The Slashies

In the spirit of Zoolander, here is another SC list.

The Rappers/Actors, in no particular order, plus the flick I remember
them for.

-Mos Def - Bamboozled, a great piece of cinema. The Mau Mau's are coming
you Delacroix's

-Ice t - that joint where he was being hunted like a deer. Probably my
least favorite slashy

-Krs 1, HBO project that Rosie Perez did AND 'Who's The Man? - listing
every actor in that flick would kill this list

-Busta, Finding Forrester. Shaft was wack

-Q tip, Prison Song. He pulled off a thugged out Abstract. 'She Hate
Me' performance was forgettable.

-Fat Joe, Prison Song. Didn't Tip kill Cooked Crack?

-NORE, Prison Song and State Property II even though I never saw it, but
I have no doubt Victor Santiago delivered a Deniro like performance

-Ja Rule, that joint with Ving Rhames exceeded my terribly low
expectations

-DMX, Belly was dope. Needed a screenwriter

-Kurrupt, some wack flick with Steven Segal

-Latifah, the blacker than thou waitress in Jungle Fever

-Meth, 'The Show' even though it was a documentary, Meth had the best
part

-Red, MTV Cribs, the only time they did a real crib. I heard that was
his cousin's crib

-Ludacris, heard 'Crash' was dope

-Snoop, 'Starsky and Hutch', he did a better Huggy Bear than Antonio
Fargas

-Ice Cube, 'Higher Learning' was unederrated

-Saffir, 'Menace II Society', the Saucee Nomad was a real 'G'

-The RZA-rector, the Ghost Dog cameo was money

Artists that need a movie deal:
-Ghost
-Doom
-Big Boi
-Rapper Noyd
-The Extra P

Can't Stop Won't Stop

So now that I figured how to blog from the sidekick you guys are gonna
get sick of me.

Reading Jeff Chang's book. I am only 50 pages in (out of 400+) and I am
blown away. I have gone off on tangents about the Bronx and Hip-Hop
before. Jeff breaks it down in more detail than this kid from
Soundview/Story Ave could.

-Black Spades (the birth of Zulu)
-Robert Moses-fascinating
-Hope Rd.

Love it

Buy and read this book!

What's really hood?

So I'm walking Roxy on Fulton this morning and I see a Heineken poster
in a phone booth display. They had the ice cold bottle, you know the
'it's all about the beer'

The caption was 'what's really good'

Love it.

That my friends is called knowing thy customer.

Enjoy the weekend. To City Island I go.

Btw, what is the verdict on the Mos Def car commercial. Meant to shout
that out on the blog a few weeks back.

I'm not mad at it

And 1 more thing look for 'yer man' Wes's editorial in the next issue of
Elemental. Shout to Michael, Adam and Matt.

Some legendary artists will be added to the Festival next week. And some
media partners that will break th 7H/RS haters collective hearts.

-Wes

www.roomserviceinc.net
Www.sevenheads.com

Mary, Mary, why you buggin?

Just saw Maria Full Of Grace. Definitely on the recommended list. Gotta love Netflix. The ending is a little ‘deus ex machine,’ but that doesn’t disqualify it.

Dallas with Steve Nash goes to the 2nd round.
Dallas w/o Nash goes to the 2nd round.
The Suns get to the playoffs w/o Nash
The Suns make the Conference Finals w/ Nash, but are down 2-0 and in deep trouble

The Lakers win 3 rings with Shaq and make it to the Finals last year
The Lakers are a lottery team w/o Shaq
The Heat are a surprise playoff team w/o Shaq
The Heat make it to the Conference Finals w/ Shaq and tie it up with the defending champs

Which player is more valuable?

Went to the Common show on Monday. And although I missed the 1st 30 minutes it was a great show. Every time I go to one of these shows I always say I need to be in the front with the real fans. Not in the back with the industry cool guys. It sucks back there.

