Vid of the Day: ASAP takeover

This might actually be the first ASAP vid that got posted here for some reason.  The Live Love mixtape has been on heavy rotation in the ride, and the singles keep coming in anticipation of the debut album.  This one's another banger, with the Screwed up voices.   Never really was a huge fan of the southern screw ish, or the Master P ish, or even the Bone Thugs ish, which is where a lot of Rocky's influences come from, but dude talks that fly ish better than pretty much anyone else these days, and above all everything seems 100% authentic.  ASAP!!!

Nerd Corner: Prometheus rising

Two nerd corners in one day?!?! I know, thrilling, dont spill your Pokemon cards.  How can you not get excited about this trailer though?  The man that recreated our collective Sci Fi psyche looks like he is about to do it again. Pointing out how much Hollywood sucks these days is redundant, so it is nice to have a silver lining around the huge cloud of garbage coming to screens this summer.  Rumors about a possible Alien tie in has nerds squirming in their britches, but we'll have to wait another month to find out...

Nerd Corner: Batmaaaaaaaan

One comic book based franchise that never disappoints...no small feat these days when studios are trying to squeeze every possible dollar out of any marginally recognizable aspect of our childhood.  It would be much easier for Nolan to follow the Michael Bay approach and just put any IP he can get his hands on through the Hollywood CGI schlock machine and pop out another multimillion dollar turd.  I guess that's why we're not on The Dark Knight Rises part 9 yet.  The fans are glad to wait, stay classy Batman...

Vid of the Day: Reality Check

Another one from Homeboy.  Forgot about this one during the move, but had to post it.  Timetravelling boombox on some Memento ish...too deep, don't sleep.  Some people will probably overlook this one cause of the somber mood but Sandman always comes with something new.  Most rappers want floss and smack asses in videos...those are cool too, but this is what's generally missing in hip hop these days.  http://stonesthrow.com/homeboysandman

Vid of the Day: The Don

If this track doens't get you amped, check your pulse.  Nas still pretty much got all of NY on his back.  aNYone else carrying the torch these days for NY now that Kiss FM is gone?

This week in Irony: Daughters and Starships

Daughters, in which Nas reflects on the impression his questionable legacy may have left on his now teenage daughter.  How the times he wasn't always present might have contributed to her acting in ways that, although similar to his own childhood transgressions and the examples he set in his lyrics and actions, are not what he would have for his own daughter. At the same time he's realizing that he needs to let her live her life, and make her own decisions or mistakes, and that these are the experiences that make him who he is today.  In the same 24 hour span we have this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SeIJmciN8mo  from Nikki Minaj, which could very well be Nas' worst nightmare for possible daughter outcome scenarios.  It's a song about starships...and how they were meant to fly.  Key themes include: blowing all your money, not paying rent, getting high, and "fucking who you want".   The real irony is that Nas is still perceived as a "violent rapper", and Nicki Minaj is an international "popstar"...now that's gangster.

Vid of the Day: Bonsollini slaughters hookers live

Ok first post after the move, just a quick vid for your fix.  Action goes in on Hookers en el Point live on Sway in the Morning.  If you missed this track, kick yourself, then go get the Blue Chips mixtape with Party Supplies.  This dude talks about hoes and tricking a lot, I guess simpin ain't easy either...

Vid of the Day: Cold Facts

The truth and nothing but the truth; minimal rhyme styles supreme...

Vid of the Day: We Trippy Mane

...no, not in a Juicy J, sippin' lean kinda way, but this definitely has a psychedelic feel to it. This video provides a nice visual for the track, and complements the analog, 80s vibe. Also, it's nice to post some non hiphop ish every now and then.

Vid of the Day: Homeboy's in space

Latest vid from your favorite Homeboy, if I didn't know better, I'd say he's feeling the effects of outer space in this one. Either way the flow is next level...

Vid of the Day: Danny Brown

You might see a lot of this dude on HighestGrade because he comes with that originality and perseverance. You can catch interviews with him talking about how long he's been around, his history of labels screwing with him and trying to change his image (G-Unit told him to wear baggy clothes), but he just kept doing him. Rappers with originality are few and far between, so many wrote off Danny Brown as just another weirdo rapper, but he was just ahead of his time all along. Finally getting some of the shine he deserves with his fairly recent Fools Gold signing, I can't front like I was up on dude from the jump, but better late than never...Check!!!!

