I can make it good, I can make it hood, I can make you come, I can make you go! I can make it high, I can make it fly, make you touch the sky, hey maybe so!
"This [A one minute clip of Body, the new music video from Ja Rule feat. Joi presented below] is why Ja is hot (no Larry Craig). He always does something sooo different from what everyone else is doing. Hip-hop is alive and well."
As the Big Blue Bus made its way through Beverly Hills today, three active young men got on at some stop in front of some park. Towards the end of their stay on the bus, all three decided to treat the overhead hand rails like a Jungle Gym, seeing who could outdo each other in a spontaneous Public Transportation Pull-Up competition. I couldn't help but think of them as I watched this clip.
I know, I know, technically it ain't Friday round these parts for another two hours or so, but I thought I'd hit the people with a new mixtape a little early cause a brotha will be nowhere near a computer he can get his blog on til like 7 or 8 o'clock tomorrow evening.
And if you are on the East Coast, shut the hell up and getdowngirl, goheadgetdown!
Shall I proceed?... Yes Indeed!
Radio.Edit.
1/Work Is Never Over/Diplo 2/Money In The Bank/Swizz Beatz 3/World Town/M.I.A. 4/Innocence/Bjork 5/Make Me Better/Fabolous feat. Ne-Yo 6/Atlantis To Interzone (Metronomy Remix)/The Klaxons 7/Call Me Al (Egyptrixx Remix)/Paul Simon 8/Crank Dat Soulja Boy (Cousin Cole Remix)/Soulja Boy 9/Treat Me Like Your Money/Macy Gray feat. Will.i.am 10/Give A Little Love/Rilo Kiley 11/Give It Up/Twista feat Pharrell 12/I Get Money/50 Cent 13/Wanna Be/Dizzee Rascal feat. Lily Allen 14/Money Maker/Ludacris feat. Pharrell 15/Thuggish Ruggish Love (Cousin Cole mix)/Bone Thugs and Harmony, excuse me Bone Thugs "-N-" Harmony 16/Salt, Pepper, Ketchup, and Hot Sauce/Dwizz 17/Wipe Me Down/Lil Boosie feat. Webbie and Foxx 18/Da Beeper Record/Fam-Lay feat. Pharrell 19/Way I Are (Cousin Cole's Unwound Mix)/Timbaland feat. Keri Hilson and D.O.E. 20/Good Life/Kanye West feat. T-Pain
"As we all look forward to more sputtering news conference antics from Sen. Larry Craig, here's hoping that the Idaho politician will eventually draw on traditional Republican principles and stand up for his right to engage in consensual sex in toilet stalls with men. Craig, a critic of the Patriot Act who weakened some of its worst provisions during last year's renewal vote, clearly understands the need to keep the government from snooping willy-nilly on its citizens..."
A few backs I got a ride to Safari Sam's by cousin lil bro. The entire car ride I got to enjoy that whole loud ass, bass heavy, inaudible vocal having sound system of his. [And it enjoy it I did since I sat in the backseat, directly in front of the trunk that his speaker called home]
And to top it all off, he was playing his new rap fave of the moment: Lil Boosie.
Uh-uh, I don't like it.
But cousin lil bro and his boy Maurice did so I just shut up and listened. Plus I got a free car ride to Hollywood. Who am I to bitch about the mediocre music being played? The least I can do is tolerate some Lil Boosie for 20-30 minutes right?
Cut to last Saturday.
I'm already mad that I had to pay 30 dollars to get up in this club [Don't ask]. And the crowd is slightly older, mostly outdoors, or nowhere to be seen.
Why are we here again?
But things are looking up. My friend offered out of the blue to cover all the Hennessey and Cokes and Coronas with a shot of grenadine [new fave!] that I could handle. And though the "DJ" can't mix a song or fade in/fade out to save his life, his song selection is tolerable and for the most part highly enjoyable.
Especially when this one track comes on. All the girls run to the dancefloor. "OOH SHIT GIRL! COME ON GIRL! COME ON! THIS IS MY SHIT!"
