Wednesday, November 30, 2005
I am in full larceny mode, I had to vick this from The Fader
Look at Leno's face - classic. Look at hers and Juelz! They look like they are in heaven
Leno - "Oh my god that could be my daughter! Hey, hey not so close"
Lohan - "Hanging out with these Harlem Bloods is soooo cool."
Santana - "I love my life...and these white girls...EH!"
The DJ - "I never get no shine"
Racists around the country - "GASP!"
young Black boy swho have never been out of New Yorks- "goddamn, I wanna be a rapper!"
The SC - "So nice to see us all getting along...godamn, I wanna be a rapper!"
Quick Post Today
So we got a copy of the 50 video game in the office yesterday. I spent more time than I should have playing last night and here are the results.
-This game is NOT for Children, but if you didn't realize that, get out from under that rock
-This is game is NOT for the racially sensitive. Black people who have a problem with the word 'nigga' should just stick to Madden
-As if the 'Boondocks' or Hip-Hop in general didn't open the flood gates on the word, this is gonna make it worse (or better depending on your point of view)
-Nor is this for those sensitive to the word 'bitch' or the phrase 'get these bitches' or 'Banks lay these bitches down'
-Yayo and Buck have some equally awesome ignorant lines
-This is perhaps the most violent I have ever played. The counter kills are something Verinus and Pullo would rock on the fields of Gaul. true, I have Gaulish look about me
-However, it is not that much more socially deviant than the GTA series. So if you are gonna get on this gane you'd better holla at RockStar as well.
-Overall, the game is not as bad as the reviews may lead you to think. But then I am a sports guy so I don't buy any of these. I get sick of GTA after a few zoned out sessions.
-If you are a 50 fan ignore all of this. You will love it. In principal, I actually do think it's cool that a Hip-Hop artist was able to get his own game. Definitely a power move.
-All in all this game is no more morally or socially abhorrent than his music or his videos. So don't go clutching your pearls. The 50 machine rolls on.
and while we are talking about video games. Here is an interesting piece for my gamers/musicians
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
The Cutting
- You see that piece on Busta getting his locks cut? Interesting that such an event is newsworthy in the 1st place. Why is a rapper cutting his hair so important? That is a question I am not sure I have the answer to, honestly.
Being that I cut my locks a couple of months ago it's newsworthy to me.
-Buildng on yesterday's post. it seems as though another mogul has decided to flip his investment. Richard Branson, and no this is not the same cat uptown who was famous for putting his weed in jars.
I was reading his biography and some 'bama actually asked me that. And then didn't wan to believe me when I told them the truth
-I am gonna buy it, but I really need to see if this Hip-Hop Encyclopedia is gonna be dope or not. It is certainly need. That's for sure.
-dress like a woman to get away from the Fever Doo Wops?
-The Knicks are fantastically mediocre. I still believe in Steph though, f&%k that!
-What a conundrum I will be in when the Nets to Brooklyn
Monday, November 28, 2005
After a Few Days Off...
...I am feeling a bit more productive this Monday.
Some things to mentally chew on for the week.
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This story about Bush and Blair discussing blowing up Al Jazeera never got as much ink as I think it should have.
This one I (Michael) vicked from Ian, I think. Either them or Prefix. Bob Johnson is not the sellout many of us thought. Soon after one of my rants I realized that you can't force people to stay in the box you created for them. Especially in business you start a venture and the natural thing is to let it go, let it grow, or let it die. Holding onto it, like we wanted Bob to do with BET is fundamentally unatural.
It us very American to abhor death and to never lose. In Hip-Hop even moreso. Think of 'We won't stop, can't stop' or "I...Will...Not...Lose...Ever."
The reality is that every thing has a time to live and a time to die. And they should both welcomed and celebrated.
Another thing that is unacceptable in America is walking away from tremendous sums of money like Dave Chapelle did. I love what he did and on Sunday, The Times had a so-so piece about Dave's return.
I tell the staff up in here and our interns - let the money chase you, do not chase money. Determine your fee based upon your needs and your worth. Dave decided he did not need $50 Million for what it was gonna cost him. That does not mean he is going to be broke. He could easily gross in the 10's of millions doing stand up.
