Saturday, May 31, 2008

Lovin' you long time.

A yo Mariah! Do us all a favor and release this song as a single, and of course, make it one of the jams of the summer.

That is all.

The Young & the Restless.

FILE UNDER: For Your Consideration.



Miley Cyrus.
Breakout. In stores July 22nd.

For Your Consideration.

FILE UNDER: New flava in ya ear!


In stores June 10th.

N.E.R.D.


Seeing Sounds.


  • A sampler.


  • Spotted over at
  • Nah Right.
  • Guess who's back. (?)


    Midnight Marauder.

    Goodlooking out to the homie Joe for the heads up!


    Beck. The Echo. This Monday, June 2nd, 2008. $20. Tickets on sale now. I already got mine...

    Riddle Me This.(?)

    FILE UNDER: A Moment of Clarity.

    Wanted. Dead or alive.

    How the hell does an album that ain't even got a tracklist or a release date, and is priced at $12.99!@#, land at number two on amazon.com's music store's Bestseller's chart? Crazy.

    A Moment of Clarity.


    PUMP, PUMP, pump it up?

    "...This [No Age's album Nouns] is hardcore made by a bunch of cool people, for a bunch of sort of cool people and also, loosely, about a bunch of other, less cool people who do stuff and say things and drink beer and most probably cry into their pillows (when they’re not whispering secrets into it). And there’s nothing wrong with that. Just to give it some berth. Because I don’t hate No Age—they’re hugely overrated, but perhaps that works since Weirdo Rippers was a solid comp—but I just can’t find that much to like in their brand of short-sighted revelation. It’s like they’re already old, already dirty old men, not giving a fuck and already now content to sit loud with their scene, picking their nose and possibly glimpsing into a hairdryer. One feels the need to do something else."

  • COKEMACHINEGLOW: No Age: Nouns (Review)


  • Earlier...


  • The Hype Machine.
  • Bones, Ribs, Coolers, and Beer.

    FILE UNDER: Old school funk for the true funk soldiers/This is how we do it!

    As the days get long, and we see a rise in temperatures, how many bitches want to touch this n****a name Snoo- ah hem, I mean we should take the time to relax the mind, let the conscious be free, and indulge in the tunes best fit for chilling, dranking, and in the words of Magic Johnson, "having a good time..."


    Ain't that right Jay-Z?

    For Your Consideration.


    The album better be as good as all this hype and build-up, I tell ya what.

    Nas. The album formerly known as N***er. In stores July 1st.

    Friday, May 30, 2008

    Shawty is a 10?

    FILE UNDER: New flava in ya ear!



    Stuntin like my Daddy?...

  • Mr. Carter - Lil Wayne feat. Jay-Z
  • Bones, Ribs, Coolers, and Beer.

    FILE UNDER: Old school funk for the true funk soldiers/This is how we do it!

    As the days get long, and we see a rise in temperatures, how many bitches want to touch this n****a name Snoo- ah hem, I mean we should take the time to relax the mind, let the conscious be free, and indulge in the tunes best fit for chilling, dranking, and in the words of Magic Johnson, "having a good time..."




    Ain't that right Michael?

    P.S. I Love You.


    A Moment of Clarity.

    Yo Pete-

    I could have easily written this to you in an email, but you've been so cool to write positive things about me on your blog(s) that I want to respond in kind.

    Here's using blogs for something other than pointing out boob jobs and slight limps.

    -Ting, ting, ting-

    You're one of the best eggs in the music industry, hands down. With as much talent as you have, I'd expect you'd have some eccentric ego, but from what I can tell you seem to have none. (That actually makes you more talented, by way of some crazy cosmic arithmetic.) Every time we get the chance to hang I'm inspired by your creativity. Your mind is like a stadium with the dome open... you have ZERO judgment when it comes to things that move you. When most people get the feeling they might like an idea, or a shirt, they run it through a series of filters; 'what should I think, given my personal attributes?' 'How does this read?' 'What would Kanye do?' You have what makes talented people successful for years and years - a brave sense of self and a completely authentic relationship with your tastes.

    That's why I'll throw a guitar in the car and be there anytime you need me. It's a short list. (I'm lazy.)

    Isn't it weird when you're alone in your hotel room and the ice in that bucket melts, shifting it all and making it sound like someone's hiding in your closet? That always gets me.

    Sorry.

    Point is, I think the world of you. And wish you all the happiness your artsy head will accept. Fame is just one big lesson in being a man, and you're doing a bang up job...

    Best to you and your lovely wife...

    Oh, and what's up, blogosphere. Have at it.

  • [johnmayer.com]
  • MIXTAPE FRIDAYS!!!


    "HOT DAMN HOE, HERE WE GO AGAIN!"

