May 31, 2008 | Tags: none

Last post I stated that this summer would be a good one as far as music is concerned. And it took all but a week or so for me to get some proof about my predictions.

First and foremost, if you haven’t already found out, the Mixtape About Nothing is now up for free download to the public. Wale definitely took a unique, creative approach to this mixtape. Even better? There’s less random talking and shit than there was on 100 Miles and Running, which happened to be my biggest complaint about that tape. And on top of that, he really is talking about something on this tape. Props to him for the track entitled “The Kramer”, which starts out with audio of Michael Richards’ infamous tirade and goes on to examine Wale’s thoughts about the n-word in today’s society. A creative, lyrical way of approaching a sensitive and serious topic.

Anyway, enough yapping about the tape. Go download it!

http://10deep.com/WALEMIXTAPE/

There’s a button towards the bottom left of the player that says ‘download’. Just click it. And then don’t forget to stop by Wale’s myspace or Elitaste and let the kid know if you’re feeling it or not. And say thank you for the free shit. The economy sucks and he’s still throwing free, quality music at you. Aw. Thank you, Wale.

Another project that I’m highly anticipating is the collab project between Immortal Technique and DJ Green Lantern. Not only has Technique’s sound matured significantly, but the content seems as brutal as ever. June 24th is the release date, and considering the promotion that has been going down and the fact that tracks have actually been leaking, I think it’s finally serious this time. You can actually reserve a copy via pre-order on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, so if that’s not a sign that he’ll actually put it out, I don’t know what is.

Been living in a cage and haven’t heard any of the new material? Here, peep out one of my favorites from the small handful of tracks that have leaked thus far – “Payback” featuring Diabolic and Ras Kass.

http://www.zshare.net/audio/120283346486b7bb/

Perhaps even more than the music though, I’ve been impressed by the non-musical projects that he has been working on recently. In case you didn’t hear, it was recently announced that he was holding a writing contest for high school students. Sure, the money you could potentially win is nice, but even nicer is the fact that we have somebody who is trying to bring out the best in the youth. Critical thinking, writing skills, and learning the power of the word. That’s worthy of some props right there. If you are in high school (or are a graduating senior), know somebody that could be qualified for the contest, or know somebody that knows somebody, etc., you can find more information here:

http://immortal-technique.com/The3rdWorldContest/

I strongly encourage anybody that is qualified to participate. You have nothing to lose with this one, and a nice amount of satisfaction to gain. And for those that don’t qualify but still want to participate in something positive, there’s always the “Police State Chronicles” project that stemmed from the Sean Bell verdict that I had mentioned earlier. It is so refreshing to see an artist constantly work towards the greater good. I feel like I don’t see that too often these days. Despite how you may feel about his political views or his music, you have to at least give him and the people that work with him the props that they’re due for putting so much time and effort into the things they truly believe in and care about.

And taking it back to the DMV for a second, if anybody missed the Illmatic remixes show this past week, my boy Judah hooked it up in the inbox today. You can download the remixes for free, featuring production by some of DC’s finest including Kev Brown, Oddisee, and Judah himself.

http://www.zshare.net/download/12847479d827654e/

Add all of this to great summertime treats such as the Paid Dues and Rock the Bells festivals, and I'm almost ready to say I have a new favorite season.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

Summertime

May 26, 2008 | Tags: wale, judah, Marky, X.O.

I can’t speak for where any of you reading this may be located, but where I am it’s finally warm and sunny and feeling like summertime. Some people get lazy during this time and sleep all day or kick it at the pool, but apparently the rappers of the DC area have remained on their grind.

My man Judah hit me up the other day and graced my inbox with the latest project that he’s produced on, and it’s none other than Marky’s mixtape, “Homework 4.3”. Man, it feels like just yesterday that the kid Marky got signed. Anyway, since I’m lazy these days and 2dopeboyz beat me to posting this, I’ll just hit you with the track list, cover art, and download link via them.

The district’s other freshly signed emcee is still working hard as well. On top of scoring that coveted spot on this year’s Rock the Bells lineup, Wale has finally released the tracklisting for his “Mixtape About Nothing”, which makes me think it may actually drop when he says it will this time around. And if you thought that was all that was going on, you’d be mistaken. The video for “W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.” finally dropped…

And as a nice finishing touch to it all, the homie Modi hit me with the latest from X.O. and Wale: the remix to “Rid’n”.

http://www.zshare.net/audio/1261208803ff73cb/

Also just heard about a good event for anyone in the DMV...This Thursday, May 29th, at 9pm at the Rock and Roll Hotel, Kev Brown and Oddissee are involved in a very interesting show as part of an Illmatic Remix Party. Yep, the Nas album. They'll be remixing the album and then performing the remixes. It'll cost you $20 to get in.

