing from The Game comes without a price.

Cool Points
- Quite convincing, his foolproof method of touching minds is through blunt fingertips.
- Through his wire-tapped ears, he’s able to hear the approaching of any enemy.
- When not hovering over common society, he lives behind bars, plotting ways to see his son, Heroine, and secretly conversing with his marital lover, The Streets.
- Despite carrying out such heartless actions, The Game does have a blood-pumping system – an amplified system pumping beats through woofer-like veins.

The Streets
Born: Conceived thousands of years ago, when the first paths and roads were paved.
Birthplace: Unknown

Biography: A temptress like none other, The Streets possesses an uncanny knack for seduction and betrayal. An equal opportunity heartbreaker, she exudes an allure irresistible to both men and women. Some have accused her of pedophilia, having lured people into her tangled web at ages as immature as eight years old. The word “love” isn’t in her vocabulary –although The Game is her admitted soulmate. Yet, The Streets has always felt a peculiarly strong connection with Michael Young History.

Cool Points
- Often referred to by her condemners as a “demon in a dress.”
- No stranger to loss, she’s tattooed the names of her murdered ex-boyfriends across her breasts.
- Her ambitions are clear upon eye contact, with dollar signs in the place of her pupils.
- Witnesses to History’s slaying reported seeing brown, almost Hennessy-colored tears roll down The Streets.

Philly Hip Hopness

I lied. My mind slipped, and completely forgot to mention that Philly is comin back with such fervor that it hurts my spleen. So lets do a quick Illie Illadelph recap, to give love to the city that gives so much. Add these to the "Hot Releases of '07" list:


Freeway- Free At Last:
Freeway hasn't dropped a record since 2003's Philadelphia Freeway. This album, which comes out November 20th, 2007, will hopefully solidify Free in the annals of the Hip-hop's. It's been a long time comin for him, so in the very least, he's got something to say.


Spank Rock's Bangers & Cash:
This album came out early October, but it warrants mention because its just soo nasty. It's a Spank Rock meets 2liveCrew EP, and it's everything you love about dirtty Baltimore influenced club music with Philly's- "I'm the most ugly city and I don't care attitude". Plus- any man who can have fisticuffs with Jared Leto is okay in my book.


Beanie Sigle- The Solution:
I mentioned this earlier, but due out in December is the 4th effort from the Broad St. Bully. Beans has continued to progress, with each effort outshining his previous achievement. It's to be released close to a month after Freeway's album, and should anchor Philadelphia rappers return to supremacy at years end.


Peedi Peedi- Prince of The Roc: Roc Star
So this is just a rumor, but State Property prince Peedie Crakk is supposed to release a project in the winter of 2007. I'll put up more of this once I get the chance, but since there isn't much info on this, I'm obviously not gonna do it now. This is a "wait and seee" kinda deal.

Daytona 500

To help prove that Ghostface is illie, and to add to my random 4:40 am post list, check how fantastic this video is. It just compounds amazing music with cartoon love. Isn't that what it's all about?

The Cool

I've talked at length about 8 Diagrams, and now I'm speaking tons about the Big Doe Rehab. To complete the "must cop" list for 2007, I must add Lupe Fiasco's sophomore effort, The Cool. If you hit up the web page for Mr. FnF (First n' Fifteenth for those not "down") you'll be greeted by:

"Demon in a dress, dollar signs in her eyes's. They say the Game has the belly of the beast, blunts for fingers and hollow tips for teeth. Hustler for death, No heaven for a gangster..."

Then all that follows is that the album may or may not be released on November 20th. After a little fact checking, it seems December 18th is the true date, so I suppose its cool to keep us beloved fans in the dark. If you head to the website you can get a listen of the single "Superstar", which I'm sure you've all heard by now anyway. Other than that, Lupe's web presence is a little lacking.

Whether the end of November or early December, this release shall end out the drool worthy albums of '07. I mean we're still waiting on a Localized Phenomenon album, but that's a completely different league. So keep tight, eyes peeled, and your grip in hand. The end of 2007 is gonna be worth tossin down a stack for.

Respect Yo'Self!

Holy-Bliz-blam, its Tuesday! So, with each dawn (or clock rotation past 12 am) comes a new post, ya dig?
And for you all, funk loving blog readers, I give you, Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story.

So we all love funk, but few know the detailed past. Or, if you do, then fine, shut up and let me finish posting! Any way, this hour and 54 minute retrospective shows the back history and development of the Memphis sound. Stax is responsible for a linage of hits you may not even be aware of, and I quote:

Stax quickly became a hit-making machine, producing a massive catalog of Top 100 records that defined the "Memphis Sound;" such as "Soul Man," "(Sittin On) The Dock Of The Bay," "Green Onions," "Midnight Hour," "I'll Take You There," "Respect Yourself," "Theme from Shaft" and many more. Stax also launched the careers of a who's-who of soul music greats: Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, The Staple Singers, Isaac Hayes, Eddie Floyd, Carla and Rufus Thomas, Albert King and Booker T. and the MGs, to name just a few.

While we all can most likely break these songs out on a whim at some dank karaoke bar, knowing the past will prove helpful during rousing games of trivial pursuit, or indie trivia at Soundfix. So check out the DVD, learn about shaft, and then make smooth love, or something. Right on.

Check Out The Check In

With the last few minutes of Monday rapidly spilling into Tuesday morning, I need to throw this post up to regain some of that "post a day" steam that I was building. So, I figure what better way then to rope that up with one of those old fashion recap posts? So lets have at it.

First, with all the Kanye criticism I drop on this page, I must send out my deepest condolences to Kanye with the loss of his mother. Mom Dukes are important, and Dr. Momma West is of course no exception. So Kanye- I'm sorry about your moment of mourning.