    ALY, WALK WITH ME


    SIDE A


    A)Tears Dry On Their Own/Amy Winehouse
    B) You Got Yr Cherry Bomb/Spoon
    C) Ode to L.A./The Raveonettes feat. Ronnie Spector
    D) Aly, Walk With Me/The Raveonettes
    E) Psychotic Girl/The Black Keys
    F) Earthquake Weather/Beck

    -TURN TAPE OVER-


    SIDE B


    A) Charity Case/Gnarls Barkley
    B) Last Day of Magic/The Kills
    C) Quarantine/Phantom Planet
    D) Be Mine!/Robyn
    E) Lay it Down/Al Green feat. Anthony Hamilton
    F) You Don't Understand Me/The Raconteurs
    G) The Healer(Hip-Hop)/Erykah Badu
    H) Ribcage/Elbow

    Afternoon Delight!

    Speaking of Usher...



    [ED.'S NOTE: I wish the Chuck E. Cheese's I frequented as a kid came with it like this.]

  • PITCHFORK: Video: Usher [ft. Young Jeezy]: "Love in This Club" (fan video ft. the Rock-afire Explosion)
  • This ain't sex.

    FILE UNDER: Quote of the Day!


    Moving Mountains.

    "A little too sitting-on-the-dock-of-the-bay for Chris Breezy–trained earbuds, perhaps, Here I Stand is pure grown-man bidness. Not saying he's gone all Lionel Richie on us; just don't be surprised to see him electric-sliding at Diddy's next White Party."

  • VILLAGE VOICE: Usher Doesn't Have Sex Anymore
  • Sex & the City.

    Friday just got a whole lot better...

    New flava in ya ear!

    MGMT.

    Electric Feel.

    Talk dirty to me.

    FILE UNDER: A Moment of Clarity.





    Totally glued myself to the screen for this sensational sensationalism. Totally going to read this book...

    Good Girl Gone Bad

    FILE UNDER: New flava in ya ear!



    Buy this album, AGAIN!


  • Disturbia - Rihanna
  • Thursday, May 29, 2008

    The artist formerly known as irrelevant.



    I've always been on team Kanye, but prior to watching this video I saw him as nothing more than a new artist I could stand behind and anxiously anticipate new singles and albums from for years to come. Nothing more, nothing less. And then I watched this video a while back over at Concrete Loop, and I ain't looked at the man in the same way since.

    It was with this video that I got a glimpse into Kanye West the artist, that's right, artist. One of the few musical artists [and especially rappers] in the game whose head is full of ideas, and a tendency to think outside the box and be more than just a voice with a mic. [I felt the same way during his last Jimmy Kimmel interview in which he described his crate digging tendencies in regards to vinyl shopping, and his trips to Amoeba Records in Hollywood.]

    Sure he has an ego the size of Kim Kardashian's ass, and has said some outrageous things since he gained fame and notoriety, but I stand firmly behind my belief that Kanye West is a man of ideas with a curious mind that just won't quit. It's present in his style of dress, his sample choices, and the designs for his concert poster and stage production. [Not to mention the Glow in the Dark Tour line-up]

    And, of course, his music videos.

    As is seen here in video number three for the four minute highlight that is Flashing Lights, from his latest disc Graduation.

    Ladies and Gentlemen I present to you, the Clue and Tales from The Cryptkeeper inspired video for:

    "FLASHING LIGHTS."

    Bones, Ribs, Coolers, and Beer.

    FILE UNDER: Old school funk for the true funk soldiers/This is how we do it!

    As the days get long, and we see a rise in temperatures, how many bitches want to touch this n****a name Snoo- ah hem, I mean we should take the time to relax the mind, let the conscious be free, and indulge in the tunes best fit for chilling, dranking, and in the words of Magic Johnson, "having a good time..."


    Ain't that right Missy and SWV?

    "Groove Me Baby!"

    FILE UNDER: Don't you forget about me. (?)


    He's got the whole world, in his hands.

    You know, as a fan of "bomb ass" dance music, I should be happy with the discs from said genre that have been thrown my way thus far since the start of 2008: Cut Copy, The Presets, Robyn, Kylie Minogue, and Hercules and the Love Affair just to name a few.

    Now, I wish I could sit here and say that I stand firmly behind each and every one of those discs, but I don't. The Cut Copy disc loses my attention around track four or five, I hardly if ever listen to Robyn's disc beyond With Every Heartbeat [or sometimes Who's That Girl], The Presets album is great, but just needs a little more attention from me, and, then of course, there's Hercules and the Love Affair, a band that grabbed my attention because a)it's a DFA production and b)for a minute there you couldn't hit up a music blog's URL without reading words of praise in regards to this group and their debut record.

    So yeah, I bit the bullet and got my download on. Do I like it? Sure. Do I love it? Not really. And one day I swear I'll pay more attention to the album once it surpasses its halfway mark. But I won't make any promises. Why? Cause I got a shitton of new flavas in my ear that keep calling me back.



