Song of the Day - Mos Def (feat. Slick Rick): "Auditorium"

I'll be honest. I thought Mos Def was starting to lose his magic back in 2004 when he released the lackluster Black on Both Sides follow-up The New Danger. Then two years later True Magic essentially confirmed my suspicion. Of course, now that he is free from his deal with Geffen Records (which would never have happened without the demise of Rawkus) he returns from the dead with The Ecstatic (subtle enough?), his most inspired music in ten years.

While almost every song is solid, "Auditorium" is without a doubt the standout track. Using an absolutely devastating beat from Madlib's Beat Konducta in India as his foundation, Mos lays down some of his best rhymes in a decade, boasting with urgency "My presence speak volumes before I say a word/I'm everywhere/Penthouse, pavement, and curb" before eventually giving way to Slick Rick. Mr. Rick proceeds to do what no other MC has ever done better, tell a story. In this case, about an Iraqi soldier who's losing patience with the American occupation. Mixed together it makes for a lethal combination that should make the doubters take notice.

Mos Def (feat. Slick Rick) - "Auditorium" (from The Ecstatic)

>>>Continue reading "Song of the Day - Mos Def (feat. Slick Rick): "Auditorium""

Chicago Rules the World!

Sorry for yet another extended absence. This presidential election has dominated so much of my time that I have neglected reading my usual rotation of music blogs and magazines in favor of obsessively reading the Huffington Post and Talking Points Memo. As a result, I am embarrassingly out of the loop with almost any new music that's come out in the last two months. Luckily, this election is over and I can cancel those relocation plans to Sweden (hooray socialism!) because BARACK OBAMA IS THE PRESIDENT ELECT!!!

It's been a strange crazy journey to get here, but for the first time in over eight years I feel hopeful for the future of our country. I guess all we needed was Chicago's favorite son to wake up the silent masses and convince us that all hope wasn't lost. In celebration of that wonderful moment, here's a track by two of Chicago's best hip hop artists, Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish (otherwise known as The Cool Kids) with an assist from producer extraordinaire 9th Wonder.

If you're a fan of the Kids' lazy flow, but always wanted to hear it matched with some next level beats then this is the jam for you. "The Delivery Man" has absolutely noting to do with Obama other than both are symbols of the best that Chicago has to offer. One is doing its part to change the rap game while the other is doing his thing to redefine the political game. So far, I like what I see from both.

The Cool Kids - "The Delivery Man (9th Wonder Remix)"
>>>Continue reading "Chicago Rules the World!"

Video of the Week - Public Enemy: "Rebel Without a Pause" (Live from the Pitchfork Festival)

So, there was this little music gathering in Chicago over the weekend called the Pitchfork Music Festival. Maybe you've heard of it? Anyway, aside from having a stacked lineup that included Ghostface and Raekwon, Spiritualized, Spoon, Boris, Cut Copy, King Khan, Dinosaur Jr., and many other super awesome bands, the organizers at P4K and the brains behind All Tomorrow's Parties Don't Look Back series joined forces to bring festival attendees something extra special. How special? Try Public Enemy performing It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back in its entirety special.

For those of us who couldn't make it to Chicago, at least P4K was kind enough to record some of the performance and share it with the world. I've been lucky enough to see PE live a couple of times, and they truly are one of the few hip hop acts whose style translates well to the stage. And even after all these years Chuck D, Flavor Flav (reality TV show embarrassments notwithstanding), Terminator X, and the S1W's can obviously still bring the noise with the best of them.

