the end is near...

2007 has wrapped and I most admit it was a good year for me. I finished up school with my Master's, got my first "real" job and moved to the DC area all within a few months. Since I've been up here, I've been lucky enough to see Little Brother, Jay Z, Alicia Keys, Dwele and on Jan. 30 I'll be able to add Lupe to the list. Surely I wouldn't have been able to see them back home. So overall '07 was good to me. But to fully appreciate the "ups", you must have your fair share of "downs". So while '07 had several enjoyable moments, there was certainly no lack of stressful ones as well. While maneuvering through the "ups" and "downs" some of my favorite artist went along for the ride. They may not be the years best but here's a list of songs that kept me sane throughout '07...


Pharrell and the Yessirs (Questlove & co.) - Stay with me Face it, In My Mind sucked. Nothing like I anticipated it to be. After releasing it, apparently Pharrell wasn't satisfied either. Luckily, Questlove came through to save the day. His live instrumentation version was the soundtrack for my summer.


Wale - Waledance - Months before I moved to DC I caught wind of Wale and just feel in love with his style and charisma. His 100 Miles and Runnin Mixtape was easily my most played cd all year. I really hope he blows up.


Jay Z - Roc Boys - Horns. Need I say more?! Black superhero music. Why wasn't this the first single?


Talib Kweli ft. Kanye West- In the Mood - Eardrum was definitely one of the years best but Kanye stole the show here. Surprisingly, this was my fave from Kanye's Can't Tell Me Nothing Mixtape. Personally, I didn't like that mixtape that much. Sorry.


Common ft. Dwele- The People Finding Forever didn't turn out to be the record I wanted it to be but "The People" kept me interested. It had the Be feeling to it. Common proves again that he is one of the greatest EVER.


Kanye West ft. Dwele - Flashing Lights
"Big Brother" was hot and so was "Barry Bonds", but "Flashing Lights" was just incredible. Kanye succeeds in pushing the envelope without going too far into left field.


Robin Thicke - 2 the Sky Yeah I know this was released in late '06 but I was still rocking this well into '07. The Evolution of Robin Thicke was one of the most complete R&B records to be released in recent memory.


Lupe Fiasco - Paris, Tokyo Lupe damn near ethered his own career with Fiascogate. Ironically enough, this ATCQ-esque song is one of The Cool's shining moments. I can't stop listening to it.


Talib Kweli - The Show This was from the Liberation collab mixtape with Madlib. It was released early in '07 so alot of people forgot about it. I didn't. Kweli murdered it. Prelude to Eardrum.


Little Brother - Dreams Dreams definitely don't keep the lights on, so until I figure out how to get paid to do what I love, this song will be my motivation.


Drake ft. Little Brother and Dwele - Don't You Have A Man I really don't understand why dude is still unsigned. I loved this song. If you don't have his Comeback Season mixtape, I suggested you go find it. And if you think dude is weak, check the "Barry Bonds" Freestyle.


And in case you didn't notice, Dwele was featured on three songs from this list. So yeah I really like Dwele!

back off hiatus...

In the world of teaching, there is a thin line between consciousness and insanity. So to prevent us teachers from flirting with the possibilities of the latter, we are granted breaks periodically throughout the year. First it was Thanksgiving, and now its Christmas. Though I haven't reached the brink of insanity just yet, I can definitely say that I needed the break. I went back home to South Carolina for the holidays and thoroughly enjoyed being around family. But now it's time to get back into work mode and return to the trenches. It's been awhile since I've posted here but I promised myself that I would get off my ass and put something up. Be on the look out for my thoughts on the year that was 2007.

where it all started...

"they said it was coming back around...back to the lyrics"

So I'm probably the only one that hasn't succumb to the urge to download Lupe Fiasco's The Cool. I haven't even listened to the stream over at mtv.com's The Leak. With only two days before the official release, I thought now would be an appropriate time to travel back in time and look at the clip that started it all.

Blender: Easier question, then: Excluding anyone on Def Jam, who’s your favorite rapper these days?

Jay-Z: I’d say, Lupe Fiasco. I love Lupe. He’s a genius writer. In his approach to making music and the depth of his lyrics, the guy is incredibly smart. I’m sure he goes over people’s heads, but I love him for that.

santa are you listening???

Looks like the life of my trusty Nano is finally nearing its end. It only holds a charge for about 45 minutes and the earphones are beginning to crackle. Besides, with all this new technology out and about, why should I keep the nano? I went to the apple store last weekend and I haven't been able to stop thinking about the iPod touch. WiFi, youtube, touch screen....it's definitely time for this upgrade.

more LB...

who needs Joe Scudda??

when everything is new...

Big Pooh was at home last night on stage at The Black Cat in Washington, DC. Literally, at home. His brother and sister were both in the audience for last night's performance and Pooh announced to anyone that didn't already know, that he was originally from Alexandria, VA, just 15 minutes away from the stage where he, Phonte and Darien Brockington were currently breathing life into hip hop. They began the set accordingly with one of the standout tracks from the Get Back "When Everything is New", sort of a symbolic way of reassuring "us" that Phonte and Big Pooh are Little Brother. What followed was alot of material from Get Back and The Minstrel Show coupled with an occasionally joint from The Listening and of course a little bit of the Phonte Coleman comedy hour; all of which made my first Little Brother experience a good one. Just look at their t-shirts if you want to get an idea of just how much they put into their live shows. And no it wasn't that hot in there. If they are anywhere near, I suggest you go see them. You won't regret it.

reflection eternal...