So anyway, enjoy some new music to bump in your ride with your windows down and the breeze blowing on your face. Does anybody else love that part of summertime as much as I do? If so, you should have no problems finding new, fresh music worthy of being blasted at full volume. There are some damn good releases coming up. I guarantee it.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

When They Reminisce Over You

May 22, 2008 | Tags: none

I may not have grey hair yet, but man, I feel old these days. My birthday was last week, so I’m finally out of the “teen” category. I get random muscle cramps and things that shouldn’t be happening to a 20-year-old (nevermind the fact that I’m in serious need of a workout). I don’t understand the fads that the youngins fall for these days. I just started a crucial 9 to 5 job in the most stereotypical of office environments. Oh, and I watch TV.

Wait…what? What does TV have to do with it, you say?

For the first time in about two years (no exaggeration) I came across 106 and Park on BET this evening. I got distracted by some food and thus didn’t have a free hand to keep changing the channel (I sound like such a fat ass right now). So fuck it (c) Bill O’Reilly*, I watched it for ten minutes or so. They proceeded to play the throwback joint of the day (flashback, old school joint, whatever they’re calling it)…and tell me why they played Ciara’s “1, 2, Step”. Is it just me, or does it feel like that joint just came out last week!?

After sitting there for a while feeling a little dumbfounded and borderline geriatric, I realized that if you’re currently a freshman in high school, that song probably does feel ancient to you. “Old” is one of those words that involves a large amount of relativity. Albums don’t come packaged with an expiration date on them like a gallon of milk would. There’s no explicit date that music becomes officially “old”, or goes bad, or reaches its expiration date. You can pinpoint the day an album is released or the day it leaks. You can even put a pretty concrete timeframe on when the “golden era” of hip hop began and ended. But how do you know when a song goes from just being a regular song, to being an “old school” joint?

Maybe it’s just one of those questions that comes to me that I tend to overthink, but it reminds me a lot of that “how does an album reach classic status” debate. It’s hard as hell to answer. To some of you reading this, music released in the mid-90’s may feel old. To others, music from the late 80’s may constitute your catalog of old school music.

Dammit though, I’m not that old at all. I refuse to call any Ciara track a flashback of any kind. That shit only came out three years ago or so! What happened to giving us a flashback worthy of the name? What happened to old Onyx, Biz Markie, Slick Rick, Pete Rock, or Pharcyde videos? Are they all just outdated now? The supply and demand aspect of these video countdown shows is disappointing in relation to both elements of the concept these days. They supply what the people demand, and it’s kind of sad when the old classics like these fall out of consideration. But then again, I’m just an old fart that needs to get with the times now, right?

*The remix? Fuckin' thing sucks!

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

The Epitome of High Heels

May 19, 2008 | Tags: none

If there’s one thing that’s not much of a secret, it’s that I have a stiletto fetish. I like them high, I like the shoe to be edgy, and I don’t play when it comes to shoes. Many, many times people have come up to me and asked me how I walk in whatever shoes I’m wearing. I honestly don’t know. And sometimes it’s not easy, and by the end of the day you’re wishing you could chop your own feet off because they hurt so badly. Dammit though, a good shoe can save a mediocre outfit. It’s worth it.

Sidenote: if you have a walking intensive job, ladies, and you still want to wear your heels – cop a pair that has an ankle strap or something that goes over the top of your foot, or stick to a boot. They’re much easier to walk in than a straight up pump. For real. With a good boot, you should be able to maintain a fairly fast paced run. It should feel that good. And when you find that good boot, good grief, buy two pairs.

Anyway, since I’m a girl and contrary to popular belief can actually have girly tendencies, I found myself searching out one of my favorite designers on the internet this weekend – Christian Louboutin. Nevermind the fact that I definitely will not be copping a pair of these anytime soon, especially on a college student’s budget, but a girl can dream, right? Something about that red sole just keeps me looking.

Oprah better watch her back if I run into her on the street. If she’s not careful she might be walking around barefoot…I know she wears these. I’ve seen her with them on her show. And it’s not like she can’t just buy another pair, right? Right?!

OK, maybe not. Who am I kidding, my little ass isn’t about to try to mug anybody. Word to Lil Wayne.