And with Common being so ‘in’ and ‘hip’ there are more and more people there not for the music but to be seen. He did ‘Thelonius’ and more than half of the people had no clue what it was. Even ‘Used to Love HER’ got a luke response. ‘Corners’ was a big hit. Less people reacted to ‘Go’ than I had thought. Common’s band was a nice look. Streamlined and tight. I think he said Kareem Riggins was on the drums.

Word is the C to the O is gonna do 250k in his 1st week. Nice.

I gotta write an editorial for Elemental that is due in 8 hours, so I must bid you adieu and goodbye.

Sincerely,

The Shadout Mapes

Common Tour Dates

Common will be hitting the road with John Legend and De La Soul. Dates below:

• 7/18 Baltimore Ram's Head Live (w/ John Legend, De La Soul, Rahzelwith DJ JS-1)
• 7/21 Boston The Roxy (w/ John Legend, De La Soul, Rahzel with DJJS-1)
• 7/23 Philly Electric Factory (w/ John Legend, De La Soul, Rahzelwith DJ JS-1)
• 7/25 Cleveland House of Blues (w/ John Legend, De La Soul, Rahzelwith DJ JS-1)
• 7/28 Detroit, MI Royal Oak Theatre (w/ John Legend, De La Soul,Rahzel with DJ JS-1)
• 7/30 Milwaukee The Rave (w/ John Legend, De La Soul, Rahzel with DJJS-1)
• 8/1 Chicago, IL House of Blues (w/ John Legend, De La Soul, Rahzelwith DJ JS-1)
• 8/3 St. Louis, MO The Pageant (w/ John Legend, De La Soul, Rahzel withDJ JS-1)
• 8/6 Atlanta The Tabernacle (w/ John Legend, De La Soul, Rahzelwith DJ JS-1)
• 8/8 Miami Mansion (w/ John Legend, De La Soul, Rahzel with DJJS-1)
• 8/10 New Orleans, LA House of Blues (w/ John Legend, De La Soul, Rahzelwith DJ JS-1)
• 8/13 Houston, TX Hush (w/ John Legend, De La Soul, Rahzel withDJ JS-1)
• 8/15 Dallas, TX Gypsy Tea Room (w/ John Legend, De La Soul, Rahzelwith DJ JS-1)
• 8/19 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore (w/ John Legend, De La Soul, Rahzelwith DJ JS-1)

this is my song for real, no doubt. Haters gonna hate, ballers gonna ball 

• Sorry it has taken me a minute to get back on the blog hustle. Being out of the office allows the work to pile up. The Expo itself was intense to say the least. An assault on the senses. Explosions, music, DJ’s, scantily clad ladies, etc. It was good to see some folks from ‘the block’ out there in LA. My man Neil Nice from Ecko, Datwon from King, my man 007 aka Christian Barnett from the Rawkus days and before, Chace Infinite from Self Scientific. Also good to meet some new and ‘newer’ friends like Eleanor at Sanctuary, Denise at WB, Scott and Aaron at Geffen. Without a doubt the most memorable meeting was with the god folks at Interscope. Definitely one of those industry moments that shed some light on things.
  
  Here are some ramblings because I lack the energy to write full sentences.
  
• The 50 game is VIOLENT! Not for the weak stomached
• The gPod twist is gonna change the game
• 50 is a hustler, whatever you think of his music
• there are nice people working at VU Games
• there were a lot of strippers or chicks who damn sure look like them at the Expo
• I have no idea how chicks in LA stay so thin (well most of them---zinger!)
• Room Service loves Patty Weber
• Geffen New Media are good hosts
• F*&k selling CD’s, ringtones homey
• Chace Infinite is a bully
• Muggs is older than you think, but can still spin
• The cat in J5 who used to have locks looks maaad old w/o them
• Downtown LA is not downtown New York. Remember that
• The Staples Center is making no dough these days
• Watch the shower spigots in the City of Commerce
• Ecko’s ‘Getting Up’ is gonna be hoooot
• I want a PSP
• I do not want a Game Boy Micro
• Success makes wack people super wack
• Interscope is selling a shit load of records – and they are well aware of it
• There is a picture of me floating around at Tony Montana’s desk in front of a mountain of coke
• And 1 of Greg and Ian
• Jet Blue – strictly, cousin
  
