This is how we do it.

Yes it is Anita. 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.

So after an exciting night and early morning partying under the stairs in Downtown L.A., I got my ass up and put in some time at the Restaurant.

At Benice we got ourselves a nice radio whose sole purpose is to lightly play 94.7 The Wave underneath everyone's meals and conversations. So yes, there are plenty of times where it's like I am in that scene from the 40 Year Old Virgin where Paul Rudd bitches and moans about having to hear Michael McDonald in the workplace again. [He's big pimpin over at 94.7]

But every now and then they play you some John Legend, some India Arie, some Hall & Oates, or some old school R&B that you know, but you don't know. Case in point, this track presented below. I may not know all the words, but I couldn't help but sing along with the line "from beginning to end/three hundred sixty-five days of the year/It's the same ole love..." as I applied some butter to some customer's whole wheat toast.

For Your Consideration

And you thought that music video made you go wtf?

In living color.

Presented below is the new video for Jennifer Lopez's new single Do It Well. I just watched it and I have two questions.

1) Did she just sing over the beat to Mr. Cheeks' Lights, Camera, Action? Cause I think she did.

AND

2) Did she just rescue a little boy from a bathhouse? Cause I think she did.

"Nigga quit trippin!"

Flippin the script? Busta Rhymes. Happy to be employed and out of court.

Hip-Hop is not dead. Don't believe me? Go press play on Talib Kweli's Ear Drum, Devin the Dude's Waitin' to Inhale [put that back in rotation on the ride to work last week and rediscovered all of its sweet, sweet charms.], or this:

Can't Tell Me Nothing [RMX] - Kanye West feat. Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, and Young Jeezy

SIDENOTE: Seriously I am in love with this Talib Kweli album. Don't download it, buy it.

Strangers with Candy.

I didn't come home last night. Went directly to his place after work, so you know what that means: I was still rocking the work clothes. Of course I ditched the button down and threw it in the "murse". White-T, nice pants, shiny work or "Sunday" shoes. I removed a layer and still managed to somehow look "dressed."

Morning.

I gotta get out these clothes, but more importantly I gotta get those new Talib Kweli and U.G.K. records. To the local Best Buy we go! [I gotta rack up those Rewards points you know.] U.G.K. is in stock, but once again I search the Venice area Best Buy for something on a Saturday and come up short; No Talib Kweli.

To the WeHo Best Buy I go!

They got nine copies.

Venice to La Brea. 12:00 PM on the dot.

12:45 or so, I gotta go. Three buses have gone south on La Brea in the past 45 minutes, not one has come to take us all north.

Fuck this, I'm out.

Venice to the Shaw. More time to think if I really need those CDs right now. I am not alone. Another no waitin' soldier from the Venice and La Brea bus stop has joined me on the Venice bus going East.

Standing. Minding my own. Feel a tap. It's my no waitin' soldier.

[What the hell does he want? And why the hell are his lips so chapped?]

"Are you a model?"
"What?"
"I'm a photographer. Have you ever thought about it?"
"No. Not really?"
"You should think about it. You have a look and I would love to take your picture. [What am I wearing? An undershirt, those nice pants and Sunday shoes, and my brand spanking two day old vintage messenger bag from Urban Outfitters.]Let's exchange numbers."
"Do you have a card? My phone is dead." [And it was]
"Uh. No, um. Let me grab a pen."

And on the back of what appeared to be a utility bill of some sort I wrote my first and last name and my phone number. And no, I did not get his. What the fuck did I do that for? Maybe my ego was stroked or something by his comments. I didn't even stop to think that maybe, just maybe I was just hustled for my phone number by a young entreprenigga trying to get in my pants. I will give him this though, he did have what appeared to be a camera bag in his hand. But still Tauwan. What the fuck?

I blame sunshine and Sangria.

The People.

File Under: Big Ups Henry Clay People!

BUZZ BANDS: The Henry Clay People: running, just not for president

Earlier...

Bang Bang Rock and Roll!

Hoe.Sit.Down.

Really Paris? Really?

LAIST: "That's Hot." Now Come and Sue Us

Big Ups Hip-Hop!

They say hip-hop is dead, but I don't think that's been the case in the past few months or so. Both Common and U.G.K. hit number one, Talib touched the sky with the number two spot, and "ringtone rappers" [hate em or love em] are topping the charts, inspiring kids from Compton to Nantucket to "wipe em down", and "superman dat hoe."

