"Roc boys in da buildin' tanight!"

I was rummaging through old newspapers looking for a recent Chicago Tribune op-ed piece written by a history prof @ DePaul. I found the article in question, but what caught my attention as I was laying the page down on the copier was this:

(click the image to view full size)

I think some of these are embellished or just flat-out lying. Regardless, these are a few that stood out to me:

• "Wang Dang Doodle"? Really Barack? I would not admit that to ANYONE.
• "Buh? Wut?" @ "Baby Got Back" being #6 on Mark Kirk's list. Where the hell did THAT come from?
• Dick Durbin listens to Angelique Kidjo? Nice!
• Wow. Gov. Blagojevich really likes Elvis. Maybe that's what inspires his sideburns. I wonder if he does the Elvis hip swivel in the mirror when nobody's around.
  
• Arne Duncan really loves him some "urban" music. I can't be mad @ a middle aged white man who listens to Common though. HOLLER.
  

I also find it both hilarious yet highly appropriate that the state treasurer's #4 song is "Roc Boys" by Jay-Z. If you've never heard it or never bothered listening the words, it's basically the "I'M RIIIIICH BEEEEYOTCH!" anthem that directly correlates to what was happening with Denzel's character in "American Gangster". I'm not suggesting that Alexi Giannoulias is a crime lord, but rather that a song extolling the power of being in possession and control of large sums of money would appeal to him a great deal.

Plus, that beat is SICK:

Leave It All Behind, Pt. 2

FE-LIAB-2

More Estelle meet & greet pics

LJ took these on Saturday but he just e-mailed them to me last night:

AGH! I did NOT know he was taking this picture! >_<

This shot is a lot better than the one he took using my camera

Annnnnd I just discovered this one is tagged on MySpace:

Me and LJ posing for Estelle's Atlantic rep
I like this one the best

Some dude with a big, professional-looking camera took some pictures of me holding the poster and then handed me his business card. I don't know if that means I can hit him up and get my pics, or if he was just promoting himself as a free agent @ the event. I want my damn pictures! Prolly have to pay for them shits though >_<>

I met Estelle today...

She was @ the Puma store Downtown on Rush St. signing autographs and taking pictures. I got a poster signed and she took a pic with me:

This is why I don't let people take my picture

My boy LJ didn't count down before he shot the flick
Neither of us were really ready and it shows
Not to mention the humidity wrecked my hair >_<

Why am I towering over her? She was wearing 3" heels and I was wearing flip flops *facepalm* She's very pretty in person - her pictures don't really do her justice. She has braces too, which I though was cool. Not mention, her accent is AWESOME. When I got up to the table she greeted me with "Ow yah dewin' Sis? Wot's yah naim lahv?" I LOVE IT, HAHA. As she was signing my poster, the song "Pump Up The Jam" by Technotronic was playing. She started bobbing her head trying to be low-key, and finally she said "Oi lahv this sohng!" and started singing along. That was a great moment - I mean really, who can resist the pulsing beats of early 90s dance techno? Front all you want, but if you were in elementary or middle school when that song dropped, you WERE on the playground singing it at the top of your lungs, or in your bedroomm, or in your parent's car, or at the school dance in the gym twerkin' it out whenever it played. I see you. I SEE YOU.

If for whatever reason you're not up on Estelle, gets'ta the YouTubes and learn ya somethin' right quick:

R.I.P Sho'nuff

ACTOR JULIUS CARRY DIES

(Peep those glasses. I see you Kanye - you ain't slick!)

Gone, but not forgotten - forever larger than life:

Leave It All Behind

The Teaser:

FE-LIAB-1


Dope concept for an album teaser - and don't even get me started on how flippin' relevant the title of the album is - BUT I WANT MORE. It's been 4 years dammit!

Yeah, yeah - I know. Coming soon *sigh*

Until then, I'm "Shorty On the Lookout"...

Videos: Something Old, Something New

First, the latest from Santogold, "Lights Out" a.k.a the song from those Bud Light with lime commercials where a group of ridiculously attractive people frolic around a pool full of glee and merriment. Of course, if I looked that good I guess I'd be happy and frolicking too:

Even though I still miss her old band Stiffed, I'm digging her new sound. But I really don't like her clothes most of the time. Don't mind me and my shallow observations. Moving along...

This next video isn't THAT old - it originally dropped in 2000 - but 8 years is still a good chunk of time to observe in retrospect. There really is no other way to preface this next video, except with two words - "Move Something":

8 years later and that song is STILL a banger. Reflection Eternal is STILL one of the greatest hip hop albums - you just can't beat timelessness.