>>>Continue reading "Video of the Week - Public Enemy: "Rebel Without a Pause" (Live from the Pitchfork Festival)"

Shaq Disses Kobe in New Rap Song. The Real Victim? Hip Hop

So, by now most of you have heard about the major shitstorm caused by this video clip that's been floating around the Internet over the past few days. Shaq, in another attempt to convince America of his "talent" as an MC, decided to grab the mic at a New York club and lay down a freestyle rap about how great he is and how much Kobe Bryant sucks. If you haven't seen it then you would be wise to check out the video after the jump as Shaq masterfully rhymes the word me with me roughly 47 times. Get used to Shaq doing more and more stuff like this as his NBA career enters its twilight and he looks to expand his repertoire as an "entertainer". Oh boy, just what the hip hop world needs, another jackass who thinks he can rap!

>>>Continue reading "Shaq Disses Kobe in New Rap Song. The Real Victim? Hip Hop"

Am I Seriously The Only Person Who Thinks Lil Wayne Is Horribly Overrated?

Lil Wayne is on top of the hip hop world right now. His street cred is through the roof thanks to his appearances on several high profile mixtapes, the critics love him, and his new album Tha Carter III just became the first album in three years to sell over one million copies in its first week. In the post-CD era, you've got to admit that's a mighty impressive feat. So, why can't I understand what all the damn fuss is about?

Let me start this off by making it clear that I'm not one of those people who hates on music just because it is popular. There was a time when I was one of those people, but I outgrew such petty behavior years ago. If something is good, then just admit it and who gives a shit if it is popular? What I don't have patience for is when people who listen to very little hip hop have the gall to tell the rest of us that someone is "the greatest rapper alive" (a title that Mr. Wayne gave himself, but others, like those at Pitchfork, have agreed with) when they are obviously unqualified to make such pronouncements.

Now, I can't tell you who the "greatest rapper alive" is, but I am smart enough not to make such a subjective statement because I don't feel like I am up on the hip hop game enough to have a good answer. What I do know is that most of the people who are on the Lil-Wayne-is-King bandwagon listen to even less hip hop than I do. But you don't always have to be an uber hip hop head to recognize that you're listening to some next level shit, so I decided to give Tha Carter III a proper listen before passing judgment.

I gotta say, after listening to this album a few times I still don't get it. How is it that people are fawning over this guy? I know Lil Wayne is known for his stream-of-consciousness style of stringing together non-sequiturs and nonsensical metaphors, but throughout most of this record he sounds as if he is making up the rhymes as he goes along. Now, Jay-Z and Biggie are famous for not writing down their lyrics, but you know they have most of that stuff laid out in their head before they grabbed the mic (presumably, Wayne does too), yet it sounds like Wayne doesn't even bother with that much planning before the words flow from his mouth. On the album's opener "3 Peat" both the beat (straight out of the gangster 101 starter kit) and the rhymes sound just plain lazy. I think I counted 10 different instances where he manages to rhyme consecutive lines with the same word.

On "Got Money", we hear him using a paint-by-numbers approach that blatantly apes everything you hear on Hot 97 and 106 & Park. This is what the most 'prolific' MC in hip hop is supposed to sound like? Even being paired with Jay-Z doesn't manage to bring out the best in either artist, with Hova sounding as if he phoned in his verses (a problem that has plagued him on his more recent output) just so he can latch on to Wayne's shooting star. Then there's the Kanye-produced "Let the Beat Build" where Wayne manages to fumble away the perfect beat for his rambling style. More than any other track, this one begs for him to lift his self-imposed ban on editing his own material.

Now, they aren't all stinkers. "Dr. Carter" makes good use of a David Axelrod sample (even if he's six years late to pick up on the trend) to compliment his delayed delivery. Another highlight is "Nothin' On Me", where he teams up with his buddy Juelz Santana and Fabolous to create a subwoofer-friendly gangster anthem. In each of these cases it sounds as if more careful planning went into crafting both the lyrics and the beats, which I wish was more prevalent throughout the rest of the record.

Perhaps that's my biggest issue with Lil Wayne. So many people love him for his take-it-or-leave-it first draft approach to rapping, while I always end up thinking that his music could stand to benefit from a little (or, in many cases) refinement. Hip hop is way too hard of a game to get everything right the first time and if you are going to attempt to pull something like that off then you better be a once in a generation talent. Unfortunately, Lil Wayne isn't nearly that good to it consistently.