  • PITCHFORK: Video: Hercules and Love Affair: "Blind" (Live in Brooklyn)
  • Wednesday, May 28, 2008

    Bones, Ribs, Coolers, and Beer.

    For my mama, Veronica Henry...

    FILE UNDER: Old school funk for the true funk soldiers/This is how we do it!

    As the days get long, and we see a rise in temperatures, how many bitches want to touch this n****a name Snoo- ah hem, I mean we should take the time to relax the mind, let the conscious be free, and indulge in the tunes best fit for chilling, dranking, and in the words of Magic Johnson, "having a good time..."


    Ain't that right Too Short?

    Riddle Me This.(?)



    1. FERGALICIOUS
    2. CLUMSY
    3. ALL THAT I GOT (THE MAKE UP SONG)
    4. LONDON BRIDGE
    5. PEDESTAL
    6. VOODOO DOLL
    7. GLAMOROUS
    8. HERE I COME
    9. VELVET
    10. BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY
    11. MARY JANE SHOES
    12. LOSING MY GROUND
    13. FINALLY
    14. BARRACUDA (Bonus Track)
    15. PARTY PEOPLE - Nelly & Fergie (Bonus Track)
    16. CLUMSY (COLLIPARK REMIX) - Featuring Soulja Boy Tell'em (Bonus Track)[ED.'S NOTE: WHY LORD? WHY?!@#]

    17. LABELS OR LOVE (Bonus Track)


    Yay! More singles...-Sigh- Is all this really necessary A&M? I mean, really.

    Will You Be There?

    FILE UNDER: ...




    Click it:


  • The Tales of Colt 45
  • A Moment of Clarity.

    FILE UNDER: New flava in ya ear!


    "Walkin with a bunch of bananas round my neck!"

    Reason #1,557 why this album is awesome:

    Never have I ever thought that, in my short 24 year old lifetime, that I would live to see the day where somebody would go and sample Juvenille's Back That Azz Up on a track. That's just straight up bananas man! BA-NAN-AS.

    Oh Word?

    FILE UNDER: Headline of the Day!



    Mark yo calendars...

  • LAIST: Women to Orgasm in Venice Beach Dance Performance
  • For Your Consideration.

    FILE UNDER: New flava in MY ear!

    Hot fun in the summertime with the Black Lips, and

    It feels alright!*


    A Vice/Din Mak/Colt 45/The Standard Hotel: Los Angeles production?




    Vid spotted over at
  • Stereogum


  • *[ED.'S NOTE: Exclamation point added for that extra effect.]

    Super Tuesday.

    I purchased three CDs yesterday afternoon. And for the first time in a minute, I am extremely happy with every disc purchased. Check it out:



    His most cohesive album since My Way?






    So many great songs to choose from this album, but the little boy from South Central L.A. who grew up bumpin' 2Pac, Westside Connection, Ice Cube, and the like had to go with this banger:





    This CD had me at hello. Real talk. This is the first track on the disc, and it just burns y'all. Everything is in its right place with this disc.


    Tuesday, May 27, 2008

    I Got Money Now.

    ...with the Black Kids!, and

    Hurricane Jane.




    Hmm...it's all very "You Tube-ish". Ain't we got label money now?...

    "Check yo ponytail!"

    FILE UNDER: New flava in ya ear!


    Up jumps da boogie?

    Early Sunday afternoon while riding to Trader Joe’s, I caught a quick glimpse of a Cyndi Lauper poster slathered on a wall, promoting both a new album, and her upcoming Southern California stop on the True Colors tour. "Huh", I thought, "another Cyndi Lauper record. That’s cool. I probably won’t cop it or listen to it, but good for her..."

    Or will I ?...

    Stereogum reports :

    “…Bring Ya To The Brink, which is out next week and includes production work by Kleerup, Dragonette, Scumfrog, Axwell, a few with Rich Morel, and etc…”

    Oh Word? Might have to give this one a scan.

  • STEREOGUM: New Cyndi Lauper & Basement Jaxx – “Rocking Chair”
  • Monday, May 26, 2008

    The spoils of the spolied.

    Kanye West.

    Flashing Lights.

    Try number two.



    Yeah...
    Another case of grand ideas and overzealous ambition getting in the way of what could have been a great video?

    Sunday, May 25, 2008

    "You and I we're gonna live forever..."

    FILE UNDER: A Moment of Clarity./Headline of the YEAR!


    Okay. We get it.

    "Hey man, remember the summer of 68? No. Oh that's too bad. It was good times man, good times..."

    The Los Angeles Times
    reports:

    "...As a member of Generation X, I should know -- I've been strong-armed into an appreciation of '60s and '70s pop culture my whole life. There are an estimated 76 million boomers (10,000 babies a day on average, born between 1946 and 1964), while we Xers (born between 1965 and 1982) number a paltry 48 million. So boomers set the tone for everyone. Their tastes, needs and values are considered America's default setting. They turn 60, and it warrants magazine covers. They get a cold, and the world sneezes with them.

