tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60800172011-04-21T13:37:28.270-07:00Sam's BlogMusic, Politics, etc...Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comBlogger1061100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1152573251717156402006-07-10T16:10:00.000-07:002006-07-10T17:38:28.136-07:00Poetry Poyems Poets RIGHT HERE!The first one is by me. It's a Junk poem, meaning that it's entirely comprised of phrases found in the subject header of my junk mail folder. Are Middle Easterners Natural Born Killers or Simply Natural Born Losers?Enjoying your Poverty?Pay attention: this one is movingtopsy turvy, floppy movable,heat competing hard and rich,the perfect timepiece.The best prices forSamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1147724516137851872006-05-15T12:38:00.000-07:002006-05-16T11:46:21.513-07:00Oprah tries so hard; Master P talks shit about Bow WowOprah's hip-hop tokenism?Master P InterviewMy sister, who visited me this week, told me about an episode of Cribs were Master P led the cameraman to lake was adjacent to his mansion and told duke that he liked to come out here and "think about things."I instantly imagined him sitting on a pier and grunting "uggghhh....uggghh" to himself as theSamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1147373461488544962006-05-11T11:47:00.000-07:002006-05-11T13:02:50.903-07:00GHOSTFACE expresses regrets about the WuThis is an excerpt from the article I wrote for Urb. I thought it was going to be a cover, but I guess that Urb feels that Dipset (sans Cam'ron) would be a more interesting and popular choice. Among swirling soft purple and yellow lighting, Ghostface lopes around the stage, occasionally breaking into a clumsy dance that bears a closer resemblance to Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1147291196126436142006-05-10T12:44:00.000-07:002006-05-10T16:34:52.646-07:00READER MAIL READER MAIL READER MAIL Okay...I don't get any reader mail. There's only about 20 of you that come here on any given day and most of you are directed here by google for random hip-hop related searches. I feel kinda bad though, since google only latches onto keywords and my blog rarely answers your inquries. So here's an attempt to address some of recent google searches:"HIP HOP Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1146617801565415422006-05-02T17:55:00.000-07:002006-05-02T18:40:34.346-07:00Track ReviewLupe Fiasco, Kick/PushI have to admit, I didn't think much of this when I first heard it. The beat wasn't memorable, the sample was kinda ineffectual and nondescript, and the lyrics rather trite and cliché. In short, it just seemed very insubstantial, juvenile and wispy. If I wanted to listen to some Midwestern boom bap, I'd pop on the new Eulorhythmics. Or better yet, I'd go back to Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1146262209417656032006-04-28T14:17:00.000-07:002006-04-28T15:36:00.046-07:00Only Old Dudes and Indie Rockers Make (critically acceptable) Protest MusicFrom the NYTimes:"The protest song, rocked-up slightly from its folky 1960's form, has been making a comeback during the Iraq war, from arena bands like Pearl Jam, the Rolling Stones and Green Day to indie-rockers like Bright Eyes and blues-rockers like Keb' Mo' and Robert Cray. Bruce Springsteen's latest album is a Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1146249830804862952006-04-28T11:31:00.001-07:002006-04-28T11:43:50.830-07:00The Art of Jacek Sroka...as interperted by meSometimes, life is just too much.I feel as if I'm personally under seige. Art and entertainment provide no refuge, and my dreams only add to my confusion and paranoia.I lash out at those I love.And in the process, I hurt myself.But I can at least take comfort in knowing that I'm not alone in this misery.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1146248285091868152006-04-28T10:57:00.000-07:002006-04-28T11:23:18.926-07:00Hip-hop reviews 101If you're not a music critic, or have no interest in music criticism, turn back now. This will bore you.When writing a review, or anything for that matter, it's really difficult not to dip into cliche -- both in what you say and how you say it. It's particularly difficult when you only have 150 words and taking certain critical shortkuts seems like the only way to jam your Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1146095800752414032006-04-26T16:27:00.000-07:002006-04-26T17:30:40.800-07:00Has it come to this?An open letter to Andrew Gaerig re: his Coup Review.Since Andrew's e-mail addy via Stylus is not functioning, I'll just post this here.You can read the original review right here. :It's rare that I take the time out to comment on someone else's review, but you were way off base with the Coup album. Here are the reasons why: X -- As much as I like Lil Wayne and Juvenile, Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1144460760763636452006-04-07T18:35:00.000-07:002006-04-07T18:56:22.340-07:00Carte BlancheOkay, fools. I'm back. I have a lot of stuff that I want to get off my chest, and this seems like the perfect spot for it. New TimesHow the New Times corp dealt with Doug Simmons was pretty pathetic. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out their "press release" announcing Simmons' departure: http://villagevoice.com/news/0611,news,72525,2.html). I don't care if he did Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1105210277474422142005-01-08T10:46:00.000-08:002005-01-08T10:51:17.473-08:00Soapbox Time!
