Thursday, October 27, 2005
"In today's life... people, especially your black people are not very broadminded."
I told you before that the complete story of the Montgomery bus boycotts that helped launch the civil rights movement hasn't yet been told in most history books and that Rosa Park's actions were a lot more calculated and premeditated than most realize.
Nonetheless, her role in changing American society should not be short changed (although it seems there's still a lot of work to be done before MLK Jr's dream is fully realized).
R.I.P., sister.
From Jay Smooth: "Thank You Rosa Parks" Memorial Quadruple Mashup.
Rosa Parks parody ipod ad tribute.
Semi-related humor: If Fox News Had Been Around Throughout History.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
A New King of New York?
Bloc Party: in album of the year remixed but not ruined shocker?
Juelz Santana "The King of New York" - yo, I'll say it again: between this joint, "Make It Work For Ya" (see Sunday), "Clockwork" (see last Thursday), "Mic Check 1, 2" and "There It Go (The Whistle Song)," Juelz may actually fulfill the lofty mandate he's set to give the game what it's been missing with his upcoming album. And to think I used to clown the Dipset movement as underachievers making music for retarded 15 year wannabe thugs. (real mp3 link via HHG)
Vaguely related: more than you prolly care to know about the Cam'ron
Lil Flip featuring Mannie Fresh "What It Do" (Produced by Mannie Fresh) - those waiting for the next Illmatic need not apply. Those looking for the next "And Then What" or "Dem Boyz" carry on and click away... (wma real)
Webbie, Boosie, Bun B, Papoose, Cashmere, WC & EA-Ski - "Rep Yo Region" - isn't that the "Day the N-ggaz Took Over" beat from Dre's Chronic album? (mp3 link via Gel and Weave)
Peep a snippet of DJ Shadow's buzzing Funky Skunk mixtape here. (mp3 link via hiphopsite.com plays in Realplayer)
And I'll take the title of this post at Broke Bboys about the new Bangers and Mash UK hip hop mixtape as a compliment.
Beck Remixed
Bloc Party remixed - and almost as good as the original... seriously.
Wood
Tha Block DVD magazine.
Finally, coming in November: The 4th Annual H2O [Hip Hop Odyssey] International Film Festival & H2Ed [Hip-Hop Education] Summit presented by the Hip-Hop Association.
Monday, October 24, 2005
"This government will learn the lessons of Hurricane Katrina"
As Wilma, bares down on Florida now's as good a time as any to take a look back at the catastrophe that hit New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region nearly two months ago now. Not hurricane Katrina but the disasterous federal government response to it.
It was bad enough that they messed up horrendously staging useless photo opps rather than taking any real action to save lives in a timely fashion. Even worse was that they then tried to lay the blame for the lack of response solely on the shoulders of local officials. Only last week did the Feds belatedly admit their own culpability and total lack of preparedness despite having contingency plans in place for just such disasters.
So seven weeks later, now that the hysteria has died down where are we at?
We now know that the majority of Katrina victims were elderly, those who needed the government's help the most because they were too weak or poor to protect themselves.
Maybe if Brown had spent more time concerned about others starving rather on feeding himself, the loss of life wouldn't have been so bad.
FEMA's Colorado evacuee site [looks] like "a concentration camp" says one reporter.
Congress is too spineless to shut down flagrant pork barrel projects like the absurd 'Bridge to Nowhere' poject in Alaska whose funding could be to redirected towards financing post-Katrina and Rita reconstruction efforts. For God's sake, even the ultra conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation agrees that this project is absurd. I mean how many times am I on the same side of an argument as them?!
Endowment-light Black Colleges struggle to get back on their feet.
The Center for American Progress outlines even more Bush post-hurricane neglect and incompetence.
Meanwhile, disgraced former FEMA chief and Bush crony Michael Brown is STILL getting paid by taxpayers like you and me. Truly sad.
Next up, Iraq....