    So privileged is this group, they've been allowed to change generational labels the way they changed their (always "groundbreaking") clothing styles. They've been known, in whole or in part, as the Dr. Spock Generation, the Free Love Generation, the Generation That Changed America, the Me Generation, Hippies, Yuppies, Bobos and, to certain members of Gen X, "moronic aging hippie posers." Despite having grown out of the category years ago, they remain, thanks to a certain iconic TV show, etched in the popular imagination as forever "thirtysomething."

    As we find ourselves now halfway through a year of seemingly endless commemorations of yet another thing that happened in 1968, it's hardly surprising that so few people are questioning the relevance of certain supposedly "historic" events. Granted, some are beyond dispute. In the first six months of 1968, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy were assassinated, and the North Vietnamese launched the Tet offensive, which is widely believed to have turned public opinion against the Vietnam War. In the second six months, demonstrations turned violent at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Richard Nixon was elected president and Apollo 8 orbited the moon.

    So why does this stroll down memory lane feel more like a carjacking? Maybe because for every truly significant event of 1968, there are half a dozen not-necessarily-newsworthy happenings that we're goaded into remembering with just as much gusto. Amid the nods to King and Kennedy, we can expect this year to be replete with art house revivals of the films "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Yellow Submarine," innocuous if tiresome public radio features about Valerie Solanas' shooting of Andy Warhol, and, if there's a slow week in entertainment news, maybe even an E! special commemorating the marriage of Jackie Kennedy to Aristotle Onassis.

    Even though I wasn't alive when any of this stuff happened, I sure feel like I was. Maybe that's because my generational cohorts and I have already endured five anniversaries of 1968 (one for each decade, plus the 25th thrown in for good measure) as well as four Woodstock revivals and countless Summer-of-Love-themed concerts. As though trapped at a reunion for a school we didn't attend, pre- and post-boomers can only nod in bored bewilderment while the no-longer-hippies get their retroactive groove on..."


  • LOS ANGELES TIMES: The millstone of boomer milestones: Enough with the 1968 nostalgia. It's time for boomers to stifle themselves.
  • Saturday, May 24, 2008

    What's Luv?

    FILE UNDER: A Moment of Clarity./New flava in MY ear!

    Bones, Ribs, Coolers, and Beer.

    FILE UNDER: Old school funk for the true funk soldiers/This is how we do it!

    As the days get long, and we see a rise in temperatures, how many bitches want to touch this n****a name Snoo- ah hem, I mean we should take the time to relax the mind, let the conscious be free, and indulge in the tunes best fit for chilling, dranking, and in the words of Magic Johnson, "having a good time..."



    Ain't that right Switch?

    "Drop down and get ya Eagle on gurl!"

    FILE UNDER: Old School Funk for the True Funk Soldiers!

    N.W.A.

    FILE UNDER: New flava in ya ear!/This.is.the.remix.


    Let if flow...

    Busta, Reek Da Villian, Spliff Star, Lil Wayne, Nas, The Game, AND Big Daddy Kane?

  • Don't Touch Me [RMX]
  • Friday, May 23, 2008

    Crown of Love.

    FILE UNDER: New flava in MY ear!


    Dancing Queens.

  • MYSPACE: Music Go Music - Light of Love


  • Much love to my boy Justin for putting this on my radar. Much love...

    Riddle Me This. (?)

    FILE UNDER: PRIMARIES: So Fucking Disco!


    "What more can I say?"



    Hillary Clinton brings up the word assination during an interview. The media goes crazy. Happy Memorial Day!...

    Yeeeaaaah...


    So did she cross the line?...

    Old school funk for the true funk soldiers!

    It's 12:30 PM on a Friday afternoon on this, the 23rd day of May. Pre-Memorial Day Weekend. And the streets and skies of Los Angeles are all gray and gloomy like, as if they're representing that LDN town. Not a good look son. Not a good look at all...

    Moving Mountains.


    With Usher Raymond the Fourth.

    FILE UNDER: Quote of the Day!/A Moment of Clarity./It's Hard Out Here For a Pimp!

    "'I was going out night to night, having a different woman in my bed every time I chose, and I began to wonder: Am I really being a playa or am I a whore?...'"-Usher to Entertainment Weekly

  • ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Usher: From His Wild Past to His Hot New CD

  • This Magic Moment. (?)


    The singing starts at the 3 minutes, and 35 seconds mark.

    Midway through American Idol's Idol Gives Back episode I stopped what I was doing [IMM'ng, bumping the hits, hittin' the drank, you know how we do] to stare at the screen. Singing, hustlin', and straight up working her crowd, was the one they call Ms. Miley Cyrus. I don't know how, but prior to this performance, I had managed to escape the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus whirlwind, possessing a knowledge of her and said whirlwind only because a) she's a part of pop culture and I [unfortunately?] try to stay up on my shit, particularly in regards to music, and b) every now and then on many a Saturday morning, the TV in the kitchen would be tuned in to the Suite Life of Zach and Cody/That's So Raven/Hannah Montana block on ABC.