D: Now we all know there have been rumors and even reports from Kweli of a Reflection Eternal reunion. What can you say about that?

T: Basically we are working out a deal right now to create a budget for the project and its definitely looking positive. Me and Kweli have our schedules open to record this album now that he's done with his album and done touring to promote it. I just turned in Hi-Teknology 3 so now we are both free to focus on Reflection. It's looking like its going down. I'm excited and I can't get wait to get into it.


Train of Thought is easily one of the most cohesive hip hop records ever. From beginning to end, the record is a total experience. Unfortunately, its often overlooked when these greatest hip hop albums of all time list pop up. Now that they are both free, hopefully they can return to their classic form and bless us with another definitive hip hop experience.

Read the rest of the interview HERE courtesy of okayplayer. And remember this...??

murder of a teenage life...

"pressure pushed him to the earth like a rain drop"



Last week, the city that raised me managed to make national news by acquiring the dubious distinction of the 7th most dangerous city in the US. It took me a little time to digest the fact that the place I call home is considered to be more dangerous than Compton, CA. I knew Charleston was crazy but I never thought it was that bad. After talking to my mother about the situation in North Charleston she basically confirmed what I already knew; young black males are killing young black males. It's a tragic cycle that Mos Def so eloquently describes here...

love what you do...

Half empty or half full? A few weeks ago, I probably would have answered that question with some pessimistic, cynical remark. But I saw an ad on the subway the other day and it read LOVE WHAT YOU DO. The statement definitely resonated with me, and now I'm on this positivity kick. Considering that I deal with ungrateful teenagers everyday I'm not too sure how long this positivity will last. But having this type of attitude can definitely help anyone get their second wind at work and I definitely needed that. So I suggest you find a way to love what you do or otherwise work is going to SUCK.

totally flossed out...

So I just found out that the Cool Kids show in DC has already sold out and I'm pretty pissed. Apparently they are opening for M.I.A, so I guess that's why tickets sold out so quick. Tickets are still available through StubHub for a $100... Needless to say, I definitely won't be at the show for that price!

wishful thinking...

Scarface interview from XXL Mag:
"I love Beans, man. He just too gifted, and he’s so hood...Me and Mac finna do an album. Mac and Brad. And we gonna let Kanye produce it."

Mac and Brad>CRS (Kanye, Pharrell, and Lupe)

roses...

can't stop, won't stop...

Just saw Alicia on Thursady and Hov on Friday, and now I have a few more to add to the list. I'll make sure to get pics from these shows.




The Cool Kids coming to DC, along with M.I.A- Nov 29th @ 9:30 CLUB



Little Brother, live @ The Black Cat December 1st.

me>you...

What am I doing friday night? Not much. Just going to see Jay!! Oh what a feeling, I'm feeling life!!

100 miles and runnin...

It was back in April when I first heard Wale. Given that his buzz hadn't reached far beyond the DC metro area, I was totally unaware of the cult following he had already established for himself. Since April, Wale has put out a successful mixtape, been featured on several blogs, toured Europe with Mark Ronson and now he has a magazine cover to add to his resume. Dude is putting on DC on his back.

it's about to get real busy....

Looks like a substantial amount of my paycheck will be spent on upcoming concerts in the next two months. If you are in the DC area, I suggest you join me!



The Black Cat, Washington DC - Sunday Oct. 28 I haven't even heard this dudes second cd but just off the strength of his debut, I have to go see him perform live. "Down Here in Hell" was my shit.



LOVE the club, Washington DC - November 8th. The new record As I Am drops the Tuesday of that week. I saw her perform back in her "Fallin" days and she put on a good show. 'm not a big fan of "No One" but I am excited about hearing some new material.




Rams Head Live!- Baltimore, MD November 9 - Jay Z American Gangster Tour. What more can I say?



9:30 Club, Washington DC November 18th. Ghostface proves once again that he is the only working member of the Wu. Big Dough Rehab in stores December 4th.

the dream merchant...

If you are anywhere near the DMV area, I suggest you come out. I will definitely be in attendance.

rappers i know...

Until I have something truly insightful to say about hip hop and life, I'll just do occasional drops like this. Go to "Rappers I Know" NOW and pick up something new and soulful to listen to. Kanye has finally been removed from constant rotation and replaced by this record from producer THE ARE and rappers Kay and OH NO. Most times I am a little weary of mash up projects like this but this one works out perfect. Here's a sample:

Run...

Ironman has been in heavy rotation lately so it's only right that I show love to Cappadonna for stealing the show on every track he was featured on, which in turn lead to a respective demand for his solo debut The Pillage. The Pillage definitely had a few bangers but overall it was a bit disappointing. Cappa belongs in that same category as Freeway. He's good for a guest appearance but an entire album is just too much. Check out "Run" probably the best song from the album.

five reasons why...