Sunday, October 23, 2005
"Do What You Do, Make It Work For Ya...."
Pharrell “She’s An Angel” - Skateboard P's album is looking like it's shaping up to be a monster. (mp3 link via Lemon Red)
Juelz Santana, Young Jeezy & Lil' Wayne "Make It Work For Ya" - this record is ridick though Weezy sounds a little strained on the vocals. Folks frontin' on Jeezy need to stop, seriously. He made me a believer. I'm not saying he's Nas, Rakim or even Scarface but his sh!t works for him... crazy. (mp3 link via That Good Good. Yo Rio, step up to Rapidshare, fam. Yousendit is so 2003. Also via hiphopdx.com if that link goes down.)
Kanye West feat. GLC "Drive Slow (Live at Abbey Studios)" - I don't know if this is "Abbey Studios" as in the hallowed Abbey Road Studios where The Beatles recorded many of their classics or not although there is an English-sounding announcer near the end of the audio so maybe (?). Too bad Paul Wall isn't on this but it still sounds great with the live strings etc. (mp3 link via Am I High?)
Black Rob's The Black Rob Report - better than I expected. Thugged out but thoughtful. Fccks with it....
Dave Ghetto - the next Mos Def like some heads are (supposedly) claiming?
Hiero podcast (via Iconocastic.com)
"You are a B-List rapper if...."
The Loop - for y'all beat making cats out there.
The NBA hates hip hop. Now that's not gangsta.
Vaguely related: a great site running down the vitals on every NBA and college player wearing Nike shoes. (via Freshness mag)
Link to pics from the Melyssa Ford cover photo shoot in this month's Black Men magazine.
And finally, I told y'all to Stop Snitching.
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Touch It, Read It, Click It, Watch It, Hear It, Buy It....
Get your minds right with (most of) the following stuff:
"You can’t proclaim a mass movement into existence - but if you can bring together hundreds of thousands of people to hear the proclamation, you may be part of the way there..." The Black Commentator on last weekend's Millions More Movement rally. I missed this event but like many others, I was at the original Million Man March and it was one of the most profound things I have ever been a part of. You just had to be there to understand why I say that.
The Emmett Till Story - "a documentary investigating the murder and subsequent injustice surrounding Emmett Louis Till's death."
And ironically, black men being falsely accused and found guilty of commiting crimes is STILLL an issue today: After Innocence - "the dramatic and compelling story of the exonerated - innocent men wrongfully imprisoned for decades and then released after DNA evidence proved their innocence."
The Prophet of Zongo Street - a collection of stories set in New York City and Ghana.
"We want our people to stay white … we don't want to just be, you know, a big muddle. We just want to preserve our race...." - Prussian Blue (above right), the National Socialist anti-Olsen twins.
So I'm guessing those two would probably be happy to spend a A Day Without A Mexican, right?
WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price (related: Jib Jab's "Big Box Mart")
Al Franken is The Truth.
DJ RX feat. President George W. Bush "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (via MSNBC.com)
"If you want to understand how Iraq became a quagmire, and who the human beings are who suffer its consequences, you must read this book" - a quote from a review of the new George Packer book The Assassin's Gate.
Also,
Thursday, October 20, 2005
A! Get On The Grind Like Clockwork
We gon' start off heavily Dipset-orientated (sic) today:
- Juelz Santana "Clockwork" - based on what I've heard so far, I think dude's album might be incredible.
- Cam'ron "Do Your Thing" - does this remind anyone else of Scarface's Kanye-produced "My Block" from a couple years back? (mp3 link via HHG)
Most of y'all have probably seen this already but just in case, here's a clip of a 17-year-old Notorious B.I.G. freestyling live on the block in Bed-Stuy. (via A Blog Soup)
HipHopColony.com - the African hip hop movement keeps growing (link via Didi M)
DJ Rasta Root's Best of A Tribe Called Quest mixtape - kind of hot. Props to my Spitkicker fam-a-lam. (heads up via my man Sledge)
Bapeonline.com (link spotted via Rome)
The Dirty Awards (link spotted via Fresh)
Mister Cartoon's limited-edition T-Mobile Sidekick II.