Also- Norman Mailer, I'm sorry to see you go too dude. You have helped me in this past year develop ideas, and I appreciate your contribution to journalism.


So- enough morose news. Last night, I had the opportunity to see MC Frontalot, a nerdcore rapper, at the Knitting Factory. Nerdcore is so awesome and disarming. I kind of felt at home, but also like I was in middle school. Also, I stood behind the sexually active band kids...so that was weird. Regardless of the excess of wide hipped gyrating, and foggy glasses (one of those pairs were mine), the lyrics were actually pretty decent, and beats quite slammin. Of course there was lots of reference to computers, good grammar, and video games, some of which were over my head (thank goodness), but there were also songs that dealt with homosexuality and acceptance, which is an aspect that mainstream hip-hop completely ignores. I suggest checking out the music before just showing up, to mentally prep yourself, but if you're looking for a change....this is definitely a change.


Last piece of news- Big Doe Rehab, remember (scroll down)? Well, it seems like Ghostface, da god, has taken over the Brooklyn Bodega, and will be blogging on a regular basis. Ghost- who's lyrics are tightly connected, and imagery is so vivid, you need to check your ears for shrapnel - will be chronicling his day to day in the Big Doe Rehab, up until the album drops on December 4th. The stories are already hilarious, so if you have the time to check on it each day, it should prove more than entertaining. Plus, I mean, its Ghostface, what more do you want?

That's it for today- Hope I'm back in your good graces!

The Big Doe Rehab

So Ghostface kicked it with Amy Winehouse, and now he's speaking on rehab. This album, The Big Doe Rehab, which pushed back the release of the Wu-tangs album 8 Diagrams, looks pretty tough from album art alone, but we all know the old adage about judging an album by the amount of franklins on the cover...or something like that. Stacks aside- I hope its worth pushing back the Wu-album, and dare i say better than Fishscale & Mo' Fish, which may be asking a lot.

In other Wu related news- Raekwon is cookin up some beef with Rza, Sohh.com reports. Apparently, a little disgruntled over the structures of 8 Diagram's beats, and how they are too guitar based, which isn't what the Wu is about. "So much so that they will come out with a follow-up album if changes aren't made to this one, or of it's not permanently shelved" (SOHH).

I just need this album to drop. Wu needs to handle the whatever in house, because after all this press, if the album doen't make every laptop and cd player explode simultaneously, someone is going to "put a hanger on a fuckin stove and let that shit sit there for like a half hour and take it off and stick it in their collective careers slow like -Tssssssss"

Born In The North, And Sworn To Entertain Ya, Cuz I'm Down With The State Of Pennsylvania

If I had to pick a state that I love other than NJ- it would be Pennsylvania. Pa, in trying to give its people more opportunities for careers has come out with a new, innovative campaign, hailing the health care industry as the most happenin industry to get dizz-own with.


Seriously, its a matter of pure genious, although it's considered "one of the strangest uses of $4,157 in taxpayer money in Pennsylvania history". I wonder why....





Check out the full story at philly.com.

Hip-Hop That Warms The Soul

There's no post to go along with this pic- it just makes me smile...

Mo Money, Mo Problems

It's tough being a hipster, or so I hear. There just aren't enough dive bars and American
Apparel's to spend your freelance cash on. Not to mention, you can only have soo many tri-colored pairs of sunglasses. Luckily, for the hipster planning for the future, there is now a mutual fund for you to dump your bonus cash into. The fund, run by hipsters, for hipsters, is called The GendeX™ Thrasher Funds.

The minimum investment is $100 with $50/month minimum "Automatic Investment Plan (AIP)." If you're one of those ballin hipsters, a $2,500 initial investment, there is no need for an AIP. So if yr real hood, but yr duckets ain't, check it out. Or at least friend them on myspace.

Tis the Season?

With Halloween's wake washing up on November's shores, I'm more than ready to flash forward to the end of the month, and get down with the holiday get down. So, I wanted to start the festivities early by putting ya'lls hip to the NYC surprise that's going on in the first few days of December. Hizzah for seasonal scavenger hunts!

I'll try to do a hit every week up until the day, but no promises.And although this blog can be excessively lame at times, I promise you, this wont be.

First hint: The event has to do with music, and said music comes from a group. Sorry, but this is not the official location of Tupac, living amongst us. Keep your peepers peeled.

Exit Music (For A Film)

While perusing the internets during a "mental break" at work, I stumbled across a film exhibition that will soon be ending at the MoMa. By soon, I mean in December, but we all know how quickly months can get away from us. As the mercury lowers in your thermometers, now is the time to find ideal indoor activities, and this one is pretty clutch. The deal, is essentially this, MoMa will close its Disney-esk video vault for some period of time, which makes this window of opportunity all that more valuable. I snagged a brief summary of how dope this is from going.com:

Founded in 1935 as the Film Library, this department's collection now includes more than 22,000 films and four million film stills; the strongest international film collection in the United States, it incorporates all periods and genres. Among the holdings are original negatives of the Biograph and Edison companies, and the world's largest collection of D. W. Griffith films. The film collection is stored in the Museum's Celeste Bartos Film Preservation Center, a state-of-the-art facility that opened in June 1996. The Department's video collection, begun in 1970, includes some 1,000 works dating from the 1960s to the present, ranging from educational pieces and broadcast documentaries to works by video artists.

All you do is pay the admission cost, scuttle your butt in there, and get your film pimp hand strong. Check out the MoMa page for specifics on the films and screening dates & times, but be prepared to be blown away by the expansive collect. Blockbuster, Netfix, and Hollywood Video, you have been shamed.