Actual freestyle

When people mention radio freestyles, 9 out of 10 are just an MC spitting pre-writtens over whatever beat the DJ throws on. Back when Stretch and Bob had their show, this would have been almost unheard of, but it's pretty much standard now (Tony's usually the only one actually freestyling on Toca Tuesdays). Even the most respected MCs don't come unprepared to a cypher or interview, but every once in a while, people still spit off the top. There may be a few memorized couplets in there, but for the most part this is one style that actually sounds free...props to the Homeboy.

Vid of the day: STS

This kid caught the attention with that In For the Kill joint. Pretty sure he was one of the first to jump on that remix. Dude's got bars, original flow, and a cosign by the Roots (if you slept on How I got Over). Need I say more?...Gold!!!

Next level gear: Acronym

One of the only brands out there really pushing the limits of what is possible with technical streetwear, Acronym always has some next level ish on deck. Futuristic without that douchy Tron feel that a lot of brands get when they go tech, this is truly apparel ahead of it's time. Every detail is functional, and each piece contains multiple "secret features" that are not immediately apparent; many of the pieces are also interlocking or modular. When combined, the entire collection forms a kit that is perfect for the modern street warrior.
Stone Island Shadow Project_SS’012: Commentary by designer Errolson Hugh from Stone Island on Vimeo.

Vid of the Day: FUPM

As in FU Pay Me. Not instant classic material necessarily, but I like the funk, and these two more than hold their own.

Tilt shift parade rant

The City of Samba from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

Tilt shift can make anything look amazing. Case in point, me talking about a parade video. I hate parades worse than crotch itch. I've never been to Rio, and I've never experienced carnavale. This ish looks kinda crazy, so I'm not ready to write off parades completely, but...

Any parade I've been to is bad food, annoying music, and way too many sweaty, gaping mouth-breathers. In Portland, the Rose Parade is a license for suburbanites to literally pitch tents and camp out on the sidewalk for days with all their cousins' cousins, blocking traffic, and spewing litter. As a kid, the Macy's day parade was a huge deal. I remember going one year. Things that stuck out: big floats, sequined dancers, Buster Douglas (he had just upset Mike Tyson and was the sports celeb of the moment); also too many Griswolds in one place, no way to get across the parade route, and having to pee really really bad and not being able to find a place to go...so maybe I'm a little biased. Maybe it's just the generic, American, Disney-fied parades that are terrible, I need to get to Brasil for a followup; or maybe just down to Mardi Gras, cause that ish on Treme is intense.

Truth in Hip Hop: The X

This is one of the best interviews in hip hop ever thanks to Power 105.1 DJ Envy, Charlemagne the God, and Angela Yee. If you love the real, you gotta have a soft spot in your heart for X. Dude sold a ridiculous number of albums, stayed the most grimy rapper; prayed like a preacher, and barked like a dog. Most recently, he's the rapper that stays losing, getting locked up for what seem to be easily avoidable situations over and over again. "Anger gets the best of me sometimes" he admits in this vid. Perhaps an understatement, as he is referring to a famous incident where he impersonated an FBI agent at the airport, in the process of other sitcom-worthy infractions. He may not have the strongest grasp of reality surrounding his career trajectory, but above all he keeps it real...hilarious. Choice quotes: "Rick Ross just talks about food too much...how much can you eat?" and "I don't like anything about Drake...I don't like his face, I don't like his haircut..." Enjoy

Nerd Corner: Mad Max ish

Confession, I still look forward to some game releases. Not many; most games these days are overproduced crap with nothing unique or creative. Kill dudes. Level up. Repeat. Game developers run out of ideas faster than movie studios, hence all the crappy spinoffs and sequels. Yes, this game title has a number 2 after it too, but that's because there's no way they weren't going to make a sequel to the cell shaded brilliance of the original Borderlands. Looks like they didn't just trot out the old characters and run them through a few rehashed scenarios. After all the expansion packs from the original game, new characters should make the sequel interesting from the beginning.

