some things are just not okay...

i am forced to say that i have lost hope in chicago's fine reputation for hip hop and r&b (i don't actually mean this, but for dramatic effect i am inclined to exaggerate).

as i was browsing through rawkus.com, i came across a very disturbing 'cover.'
take note to chicago's up-and-coming songbird, syleena johnson. sure, she's got that hotness thing going for her, but all shallow-things aside, that does not give her the right to do some stupid shit. for example: she covered lauryn hill's ex-factor. really, what the hell was she thinking? you can't just cover a song like that, throw some shitty rapper in the middle, and expect well-received feedback. if it ain't broke, don't fix it. what an idiot.

i uploaded the song (how embarrassing of me to even have this crap of a song on my computer) so everyone can laugh at what a joke it is:


hey, syleena. who sings ex-factor? um, lauryn hill? yeah, let's keep it that way, HOBAG.

FINALLY.

save the date:


AL GREEN - LAY IT DOWN
MAY 27th,
produced by ?uestlove (conveniently after rising down is released)
featuring john legend, corrine bailey rae, etc.

this past week.

after watching this 'freestyle' interview with lil wayne, i have come to a heavy realization. everyone is trying to dysect the life of weezy, when it's all so clear: he is just fucking with everyone. "bloody like a period"; words like that do not come from a complex person (except for janet jackson). does this anger me? not at all. i actually find it a genius way to live. that is the life that i hope one day to attain; the life of sponsoring latex condoms and getting champagne bottles thrown at me during performances.
at least lil wayne is making new friends (which ultimately means he's making better music):

here is a new term that i have learned in the past 24 hours:
the pussy patch: an adhesive application that is placed on the upper arm of the body. it controls the sexual urges that men (specifically governor eliot spitzer) may acquire, which causes intense boners and perverse thoughts, and possible actions of banging a call girl.
antonyms: viagra. invented by lil jon.

QUICK RUNDOWN (click on links to read more):

diddy killed tupac (god, he is such a little bitch. LA times doesn't lie.).

you can watch lupe's new music video for "hip hop saved my life" here(take that warner music group.)

jay-z is still trying to take over the world (per usual).

snoop dogg will finally be animated on comedy central.

this whole fat joe vs. 50 cent dispute is just a huge publicity stunt that assures me that their lives are just an uninviting joke (no link, just my personal feelings).

nike dunks are now taking over all college douchebags across america.

surprise, surprise. eminem's 'dynamic' group, d12, are a bunch of rapists.

outkast's big boi makes ballet hip hop.

do the harry.

i expect all children of all ages to own (or dream about owning) this hip hop harry dvd collection when the year comes to a close:

if children are the future, then it is crucial that their hip hop life begins as soon as possible.


looks like rza is trying to blow up in the year 2008. he's got two new movies coming out and a full length album. this is definitely the year of the tang miracle child, especially when one of the movies you're starring in is called "LIFE IS HOT IN CRACKTOWN." rawness in all its glory.

below is a sneak peak of one of his tracks off of his upcoming album, digi snax. thank god for piracy and greedy assholes who have nothing better to do than leak the shit out of albums.





i realize i've been plugging rising down to death (not that anyone should complain about it), but i can't help but share great things when they are practically feeding it to me for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

luv songz.

Webbie I Miss You music video

above is the new music video from webbie. normally i would be a sucker for a romantic rap song, but this crap is cheesy as hell. lines like "come kiss me through the phone" or "squeeze you like my lil'pillow" are so tacky that they actually offend me.

i have quickly compiled a list of appropriate rap love songs that don't make me want to vomit.
not in any particular romantic order:
01 ghostface - love stories
02 common - the light
03 the roots - you got me
04 black milk - u
05 talib kweli - hot thing
06 mobb deep - hey luv
07 common - so far to go
08 jay-z - song cry
09 tribe - electric relaxation
10 talib kweli - never been in love
11 cam'ron - hey ma
12 rza - love jones
13 common - come close
14 the coup - i just wanna lay around all day in bed with you
15 slum village - selfish
16 lupe fiasco - and he gets the girl
17 blackstar - brown skin lady
18 fabolous - into you
19 handsome boy modeling school, de la soul - if it wasn't for you
20 twista, kanye - slow jams

said list proves that rappers can be tastefully romantic. take note, webbie.

busy & biographies.

it's true. you can never get sick of the roots.
new vid from their upcoming album, rising down.