And the fellas at the bar are leanin' and rockin' wit it. Shit I don't know the words and yet I find myself just as jubilant as everyone else midway through the song, wiping off my girl's shoulder and my own, and dusting the bar top off with a napkin.
Cut to Sunday evening.
ME: ...And then this one song came on about wiping people down and people went crazy. COUSIN LIL BRO: Yeah that's that Lil Boosie. "Shoulders, Chest, Pants, Shoes. WIPE ME DOWN!"
Sunday afternoon. Overcast skies. Porkchops frying in the skillet, ESPN's live coverage of the Little League Championship game playing in the background. Said coverage of today's showdown between Japan and the U.S.A. [by way of Georgia] is being broadcast on ABC, Disney's little network television baby. This explains why we're back from the commercial break and I am looking at some High School Musical 2 promo tie in starring Corbin Bleu and Lucas Grabeel in full baseball get ups talking about something I can't hear over a Little League Championship highlight reel or something.
Bit ends. Commentators welcome us back. One of the them does the obligatory mention of HSM2 for the folks over at Disney, saying,
"High School Musical 2. My son loves that movie. [Beat] It's so...weird." [Said in a lowered tone as if what he had to say about his son's love for the Disney musical being weird was an aside for himself and no one else.]
Good times.
And big ups to the boys from Georgia for nabbing that championship.
The paper arrives bright early round these parts. And when I rise, one of the first things I do is grab the Calendar section from the middle of the pile on the kitchen table and check my horoscope. [And scan and/or read the other articles in the section. I'm not that gay.]
After all is said and done with the Calendar section I go to the front page and head straight to the back, where one of my favorite sections of any newspaper lies; yes, I am talking about the Op-Ed section. I make sure I do a quick go round and scan all the titles and accompanying blurbs to see what is being discussed. Karl Rove, Bush, LAUSD, celebrities gone wild, race, religion, etc. But this morning one title just jumped out at me. It reads: "The thin line between ick and porn."
Now I'm 23 year old recent college grad with a healthy libido, so of course I was all 'what the hell is this.' Boy did I chuckle [and was pleasantly surprised] when I continued on with the article.
"I've been looking at American Apparel's advertisements for years now, and I'm still not sure what I think about them.
My feelings are another story. I loathe them -- and not just because the super-hip, low-fi, can't-be-bothered-to-look-professional-because-that's-so-uncool aesthetic is emblematic of everything that's irritating about a certain segment of contemporary urban youth culture. I loathe them because I believe they're meant to evoke pornography, sometimes even child pornography. The fact that a) this cannot be proved, and b) you can't say it without sounding like a prudish old biddy, drives me crazy.
You don't know what an American Apparel ad looks like? Picture people in their early 20s who look 15. Picture them in stark, unflattering lighting, posing in underwear or tight T-shirts on a linoleum floor, a mattress, against a white wall, or in a bathtub. Imagine their "natural beauty" being so thoroughly "respected" that no attempt has been made to hide pimples, razor stubble or sweat stains. Imagine them wearing facial expressions that suggest someone has just kicked the door down and caught them carving ska lyrics into their forearms with Exacto knives..."
HA! Click the link and read on. It's quite an interesting piece that probably echoes a lot of sentiments housed by many of you regarding American Apparel and its ads.
"Blake is the best man in the world. We would never ever harm each other... I was cutting myself after he found me in our room about to do drugs with a call girl and rightly said I wasn't good enough for him. I lost it and he saved my life."-Amy Winehouse
Oh Amy, Amy, Amy. Part of me can't wait to see how this all plays out content wise for her next album. But the other part of me is wondering if said album will ever see the light of day.
Duran Duran. Timbaland. Try number two. I was all aboard and ready to be all "okay Duran Duran I see you. Now this is what I am talking about." And then Timbaland had to go open his mouth on the chours. Jesus. Almost as bad as that line in his song with M.I.A. about going back to her "tee pee."
Yeah I can't believe it either. You know if Britney was smart and armed herself with the right handlers, she could craft quite the album content wise when you think of all that shit that has gone down since the release of her last album In The Zone. Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part because I am a Britney fan and was happy to hear her voice. And in regards to the song, am I the only who was just waiting for her to bust out into Nina Simone's feeling good?
Now if you visit this blog often, you know that old school jams are more often than not posted under the "Old School Funk for the True Funk Soldiers" headline. But sometimes old school joints are so good, so well put together, so classic to a brotha, [see Montell Jordan's This is how we do it] that all I can do is marvel at their goodness as they boldly play on and show us how's it done. This jam, presented below, is one such example.
Good loving body rockin’ knockin boots all night long Making love until we’re tired, till the break of dawn Oh come on...
If Chuck E. Cheese's and places of that ilk make this sort of thing a trend well look out said establishments for you will become the new World on Wheels or Crenshaw Blvd. on Friday - Sunday nights.
There was some really good music released over the summer and it's always nice to return to school with some "indie cred" so here are the Top 5 Albums to bring back to school with you:
5. The Stage Names - Okkervil River 4. Marry Me - St. Vincent 3. Kala - M.I.A. 2. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga - Spoon 1. The Reminder - Feist
Okay. Not too shabby. But if I was returning to my alma mater this fall I would come armed with these bad boys to show off and share with the world:
5. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga - Spoon
Hey guys have you heard of this band Spoon? No? Well let me put something in for you. Yeah...this is good old rock and soul at its finest.
Okay now that the street cred disc is out of the way you can bring the party with these:
4. Hey Hey My My Yo Yo - Junior Senior
What's that you say? I've been bumping this for about two years now? Well whatever. It finally dropped in the United States this summer and yes, it brings the party. Don't believe me? Press play on We R the Handclaps and you'll lose your voice singing along, never wanting to go home.
3. Fancy Footwork - Chromeo
2007 meet the 1980's, the 1980's meet 2007. Alright. Now stop, collaborate, and bring the jams. Synthesizers say ho!
2. Double Up [Tracks 5-11] - R.Kelly
I mean really, come on. When was the last time an R.Kelly single wasn't a hit on a place of higher learning? Don't worry, there's a single in the bunch. [Two to be exact: Same Girl and I'm a Flirt Remix] But prove you ain't no chart chaser by playing this little gem of an album wedged in the middle of Double Up, and have a good laugh/sociological moment when Real Talk comes on.
1. Kala - M.I.A.
Roadrunner, roadrunner, beats 100 miles per hour. Thank God that whole collaborating with Timbaland thing didn't really pan out, cause Switch [credited on 8 of these 12 tracks] and others globe trot with M.I.A "missing in action", treating every locale like a club in need of an anthem. Press play, believe the hype, and act like you know.
Some things just work well together. Peanut Butter and Jelly. Ashford and Simpson. Peaches and Cream. Ass and titties. Hall and Oates. And of course, drum and bass, two instruments that reign supreme on this 45 minute album from DFA/Astralwerks darlings Prinzhorn Dance School. Over the course of sixteen tracks we're hit with bass, drums, guitar, shouts, whispers, squeals, and little else, and get this: it works. Sure it may be too simplistic for some, and the formula may wear thin after a while, but just when you think you're ready to check out, BAM! you're sucked back in, as was the case for me when track twelve -Up! Up! Up!- started to play. So big ups to the folks over at LAist for putting this new flava in my ear. As if I needed yet another batch of tunes to take in and enjoy this week. Jesus.
I adore the new Rilo Kiley album Under the Blacklight. [Surprise, surprise] It's got an easy breezy 70's AM radio feel ["Dreamworld"] mixed with a little 80's dance bounce sheen [Personal faves "Dejalo" and "Give a Little Love" a.k.a I Need Love 2007 (The What a girl wants mix)]and gorgeous R&B flourishes.