World Politickin: Greek debt

Interesting story about Goldman Sachs using an imaginary exchange rate to reduce Greece's perceived debt, allowing them entry into the Euro....aka why Greece is f%#ked right now:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17108367

I would embed the video , but BBC wont let me...head on over there to watch, or just file this away under "I don't understand how the world works"

Evolution: Nike flyknit

While most of the departments at Nike are busy raping their heritage and rehashing "vintage" shoes from the early 90s, some mad scientist out in Beaverton is still pushing the boundaries. Case in point, this Flyknit ish right here. This looks like some next level material they pulled out of their Nike time machine (forget those corny Back to the Future joints). Even if it's just plain old nylon with some of the threads taken out, the video really sells the whole idea of this as some space-aged, futuristic material. And that's what Nike is really all about. Performance. The idea that whatever they create will make you better, faster, stronger...

vid of the day: The D

A Number of Names - Shari Vari

OK the audio is a little rough, but you get the idea. Soul Train ain't got ish on the D. This song is a straight banger, and the visuals with the audio? classic...anyone who's a fan of real Detroit Techno can appreciate the roots.

Sample this: Steely Dan pt. 2

Speaking of maniacal perfectionism, this section really gets into the level of frustration Fagan and Becker inflicted on their musical brethren. All legendary in their own right, musicians were put through hours of grueling musical direction, only to be replaced by an entirely different band the next day. The section where Michael McDonald talks about singing backup vocals over himself, and trying to get the intonation right on Peg, is mindblowing. These are they types of things you only hear and appreciate after listening closely several times, because there is so much going on in these songs, which becomes all the more apparent when Fagan and Becker are messing around in the studio with outtakes and isolated vocal tracks. Any producers watching this video are salivating over those raw studio tracks...

Police Is Gross Sometimes: Missing dash-cam

Yet another case of a missing dash-cam this week. Seattle's finest have a bit of a reputation for questionable police work. Unfortunately for two Seattle individuals who matched a caller's description of (I'm not joking here) "tall black guys, both of them were wearing jeans". One of them wasn't even wearing jeans!!! Apparently the officer didn't want to waste his time finding two black guys in jeans, that would be much too difficult in Seattle. As their attorney points out, these guys were simply "guilty of being black in Seattle."

Of course the officer was "exonerated" of any misconduct, and as the police investigator points out, people just "have to believe in the system, to trust the process". And why wouldn't they believe in a system upheld by virtuous and noble individuals like Officer Makestuffup. Good thing KOMO News in Seattle fought so hard for access to the dash-cam footage that was so conveniently lost (along with tens of thousands of other hours of possibly damning footage). Now the news station is suing Seattle PD for the footage under FOI. It's good to know that police departments are so forthcoming with evidence; it really makes you want to "believe in the system, to trust the process"...

Daily Disco: Love you more

Funk in the trunk...

Daily Disco: where have I heard that before?

Bernard Wright - Haboglabotribin.

Ok, nobody knows what the hell that is, and noone thinks it's an amusement park. Dre knew WTF was up when he sampled the intro though. You thought he put some nursery rhyme with some funk ish on Gs and Hustlers huh?...nope, that was 'Nard. Notice how there's Japanese writing on the record sleeve in the youtube vid? that means you can't get a copy, but you can still hear it...thanks to the internets.

History of House

This is the definitive history of house music right here. There's a lot of crap towards the end (and in the intro) about all the euro pop trance ish, but the first few parts get into the foundation and evolution of Jak. You can find the other parts on Youtube...

Sample This: Steely Dan rules

Their versatile catalog spans numerous genres, with classics in several eras. The "ultimate rock antiheroes", Steely Dan has a special place in the hearts of music fans from multiple generations. You only have to watch 10 seconds of this video to see why, when Donald Fagan starts singing the hook to "Uptown Baby" over the intro to Black Cow. This song has been sampled numerous times, including the obvious one that Fagan refers to in the video, and the possibly less well known, more subtle Doom sample on Gas Drawls.