I’m sure I’m not the only Jay fan that has conflicting feelings when it comes to this new American Gangster record that will officially drop next month. In fact, from the small morsels of info I have gathered from various sites, it appears as though much of the blogosphere is predicting another flop as well. Which actually may work out in Jay’s favor, that is of course, if the record is any good. Now that the burden of giving hip hop a gargantuan “classic” comeback album is lifted, the bar has been lowered and for the first time in his career Jay is looking like the underdog. But of course, calling yourself the GOAT bares alot of responsibility, so a repeat of Kingdom Come could severely tarnish his legacy. In defense of Kingdom Come, I don’t think that it was a complete failure musically. KC gave us a very personal side of Jay rarely seen and as listeners we heard a man struggle with losing a loved one, falling out with a best friend as well as a bit of bitterness towards the new generation of rappers(aka Lil' Niggas see Trouble). But despite the personal feel to the record KC still spawned two of the worst Hov songs EVER(Anything and Hollywood) With nightmares of those two shit sandwiches lingering in the memory of every hip hop fan, and the fact that this record just kinda appeared out of the blue, American Gangster maybe doomed for failure. But there are at least five reasons why we should be excited about American Gangster…

The Inspiration:
So obviously I don’t know Jay personally, if I did I probably would have been at the 40/40 last saturday when this went down. But from what I have read about this project, he appears to be genuinely inspired to create music. The glaring weakness of KC was the lack of inspiration and drive.Jay didn't attack the project with his usual vigor and KC came of as boring and lackadaisical. So if this giddiness he has when talking about the record is any indication of what the album will be like then we may have another classic on our hands.

The Concept:
Jay is making this project out to be a conceptual record. One of the attributes of Jay that I think is often overlooked is his ability to make great concept records. Everyone always mentions Nas when it comes the conceptual record and rightfully so, but Jay has some heat in his catalog as well. Dopeman, Meet the Parents, December 4th, Coming of Age, some of Jay’s best records are concept records. So considering American Gangster is being billed as a concept record, the cards are stacked in Hov's favor.

The Return:
According to iTunes, Jay and Nas reunite on American Gangster on a track called The Return. Personally, I think Nas got the best of Jay on Black Republicans and I’m looking for Jay to redeem himself on this mammoth collaboration. There are the best to ever do it, if this collab comes to fruition it will be the highlight of the album.

The Prelude:
The moment I heard "The Prelude" from KC it was evident to me that Jay was still very capable of returning to rap and being competitive. KC featured a few flashes of brilliance and his guest appearances since then have shown that he's still hungry. Despite all the other ventures, what Jay does best is rhyme. And even more specifically, what Jay rhymes best about is selling dope. American Gangster is about selling dope. You get the picture.

He's still Jay Z:
As much as I hate to use the Jordan comparison here, the truth is, it's the best analogy. Regardless of how weak KC was or how "old" Jay is, he is still the best EVER. And even when Jordan came back, regardless of how rusty, stiff and robotic he looked on the floor (it was agonizing just watching that shit) you still had to play him tight because on any given night he could put up 50 on the board. The same goes for Jay.

black mags..

A year from now when it's no longer cool to be "retro" and "fresh", The Cool Kids will probably go back to their regular lives as a couple of kids with too much time on their hands. Until then, watch their debut video and enjoy!

Please leave it alone, don't throw rocks at the throne

If there is an "older" rapper struggling with being relevant more than Jay Z, it has to be LL. Mr. Todd Smith is like the Madonna of the rap game. Some how, every two years or so LL manages to "reinvent himself". And usually this reinvention amounts to some extremely unoriginal corny club song (remember Head Sprung). Granted, occasionally he hits the nail on the head with his trademark "I can treat you better than your man" hip hop love song, but clearly that is a lane that now belongs to Fabolous. I'm not mad at LL for trying to keep himself "hip" but I am a little disturbed by a video that has been making the rounds on the net. Apparently, LL hints at a possible diss record aimed at Hov. The two have had tensions ever since Hov took the helm at Def Jam, and LL has taken several opportunities to express his disdain for his "boss". But is a diss record really warranted? Is this really a good move for either of the two rappers? Yes, Jay is on the eve of releasing another rushed project to the masses known as American Gangster (I hope for the best). So maybe the beef will serve him well. Probably not, considering he had a beef with the hottest rapper in the game at the time of the Kingdom Come release and it still didn't do much to thwart the "comeback" debacle. Does anyone really care about a Jay v. LL "battle"? Seriously, the 15-23 year old contingent that make up the actual purchasing audience for hip hop, probably doesn't care about this beef. Despite his strong showings in previous battles, I think it's obvious that even in Jay's less than stellar form, he is very capable of destroying anything that LL throws in his direction. I'll be slightly interested in seeing what this amounts to, but either way it won't do much for the world of hip hop but add another "battle" onto the already long list of frivolous rap beefs.

comeback season...

Artists with crossover appeal and pure talent are a very rare breed in this age of trendy and totally unoriginal hip hop. One of the few up and coming artists that I respect and believe has potential to be a star is Drake. All the factors are there. He has swagger, he has great songwriting ability and most importantly he has the substance and clever wordplay needed to capture several different audiences. His "Replacement Girl" single was kind of a dud, but the "Don't You Have a Man" joint with Dwele and Lil Bro was in constant rotation in my iPod. Now I can add "Man of the Year" and you can too. Listen now! And oh yeah, Weezy is on the hook. (ok so maybe he is a little unoriginal)

sucker free sundays...