>>>Continue reading "Am I Seriously The Only Person Who Thinks Lil Wayne Is Horribly Overrated?"

We Built This City On Barack 'n Roll

Before anyone leaves a snide comment, I am well aware the title to this post is cheesy. I chose it because I am growing tired of all the 'clever' puns of Obama's name you see in the media. As usual, many have been beaten into the ground and now only serve to remind us about silly things like "Obama Girl." No thank you.

Anyway, what the hell am I doing writing about Obama anyway? Those that know me in person know that I am never without an opinion when it comes to politics, so it should come as no surprise to them that I have an opinion about this nation's first Black major presidential nominee. Yes, it is historic and wonderful that history was made last night, and I am myself an Obama supporter, but let's cut it out with the self-congratulatory 'this is a uniquely American story' narrative that I've been seeing on the cable news channels. This has happened in other nations with equally (or more) sordid histories of discrimination/institutional prejudice. For Christ sakes, Pakistan elected a female President (something this nation's people apparently still aren't ready to do) in 1988. Has our country's superiority complex already regressed to the point that we feel the need to dominate a fictitious democracy record book? (This now concludes the political portion of the discussion)

Speaking of domination, one contest that Obama wrapped up months ago was the race to claim the hippest celebrity endorsements. No where is this more apparent than perusing the list of musicians who have expressed support for the Illinois senator. So, it is with that in mind that I decided to create a tribute to Obama's win last night in the form of a playlist comprised of nothing but pro-Obama artists. Enjoy.

>>>Continue reading "We Built This City On Barack 'n Roll"

Record Store Day = The Future of Turntablism?

For those of you who don't know, Record Store Day was a simultaneous celebration of independent record store culture that took place in stores across the nation and the UK. Here in Los Angeles that meant the place to be yesterday was Amoeba Records, where promotions, giveaways and celebrity DJ sets were on tap for their appreciative customers. So, naturally me and my brother, dedicated vinyl junkies that we are, decided to venture over to Hollywood to check out the festivities.

While we both spent over four hours searching for records (one of my favorite pastimes), we were also treated to DJ performances from the likes of Daniel Ash and David J (of Bauhaus/Love and Rockets fame), the Donnas (who basically put as little effort and enthusiasm into their set as possible) and Stones Throw co-founder/producer extraordinarie/beat magician Peanut Butter Wolf. I'll give you five seconds to guess which of the DJ's made a lasting impression. . .ready?

Rather than throw down a set full of vinyl goodness (which would've been fine by me, since PB Wolf can spin wax with the best of them), PB decided to kick it up a notch and do an all video set. What this means is he used a computer program (my guess is Virtual DJ) that interfaced with his mixer and allowed him to mix video clips as if they were records. It was pretty cool to watch and it was a pretty ingenious way of forcing the audience to focus their attention towards the stage, rather than nonchalantly listening to the music while flipping through the record racks.

As I watched PB Wolf do his thing, I kept thinking to myself "is this what the future looks like?" That is, will DJ-ing eventually turn into as much a visual experience as it is a musical one? I have no idea, but it's obvious that the synthesis of old (turntables, vinyl) technology and new (software, computer hardware) is creating more opportunities for the DJ to expand their artistic craft. It's fun to watch and I can't wait to see what else they'll come up with next.

[Photo courtesy of flickr user beaucolburn]

Peanut Butter Wolf @ Amobea Records, Hollywood from Ivan Juarez-Mrazek on Vimeo. >>>Continue reading "Record Store Day = The Future of Turntablism?"

Meet Your Coachella Lineup - The Cool Kids

This year's lineup is arguably the worst for hip hop fans. For one, there's nobody that can even remotely be considered a headliner. In past years concertgoers were treated to the likes of Common, Kanye West, The Roots, Gangstarr and Ghostface, but not so this year. With that said, there's still a few acts who should bring the noise next weekend.