Cassette tape memories.
And while on the nostalgia tip, here's an incredible gallery of scans of punk and new wave LP and single covers. (via Boing Boing)
Model railroad hoods.
The Jarhead movie trailers featuring "Jesus Walks" are ridick. This movie looks kind of crazy - is this gonna be the Platoon for the new millenium?
I didn't cop the Yayo album even though I liked the "So Seductive" single (should I have?) but is G-Unit really over? It's not just The Source dumpin' on 'em either based on what I'm hearing. Even my artist peoples are killin' 'em on some "I'ma be happy to kick them n-ggaz on they way down" type ish too. Is G-Unit struggling that badly or is this pure hateration in effect?
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
The Myth of the Purple Finger?
How the NOPD deals with residents returning to check on their property.
It was bad enough that the Federal government learned virtually nothing from Hurricane Katrina and that evacuation plans barely a month later for Texas in the wake of Hurricane Rita were almost as inept but now FEMA is STILL fccking up leaving thousands still needlessly suffering. Sort it out....
And I'm not even gonna get into that nasty business with the police in NOLA. What was that Ice Cube said back in the day on Amerikkka's Most Wanted about the police being there to "Serve, protect and break a nigga's neck...."?
"Look Harriet Miers is every bit as competent and qualified as I am" - that's pretty much all I have to say on old girl. The Dems should be ashamed of themselves for playing politics and backing her nomination because it's helping the GOP implode (we can only hope) when she is clearly not qualified to carry Sandra Day O'Connor's lunch.
The fix is in? "Iraqi election officials said Monday that they were investigating "unusually high" vote totals in 12 Shiite and Kurdish provinces, where as many as 99 percent of the voters were reported to have cast ballots in favor of Iraq's new constitution." Hey, wasn't that like back when Saddam was running things there? Maybe they had democracy there the whole time? (click here to read more)
But should Americans have any faith in the election results in Iraq even if they turn out to be legit when some folks believe "Democracy may [actually] bolster the insurgency" or as The Daily Kos puts it: "The Myth of the Purple Finger" parts one & two.
Related:
- How NOT to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqis
- Trained by the New Orleans police? Iraqi police ‘linked to ethnic cleansing’
And learn how bad political news for Bush = Terror Alerts for America. Keith Olberman breaks down the Bush adminstration's MO of using the War on Terror as a crutch to deflect attention away from their problems since 9/11.
More on the Bush White House's MO: fake letter, fake news conference, fake war, fake president. Any questions?
And beyond Iraq: chaos grows in Darfur conflict as militias turn on government. (click here to read more)
While finally, millions homeless, over 40,000 dead, and a whole generation lost. Damn, I don't know how many more of these relief links my sidebar can take. Truly I wish there none at all. Until I get one up for the Pakistani earthquake disaster relief though, support here if you can.
Monday, October 17, 2005
The Takeover Continues
So Trill: Bun B's solo album is a go TOMORROW!
Had enough yet? Yesterday's post was crazy long so I broke it up into two parts. Here's more mp3 heat from Down South:
D4L feat. Busta Rhymes & Shawty-Lo "Laffy Taffy (Remix)" - I can't believe Busta is on the remix to this. WTF?!
Juvenile feat. Ludacris "Pop You" - props to EvBoogie of the always excellent Cuban Links blog for putting me up on this incredible track in the comments section of the first "Southern Takeover" post.
Bubba Sparxxx feat. Petey Pablo "The Other Side" - now down with Big Boi's Purple Ribbon label but still being slept on since his first knock-out punch with the Timbaland-produced "Ugly" single a few years back. Stay tuned for the new Lil Jon-produced banger from Petey Pablo's new album called "Give It Up" coming to The Kitchen real soon also.