So, back to Louboutin. There was pretty much no shoe that Christian Louboutin came out with that I couldn’t see myself wearing, until I found these:

Say it with me now: What. The. Fuck.

Now that, my friends, is a high heel. And I tend to think high heels are pretty hot, but…those just look painful. Although you still gotta love the red sole. But…ouch. A podiatrist’s worst nightmare. I was instantly intrigued about this when I saw it, so I dug a little deeper for some information about the shoe. Apparently they were made for an exhibit in a museum in Paris. Galerie du Passage (link contains NSFW pictures) featured the exhibit, entitled “Fetish”, for something like a day or two back in 2007. I may be wrong, because that website is in French and I sure as shit don’t know much French. Something like five pairs of these shoes were made, which is understandable considering it looks damn near impossible to walk in them. This chick was brave enough:

Again…what the fuck? It’s like a ballet pointe shoe on crack. In the chicest way possible, but still. Slightly convoluted.

In any case, I can’t ignore the little bit of satire that lies within the exhibit. Is the current fetish towards the high stiletto heel, that we know isn’t exactly wonderful for our feet, ever going to stop? Or will the heels just get higher and higher until the whole concept just becomes utterly ridiculous? I already see a fair share of women walking around rather awkwardly in high heels. Is that really hot? And is it really hot when you’re out on the town with your girl, and within ten minutes she starts complaining about how her feet hurt? Maybe Christian Louboutin was trying to tell us something. Or maybe the concept was just meant to be artsy or some shit. Lord only knows I’m about the suckiest painting/photography/sculpture/visual art critic ever.

Insane coincidence edit: about two minutes before I was going to post this, I received an e-mail about this exact phenomenon. It contained images such as this…

Apparently these are all the rage in Japan right now, or some shit like that. And if you wanna see something else having to do with crazy shoes…peep the results of foot binding (I’m not posting these pics because that is one foot I do NOT want to look at):

http://www.andreaharner.com/archives/2007/05/not_everything.html

Extremely random hip hop sidenote: Sha Stimuli's "March on Washington" mixtape is pretty hot. I know he already gave it a fair share of promo over at his blog here at DX, but I think it at least deserves another mention in case any of you missed it. Give it a listen, especially if you like some substance and politics in your music. And yeah, I'm late, get over it.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

Lil Weezy: Real Talk

May 16, 2008 | Tags: none

I’ve said many a snide comment about Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. on this part of the internet, but I’m about to do something out of character. I’ve been doing that a lot lately, so why not continue the trend, right?

A trait that’s harder to come by in humans than a pair of red, green, and black Spizikes in a size small enough for my foot that isn’t a fake, is honesty. Brutal, unadulterated, honesty. That “I don’t give a fuck what you think, I’m going to say it anyway” honesty. It’s a trait I happen to admire in people, even if it works against me. Little did I know that I’d find a hint of it in Weezy F. Baby.

Look no further than the latest issue of Blender magazine for proof. And if you’re not as lucky as me, who happens to have somehow landed a free issue of the joint in my mailbox every month for half a year now (addressed to my mother, of all people), you’re not left out of the fun. You can read their latest interview with Lil Wayne online.

http://www.blender.com/DearSuperstarLilWayne/articles/24182.aspx

Either it’s the lean talking, or Lil Wayne truly doesn’t give a fuck what anybody thinks at this point in his career. Because this guy was certainly talking some reckless shit. It’s almost refreshing. Until you realize it was just a severe case of TMI. But nonetheless, the man has some balls.

And I quote, “I just smoke weed and drink sip. But I’ll never fuck with no more coke. It’s not about a bad high, it’s just about the acne: Cocaine makes your face break out, and I’m a pretty boy.”

Damn, coke gives Lil Weezy zits?! He’s a pretty boy?! …..[enter statement synonymous to “Pause” in conjunction with a remark about Baby].

In all seriousness though, Lil Wayne is actually kind of smart. Peep game:

(in reference to 50 Cent) “I am not feeding that tiger. I’m smart. Do you see his size? I’m small. I saw a YouTube video of this dude playing a concert; somebody threw water on him—he took off his hat, went in the crowd, grabbed that n**** and boom! I was like, This n****’s the hardest n**** on planet Earth. So, no, I’m not dissing 50. And I’m not throwing water on him, neither.”

That’s the most sensible shit I’ve heard out of that guy’s mouth to date! Not only does he realize the value of the “survival of the fittest” theory, but he knows that if he backs off, his brains may overcome the physical prowess of his opponent. He’s man enough to admit that he’s a little ass dude. Props!