One such act is The Cool Kids. Hailing from Chicago and Detroit, The Cool Kids consists of "Mikey Rocks" (Antoine Reed) and "Chuck Inglish" (Evan Ingersoll) and basically all their music has been released via MySpace with only one single ("Black Mags") available for sale. The Kids have also been making the rounds on mixtapes and the club scene as enterprising DJ's around the country have been spinning white lables for over a year now.

Even with so little material to their credit, The Cool Kids have still managed to create a fair amount of buzz, thanks to their performances at the CMJ Music Conference and Pitchfork Music Festival in 2007, not to mention their sting in support of Kanye West and public support for Barack Obama. But all you have to do is listen to the music and it's easy to see why people expect big things from these guys. Plain and simple, they rock the mic like classic rap duos of the 80's, frequently evoking comparisons to EPMD and Eric B. and Rakim. As a someone who's a huge fan of those pantheon duos, and misses the days when hip hop music produced groups like them, The Cool Kids are exactly the type of group that makes me race to the record store (as soon as they release something for me to buy).

Rocks and Ingersoll are slated to release their debut LP When Fish Ride Bicycles sometime in the Fall on C.A.K.E. Recordings.

The Cool Kids - 88

The Cool Kids - Black Mags

The Cool Kids - Pump Up the Volume

The Cool Kids - Gold and a Pager

>>>Continue reading "Meet Your Coachella Lineup - The Cool Kids"

Yo! MTV Raps Turns 20. Time to Pour Some Out for the Homies

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the debut of Yo! MTV Raps, which was quite possibly the greatest show in the history of MTV. Not only were the hosts super fly (yes, I am using early 90's hip hop slang for this post); beginning with old school rap/graffiti icon Fab 5 Freddy and continuing with Ed Lover and Dr. Dre (who were the Kenny 'the Jet' Smith and Charles Barkley of the rap game back in the day), but the videos documented some of the most important songs of the era. From Boogie Down Productions, to Black Sheep, to NWA, Yo! MTV Raps was a forum for every scene in hip hop (NYC, Philly, West Coast, etc.) to reach critical mass.

For me, Yo! has a much more personal meaning. It was my first introduction to hip hop music and it couldn't have done a better job showcasing the very best of the most prolific era of the genre. While I was only 10 years old at the time I first started watching the show, the memories are still quite vivid. I remember me and my brother waking up every Saturday morning and eagerly awaiting the start of the Yo! MTV Raps Top 10 Countdown. We'd pop a tape in the VCR and record each episode so that we could play our favorite videos over and over so that we could recite the words like we were make-believe MC's. It was through this show that I was introduced to artists like Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, EPMD, Gangstarr and so many more. Basically, I owe my whole love of hip hop to this show and I couldn't imagine how uninformed my understanding of hip hop would be if I hadn't grown up watching Yo! MTV Raps.

In honor of their 20th birthday, MTV has put together a bunch of online content celebrating the impact of Yo! on the hip hop scene. I especially recommend checking out the section listing the top 20 Yo! videos of all time. There's plenty of gems throughout the list. Of course, if it were up to me the following videos would've made the cut:

The Pharcyde - Passing Me By

The Pharcyde - Passin me by
Uploaded by hiphopmomo

Erik B. and Rakim - Don't Sweat the Technique


Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg - Deep Cover


A Tribe Called Quest feat. Leaders of a New School - Scenario

>>>Continue reading "Yo! MTV Raps Turns 20. Time to Pour Some Out for the Homies"

Song of the Day - Y Society: "Never Off (On & On)

This gem came my way courtesy of my brother, who first heard it on Mike Nardone's excellent We Came From Beyond hip hop radio show. Anyone who is familiar with the excellent track record of Mr. Nardone knows that when anyone who appears on his playlists is definitely worth a listen.