Extra credit:
- Listen to snippets from Big Boi's Got That Purp Purple Ribbon label compilation album here.
Bun-B feat. Lil Keke, Chamillionaire, Paul Wall, Mike Jones & Slim Thug "Draped Up (H-Town Remix)" - is this the Houston empire's formal takeover-of-hip hop announcement after the blitzkrieg that was "Still Tippin'" and "Sittin' Sidewayz"? Matt probably knows the answer to that one.
Paul Wall feat. T.I. "So Many Diamonds" - so I like this track and "Sittin' Sideways" has a pretty good claim for single of the year status but I've played about half of the The People's Champ album and was pretty unimpressed with what I've heard so far. Am I missing something here? (mp3 via HHG)
Chopper (aka Young City) "Lil Daddy" - sorry about only having the clean version of this joint.
Jagged Edge feat. Dave Banner "If You're Down, Get Down" - not strictly hip hop per se but the Banner feature is enough to warrant this track's inclusion here.
Sojourner (aka Sojo) "Watch Me (Who You Lookin At Hoe)" - finally something I heard while away this weekend. Shout to a real indie artist Sojo, "The Ladies Champion" doing her thing, grindin' in hood clubs still throughout the FLA trying to get on. Click here to check out the rest of her Maneater CD.
Bonus reading on Bun B:
- MattSoReal's ridiculously in-depth interview for O-Zone mag.
- Fader blog's interview.
- A snippet of XXL's interview.
Even more Down South ish in a part III post coming real soon....
And by the way: FREE PIMP C!
Sunday, October 16, 2005
The Southern Takeover, Part II
Sean Paul and J-Bo of the ATL's Youngbloodz - OG's in this Down South hip hop game but still being underrated.
What it dew, peoples? Just got back from a quick weekend run down to Florida. Oliver, Bol and others, forget Jeezy's Snowman tees. Down South, the new hotness are the Pillsbury Dopeboy tee's.
But to commemorate my trip, here's a whole (wood) grip of brand new and somewhat recent mp3's in part II of "The Southern Takeover," my look at all things hot in Down South hip hop right now:
Youngbloodz feat. Akon "Presidential (remix)" - is this remix from the still-blowing-up lead single from their forthcoming Ev'rybody Know Me album the next "Soul Survivor"? Wait til you hear the Mannie Fresh-produced joints "Brand New" and "Something Like A Pimp" from that album too. (Related: check out YBZ on the cover of the Nov./Dec. issue of Down magazine)
Never mind his t-shirts though, I went from dismissing Young Jeezy to realizing he was one of the hip hop phenomenons of the year. So let's get into a bunch of music from him and/or his (I guess now former) crew:
Bun-B feat. Pimp C, Young Jeezy & Jay-Z "Get Throwed" - this joint is double sick.
Slim Thug feat. Young Jeezy "Diamonds (remix)" - been out for a minute but still hot.
Young Jeezy & Juelz Santana "Stay Fly (freestyle)" - don;t know much about this except it's supposedly from a mixtape (official album?) featuring Jeezy and Juelz (?) called The Best of Both Hoods. Not sure if that's coming soon or already out (?). (mp3 orginally spotted via Frooty Looty)
Boyz N Da Hood "Gangstas (feat. Eazy-E)" "Felonies" - I don't think anyone's really surprised that Jeezy has exited this group but Lil Wayne joining kind of took me by surprise. Next to go in this group? Probably...
Jody Breeze feat. Jazze Pha and Juvenile "Who Dat" - from Jody's very solid Jazze Pha-produced Stackin Papuh' mixtape. A lot of heads are buzzing that this kid will be the next to blow from the Boyz N Da Hood crew after Jeezy. Respect for the "Drag Rap" sample, a nod to the old school Show Boys classic that is the basis of much early Down South bounce music the same way "Impeach the President" or "Funky Drummer" were for late-80's, Golden era East Coast hip hop. Who says Dem Boyz don't know their history?