He also dropped a nice quotable. “I be high, y’all”. Two actually, if you include “I’m a hygienical n****”. But we’ll get to that one in a moment. Can’t you picture some character from The Boondocks saying that shit? “I be high, y’all”. Matter of fact…he was a voice on that show, wasn’t he? Something about that statement…almost soothing. I be high, y’all.

I then begin to find things out about Lil Wayne that I really did not need to know. The honesty, as I mentioned before, is appreciated. But…this is really pushing the limits.

On prison stays: “One tip is: If you only gonna be in there a few days, even if it’s a whole week, don’t eat. Who wanna shit in front of anyone? Everyone gonna smell you. Some n****s in there don’t care, but me, I’m a hygienical n****. You gotta hold that in.”.

Wooooooow. I mean I guess we all already thought of things like this based off of common sense but…wow. No wonder the guy stays so little, he doesn’t eat! Makes a little more sense now. At least I got that much out of that statement. He then takes it from one bodily function to another in one interview…

“When I blow my snot, my doctor was like, “What color’s the mucus?” I checked, and the mucus came out red from the left nostril.”

…I normally have a lot to say but things like this really leave me speechless. Our days with Weezy amidst us have always been numbered, but apparently he may not be with us as long as we may have previously anticipated. Shit is serious. And he can’t get it checked on because getting an MRI is an impossibility for him, being that he has bullet fragments stuck in his body. What’s crazy is that at this point in the interview, I probably know more detail about his medical history than anybody’s in my family. He just doesn’t mind putting it out there. Gotta respect that. I’m blunt, but you probably won’t catch me discussing my snot in a magazine.

The interview is filled with quite a few more gems that were generated from fan-submitted questions, from his thoughts on Barack Obama to how Bun B ranks higher than Tupac on his G.O.A.T. list. It’s actually worth the 5-10 minutes of your time that it would take to read it. Shit, it made me smile. And one thing’s for damn sure – I have a newfound respect for Lil Wayne and his tainted mucus. He may not make much sense in his songs, but at least he can still put some truth out in the interviews. I should have expected nothing less from an issue that featured none other than Tila Tequila on the cover. I may complain about the entertainment industry a little bit too much, but even I have to admit – they’re still doing a decent job of entertaining. And I’m not an easy one to please.

And even crazier? That “Lollipop” remix he did with Kanye West...it’s growing on me. Who’da thunk it? You’re now fuckin’ with the best in the woooooooorld! Don’t front, you kinda like it too. I may have just found my summertime guilty pleasure.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

Virginia is for (Crack) Lovers

May 12, 2008 | Tags: none

Well, another round of final exams is out of the way and I get…well, six days of vacation before I start the new nine to five. I actually did some serious studying for once instead of just glancing over notes for five minutes before my exams, and for some reason studying makes you hungry. So, while eating the unhealthiest shit known to mankind in order to keep myself awake and energized, I decided to catch up on some of the music that has come out lately that I hadn’t had a chance to listen to yet.

That’s when I ran into the Re-Up Gang’s “We Got It For Cheap: Vol. 3” hiding on my hard drive. Crack rap > final exams*. I may not like crack in real life, but I can’t get enough of that shit in music.

I feel so late for not getting to that bit of music sooner. It got me thinking about something though: who else in VA is fucking with The Clipse?! Nobody. Let’s think about what at least fairly well known emcees The Commonwealth has spawned. Missy Elliot, Pharrell Williams, Skillz, Timbaland…am I forgetting anybody? Somehow I don’t think so, since apparently Virginia isn’t exactly a breeding ground for talented lyricists. Just ask my inbox. I get DMV shit sent to me on the daily, but I’d say about 1% of what I receive is from Virginia. Maryland is holding down the DMV as far as hip hop is concerned right now. And we can thank gentrification for that, since everybody is getting kicked the fuck out of DC via rising prices and renovations of previously shitty areas and moving their asses to PG County. Damn.

Anyway, back to VA emcees. Virginia really doesn’t have a lot of bragging rights, does it? Even weirder is that every name in question is from Southern Virginia. Now, I know this is going to ruffle a few feathers, but have any of you ever been to Southern VA?! Virginia Beach perhaps? I’ve been to Pharrell’s high school, I’ve been around that city, and honestly? I’ll pass. I’ve never seen so many 7-11’s in one city in my life. It’s like they’re on every block. You’re barely out of the door and just beginning to put a dent in your slurpee before you walk past another 7-11. Not to mention that there are some straight nutjobs down there. I hope they’re just tourists. Beach hopping people from the Carolinas or something. And word of advice if you go down there and decide to walk around on foot: keep your eyes open, because there’s skateboarders everywhere and you don’t want to end up a pedestrian hit and run casualty. Although it’s hard to miss them when they’re rolling around with purple mohawks and shit.