There are a lot of things to admire about the new Village Voice/ Greg Tate piece on the 30th Anniversary of Hip Hop, the least of which is the discussion that it’s generated on message boards and in blogland. I’m all for the writer-as-provocateur stance, and I don’t disagree with everything that Tate says. He’s realized that hip hop is essentially aspirational, that it’s opened Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1103754126492847032004-12-22T13:30:00.000-08:002004-12-23T17:33:53.040-08:00Top 50 Albums
1. Madvillain – Madvillainy
2. Nas - Street's Disciple
3. Ghostface – Pretty Toney
4. Cam'ron - Purple Haze
5. De La Soul - The Grind Date
6. Masta Killah – No Said Date
7. Mos Def – The New Danger
8. Murs - Murs 3:16 the 9th Edition
9. Dizzee – Showtime
10. Third Unheard: Connecticut Hip Hop 1979-1983
11. Wiley – Treddin’ on Thin Ice
12. Kanye West – College Dropout
13. Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1103491128029097742004-12-19T11:03:00.000-08:002004-12-19T13:18:48.030-08:00Here's the first installment of my year-end wrap up thing. I'll post the albums and movies up later this week. Books if I have the time.
2004 singles:
(In no order, except for the one in which I remembered them...and I'm sure I forgot a lot.)
Fabulous – Breathe
Ghostface ft. Jadakiss – Run
Nas – Thief’s Theme
T.I. -- Rubberband Man -- I'm not sure if this was released as a single this year, Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1099607206448558672004-11-04T14:17:00.000-08:002004-11-04T14:26:46.450-08:00Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1099592397491569972004-11-04T10:15:00.000-08:002004-11-04T18:58:30.186-08:00Fly Pharrell Glasses.
WWD: What inspired you?
Pharrell Williams: I guess it's American ambition. You know, to rise. Seeing that success is basically what you make it. These sunglasses are not about the struggle, but about the celebration of making it in this world. We made different pairs for different moments of the day, but overall they have this statement: 'I am going places.'Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1099536666193789892004-11-03T18:23:00.000-08:002004-11-03T19:36:16.550-08:00AMERICA SIGNS ARMAGEDDON SUICIDE DEATH PACT
We shouldn't delude ourselves. Shit is gonna get bad. Real fucking bad.
Continued quagmire in Iraq? Check.
Foreign isolationism? Check.
Unbridled nuclear proliferation (both at home and abroad)? Check.
Roe V. Wade overturned? Check.
A new generation of conservative judicial appointments? Check.
The disintegration of the church and state divide? Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1098121109748321522004-10-18T10:30:00.000-07:002004-10-18T10:47:58.590-07:00I'm not sure how I missed this, but Jacques Derrida is dead! He passed a couple weeks ago, apparently. I guess that I was too preoccupied by the death Superman to notice.
It's funny, the first time I studied Derrida I was under the impression that he had committed suicide long ago. It kinda cast a pale over what was for me a very distressing philosophy to begin with. I'm not sure if I ever Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1096394897076300272004-09-28T11:05:00.000-07:002004-09-29T11:28:55.430-07:00Shock on Pac
This is an excerpt from my interview with Shock G. Let me say that Shock was one of the best interviews I’ve ever had. There’s a certain depth and soul to him that I haven’t seen in any other artist that I’ve spoken with. Respect is definitely due.
Below is just an excerpt from what he said about Pac, much of this portion of the conversation was lost. Shock obviously has a lot of Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1095365035454696412004-09-16T13:23:00.000-07:002004-09-16T13:18:04.666-07:00BAD GOOFY
I can picture Harvey Keitel playing this guy.
"ORLANDO, Florida (AP) -- A Walt Disney World worker who was acquitted of charges he fondled a 13-year-old girl while dressed as Tigger has been suspended again, accused of shoving two people while in a Goofy costume."
WHAT SFWEEKLY DIDN'T WANT YOU TO READ
This is an outtake from my Schoultz story, and they probably deleted it Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1094844780065822222004-09-10T13:30:00.000-07:002004-09-10T12:37:38.430-07:00Ali G
This is just ridiculously funny. Ali G (as Borat) leading a cowboy bar in a sing-along of "In My Country There is a Problem (Throw the Jew Down the Well)." Ali G is an undercover jew, and I can't imagine what must've been running through his mind.
(spotted on ILM)
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1094834317035311572004-09-10T09:37:00.000-07:002004-09-10T10:18:09.186-07:00Album Review
Plantlife
The Return Of Jack Splash
Counterflow
.
In 2004 the nucleotides of funk, soul, hip hop and rock n’ roll are so intertwined that album claiming to “break down the barriers” separating them is pretty much a non-event. And though the hype surrounding Plantlife asserts just that, the claim is more of a disservice to what the group has managed to achieve on The Return of Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1094769818831563382004-09-09T15:38:00.000-07:002004-09-09T15:54:30.540-07:00The List
Today I skimmed the names of the dead in Iraq to see if they included anyone I knew. It was difficult, to say the very least, but given my rural roots and my age group (25-30, which has the highest number of casualties), I thought that it was necessary.