Stop sleeping on Grafh. Dude gets lost in the shuffle sometimes but he is easily running neck and neck beside Joe Budden as my favorite mixtape artist. Now if we could only get him signed to a reputable label, so he can put out a full length record.



Grafh - Victory.

nike boots...

Fresh off his appearance at the VMAs, Wale is set to release his latest single "Nike Boots". Check his myspace page tomorrow night for a free download.

WALE

the push back...

The Little Brother industry woes continue....I was looking forward to having Graduation and Get Back battle for air time in the iPod but according to Tigallo himself, Get Back has been pushed back to October 23rd. "Industry people are shady!!!" (c) Q Tip

sweet sixteen...

I can't really say that I'm feelin her music too much, but she does have a unique look. Apparently somebody must be feelin her if she's sign to Star Trak and she's doing magazine covers.

get down or lay down...class is in session

For the four or five of you that actually read my blog, you may have noticed the lack of updates. Usually, the slow updates means I've been just too lazy or even simply uninspired to write, but this time I actually have a valid excuse. Last week was officially my first endeavor into the "real/career world", as I began the first week of my life as a poorly paid high school history teacher. The colleagues and I, have been in meetings all week hashing out the finishing touches of our lesson plans as we prepare to welcome 3,000 kids to the first day of a 190 day school year. So, in less than 24 hours my grad school education will be tested by 100 or more immature, hormone-driven teenagers. My position as a high school history teacher is certainly one that is not envied by many but I look forward to giving my students an equal opportunity to succeed even though much of the world views them as hellish little heathens. Contrary to what many may think, I do enjoy working with teenagers and I do not have a death wish. So, my opinions on hip hop and whatever random thing I usually write about here will probably be but on the back burner and replaced with stories from "year one". Tune in for more stories from the front line of America's future. And as we all know, I have my work cut out for me. Wish me luck! Good thing I left SC!!

the standard???

Why I am not excited about this Common x Qtip collab? For the same reasons why you aren’t. Ok, so I guess the fact that I’m even writing this drop can constitute some degree of excitement. But frankly, for a devout backpacker like myself you would think the idea of this collab would ignite some type of over dramatic “hip hop is still alive” reaction. Fortunately for you the truth is, the lingering effects of Q Tips “Vivrant Thing” has marred my interest in anything Q Tip related. And given that ATCQ has about the same possibility of reuniting as say, The Fugees, the chances of Q Tip resurrecting his once vibrant career is slim. Maybe this Common collab is the spark that he needs to return to Midnight Marauders form. Probably not, but I’m sure someone somewhere is hoping it is. As far me, I really don’t care. I’m content with only hearing Tip on Beats, Rhymes and Life (very underrated record), MM and The Low End Theory. Granted I am excited at the possibility of hearing more from Common, but do I really want to hear him murder Tip on every track? It’ll be like that horrific 3 day span when I was trying to force myself to like the Best of Both Worlds record and ended up fast forwarding through all of Kels’ poorly sung/rapped verses. I don’t want to relive those days. Hip Hop gods if you are listening, please bring me more of these collabs:

Nas x Jay Z
Mos Def x Talib Kweli
Jay Z x Scarface x Beanie Sigel (They’re 3 for 3)
Lupe x ‘Ye x Pharrell

I love my sisters, I don't love no bitch...

In light of the comments made by Polow Da Don (if you've lived under a rock for the past week click HERE), I thought now would be an appropriate time to make some distinctions clear.

Hov said it best:

Sisters get respect, bitches get what they deserve
SIsters work hard, bitches work your nerves
Sisters hold you down, bitches hold you up
Sisters help you progress, bitches will slow you up
Sisters cook up a meal, play their role with the kids
Bitches in street with their nose in your biz
Sisters tell the truth, bitches tell lies
Sisters drive cars, bitches wanna ride
Sisters give-up the ass, bitches give-up the ass
Sisters do it slow, bitches do it fast
Sisters do their dirt outside of where they live
Bitches have niggers all up in your crib
Sisters tell you quick "you better check your homie"
Bitches don't give a fuck, they wanna check for your homie
Sisters love Jay cuz they know how 'Hov is
I love my sisters, I don't love no bitch

Little Brother's little brother...

If you haven't introduced yourself to Tanya Morgan by now do yourself a favor and click HERE. Last year's Moonlighting album was a critical success and it lead to obvious comparisons to LB's debut with The Listening. The two have collaborated in the past, so if you have been keeping up with all the LB side projects like you should then there is no need for an introduction to Von Pea and the Crew. Anyway, you need to be in tuning into their podcast HERE... ....and while you are waiting for their next episode check out Von Pea's Grand Vonye

lupe the killer....

Lupe Fiasco - Interview (Live At Wakestock 2007 - Toronto, Canada - 7/29/07) (Video)

six years...

introducing...

So last night was the Dwele concert in which I was treated to a very intimate performance of a few of my favorites (My Lova, Flapjacks, Holla, The Truth, Weekend Love). The show was great as expected. What I didn't expect was to be blown away by the opening act. Introducing Shae Fiol. She's a singer/songwriter, with a soulful and distinct voice. She won the crowd over with her infectious smile and warm lyrics, you need to check her out....HERE

some kinda...

tomorrow night...dwele will be here...i will be front row

yogurt spelled backwards...