As much as I adore nearly all of the 12 tracks housed within the disc I must admit that after the first few spins I found myself going back to the tracks that beg to be replayed, no matter the order, again and again til I grow tired of them. One of those tracks is the slow grooving opener Silver Lining. A tune composed of hand claps and soulful backing vocals on the chorus [somebody sure does miss those Watson Twins huh?]that sticks with you long after it's three and a half minutes are up. Could you ask for anything more? How about a video that manages to bring to life the lyrics and theme of the song while also allowing Jenny and Blake to show off those acting skills they honed early on in life?
Madonna, Pharrell. Pharrell, Madonna. Now go whip something up. And make sure it doesn't remind anyone of Justified, American Life**, or Cameo's Word Up.
"Sam, Sam he's our man if this MOTHAFUCKA can do it, then I can!"
I did it. I went ahead and caved in. Yeah, that's right, I went ahead and downloaded Cousin Cole's remix of Soulja Boy's Crank Dat Soulja Boy. [A song that has already spent nearly a week providing the soundtrack to my myspace page.] And when it came time to play it in iTunes, it of course had no album title, so I just typed in Crank Dat Soulja Boy as the album title.
Well what do we have here?
Looks like I forgot about that whole downloading the original for my cousin a few weeks back. [It's how I was introduced to the song in the first place] Cousin Cole's remix is nearing the end of it's run. Oh no, here comes the original, but get this: I'm not gonna stop it. Somehow over the past few weeks I have allowed myself to let the song kind of win me over. [I said kind of] It hasn't reached Walk It Out levels for me yet, but it might get added to the iPod and I may take the time to learn the dance for shits and giggles and, well because I might be good at it.
Someone looks a little too happy to be posing for this photo. And it ain't the white kid.
Right now there's a fire brewing in West Hollywood y'all. And it's on the row.
Yes, that ROW.
I know, I KNOW gurl. Calm down. Take a breath.
See what had happened was sometime around 4 this afternoon, the roof of the East/West lounge sparked a few flames and next thing you know, BAM gurl, that shit won't quit.
I know, I KNOW.
KABC 7 keeps going back to it as if they're amazed that a fire is brewing anywhere but the San Bernardino mountains. And get this, Micky's may be a little damaged.
AAAAAAH!
I just... I just don't...this can't be...oh my god, oh my god, oh my god...not Micky's. That is the spot. Where else am I gonna go to see disinterested obviously straight "dancers" in cargo pants and combat boots [sans shirt of course] showing a little ass for beer money? Or watch as older men ogle and fawn over the one they often refer to as Brent Corrigan?
-Sigh-
Say a little prayer fellas. And make sure your calendars are marked if and when a "Save Micky's" benefit rolls around.
This one goes out to Bill O'Reilly, a lifetime member of Hoe.Sit.Down, and hip-hop's number one fan. And Michael Vick's. Cause somehow the character and actions of Michael Vick fits into the whole discussion on whether or not it is ethical to have Nas Esko spit a few bars on Virginia Tech's campus in a few weeks.
Another day, another hot ass car ride to Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Tauwan: I can't wait for that TGT tour. Brandon: Nigga you can't get it. It's for women only. Tauwan: Oh yeah, it's the "Shirts off" Tour. Inez: Who the hell is TGT? Brandon: What? Tauwan: Who is TGT? Oh hell naw. Tyrese, Ginuwine, and Tank? Come on. Brandon: [loads up his special limited edition old school and slow jam iPod] Let me play a track for y'all. Please Don't Go [Remix]. Tauwan: I ain't gon lie, I do like Please Don't Go. [Musters up his best Tank impression] Pleaasseee Don't Go!
Midway through what seems like the remix that just won't end...
Inez: Why did this song need a remix? Tauwan: I know right? And usually when you remix a slow song, don't you go uptempo for the remix. Inez: And it's like they're just talking to each other. Tauwan: I know, just singing dialogue. Tyrese: "Your girl was all up on me the other night up in the club" Ginuwine: Oh word, my nigga, what's good? Was that the night I was rolling on dubs?" Then all three men harmonize together a sharp "YES!" as the beat stops then comes back in. Good times. But I will say this, that "IT'S THE TGT REEEEMIX!" part is straight comedy and genius. Thanks for the reminder fellas, cause I was this quick to forgetting who or what I was listening to.