The experience was as complex as it was sobering. Each name is accompanied by a brief explanation of the date and circumstances Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1094665510211007842004-09-08T10:16:00.000-07:002004-09-08T13:36:37.740-07:00Scraps
I realize that that is kinda cheap and easy for me, but I generally overwrite for any given article and have to cut out a lot of good material. Here is a scrap that was cut and a pitch that never got picked up.
Black Wall Street
Bay Area MC/producer/ CEO JT the Bigga Figga recently started up a record labal named Black Wall Street that functions as much as a community outreach program asSamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1094182325236745972004-09-02T17:57:00.000-07:002004-09-07T19:44:55.026-07:00My Top Ten for September:
1.Aaron Noble's murals:
Aaron's collages of psychedelic manga (this one is in Indonesia) pretty much speak for themselves. But I'll steer you here for further reference.
2. "Father Forgive Us" Killa Cam and the Dips
Fuck Mase. Really. If not for Kanye, no one would be paying attention to that Puffy-sidekick, born again b-list MC. One of the worst Bay Boy rappers Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1086467624707117212004-06-05T13:29:00.000-07:002004-06-05T13:35:24.336-07:00 Hip Hop on Mars?
It's been clear for some time now that KRS keeps it a little past 7:30, but it looks like he trying to drag Nas down with him. In this interview KRS elaborates on Nas' reluctance to speak at NASA. And yes, he's talking about that NASA.
VIBE Online: Is there an artist right now that is capable of bringing hip hop to where you would like to see it go?
KRS-One: No one is Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1085533459744347952004-05-25T18:03:00.000-07:002004-05-25T18:04:19.746-07:00 DAVID BANNER DAVID BANNER
Five Lucky Winners take home $50,000 in Higher Education Funding
courtesy of Mississippi Rapper!
May 24, 2004
Highly acclaimed Mississippi hip-hop artist David Banner has officially
announced the five recipients of his “Crank It Up” Scholarship Award
worth a total of $50,000 in educational funding. Ryan Larkum of West
Hartford, Connecticut; Matthew Foote of Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1085375467297556432004-05-23T19:48:00.000-07:002004-05-24T09:50:31.420-07:00 RAWKUS REVISITED
I interviewed Talib Kweli over the weekend. A great interview and a nice guy. Here's what he said about his former home, Rawkus Records.
Did you read that Village Voice article about Rawkus?
No, I was wanting to read it though.
What is your assessment of what happened with Rawkus?
My assessment is pretty much in the devil itself. Did I get interviewed for that?
No, I don'tSamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1085016941553705662004-05-19T18:18:00.000-07:002004-05-20T10:55:41.626-07:00 He Said Whut?
Although I'm really happy that I'm not the only one noticing the contradiction in the Republicans calling for secular democracies throughout the Middle East while pushing for closer chuch/state ties here at home, I do feel kinda dirty being on the same side as Pat Buchanan -- even if the conclusions that we draw from that contradiction couldn't be more different. In an editorial Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1085006014881349552004-05-19T15:33:00.000-07:002004-05-19T18:18:45.630-07:00 Power and Submission
Context provided by Steve Winn of the SF Chronicle.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1084491876867988262004-05-13T16:38:00.000-07:002004-05-13T18:50:28.963-07:00 Hip Hop
Leading crunkster Lil' Jon is in the lab with Rick Rubin and Korn creating "crunk rock." I'll wait to hear this before passing judgment, but Korn is never a good option.
More importantly, Jon is also teaming up with Timberland for a track he calls monumental.
YEEEAAAH!
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1084470740150666932004-05-13T10:48:00.000-07:002004-05-13T10:52:52.563-07:00 Politics
Yeah, Harpers may be pure, ideologue propaganda, but it's our propaganda. So show some support! I eagerly await their weekly mail out. You can subscribe to it (for free!) right here. Here's a little taste:
"Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld apologized for the torture of Iraqi prisoners and said that there are "many more photographs and indeed some videos" of American soldiers Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1084405676734755522004-05-12T16:47:00.000-07:002004-05-12T16:47:56.733-07:00
Found on Smoking Gun...don't know what there is to say about this.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1084384659553871552004-05-12T10:44:00.000-07:002004-05-12T10:58:45.610-07:00 Weekly Roundup
Rachel Swan’s review of Cornel West Spoken Word CD
"It doesn't take the world's most astute hip-hop listener to interpret the gold chains donned by most Bling Age rappers as ensigns of a market-driven economy. Professor Cornel West dubs these adornments "the paraphernalia of suffering" -- commodities that show how rap's preoccupation with the good life has become a "truncated Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1084304292107216782004-05-11T12:38:00.000-07:002004-05-11T19:58:29.853-07:00 Art Shit
I’ve never thought of myself as a particularly visual person, but dating Nirmala and working at Future Primitive Sound has opened my eyes to a lot of great art. As part of my education, I’m devoting a little space every week (hopefully) to an artist I'm feeling.