Basically it took all of 30 seconds to convince me that Y Society have some serious skills. After falling in love with all the songs on their MySpace page I decided to immediately buy their debut album Travel at Your Own Pace and I could not be happier with the purchase. The production is smooth and tight, while the lyrical delivery of Insight and Damu the Fudgemunk are reminiscent of some of my favorite duos from back in the day like Showbiz and AG or Pete Rock and CL Smooth.

Within an hour of being introduced to this group I was singing their praises to all my co-workers and friends. Since there hasn't been much written about Y Society on the blogosphere, I felt it was my duty to do my part to spread the word. Hopefully you like this track and take it upon yourselves to keep the word of mouth active.

Y Society - "Never Off (On and On)"

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The 20 Best Albums of 2007 - Pharoahe Monch: "Desire"

14.  Hip Hop fans had to wait eight long years for Pharoahe Monch to release the follow-up to his landmark debut album Internal Affairs, luckily he rewarded our patience with a superb sophomore effort.

It seems like a man with the pedigree of Pharoahe Monch shouldn't need to prove himself, but the long layoff between albums surely had much to do with how hungry he sounds on Desire. Throughout its 47 minutes Pharoahe unleashes a barrage of expertly crafted metaphors with the speed and accuracy of a cruise missile. There's diatribes against the record industry (no doubt fueled by his battles with Rawkus Records and the labels that tried to woo him after they dissolved), lazy MC's ("Desire"), domestic violence ("Gun Draws") and even a homage to the poignancy of Public Enemy's politics ("Welcome to the Terrordome"). In all, it is a concise package that never relents in its power and persistence. With eight years since he was last in our collective consciousness, Pharoahe Monch makes sure he doesn't waste one second of our attention and reminds us that he's every bit the prolific MC he was when he instructed us to "Get the fuck up" in 1999. 

>>>Continue reading "The 20 Best Albums of 2007 - Pharoahe Monch: "Desire""

The 20 Best Albums of 2007 - Ghostface Killah: "Big Doe Rehab"

20.  For weeks (thanks to the new reality of album leaks) hardcore Wu-Tang Clan fans have been divided into two camps; those who like 8 Diagrams and those who don't. While there are a myriad of underlying reasons why the Wu's first album in six years came to be so divisive, there is a simpler explanation. Sometimes familiarity is a virtue.

With so many of the greats from the glory years of the 90's fading away, don't be surprised if fans aren't always receptive when a band dabbles in experimentation. RZA failed to recognize this when he crafted the music for 8 Diagrams, giving fuel to the idea that the Wu-Tang Clan has lost a step. Thankfully, Ghostface Killah is here to remind us that not all of the Killer Bees forgot what put them on the map.

Indeed, Ghostface follows up the exceptional Fishscale and less excellent (but still good) More Fish with Big Doe Rehab, another gem that plays to his strengths. Constant boasting about his gangster credentials. . .check. Hyperbolic drug references. . .check. Beats that blow the headphones off your ears.  . .check. The formula is simple, but Ghostface couldn't care less. He knows his limitations and isn't about to to mess with a good thing. And in all honesty, his lyrical delivery doesn't exactly lend itself to reinvention.

Sometimes we don't give enough credit to artists who recognize when they are out of their element. On Big Doe Rehab Ghostface elected to showcase his craft rather than redefine it. Perhaps a thank you is in order?

>>>Continue reading "The 20 Best Albums of 2007 - Ghostface Killah: "Big Doe Rehab""

Video of the Week - Snoop Dogg: "Sensual Seduction"

WOW! This video is like 10 different kinds of awesome! Mr. Broadas (sounding a little like Royksop for some reason) channels his inner Super Freak (with a little Earth Wind and Fire and Kool & The Gang thrown in there too) to create a homage to classic funk, soul and disco videos of the 70's. And may I add, he does a superb job recreating the over-the-top cheesiness with low-budget special effects, ridiculous costumes and a keytar. Basically, it is the best thing Snoop has done in like 10 years.