I will straight up flip my lid if I step inside Cinespace or La Cita, or hit up some warehouse party Downtown and, when this song comes on, see a sea of hipsters "Crankin Dat Soulja Boy." That'll be some shit.
Sometimes you don't need to go see a movie or hit up a club. Some nights you just wanna chill with the homies and watch Martin on DVD and share a few drinks. Or sometimes you are content with spending a Friday night indoors, pressing play on some Tivo'd television. A few weeks back a friend and I did just that, and one show he had taped that I just had to see with my own eyes was BET's answer to MTV's Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, Baldwin Hills.
Yeah...
Here's the thing. The show ain't awful, but it ain't arresting Emmy award winning television either. And I'm assuming that the people who brought you Laguna Beach, must have had a hand in bringing you Baldwin Hills, cause the only difference* between these two shows is that one is taped near the water and one has a cast full of black kids. Sure, the antics and dialogue on BH isn't as cringe worthy as some of the antics and dialogue on LB, but rest assured Baldwin Hills will do nothing to stop the ever present popularity of the term "oreo" amongst the youngfolk in black communities.
*[Okay so I forgot to mention the female character from the Jungles. (if you are from L.A. I am sure you are familiar with the housing complex commonly referred to as the Jungles) I am pretty sure that Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County never really had a "Ryan Atwood" type character that lived outside the wealthy bubble. So I guess BET gets a leg up for that one.]
Needless to say I wouldn't turn this off if it was on. [I hate to say it, but that's just how me and a lot of reality television gets down] But if you want a in-depth well thought out look at the area known as Baldwin Hills, California, you are better off peeping this:
I don't know if you've heard or not, but Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, also known as M.I.A, has a new album coming out next week. Now if Maya was say a Fergie, Hilary, or Gwen Stefani, then we would see her cross promoting herself on American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance?, or in Candie's ads or some shit. Luckily, M.I.A and her Interscope money don't get down like that [yet]. Instead Maya pulls up the people on Pancake Mountain, teaching moves like this was Darrin's Dance Grooves.
Her name is Nicole, and she interrupted my early morning coffee drinking and e-mail checking set to the tune of Radiohead's Kid A, by putting Paris Hilton's Stars Are Blind in my head with this album cover.
File Under: Old school funk for the true funk soldiers!
Yes I own a purchased copy of this disc. And yes it is my shit. And yes, I wish my little sister will give it back so I can import and put it on my iPod. It's been like three or four years son. Damn!
Damn baby. This song got me snappin my fingers, bobbin my head, and swaying back and forth like I'm chilling in the shade with a drink in my hand at some BBQ or family reunion. I love it.
And I'm not sure if I'm even going to play any instruments or write any song lyrics. I'm just gonna be the voice that everyone pays to see.
Yeah you read that right.
If I do indeed write any song lyrics I'll be sure to make them nonsensical and/or about nothing in particular. And I'm gonna totally swagger jack Prince's stage persona from back in the day mixed with a little James Brown, David Bowie, and Mick Jagger. Oh, Oh, and since, uh I work out from time to time, expect to see me onstage in little clothing or nothing at all. Oh and I won't discriminate. Girls can love me and boys can love me. I. DON'T. GIVE. A. FUCK! And you're gonna like it. And you're gonna eat up my nonsensical song lyrics about humping, touching, and fucking, all set to a synthesized beat, heavy on the bass.
So yeah, I'm gonna start a motherfucking band.
Yeah you read that right.
Oh and did I mention I saw some band named Gravy Train!!!! [their four exclamation points, not mine] open for Junior Senior last night? No? Well you ain't missing much by me deciding to not go on at length about their set last night. Trust me.
Today's edition of HOE. SIT. DOWN. goes out to Clay Aiken, who takes a little time out of each and every one of his concerts to engage the audience in a popular songs from the last 20 odd years or so medley. Here he is in the middle of one such medley, bringing, how do you say? Ah yes! Sexyback.