Potential movie deals, books, DVD royalties and lord knows what lese could generate that $50 million with minimal compromise.
He assesed his strengths and weaknesses and made the call. Now, remember we are all not Dave and do not have the earning potential, so we can't get gassed and play ourselves in these negotiations.
I think The Boondocks is hitting its stride. I fell asleep again last night, but I did peep the "A Pimp Names Slickback" (like A Tribe Called Quest, you gotta say the whole thing) rerun Sat night. That joint was way better than the 1st episode. Maybe it helped that our friends Unspoken had a nice song placement on there. And I am really liking that intro by Asheru more and more.
F*king Giants, actually f*&%^ing Jay Feely
I hope Michael Irvin's story is true. Sounds beleiveable
as does him hitting the pipe and running his damn mouth on Monday Night Countdown
Friday, November 25, 2005
Turkey Day
Hope everybody had a good one.
Thanks to the Broncos for taking it to Parcells. NYG'z in 1st place by
Monday.
Hope you have the day off today. Gonna hit the range with my uncle and
crush some leftovers.
In other news, Boogie started crawling last night. All my parents know
how big that news is.
-Wes
ww.roomserviceinc.net
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Today’s post is something that I would love to someday write a book about. That’s right I want to be Jeff Chang or Brian Coleman when I grow up. The brother, Ethan Brown, who is covering the Inc. trial for allhiphop just dropped his book ‘Queens Reigns Supreme’ that deals with this topic.
Anyway, the idea is the mythical places in Hip-Hop. Where you are from is so important in Hip-Hop that various places have taken on legendary status. What are run down projects, trailer parks or washed out middle class suburbs have become our modern day Troy, Rome, Selma, Athens, Appomattox, and Bay of Pigs.
I had on a Decatur T-Shirt that my people at Elemental hooked me up with. And my wife asked ‘why in the world do you have a Decatur shirt on?’ Her cousins are from Atlanta so she knew Decatur from them, but she could not figure out how that small town became relevant to me. And that got me thinking…
I know Decatur basically from Outkast. And furthermore Outkast has turned Atlanta, the SWATS, College Park, and Decatur into mythical places where heroes are made. Similar to how Mobb Deep has made Queensbridge Projects much more than the largest Housing project in the city. Not a place where my Queens born wife avoided like the plague. But a huge mental and physical obstacle course where boys become men. What is interesting is that if you ever visited the QB I am sure you would be roundly unimpressed.
There is no better example of this than what Jay Z, Buckshot, Jeru, and of course Biggie have done to Brooklyn. You ain’t missing much if you never visit Marcy. I live on Big’s block and there are more strollers than dice games (at least days).
The list can go on and on. Compton, East Oakland, Houston, the 5th Ward, Chicago, 8 Mile, The ‘D’, Memphis (hyped up by the MTV machine for ‘Hustle and Flow.’ Three 6 Mafia is still wack), Brentwood, Long Island, Amityville, Long Beach Hollis, and how can I forget Shao-Lin.
There is nothing magical about Staten Island, or is there? On the surface these places are no special than any other piece of land. But their residents do make them special. No matter how cynical I want to be, there was something special going in the South Bronx in the 70’s. And as Jeff Chang brilliantly documents in ‘Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop’ those special events were not taking place anywhere else. The Bronx is special. The birth of Hip-Hop was not a random event. The emergence of Wu Tang could not have happened in Princeton. There must be a reason why L.A. can produce NWA, The Pharcyde, Dilated, and The Liks.
Later, I will expound on this and build on the gems my man Bill Keyes dropped on me 5 years ago about how this theory connects to the Bible, Star Wars and the whole Judeo Christian tradition.
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Don’t say the digital big mouth did not tell you. iTunes leads the way. In 10 years the CD will go the way pf the cassette.