This whole Classic Albums episode about the Steely Dan album Aja is great. You really get an insight into the type of perfectionists these guys were on a musical level, as well as some of the intricacies of their lyrics. The documentary gives music fans a completely different appreciation for two of the most talented perfectionists ever to grace a studio.

Daily Disco: Shalamar

An official video for Shalamar. This makes you wonder how many other official gems are sitting out there collecting dust. Good sound quality on this one too. How is there not a throwback video show for stuff like this?, maybe there is....educate me people...

Fishing Without Nets

...sounds so innocent doesn't it? You're thinking, "Those resourceful Somalis, what do they use?poles...spears...a hook on a string perhaps?" No, speedboats and rocket launchers. See, this is a different type of "fishing", the type that might bring a response from Seal Team 6 if you go after a particularly large haul. This documentary about Somali pirates looks crazy...Vice has an account from the director about the surreal experience of receiving an award at Sundance shortly after being "robbed, scammed, hassled and put in jail" in East Africa while trying to film the project. All in a days work for some, I suppose.

Daily Disco: Melba

Melba Moore - You stepped into my life

Whoooooooooo. House heads will recognize the sample at the breakdown..."you stepped"...with the claps? Ridiculous.

WTFacts: Meth Burns

File this column under, "I read/saw this ish somewhere, so it's mostly likely true"... but even if I can't point to the exact source all the time for WTFacts (in this case it's Time magazine 2/6/12), I'm not just pulling facts or statistics out of my arse...although in this case...look, the only excuse to read Time magazine is in a waiting room, airplane, or on the throne; I read this tidbit after a strong cup of coffee.

According to an AP report of hospitals surveyed in the south, midwest, and west (I don't specifically know what this geographic allocation means either, I said it was Time) 1/3 of all patients in burn units were scalded while cooking meth. Even accounting for the wonky survey area, that is quite the statistic...good to know the tweakers are keeping hospital staff busy.

Daily Disco

Atlantic Starr - When Love Calls

that 4/4...dont let it slip away

Song of the Day: What kind of horses?

Q Lazarus - Goodbye Horses

Too many hiphop posts on here...time to even it out with some random ish. If you don't like this song, maybe you had some scarring experience in the 80s...or maybe you watched Silence of the Lambs one...too...many...times. This is one of those tracks that give you goosebumps when it comes on the radio, no matter how many times you've heard it.

#uck a halfpipe

Snowboarding is barely recognizable as the sport/activity it once was. The alternative sports marketing machine has churned the natural mountain into a Cirque Du Soleil snowcone, with lazers and garish, skin-tight suited acrobats pulling as many 1080-double-rodeo-flippity-doos out of a halfpipe as humanly possible. Outside the X Games contingent is the "street-style snowboarding(?)" of the northeast and midwest: kids in oversized pants and basketball jerseys strapping jib boards on their feet and hucking down a set of stairs. Plenty of skill goes into both of these endeavors, but to anyone who has 10-15+ years on the mountain, this video might look a little more familiar than anything you see in TransSnow, or ESPN2 these days...

True Hip Hop Stories: Pun Corleone

Rappers these days are mostly a fabricated marketing gimmick with fake chains, a crew of never-has-beens, and rented out cars and cribs. So it's entertaining to hear about some of the individuals that actually lived the life they talk about on wax. People generally don't doubt the authenticity of rappers like Pun (RIP), and the internets is full of crazy stories about the "most lyrical miracle spherical" to ever grace the mic, but this is just straight Don Corleone ish...enjoy Who Kid's first hand account of damn near getting murked by Pun and the Latin Kings. If you enjoy these types of stories, do yourself a favor and check out Quest Love's Celebrity Stories.

...and now for something completely different

Pos and Dave ditch Maceo for their latest project, First Serve. Hadn't heard anything about the project until this vid showed up on the interwebs today. This song won't necessarily be in the heavy rotation, but it's nice to see the Plugs still having fun 20+ odd years in the game...

Mad Blu

Blu and Madlib connect for the song that is the subject of today's vid. Some might argue this jesus project that Blu put out is the first solid effort since he linked with Exile on Below the Heavens. Still can't figure out if this dude is born again, or what, but the poetic flow is still on point...