  In other news the Festival is gonna be off the hook
  
  I have more Common info from Kim than I can post in a week, but here is some for today
  
  Common’s new album, Be, hit stores yesterday, and the response has been amazing. He will be chatting live with msn.com visitors on Tuesday, May 31st at 7pm Eastern/ 4pm Pacific.
  Visit http://chat.msn.com/msnlive_feature.msnw?id=artist/common_may2005 to join in. Also, he’ll be making several in-store appearances in Chicago, Philadelphia, DC, Baltimore, and Richmond, Virginia.
  Tour dates with John Legend and De La Soul are below. And keep scrolling for new video streams of Kanye and Common in the studio and downloads.

Back from LA LA Land

Party people,

Back from the LA trip and I just figures out I couls have posted via
this funky feature on blogspot. I hope it works.

The trip was dope and tomorrow I am gonna have an update plus some of my
stupid lists.

Until then, shout to Santa Monica, soy paper rolls, the creator of
internet marketing, the centurion, commerce city, denise at warner bros,
g unit spinning pendants, ringtones and all the professionals at E3.

Trois 2 is on Skinemax, I'll holla.

And just confirmed for the BHF...Little Brother...as they chill in the home theater Atlantic and Beni B built for them

The Chancellor is headed to LA

But I have some fresh streams of the newCommon video, 'GO', courtesy of Geffen, GOOD Music and I Ain't No Trick.'

Real http://boss.streamos.com/real/geffen/common/audio/be/go/00_lo.ram?siteid=roomservice

Windows http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/geffen/common/audio/be/go/00_lo.asx?siteid=roomservice

COMMON “GO” VIDEO
http://music.yahoo.com/ar-271325-videos--Common


COMMON MEDIA PLAYER
http://www.bandbuilder.com/common/index.php?ref_code=D57683

I am gonna try and update on the road. Greg, Ian and I are off to the E3 Expo to get our video game hustle on.

Big Face Mark may jump in and update as well.

Peace Love and Hair Grease

BRAND NU AND THE L.B.

Brand Nu, Brand Nu, Brand Nubian at Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival...plus just confirmed LITTLE BROTHER

RIP to Just "O" Faison

I want to take a second to say pace to my man Just O who passed away over the weekend. Before founding the Mixtape Awards Just O helped mentor me while he was at Nervous and then Epic. Although my time working with O was brief he most certainly showed me how an industry veteran conducts himself.

If you didn't know O, you felt his presence. He brought the mixtape back and showed countless entrepreneurs how to use it to rejuvenate their careers. But before that he helped Nervous blow up Smif N Wessun, Black Moon and the whole Boot Camp. That was when he took a second to teach a green college kid how to conduct business properly.

Enjoy every day because tomorrow is not promised

Peace O! and thanks.

cold blooded, hardcore 

BROOKLYN HIP-HOP FESTIVAL
LINEUP

We have just confirmed legendary group, Brand Nubian, to participate in the 1st Annual BHF.

So the lineup looks like this so far. We are expecting another conformation by the end of the day and the last big one on Monday

Brand Nubian
Rhymefest
Leela James
Kon and Amir

Remember this is a FREE event with portion of the proceeds being donated to The Scratch Academy and The Oliver Program.

Good looking to our sponsors, Virgin Mobile and Xbox
And to our partners Myspace.com, allhiphop, neighbourhoodies, and eyejammie Fine Arts Gallery.

You see this sh**. How is that young African boys are just vanishing in London

My new favorite website (non adult)

I hope Dave Chapelle is all right

Monday May 16th–
The Root Down with Grandmaster Flash
Table 50
643 Broadway at Bleeker
$5 b4 10:30, $10 after
James Blagden (BHF official artist among other duties) will be creating a live painting all night long!

