Giving new meaning to the term 'Arab Money'.. #shoutout to Ron Browz; RIP to his career
It's been a long time since excess was in fashion. Unfortunately for those of us in the US, that excess has taken its toll on our finances. That doesn't mean the rest of the world can't indulge in the finer extravagances that life has to offer. While I'm not sure how much this is needed, it's interesting to see. In an Abu Dhabi (that's in the United Arab Emirates for those of you without an atlas), a hotel has installed a machine that dispenses gold rather than candy or drinks. The ATM-style kiosk at the Emirates Palace monitors gold prices daily and gives 10-gram gold coins with custom designs on them. Ironically, the opening of the machine coincided with the price of gold hitting a record high of $1,245 an ounce. I guess it's cool to see economies trying to hold gold up to the standard it was before the world started printing paper money like 'Free Gucci' t-shirts. Only time will tell if a machine like this is even sustainable. Check out a video of the gold ATM and start saving up...
I guess since Jordan Brand is going apeshit with their whole infrared craze, Nike had to follow suit and drop a few infrared-themed sneakers. They're already dropping the Infrared Air Max 90's this summer and threw in a brand new infrared colorway for the Air 180. This one has cream-colored canvas and nylon on the toebox, and throws the bright red in for the air bubble and the heel tab. Honestly, this is a really dope sneaker. The Air 180's getting some much needed TLC from the folk over at Beaverton, and I, for one, am not mad at all. Check out some more flicks...
Sometimes, I wish these new 'blog' rappers wouldn't even put out albums. The title of 'album', to them, is indicative of a work that has to be mixed and mashed and cut into perfect squares and packaged for God knows what reason. It's as if once an artist says they're putting out an album, they become unnatural in their process. The music isn't as raw, soulful, insightful or.. good. That's right, I'm saying it. These days, artists in hip-hop and R&B put out better mixtapes than albums. Trey Songz, Wale, KiD CuDi, Wiz Khalifa, Curren$y.. the list goes on forever! If Drake and J. Cole flop (Drake's album is looking extra regular from the leaks), then I might just give up hope for hip-hop (hyperbole). But I suppose it's good that such a vibe is rearing its head. More people bump with mixtapes than albums these days anyway. It's just the record labels and radio stations still on the other side. I guess this was much more of a rant than a post about a t-shirt. Even so, the t-shirt brings up something we've all thought about music today. Props to the fellows at Academy Printwear for getting the word out in wearable form...
At $14 a pop, this might be a better buy than a lot of albums...
BURRR!!! BURRR!!! BURRR!!! You know what that is, Gucci?? BURRR!!! That's the sound of all the cold, hard cash that you lost by going to jail for 6 months. Yes, you said it yourself, that your incarceration came at probably the worst time possible for you. Yes, you served your time like a good rapper with good lawyers sense. Yes, you even spoke like you had a left brain upon your release. However, it goes without saying that we have to get on you about jail. Do you realize how idiotic the charge was that you got knocked over? All you had to do was stay sober! There are so, so, soooo many things that you could have done besides smoke and drink. You could have been playing Scrabble, or teaching Waka Flocka how to read, or finding new and innovative ways to peddle rocks with a rap career as a front. Hell, you could've been in a Wale video instead of an afterthought on a t-shirt. Gucci, it's not that I enjoy making fun of your incarceration, it's just that I find the situations you get into hysterical. Whether its leaving dead bodies behind middle schools or violating parole by not showing up for community service, you tend not to make the best decisions with your legal affairs. Not even I could have predicted you going back to jail after this PSA. Maybe you're just a good actor...
This picture is worth so much more than 1,000 words...
My oh, my oh MY... How the once mighty have fallen. ATL, I was probably your biggest fan in 2008. No one picked you guys to go to the Playoffs that year. I did. No one thought you would win a game against the eventual champion Celtics. I did, and ended up winning a few dollars, while you guys took the Celts to 7 games. No one thought you'd be able to keep up the improvement for the next two years. And you know what?? They were right. Hawks, you guys have gone from a Cinderella story in the NBA to a team that's gotten as good as it's going to get.
Not only did you get VACUUMED (swept can't even be used anymore) by the Magic, you guys got blown out every game this series. You made Dwight Howard look like the best big man in the league (he is far from that) by letting him impose his hoe-wifing, no post move-having self all over Al Horford and Josh Smith's face. Marvin Williams didn't show up, as usual. When are you guys going to just give up and admit that you drafted the wrong Williams (Deron isn't doing much better after getting swept himself, though) in 2005?? Joe Johnson, you looked like a SCRUB. There are no words for how terrible you played. If this is what teams should be expecting out of a 'max-contract' player, then they will be getting robbed of every penny come July. As a man who's playing for his contract, you were playing like you had already signed the dotted line. No, you haven't. You and your backcourt mate, Mike Bibby, played like you deserved to be riding the bench, like above. I think I saw Bibby hit one shot all series. Even Jamal Crawford seemed out of sink, and he's usually the one pulling the offense out of nowhere. I don't know what the deal is, but it's obvious you guys have hit your peak.
Joe 'No defense & no max contract' Johnson
The thing is, I should've seen this coming. Last series against the Bucks, you guys looked bad. And not good-bad.. Sluggish bad. Unprepared bad. Overconfident bad. You let a Bucks team playing without their star big man (Andrew Bogut) bring you to 7 games, much like you did to Boston 2 years ago. Brandon Jennings, although a bit inconsistent was torching your 'defense' at times, while John Salmons and Carlos Delfino quietly closed the casket on you. Hell, you guys were down 3-2 before finally buckling down and sending the Bucks home. Regardless, that doesn't excuse the woeful performance against the Magic. I'd go as far as to say that this team needs some drastic changes in the offseason. Whether it's shipping Bibby or Smith or Johnson or Williams or SOMEBODY, something needs to be done to shake up this roster, because it looked dead in the water last night. I guess when you don't have the support of the fans like Joe Johnson (sarcasm), it doesn't matter how bad you play...
WOW! I never thought I'd see the day when music videos had plots in them again. Over the past 10 years, hip-hop and R&B videos have been nothing but people standing around with cars (often rented), or women (often hoes) or jewelry (often fake). Maybe it was the recession, but I suppose people aren't really trying to do high-budget videos with plots and messages behind them. No wonder I haven't heard Hype Williams or Little X getting their names out there lately. I wish there was some more creativity in the videos. Now with collectives like Creative Control, and Drake putting videos like this, we can see better days in music videos. There's a lot of talking in the visual for the next single off 'Thank Me Later' (dropping June 15!!), but the Rasta drops some gems, and we ultimately get to see the acting side of Wheelchair Jimmy again. #shouout to everyone who knew Jimmy Brooks before they knew Drake. Check out the video...
There are so many brilliant characters on The Boondocks, but the most unique might be Uncle Ruckus. His self-hating rants have become more and more clever and crazy. Aaron McGruder didn't just make him a one-trick pony. Plus, he has a weird connection with Huey, probably seeing that he isn't like the rest of the people on the show. I've always wondered what would happen if Uncle Ruckus (pronounced roo-koo) was a real person. The good people at Shade 45 Sirius Satellite Show decided to play with that thought, bringing in the voice behind Ruckus and letting listeners call in to the show. The result was ridiculous, to say the least. Gary Anthony Williams destroyed the callers, left and right. It's best you just listen for yourselves...
If you haven't seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off, then you're missing the greatest teenage fantasy ever. Skipping school, playing it off perfectly, and then having an epic day made for a great movie. Now, the main character Ferris joined the rest of us on Twitter and Foursquare (still don't know what it is..) chronicling his day off, from the ballpark to the parade and back home. Whoever did it even added accounts for his girlfriend, his best friend and his sister. Kind of a novel concept, but it's interesting to see creations from the past get juxtaposed with that of the future. Check out Ferris' Twitter page here...