Vid of the day: Pharoahe's breath control

I guess this sponsored vid is better than one with an ad...Pharoahe has been one of the best lyricists since Organized. This song/vid talks about his struggle with asthma. Most of his (too few) fans recognize the enormity of his lyrical feats, keeping his breathing restriction in mind while trying to process his complex metaphors and dense, intricate wordplay. Maybe you're just a fan of Jill Scott, either way, this song is straight gospel.

Police Is Gross Sometimes: Officer Punchnkick

Most police probably join the force because they want to protect and serve. Unfortunately for them, videos of good policework don't often make it on to the internets. What's even more unfortunate, is that videos such as the one of the two fine upstanding offeces above are all too common. Just imagine all the good peace keeping work these guys get up to that goes unrecorded.

Officer Punchnkick in the video up there reportedly tried to turn off the dashcam before practicing his Cop Fu on the 66 yr old man. Apparently he understands the mechanics of a dashcam about as well as he understands his job, because technicians were able to salvage the footage of him busy doing the work of Florida's finest. That may be proper police procedure in Florida for how to deal with a "non Caucasian combatant", so maybe they shouldn't be judged so harshly. There's no sound, perhaps the old guy was audibly begging to be kicked in the crotch.

Respect to anyone who puts their life on the line to serve the public, but individuals who uphold the law shouldn't be above it; some would argue they should be held to an even higher standard. The again, those officers might argue that people (especially males of the darker persuasion) should just stop walking around asking to be beaten all the time.

The come up: David Choe

There probably aren't many artists out there that deserve to make stupid money off their work more than David Choe. One of the few extremely talented individuals that made the transition from "street art" to gallery work, without just tagging his name in a frame and hanging it on the wall in an empty space. Anyone who's seen Thumbs Up!, his hitchhiking travel show, can observe that the dude is a one of a kind genuine deviant, and an artist in the purest sense; not a pretentious douche with a fabricated persona, and too much money (Art Thoughtz has more on that).

According to this NYTimes article, dude is set to net about $200 million from the stock options he got in exchange for painting Facebook HQ. Smart, insightful, compassionate, and talented as hell, it looks like Mr Choe is about to be the richest deviant on the planet...who knows, maybe they'll even let him back in to Japan some day.

RIP Don C

It seems like we're losing icons faster than they're making 'em these days...everyone's looking for those old classic soul train clips on youtube right now, but they're all copyrighted out the yang, and the sound quality is terrible, just put on the O' Jays and look at this pic instead. Or maybe you have access to Questo's stash...

Under a rock: Clams Casino

Ok, I'm just gonna call all this old ish "Under a rock" now. If you just came out of a coma, this is Clams Casino...otherwise, sorry for posting old ish again, but I guess good music never gets old, so quit yammering, enjoy. More Clams.

No room for improvement

The judges at the recent Winter X Games have decreed that there is no room for improvement in a sport that is only about 30 years old, giving Shaun White a perfect 100 score. Maybe this is actually a good thing though. They've admitted this type of routine, no matter how skillful, has just about hit the maximum amount of flippity-spinitude. Now competitions can stop judging based on who can fit more 1080 rodeos into their routine, and encourage contestants to do something original...then again, maybe he can squeeze another 360 into one of his tricks before he lands for a 101% next year...

Nerd Corner: Medieval ultra-violence ish

I dont usually go for all that swords and sorcerers stuff too much unless it's done really well, but you can't ignore those graphics, and who doesn't love a good decapitation? I guess reading Game of Thrones got my medieval bloodlust up, cause this intro got me amped for some regicide.

Politickin': Insider trading in congress

Most people know Congress is full of crooks, but you probably don't know they get a free pass on insider trading laws. The same federal infraction that sent the almighty Martha Stewart to the clink, goes on all the time in congress, and it's legal?!...you betcha!! In addition to being privy to information the general public doesn't have, they are in a unique position to change laws that might affect the price of stocks, or any industries in which they hold stocks. I'm sure none of these upstanding politicians ever allows their stock portfolio to affect their political decisions, I'm just saying. I hate posting vids with ads, but this is worth it, I'm not a reporter over here...watch with a sedative to prevent seething.