Check out this interview with my man One-9. He is a fantastic filmmaker who conceived and edited the Unspoken Heard video for ‘Truly Unique.’ A truly talented brother.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
HBO done did it again to me. The final episode of Rome had me on the edge of my seat. The writing on that joint is just out of sight. As a half ass writer, myself, it is even more impressive. Pullo is the key to the whole story while not being the star of an ensemble cast.
Where did they find these guys? The only actor I recognize is the big dude who reads the news. Lucius, Caesar, Antony, Octavian…I have never seen them before.
Why does it seem like Brutus has a bunch of cotton balls in his mouth. Like spit is constantly falling out his mouth.
I heard that this was a one season deal, but from looking at the boards it looks like we will get part 2 this Spring. And we will see the true nut, Antony, set it off. I look forward to seeing him cold wax Brutus and Cassius.
Feel bad for Lucius…well, you know what they say (that wasn’t very nice).
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In other news, this Murder Inc. trial is such an embarrassment. This proves the rock solid theory that these rappers are not real gangsters. Real crooks (or rather smart crooks) do not text message each other after a hit. This sounds like the story of a bunch of little boys who saw GoodFellas a few too many times. I am sure facing all this fed time they wish they had acted their age.
What about Ashanti? She is probably saying to herself, “I did not sign up for this. Clive Davis please buy out my contract.”
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Been listening to ‘To Da Break A Dawn”, “Rampage”, and “Jingling, Baby” on the iPod lately. LL is indeed one of the best that ever did it. He can rhyme is ass off. Better than most. The story of why he is not properly revered (and Marley Marl) is one of the great tales in Hip-Hop. I am sure he is not crying because he is probably top 5 in terms of gross earnings. He has been collecting royalty, licensing, and movie checks for about 20 years.
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I have this dope playlist called ‘The Truth’ where I just have the purest Hip-Hop songs in my library. Gangstarr, Diamond, Pete and CL, Nas, KRS, Slick Rick Black Star and some more current cats like Jay, Beans, Kanye, Jaylib, and Doom. On the bus today I asked myself the question, “Who is carrying on the tradition of those classic artists?”
I am not sure where Kweli is headed. Mos has gone in another direction. Doom and Madlib are way more eccentric than the elders. Little Brother picked up the mantle, but I think they are more about paying tribute than blazing new trails. After seeing The Roots at Central Park I am not sure where they are headed. So many indie artists of the class of ’95 (those great days when you could as I like to say, have not reached their potential or in the case of Company Flow (El-P) have made a dramatic left turn.
I believe that the economy of Hip-Hop has stifled creativity. Hip-Hop has become risk averse and fiscally conservative. There is simply little reward for forward thinkers. Conformity is King. No one pushes their creative boundaries. Artists act more like small, self employed business owners than creative forces.
When I think about it, there are only a few artists that I can think of that I feel that push themselves creatively and put their muse first are Outkast, El-P (for better or worse), Doom, Madlib, and Kanye. Many more, indie and commercial, fall into a particular mold. “Look how much wealth I have accumulated,” “look at how the game overlooked my incredible talent,” “It is so frustrating being better than my competition,” “I am about to take over the game.” Blah, blah, blah.
I don’t think there is enough emphasis on innovation. And if we are not careful we are going to suffocate under the weight of our own economy.
But what the hell do I know?
Monday, November 21, 2005
Whose House?
...Run's House!
This is THE best portrayal of Black folks on TV. Better than ‘The Cosby Show'
Better than 'Soul Food'
And even better than 'The Diary of Desmond Phifer' (that cat gets mad work for being part of such a maligned show).
Here are my reasons:
1) It is good to see Run relevant again. Run is arguably the most important (not best) MC of all time. RUN DMC launched the global Hip-Hop economy. They showed us all that you can earn a decent living from Hip-Hop. That mentality spawned the Hip-Hop entrepreneurs that inspire our youth (sometimes for the worse). In this MTV, Information age RUN DMC could have easily been forgotten in lieu of Young Jeezy, Chamillionaire and the rest of the Johnny Come Lately's.
2) That is a loving and imperfect family.