BHF confirmations

FROM THE DESK OF MARK CILANTRO


While Wes is pushing strollers and wiping spit off his shirt the good Mark Cilantro is in the cizase.

Got word from Alma about the 1st round of confirmations for the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival.

We have booked homeboy, Rhymefest, who got some ink for ghostwriting ‘Jesus Walks’ for Kanye. He got a Grammy but like that rat Chubb Rock Grammy’s don’t impress me. I did hear his single and mixtape and dude is nice. I wonder who does his beats. He runs with celebrity DJ/Fly Guy Mark ‘Not Da Spark’ Ronson. Ronson evidently has an imprint through J called ALL I DO Records.

Didn’t Ronson do that Nikka Costa record? That was off the hook. Would be cool if she was on ALL I DO.

The other confirmation is Leela James who I saw at SOB’s last summer. She is great. Quietly, I think she is gonna steal the show. I thought she was gonna get shelved by Warner Bros, but I am glad cooler heads prevailed and she is gonna drop her album in June. I guess you call her neo soul, but she is a bit more than that cliché. She has got one of the big church choir voices and her band adds some funk.

I know there are some other confirmations. Some that are gonna knock your (bobby) socks off.

We are also going to be donating apportion of the beer sales to The Scratch Academy and The Oliver Program. We are doing our part to help create little college grads who can crab scratch.

Until next time, keep your underwear clean and your sneakers tied.

Been meaning to drop this list for a minute

The best Hip-Hop names (in no particular, scientific order)

Black Thought
KRS-1
Whippa Whip
Flavor Flav
Juelz Santana
CL Smooth
Grandmaster DST
Erick Sermon
Q-Tip
Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Keith Murray
Mike Jones
Talib Kweli
Ghostface
Vast Aire
Roxanne Shante
Kool Rock Ski

Names that thesecats think are cool but are not as cool as they think

Questlove
Chuck D
Kanye West
Pharell Williams
Common Sense
Notorious B.I.G. (coooorny)
Jay-Z
Mos Def
9th Wonder
LL Cool J

Wack Names

P Diddy
Funkmaster Flex
DJ Shadow
The Game
Lt Dan
All Lil’ names (Jon, Wayne, Zane, etc.)
Rhymefest (but he is dope)

Sort of Cool Names

Iriscience
Snoop Doggy Dogg
Defari
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien
Lyrics Born
Zev Love X and MF Doom
Kool Moe Dee
Dwele
Vordul Mega

the art of rhyme 

Good Friday

The Good Foot done did it again!



Prince Paul and I-Qeue killed it. Thanks to all who came out



check this out about the new Freestyle DVD

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/58/3936/640/Freestyle%20DVD.jpg

Over ten years in the making, FREESTYLE: THE ART OF RHYME makes its highly anticipated DVD debut on May 24th, providing an explosive inside look into the creative framework of hip-hop culture and the improvisational art of freestyle … where MC’s express themselves by creating rhymes in the moment. Following some of hip-hop’s biggest luminaries, FREESTYLE explores the art form’s history, rules, legendary MC battles, taboos, social impact, and the previously unexamined dimensions of improvisational rapping as a spiritual and community-based art form.

Directed by rising filmmaker Kevin Fitzgerald (a.k.a. DJ Organic), FREESTYLE: THE ART OF RHYME documents the freestyle scene from the early 1980s through the present day providing a rarely seen portrait of hip hop that is at once entertaining, historical, and educational.