But you really can't do a Southern Takeover mp3 post without actually including the track "Southern Takeover" by Chamillionaire feat. Killa Mike & Pastor Troy, right?
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Season of the Gun
Things have gotten stupid busy for me in the past few weeks so I'm definitely gonna be posting less frequently than in the past for the forseeable future. Keep checking in though because I got some heat lined up that you're not gonna find any place else (probably). In the meantime though, thanks Fresh for the referrals. Dude's site continues to be redonkolous.
Long time readers, remember when I asked a while back if anyone knew who did a reagaeton record that I thought was called "Chacarone"? Well turns out it's by an artist named El Mudo and it's actually called "Chacarron Macarron." Still trying to find it on 12" though. (Thanks Ndidi M for the mp3 link)
More reggaeton heat from a 2004 Costa Rican reggaaeton mixtape from Ndidi M: "Untitled" (for now) - anyone know does this record and what it's actually called? Holla.
www.Illsonmedia.com - Medina Green are Funky Fresh In The Flesh. Don't forget to cop that 12" on them and Mos Def I dropped a while back. Heads are really sleeping on that.
Video for that Pharrell & Gwen Stefani "Can I Have It Like That" joint. (via Rome)
Semi-late(ish) - great round table interview with some of the key players responsible for the making of the cult and iconic (but, truthfully, kind of mediocre) movie classic The Warriors courtesy The Fader. Decent E-40 interview there too.
Vaguely related: They FINALLY do an urban crime video game based in NYC and it immediately creates controversy of course.
Vaguely related, part II: Cam'ron's upcoming movie Killa Season. As one wag quipped, "this makes State Property 1 & 2 and Paid in Full look like The Sound of Music." (OK, that was actualy me who said that.) (trailer spotted via Sean)
An interesting looking exhibit on Slavery in New York just opened. Somehow this and those last few links are related in some way. Sociologists, holla at your boy with theories.
Saturday, October 08, 2005
No More Illusions
Bogged down in Basra: A British soldier in Basra escapes a tank that a crowd set ablaze with Molotov cocktails last month.
This post on Iraq has been sitting half-written for about two weeks now but even finally posting it now the points made are still relevant. How can you even try to be optimistic about the situation over there when the already bad news there seems to be getting not only worse but more and more routine? A quick look again at this debecle:
"Not long after Baghdad fell to American troops, it was already apparent that the United States was part of the problem, not part of the solution, in Iraq" (read more here)
"The Pentagon has no accurate knowledge of the cost of military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan or the fight against terrorism" (read more here)
"The U.S. war in Iraq now costs more per month than the average monthly cost of military operations in Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s." (click here to read more)
While, Bush's words on Iraq echo LBJ's on Vietnam in 1967 (read more here)
"Whatever his other accomplishments, Bush will go down in history as the most fiscally irresponsible chief executive in American history." (read more here)
And his plan B for paying for the rebuilding of Iraq (and managing the government's spending there) doesn't seem to be working.
US soldiers say Iraqi prisoner beatings were routine.
And proving that The Kitchen is "fair and balanced" - is this a possible good sign for the future in Iraq: Sistani urges Support for Constitution And for Iran?
Or not:
Saudi Warns U.S. Iraq May Face Disintegration.
"Americans used to dream of building a strong, unified, pluralistic Iraq. Now the possibilities are a very loose federation, or violent disintegration." (click here for more from Newsweek)
And is it me or does this seems like another one of Bush's reaches to try and connect 9/11 and the hot mess in Iraq? Consider that, contrary to a standard administration talking point, a study claims that only 10% of Iraqi insurgents are foreign.
Or maybe God told him about that as well?
To end though, my prayers also go out to those now sufffering in Guatemala & Mexico as well as India, Pakistan and Afghanistan and let's not forget the ongoing tragedy in Darfur (thanks, Eddie).
You know what it is: Ma$e just back to business?