What's up people? I haven't written a 'general' letter in... let's just say a while (check my college posts). By general letter, I mean a letter directed at an entire population. They're more advice and my take on things happening in my world and probably your world too. This one is dedicated to the time of year we call 'cuffing season'. Yes that's right. Everyone's ready to get their spring fever on, but we've got to lay some laws down so that there isn't an Icelandic ash cloud's worth of drama and BS to deal with by the time September rolls around...
1. First of all, I don't think any specific season should be 'cuffing season' or whatever you want to call it. Pimpmanship doesn't have an offseason, and neither should you. The people that talk about there being a cuffing season are either adding new prospects to their roster at an exponential rate (means you're getting a lot of fringe prospects) or not getting any action at all. That doesn't bode well for people like me, interested in being the happy middle ground, rather than a gross deviation. Regardless, keep your eyes open at all times, not just spring. You'll see more people that catch your eye and will be better off discerning what you want and don't, which brings me to the second point.
2. If you do subscribe to the idea of a season for cuffing, more power to you. That said, you shouldn't jump in headfirst or hit the ground running for your springtime exploits. Nothing is worse than an overly thirsty person who is overly excited to bag something up for the spring. Not only will any potential targets see that, and run for the hills, you'll probably end up going for someone that you won't be too happy with after the summer winds down. Like Fat Joe says, 'Slow down, son, you're killin em.' No seriously, doing too much in the romantic realm never does the trick. Cuffing season is no different.
3. This one is more directed at the ladies, though dudes can take heed as well. The springtime and its beautiful weather is no time to start flaunting all the curves that only darkness should touch. Seriously. Yeah, you've been in the gym all winter, getting your beach body ready and shaving off those extra pounds from all those late night 7-11 runs and extra handles of (insert liquor). That isn't a green light to come outside with two bandaids and a cork screw covering your essentials. No one likes seeing more than they need to. Take a hint. There's a difference between being sexy for spring and having too much confidence for too few clothes. It'll make you more attractive in the long run if you're beauty is conservatively veiled rather than a buffet platter at a $5 Chinese place.
4. Going off #3, keep what you do have tight and fresh. Upgrade your wardrobe, try out a new haircut, a new style or something. Also, keep yourself well groomed and hygienic. There's nothing worse than a person who doesn't know how to take care of themselves during the hotter months. Follicular and epidermal faux pas tend to happen and stick out more during the summer because the heat amplified EVERYTHING. Body odor will increase tenfold. Hair will turn into Brillo (for black people, at least). Clothes and skin will change color because of the sun hitting them. People have breathing problems due to the humidity. Whatever the bane of your physical appearance, take strides to keep them under control, so that they don't control your summer.
5. Now that you're all primped up and fresh out the box (whatever phrase you wanna use), make sure you don't go around thinking because it's 'cuffing season' you can talk to the opposite sex any old type of way. Just because the weather is nice, doesn't mean you can't be. Lose the lame lines, 'swagger' talk, and braggodocious thoughts for some respect, actual conversation and getting to know the person. Sure, you won't be knocking boots down all summer, but it's better than finding out in August that the person didn't even find you remotely interesting, much less that it wasn't their real name. Think chivalry and charm rather than game and G. Those do the trick much better in the long run and, if done right, can have just as many joints knocking at your door by summer's end. They'll probably be a lot more worth your time too.
6. Would you, as a Roman gladiator (or Zulu warrior, or whatever) run up into battle without your armor? I hope not, because you would be the first dead on Spartacus. The point is, any dirt you do end up doing, be safe. Use protection and keep your warrior out of harm's way. Point. Blank. Period.
7. Take advantage of all of the resources available in your city, town, municipality, principality, fief or what have you. Spring and summer are notorious for shenanigans and events popping off EVERYWHERE. Not only do random concerts, jam sessions, festivals, carnivals, parades, etc., make for great outdoor fun, they are cheap as hell when thinking about an activity to do with a summer significant other. I know too many heads who break their personal banks when it comes to dating. Do yourself a favor, and do some research. You'll probably have a better time, and so will your wallet.
8. Remember to have fun!! Courtship, flirting and all variants are more about the journey than the destination. No significant other is above getting dropped to the curb if another is pulling their weight better. As it stands, people take their romantic lives too seriously at our age. If you're under 25, CHILL. We've got the rest of our lives to find soulmates. Might as well enjoy the weather while you're searching...
There you have it people. 8 rules that'll have you cuffed and booed up in no time, if you want, that is. Even if you don't believe in cuffing season, by no means should you take my word for proof. Get outside, find a spot to post up, grab an icee from the Mr. Softee truck and try your luck with the opposite sex. If you don't end up cuffin, at least you'll have had a good time trying...
Had this song in mind the entire time I was writing the post. Only seems fit for the summer...
What's up people??? Happy Friday!! Another week is in the books, and what an epic week it was for freestyles. It's only right that I bless the blogosphere with some dope freestyles for Friday. The first one is from J. Cole on Funkmaster Flex's spot on Hot 97. I must say, this is one of the best freestyles I've ever heard. Cole has quotables for days over 'Ice Cream' and 'Blow the Whistle'. He has Flex speechless in the booth at one point, with how good his bars are (then again, when have we not seen Flex hyped?). The second cypher(s) are by Vado (SLIIIIIIME!!!) on the Shade45 radio show with DJ Self. He rips up 'Popular Demand' and 'Hottest in the Hood'. Vado doesn't go as hard but still drops off some clean bars. You can tell he's been working on his delivery and enunciation. He sounds a lot cleaner these days. Hopefully Slime Flu does the job for him. Whatever the case, check out the cyphers, and keep it locked to Dear Whoever...
No, that's not the set of a Jason Statham movie.. That's the Gulf of Mexico getting a 600-mile helping of crude oil
I've never been one to turn to the television for my breaking news. Not only is the TV biased based on a number of factors (what channel, who's sponsoring, what the news is), commercials and fluff news just tend to get into the way of what I think the 'news' should be. Instead, I go online for my news. You can read infinite versions of the same story, get different spins and different understandings of the goings on of our fair planet that way. Also, I get right down to the story rather than having to wait through 20 minutes of shit I don't care about. That said, I've come to a harrowing realization over the past two weeks or so: You guys, the mainstream news outlets, don't show much ACTUAL news nowadays.
No those aren't special effects. That is downtown Nashville, TN under 8 feet of water...
Take, for instance, the ridiculous amount of flooding in Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi this week. Until I saw a press release online, I'd heard not a thing about it! Imagine that! Three states have entire counties under a layer of water, and if I had rested on my own laurels, I probably still wouldn't know about it. Look at the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (above). Our prices for gas are probably going to skyrocket in the next few months, and people probably won't be able to put two and two together. Maybe that's because rather than, you know, covering the story, you guys talk about celebrity gossip and muckraking politics...
I think I'd much rather hear about the impending darkness over Europe than some fluff story...
Take the volcanic ash clouds that covered half of mainland Europe last month. The ash, from Scandinavia, disrupted airway travel for over a week, essentially shutting down airports from London to Berlin to Paris and back. Thoughts of impending apocalypse (we know it wasn't that serious, now) flooded the minds of those stranded, while we in America playfully went about our Easters. Mainstream news, it's unbelievable that in this day and age people are still uninformed about what is going on around them. You guys downplay the good in the world and drum up drama when you see fit, rather than simply report. What's crazy is that all of these stories are natural disasters, meaning they have some bearing on us attempting to function on Earth. You'd think that you guys would take an active interest in letting people know what is going on. I guess pushing Glenn Beck's idiotic comments for ratings are more important...
The word 'news' isn't even an actual word. It's actually an acronym for North, East, West & South. By that virtue, you as news outlets should be reporting the happenings from all four corners, not putting your (liberal or conservative) spin on it, withholding information, or putting fallacious information out. I suppose that this was a largely undirected and unfocused letter, by my standards. However, I will not stand to answer another question about a news story that happened a few days ago. I understand it's a bit unfair to blame you for the lack of interest in world issues, considering how apathetic Americans have become in my lifetime. However, it has to start somewhere. And it has to start with the people designating what becomes an issue. Maybe this was too much of a rant to be a letter. Even so, it needed to be said, and was heavy on my mind. Hopefully you guys quit grab-assing over spot quotation journalism and report what matters...
Scottie Pippen is (next to Dominique Wilkins) the most underrated and overlooked player in the NBA. Not only did he play 15 seasons compared to Jordan's 12, he was a legitimate MVP player while Jordan was gone for his first retirement. Funny that his signature sneakers from Nike get overlooked and underrated as well, though they still are pretty hot. Nike went with one of the original colorways for their re-release of the Air Pippen this summer. I can't even front, these are a clean pair; made for summer. They may not be an automatic cop, but if there ever was a time to stock up on rare re-releases now would be the time. These babies are available now, too. Check out some more detailed flicks of the kicks...
Ummmmm... I hearken back to this idea all the time: The Future (capital F), when technology will be as close to us as life is. Okay, maybe not that close, but we all envision a world where man and machine can co-exist in the same entity. We might not be seeing androids any time soon, but this is another huge step in the right direction, especially after seeing an amputee control a robotic arm with their mind. The possibilities and applications of an invention like the i-Limb are endless. The bionic hand has patented pulsing technology to give it increasing and controllable grip strength to each individual digit, depending on settings you create. It can lift up to 200 lbs (more than most people can). Also, the i-Limb can be programmed to sync with Bluetooth for you techies who need a helping hand (drums for corny joke). No word yet as to whether the i-Limb can be attached as a prosthetic, but with the way the hand looks, synthesizing the two shouldn't be far away. Touch Bionics' i-Limb Pulse goes on sale on June 1st. I guess the Future is closer than we think...
Wanna know why I know most blogs don't listen to half of the things that they post before they listen to it? It's because they never have anything to say about some of the mixtape or songs they post up. Not that you have to write a short essay like me (most bloggers can't write anyway), but if you care enough to post it, why don't you have anything of value to say about it? That's neither here nor there, though it brings me to my point. ESSO, hailing from Harlem, wasn't putting out the best music, in my opinion. While you knew he was talented and could spit, his songs came off as overly preachy and sometimes lazy. That's just the long and short of it. I suppose that's why I dig his new mixtape, 'The Anti-Socialite'. The work is a look into the mind of a person who is in the city and its circles, but not of them, hence the title 'anti-socialite'. So much of ESSO's rhymes on the mixtape deal with him meandering about the vapid existences of his peers and wondering where his place is. At times the music is dark and foreboding, but other times you can hear the hope and drive of an MC striving to shine among the city lights. ESSO has the moody, sociable introverted rapper persona down pat, and it shows in every track. 'The Anti-Socialite' is one of those mixtapes you play at night to unwind and think about the day's happenings. While I'm not completely sold on ESSO and want to hear more, this is a solid work from an up-and-coming NYC rapper. Hit the jump for the tracklist, #dopetracks, loosies and some videos...
#dopetracks:
Get to Know Me
Growing Pains
Alone
Dressed Smart
Breakdown
Future So Bright
There's never enough that can be said about simplicity. The act of dumbing down or altering even the most rudimentary of inventions takes a lot more intellect than just creating them. That's because you have to backtrack to the point or objective of the design and find another way to get there. I suppose the guys over at Yanko Design didn't have to go all the way back to the idea of the traditional lock. The Y-Lock, though, is an ingenious modification for people who always have trouble putting their key in the door (me) half the time. It'd probably cut down on broken doorknobs too, since it's just the lock mechanism. One of those things that make you go 'duhhhh'....
I got introduced to Chiddy Bang about a year or so ago by my boy @AKZionz. Sounding like something out of a classic video game, the Philadelphia duo is held down on the beats by Ben while Minka drops the rhymes. They released a mixtape last month called Air Swell, where this track is actually a freestyle. The result is a dope video of the Philadelphia skyline (one of the few things I relish about the city, if you know me), with Chiddy Bang's logo transposed on the building. I downloaded Air Swell here, and wanna hear more from these guys soon...
ItsTheReal always seems to find the perfect way to say the things I've been thinking for years...
Okay, we're gonna start this letter off with a question. What lie do rappers tell the most??? A) I'm working with (insert producer here)!! B) The label/manager/supervising entity is holding me back. C) My album is dropping soon!!
(take a few minutes)
(shouldn't be that hard)
(there are only a few answers)
DING DING DING!!!! The answer is C) My album is dropping soon!!
Now, to you Dr. Dre... I'll put it out there. The first rap album I bought with my own money was The Chronic 2001, in 1999. I had to hide it from my mother because of the lyrics, the cover and the huge Parental Advisory sticker, but it was completely worth it. I knew every word to that album, and if you throw it on today, I'll probably still spit the lyrics like I'm rollin up with you and Snoop. That's not the point of this letter though, Dre. Since 1999, when you dropped The Chronic 2001 (why was the date 2 years off??), the only instance we've heard from you is on Aftermath albums (Eminem, 50, The Game) and in commercials. Production was always your forte, so I have no gripes about that. But the last time I checked, you were Dr. Dre, not Dr. Pepper.
Instead of Beats by Dre, how about we have some Raps by Dre???
Hearkening back to the question I asked at the beginning of the letter, we've heard more talk about Detox than Tupac rumors, and there's still nothing. The Game, 50, Em, and every artist that you've lent a beat to in the past 10 years has alluded to 'Detox', and there's still nothing. Rappers have came and gone, retired and unretired, went to jail and came back, and we still know nothing about Detox. According to rumors, you have over 100 songs recorded for the album. What's the deal?? We all know you're a perfectionist. That's all good and peachy. But when you're not even writing half of the songs that are going to be on the album, does it really matter as much? Dre, I know you're a hip-hop icon, and you're one of the greatest producers ever, and yadda yadda yadda... It just sucks waiting for a hip-hop album for over 10 years!! Not to mention, if Detox is anything less than 6 mics (out of 5), I will disavow all knowledge of you. At this point, Dre, you have to debate whether the concept is even relevant anymore. If one of the tracks is not heat rocks, I'll consider your legacy tainted. It doesn't take a doctor or 10 years to figure that out...
In an extremely bold move, the Phoenix Suns as an organization made a strong political statement in opposition to the recent Arizona immigration bill. Discussions on taking action began last week after the bill passed, with an idea that came from Robert Sarver, Managing Partner of the Phoenix Suns. According to Steve Kerr, the team discussed it internally before going to the league for approval to both wear the 'Los Suns' jerseys, but also to come out publicly in this way.
Kerr said both the NBA and the San Antonio Spurs were fully supportive of the Suns move. Ultimately, the decision was left up to the players, but in a locker room led by Steve Nash, it is no surprise how that turned out.
"I think the law is very misguided. I think it is unfortunately to the detriment to our society and our civil liberties and I think it is very important for us to stand up for things we believe in," Nash said of the bill. "I think the law obviously can target opportunities for racial profiling. Things we don't want to see and don't need to see in 2010."
I've always got on the NBA for too often taking the more conservative of stances when faced with polarizing issues. Whether it's a restrictive dress code, off-the-court conduct or what have you, the NBA has typically leaned toward the safer choices, keeping their stockholders happy and their players placated. That's not the case for tonight. I'm proud to say that you, the Phoenix Suns have taken a stand against Arizona's SB 1070, which is amicably being called the 'Racial Profiling Law'. Political stances aside, I think that you as a franchise are doing the right thing. Not only does the NBA have a major Hispanic population in the playing ranks, you have two of the more recognizable Hispanic faces in the league in Leandro Barbosa and Robin Lopez. Neither of them are winning MVP anytime soon, but in a state who's Hispanic population is growing faster than that of any other cultural group, that's big. Your franchise is in the 2nd round of the NBA Playoffs, and while there are bigger fish to fry, it's nice to see that the cultural issues of this sometimes idiotic country are on your minds too. It also doesn't hurt that you guys are playing another team with Hispanic fans. Hopefully Los Spurs end up getting destroyed by Los Suns...
