Don't Mis(dub)step

The dub is the cornerstone of hip-hop & reggae and any black music you tote today. Hype up the drums, drop the vocals, and swill the contents of your brain into a fine mush substance; this is your brain on dub.

I went to club love in the early half of fall, for an all night dub party which started my obsession. Then I picked up a copy of I love Dub Step, and the usage of low dwelling sonics, pulsing yet mechanic basslines, and pure electronic energy got me hooked.

Then came my most recent discovery, Rusko's Essential mix- all the dub you could want. It's a safe sampling for those not yet sure of their allegiance to dub, and possibly one of the best introductions I've seen.

A little Release

Tackling the idea of jumping from hype to hero is tough in and of itself. Hell, getting signed off a demo is pretty damn hard. Still, as unfathomable as it may seem, that's the new lane rappers are using to build their stock, re-(pro)tool their tracks, and live in the light as long as possible, without even dropping a full length. Wale & The Cool Kids are the progenitors of this idea, but Kid Cudi, Izza Kizza & Kid Sister seem to be picking up on the play without too much lag.  It's dumbfounding, mostly because rap is about wordplay, and units, but now, it's about downloads and page hits. 

We're growing a legion of rappers who don't sell records, and roll modes who don't crank out hits, just crank "dat," what dat is, may be seen when an album is actually dropped. Enjoy you're free download ep's until then! 

This is dedicated to Lil'Wanye, without whom, this platform wouldn't be possible. 

Una luz que nunca se apaga

I dislike the winter months. Not solely because they are cold, but because that cold makes me want to stay in longer, and that reminds me how lonely the world can be. (this is not a post on the new Charlie Kaufman move, Synecdoche, I promise.)

That this melancholy bile that rises in my heart, makes me listen to my entire Smiths collection. But, Morrissey and his crew, ain't just for the emo, dark haired plain-clothes of "alternative" America, but oddly enough, also for the Chicano community of east LA. What connection do they share that makes him so meaningful?

Peep the OC Weekly article

And Take a gander at this great video below!

Toronto Fire?

I started looking into this rapper from Toronto called Kardinal Offishall, not because of who he is, but because of who he'd like to be. Michaelangelo Matos's 33 1/3 book on Prince's Sign 'O' The Times, speaks on the Prince clones that started to appear at the peake of his career. Kardinal seems to be one of those clones- for a rapper who i can't speak on just yet- cuz I hope to use it in a review. So- peep this video, think on it some- and we'll revisit the issue.

"Dangerous" From Kardinal Offishall's NOT 4 SALE

Joeseph Coombe Mixes Parody with Social Commentary Creating "Comm-ody"

If you run over to Know Yr Product, you'll see a hilarious piece on the band/ Arcade game, Crystal Castles. This post is genius because not only does it jab at the fabricated reality that the band is a genuine creative entity ( their name, music, and Madonna artwork were all grifted from other original (and better) creative sources), but it also doubles a lite hipster humor through the vehicle of bar owner/ promoter Hary J:

When asked if he would get rid of the game to allow more interest in the bands, leaving the rat traps exposed, the owner said, “Not with the Rat Traps, a local band, playing next Friday. It’s too risky. The kids today they love their irony. If I book a band like the Rat Traps, they may rather drink my cheap beer and stare at real rat traps all night.”

While Mr. Coombe has presented his astute commentary most often in the form of factual music and pop culture writing, his ablity to throw satire into the mix promises at least one other funny blog post, but hopefully several ( no more than three).

Rip Nagi Noda

I watch a lot of music videos. You may not realize how egregious of an understatement that is, but its the truth. Anyway, today, a great music video director, Nagi Noda passed away, leaving a legacy of greatness to the expansive history books we know of as the internets. In celebration of her passing, I leave you her reel, to enjoy and celebrate.


Tiga- "(Far From)Home"




Some Random Eyeball's Jamin'



Coca-Cola Commercial



2004 Olympic Games Silliness



Cut Copy- "Hears On Fire"





Some Japanese Video You Won't Understand, but Will Laugh At




Ummm.........




Scissor Sisters- "She's My Man"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1s2zNtKuSI

(embeds disabled)

Money, Power, Respect; In the Key of Life

I'm reading Real Punks Don't Wear Black (Frank Kogan) , trying to strain from it the key to being both a good writer, and discover what writers look for in good music- the ever important essence of music. The reason I'm enjoying it so much, is that Kogan has no better idea than I do, and cites Lester Bangs & Richard Meltzer in trying to clarify his points on "authenticity" and the real in music. I've been toying with the idea, that is supported by Kogan's musings that music is authentic as long as it speaks emphatically about power (emphatically not necessarily meaning genuinely).