GET BUSY *FEATURING DJ JAZZY JEFF, DICE RAW & PEEDI CRAKK. (jazzy raw crakk, indeed.)



word on the street (from sohh.com) is that they are going to do a biographical flim on b.i.g. director antoine fuqua (training day) and diddy will be working on the project. if this flick becomes a post-sentimental crap-fest that sucks out all of the flyness of b.i.g., it would only be natural to put the full blame on puff daddy. it only takes four words to realize the potential disappointment: raisin in the sun. it is said that gravy from bk (to the right) will hold the character of biggie. this is good news considering the uncanny resemblence and the pimp-like personality. he also hails from brookyn, and personally i feel that he is a bona fide badass. i mean, he did walk off a bullet to the butt cheek two years ago. if that's not deserving of a star role in a film, than i honestly don't know what is.

a bob marley bio-flick is said to be in the works with lauryn hill playing his wife, rita marley. though i applaud this subtle movie comeback (damn, she was good in sister act 2), i really think it's time that ms. hill just give us another album already.

though i really have nothing new to say (or at least nothing that has already blown up in the blog world of hip hop) i have heard some crazy rumors. let's just say that we should be expecting some wonderful things from whitney houston now that she has [finally] cut ties with her crackhead husband.

crunk & crap.

here is something to wrap your brain around:

on april 8, fearless records will be releasing a compilation titled "punk goes crunk."

TRACKLIST:
1. Set Your Goals - 'Put Yo Hood Up' (Lil John) -
2. Say Anything - 'Got Your Money' (Ol' Dirty Bastard) -
3. The Secret Handshake - 'I Wish' (Skee-Lo) -
4. Forever The Sickest Kids - 'Men In Black' (Will Smith) -
5. My American Heart - 'California Love' (2Pac) -
6. The Maine - 'I Wanna Love You' (Akon) -
7. Emanuel - 'Kryptonite' (Purple Ribbon All-Stars) -
8. Person L - 'The Seed' (The Roots) -
9. The Devil Wears Prada - 'Still Fly' (Big Tymers) -
10. All Time Low - 'Umbrella' (Rihanna) -
11. Scary Kids Scaring Kids - 'Notorious Thugs' (Notorious BIG) -
12. The Escape Frame - 'Nothin' But A 'G' Thang' (Dr. Dre) -
13. Hot Rod Circuit - 'Gin And Juice' (Snoop Dogg) -
14. Lorene Drive - 'Hey Ya!' (OutKast) -
15. New Found Glory - 'Tennessee' (Arrested Development)


this album has left me in a confused/intrigued/disgusted state of mind all at once. is this some sick, sick joke? why is fearless records fucking with the general public? i'll admit that the previous compilations that this record company chose to release were...entertaining, but let's get one thing completely straight: YOU DO NOT FUCK AROUND WITH HIP HOP.


you know how i know that this is absolute mochary? well, take a look at the choice of songs and artists that these bands chose to cover:

1) men in black. excuse me, men in black? it kind of makes sense; a whiney band full of white boy losers chose to cover a will smith (basically the whitest black rapper ever) song. BUT if they had any respect, however, they would have at least done "parents just don't understand." ya know, when dj jazzy jeff had big willie's back.

2) umbrella. first off, since when did rihanna's song "umbrella" become known as a crunk hit? sure it had its glory... about eight months ago (and in the pop industry, mind you). you can't cover a song that was released in the previous year. not only is that not fresh, it's downright funk. and not funk in that chaka khan sense...i'm talking stanky-body-odor-funk.

3) "i wanna love you" by akon? this song is not only suffering from the same ailment as umbrella (lack of crunkness), but it is also the radio edit version of the song. why would you choose the radio edit version? DOWN WITH CENSORSHIP. doesn't fearless records know anything about rap muzak?

4) i know for a fact that ODB and BIG would NOT be pleased with this situation if they were here with us on earth. this is not only disrespect to the deceased, it is an invasion of what is good in hip hop.


i could go on and on about this, but i would just get too exhausted.

while there are a couple of things to ignore in the upcoming months, here are some tight releases to look forward to:

c.r.a.c. (ta'raach (aka lacks) + blu) - 'the piece talks.' drops april 22.
ghostface killah - 'the wallabee champ'. drops march 25.