February 2011
22 posts
Racism - Fair Game in a Freestyle Battle?
There’s an interesting article over at Davey D’s blog (link), in which he discusses whether using racial slurs in a freestyle rap battle is fair game. It’s an interesting point (and he really doesn’t do much more than post a few videos and point out the slurs and pose the question), and one that I haven’t really ever thought of. And it surprises me, since questions...
The Big Payback - Linked over from CBHH
First off, if you’ve never read Noz’s Cocaine Blunts and Hip Hop site, might I suggest you add it to your usual blogroll? Noz is basically the only writer I read on the topic of hip hop; he’s intelligent, comprehensive, and well versed in the history of and mythology of hip hop. It’s really refreshing reading someone who has a respect and nostalgia of classic rap, and...
I WIsh...
I wish I had something more substantive and important to say about the WI unions protests. As a former union attorney and a zealous supporter of organized labor and the working class, it is a movement that I wish I could be there to support in a more real fashion. Instead, I am relegated to sideline status, keeping track of the negotiations and hoping that this transparent attack against the...
OFWGKTA
Salon: So is [Odd Future’s] appearance on “Fallon” going to be seen as selling out, you think? For someone who says KILL PEOPLE BURN SHIT to appear on a mainstream late-night talk show?
Foster: Oh no. I think it’s seen as a coup.
(link)
Watch
Odd Future - Sandwiches (LIVE on Jimmy Fallon 2.16.11)
Hat Tip to @Jose3030 / dominickbrady
THIS IS WHAT A REVOLUTION LOOKS LIKE, GODDAMNIT!!!!
5 Things about Animal Kingdom
1. There is a beautiful simplicity through which Animal Kingdom gets across its eponymous message: that brute strength does not equal power; that age does not equal wisdom; that loyalty does not breed reliance. The film is a study in inevitability, not through big swells and swirling turns, but through small, minimal events that bear truth in reality. When J slips up in a pivotal scene,...
P.O.S. "Purexed"
This is such an amazing song, such a forward driving force.
Prefuse 73 "The End of Biters - International"
It’s quick, but it’s awesome…
Deb Oh "Vesper"
Deb Oh | ‘Vesper’ from Deb Oh on Vimeo.
Love her. She has a new song that I cannot stop listening to on her recent appearance on the You Had To Be There podcast, go check it out.
Tyler "Yonkers" video
Look. There’s a lot of reasons to absolutely despise Tyler, The Creator’s video for “Yonkers,” the lead single from the Odd Future Voltron-Head’s second upcoming album, Goblin, set to drop in April. I think all the reasons to hate it are pretty apparent. So let’s talk a bit about why it’s interesting.
There’s always been a visceral element to...
[Movies] Waiting For Superman
Jesus. I watched Waiting for Superman, and I honestly went from being largely supportive, to absolutely loathing this movie in the final third.
I want to go into detail, but I need to marinate more on the actual facts (such as the fact that the people who appointed Rhee were ousted from DC as a result, that Canada’s Harlem Children’s Zone is funded by a $145M endowment that most...
Amusement
CAPTION: “BAAAALLINNNNNN” (by Birdie)
I can’t lie. Timothy Olyphant is a good looking dude.
Yeah, I’m comfortable enough to say that.
I Approve Of This
Again, if you’re not watching Parks and Recreation, you’re seriously missing the best comedy on TV. There, EW says it. It has to be true. What, you’re sick of me talking about P&R? Would you rather I talk about how excited I am that Justified is back?
I got you, boo.
Parks and Rec Season 2...
I’m rewatching Season 2 of Parks and Rec, and I can’t remember a time when a show went from being completely forgettable, to being my favorite show on TV.
If you haven’t gotten thru to the end of Season 2, go netflix it. The season has become maybe one of my favorite TV seasons of all time.
Angry Asian Man - Adam WarRock →
I wrote this song for Angry Asian Man’s 10th Anniversary. If you don’t read Phil’s awesome blog about race and culture, you’re missing out.
I’ve also always wanted to rock that Fort Minor beat.
Stakes Is High in Two Parts...
First listen to this…
Then listen to this…
h/t Benjamin Birdie
DJ Shadow - Blood on the Motorway
When I was in college, I once fell asleep while listening to DJ Shadow’s The Private Press (highly underrated in his catalog, I think it’s my favorite Shadow album, and definitely know that “Fixed Income” is my favorite Shadow track). I woke up in the middle of this 9:00 minute-plus track, and had a moment where I thought that I had died. I know that sounds utterly...
Portlandia... It's the Comedy, Stupid!
Portlandia is great because it’s NOT about all the things the show should be about. Rather than mock hipsters, or play off the indie rock sensibilities of Carrie Brownstein to Armisen’s indie comedy cred smugness, the show is gleefully absurdist. The jokes don’t so much hit (or even end) as they do, simmer, breathe, spiral and swirl around until you really have no choice but to...
Belle & Sebastian - For the Price of a Cup of Tea
Way back in the day, when I was a member of Columbia House Records (you remember that don’t you?), I ordered some sort of idiotic hard-rock album and the code got messed up, and they sent me Belle and Sebastian’s If You’re Feeling Sinister. As a young teenager, full of testosterone and wanting to smash things (both in the literal and innuendo-laden way), I was horrified,...
Help Kool Herc
Kool Herc, the founding father of hip hop, is in need of financial help for his medical bills. He’s without medical insurance, and hip hop is rallying around its founder to help him out in his time of need. To donate, please go to his website, and if you want to read more about his story, read this great Guardian article. There’s really not much else I could say to get you to want to...
Adam WarRock's Smoking Girl
Great process post on how the new Adam WarRock tshirts were made. Go check the designs out now (link). Pre-order link coming as soon as I get them from the printers.
And if you don’t read Johnny Wander, what is wrong with you?
ananthymous:
This is a process post about designing a t-shirt for Adam WarRock - from concept to final execution.
Backstory: Adam WarRock is a rapper whose...