Winner – Documentary Jury Prize, Florida Film Festival
Winner – Best Documentary, Pan-African Film Festival
Winner – Audience Award, Pan-African Film Festival
Winner – Best Documentary, Urban-World Film Festiva
Winner – Best Soundtrack, LA Independent Film Festival
Winner – Best Documentary, Woodstock Film Festival
Winner – Best of the Festival, Adelaide International Film Festival

Palm Pictures (www.palmpictures.com), Chris Blackwell's audio/visual entertainment company, produces, acquires and distributes independent film and music projects with a particular focus on the DVD format. Palm Pictures was founded in 1998 by Blackwell, an innovator in the entertainment business who founded Island Records, Island Pictures and Island Outpost, and who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2001. Palm Pictures' entertainment properties include a film division, a music label, sputnik7.com, epitonic.com, Arthouse Films and RES Media Group.


Also some cool news regarding Zevlove X , I mean Geedorah I mean Viktor I mean Daniel Dumille I mean DOOM ...and Danja Mouse (is his production that tight?)

Danger Mouse And MF Doom Dive Into Adult Swim
As if producing for the Gorillaz wasn't enough animated mayhem for one lifetime, Danger Mouse is currently working with fellow cartoon aficionado MF Doom and Adult Swim on the latest in the Doom-plus-other-dude series, Dangerdoom. Doom is no stranger to extensive backstories for his records (e.g. time-traveling Viktor Vaughn and intergalactic King Geedorah), but this is on some other, other shit. Apparently the protagonists of this concept record are two masked mice (Dangerdoom) who live in the same neighborhood as certain Adult Swim characters, some of whom will contribute to the record. It has not been disclosed if Meatwad gives some shout outs or MC Peepants drops a hot verse about candy, but this record is already guaranteed to be the strangest crossover since the Kid 'N' Play animated series. Adult Swim is fully behind this project (which we guess means they won't sue for samples), though how the record will be utilized on their program is unclear. What is clear is that Schoolly D, the man behind the Aqua Teen Hunger Force theme song, must spit a hot bar or two. It is so necessary.

NY Times

check our very own James Blagden in The New York Times.

He has been doing the 7H covers for the past couple of years and also did the BHF logo.

He's dope. Give him some work clowns!

He'll be at The Good Foot, will you?

Good Foot tonight, Common was lat night. 

FROM THE DESK OF MARK CILANTRO

At the Be listening party. Nothing like an artist like Common, why?
Because he brings out the dimes. Nah, (but yes) this cat is good because he
takes his art seriously or at least makes us all believe he does.

If I had a dollar for everyone chick who cooed when Common uttered a sensitive statement I could have took a cab back home (that’s about $25 for those keeping score).

Whatever you want to say about Be, Common is definitely proud of it. He said Kanye referred to it as his ‘What’s Going On?’ – not sure if I can go that far. Those three love songs in the middle kill me, but I guess those are not for rough and tumble, ashy knuckle, MOP dudes.

Here are some tidbits I have for y’all from last night. And oh yeah once I get my ass off the Playstation long enough I am gonna transcribe my interview. Seriously, that shit takes maaad long. And I think the interview was only like 20 minutes.

There ARE differences between the leak and the real album.

-The real version will have the live version of ‘Food’ so cherish that studio version your nerd ass has on mp3
-‘They Don’t Know’ has a Kanye verse not a Consequence verse. Too bad Quence – you are about to get the short end of the stick again. Poor kid.
-I also think Common has a different 2nd verse on ‘They Don’t Know’
-The official version will be bundled with a DVD complete with in studio footage with Kanye and their stylists. (thanks for the scoop Room Service – membership has its privileges). Common like a TA from my Milton English Lit class. People can make fun of it but I like the preppiness in Hip-Hop. I guess i won't get beat up coming home from school anymore.

Other gems not revealed in the tell all Cilantro interview

-the ‘Faithful’ beat was banged out while Kanye was on his way to the Jimmy Kimmel show. Is that show still on?

-‘Go’ was written after Common, Kanye and John Mayer? Went to see ‘Ray.’ Explain to me why those three are hitting the cinema. And while you’re at explain to me why John Mayer gets all this Hip-Hop love? I don’t fully get it. He was on Chapelle wasn’t he?