It's reality TV so I am not sure how much is scripted (certainly more than I suspect), but those story lines feel real. I loved The Cosby Show, but keeping it funky, I never knew a family like that. So at times the story lines felt more fictional than they really were. And not that I am cool with any rappers with mini mansions in Saddle River avec pools and ball courts, but it does seem more tangible.
3) As a parent I can connect with it on another level
Run and his wife have interesting approach to parenting that I can appreciate. It’s not always what I would agree with, but it’s dope nonetheless.
With all the damage Irv “I used to call myself Gotti before I caught Fed charges and re-thought my stupid Italian gangster persona” Lorenzo and Earl “call me DMX. I got an asthma attack” Simmons are doing to Hip-Hop it is good to see Hip-Hop associated with love, struggle, family, success, and a little sibling rivalry.
Seriously, between Irv, X, and Curtis “50 Cent, Ass shot, I had to make myself cry, a few cycles away from being chubby” Jackson Hip-Hop looks like shit now. And that bad image really hurts us when we are trying to get permits from the Fever Doo Wops aka the cops, for the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival ’06. I hate it and want it to stop so bad it makes my trick knee act up.
Speaking of trick knees shout out to the Fort Greene Park Football crew. We had a blast. And when it got cold all I had to do was pound some Miller High Life’s.
Shout to James Blagden who burned me on the 10 yard Out and Up pattern.
Heard there was another Unspoken track on the Boondocks last night. Whoever saw it please put us on. I fell asleep…again.
Since I fell off last week (baby and wife sick) I got mad posts brewing in my head… ROME, Homonymic Phrases, Mythical Places and many more.
Till tomorrow…Water
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
bigger update later- support james
Q-Tip aka The Abstract (live DJ set)
DJ LINDSEY & DJ RossOne
special live performance by THE HEALERS
art by JAMES BLAGDEN
6s & 8s
205 Chrystie @ Stanton (1 blk south of Houston)
F/V to 2nd Ave, JMZ to Bowery
10pm, $5
only the funkiest, soul, disco, hip hop, reggae, house, pop and rock
for more info/rsvp threelittlebirds@shinyfeet.com
Monday, November 14, 2005
The SC on XM tonight! (Monday)
Party people,
Check out the Swift Chancellor, Wes Jack on XM's Rhyme 65 @ 8p.m.
Part of the Diamond Classix series spotlighting Pharcyde's
"Labcabincalifornia"
Good looking to DOC and KB!
Homophobia is in full and total effect
so Jim Jones who runs with the guys on the left calls Kanye, the guy on the right 'borderline homo' beacuse of his gear.
To quote Dr. Evil - "Riiiiiiiiiight"
Start of a new week
'Tis the start of a new week. I missed my posts on Thursday and Friday. My bad.
Before our daily dose of randomness...
RIP to Eddie Guerrero, WWE superstar. Those cats really push their bodies to the limits. I hope my Latino brother didn't push it too far.
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Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Alternate side of the street parking is suspended today...
...it's Get Rich or Die Tryin' day....what!? it's not a holiday? Then how did all those people get off from work/school to line up on Court Street today?
If people cut school or called in sick to see this they should be shamed, shamed I say. You only skip work for good movies like 'The Matrix' or 'Star Wars.'
Just joking, but I did see a gang of people queued up for the flick. I am very suspect. I respect 50's business acumen, but I have very little interest in hearing his faux life story. Somehow I think I could write the script myself. It is the same drug dealer to Hip-Hop story that seems to never grow old. But I will say that when looking at the director who shot the joiun, I tend to think it will be deeper than that.
Anyhoo, who saw T.O.'s press conference? Embarassing. I was a bit sad to see T.O. roll up there with his tail between his legs. I tell you I do NOT like that Drew Rosenhaus character. He came off like a poorly attired used car salesman. That purple tie? come on, cousin. You got millions in comissions - get a stylist, go to J Crew, watch a Kanye video, something!
I am not gonna blame the agent, but I am sure his slick ass enabled T.O.'s arrogance. Then the Eagles son-ed him and now his whole career is virtually over. 33 year old, ego-maniac, locker room cancer. Who is gonna give him a big contract? He should have sucked it up this year after his 1st ploy failed. Rocked it, then re-negotiated in a professional manner at the end of the year.