Forget About Getting Rick Roll'd...

...how about getting Barack Roll'd:

Do You Realize. That You Are a Champion?

The video for Kanye West's latest single "Champion" is making it's rounds. Once again, Kanye does whatever the hell he wants because none of the music networks actually show music videos anymore. This time, he's a puppet (!). Enjoy:

Gotta love that Steely Dan sample from "Kid Charlemagne" too. Good stuff man.

Bad Weekend For Black Entertainment

First, early on Saturday, August 9th we lost Bernie Mac. George Clooney summed it up best when he said "The world just got a little less funny."

Bernie Mac
October 5, 1957 - August 9, 2008

E! Online posted a thoughtful and thorough profile of Mac and his career, along with tributes from celebrity colleagues and family. People were and still are visibly shaken because of the suddenness of his passing, but perhaps Mac knew that living with a condition like sarcoidosis he could die at any moment. The Chicago Tribune put a spotlight on the often volatile immune system disorder in the wake of Bernie Mac's death.


Less than 48 hours later, the news came that Isaac Hayes had passed away as well...

Isaac Hayes
August 20, 1942 - August 10, 2008

It was like the funk that perished when James Brown died was resurrected and then killed all over again. Sadly, many people know him best for his role as the voice of "Chef" on South Park but he was so much more. For me, it doesn't get much better than his live performance of "Theme From Shaft" at Wattstax in 1972:

MC NeoCon

Via GlobalGrind.com: Republican Rapper Responds & Disses Ludacris

True story - Ludacris dropped a song called "Obama Is Here" to show his support for the Democratic presidential candidate:

Then some randumb guy from the Republican side decides to respond and do a diss track. I really wish I were making this up. But I'm not:

So...where do I begin? I guess we can start with the fact that "Republican rapper" may as well be an oxymoron. Emphasis on the "moron" part (word to Laya for that insight). This is illustrated by the fact that he rips on Barack Obama for not being able to rap or dance, as he constructs rhymes like he's in nursery school and struggles to ride the wack ass beat in the background. Gotta love the irony there. Not really. If you can make it past the first 30-45 seconds, you must have nerves of steel. I already have a low tolerance for blatant displays of Teh Dumb, but today the levels are at Danger Level.

Seriously. Stuff like this makes me wish YouTube didn't exist.

Happy Birthday Mr. President... © Marilyn Monroe

Barack Obama turns 47 today! And I must say, that's a good GREAT looking 47 year-old right there. I don't care if he's 6 years younger than my father...what a FOX. Not that I'm objectifying or anything ;)

Okay, so maybe I'm jumping the gun a bit with the "Mr. President" label but hey, call me an optimist ;) He's putting up one hell of a fight. Even if you don't like him, you have to respect him for at least that much. If I could wish him a happy birthday in person, I'd tell him to stay strong and stay vigilant. I'd also tell him to take a brief moment to relax and...

Kid Sister Rocks Chucks for Converse

Chicago's homegrown homegirl Kid Sister joins the likes of Santogold, Pharrell and Julian Casablancas in the latest ad campaign by Converse. Check out the photo she appears in along with Chad Hugo (The Neptunes/N*E*R*D) and Frank Carter (Gallows):

Great pic. Go Kid Sister!

Check out http://www.converse.com/connectivity for more on Kid Sister and all the other artists who appear in the latest Converse ads. Or just shop for a new pair of Chucks. Whatever's clever mayne.

Versions: Estelle/will.i.am

British R&B siren Estelle has been making a lot of noise in the U.S. with her latest album Shine (2008), thanks in part to the single "American Boy" with Kanye West:

Estelle - American Boy (featuring Kanye West).mp3

However, I was really diggin' on a primarily instrumental version by will.i.am called "Impatient" which appeared his album "Songs About Girls" (2007):

will.i.am - Impatient.mp3

I really didn't like "American Boy" when I first heard it, but it's grown on me. I'm just really attached will's version because of the way it caught my attention as a stand-out track on "Songs About Girls." The composition and layering of sounds are impeccable (to me anyway) and it makes me appreciate will.i.am as a producer just that much more. You lose a lot of the intricacies when you add vocals to the track, which is why "American Boy" didn't sit well with me at first. I'm just a sucker for the nostalgia and imagery that "Impatient" invokes, so don't mind me.

Esperanza Spalding

What do you get when you combine a hot Thandie Newton lookalike with a dope curly 'fro, a voice that's smooth as eggs and an upright bass? You get Esperanza Spalding, that's what: