Wake up Mr. West...

Kanye is wide awake and Graduation, according to 'Ye is quickly approaching. The new 'Ye video debuted a few days ago and it sent the 'net into a frenzy. The response seems to be split. Most people were expecting more, considering it was directed by Hype Williams. Given the nature of the song, I think it was appropriate that the video focused on the performance and not alot of other typical hip hop video shit. But then again Kanye's video are never typical hip hop. Despite its similiarities to Madonna's "Frozen" video, I find it to be very Kanye. You really have to adopt the less is more mantra to fully appreciate this video. Personally, I think 'Ye is making a serious case for most consistent hip hop artist ever. Two classic albums, several groundbreaking, innovative videos and definitely his work with Common have all combined to make him the clear frontrunner. Hate him or love him you really can't deny that the dude is consistent.

Swagger at the Beach pt. 2...

Another day at the beach...listen up

Wale - Rhyme of the Century

The Roots ft. Common - Act Too(live)

The Cool Kids - Gold and a Pager

Styles P - Come One, Come All

Common - Black Maybe

The Roots - Star(live)

The Roots Come Alive...

A few months ago I slept on the opportunity of a lifetime to see The Roots perform live at the House of Blues. But for all the poor souls, such as myself, that have never seen The Roots perform live, okayplayer has given us a chance to redeem ourselves by uploading a shitload of live shows up for our downloading pleasure.

Click here and get busy!

Black Bike Week...

The countdown to Black Bike Week has begun. Since they can't afford to go to Miami for the weekend thousands of young, irrational,"promiscuous girls" and dudes load up their bikes, pack up their Chevy Caprices and head down to Myrtle Beach to act a damn fool. Sounds like fun right? But don't let the countdown fool you. I'm actually counting down the days till it is over. Since I've been living in Myrtle Beach for the past four years the newness and appeal of Black Bike Week has long worn off. The extra traffic, black peoples total disregard of the law and lack of logical thinking makes Memorial Day weekend a nightmare for people that live in Myrtle Beach. 7 days left.

9th Wonder speaks...

9th Wonder - Interview (Live At A3C - Atlanta, GA - 4/14/07) (Video)

I've been involved in a serious bout with laziness the past few days and just couldn't bring myself to post anything here. Anyway, UGHH uploaded some new videos and I found this one featuring a rare interview from 9th Wonder. Judging by this interview I think there may be some bitterness between 9th and LB. You be the judge.

Finding a damn job...

After an endless amount of hours slaving over my computer in search of a j-o-b, its not very comforting and flat out scary knowing that thousands of college kids are in the same predicament as me. Closing those textbooks for the final time was a great feeling but I can't help but to acknowledge the bittersweet aftertaste of graduating college and entering the REAL world. Considering that it took me damn near 10 years to completely finish school, Master's included, the daily grind of school has become such a vital part of my existence-- and frankly I'm going to miss it. Now with my relentless job search in full swing, it's kind of disheartening knowing that some fresh college grad or more importantly someone with actual experience, is competing for the same job as me. Knowing that their resume might be a little crisper, or their overall experiences may be more appropriate for the given job is frustrating. I've worked hard to reach this point and now that I'm here I have to work even harder. So this tedious process of filling out online applications and gathering various forms for recommendations must continue until someone finally hires me. Damn, I never thought finding a teaching position would be so hard.

Pharrell and the Yessirs...

I just can't get enough of this Pharrell x Questlove project. I know it doesn't take much to eclipse the success of that unbearable original but this live instrumentation version is the shit. I'm not sure of the validity of this source but apparently Interscope has decided to shelve the project. Since half of the album is already available on the net, I could really care less if it gets released or not, but for the sake of all the effort and work Quest and his team has put into it I hope they do release it.


Pharrell and the Yessirs... (links courtesy of TSS)

Keep it Playa

How Does It Feel?

Number One

Best Friend

Rapsy Shit

You Can Do It Too

That Girl

Check out Questlove @ Youtube

Myspace Music: Dom Kennedy

These days rappers are a dime a dozen. Hell, bloggers are a dime a dozen. With rappers going to desperate lengths to promote themselves (i.e., getting shot, stirring up frivolous beef), its getting harder for the everyday rapper to distinguish themselves from the rest of those dirt bags. This week I bring to you Dom Kennedy, someone I describe as the everyday rapper. But before you whisk him away and file him under the mediocre rapper category, consider a new meaning for your "everyday" rapper. I was first introduced to Dom through the The Kirk Out Hour podcast (check that out) and immediately found similarities between him and Murs. Murs is another "everyday" rapper. To me an "everyday" rapper is someone that can just rhyme about anything and make it sound fresh. The everyday rapper isn't rhyming about how many guns he has or even how he plans on ending police brutality. The everyday rapper is rapping about his everyday life. So for the 90% of the hip hop audience that doesn't chop crack for 4 hours a day or go to political rallies every month, it should be easy to relate to Dom. Check out "Who Rollin With Me" on his page and you'll understand. Dom Kennedy

Common is the truth...

Common is the truth. As the sample begins to play on the 'Ye produced "The People", I'm quickly reminded of the vigor and passionate tone that Common brings to every track. So when I think of how to describe him, "the truth", is the only thing that comes to mind. Common is a true emcee. Or as Russell Simmons would say a true "poet". This new track "The People" from his forthcoming album Finding Forever, picks up where Common and Kanye left off from the classic Be. Except this time 'Ye's focus was to channel the late Dilla's signature sound to the track. This could have been a disastrous effort considering the contrast in the two producers style but, "The People" comes off as a conquering, triumphant record ushering in the return of what may quickly become hip hop's greatest rapper/producer combo. Common even refers to 'Ye as the new primo. Fader magazine has a review of Finding Forever that breaks down every track. The album is set to be released on July 10th and if "The People" is any indication of what Finding Forever will be, Common may have another classic on his hands.

Common ft. Dwele "The People"

Bulls vs. Pistons

I haven't been excited about Bulls basketball since Jayson Williams was drafted there. And since that asshole wrecked his bike and ruined his career, my interest in the team quickly dwindled. Call me a fairweather fan all you want but I can't wait to see the Bulls square off with the Pistons in the second round of the playoffs. Plus, former Duke baller Luol Deng just finished demoralizing the Heat and is playing the best ball of his short career. Hopefully the '07 Bulls won't share the same fate as the 87-89 Bulls that couldn't beat the Pistons to save their lives. Here's Mike putting up 61 against the Pistons.

Myspace Music: Jeff Hendrick

According to Hov "30 is the new 20", so I shouldn't feel bad about staring down the round number of 30 in the next three years. And considering that Jay is damn near 40, I guess I can still claim to be "young". Anyway, with 30 years of life rapidly approaching, the reality of the matter is that I am getting "older". No matter how old I get I'll never be too old to listen to good hip hop. But considering that bullshit has superseded substance in todays hip hop world I am often forced to seek alternative entertainment. So for this week's myspace music, I'd figured I would play a little bit of "growns folk music" courtesy of blue eyed soul man Jeff Hendrick. My first contact with Hendrick came from my homie'sTariq Nasheed's myspace page with the smooth tune of Old school party. So I headed over to Hendricks' page thinking I would see this smooth looking brother (no homo) and to my surprise here was this pale white, corny lookin white dude(the pic says it all). No matter how corny I think the guy looks, the fact remains that this cat is smooth. The songs on his page not only highlight his soulful voice but also showcases his skills as a saxophonist. Apparently, Hendricks is somewhat of a star in his native country of Canada and though I can't assure that he will blow up here in the states, I can attest to the fact that he is making good "grown folks music". Yes, I'm getting "older". Check his page here

Swagger at the Beach...

Today the weather was warm and the wind was blowing so my girl dragged me out to the beach. Usually I hate the beach but today I bought an umbrella to block the sun so I wouldn't get 100 times darker. Anyway I brought along my ipod, so I took a page out of R.E.'s book and decided to upload a few songs that were on repeat for my sunny day at the beach.

Pharrell ft. Kanye West "Number One" ?uestlove remix

Ne-Yo ft. Jennifer Hudson "Leaving Tonight"

Joell Ortiz ft. Jadakiss and Saigon "Hip Hop" remix

Eazy E "Eazy Duz It"