>>>Continue reading "Video of the Week - Snoop Dogg: "Sensual Seduction""

Song of the Day - DJ Jazzy Jeff w/ J-Live: "Practice"

Sometimes all I need to hear is a great sample to remind me how much I love hip hop. Truthfully, I haven't been listening to as much hip hop as I'd like to, which is nothing more than my music ADD-riddled mind not having enough bandwidth to process everything I should be listening to at the moment. That means hip hop often gets the short end of the stick on my playlists, but it really shouldn't since every time I actually make the effort to listen to new hip hop I end up finding something worth playing on repeat.

Yesterday my brother Damian introduced me to this little gem from DJ Jazzy Jeff's latest album, Return of the Magnificent. All it took was listening to the first five seconds of that Allen Iverson sample and I was hooked. Not only was it funny (Iverson's monologue about the importance of practice was one of the best press conference moments by an athlete I've ever heard), but it fit perfect within the rest of the song, which shouldn't be a surprise with a beat master like DJ Jazzy Jeff and an MC with skills like J-Live. As J-Live declares "I've been doin' this for years/my rep is legit. It's like the mic is a cancer stick/I can't quit," it sounds like he is giving voice to what Iverson was trying to say in that press conference. Just because he may not take practice as seriously as others that doesn't mean he isn't pouring every ounce of heart and effort into the game he loves. In fact, anyone who watches him on the court should know that Iverson's rep in the NBA is unimpeachable, just like J-Live's in the hip hop game.

>>>Continue reading "Song of the Day - DJ Jazzy Jeff w/ J-Live: "Practice""

Sneak Peak: B-Ball Zombie War

Stones Throw might be the most prolific independent record label on the planet. With a stable of artists that includes label founder Peanut Butter Wolf, Madlib (AKA the hardest working man in hip-hop), MF Doom (perhaps a close second), Jay Dilla (R.I.P.), Wildchild, M.E.D, Percee P, Aloe Blacc and Koushik, there's always something good to look forward to when you browse their upcoming releases. This also means there's plenty of material for a good ol' fashioned compilation record, and Stones Throw can definitely throw it down with the best of them.

B-Ball Zombie War is the upcoming basketball-inspired (and, apparently, zombies) collaboration between Stones Throw and 2K Sports, although it isn't a video game soundtrack (only a few of the songs have been licensed for video game use). With PB Wolf at the helm, I don't care what they call it because there is plenty in here to be excited about. The compilation features new songs by Madlib, Guilty Simpson, Aloe Blacc, Koushik and M.E.D, along with original collaborations by Q-Tip and Talib Kweli (over J Dilla beats!) and MF Doom with Guilty Simpson (ditto). With some of the most innovative artists in hip hop behind the wheel, expect this album to feature lots of obscure samples, next level beats and flawless production. Download the latest Stones Throw podcast to hear a 31 minute mix of music from B-Ball Zombie War.

Stones Throw Podcast: B-Ball Zombie War
>>>Continue reading "Sneak Peak: B-Ball Zombie War"

Rock the Bells Festival @ Hyundai Pavillion, San Bernardino 08/11/2007 - Photo Essay

Like my last photo essay, this one is also being posted a little late (I really need to make sure this doesn't start to become a habit), but better late than never, right?

Anyhow, many of you may be wondering why in God's name anyone would willing drive out to San Bernadino in the middle of August to spend the entire day outdoors at a music festival. Well, when the festival in question carries one of the best lineups of Hip Hop artists ever assembled (not to mention recently reunited Rage Against the Machine) you best suck it up, buy your tickets and figure out a way to deal with the heat later. So it was that me and my brother made the trek to the Hyundai Pavillion to see the latest incarnation of the Rock the Bells Festival.
