-the ‘Food’ beat was stolen by Common from some Interscope project Kanye was working on. Whoever that is, is piiiiiiiised!

-Sa Ra Creative Collective is down with G.O.O.D. music? What about Ubiquity? Next thing you are gonna tell me Ice Cube is on SportsCenter

sincerely m.c.izzle

On the help out

Beginning today my main man Mark Cilantro will be helping out on the Report.

Hopefully with the 2 of us on the job we will keep this fresh. Mark went to the Common 'BE' Listening party last night and I want to give him the Report to break it down for us.

(Plus he is too lazy to start his own blog so he is gonna bite off of mine)

the good, gooder, goodest Good Foot

This Thursday, The Good Foot with Prince Paul. It's gonna be a gas dude!!!

The Mash Out Posse leaves the DDMG. I love their reasoning. Their ashy knuckles and Kanye's pastels just don't mix

$20 they end up on Koch

The Firm gets gangsta with Warner over Linkin Park

I like this, the audio blog

Lists, lists, lists

So I have another one of my lists.

Best Hip-Hop albums of all time (that are not on most lists):

InI ‘Center of Attention’

This record was supposed to come out in ’95 on Pete Rock’s Soul Brother Records imprint through Elektra. This was when a post Dante Ross Elektra attempted to re-commit itself to Hip-Hop. On this full length Pete really hit his stride as a producer. Not necessarily as a beatmaker but as a producer. He made hotter beats for him and CL, ADOR, Public Enemy, Nas but this is Pete’s most thorough album. There are great songs on this record. ‘To Each his Own’ with the Extra P and Q-Tip, ‘Grown More Sport’ with the Fela sample before Rich Medina and Mos Def made it cool. ‘Fakin Jax’ and the remix that were the perfect Golden Era records. Was listening to the Game’s ‘Hate It or Love It’ remix with Mary J this weekend and it made me appreciate this album even more. Game is so aware of every move that he makes that he robs himself of any spontaneity. The remix is about the remix. When you listen to Grap and Rob-O or to a lesser extent I-Love (Ras G) you hear effortless-ness that is so hard to find. BBE did what I always wanted to do and released this record officially.

Diamond D & the Psychotic Neurotics ‘Stunts, Blunts, & Hip-Hop’

Next to EPMD’s 1st 2 albums, Gangstarr’s ‘Step In the Arena’ and ‘Daily Operation’, Diamond’s 1st album is the definition of Hip-Hop. Beats and Rhymes. Straight up with no gimmicks. Diamond is probably the best Hip-Hop solder to come out of the Bronx since the Blastmaster himself. No disrespect to Finesse, Show and AG, Pun and Cooked Crack. Diamond has made his paper but I don’t think his name comes up enough when we talk about the all time greats like Pete, Primo, and the Large Pro. This record will be case study when I finally build The Hip-Hop Institute. ‘Best Kept Secret’, ‘A Day In the Life’ with a newly post Puba Brand Nubian, ‘Yo That’s That Shit’ and the title track are all masterpieces.

Jungle Brother ‘Straight Out The Jungle’

If you have read my stuff in print and on the sevenheads site you know that I think the JB’s have never gotten their props in the Native Tongue love sessions. ‘Straight Out the Jungle’ is without a doubt the record that set the whole movement off. Tribe was initially a JB spin off. My brother once said that Afrika had the smoothest flow in Hip-Hop. He is like the Lou Rawls of Hip-Hop. ‘Black is Black’ was arguably the start of philosophical afro-centricity in Hip-Hop (PE must be credited with ushering a militant and activist twinge.) ‘I’ll House You’ begat a whole genre and single handedly introduced house music to a whole generation. ‘Behind The Bush’, ‘On The Run’, ‘I Got It Like That’ , ‘The Promo’ – all great songs.

In my next installment:
Showbiz & AG ‘Runaway Slave’, Main Source ‘Breaking Atoms’ and…
Come see Prince Paul on Thursday you chowder heads.