    [What? I said Kitchen TV... On a Saturday morning...with no cable. Look it's paid programming, Golf, or -gasp- whatever is playing on MyNetwork TV.]

    You know what though? She got me. I'm not saying I was buying what she was selling wholeheartedly, and/or rushing to iTunes to bump her single from my speakers, but I was impressed with how well she worked that stage, and gave it all she got, and wasn't too bad at it. [That Disney work ethic ain't no joke son!] It may not had been for me in particular, but I got it.


    Did I just see a Louis Vuitton guitar?

    These guys, not so much.

    Jonas Brothers, Jonas Brothers, RA-RA-RA! Just writing that makes me nervous for I can hear the onslaught of teenage girls screaming in my ears. But this one just didn't do it for me, and this is coming from someone who used to listen to Hanson. I get it, they can sing and smile and play instruments all AT THE SAME TIME, [Again, that Disney work ethic ain't no joke] have "killer" stylists [Wonder if Patricia Fields is doing the damn thing for em?], are brothers, and, of course, handsome, but I don't know. I mean I don't know what I was expecting, or if I was expecting anything at all, but this young twentysomething Black male doesn't see what all the fuss is about [for the moment].

    But then again, maybe that's the point?

    Just a thought.

    FILE UNDER: PRIMARIES: So Fucking Disco!


    "THIS...is American Idol!"

    Idol style voting tactics meets the Electoral College. Wave of the future? USA Today reports:

    "...consider this number: 97.5 million. That's how many votes were cast by telephone and text messages, the Idol producers say, in the final frenzied night as fans of Cook and David Archuleta dialed ... and dialed ... and dialed ... for their heroes.
    Now, we know this isn't fair because you shouldn't try to compare the passion of Idol fans with speed dial to the one-man, one-vote process of "real" elections.(Update at 11:15 a.m. ET: Yes, we know Idol fans can vote as often as they wish. That's why we wrote "dialed ... and dialed ... and dialed" and said it's not the same as the "one-man, one-vote" rule of law for real elections.)But what the heck..."


  • USA TODAY On Politics: For Idol-sized numbers, maybe Obama & Clinton should sing for votes?
  • Chocolate Rain.



    Riddle me this, at what point in time did Weezer turn into OK GO?


    New flava in ya ear!

    Weezer.

    Pork and Beans.

    Get innocuous!

    Thursday, May 22, 2008

    ...



    Spotted over at
  • Crunk + Disorderly.
  • A New Agenda.

    FILE UNDER: A Moment of Clarity./Headline of the Day!/Riddle Me This. (?)


    Step in the name of love!

    The Los Angeles Times asks, can the "Morehouse Man" be upstanding and gay?...:

    "Brewer, 22, didn't come to Morehouse with the intent of changing it. But he found that he had no choice. He had arrived here from Oklahoma City pretty comfortable with himself: outspoken, proudly smart and, at 5 foot 9 and 300 pounds, hard to miss.

    Early on, he decided he wouldn't water down his gay identity.

    And that, historically, has been a problematic strategy at Morehouse. The 141-year-old college has played a key role in defining black manhood in America. But with a past steeped in religion, tradition and machismo, it has struggled to determine how homosexuality fits within that definition.

    The private school was founded shortly after the Civil War with the help of Baptists sympathetic to the plight of illiterate freedmen. Over the years, it became famous for turning out the vaunted "Morehouse man" -- a paragon of virtue and strength in a society that once institutionalized the destruction of the black nuclear family.

    Traditionally, its students have been expected to follow a well-worn path: They were to choose ambitious wives, preferably from Spelman College next door, a historically black school for women. They were to become captains of industry, leaders of men, saviors of a race.

    But now, more than ever, students like Brewer are forcing the school to confront a vexing question: Can the Morehouse man be gay?"


  • LOS ANGELES TIMES: Black College faces its own bias: The 'Morehouse Man' is a paragon of virtue and strength, a leader destined for great things. But can he also be gay?
  • Bones, Ribs, Coolers, and Beer.

    FILE UNDER: Old school funk for the true funk soldiers/This is how we do it!

    As the days get long, and we see a rise in temperatures, how many bitches want to touch this n****a name Snoo- ah hem, I mean we should take the time to relax the mind, let the conscious be free, and indulge in the tunes best fit for chilling, dranking, and in the words of Magic Johnson, "having a good time..."

    Ain't that right Nate Dogg?

    This magic moment.

    Thursday, May 22, 2008. 6:21 A.M. A loud buzz of a sound awakens me from my sleep, but it ain't the alarm clock [I ain't got to be up for another hour or so], it's the phone, a text from a good friend/former college roommate texting me from the future a.k.a. the East Coast:

    "Either of you catch the season finale of Idol last night by any chance? Two word: George Michael..."