"Great rock thrives on insecurity." Or so Kogan paraphrases, but it's really about one's insecurity about where one stands contextually to power. Do you have it? Do you want it? Do you hate it? Do you love it? James Brown was amazing in that he both conducted it, and directed us all to fight it, yet had the power to disguise struggle with funk. Likewise, punk music is powerful in its admittance to lack of power, and it refusal to acknowledge power's existence, yet is made up structurally of mostly power chords and jaring lyrics.

L'ultimo bacio

It's often the work of Know Yr Product to discuss the sub-textual value of film and its reach in society, and I never want to attemp to play fiddle, chair two, in that regard. However, in this particular instance, I feel its only right for me to bring this film to the virtual table for his, and more importantly your consideration.

L'ultimo bacio is the original, and Italian version of Zach Braff's Last Kiss. It tackles infidelity, and the cause of such an act, fear. The fear of monotony, and the discomfort with which some, most, many, or all of us may feel when in an intense and serious relationship. I will now attempt a KYP-esque analysis:

Carlo, and all of his friends, are challenged with the threat of settling for the known, instead of the adventure and uncertainty, and most important, lack of responsibility that couples with the unknown. They claim they need to feel alive again, until they are then faced with two compounding extremes (Carlos with a young affair that is also in the search of love- which solidifies that regardless of age, that commitment is a constant value & the death of a close friends father, suggesting the lasting quality of death, but the devotion of loved ones), which makes the players realize that the real, has already been attained, but the renewal of such is a task they must work towards.

Exclusive Wale Interview with Metropolitan Segue:

So, way back in November, when Wale was just blowing up, I stareted writing this interview. I went through all the strain of writing the interview, setting it up, and writing it up, but vibe ultimately passed on it. So, here it is for you, cuz somebody might as well read it (If you make it to the end, there is a prize!):

D.C. native Wale is quickly becoming a major voice for the Mid-Atlantic region. Take an emcee with deep ties to his community, and add Mark Ronson’s diligent hand and tutelage, to develop a unique voice the likes of which has yet to be heard in hip-hop. Wale has been building a career that is fueled off of determination. He’s one of the few rappers that can boast touring Europe before acclaim and you can bank that it’s based more on talent than connections. He has yet to drop a full length, but has mix tapes that draw as much attention as his Nike boots and tighter than status quo jeans, and least hood-wise. Throw in verses over Justice’s D.A.N.C.E remix, and it seems pretty certain that this voice won’t remain encapsulated in the eastern seaboard for long. Rightfully so, and with a lot to say on D.C. Go-go music, the industry as a whole, and the labels that support the industry he’s dedicated to taking over, he manages to work both willingly with the system and keep his guns drawn.

MS/ VM: What unique aspect do you feel you add to hip-hop?

Wale: Being from a different region; the mid-atlantic, or DC to be exact, ain’t nothing really come out of there with a lot of commercial appeal. It would be pretentious of me to say that I’m marketable, but I guess they call me marketable. I understand the concept of lyrics and song making. Lyricism and song making is rare in hip-hop, period, right now.


VM/ MS: Being a DC emcee, you have a large go-go element as a background. Do you and Mark and who ever else is responsible for your beat production, plan on drawing that into your beats, or do you have something else in consideration?
Wale: Oh yea, we’re gonna do it. Like I’ve said in every interview, the greatest advice Jay-z ever told me was to just make the best possible song you can make. So I’m just going to make the best possible music. If that happens to be something with Go-Go music, then we’re going to attempt it, but if I don’t feel like, in my heart of hearts its justifiable good- something that the people where im from can relate to, or it sounds watered down at all, then no one is going to hear it. But We’re going to try. We’ve been successful thus far, but the album is going to be a whole body of work, and its gotta flow together; one whole consistent picture with several colors.

MS/ VM: On the track "the People", from your A Hundred Miles And Running mixtape, you paint a vivid localized image of you being the liaison to the rest of industry- how do you see yourself connecting people?

Wale: This is how the ‘ambassador’ title came. I do a lot to help other artists. I help out producers; I have producers that did one of my first singles, and then we get to work with Rhymefest, Talib Kweli, Clipse, and the Entourage thing is a good look. My manager understands how important this is to my, and he takes producers that he likes and he tries to get them placement. That’s the type of stuff that I do. Me being the liaison, or ambassador, or whatever you want to say, that’s the thing that I’m trying to do. I can’t say that I’m going to kick down the door and everybody is going to get in, but I’m going to make it my duty to try and help other people out. Because there is money in this music business, and why not give out the opportunity?