Hip hop is stale. Besides a slight intuition that De La Soul maybe hip hop's first gay group, the blandness that has managed to consume today's hip hop music is the first thing that comes to mind after watching this video. In hip hop's current landscape, the principles of business and desire to make profits have drained the creativity and life out of the music. With billions of dollars at stake, and as scary as this may sound, everything about hip hop today is a well thought out, calculated move. An artists image, sound, video and even beef are all strategic moves aimed at a designated audience. In the underground where creativity is suppose to reign supreme, many of the acts maintain an arrogant "I'm ahead of my time" type facade, that most times leaves them looking bitter and envious of those in the actual spotlight. Even the "hip hop is dead" nature of this post, is one that has been repeated far too often in the past year, but this love/hate relationship that myself and others have with hip hop is a derivative of this corporate bullshit that has transformed hip hop. But back in '89 there was no underground or mainstream, just hip hop. And when I was drawing peace signs and daisies on my notebook, De La Soul were just 3 kids from Long Island that gave themselves silly nicknames, found a few old records, looped the breaks and just rhymed. Though they obviously stood out because they refused to wear cazal shades, shell toes and big gucci links, no one really seemed to care and people just enjoyed the music. And the video even shows they gained alot of respect from their peers. Can you imagine if this video aired today? With this zero tolerance for gay shit in hip hop, I'm not too sure a group like De La Soul would be able to infiltrate the hip hop core the way they did in 80's. I don't care how you look at it, but if a rapper was interviewed on MTV today and said he got his nickname because he liked eating yogurt, chances are their career won't last long. And if you are going to have some sort of symbol affiliated with your group, it better have some sort of drug-related alternative meaning (i.e., Jeezy's snowman), I'm not to sure the daisy would work. Record execs would promptly change their names from Plug 1, 2 and 3, to Slug 1, 2, and 3. Besides noting that hip hop is extremely homophobic, the point is we have begun to take ourselves too seriously so much so that the chances of me seeing another group as innovative as De La Soul in my lifetime are very slim. Hip hop is stale.

cool as a fan...

Once again I'm awaken from my laziness, to post some incredible music. This time its courtesy of 'Te and Pooh. September is looking like a good month for hip hop. The Getback 9/25. Shouts out to eskay @ nahright for the link.

homecoming...

Expect Graduation to leak any day now. This can't possibly be a good look for 'Ye.

Comin' in the club with that fresh shit on...

I was gonna be kinda lazy today and not do a drop but I've listened to this new Kanye/Lil Wayne shit like 10 times straight. Whoever said Kanye doesn't belong on the hottest mc list, is out of their mind. Wayne gets kinda lazy and says a bunch of shit that doesnt make sense but I'd be damn if 'Ye does murder this shit. Graduation is gonna be a beast. Download ASAP.

back on my dc shit...

This week I'm going to try to spotlight a few producers and I figured since I'm living in the DC metro area now, I should start off with someone from the home team. Oddisee's been in the game for a while now but I really hadn't been checking for him until I recently came across his myspace page. You need to add him and get familiar.

Check the song below featuring Phonte "All Because She's Gone"

Check his blog for more tracks and info ODDISEE

Update: BTW that is 'Te singin'

chasing the cool...

I'm a superstar. Are you?

*fill in the blank*=not hip hop

One of the downfalls of celebrity status has to be the fact that they are constantly photographed. Therefore, when they are having a "bad day", pictures of them looking like shit can be sent to households all over the world with the click of a mouse. So, unlike us regular folks, they can't just destroy that embarrassing picture of them wearing some horrific outfit. For instance, the picture above of Marques Houston. I'm sure that's an outfit he would love to forget but since he wore it to a MTV red carpet event, whenever he is feeling a lil full of himself and decides to "google" his name, he will quickly be reminded of the night he embarrassed himself on national television. Just so won't embarrass yourself here's a few pointers...

turtlenecks=not hip hop
capri pants=not hip hop
open toe sandals=not hip hop
shorts above your knee=not hip hop
white jeans=not hip hop

with a lil bit of gold and a pager...

Not sure if I like this yet...When is Pharrell gonna sign some talent besides the Clipse?

Help end 50's career...

Before I get back to my series on fashion, I have to say a few things about this 50 vs. Kanye battle royal on 9/11. I'm pretty sure that it's common knowledge that Graduation will be light years ahead of Curtis in terms of quality, and if you don't believe me just listen to the 5 (yes 5) singles that Curtis has dropped in last few weeks. All of them, with the exception of "I Get Money", is lukewarm garbage and really "I Get Money" is mediocre at best. But considering 50's previous numbers, I would say he has the edge when judging by past performance. So this morning when I made my rounds throughout the internet gathering the latest hip hop news, etc. I was excited to see this:

"Let's raise the stakes. If Kanye West sells more records than 50 Cent on September 11, I'll no longer write music. I'll write music and work with my other artists, but I won't put out any more solo albums." (sohh)

Now I don't actually believe 50 will quit making solo records but I know it has to hurt his pride if Kanye does out sell him. So do me a favor and make sure you pick up Graduation so we can watch the G-Unit "empire" tumble down like a game of jenga.

fresh is dead...the playlist

So a few weeks ago I vowed never to use the word 'fresh' again but since this is fashion week I couldn't think of a better word to describe a few up and coming rappers on the following playlist. Not only are they freshly dressed but they are also a breath of fresh air in the current staleness that is mainstream hip hop music.

top 5 best trends...

The Jersey Dress - I realized in yesterday's post that I managed to leave the ladies out in this discussion about fashion. So lets start today's top 5 off with one of my favorites. It was like as soon as the video premiered, the next day everywhere you looked females were rocking the jersey dress. Mya pulled it off the best though. :)


The Hi Top Fade - The 60's and 70's had the afro and the 80's and 90's had the hi top fade. The versatility of the hi top fade was the best part. You could cut it with a slant to get the gumby effect like Bobby Brown, you could get it dreaded at the top or you could dye a small section of it blonde to get that Kwame look. If you didn't have a fade back then you were a square.
*More on the Negro Mullet here


Get your Grown Man on - When Jay Z speaks, people listen. So when Jay said it was time to look more mature, everyone else followed suit. Granted, this did cause a shit load of 16 year old kids to think they were grown men but at least they put away the oversized jerseys and 4x white tees.
*side note- I'm not endorsing wearing a turtleneck. That's gay, well unless your Jay then you can pull it off.


The Afrocentric Era - This era was riding the fence. The Cross Colours aspect of this era makes it very regretful, but based on the fact that this movement had black people actually wanting to learn more about their heritage, it'll make the today's post instead of yesterday's.
*side note - props to the Native Tongues for pushing the movement.


Polo,Tommy Hill, Nautica etc..- This is by far my favorite period in fashion from my generation. It was all about Polo, Tommy, and Nautica. Raekwon was my dude (no homo) during this time so its only right I put up one of the videos that inspired my style.

top 5 worst trends...

Revisiting past trends that made people look completely stupid is always fun, so let's start fashion week off with the 5 worst trends in hip hop fashion...


Parachute Pants- Hammer's name will never be mentioned in those G.O.A.T roundtable discussions, but I'd be damned if his name isn't written in stone on a list of the most influential. Think Diddy was the brains behind the shiny suits in hip hop? Think again. Give credit where credit is due; Hammer is responsible for those embarrassing home videos of you doing the running man with a pair of shiny gold oversized parachute pants on.
*Side Note- any pair of pants with elastic should not be worn by anyone below the age of 55.


Male Capri Pants- This is a current trend that needs to end immediately. Either wear jeans or wear shorts, you can't do both. Does this really need explanation? It's a oxymoron. Male Capri Pants= Not Hip Hop.



Backwards clothes - Jermaine Dupri and his two prepubescent clones, mack daddy and daddy mack,(kriss kross) once again prove that black people will do anything to stand out. Luckily, there's no incriminating evidence of me during this period in time because my mom refused to let me leave the house with my clothes on backwards. I owe you one mama!


The Tall Tee- Here's another current trend that needs to end immediately. T-shirts aren't meant to come down to your knees!!! If the sleeve of your tee reaches your wrist, you've pretty much defeated the purpose. You might as well have worn a long sleeve shirt.
*side note- airbrushed tall tees are WACK!!

Update: Any type of airbrush is WACK!!



Cross Colours- Apparently, Cross Colours is trying to make a comeback. I just hope they don't try anything ridiculous like trying to bring back purple jean shorts. No grown man should feel comfortable wearing purple denim (or any other color for that matter).

Honorable Mention: Cam'ron. You already know.


There you have it, the 5 worst trends in hip hop fashion. If you are guilty of wearing capri pants and tall tees, please stop. Your embarrassing yourself. We're not laughing with you we're laughing at you.

you wearing louis vutton driving shoes...

Who cares when the real fashion week in NY and LA is, I have designated this week as Fashion week here at searching for my swagger. And what better time than now, when the summer is winding down and everyone is gearing up to return to school with their new kicks and freshly dressed in their "good clothes" (word to LB). Frankly the game just hasn't been the same since Kanye showed up at the Grammy's looking like a metrosexual Scarface with his taco meat exposed. And in the recent months, fashion in hip hop has been a very hot topic. A few months ago, an obviously intoxicated Beanie Sigel was caught "thinking out loud" when he made a few strange but true comments about Kanye and Pharrell. But not to be out done Kanye, in what was easily the oddest interview of his career, called T.I. and Lil' Wayne two of hip hop's worst dressed rappers. So with all this fashion talk brewing, I thought now would be an appropriate time to really take a good look at fashion in the hip hop culture. Tune in this week for a complete write up on a few do's and don'ts and the best and worst fashion trends in hip hop history. Until then listen to Sigel...

scent of a woman...

"Can I get my grown man on 1 second?"


A few days ago someone asked me "what turns me on about a woman?" No surprise there, it was a typical question that I've been asked several times before. It was my response that seemed to shock me the most.

"What turns you on about a woman?"