    On Tuesday night’s episode of American Idol, I was surprised to find myself sitting through a David Archuleta performance without grimacing, getting up, or inserting my own colorful commentary or snide ass remark before his singing came to an end. Most of this had to do with the song choice, and tonight Mr. Clive Davis chose wisely, supplying Mr. Archuleta with a classic that will forever hold a special place in my heart for personal reasons, and that song was George Michael and Elton John’s classic duet Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me. And you know what, Lil David sang his little heart out and sold it, as I am sure Mr. Davis expected him to do. I was moved and quiet as a mouse, and couldn’t help putting on George’s latest 2 Disc Greatest Hits set and immediately pressing play on he and Elton’s duet. It felt good to revel, once again, in the magical emotional luster of a smoldering George Michael track. My night –and damn near week- was complete.

    And then last night’s show happened.

    We all had been bracing ourselves for the arrival of one of the "biggest stars in the world" on the Idol stage tonight before all was said and done, but by now it was close to 9:50 PM, and the Top 12 had one more group performance left in them before the big announcement. Okay Ryan, but what about that "big guest"? Sure the hour and forty five minutes prior gave us the likes of Donna Summer, Bryan Adams, Graham Nash and a host of other talents with fame and notoriety behind them, but none of them are operating on this much hyped by Nigel Lythgoe "biggest star in the world" steelo we had all been anxiously anticipating.

    And then the Top 6 women came out strutting and "grooving" to George Michael's Faith. Aww sukie sukie now. Is this the start of a George Michael medley? Aww shit. Now that's what I'm talking about! And from there on out, things just kept getting better and better. The fellas chimed in with Father Figure [another personal fave with special events attached to it], Dave Hernandez got the line about being "bold and naked", and all the while my eyes split time between focusing on the contestants, and, of course, the top of the stairs on that stage. Why? Cause any minute now I knew, just knew, that George Michael would grace us with his presence.

    And finally, he did. There was no writhing about stage in tight blue jeans with a leather jacket and a guitar. There were no cop costumes, and fun being poked at his misadventures in a Beverly Hills park restroom. And there was no Elton John on stage with him to reprise Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me from the night before. No. Just George, an empty stage, the image of a setting sun behind him, and that voice, his song, and that message.

    Mr. Michael sang his heart out and sold it -cold and all - as I had expected him to do. And I was moved and as quiet as a mouse. Straight up Paula Abdul hands on face, getting choked up and trying to fight back tears while sitting moved. That right there was something special. THAT Mr. Archuleta is how you sing AND emote. THAT is how you move an audience through the power of a song. And that is why I'll always "stan" for George Michael.


    And you should too...

    Wednesday, May 21, 2008

    For Your Consideration.

    The Hold Steady,



    Stay Positive.
    In stores July 14th.

    Ice Cold.

    FILE UNDER: New flava in ya ear!



  • 2 Sides- Killer Mike feat. Shawty Lo


  • Peeped over at
  • The Rap Up.
  • Desert Rose.

    And Usher week continues at this here blog with this, some New flava in ya ear.

    Usher,

    love lost,

    and desolate landscapes.

    Moving Mountains.




    Damn, somebody sure did get lost on their way out the club...

    Darling Nikki?

    FILE UNDER: New flava in ya ear!/This.is.the.remix.(?)


    Shut up and ride!

  • PITCHFORK: New Music: Love Is All: "Darling Nikki" (Prince cover)
  • Bones, Ribs, Coolers, and Beer.

    FILE UNDER: Old school funk for the true funk soldiers/This is how we do it!

    As the days get long, and we see a rise in temperatures, how many bitches want to touch this n****a name Snoo- ah hem, I mean we should take the time to relax the mind, let the conscious be free, and indulge in the tunes best fit for chilling, dranking, and in the words of Magic Johnson, "having a good time..."

    Ain't that right Sleepy Brown and the rocksteady Dungeon Family crew?

    Stuntin. like MY DADDY 2!: Back in the Habit!

    FILE UNDER: Listen/A Moment of Clarity.



    Dear Usher,

    I see what you're doing, and I guess you really enjoyed that time you spent on Broadway in Chicago, but believe me when I say you ain't got to pander, my mother-sister-cousin [and especially my grandmother] will still cop your new CD.

    That is all.

    Tauwan

    Tuesday, May 20, 2008

    A Moment of Clarity.

    "SOULJA BOY UP IN IT"



    "NO!"

    Up all night.

    FILE UNDER: New flava in MY ear!

    ...with Michelle Williams and,

    We Break the Dawn.

    Super Tuesday.


    Oh fa sho.



    Bun B. II Trill. In stores now.

    Black Thought.

    FILE UNDER: New flava in ya ear!


    Listen.

  • N.I.G.G.E.R. (The Slave and the Master) - Nas
  • Monday, May 19, 2008

    Dirty Diana.

    Literally.




    Literally.


    Seriously, playing this while simultaneously watching this latest episode of Miss Ego Rap Supreme in which Soulja Boy dispenses advice on how to get that killer look is just too much man. Too much...

    Spotted over at
  • Crunk + Disorderly.
  • Quote of the Night!


    [Take Me.]...As I Am.


    From the latest issue of Rolling Stone:

    "There comes a time in every R&B singer's life when he stops catching panties and finds himself a wifey... On "Trading Places," which recalls Prince's "The Beautiful Ones," Usher role-plays June Cleaver to his lady's Ward, brewing her coffee and offering to be "on the bottom..." "

  • ROLLING STONE: Usher: Here I Stand
  • Stuntin. like MY DADDY!

    FILE UNDER: New flava in ya ear!

    Usher.

    This ain't sex.

    Rock on wit yo bad self...


    Growing Pains.

    FILE UNDER: A Moment of Clarity.


    Things A Grown MAN Should Never Have #19: This CD-Maxi Single...

    The folks over at MSN presents: 18 Things A Grown Man Should Never Have. Here's one of my favorites:

    13. A futon. Sure, beds are for sleeping. But such a meager, slouchy spread has never, in the history of sex, inspired a woman to say, "Take me on your futon."

    Okay, okay. That last line is so true and ffing hilarious, but tell me a futon and other well known pieces of furniture that make up "college decor" ain't mad convenient go to's when you are fresh out the university with a new pad to furnish? [Unless, of course, your interior decorating skills are like whoa, and/or you got it like that.]

  • MSN: 18 Things A Grown Man Should Never Have


  • Big ups to Kalab A. Honey Esq. for the link!

    Old school funk for the true funk soldiers!

    Saturday, May 17, 2008

    Paid tha cost. [Addendum].

    FILE UNDER: A Moment of Clarity.


    Keep ya distance bruh! Keep ya distance...

    FROM my post on my buddy's MYSPACE page to your computer screen. Introducing a few words on Tauwan and his affinity for Pop Chantenueses.:

    Just out of curiousity I counted all the cd's I have purchased since Jan 2008. It's something like 20-30. Now of course not all of them are getting a lot of attention, but of that group the ones that got the most/get the most airplay are by pop chantenueses: Kylie, Robyn, Madonna, Danity Kane, Ashlee Simpson, [I know I know, but really, it ain't that bad]; That is why I am worried about this Lindsay track. A few more listens and I might be won over. AND it's a Stargate production that doesn't sound like Irreplaceable, AND Ne-Yo had something to do with it as well. My history of falling for female pop stars [I had a Spice Girls phase AND a Britney phase as a young teen. Guessing the rents and some family memebers had a lot of instances where they had to defend my sexuality....], I'm destined to like this I tell ya. Wait no, I mean I am doomed, "DOOMED!"

    Ladies and Gentlemen, One Mo Gin, Lindsay Lohan, Bossy.

    Paid tha cost...


    To be the boss?...

    FILE UNDER: New flava in MY ear!/For Your Consideration.

    Lindsay Lohan.


    Bossy.

    A Ne-Yo/Stargate production.

    "Ground control to Major Tom."

    FILE UNDER: Riddle Me This?

    Hmm, David Bowie may be coming to Broadway.* Will the show be anything like this?:



  • NME: David Bowie film set for musical?


  • *20, 30 years from now, I wonder what artists/albums will be brought to the stage? I personally wouldn't mind seeing Doggystyle: The Musical, or DC: 4,3, Dreams, WE: The Story of Destiny's Child.

    For Your Consideration.

    The Futureheads.

    This is Not The World.



    In stores June 3rd!

    Old School Funk for the True Funk Soldiers!

    It's warm out. And the breeze ways when it feels the need. Why not put on some loose clothing, pour yourself a nice cocktail, kick up your feet, and press play on some mellow gold....Like this:

    Jason Mraz.

    You and I Both.

    Friday, May 16, 2008

    Dancing on the ceiling!

    FILE UNDER: PRIMARIES: So Fucking Disco! (?)

    With Tony Blair, the Bush Administration, and Coldplay in,

    Violet Hill,

    the alternate take.

    Press play,

    for FREEDOM!



    Spotted here:

  • STEREOGUM: New Coldplay Video - "Violet Hill" (Alternate Version)
  • This just in!

    FILE UNDER: A Moment of Clarity.


    "Guess who's back?"