Am I the only one who think this dance is awesome on so many levels? The aggression, the technique, the choreography, the passion from both men. Wow.
And of course let's not overlook the usage of The Presets' song Are You The One? [a song I will never, ever grow tired of], on a finale in which both of these two men are fighting for the top prize. Big ups Mia Micheals. And big ups to Danny and Neil. Great job all around.
I, like every other young music fan with an ear who enjoys reality television, sat up and went "oh word?" two weeks or so back when, on an episode of So You Think You Can Dance? dancers Pasha and Lacey got their hip-hop on to the Junior Boys' In the Morning from their sophomore LP So This is Goodbye? Of course this put the song back in rotation round these parts for me, and even led me to revisit said album that the single is from; an album that I still can't get into. [And I've had it since it leaked, so that tells you that I have had plenty of time to get myself into it.] I don't know. It's not even like the album is god awful. I just can't enjoy it as much as I did their debut, Last Exit which, when purchased, made me feel like I came in late to a party everyone was invited to, that had luckily for me, not come to an end. Who knows?
-Sigh- Don't you just hate it when you love an album's single, but can't feel or get into the album.
So I'm sitting here listening to Ne-Yo's Because of You and reading about Inga Marchand's crazy ass [again, what is up with some of these black artists who had a little time in the spotlight in the mid to late 90's these days?], and Ne-Yo's disc is nearing the end. Track 11, Say It, is playing. "Damn, this reminds me of something." Can't put my finger on it. Oh wait, I got it. It reminds me of this:
UGK's new double album Underground Kingz debuted at number one on the charts this week [with 160,000 copies sold] following a five year absence from the game. That's what I'm talking about. I guess I better stop sleeping on said album and get it poppin. I mean they already got points in my book for coming up with one of the best singles of the year:
Covering an over the top Mariah Carey ballad - check! Getting his whiteboy groove on in the country for a Kanye West video - check! Appearing in R.Kelly's Trapped in a Closet Chapter 15 - check!
See, this is why parents have no business carousing about on Facebook. They don't need to see this!
"As housing officials at colleges around the country send out roommate assignments to freshmen this summer, a growing number of schools say they're getting more requests for changes — from parents who don't like the roommates' Facebook profiles......race, religion and sexual orientation are the top three concerns from parents contacting officials there."
And you thought the whole people losing and/or not getting jobs due to their myspace profiles was an epidemic.
I know, I know, this ain't Nicole Scherzinger, but I'm just trying to show you what kind of girl I like.
"OK, stupid lyrics aside (is this going to be on the Magneto soundtrack or some shit?), this song started off so promising. This is the problem with the tracks we’ve heard from Nicole so far — they build up a lot and don’t really go anywhere. The chorus overwhelmed me, there’s way too much going on. I felt like there was a spaceship taking off or something and I was getting dizzy and shit. What the hell is she saying in the background?! It sounds like “I just want Batman alone!” but I think it’s “bad men”..."
Am I supposed to change or are you supposed to change?
If you would have told my young Black ass 8-10 years ago that nearly a decade down the line, the woman responsible for the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill would appear on stage looking and sounding a mess [and this is coming from someone who both bought and thoroughly enjoys her MTV Unplugged album], and that the man who took his time crafting an album many of his contemporaries in the field would have killed for would go on to let his insecurities [really? Guess that Untitled (How Does it Feel) video was a fluke] and demons get the best of him, I would have looked you in the face and said 'boy, get out of here with all that whoopty whoop' [It was 8-10 years ago after all]
I feel like I've been listening to this album for years now...
Just a reminder to you all that Junior Senior's sophormore disc Hey Hey! My My! Yo Yo! is now available [legally] in the U.S.; complete with a bonus disc of seven or so bonus tracks.
P.S. If you live in Los Angeles and love getting down, check up on it and see if you can get tickets to the Junior Senior and Gravy Train show tomorrow night at the Roxy!