This weeks artists is Yoshitomo Nara . Yoshitomo Nara is a prolific Japanese pop artist. His paintings Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1084219783928888582004-05-10T13:06:00.000-07:002004-05-10T13:25:04.680-07:00Not trying to belittle a horrible situation...but don't you think that those Iraq torture pictures -- with the mugging/gleeful soldiers juxtaposed against the stipped/suffering Iraqs -- had a post-ironic/hipster quality? And that picture with the female guard pulling the Iraq soldier on a leash looked like it could've been an L7 cover. Really, the entire thing could've been a spread in Vice Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1084218504770460222004-05-10T12:47:00.000-07:002004-05-10T13:12:31.130-07:00
For all the people who've come here after googling "girls in the Freak-a-Leek video" or some variation of that: I have no idea, but I'd like to know. Holla back if you find out.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1084218142986161212004-05-10T12:41:00.000-07:002004-05-10T12:48:45.573-07:00
Okay…so my mom was in town last weekend from the East Coast. We had a great time despite the fact she talked me into going to City Church. I’m not religious - and I won’t open that can of worms - but after listening to the church band’s soft, acoustic melodies that included tweeish vocals and unobtrusive piano/cello soloing, it struck me that Belle and Sebastian are like the uber-church band. Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1084216365009495192004-05-10T12:11:00.000-07:002004-05-10T12:43:06.410-07:00
One more reason to watch Adult Swim on the Cartoon channel.
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1083786986584752262004-05-05T12:56:00.000-07:002004-05-10T12:33:21.476-07:00I found this interesting, turn-of-the-century letter regarding the compatibility of patriotism and poverty on Keith Harris’s blog .
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1083718101502260322004-05-04T17:48:00.000-07:002004-05-04T20:14:45.233-07:00To keep it all on a hip hop tip, here are my ten favorite songs of the moment (and I mean the moment):
10. Affirmative Action -- Madlib Remix
9. Freak-A-Leak – Petey Pablo
8. If – Talib, Ken Star, Ashura
7. Game Over Remix – Lil Flip
6. We Pop Remix – RZA, E-40
5. The entire new RJD2 Album
4. Strange Ways – Madvillain
3. NY Streetz – Saigon
2. Entire Ghostface album
1. Rubberband Man – T. I.
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1083705518145082372004-05-04T14:18:00.000-07:002004-05-18T21:54:37.340-07:00
Earlier in the day, after a lengthy post on the Fela exhibit at Yerba Buena, contentious SFStation art "critic" Nirmala attempted to usurp my tribute to noble humanist and afro beat champion Fela Kuti by citing Fela’s “notorious sexism.” Nirmala said in the comments section that it was “surprising that (Fela) clung so stringently to patriarchy, which his mother associated with the oppressiveSamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1083700933880703622004-05-04T13:02:00.000-07:002004-05-04T14:39:41.890-07:00
Glad to see my boy Jonathan Zwickel big-upping DJ Zeph on Pitchfork. Nice job, Jonathan.
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1083690971736596442004-05-04T10:16:00.000-07:002004-05-18T12:39:06.643-07:00
Saturday was fun. I went to the Fela Kuti exhibit at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts with feminist attack dog Nirmala and new friend/emerging artist Sasha Vladimirsky. The exhibit was a'ight; although individual pieces were great, I thought as a whole it didn't really capture Fela's spirit or his art. Perhaps that's impossible for a gallery exhibit to do though.
The pieces that struck Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1083284276416738462004-04-29T17:17:00.000-07:002004-04-29T18:31:36.403-07:00I saw this on O–Dub’s Blog : Ta-Nehisi Coates’ overview of the decline of Rawkus I thought that it was interesting. I didn’t get to peep the XXL piece on Rawkus, but I heard that was better. Here’s what EL-P said on the subject when I interviewed him about a year-and-a-half ago.
" I have my own, personal beef with Rawkus in terms of the way they handled their business with [Def Jux]. ButSamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1083211214379458182004-04-28T21:00:00.000-07:002004-04-29T18:32:33.890-07:00
Someone said that this Jim Gaylord painting looks like me.
The paintings of Jim Gaylord occupy the interstices between recognition and
confusion-hinting at specific forms but never corroborating the viewer's
certainty of these forms, preferring to endure in an ambiguous cluster of
perception and suggestion. The result of streamlining the fuzzy topography
of the mind is a dreamlike mayhem of Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1083009214962434062004-04-26T12:53:00.000-07:002004-04-26T12:58:38.310-07:00
Bay Area graphic designer, graffiti artist, and FPS associate Damon Soule is pretty godlike, and if he was commissioned to do a daimond necklace of Jesus, I might even buy it (or at least not mock it). Check out his website at www.damonsoule.comSamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1082780916674890352004-04-23T21:28:00.000-07:002004-04-23T21:46:45.890-07:00
The Passion of Kanye
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1082494087610133472004-04-20T13:48:00.000-07:002004-04-20T13:58:37.000-07:00
Three Million for Shyne. Good god!Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1082488910262966372004-04-20T12:21:00.000-07:002004-04-20T13:52:57.293-07:00Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1082409187985682902004-04-19T14:13:00.000-07:002004-04-19T14:17:11.763-07:00Does anyone have the contact info for Jin's publicst? Or for the Ruff Ryders in general? I'm doing a feature on him and having a hard time tracking his contact info down.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1082332436883198852004-04-18T16:53:00.000-07:002004-04-18T17:04:14.826-07:00
Apparently I'm the last one to find out, but Beat Takeshi has remade Zatoichi , the classic Japanese TV show featuring the blind samuria. The DVD is already out in Japan and it will hopefully be released here soon.
Thanks go to Jay Smooth for tipping me off.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1082228472526549772004-04-17T12:01:00.000-07:002004-04-18T17:21:58.560-07:00
I may be a bit prejudiced since I usually wake up beside her, but SFStation art critic N. Nataraj is the greatest writer ever. Here's her take on Romare Bearden. It looks like a great exhibit, and I'll probably get around to seeing it soon.
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1082224660715391482004-04-17T10:57:00.000-07:002004-04-17T15:16:44.450-07:00
And since I'm on some tangential, Larry-King-type shit...Is there a short story better than Nabakov's "The Potato Elf?" And doesn't JT Leroy kinda remind you of a cross between Nabakov's The Potato Elf and Kafka's Starving Artist? If you're reading this, no offense, JT...you know I love ya.
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1082222420671551012004-04-17T10:20:00.000-07:002004-04-17T15:16:31.733-07:00
I found this while image googling the term "kill bill"
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1082221833612924742004-04-17T10:10:00.000-07:002004-04-17T15:15:55.733-07:00
I saw Kill Bill II last night. Most of the hyperbole that has been thrust its way is true, although I may have preferred the first edition more, which was a plotless, meta-study on unrelenting momentum and b-grade culture (which I think reveals more about any given culture than "high art" that is generally dishonest and has the pretence of history, bougie self-importance, etc...although I do Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1082000109120123342004-04-14T20:35:00.000-07:002004-04-14T20:39:06.170-07:00NEW NAS NEW NAS NEW NAS
http://fileserv1.soundclick.com/fastg9/HiD/twistedbeats+nasandpitbull.mp3Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1081795797067590332004-04-12T11:49:00.000-07:002004-04-17T15:04:36.513-07:00George Bush speaks to the American heartland in regards to the Arab question
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1081205648736367822004-04-05T15:54:00.000-07:002004-04-05T23:32:25.576-07:00I was so psyched to write my Madvillain piece in SFWeekly , although I’m sure it will be overshadowed by Sasha’s piece in the New Yorker . Whatcha gonna do? It’s Sasha in the GOD DAMN New Yorker. And I’m really happy to see Madvillain get the props it deserves. It’s a great album and the release party at the Independent (aka the old Justice League) last Saturday was off the hook.
If thereSamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1079987858083134192004-03-22T12:37:00.000-08:002004-04-01T13:25:13.390-08:00My (short) piece on Campo Santo:
After performing before a packed house, Cully Fredricksen – the lead in Psychos Never Dream, Denis Johnson’s collaboration with San Francisco Theatre troupe Campo Santo – embraces the award-winning novelist and playwright. With his face nestled against Johnson’s broad shoulders, the stalwart actor whispered in Johnson’s ear, “Thank you, Denis. Thank you.” Once Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1079041333867900542004-03-11T13:42:00.000-08:002004-03-11T13:45:23.686-08:00Rapper Ludacris visits Florida high school hit by tragedies
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — A surprise visit by rapper Ludacris to a central Florida high school gave some much-needed diversion to students who’d experienced a string of tragedies in the past year.
The concert came in response to an e-mail from sophomore class president Nada Taha, who explained the school’s rough year after the death of two Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1078792085075508942004-03-08T16:28:00.000-08:002004-03-08T16:32:47.436-08:00Sorry that my entires have been so few and far between recently. I've had a ton of assignments this month (a good thing, considering how broke I've been).Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1078426545713989492004-03-04T10:55:00.000-08:002004-03-04T10:59:00.216-08:00Eric Arnold in this week’s East Bay Express article on Project Groundation Massive (who sound pretty dope, btw) reported that “DM has just signed a production deal with Jay-Z's label, Roc-a-Fella.” Can anyone confirm this?
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1078337948324677432004-03-03T10:19:00.000-08:002004-03-03T10:22:07.403-08:00A quote from Josh Kun's interview with David Mamet for the SFBG:
"It's a passing political anomoly to pretend weakness. We do it in our geopolitics. We do it in our political campaigns. We pretend weakness. We hypocritically ascribe to a state of being the underdog, It's not just the Jews. The underdog, the asexual, the loser, so-and-so has an affair when he's 60 years old and he has to say Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1078025105420021872004-02-28T19:25:00.000-08:002004-02-28T19:30:12.420-08:00This was originally supposed to be a comment to Oliver’s excellent reading of the political implications of the gay marriage issue, but it got too long for his comments field.
In addition to Oliver’s comments, I wanted to add how proud I am to be a resident of San Francisco. I think that history will vindicate Newsom’s actions, as well as frown upon the separate-but-equal platform espoused by Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1076915688421100542004-02-15T23:14:00.000-08:002004-02-15T23:20:54.373-08:00
Other rappers you won't find on TRL.
Subliminal. The cover of The Light and the Shadow depicts a hand covered with mud holding a star of David. His lyrics have lines like "This country is vacillating like a cigar in Arafat’s mouth." In a song called "Divide and Conquer," Subliminal laments, "We're nurturing and arming those who hate us." At his concerts, fans chant "Death to Arabs." Welcome Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1076533679822842402004-02-11T13:07:00.000-08:002004-02-11T13:12:05.373-08:00This guy should collaborate with Dip Set Taliban star Jewlz Santana.
Excepts:
According to the UK's Observer newspaper this Sunday, rap artist Shaikh Terra calls for British PM Tony Blair and US President George Bush to be "thrown on the fire" in his song Dirty Kuffar (unbelievers).
The song starts with images of US marines in Iraq cheering as one of them shoots a wounded Iraqi lying on the Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1076531139337989752004-02-11T12:25:00.000-08:002004-02-11T12:28:09.420-08:00Peep out my David Banner review at SFWeekly. I’m not sure how I feel about bringing personal anecdotes into my reviews, but I thought I’d give it a shot. Good album, though I’m not sure that I like it as much as Mississippi.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1076464018447407592004-02-10T17:46:00.000-08:002004-02-10T17:59:38.326-08:00
Salon.com recently reinterpreted our leader’s interview with Tim Russert using Orwell’s Duckspeak.
George W. Bush, the doubleplusgood doublespeaker!
In his interview on "Meet the Press," the president proved he has mastered the Orwellian art of duckspeak.
Orwell’s Definition:
"Newspeak vocabulary was tiny, and new ways of reducing it were constantly being devised. Newspeak, indeed, Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1076437841816673122004-02-10T10:30:00.000-08:002004-02-10T10:44:11.293-08:00Pazz and Jop, courtesy of Jeff Chang's Blog (cantstopwontstop.blogspot.com).
ALBUMS
1 OutKast Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (Arista)
2 The White Stripes Elephant (V2)
3 Fountains of Wayne Welcome Interstate Managers (S-Curve)
4 Radiohead Hail to the Thief (Capitol)
5 Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever to Tell (Interscope)
6 The Shins Chutes Too Narrow (Sub Pop)
7 New Pornographers Electric Version (Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1076376762610136942004-02-09T17:32:00.000-08:002004-02-09T17:50:30.466-08:00From an LA Times joint interview with Jack White and Andre 3000:
Jack White: I feel hip-hop generally isn't regenerating itself like it should. There has been 15 years of almost the same stuff over and over again. If I see one more video with sports jerseys and gold chains, I'm going to..."
Andre: Exactly. I agree.
My take: I don't completely disagree, but it still leaves a bitter taste in Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1075930826487178502004-02-04T13:40:00.000-08:002004-02-04T13:42:46.793-08:00"As of this year DEAD PREZ, THE COUP, COMMON , TALIB,THE ROOTS, or artists like them or wanting to be like them have to be more confrontational within the House Of Rap and Hip Hop to maintain the voice of sense. It’s a damn shame that in 2003 the DIXIE CHICKS made 98% of the rappers look like soft, clueless, happy ass slaves . An army of intelligence that at least procts and bulids the peoples Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1075851433998440312004-02-03T15:37:00.000-08:002004-02-03T15:39:33.090-08:00Future Primitive Sound proudly presents an exhibit from acclaimed international artist Mode 2. Don’t miss the first solo American exhibit from one of Europe’s most talented contemporary artist.
Opening Party: February 26th, Future Primitive Sound Headquarters (597 Haight St. at Steiner), Afterparty at Milk.
Display Running: February 26th through April 25th
Mode 2 is one of Europe’s Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1075673531094071962004-02-01T14:12:00.000-08:002004-02-02T13:18:41.513-08:00Masked Supervillain MF Doom Descends Upon San Francisco
It was a little after 10pm and the crowd was already packed onto the lower floor and had begun siphoning into the upper level, which wrapped around the DNA’s small stage like a giant "U" and had twinkling Christmas lights dangling from its sides. Dazed from a nasty case of the flu, it was surprising that I’d made it through the door. But ISamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1075664802181345142004-02-01T11:46:00.000-08:002004-02-01T11:48:58.340-08:00damn right, it's better than yours
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1075405143951148022004-01-29T11:39:00.000-08:002004-01-29T11:43:45.936-08:00Inspired by rereading Hua Hsu's excellent -- if debatable -- essay on Illmatic for O-Dub's wonderful Classic Material.