Ma$e "Check Clear" - what can I say about this
Peep J.A.M.E.S. Watts' bootleg Kanye remix album Summer Vacation: I'll Be Coming Home. Click here for the download.
Status Ain't Hood does a solid wrap-up of Beanie Sigel's recent woes.
Biggie on his fellow MC's back in the day. (via PrefixBlog)
Kels!
Fuego - is en fuego.
Fly Ramones-Dip Set parody t-shirt (via Young Rome)
And finally, Kelefa on T-Pain's "I'm Sprung" in tomorrow's Times. Duke's album is ridiculous. This is what Annie would sound like if, instead of being a
Thursday, October 06, 2005
"All my hustlers that miss B.I., put your Rollies in the sky and wave 'em side to side...."
Who's the real soldier? BK's Red Cafe and the Sudan's Emmanuel Jal
Kanye West line on SNL (via Spine, of course)
And via HHG:
Busta Rhymes "Touch It" - sick! If this is not killing every club in the Northeast by this weekend I don't even know what to say. Swizzy...!
Red Cafe feat Fabolous "Bling Blaow" - he needs to get off Jeezy's nuts with the "Yeah" ad libs and Smitty prolly got somethin' to say about that hook too but this record is crazy and it sounds like Hot has already thrown it in rotation.
More filling - crazy mp3 heat at The Smoking Section. (via Cuban Link)
Jacob the Jeweler sneaker - WTF?
STOP SNITCHING - Dept. of Hood Affairs, the company responsible for all those damn t-shirts.
M--kiti (aka CBM) will be mad at me but I have to give it up to Smooth magazine. Grab their calendar if that weblink doesn't make it clear enough why.
And just to drive her crazy... "Jermaine Dupri Is One Lucky Dwarf" (Def. NSFW)
Honey interviews Dwele.
Gutter hip hop mp3 site HipHopHavoc's new blog.
Upload and get your videos hosted anonymously and for free via Flurl.com which I got up on after discovering this video of the now infamous Kate Moss coke snorting incident seen around world. (via Yeeeah!)
Real Gun Talk - the Times on Sudanese child soldier-turned-MC Emmanuel Jal. He's also featured in the new Lil Wayne cover XXL magazine.
Finally, August Wilson, R.I.P.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
"Restoring Honor and Dignity to the White House...."
George Bush
Dick Cheney
Karl Rove
Scooter Libby
Tom Delay
Bill Frist
David Safavian
Need I say more...?
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Thinking Differently About Hip Hop
Nas feat. Lauryn Hill "It Wasn't You" - I'm currently obsessed with this song (as well as a new Donnell Jones record that I'll post later this week). S'funny though, as much as I love Lauryn, I actually think Nas's wife Kelis could have done more justice to the chorus on this song than her. (via HHG)
Download the follow-up to the popular Clipse Got it for Cheap mixtape via them Shrimp Boys.
Unreleased Roots/Project Pat - an unlikely pairing that should have made it onto the Phrenology album IMHO. It would have made sense to save this one for my "Southern Takeover, Part II" post coming next week, but I got plenty more in the chamber for that. More underground/mainstream hip hop pairings is what this music needs right now. Things are getting too stratified and predictable. My man Chuck is already thinking (differently) along these lines. (via Young Catch)
Marley/Biggie "Hold Your Head" - not actually terrible but why do I feel like this upcoming Biggie Duets album is gonna be a straight graverobbing exercice?
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Leaving on a jet plane....
I'm off to the T-dot for the weekend. Here's some things for my NYC folkers to do (above and here) though and a couple other quick links to hold everyone else down:
- Bathgate and Red Cafe mp3 (props to Jessie)
- This should really go on my other site The In Crowd but WTF: the most valuable Northern Soul record of all time.
- Fcck Bill Bennett - and proof that Kanye is not crazy. The Right does not care about Black people. (related: Reports of Anarchy at the Superdome Overstated via Under the Same Sun)