MS/ VM: It's said that you have had a career prior to being signed that was almost as intense, in comparison to those with label deals. This is in terms of touring. What effects will that have on you as an artist? Do you think that it could potentially take away from some of the edge that comes with being a newcomer?
Wale: I could be bougie a little bit, in a sense, because I’ve done a lot before my deal, but its just going to make me work harder. Right now, I don’t have any resources. I have a couple of friends, and a manager, and collectively we sleep about 5 hours a day all put together. Basically, all we’re going to do is use our resources and go crazy on ‘em, you know? We have this person or that person’s phone book, we looking at more money, more opportunities, more Wale, more Mark Ronson, more Daniel Weisman, more Rich Kleiman.

VM/ MS: What can we look forward to on your album? Who are you working with?

Wale: Ronson is going to do most of the album, but JustBlaze is going to do some stuff. Young Guru is going to step away from the mixing boards and do a couple of things on the album. Kanye said…, me and Kanye talked and said we would do a couple of things together. I also want to do some things with Justice, and Calvin Harris, and Adam London. Calvin Harris’ got some things that I think could fit well with me and Mark’s sound.

MS/VM:
You seem to approach hip-hop in a way that isn't all hood-rap, but aware of all sides of the street- so to speak, if you had your way, how would you want listeners to classify you?

Wale: The thing is that I feel that the most successful people in this business are the people that is most comfortable in their skin. Like Jeezy is 100% a motivator, He lives what he’s talking about, while he lived it. I don’t go around glorifying it, but I understand it enough. I understand it from a narrative, because I have a lot of friends who grew up in that, and I grew up in that, and I just want to tell their story because they can’t rap, or just tell it a little better because I have more people listening.

And I’m comfortable; I live in the Washington D.C. suburbs at this particular time in my life, and I’m comfortable. I’ll go on TV, cuz its not like I’m out there flippin’ birds or nothing, but more or less, to define me in one sense: I’m not out there doin’ it, but if you need it, I can make it happen. I’ll call my man, you know what I’m saying? It’s a narrative. I feel like I’m the one that everybody wants to know, but my hands are clean. That way I don’t feel like im contradiction, in any sense. I’m not trying to poison the kids, or anything like that, but at the same time I’m not trying to save the world either. That’s not my fight. My fight is to make great music, and to motivate people, and for people to understand my story and my train of thought. If in the process, I write a record, and at that point in my life I feel like somethins’ really on my heart, then I’m going to express it, and hope that people relate to it, as they have to all the rest of my records.


MS/ VM: What albums have defined your youth; hip-hop or otherwise?

Wale: Most of the go-go music that came from 92’- 99’, that’s been the soundtrack of my whole growing up. Also Doggystyle, Bob Marley & The Wailer’s Greatest Hits, the first or second Jodicie album, Kris- Kross’ first album. Just anything I could my hand’s on; Tribe, [Camp lo’s] Uptown Saturday Night, albums like that.


MS/ VM: Are there other, non-musical aspects of your life that you pull on for creativity? Family, politics, cultural (ie fashion, art, etc).

Wale: I’m around positive people, like chilling with my manager and my friends, Zay, Dan, my girl, my family, people like that. They re-inspire me to be the person that I am, the person that I write. Being around a whole bunch of people that need favors is not the life I want to live. That’s kind of the life that a lot of musicians choose. They surround themselves with a lot of people that need stuff, and I surround myself with a lot of people that I need. I need my people, my friends, and my family.

VM/ MS: Black thought has had a big influence on you as well-what is it about his style that you like?

Wale: His flow, man. It’s just his flow is so confident, so amp’d, and I hear he’s got a memory like an elephant. He just memorizes everybody’s lyrics verbatim, and his style is so cut and dry and straight to the point. It’s just his whole aura when he raps, like Jay got it. I don’t like saying Jay anymore because I know him pretty good, now. I don’t like saying “Oh Jay is such an influence on me”, even though I told him last time we were together, I was like “Man, I really look up to you”, but I was drunk. So I don’t really know Black Thought, I ain’t even met him, so I can say that, til I meet him, then I’ll have to say somebody else.

MS/ VM: How did you develop your flow?

Wale: It derived from a lot of different things. Like, Jay, both the members of Camp Lo, Lil’ Wayne, Lupe; I take from everything. I feel like that’s how you get good at what you do. Kobe takes from Jordan; Jordan was still playing when Kobe was playing.
Everybody takes from everybody. Like when I played football, I modeled my game after Berry Sanders and Warrick Dunn, those are the people I look up to, so I took from both of them.