The first time few years that I listened to Illmatic, I heard all the hot punchlines that kind of reinforced his invincibility, nihilism, danger, etc…but now I think that alienation and solitude are just as prominent of themes in Illmatic. Alienation from the listener, his Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1075246719087505742004-01-27T15:38:00.000-08:002004-01-27T15:40:48.530-08:00Thug poet Nasir Jones has been telling us for years what time it is, but for 19.95 he can really tell you what time it is.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1075246237598592562004-01-27T15:30:00.000-08:002004-02-02T11:51:33.936-08:00Leaping over puddles of piss and peaking down shady alleyways and behind dark corners, Nirmala and I slowly made our way to the Mission District’s Intersection of the Arts for Campo Santo’s production of Denis Johnson’s Psychos Never Dream. It was a dreary night, with the sky perpetually teetering on the brink of a downpour, leaving a cold mist pushing against our faces, but I was buzzed from Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1074924540930447462004-01-23T22:09:00.000-08:002004-01-24T10:17:29.076-08:00I interviewed MF Doom today for an upcoming feature for SFWeekly (which will be definitive, you crab-ass freelancers). You can check my full thoughts in March, but this is interesting (I thought, at least). I asked him if he thought that if Black Bastards (or the equivalent) was released today would it censored. His response:
"To a degree...this game is tricky. If I didn't know no better, I'd Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1073954260745860312004-01-12T16:37:00.000-08:002004-01-12T16:42:46.123-08:00I hope that the Justice Department pursues the Paul O'Neal leak probe with the same veracity and objectivity that they've applied to the CIA leak probe.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1073937404165046562004-01-12T11:56:00.000-08:002004-01-12T11:59:05.153-08:00Further evidence that to the Bush administration the ends justify any means. This should come as no surprise to those of us who kept an eye on the New American Century website . Remember the supposed deliberations leading up to Bush’s decision to invade Iraq? Did anyone ever take this seriously? I guess the whole Powell v. Cheney sideshow made for interesting television, but I always doubted theSamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1073935117227366842004-01-12T11:18:00.000-08:002004-01-12T11:18:58.246-08:00The NYTimes asks, are we growing up or Selling Out
More comments later.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1073431905648530642004-01-06T15:31:00.000-08:002004-01-06T15:32:05.046-08:00Review for Kanye West's College Dropout
Melding sped-up soul samples that resemble the Chipmunks gone gully with hyperactive drums that employ a walloping, riddim-fueled momentum, producer Kanye West wrote the blueprint for Jay Z and breathed new life into the careers of Talib Kweli and Consequence. So it’s little surprise that College Dropout’s production is stellar. From the cooing stampede Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1072300912604256922003-12-24T13:21:00.000-08:002003-12-24T13:48:14.613-08:00Note that I now have a comments option! And a new format (since I fucked up my last one)!Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1072300346748244252003-12-24T13:12:00.000-08:002003-12-24T13:13:04.580-08:00
Merry Christmas!Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1072217487530679402003-12-23T14:11:00.000-08:002003-12-23T17:25:59.116-08:00Biggie’s last freestyle on the wake-up show is one of the genuinely creepiest things I’ve ever heard. The interview/ freestyle session was recorded late at night, just a couple days before Biggie was murdered, and he’s doing his own edits. I don’t know if he had any sort of premonitions of his death, or whether he was just generally tense because he was on the West Coast, but when DJ Revolution Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1072215433568293292003-12-23T13:37:00.000-08:002003-12-23T13:39:11.103-08:00My winampplayer gave me a Christmas present! On my winampmp3 player I have the crossfading between tracks feature on (which is a mixed bag, generally), and luckily when I randomized the order of my playlist, the intro skit from Ice Cube’s Better off Dead segues into David Banner’s Cadillac on 22’s. Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1072052371514552602003-12-21T16:19:00.000-08:002003-12-21T18:06:57.936-08:00Music Critics: On ILM's thread re: the 2003 pitchfork list, Sterling Clover (spurred by Rob Mitchum posting Ethan P.'s review of the Black Album) says that Jay Z's recent turn towards introspection is due to Jigga's pandering to critics. As much as I'd like to believe that we have that much influence, I can't imagine Jigga sitting around the Baseline worrying about what we will or won't like. Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1071774544931447612003-12-18T11:09:00.000-08:002003-12-23T13:38:56.493-08:00My highly-subjective, likely-to-change top 20 singles of 2003.
1. The Red – Jaylib
2. Cadillac oni 22's - David Banner
3. I Luv You - Dizzee
4. Pop Shit – ODB + Neptunes
5. Ignition Remix – R. Kelly
6. Oh Wee – Mark Ronson, Ghost
7. Purple Haze – Dip Set
8. Through the Wire – Kanye West
9. Money Folder – Madvillian
10. Milkshake – Kelis
11. Beautiful - Snoop Dogg
12. We Pop – RZA
13. Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1071712995803561152003-12-17T18:03:00.000-08:002003-12-18T10:20:35.783-08:00A cheesy, but 100% true anecdote:
A few nights ago, me and my girlfriend Nirmala were taking the Bart to see Bad Santa at the Metreon. Nirmala was miserable, and I should’ve been. Walking from her apartment on 26th and Valencia to the Bart station on 24th and Mission, we were hit by a cold downpour that whipped beneath our tiny umbrella and left us soaked and shivering. My hoody was dripping Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1071096883117146942003-12-10T14:54:00.000-08:002003-12-10T15:11:57.656-08:00My response to Oliver Wang on the state and direction of hip hop journalism: let me first say that Oliver raised a lot of interesting issues and made some good points. Unfortunately, I only have time to respond to a couple of them. I’ll try to get around to the other stuff on Friday.