Now if you visit this blog often, you know that old school jams are more often than not posted under the "Old School Funk for the True Funk Soldiers" headline. But sometimes old school joints are so good, so well put together, so classic to a brotha, [see Montell Jordan's This is how we do it] that all I can do is marvel at their goodness as they boldly play on and show us how's it done. This jam, presented below, is one such example.
Before I head out to roam the streets of Los Angeles like a thief in the night, I thought I'd leave you all with this, one of the better, easily forgettable "alt-rock" tracks to come at us in the late 90's.
Go on and sing it with me: Don't wanna talk about it! I say why not?
Wow, this is one sad image and headline to see plastered across the front page of the newspaper on a Saturday morning. I've never used any of the hospital's facilities, but still.
-"This is R.Kelly's NAACP award certificate for nomination. You think they nominate just anyone for this award?" -"I GOT ONE!"
At the top of January, fans, critics, and artists alike were still going ga ga over Ciara's single Promise. And why wouldn't they? It's a great track. This is also set the stage for countless remixes of said track. Some good. Some merely okay. One such remix featured R.Kelly and it was nothing more than him adding Trapped in the Closet like banter to an already fine song, leaving the beat and I believe Ciara's vocals in tact. I didn't care for it. In fact, when Idolator posted it for all the world to hear this is what I had to say: "Uh-uh. I don't like it. This just smacks of Age Ain't Nothing But A Number/Back and Forth era Aaliyah except this time, it's just awkward. Everytime Kells comes in, I picture him in a Tommy Hilfiger skull cap [remember those?], a wifebeater, pajama bottoms, and some "house shoes", as if he wandered into Ciara's recording session "by mistake" following a trip to the corner store for some sunkist and a bag of cheetos. Uh-uh. Leave CC alone."
I couldn't help but think of that quote when I saw this pic:
R. Kelly on stage with Ciara. Scream Tour. Illinois. Yeah. Can't leave 'em Kells, huh? Can't leave 'em alone...
A few weeks ago, the party tried to not stop til the sun came up as we all headed to the hills of Echo Park for more music and drinking following the Chromeo/Flosstradmaus show at the Echoplex. Slowly but surely, [as is the case in anyone's pad that is equipped with musical instruments] we had a late night jam session going; singing, dancing, banging tambourines, and hitting them drums to the beat. Don't fret. Not all songs required our musical accompaniment. Case in point: when a track from the Libertines' debut album came on we decided to just sing along and dance to the beat. But I also stopped because it had been a loooong time since I had given their much ballyhooed debut album a spin. I was quite surprised actually.
I echoed that same exact sentiment just a minute or two ago when I came across this, a new track from Babyshambles, the Pete Doherty led band that is set to drop a new album in the next month or so. Good for him. I totally forgot that the man made music. [Call it the Britney Spears Effect] But again, good for him; The track is quite good.
"A yo T! Download this track for me. I think it's called Crank Dat or Soldier Boy or something like that."
5 minutes later. Song downloaded, now blaring from the speakers.
"Aww shit!"
Cousin lil bro breaks out into the dance. I sit mesmerized, confused.
I still don't get it, but I will say this, the whole "let's popularize some outrageous dance for the streets" craze must be stopped. It's now become an epidemic on par with High School Musical, except blacker. Plus doesn't this seem like the kind of dance that'll just start a riot and/or all out chaos in a club? This shit takes up more space than the electric slide.
[Big ups on getting all meta with the references to the popularity of these dance "routines" on You Tube, Sidekicks and the like.]
A funny thing happened at Safari Sam's this past Tuesday. It was a long bill, with three or four bands playing all night long from eight to about one or two in the morning. [or shortly following last call] I was there mainly to see the last band of the night, Divisadero, featuring a few of my friends.
Of course we arrived earlier than needed which left plenty of time to run up a tab [$2 dollar Pabst Blue Ribbon? Yes please!] and stand outside drinking and talking on the patio until the band you truly give a shit about takes the stage. [Sorry band or two before the Henry Clay People]
So eventually the testing, testing, one, two three strums on a lead guitar, and beat of the drums lead many of us inside to check out this fine group of young rap scallions playing before Divisadero. Looks like they have quite the following. No one is outside anymore, people are heckling innocently and playfully with the band and the space between the stage and audience is wonderfully smaller than before. In other words, people give two shits about the Henry Clay People.