VM/ MS: Being a native of the D.C. area, what do you think on the popularity of the 930 club?

Wale: You ready, for this? I’ve never been to the 930 club, I probably dove past it, or maybe I was there on a drunken night or something like that. They have “go-go” there, but I’ve never been to a go-go at the 930 club. Only clubs that I know for- real, for- real is that Mark Bonds got it on smash and Abdul got it on smash. That’s where I go when I go out, but go-go could really be anywhere.

MS/ VM: With some of the music that you use as a beats, you move outside of traditional hip-hop, and this has been said to cross over into your fashion as well. How would you respond to being categorized as a “blipster”/ “hipster”?

Wale: I don’t even know what a hipster is. You ain’t gonna find no hipster in D.C. or Maryland, period. I feel like I embody; for the most part maybe I might dress differently than a lot of people, but the way I dress is the way a lot of people my age is dressing now back home. Secondly, I don’t even understand what a hipster is, like I can’t wait till I get an opportunity to see what that person in Complex Magazine meant, cuz I kinda took that personal.
Just cuz I’m working with a white producer, does that mean I’m a “blipster”, or whatever that is? It’s like, are you serious? I like MUSIC. That’s the first thing you should hear when you hear about me. You should be like “He’s eclectic.” I wanna rap on everything, anything that sounds good. There isn’t anybody you can hear the beat to that “D.A.N.C.E” and say it’s not a great beat. Just because I ain’t tryin to rap on snap music, what does that mean? Hip-hop beats just don’t inspire me that much anymore. If you ask any of the top producers, candidly, what they think about the production going on in Hip-hop music, they’re going to tell you that it’s uninspiring. So when you hear something fresh, which is like our music, or you hear somebody rap on some Euro-dance music, then you’re like “Yea!” If that makes me a hipster then you know, give me some bellbottoms or whatever they wear.

Download his smash mixtape for freeeee, here!

Welcome Today, to The World of Tomorrow

Short post on futurism. If you don't watch the morning news, like me, or the rest of America not working on Wall Street or in a teacher's union, you missed the story on one of the first successful, possibly consumable, jetpacks.

The BBC reported that inventor Glenn Martin, and his guinea pig of a 16 year old son, tested out the flying machine for all of 45 seconds. Orville Wright took his Flyer for a 12-second, joyride. So yea, Martin family in effect. Orville...yr a half-assing chump.

I say all of this because, all I really want, is for the 16 year old son of a mega nerd to grow up to be the Rocketeer. As of right now, the jet packs, with their dork-protected shock absorbers are of course in their most infantile stages, and can only fly for 30 minutes, and a mile a minute. Also the Government wont let you fly the thing over congested areas, which totally shanks its super hero assisting capabilities. Hopefully by the time the kid is 21 he can fly these things for hours, and maybe the pack will have a beer holder.

The Real Hip-Hop

For some reason, everyone wants to cater to children. I never had no indie band singing to me from the pancake mountain on high. What gives?!? Kangaroo Alliance/ The Buddy System/ Kindercore of Athens, Georgia is new to the kiddy indie scene, and comes with a hilarious amount of cartoons with excessively immature aspects and sometimes guns!!!! Which is what motivated me to post these for you to enjoy and pass on to your children.

As a cool little tidbit of info, Kevin Barnes is involved (since kindercore is the label that used to exist and put out Of Montreal albums from 1998- 2001) and if this is the manifestation of his humor, animated, that makes these even better!
















[And yes, that is Of Montreal's Wraith Pinned To The Mist And Other Games]

Don't Hate Cuz its 2008

I messed up, ok? I fucked around, got involved in some covert, Viet-ching chang-cong bullshit which in my minds eye is the equivalent of job hunting. "My B." In the time I've been gone, pop songs have jumped off, road trips have taken place, and full out jack moves have gone into full effect, but you prolly don't care none too much 'bout that, right? All you're concerned with is the content that was, and the content that was not, and how we can get back to the good old days. Well let's try to work something out.

I'm not promising anything- because i'll inevitably get busy and jump ship, and then you'll start with the "why big don't call me no more" references and things will get awkward AGAIN. So lets say this for starters. I'm sorry, but I'll try to take this back to the "weekend" roots it once had, so you can get yr info, yr jollies, and yr freshly squozen piece of whatever makes this blog interesting. If it was ever even remotely interesting. I'm gonna try to recommit.





and why say anything if someone has already said it better: