Now, when I say 'the Future' (capital F), this is what I mean. Unfortunately, heads like to call it 'augmented reality'. Scientists in the United Kingdom have used cameras and a type of projection screen on building facades in order to superimpose what's 'around the corner' ON the corner. It's a simple idea, but the application is useful, especially for those of you who like to use the celly while driving. Check out the video to get a glimpse of 'the Future'...
I love when rappers make their intentions and aspirations known on wax. I love it more when they name a work in reference to an upcoming work ala 'Road to 'Till the Casket Drops''. B.o.B. must have been listening to my prayers, because his new mixtape is entitled 'May 25th' in reference to 'The Adventures of Bobby Ray,' which he's releasing on that day. I've always been iffy on Bobby Ray because he always rubbed off on me as trying hard to replicate a sound (coughcoughAndre3000coughcough) rather than crafting his own. Today, I eat those words, as I listen to the tape. B.o.B. has a sound now, and he's unafraid to use it. May 25th drops some of the sing-songy tracks that you're used to and replaces it with a little more lyricism and a LOT more in terms of sounds bombarding your ears. If you've never listened to Bobby Ray, this might be the perfect introduction because of how clean it is, and how much he's improved musically. No this isn't vintage Wu-Tang or the new Andre 3000. It's B.o.B. Dude has me ready for May 25th, and it's only the 1st of February. Check the d/l link, covers and tracklist, #dopetracks, loosies and videos...
#dopetracks
The Biz (any Southern rapper who uses this beat, I will cosign)
Bet I
Gladiators
F*ck the Money
Fool For Love (Sonic the Hedgehog sighting!!!)
Nothing For You
An advertisement featuring the NBA’s two biggest superstars includes a gun reference, the same week two players were suspended for carrying firearms to the locker room. The Nike ad, which appears in several publications including Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine, has LeBron James on one page and Kobe Bryant on the other. Along with the slogan, “Prepare For Combat,” is a quote from each player showing how tough he is.
Bryant’s blurb says: “I’ll do whatever it takes to win games. I don’t leave anything in the chamber.”
“The Nike print ad featuring Kobe Bryant was intended to illustrate his all out play and commitment on the basketball court,” Nike said in a statement. “It is a commonly used reference for shooting the basketball and no offense was intended.” NBA commissioner David Stern is sensitive to the issue of gun violence, and the NBA criticized the ad.
“We had no prior notice of this ad,” spokesman Tim Frank said. “We think it is inappropriate.”
Brandon Roy is a shooting guard. Daniel 'Boobie' Gibson is a gunner from three. The Magic had all of their guns drawn last night. Kobe Bryant doesn't leave anything in the chamber. NBA, what do all of those statements have in common besides being associated with basketball? Take your time...
Dingdingdingding!!! You got it!! They all have to do with guns or ammunition! NBA, and more importantly David Stern, you guys have some serious issues with rhetoric, evidenced by the overreaction from a damn Nike ad. Okay, we get it.. You don't want more Gilbert Arenas' running around making jokes on Twitter and during pre-game warmups. That's all well and good. But at what point does your discretion turn into a witch hunt? At what point are you shooting at a straw man? At what point are you going too far? It's one thing to have an (un)loaded gun in an NBA locker room and to have an ammunition-filled altercation. It's something completely different and nowhere near as destructive to have a Nike ad that references guns as a euphemism for a player's drive on the court. When you can't draw a delineation between the two, there is a problem.
NBA, it seems every year like you guys are trying to find ways to water down the personality of the game and the characters involved. Whether it's dress codes that are directed at black players, increased technical fouls for simply looking at a referee, or clamping down on players who make 'gun references', there won't be any personality in the game in the next decade! That's not to say David Stern has been a bad commissioner. At the same time, trying to regulate the language used in the NBA's advertising seems pointless, especially when it's the game's two (almost) pristine superstars. In fact it's even funnier that it's Kobe and LeBron, because if anyone was above the machinations of the security-crazed league, it would have been them. I suppose when you've got a league full of shooters, it's a thin line to draw between gun references and full team shootouts shootarounds...
What's up people? I know I've been slacking on these, but you know since it's Friday, the freestyles must flow. The first one is from Big Sean. Normally I wouldn't bat an eyelash at the mention of Big Sean. Then I saw the beat he was going over, Gucci's 'Supa Dupa Lemonade' (guilty pleasure), and decided to give it a listen. No, Big Sean isn't the 2nd coming of lyricism, but he did the beat justice. He actually surprised me. The second cypher is from Juelz Santana and his Skull Gang crew. Un Kasa puts together some bars, and then a bunch of cronies friends put something on wax, before Juelz (4:10) spits a nice little verse about his conquests. I hate when songs and freestyles put a bunch of wack people between the good rappers. It's a waste of time. Regardless of the crew, Bandana Santana does his thing. Check the freestyles and keep it locked to Dear Whoever...
I can't even lie. When I got wind of this news, I was conflicted. About a month ago, I got on Jordan Brand and Nike for rehashing a most of their great sneakers and lacking in new releases. I'm eating my words now because I'm actually hyped for both of these. The Cool Grey XI's and White/Cement III's are two of the cleanest releases from Jordan Brand EVER. According to Sneakernews the XI's are looking at a holiday 2010 release. The III's are just confirmed for this year as part of the 'Slam Dunk' package (the kicks that Jordan wore in both of his Slam Dunk contests) with some II's. Better get your connects ready or start lining up now. And call me a hypocrite, but I slept on both of these, so not copping is NOT an option. Check the flicktures...
It's a rarity that one book can define the mindset of an entire progeny (look it up), and even more rare that the author lives to see the generation touched by his work. Mr. Salinger, 'Catcher in the Rye' is one of my favorite books, not only because of the main character, Holden Caulfied, but because of the vivid explication of the society that he lived in. The vapid, underwhelming world around the high school dropout only served to harden Holden even more. Not to say that I'm the spitting image of Caulfield, but as a person of the same age, I notice the one similarity in our mindsets: cynicism. Mr. Salinger, your book solidified that it is quite okay to be disillusioned with the way everything is going so long as your values and ideologies are kept pure. Also, the work showed how precious youth is, in that innocence lost too quickly is worse than not having innocence in the first place. This is more of my own personal obituary than a letter, JD. And I suppose that because your protagonist was okay with delving into the personal in different forums, such a post is warranted. JD, your memory will not be in vain. There's a whole new generation of Holdens, ready to catch the children in the rye if they venture too near to the cliff. Hopefully you're guarding us as well...
Wale hasn't blessed the interwebs with a freestyle or new track in a minute. I'm glad he's back to his lyrical, slightly cocky ways. Dude dropped his tired trademark flow to suit the beat. My boy AKZionz was hating on this, but I couldn't even front on the track. Check out Wale and his mate Fat Trel rip the Waka beat (how is Flocka Flame, by the way??)...
Mixtapes (or good ones) have been slow to come so far this year. I suppose most rappers are being studio rats right now, but it comes at a time when hip-hop needs to keep ascending. My pipe dreams aside, I listened to Neako's mixtape strictly out of boredom and the necessity to not hear silence in the library. The resulting sounds made me a fan. Neako reps North New Jersey (the first since Redman??) and does the Garden State right with his latest offering 'Junk Food', a collab with 2DopeBoys (probably my favorite music blog). Neako isn't one for the swagger raps or the drug rhymes. He just spits what he knows and does it well. Of course there are punchlines and metaphors and wordplay, but Neako actually has a veritable sound to him. The mixtape is pretty well produced, and has really good features, including Wiz Khalifa and two of Neako's boys, Young Jerz and Young Gibbs. The one thing about the tape is that the ending gets pretty slow. It seemed like he was trying to be on the deep side, but it really sounded like he was going off the deep end. Regardless, I really want to know where this man came from, because Neako was nowhere near on my radar before today. He's a pretty good producer and an improving MC. Whatever the case, he should be here to stay. Check the link, tracklist, #dopetracks, loosies and videos...
#dopetracks:
Exhibit N
Neako x Young Jerz
2 Seater
Back to the Set
Angels & Demons
I Love NJ
Okay, so it's not a letter (sue me). I got a chance to talk to Diggy Simmons over the phone about two weeks ago. As you may or may not know, he dropped a mixtape a month ago entitled 'The First Flight' (didn't post it in December because I wanted it to coincide with the interview; check the post right under this). If you take a listen, you can definitely see the young man going places. Look what he's got to say about his intro to music, what's driving him, whether he loves music or fashion more, and more. Oh yeah, and check some audio of me talking Diggy and sounding really, really, REALLY corny...
DW: Okay, Diggy, I checked out 'The First Flight' mixtape and I have to say I didn't expect this from you. What made you want to get into music?
DS: A lot of people thought it was an 'all of a sudden' type thing. And it's funny that people say that because I'm young still. They're like 'Why is this kid from Run's House rapping?' At the same time, the only thing they think I'm capable of doing is running around my house on a camera.
DW: So you weren't dead set on music first? It was more fanhood than everything?
DS: I've been rapping since I was 5 years old. And when I was around 7 or 8, my brother (JoJo) and I had a group together. We had a deal on the table, but it fell through, even though there were a couple of labels interested. When you're young, and you don't have anybody to guide you, you just go on with your life. I continued writing, but didn't take it seriously. Then this summer, I started rapping again because I had a lot on my chest that I wanted to get off. I was recording on GarageBand and collabing with my boys who would do the same. I ended up doing a remix to Asher Roth and Keri Hilson's 'She Don't Want a Man' and it got crazy feedback; people saying 'this is better than the original!' That's the first song I've released as a rapper. So my boy said I should do a mixtape.
I didn't really know everything that came with it and set an early release date from my blog. I thought I was just gonna hit the studio and do track after track after track, but realized that it's a process and ended up pushing it back a few times.
DW: Who are you a fan of in music right now? What are you bumping in your iPod?
DS: Right now I'm listening to a lot of J. Cole and Jay Electronica. I'm into real hip-hop like Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco, Andre 3000. Those are my real influences; any real lyricists out there.
DW: On your mixtape, your lead track was called 'Point to Prove'. What's setting you apart from every other rapper out there.
DS: Basically I'm trying to prove my own worth as an artist. If you didn't know, I'm an independent artist. Everyone thinks I need my father or my uncle to pull strings for me in the industry, but no one sees that I'm doing this by myself. Even on 'Point to Prove' I mentioned that my dad was probably hearing the track at the same time as the rest of y'all.
DW: So do you find yourself encountering a lot of the 'industry politics' as an independent artist? Or has it been pretty smooth getting the mixtape out and promoting it?
DS: As an independent artist, it's a gift and a curse. The gift is that people want to hear me, but the curse is that they're skeptical and would love to hate (laughter). Like 'why is this little kid in this big house rapping? What does he have to rap about?' To that I say, that I live in the riches, but they aren't mine. God willing, I will have that. But I do have things to talk about. I do hip-hop for the love of it right now so it's easier to be creative. And as far as labels go, I can't really go into that (more laughter), but everything's going good...
DW: So you're 14 years old. Do you see yourself sticking with the fashion and rapping, or going the traditional high school and college route??
DS: It all depends. The fashion and rapping is what I really want to do. At a young age a lot of people don't have a vision. Looking at the way everything is happening with the world, yes, college is important and so is education. Those will always be there. But with time, I don't know what's going happen, and it's really too early to call it.
DW: Now that 2009's out of the way and you dropped the first mixtape, what's in store for 2010?
DS: More music definitely. A lot of people are asking for a sequel to 'The First Flight'. I'm just focused on getting better and going harder. You know, I'm still young so I'm really trying to do more lyrically and in terms of wordplay. Sometimes I suprise myself with what I do (laughter). I like knowing that people are finally listening, because you can hear me grow up and learn more about me from them listening.
These days you don't learn from who you're listening to. I was talking to someone pretty important in the industry about that. A lot of people just talk about what they wear and what they have. How are you really supposed to get into an artist when they just talk about that? You can't relate to what they have. In fact, that's what's missing in the game: real content. I want to bring that to the game, in my own way.
DW: Let's get on to the fashion aspect of your career. I've seen a few shots of your brand, Chivalrous Culture. I heard it used to be called Space Cadet. Why the change?
DS: The business aspect of the name started falling through. If I wasn't on the show, most people wouldn't even know about it. A lot of people don't see how many changes go into building a brand. Pharrell, I'm sure the first name he came up with wasn't Billionaire Boys Club.
DW: Is the brand going to be more on the basic side or more on the refined side?
DS: It's going to be a mix of the couture, and the streetwear and the preppy; something that no one's ever seen before, but everyone is going to like. I've gotten inspiration from Lanvin and Ralph Lauren and of course BBC, so there are a lot of different styles going into my brand. Everybody wants a brand that they can wear for everyday, but at the same time break out the Louis V for a nice occasion. Not every label can give you that honestly.
DW: If you could write a letter to anybody, who would it be??
DS: God. Definitely God. Just asking for whatever I stand in need of.
Alright folks, there's the interview. If you want to download Diggy's mixtape, 'The First Flight', check the post directly below this one. Make sure you also follow his Twitter, his blog, Life of the Jetsetter, and keep it locked to Dear Whoever for more interviews, music, news, and of course the letters. Big shoutout to Cathryn Marie for setting the interview up...
Yes, this is a month late (see above), so I'm gonna keep it short. Diggy Simmons is the middle child of Rev Run's clan. He's been rapping his entire life (with his brother JoJo) and has finally ventured out on his own in the hip-hop world. His mixtape, 'The First Flight' dropped on December 2nd and has immaculate production, lyrics far beyond Diggy's age, and a theme of freedom that most works can't even hold a light to. Honestly, Diggy has a bright future ahead of him, especially if he keeps putting out heat rocks like this. Check the link, tracklist & cover, #dopetracks, loosies and some videos...
#dopetracks
Laid Back
Point to Prove
The Truth of Me
We Have a Problem
Make You Mine
Okay, first it was the Mac, then the iPod, then the iPhone. Now it's the iPad?? Yeah, I'm not buying it, guys. And I mean that in every sense of that euphemism. Apple, to tell you the truth, the iPad looks impressive. If anyone walked up to me with it in hand, here would be the conversation:
DRAMATIZATION (because I clearly don't speak this way)
Me: WOW!! What's that?? Friend: It's the iPad!! It's really neat, isn't it? Me: Yeah, it looks like a winner!! What does it do?? Friend: It goes on the internet and does e-mail and you can put music on it and take pictures and do word processing and has a wicked awesome touchscreen and... Me: (interrupting) So it's a computer? Friend: Noooo, it's an iPad! Check out how good the 3G coverage is! Me: So it's a phone then? Friend: Noooo, it's an iPad! Me: (blank stare) So it's a phone and a tablet computer at the same time? Friend: Noooo, it's an i... Well, yeah. I guess it is a phone and tablet computer. Me: That's pretty cool... What are you going to do with your iPhone and your Macbook? Friend: (blank stare)
END
Therein lies the problem, Apple. Most people are probably not going to drop $499 (Why don't companies just say $500?) on a second computer with no keyboard, much less one that costs another $30 a month to use (via AT&T's data plan). You guys at Apple have gotten so smitten with innovation and finding ways to meld every device together, that you've made something useless to 90% of the market. Sure, someone that has neither computer, phone or MP3 player will piss his pants when he sees this. But how many people do you guys know who DON'T have a computer, phone or MP3 player? In fact, I dare you to find ONE person who doesn't have any of the three. If and when you do, you need to sell that iPad to each and every friend and relative that that person has.
Apple, I've long been a Mac, and will probably continue to be a Mac after this post (given my Macbook doesn't shit itself again). That said, it's pretty funny to see the entire internet on hold just to see something that we already knew was going down. I laughed when I saw the iPad because I was expecting something out of this world and saw a product that most likely could have been made 2 years ago. Kudos Steve Jobs and Apple. You guys have successfully duped Americans into believing that anything Apple-branded is made by God. I hope the iPad does the numbers you thought it was, because somehow I don't see it happening. But who am I to judge? I'm just another Mac user. The iPad still looks cool...
It's that time of year again: the point when half of the US is reconsidering their votes and the other half is trying to convince everyone else that the current President is either amazing or the Devil. That's right, kids... The State of the Union Address. Our boy Barack Obama is going to speak to Congress tonight at 8PM about everything from the looming health care bill, freezing spending by the government and how in the world we're going to get out of this recession. To those watching, I'd say to watch with an open mind instead of bringing your misconceptions to the TV. People are too quick to find something wrong with what's being said instead of actually learning about what the speaker is pushing. Whatever your stance on Barry (#shoutout to AverageBro for putting me on to the nickname), make sure you fulfill your civic duty. There's no excuse for Apple's tablet (which most of you won't buy) to be breaking news when our country is at an impasse on a number of issues. The SOTU speech is being televised on all of the major networks as well as being broadcast on Youtube. Check out what Barry's up to these days...
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE STATE OF THE UNION TONIGHT!!!!
KiD CuDi's been laying low as of late on the blogosphere, mostly touring and recording and from his video for cudderisback, you can tell he's been staying high. Maybe it's just me, but having a video for this makes the words stick harder. Isn't that the point of the music video anyway?? I guess that's a whole different discussion. Check the video...
Declaring himself fit for a change, Glen Davis said before Monday's Boston Celtics game that he's dropping the "Big Baby" moniker and is searching for a new nickname. When a reporter suggested the Chad Ochocinco-like "Uno Uno" to match Davis' No. 11 jersey, he instantly fell in love with it.
"'Uno Uno,'" Davis erupted in delight. "I like that, I like that. I'll be 'Uno Uno,' that's my new name." Davis, who has had his maturity questioned through a series of events over the past year-plus, including an off-court fight that forced him to miss the first 27 games of the 2009-10 season, and last week's run-in with a fan where he was fined $25,000 for shouting an obscene phrase, is trying to distance himself from all that as he takes the next step in his maturation.
"I've been called 'Big Baby' all through my life," said Davis. "But I'm going through changes. I'm in a cocoon and I'm coming out a different player, a different person. Basically, the new person is growth. I'm shedding that 'Big Baby' and you can see something else, not the past."
Glen, Glen, Glen. It's been a while since you've been relevant on the Celtics. Rajon Rondo's developed into an All-Star, KG and Paul are doing their thing (kinda) and Rasheed Wallace, Brian Scalibrine and Shelden Williams have taken any PT you would have seen away. Now, after getting fined $25,000 (that DEFINITELY hurts your pockets), you decided it was time for a change, a new moniker. You're tired of being called 'Big Baby' and want to sit at the big boys' table at Thanksgiving and want your own room on road trips. Well, Glen, as most big boys know, you can't have everything you want, especially when what you don't want was given to you. Big boys don't cry, but big babies do. Your nickname 'Big Baby' is going to be your nickname until you retire or get waived. Yes, you can demand that you be called 'Uno-Uno' (that nickname sucks by the way), but who's really going to take you seriously at this point? That's like having a tall, bald-headed muscle-bound friend with a cock-eye and NOT calling him Debo. Then again, I suppose it's not serious. You can call yourself whatever you want. Just know that most people are going to be basing their opinions of you off moments like this:
It's always a sad day when you realize a rapper you think is (or was) good has fallen off and probably won't be back on any time soon. Charles, when I saw you and Yung Nate perform 'Stutter' in 2006, I had no clue that you'd be the quintessential Moses of hip-hop, making it to the promised land, but not making it in. With this latest track off 'The Binge Vol. 3: Charles Hamilton’s Last Mixtape,' it seems like a late, ill-fated attempt to get back into the limelight after a year and a half of PR disasters. Yes, the sample is funny, but the beat is overused in the blogosphere and you didn't spit anything vicious. It's not like this is a new thing. 'The Normalcy Project' didn't come hard enough and was essentially a bust (yeah, I'm calling that). And of course last year you got cast as a liar on wax (re: the Dilla fiasco) and were thoroughly emasculated with video evidence (I hope you're not still friends with Brianna).
It's even more messed up considering you had a damn good lead single to cap off 2009, which most new artists can't hold a candle to. Ahh well, Charles, I suppose we can all remember the good times, and the quirky Sonic- addicted music we grew to love. This is needless to say at this point, but your demise could have been prevented with a lot more good counsel and earlier intervention (that mixtape of yours was fire, by the way) in terms of your drug problem. I wish you nothing but the best, Chuck. This isn't saying goodbye to your career, because honestly you've come a hell of a long way since last year. It is, however, an admission that your career is fizzling Charles. Either you need to get on a SERIOUSLY dope feature or back on your mixtape grind HARD. Then again, with the title of your upcoming work, it will have to be the former. Good luck, Chuck...
I love videos and media that deal with the fantastical, whether it be realistic fantasies or blue aliens doing Richard Pryor jokes while driving a car backwards underwater. Curren$y has a knack for getting those visualizations down pat. The video for 'Breakfast' (who can tell me what tape/album/compilation the track came off??) is no different, with the Hot Spitta waking up in a paradise of palm trees, beautiful women, and good herb. Check the visuals and look out for 'Smokee Robinson' dropping on Super Bowl Sunday...
For the first time, John Edwards is publicly admitting that he is indeed the father of a 2-year-old daughter conceived with Rielle Hunter, a campaign videographer with whom he had an affair. In a written statement provided exclusively to NBC News, the former North Carolina senator and Democratic presidential candidate says he’s taking responsibility for the child, Frances Quinn Hunter:
“I am Quinn’s father. I will do everything in my power to provide her with the love and support she deserves. I have been able to spend time with her during the past year and trust that future efforts to show her the love and affection she deserves can be done privately and in peace.
It was wrong for me ever to deny she was my daughter and hopefully one day, when she understands, she will forgive me. I have been providing financial support for Quinn and have reached an agreement with her mother to continue providing support in the future. To all those I have disappointed and hurt these words will never be enough, but I am truly sorry.”
John, I am soooooo disappointed in you. Not only did you lose a vicious Presidential race a few years ago, but now you're coming out of the wood work with a love child? To tell you the truth, I was ready to just overlook this entire story and chalk it up to the political bullshit that we see every day. But after seeing your nice little statement sent exclusively to NBC, I couldn't help but make light of your plight.
So John, you more or less disavowed any knowledge or responsibility for your love child a few months back, which is detestable in and of itself. You did a pretty good job of hiding it. The problem is, being a politician (or any public figure), you have a team around you working 24/7 to keep all of your dirty laundry from falling out of the hamper. When you do these people wrong or simply aren't on the same terms as them anymore, they have all the more incentive to break out that pair of drawers that aren't your wife's. That's exactly what happened here, John. The only reason you're coming out with this statement is because your former campaign manager is coming out with a book telling everyone what you just admitted. It's pretty sad actually, that you're coming out more to save your own ass than to stand up for your own seed, whom you vehemently denied up to this point. It's also funny that no one is really talking about your fuck-up. I guess when you're black or poor, it's called being a bad father, but when you're a politician, it's just another day of PR. I hope you've listened to Confessions Part 2 a few times, because you're about to be feeling the same way soon...