Immediately I thought ambition, passion, creativity, style...and as quickly as those words came tumbling out of my mouth I began recognizing the change in the things that attracted me to a woman. Three of four years ago, or even two years ago, my first response to that question would have been some brash comment (totally unoriginal I might add) about a females *assets*. But as I've grown and become more mature, I began to realize that the attractiveness of a woman is heightened when I'm able to look past their "mountain tops and valleys" so to speak. Now obviously by nature I am attracted to the shape of a woman but it's those internal attributes that keep me interested. Damn I'm getting old!


"Love lets go half on the sun..."

mm..food

get it.

in a city near you...

Common will go on tour to promote Finding Forever. Check the freestyle at the end of the clip...dude is just ill!!!

Sept. 5 ... San Francisco, CA ... Mezzanine

Sept. 7 ... Los Angeles, CA ... Wiltern Theatre

Sept. 8 ... Anaheim, CA ... House of Blues

Sept. 9 ... Las Vegas, NV ... House of Blues

Sept. 13 ... Denver, CO ... The Fillmore Auditorium

Sept. 15 ... Dallas, TX ... House of Blues

Sept. 16 ... Austin, TX ... La Zona Rosa

Sept. 24 ... Toronto, Ontario ... Kool Haus

Oct. 7 ... New York, NY ... Nokia Theatre

the great adventures of dope boy c...

I had a brief introduction to Curtains back in February when I did a post about his Know the Ledge video. Since then dude has been name checked by 'Ye in a Complex Magazine article and ESPN has used one of his songs as theme music for one of their new shows. Yesterday, Curtains dropped his mixtape The Great Adventures of Dope Boy C. Download it here And check an interview he did with the A.L.I.E.N fam here

how can hip hop be dead, when wu tang is forever?

If you were to glance over my notebooks from high school, the first thing to strike you probably wouldn't be neatly written algebra formulas but instead loosely sketched Wu Tang logos and a few ill written verses of me poorly mimicking Rza's rhyme pattern. I was a hardcore fan. So much so that a friend and I even printed our own t-shirts with "Wu Tang Killa Bees On a Storm" written across the back. To this day, a huge Wu Tang Forever poster is still plastered across the wall in my old bedroom back at my mom's house. So when this video of the Clan discussing their comeback album 8 diagrams leaked to the internet a few days ago, my interest was quickly rekindled. There's a point in the clip when U-God, ironically my least favorite Wu member, makes a very keen assessment of the game. "There is still some people that want that hardcore...we some hard rhymers." U-God maybe responsible for some of the most forgettable verses in the Wu catalog, but at least for the sake of this post, we should all actually take note of what he said. U-God is right. Though the genre is dominated by radio-friendly, dance inspired, bullshit for lack a better word, there is still a devout following of fans that yearn to relive the days when rappers challenged the listeners. And if you don't believe so, tell that to the hundreds of white people that stood in the rain watching the Wu and others perform at the Rock the Bells concert. A new Wu album (more Wu Tang Forever, less Iron Flag) is exactly what the game needs. Its gonna take more than a single Ghostface record, we need the Wu collectively to push lyricism back to the forefront. Hip hop needs to return to form and revisit the gritty sound that made listeners into fans and fans into followers. The Wu is capable of bringing back that feeling to hip hop. Just go back and listen to Only Built For Cuban Linx, Ironman, Wu Tang Forever, Liquid Swordz, and Supreme Clientele, you can't deny that feeling. Those records are classics...this is what the game needs.

On a side note, what the fuck is RZA talking about at the end when he is explaining the meaning of 8 diagrams?! We don't need a long winded explanation!! Damn nigga just rap!

you're not the best part 2...

MTV News Hottest Mcs Roundtable

MTV sent the hip hop world and therefore the fickle, fan-turn-critic blogosphere into a frenzy a few days ago when they announced their top 10 hottest mc's in the game. A MTV panel of "experts" painstakingly churned out what they believed to be a credible list after hours of worthless debates and arguments. Since the release of said list, bloggers, fans, and just about anyone with 10 fingers has chimed in with endless commentary and rebuttals, citing the list as invalid and even blasphemous. Since creating such a list requires more thought than I would like to devote to the matter, I was hesitant to throw my two cents out into the blogosphere. But after reading Joe Budden's comments over at XXL, I realized I could just pick up where he left off. From all the posts that I have read concerning MTV's list, there seems to be one glaring fact that hip hop fans are seriously struggling with. And of course, it involves "hot boy" Lil' Wayne. To my recollection, this debate over Lil' Wayne is unprecedented. Never in hip hop history has their been a debate about an emcee's credibility or overall talent that has raged on the way that this Lil' Wayne bit has. I've already put my thoughts on Wayne out there, but I would like to very briefly relive one notion from the aforementioned post. To quote JB "you are not the best!" . And to continue along with what Budden was saying, no one under the age of 30 can rightfully claim to be the "greatest rapper alive". Anyone under 30 does not have the experience and crediblity to truly carry the weight behind such a statement. I'm all for rappers having confidence and being competitive but some of this has gone way too far. It's damn near disrespectful to make such a comment when legends like Jay, Nas, Black Thought, Common, etc are still in the game. There is a stable of very talented rappers out there (Lil Wayne and Joe Budden included) but none of them can claim to be the greatest. And besides, these types of list are practically useless. Two months from now that list can be completely different. Such lists serve only one purpose; giving people with too much time on their hands bloggers (me) something to write about. Seriously, think about it, I can make a case that Lil Boosie is the hottest in the game. He has a hit record, a mixtape and whatever else those other rappers that are in the top 10 have. How come he didn't make the list? Not that I like Boosie, the point I'm making is that being the hottest in the game is far too relative and can easily be something different based on where you live, if you listen to the radio, etc. Basically the point of this post was to show that these type of lists are completely useless and any rapper that measures their success by any type of so called panel of experts, should quit rapping.