(for the record I think they should have re-negotiated his contract in the off season. Arrogance on both sides hurt all involved)
In other news, the SC will be a guest lecturer at the Clive Davis School at NYU tomorrow (Thursday). Thanks to Leota at Virgin for the opportunity.
Randomness
-where is Jean Grae?
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
New Floetry - doesn't it look like the girl on the left is sucking her stomach in? or maybe they've been hitting the gym - they are looking good,
Election Day blah, blah, blah
Poking around this morning on Sandbox to see what's good these days and came across a copule of releases I knew nothing about. New Roots was the best among them. New Lone Cat, which I knew about thanks to J Sands' spamming...
There are A LOT of records on there. Not too many that tickle my fancy, to be honest. Do you guys still keep up with all these releases, or have you gotten lazy like the SC? I feel like these records come out and have some interest and in like 10 days the story is over. The indie scene has increasingly become like the major label scene. No real artists developement and if you ship-out numbers are not diesel, the label, distributor and consumer loses interest.
Increasingly I think Iam getting old. My taste in Hip-Hop is become more and more distant from the youth. These cats Sage Francis, Aesop Rock? I don't get it - not a judgement call, just saying I don't get it.
Randomness:
-Will the Knicks win a game
-The Great White Hope comes closer to his destiny
-Serious about your hustle? read this book, and this one, and oh yeah this one
-where can I get liner notes for all these albums iTunes has hoodwinked me into actually buying!?
Monday, November 07, 2005
Missed most of my Sunday night TV fix...
...but I did get home in time to catch a bot of the Eagles game. They should have gotten rid of T.O. a while ago. Whoever didn't see this coming is crazy. Not really buying the Straight Bangin' ESPN conspiracy theory.
-Jets took a close 'L' that I am not mad at.
-The NYG's continue to roll.
-Missed Family Guy and Rome - Thank goodness for HBO ON Demand and [adult swim]
- and speaking of Adult Swim, I did catch the premiere of The Boondocks. Here are some lazy bullet pioints
- 1st off, good to see so many years of hard work finally come to fruition. Aaron has been working on that for years
- nice look for our man Gabriel Benn aka Asheru to rock the intro
- the Japanese anime - didn't expect that. kind of threw me off
- as did Regina King's voice for Huey and Riley. I knwo they are 8 and 10 years old and probably biologically have the voice of a woman, but for some reason I thought of Huey as a grown man stuffed in a little guy's body. Not a little guy with a grown man's mentality. gonna take some getting used to
- Charlie Murphy was THE best part. I hope he stays around
- I am not one of those hard liners about dropping the 'n-bomb' but it was a bit much. Most of the time it did make sense - as far as how real convos tend to go.
- If you are not familiar with the strip I think it assumed too much.
- I hope Riley's character gets fleshed out for the TV viewing audience. He is the co-star, yes, but he is the Phife to Huey's Q-Tip
With the sucess of DangerDoom I am sure more Hip-Hop heads are gonna get hip to adult swim, but the shows after Boondocks were as good or better. I LOVE 'Robot Cicken' and that other show 'Minoriteam' was crazy.
-Water
Friday, November 04, 2005
Fry (Lock) Day
Not much to say today. I usually skip Thursdays, but Miles cooperated and I was able to fire off the Kanye show review.
This link is funny as shit! bean bags
Have a good weekend
Thursday, November 03, 2005
'White people, this is your only chance to say nigger, so take advantage'
Just one of the great lines from last night's 'Touch The Sky' show at
The Garden. Kanye's tour came to the Apple and thanks to our good friend
'Breaka' Dawn Kinard we got the stupid dope seats. 4 rows back. Just
behind Kanye's mom-who BTW was rocking the fresh 'Kanye West's Mom'
jacket and T-shirt.