I think my boy Modi said it best: “there isn’t a damn cool thing about that place. And everybody is slum. Now I know what UVA people mean when they get unhappy about the 757 “locals” frequenting their parties.” Ouch. But the truth hurts.

So it leaves me to wonder – how did something so cracktastic come out of somewhere so utterly unappealing? At this point I’m left with the conclusion that the whole hustlin’ crack talk is simply just an act like it is with 99% of artists these days. Surprising? Not so much. I mean, I’d hope that living in VA (aka home of every variety of fed you could possibly think of – CIA headquarters are here in VA, Quantico, along with the Pentagon that houses the Department of Defense, etc.) would at least teach them to know better than to self-incriminate on record. Which ultimately means the crack rap gimmick is nothing but a farce. It’s slightly disappointing, in the most guilty pleasure-ish way possible. And this is the best thing that VA has going for it rap-wise? The Commonwealth needs to step its game up – especially Northern VA. Don’t get me wrong, I fucks with The Clipse, I just think that VA needs to catch up with the rest of the Mid-Atlantic area, and the nation in general. We’re really falling behind. Just another stop along I-95 where you get some food, take a piss, and keep it pushin’ until you get to Howard’s homecoming.

Oh, and I’m leaving Chris Brown out of this. First of all he’s not a rapper, and second of all, if you’ve ever seen Tappahannock, VA, then you’d realize that he really isn’t helping our state’s argument out at all. Never in a million years did I think I’d hear somebody shouting out Tappahannock on a record**. Just when you think you’ve seen it all…

I’m so not cut out for rural areas. And also don’t get me wrong – Virginia is for lovers, and I love me some Virginia. I’m just staying my ass in the region that’s Metro accessible. That’s all.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I got track 11 off of “We Got It For Cheap: Vol. 3” on repeat and some crucial post-Spring semester sleep to catch up on. It feels good to be back.

*I am by no means endorsing the usage, selling, or even discussing of crack. Stay in school, kids.

**Even worse? If you glance quickly at the word "Tappahannock", it looks slightly dirty. I'll avoid making the blog X-rated though, considering I know that my moms glances at this thing every now and then. Oh, the disadvantages of not coming up with some catchy nickname for yourself. Consider the brief lack of profanity a late Mother's Day gift, Mom. Love you!

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

Painful Weekend Updates

May 02, 2008 | Tags: none

I just wanted to share some things with you all that I have come across or heard about in the past day or so. This is a short post, because it’s once again finals time and I’m having a serious battle with a nearing deadline, but I want to make sure you guys stay updated to some things.

Essence magazine featured a print interview with Nicole Paultre Bell – Sean Bell’s fiancé. You can read the interview here, where she reacts to the verdict and even talks about tasteless calls and e-mails she has been receiving:

http://www.essence.com/essence/lifestyle/voices/0,16109,1736934,00.html

The New York Times’ “City Room” blog posted what I found to be an interesting little piece about the makeshift memorial of sorts that is constantly changing at the site of Bell’s death. I’m particularly touched at how people from varying backgrounds (even MS-13 members) are leaving various things at the site, from flowers to cookies.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/02/below-the-airtrain-a-memorial-for-sean-bell/

Remember 14-year-old DeOnte Rawlings that was shot in the back of the head and killed by two off duty D.C. police officers back in September? Well, the officers were released of all federal charges just a day or two ago. And they remain on paid administrative leave. Let’s not even get into the fact that gunshot residue tests were never run on DeOnte’s body. I love D.C., but I don’t love shit like this.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/01/AR2008050101587.html?hpid=topnews

Meanwhile in other areas of the DMV, an officer responding to a shoplifting call in February who was involved in a car crash that killed 33-year-old Ashley McIntosh has been charged with reckless driving. People affiliated with the officer are not pleased with the decision to stick a charge to her name, and are planning to continue defending the officer in court.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24432638/

It’s rather depressing to attempt to stay up on the news or things of that nature these days. But on the flip side, seeing the general public’s response to the various things that have been going on lately has been rather refreshing. From speaking out about what’s going on in Tibet to Sean Bell, it’s nice to see that people still care. In case you don’t hear from me for a while, thanks for the relentless support and love that many of you constantly show me. I’ll definitely be back when things settle down again.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

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