First world problems: diamonds are forsuckers

Don't get me wrong I like shiny ish too, but you ever wondered why diamonds are so blingin 'spensive? It all boils down to clever manipulation of supply and demand, and some good ole marketing.

Read On

Your favorite Homeboy

I don't want to spend too much time on all this old ish just because I wasn't blogging on it when it cracked, but this is just one of those dudes I gotta have on here. Positive without being overly corny,wordy but not nerdy, I could go on, just listen and appreciate the intricate flow. He just signed to Stones Throw, so I'm sure the creative output will continue this year after the taster he put out a week or so ago: Subject Matter

Future of HipHop: Kendrick

I'm sure everything that needs to be said about this dude has already been said...working with Dre, cosigned by everyone in hiphop. I'm not really going out on a limb here saying dude is nice, but Kendrick has that extra something special that makes people like Kanye transcend the bounds of hiphop and become something more than just a rapper. He may be too conscious for superstar fame, and his rise hasn't been nearly as meteoric as, say, Odd Future; but he seems to be the type of classic artist with plenty of substance to go along with his skill. Wise beyond his years, the sound is contemporary, yet classic. So far, his "mixtapes" (both OD and Section.80) have been, in his own words "better than most ni&&as LPs"...Only time will tell.

Song of the day - Frank Ocean

If you live under a boulder, maybe you've never heard of Frank Ocean. Do yourself a favor and get out a bit, or just open your internets more often. "Our daughters and our suns are just candles in the sun..." Can you appreciate lines like that?, then you're probably already a fan, and I'm preaching to the choir...makes my job easier

A Better Burger: Tiny's NYC

I'll just leave that there until I can find a better one. I mean, a better burger. I know it's out there, I'm not bestowing World's Greatest status yet...I should back up. Tiny's was my first hamburger in 10 years. I had somehow convinced myself that some meats were inherently dirtier than others. I had an aversion to pork and beef, a mental block if you will; but I'm feeling much better now. Only, I opened a floodgate; all I want is burgers. Any menu I look at, the only item that comes into focus, is the burger.

We went to Tiny's in NYC for our first meal of the day, so I had to get an egg on my burger to justify it as breakfast. I could go on and on about how amazing this burger was (yes, the fresh ground chuck was tender and succulent, massaging my tongue with every bite), but this isn't a food blog, it's about me being a picky bastard. And this Tiny's burger created a huger for burgers that can only be sated when I find a better burger... Better doesn't mean more expensive or complicated. Some people want shaved fennel and foie gras with organic mustard seed, and an aged roquefort with a truffle bun for their perfect ish...it doesn't have to be this:

...but ever since Tiny's, all I want is a better burger...

Vid of the Day: Black and Brown

I missed a ton of stuff when I slept on my blogging duties, but now I can catch up, because let's face it....most days the internets are full of garbage, so here's some old ish...stop bugging. This is the first Black & Brown video that I've seen, hopefully more to come. This album stays on repeat since it came out. If you don't like Danny Brown, then this probably isn't for you...like they say "If you don't belong, don't be long..."

First World Problems: Europe gets all the good ish

You like that? how I flip a swear word to keep my money out of that greedy swear jar (new for 2012, a less ornery individual). A running theme this year: First World Problems (aka things people like me have no right to b%#ch about) also...trying not to swear, but that's what I want to do when I see how Europeans don't want us to have nice things...mostly ze Germans. According to Car and Driver, the M series diesel is a Europe exclusive for now...add it to the list of things I want but dont need/can't have/couldn't afford anyway...like pops always used to say "It's nice to want"

Test

A Further Attempt at B logging

...in which the author has no f#$%ing clue what to write about...The idea is just to start again. Stream of consciousness...So this will be the first, or maybe the last. Areas of interest: art, music, apparel, and other interesting ish; perhaps a log at first...to see where it goes...welcome to my world.

Heavy on my mind right now: the possible move to LA; future job prospects (or the lack thereof); the stupidity of humans in general (present company included).

Daily Disco: Skip to my Lou

Disco, boogie, house, whatever you call it; just good music. One of those samples you wish you could rewind and slow down...here you go, geek out.