And a real quick book recommendation before I get into it: Dana Johnson’s collection of short stories: break anySamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1070910662507443722003-12-08T11:11:00.000-08:002003-12-08T11:13:07.130-08:00Anyone in SF should check this out:
In their final exhibit before displaying at the NYC MOMA, graffiti artist Doze Green, David Ellis (Skwerm) and Kenji AKA The Barnstormers will be featured at San Francisco's Future Primitive Sound Headquarters and Edo Salon/ Gallery.
Opening Party: Thursday December 11th 7:00pm – 9:30 pm
Display Running: December 11th through February 11th
As a former Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1070765402213738472003-12-06T18:50:00.000-08:002003-12-06T18:50:13.100-08:00...and forgive me for my grammar...Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1070764911445927712003-12-06T18:41:00.000-08:002003-12-06T19:01:01.263-08:00Okay, so Oliver issued a very thorough and convincing rebuttal to my criticism of the Herald article he recommended (check his poplife blog). Before I reply, let me say that I shouldn't be picking arguements Oliver. He's obvsiously a lot more invested and knowledgable of hip hop, both the musical and cultural trajectory. O-Dub is getting his PhD from Berkeley, as where I only sleep with Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1070734889063919452003-12-06T10:21:00.000-08:002003-12-06T10:21:40.273-08:00Realized last nite at 2 AM while high and listening to my girl Nirmala's bollywood collection (which reminded her of watching these movies as a little girl in her homeland of suburban LA): The Theme Music for Dharmatma (with the "Sad" chorus) is the source material for Jaylib's "Champion Sound."
Addendum: Nirmala would like to point out that it was actually her that realized this.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1070501306188150022003-12-03T17:28:00.000-08:002003-12-03T17:30:53.416-08:00Kind of to eloborate on what Jeff Chang said on his blog, why doesn't De Capo get a guest editor with a hip hop background (if they have, forgive me. i haven't read every one)? If they can enlist the author of High Fidelity, why don't they get Chris Rock or someone along those lines?
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1070500077812276312003-12-03T17:07:00.000-08:002003-12-03T17:24:31.626-08:00I was a bit distressed to find Oliver Wang recommending this article http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/7324951.htm on his blog.
After reading the article, it seems to be your run of the mill nostalgia piece that uses seniority as a crutch and mixs in rockist cheap shots at celebrity/pop culture and a recommendation for the De Capo's Best of White Criticism guide.
Yeah, we all give credit Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1069433782049513162003-11-21T08:56:00.000-08:002003-12-03T12:12:26.193-08:00Okay...I'm not a great critic because I like a lot more music than I dislike. But these are the exceptions, The worst CD's of the year:
1. Ugly Duckling -- Taste the Secret. I'm writing a review of this right now. their press person sent me two comp CD's for some reason, and I literally couldn't give it away.
2. White Stripes -- Elephant . I know that this is supposed to be a great CD, but Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1069110610088307882003-11-17T15:10:00.001-08:002003-11-17T17:02:23.180-08:00In their Dame Dash article, the new XXL mentions that he is trying to acquire the rights to my boy JT Leroy's "The Heart is Deceitful Above All Else." Here's the amazon.com review of "The Heart is Deceitful:"
LeRoy rose to considerable notoriety as the teenaged author of last year's Sarah, a novel about a gender-confused kid whose mother is a truckers' prostitute. In his latest work, a rawly Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1069108668004962072003-11-17T14:37:00.000-08:002003-11-17T14:46:44.956-08:00A few words on one of my favorite MC's, Big L. This is a write-up I did on "Times is Hard on the Blvd."
IN full horrorcore mode, Big L was pumping out rhymes that would’ve made Freddy shiver. Originally slated to be on the Class Act Soundtrack, this unreleased early nineties NYC gem finds the late, great Big L at his finest. Behind a vintage Lord Finesse (DITC, Funky Technician) track, Big L Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080017.post-1068854794557279922003-11-14T16:06:00.000-08:002003-11-14T17:14:41.160-08:00Okay, this is a blurb I wrote about nas' illmatic that ended up not being published:
Held like a hostage and afraid to sleep, Nas captures the post-crack NYC in all of its ruinous glory on his 1994 debut Illmatic. Realizing that the drugs were both empowering and destructive, Nas’ lyrics alternately embrace and reject the idea of ghetto glamour. “Life’s a Bitch” is possibly the saddest song I’Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04645736918623324930noreply@blogger.com