    Ladies and Gentlemen I present to you the nominess for the 2008 BET Awards:

    Video of the Year

    Ashanti "The Way That I Love You"
    Alicia Keys "Like You'll Never See Me Again"
    Mary J. Blige "Just Fine"
    UGK feat. OutKast "Int'l Player's Anthem (I Choose You)"
    Kanye West feat. T-Pain "Good Life"
    Erykah Badu "Honey"

    Best Female R&B Artist

    Alicia Keys
    Mary J. Blige
    Keyshia Cole
    Rihanna
    Mariah Carey

    Best Male R&B Artist

    Raheem DeVaughn
    Trey Songz
    Ne-Yo
    Chris Brown
    J. Holiday

    Best Group

    Danity Kane
    UGK
    Day 26
    Playaz Circle
    Gnarls Barkley

    Best New Artist

    Flo Rida
    Estelle
    Chrisette Michele
    Soulja Boy
    The-Dream

    Best Female Hip-Hop Artist

    Kid Sister
    Trina
    Lil' Mama
    Missy Elliott
    Eve

    Best Male Hip-Hop Artist

    Snoop Dogg
    Jay-Z
    Lil' Wayne
    Common
    Kanye West

    Best Collaboration

    DJ Khaled feat. Lil' Wayne, Big Boi, Ludacris, Fat Joe & Young Jeezy-"I'm So Hood (remix)"
    Keyshia Cole feat. Lil' Kim & Missy Elliott-"Let It Go"
    Kanye West feat. T-Pain-"Good Life"
    Flo Rida feat. T-Pain-"Low"
    Chris Brown feat. T-Pain-"Kiss Kiss"

    Viewer's Choice

    Chris Brown feat. T-Pain-"Kiss Kiss"
    Lil' Wayne feat. Static Major-"Lollipop"
    Keyshia Cole feat. Missy Elliott & Lil' Kim-"Let It Go"
    Alicia Keys-"No One"
    Soulja Boy-"Crank Dat (Soulja Boy)"
    Jordin Sparks feat. Chris Brown-"No Air"

    Lifetime Achievement

    Al Green

    A few things:

    (1)Who pulled what strings to get that Ashanti video nominated for video of the year?

    (2)Day 26? Best Group? Really?

    (3) Who the hell is Playaz Circle?

    (4)Oh Best Female Hip-Hop Artist Category. Trina should be disqualified based solely on the fact that her single with Keyshia Cole is just wrong y'all. WRONG!



    Kudos to Kid Sister and Lil Mama for their noms, but this category still gets me scared for female MCs. Eve's album had been on the back burner since forever, and Missy ain't dropped a new album in nearly three years right? It's like they were nominated on the strength of Tambourine and Ching Ching alone. Guess you gotta pad out the category somehow.

    (5) And I would speak on the omnipresence of T-Pain in the Best Collaboration category, but honestly, what's the point?

    Big ups to
  • Idolator
  • for the list of nominess!

    This is how we do it.

    Yes it is Shania. You don't even know...

    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.


    This example of Country Music Balladry at its finest is being posted in honor of the now defunct union of Shania Twain and producer/hubby Mutt Lange. Why? Because they made beautiful music together. [no pun intended] And because when I was younger, and Shania was at the height of her fame, I did indeed own a copy of her multi-platinum disc Come on Over. I ain't played said disc in a minute. Why? Because 6 or 7 years ago my uncle borrowed it from me so "his wife could burn a copy."* I ain't seen it since...



    *You ain't got to lie to kick it Unc. I know you borrowed it for your own enjoyment...

    Pulp Fiction.


    Not T-Pain. Contrary to popular belief...

  • Got Money - Lil Wayne feat Sam "Penherassdown" Jackson
  • Wake Up Call!

    FILE UNDER: Old School Funk for the True Funk Soldiers!

    Happy Friday y'all!

    Now Drop!

    Thursday, May 15, 2008

    Just call my name...



    ...and I'll be there...

  • PITCHFORK: Hot Chip Announce Fall North American Tour
  • The Lovecats.

    FILE UNDER: For Your Consideration.

    The Cure.

    The Only One.


    Bore me?

    Nah.


    "Give it to me while it's hot!"

    I didn't read any promos. I didn't get word of this performance on some blog or "Tonight on Fox" advertisement. Instead I found myself pleasantly surprised when Ryan Seacrest and co. cleared the stage and made room for Miss Fantasia. And the minute she started singing I was sure of two things:

    (1) A lot of people are going to harp on this performance, and
    (2) I am going to love this.

    And here's why:

    (1) She could have easily sung some treacly ballad or roped it all in. She didn't.
    (2) That hair.
    (3) That form fitting -velour?- and shimmering pants suit.
    (4) The background dancers.
    (5) Did she almost make her "knees touch her elbows" on the American Idol stage? Yes, yes she did.
    (6) Simon's face throughout the performance.
    (7) The bewildered "what should I do to this" look of the young ladies in the audience during her performance.
    (8) The song ending choreography with her back up dancers. Complete with points to the Lord and exits Stage Left.
    (9) For doing what the producers wanted Syesha to do with that Happy Feet song:



    (10) And finally, for once again bucking the trend and giving the Idol audience less Whitney/Mariah, and more Janis/Tina/Mary J. That's what's up.