And right now, at this very moment, the Top Albums on iTunes looks like this:

1. Graduation - Kanye West
2. Shock Value - Timbaland
3. CURTIS - 50 Cent
4. Finding Forever - Common
5. Eardrum - Talib Kweli

Dat's what I'm talking about.

New flava in ya ear!

Yeah, I'm totally buying this when it hits the streets.

Spank Rock and Benny Blanco - Shake That

Hot sex on a platter.

File Under: Old School Funk for the True Funk Soldiers!

No. Comment.

B.A.P.S. : A Few Thoughts

File Under: A Moment of Clarity



How did you spend your Labor Day?

I don't know about you, but my Labor Day [post four-o-clock] was mad chill. It started with a few wine coolers and "my first drink" drinks [Smirnoff Ices, Mike's Hard Lemonades, etc., etc.] and ended with me and a few close friends gathered around a laptop downloading old school joints from the 90's [Inoj MY BOO, Shorty Swing My Way, Keep On Keep Keepin On] and going through Itunes singing along to clips, yes clips, of our favorite jams from back in the day. [I see you Xscape. And I miss you. Hummin' Comin At Cha indeed.]

Of course all of this came after a in and out viewing of a movie I had never seen before: B.A.P.S. Now look, I know it ain't no Citizen Kane, hell it ain't even House Party 3, but damn it if my buzzed, got the day off, and not doing a goddamn thing til Tuesday rolls around ass didn't enjoy most of what I saw.

And I was also intrigued by the few thoughts and questions that lingered in my head both throughout the movie and long after it came to an end.

Por ejemplo...

-What the hell happened to Monifah?



Seriously, can somebody let a brotha know?


Turn around Mickey and let us read what them clothes is saying.


-"You know, we really don't use the phrase "BOO YA!" as much as we should.

-Also, W-w-why should you have to wear your Sunday clothes on Wednesday?


-Oh Heavy D. Heavy, Heavy D. Riding in the car with Bigmama to Sears, JC Penny, or the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Pla-za, meant little to no rap, hip-hop, or R&B. [She sure did love and STILL loves her some 88.1 FM] But whenever this song came on it was all to the good. Even she couldn't resist that chorus and getting her bounce on to it behind the wheel.



And finally...

What it do Pierre Edwards?



No seriously, what you been up to homie?

I wanna rock! I wanna rock! I wanna rock!

File Under: For Your Consideration



Damn I wish I had me some Luke's Scarred in my life right now. That was my shit(!) in junior high school.

PITCHFORK: Spank Rock's 2 Live Crew-Inspired EP Revealed

Please Don't Stop the Music!

She ain't got no money in the bank.

DIPLO - PITCHFORK MIX 02

TRACKLIST:

I Like Turtles
Mr. Vegas: “Lean Wit It”
M.I.A. [ft. Bun B and Rich Boy]: “Paper Planes”
Schooly D: “Gucci Time”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: “Rockers to Swallow”
Jellybean: “Sidewalk Talk”
Belle Stars: “Iko Iko”
Scala & Kolacny Brothers: “Heartbeats”
Diplo & Switch [ft. Elephant Man]: “East, West (Remix)”
Nirvana: Drain You / Huey: “Pop, Lock & Drop It”
Marc Houle: “Bay of Figs (Ward 21 Mix)”
DJ Tamiel: “Bump Like This”
Queen [ft. David Bowie]: “Under Pressure”
Eddie Money: “Take Me Home Tonight”
Soulja Boy: “Crank Dat Superman”
Bat for Lashes: “What’s a Girl to Do (Break)”
DJ Shadow: “Organ Donor (Sandrinho Remix)”
Diplo & Switch [ft. Beenie Man]: “Solta Frango”
Mr. Vegas: “Hot Fuk (Diplo Mix)”
Enur [ft. Natasja]: “Calabria (2007 mix)”
Spoon: “Paper Tiger”
Circle Children: “Zulu”
M.I.A. [ft Akon]: “Boyz Remix (Hi Powered Boyz Get Down)”
Boy 8 Bit: “Suspense Is Killing Me”
KW Griff: “Tony’s Back”
Diplo: “Work Is Never Over”
M.I.A: “Bamboo Banger”
Sizzla: “Bamboo Banger (Dubplate)”
Blaqstarr: “Supastarr”
Shai: “If I Ever Fall in Love Again (Dub)”
Orbital: “Halcyon”
LA Priest: “Engine (Erol Alkan Remix)”
Petter: “Some Polyphony”
Rihanna: “Umbrella (Vandalism Mix)”
Justice: “Phantom Pt. II (Soulwax Mix)”
The White Stripes: “Little Cream Soda”
ZZT: “Lower State of Consciousness”
Kia Shine: “Crispy”
Bart Simpson: “Bartman (So Kripsy Mix)”

Midnight Love

So I was all set to take my buzzed ass to bed and call it night before getting up to start another work week in six and a half hours or so. And then I saw this. It's brief, but it put me in a happy place.

When I See You (Jeansbjorn RMX) - Fantasia

Goodnight!



Earlier...

Excuse Me Miss.

For Your Consideration

I love you Ms. Scott, but you looking a little too much like your bus riding, government working, hood living character from that three or four episode arc of Girlfriends that you did here. I know some of y'all know what I'm talking about.

Get it shawty!

Okay Lil Mama, I see you. Do the damn thing. I ain't mad at cha.



Now, who wants to crack open some wine coolers and watch Crooklyn?

Oh word?

If at first you don't succeed...

I heard from a little bird* that VH1 is in the midst of scouting some chicas for Rock of Love 2 starring, wait for it, wait for it...Tommy Lee of Pam Anderson/Motley Crue/humongous penis fame. Get excited.



*And by a little bird I mean a VH1 casting director who entered the tattoo shop I was in on Melrose yesterday evening wondering if the two tattoo artists knew of any ladies who could do it up rock style for VH1 and Tommy Lee. Only in Los Angeles.

[You Drive Me] Crazy

I bought Common's Finding Forever. Why? Cause I like Be, and I enjoy me some Kanye West, so I just assumed that things would be just as good the second time around. Nevermind the fact that all of the leaked tracks prominent on blogs, message boards, and the Can't Tell Me Nothing mixtape did little to nothing for me. I didn't even bother to download it in advance. I just said 'fuck it', took my ass to Best Buy on new release Tuesday, paid my ten dollars and hoped for the best.

"Hey Tauwan you got that new Common album? Is it any good?"

"Well, it's not that it is bad, it's...I don't know...it's like good background music you know. You put it on and it just plays. Nothing really stands out and it's easy to just forget about it. I'm not saying it's bad. I don't know. It just coasts... And he also does this whole pop culture referencing thing that can be a bit jarring."

I don't know. It's weird. When Lil Wayne says something like "But Im A Champion Wheres Da F**king Rocky Theme/Damn Rest In Peace Apollo Creed/I'mma Monster Everyday Is Halloween," I find it funny and inventive, but when Common drops a line like "She was the type to watch Oprah and The Today Show/Be on the treadmill, uh, like OK Go" I go 'okay that was cool, but don't let it happen again.' But it does. Over and over again. And it's funny, I am not a hip hop head or supremely knowledgeable of Common's back catalog, and yet I still find myself saying 'look bruh, step ya game up and step away from Kanye's rhyme book.'

What was I talking about?

Oh yes.

So there's this one track on the album with Lily Allen, Drivin Me Wild, a song that did nothing for me when I first heard it over at Nah Right a few weeks back. But then I put it on the pod, took a nice trip, and pressed play. Needless to say the track came across much, much better through a pair of ear phones, with a less critical ear. More than anything I marveled at how soulful Ms. Allen sounds as she gets her ad lib on with a few words from the chorus as the beat fades to black. [Seriously, skip ahead to end. She sounds damn good]

And now there's a video for said track and boy is it all over the place. It's nice to see Laura London again [What happened to her and Turtle on Entourage? And am I still the only one who loved him some ATL?], but there is just too much going on. I guess a story of some sort is told, but have fun keeping up with that or not being put off by Jeremy Piven trying to catch the beat in da club.

Quotes of the Morning!

"I came out the studio [where he was working with Britney Spears] and ... across the street [were] people with cameras on top of the building and waiting for her to come outside," he continued. "I come out, they are like, 'Oh, oh ... stop.' I was like, 'What about me? I got hits.' "

AND

"To me, sounding good ain't important — it's song content and feeling. You don't have to be able to sing." -T-Pain

MTV: T-Pain Talks About Recording With Britney Spears: 'She Was About Her Business'