Trifling celebrity sightings in our section (I can be so juvenille)
-Andre Harrell
-Puffy's manager - that bald head dude from MTB2
-Toure, cultural critic extrodinnaire
Other interesting sightings:
-more teenage and pre-teen white girls than I ever would have imagined
-all the aunts Kanye rhymes about
-more middle aged parents than I expected
-basically a lot young'uns
-scattered fitted hat, NBA dress code violating brothers. Not many
though
-not as many preppy Hip-Hoppers as I expected
As for the show? Kanye killed it. He had Kareem Riggins, his DJ A-Track,
and his string section (complete with a baaad ass 'fly colored Asian'
woman leading the ensemble. 5 violins and a Harpist) begind this opaque
box type thing. 2 back up singers, strobe lights, disco balls, a twin
bed, a clothes rack and various other props that most Hip-Hoppers are
too lazy to implement.
Fantasia opened up and sweated through her white top - not cute. But she
impressed me. Weird pairing for Kanye, but I wasn't mad.
Keisha Cole didn't perform. Why? I don't know. She have missed her slot
or just been bumped.
She came out and sang the chorus on one joint then left.
(Kan)Ye ran through all the hits and faves - 'Drive Slow', 'Gold
Digger', 'Jesus Walks', 'Through The Wire', 'Late' etc.
He did that Brandy song that I hated on the record but live it was way
better.
On a side note, I can't think of a rapper who so many people like but
can't bear to admit it. Kanye gets his props, but I honestly hear from
so many haters, and conversely I can't think of a group like Little
Brother that has so few haters... But that story is for another day.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
A new Installment
A new feature for the SCR today.
- 'Kingdom Of Heaven' sucks
Orlando Bloom's performance is what they call "phoning it in." His understated performance made it seem like he wished he was at the wrap party for LOTR. Story was weak. The action sequences were few and far between. I kept waiting for Aragon and Gimli to come across the desert. The best part was cousin in the metal mask. Like a middle ages MF Doom. Wait for cable. Save your slot.
- At the crib I have a 'Legend of Wolverine 'cartoon, 'The MC - Why We Do It', and 'The Village' shipping today. Anyone seen these joints? I am worried about the MC movie
- and what's the deal with the class action lawsuit?
- can't wait for Episode III and the Stewie Griffith story
In other news:
- Like Scoop Jackson I am off the Phil Jackson boat. He is just another closet racist. In league with David Stern in his attack on youth and Hip-Hop culture
- And what is the deal with Ralph Samson. Come on sun, tighten up!
- my favorite new sports anchor, Big Daddy Hip-Hop
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Coooool DJ the Mikey B y'all (aka notes from the B25 bus)
The long awaited SCR endorsement for NYC mayoral race is in. The SC
fully endorses Cool DJ Mikey B aka Mike Bloomberg. Not that anyone
cares...
Freddy aka Fernando (I love how he 'Anglo/Americanizes' his name then wants to ride the Puerto Rican/Black/Minority train) Ferrer is the type of ensconced politician that halts change and common sense. It seems like his main selling point is that he is a Democrat in a Democratic town. And if you vote Republican you're a sellout. Man, f&*k the Democrats, Republicans, Reform Party, Conservative party, Liberal party - all that. I vote for people who can get the job done. Protect my family and help my business grow.
Watching the Sunday morning talk shows I realized (again) that the news
industry is a misnomer. They are not reporting the news and certainly
not searching for the truth. What it really is, is an intellectual WWF
(WWE, I know. I am from the Hulkamania era. What can I say?) wrestling
match.
2 smart ass liberals (Eleanor) on this side. 2 angry, arrogant right
wingers (usually male - Pat and Fat Tony) on that side. Whatever Bush
does the liberals hate. And to the right even when Bush bends them over
with Harriet 'the Chariot' Miers they still won't snap on him. It's as
juvenile as high school, but good for ratings. Hey, I watch every
Sunday.
The only impartial, intelligent news source I have found is NPR, and
WNYC, here in the 5 boros. My homie stromie Brian Lehrer, Ed 'Flash'
Gordon, Leonard 'Part VI' Lopate and BBC World News. Go slide them a dub
for their fund drive.
-the SC aka Vince McMahon