Finding Forever...

Now that Finding Forever has been officially released, I can finally sit down and give it a proper review. Now I have absolutely no problem with d'loading music for free, but you have to admit that this "digital revolution" does have a few minor setbacks. One of which, being the fact that music is often dissected and thoroughly examined before it is officially released. So for a fan like me, that still relies heavily on the feeling I get from opening the package and reading the liner notes, it's difficult to see a record criticized or even heralded for that matter, before anyone has an official copy. When I went to my local Best Buy to pick it up, I tried my hardest to block out all the negative reviews I had been reading all week, a feat that proved to be very difficult. As much as I would love to believe my opinion wouldn't be biased after reading previous reviews, the truth is it was. Finding Forever, is not the record I was yearning for from Common. Following in the footsteps of Be, this record was up against some serious odds. It appears as though Finding Forever will be filed right alongside It Was Written, In My Lifetime Vol. 1, and all the others that followed modern hip hop classic records. But by no means is Finding Forever a failure. The record is a testimonial to the creativity and shear genius that is spawned from the chemistry between Kanye and Com. Com excels particularly as a storyteller on Finding Forever, a strength of his that is often overlooked. After all this is the man that brought us "I Used To Love H.E.R." Tracks like "Black Maybe", "Driving Me Wild" and "Misunderstood" show Com the storyteller at his finest hour. The problem I have with this record, is that it lacks that raw energy that was so evident and clear on Be. It's like he took a few steps back and returned to the nonchalant attitude that made Like Water For Chocolate come off as more of a neo soul R&B record than hip hop. Be was successful because it was pure hip hop. Finding Forever is a bit too mellow and at points mundane. "Break My Heart" is too short and boring and "I Want You" doesn't have the same sensual appeal as "Go". Scratch these two records and you have another solid release by one of the greatest to ever touch the mic. So as far as I'm concerned Finding Forever is easily better than most of the shit released so far this year. Just on the strength of songs like "The People", "Start The Show" and "Black Maybe", this will be getting continuous burn in the ipod.

start the show...

I don't go to sleep to dream...

Spotted this over at NahRight. Mr. 9th wonderful tunes is set to release The Dream Merchant 2 in October.



1 Mr. Dream Merchant Intro
2 Shots f/Big Dho & Sean Price
3 Merchant Of Dreams f/The EMBASSY, Skyzoo & Torae
4 Brooklyn In My Mind f/ Mos Def, Jean Grae & Memphis Bleek
5 Sunday f/Keisha Shontelle & Chaundon
6 Baking Soda f/Big Treal
7 Reminisce (Take Time) f/Big Remo & The Great Novej of the A.L.L.I.E.S.
8 No Time To Chill f/Little Brother
9 It Aint Over ft. Jozee Mo & Tyler Woods
10 The Last Time f/ Royce the 5′9, Naledge & Vandalyzm of the MIDWEST WRECKIN’ CREW- The D, The Chi & The Lou
11 Saved f/Saigon & Joe Scudda
12 Milky Lowa ft. Camp Lo
13 Backlash f/Sean Boog & Buckshot
14 Thank You f/ D.O.X & O-Dash
15 Let It Bang f/Ness & Skyzoo
16 What Makes A Man f/Rapper Big Pooh & Buddy Klein

common sense x common sense

If you ask the average hip hop fan, or even the average American for that matter, who Thomas Paine is, the likelihood of you getting the correct answer is slim to none. But ironically hip hop and Thomas Paine have more in common than you think. For those of you that slept through US History, Thomas Paine is the author of a revolutionary pamphlet entitled Common Sense. This book was the spark that encouraged the colonists to revolt against Great Britian and inevitably gain independence. While listening to Common's "The People" I couldn't help but notice the similarities between Thomas Paine's words and the voice that Common has spoken with since '94.

Throughout his career Common has fashioned himself as an advocate for the people; a stance that his critics have called tired and redundant. But regardless of what "they say" (check track 10 from Be), Common has blessed the world with music that is both insightful and revolutionary. Look at his track record. Common spoke about change as early as '94 when he penned the timeless classic "I Used To Love H.E.R.", that humanized hip hop. On One Day It Will All Make Sense, a duet with Lauryn Hill title "Retrospect For Life" (one of my favorite Common songs), had Common speaking passionately against abortion. It is with this same passion that Thomas Paine spoke with when urging the colonists to use "common sense". Revolution was necessary then and there is no better time than now for revolution in hip hop. Common is the voice of reason and common sense, so let's just hope everyone begins to listen.


"I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense . . ." - Thomas Paine

"If revolution had a movie, I'd be theme music." - Common

Finding Forever in stores tomorrow