And as soon as Joey Siara opened his mouth and the band let it rip, I knew that this was a band to fuck with. I hadn't been that entertained by an under the radar band in quite some time. Tight, focused, and bursting at the seams, The Henry Clay People blasted through their songs with punk like fury as if there was no tomorrow. A pretty impressive feat considering that lead singer Joey Siara had a nice buzz going on. [Which, by the way, set the stage for some pretty entertaining stage banter.]
Do yourself a favor and give these boys a spin. You'll be glad that you did. And big ups Joe for the free CD. You guys fucking killed it. For fans of: Art Brut/Jawbreaker/Pavement/The Hold Steady
Who else is feeling the middle school talent show choreography and matching outfits of those background dancers? I can almost see some of those girls counting through the motions. 1, 2, 3, 4, DIP, six, seven, eight!
File Under: Old school funk for the true funk soldiers!
I ain't gon lie, I almost forgot about Jill Scott. It's been a minute since I gave a tune of hers a spin, but she's still my girl. And I light up with glee whenever I hear one of her tunes out of the blue, as was the case last night as we all sat in Yvonne's living room drinking beers and talking casually with her iPod on shuffle. As soon as that Jill Scott track came on, down went my eye lids and up went my hands, as I snapped along and bobbed my head to the groove.
"Gotta go back and revisit me some Jill Scott I thought."
And while I'm at I guess I'll take the time to scan some of the new joints provided for us fans on her myspace page from her upcoming LP The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3. Of the four tracks provided, my favorite has to be the slow burning Crown Royal that compares a man she adores to a "crown royal on ice."
Here's the supposed cover art for Kanye West's upcoming LP Graduation. I wish I could figure out exactly what is going on. Did the university chew him up, then spit him out into the heavens? I'm confused.
So I'm flipping through this week's L.A. Weekly and something in the music section just catches my eye, causing me to stop dead in my tracks and choke on my Coca-Cola.
It was this:
Really? Together? I don't know dawg. Expect Akon's next album to be a double album centered around one theme and one theme alone: Redemption.
Today's edition of HOE. SIT. DOWN. goes out to my man Al Sharpton, who after reading this quote below, probably won't approve of this post or the song present within it.
"Every record company has what they call a lyrics committee, where they screen lyrics to make sure they're not against police, or gays, or Jews. Well how come they're clearing lyrics against blacks and women?"
How come I've never heard of these committees? Am I the only one who thinks said committees are as real as membership cards for the itty bitty titty ones?
I tried to hold out and be strong, but I couldn't take it anymore. I went ahead and got my hands on M.I.A.'s sophomore LP Kala, and my god if I ain't worn that shit out already. [Thank god for MP3s. If this were a taped cassette, well I'd be screwed.] Kala is my new B'Day, my new The Sweet Escape, my new Good Girl Gone Bad; in other words, it's my new favorite disc from a female artist that I can't help but play from start to finish and often times put on repeat.
And the opportunities for singles are endless on this one, but let me just say that M.I.A. and her people got it right by releasing and making a video for the Bollywood influenced track Jimmy. Is it my favorite track on the album? No. But is it the kind of track that could grab the ears of a Fergie, Rihanna, or Gwen Stefani fan, thus expanding her fan base and garnering interest in the new album? Yes. And that is why I gotta give M.I.A. and her crew some props on dropping this one like it's hot.
So enjoy the video for Jimmy presented below, and come August 21st, pull your pennies together and do what you can to get your hands on what is, thus far, one of the top five releases of the year.
File Under: Old School Funk for the true funk soldiers!
Yes, thank you Del Taco for including this song on your playlist last night as we all stood in line, trying not to appear belligerent and decide whether it was a Fish Taco or Chicken Taco Del Carbon kind of night.
Good times.
And riddle me this? Why do I only eat Del Taco between the hours of one and three a.m., usually following a night of drinking/partying?