As you can see, the lineup on the main stage was pretty damn impressive. Oddly enough, the organizers didn't bother to hand out schedules to festivalgoers as they walked in, so many of us walked up to this booth near the interest and did our best to take photos of the lineup that were sitting in a binder at the information booth. Not exactly the most organized festival I've ever been to (more on that in a moment).

Pharoahe Monch

After slowly crawling into the venue amidst the traffic and paying $30 for parking (!!!), we just barely made it inside the venue in time to watch Pharoahe Monch take the stage. He played a blistering set full of songs from his excellent new album Desire, along with old favorites from Internal Affairs, including a certain crowd favorite that instructs the audience to "get the fuck up!" Pharoahe Monch was definitely one of the highlights of the entire day.

Next up was Eric and Parrish Making Dollars, better known as EPMD, striking b-boy poses and bringing the classic old school jams like it was 1989. For people like myself and my brother Damian, who grew up watching the Yo! MTV Raps Countdown, EPMD was a real kick in the pants. Eric Sermon and Parrish Smith didn't skip a beat as they churned out classics like "Crossover," "You're a Customer" and "You Gots to Chill." Unfortunately, most of the crowd looked lost as most of them were either too young to appreciate how great of a group EPMD was/is or just ignorant about Hip Hop because they were mostly there to see Rage Against the Machine (a reoccurring them throughout the day).

The crowd really started to swell (along with the heat) right before Talib Kweli's set.

Best throwback jersey I saw all day. By the way, I think this guy looks pretty close to how fat the real Patrick Ewing is looking these days.

OK, I know this picture sucks, but it was the only remotely decent shot I got of Public Enemy all day from my distant vantage point. Surprisingly, Chuck D and Flavor Flav (along with their accompanying band) showed no signs of middle age as their set included the same energy and power of seeing PE back in their prime. 20 years after their debut, Public Enemy still can hold their own on the same stage as rappers nearly half their age.

On the second stage there was plenty of great music to be seen. Perhaps the best act of the day was Metalfingers himself, MF Doom. After showing up late to his set (he wasn't the only one), Doom blasted through fan favorites from his MF Doom, Victor Vaughn and Madvillain personas at a frenetic pace. I was loving every minute of it.

Of course, since we were in the Inland Empire and 75% of the people in attendance seemed to be die-hard Rage Against the Machine fans, it was only a matter of time before the apes started getting rowdy. About halfway through the Wu Tang Clan's awesome set (I was too far to get any good pictures), some dumbass decided it would be cool to light some trash on fire, which prompted other monkeys to follow suit. At one point I counted eight simultaneous trash fires on the lawn and it didn't seem like the event staff had any plans to put them out. . .that is, because event staff was nowhere to be seen. Eventually more idots joined in on the fun (seriously, what is so entertaining about fire?) and started throwing plastic bottles into the flames, which filled the air with that horrible melting plastic stench. Once Wu Tang finished up, Damian and I decided to bail because we couldn't take the fumes anymore. It was a shame, since we were both looking forward to seeing Rage perform, but at least we beat the traffic. Morons in the crowd aside, most of the day was fun and we definitely got our money's worth.

More pictures:

Living Legends

Amateur breakdancers

Graffiti wall

the Coup

>>>Continue reading "Rock the Bells Festival @ Hyundai Pavillion, San Bernardino 08/11/2007 - Photo Essay"

Song of the Day - Pharoahe Monch "Welcome to the Terrordome"

Even though I don't listen to as much hip-hop as I would like to (I have no idea why this is true, BTW), I am not one of those people that likes to make declarations like "hip-hop died in [insert year here]" or "hip-hop today isn't nearly as good as it was in [year/decade of your choice]." People who say that shit only say it to make themselves feel better about not paying any attention to hip-hop whatsoever.

The reality is there's still plenty of good hip-hop being made today and some of it is every bit as good as what came out "back in the day." If you need a reminder of this fact, look no further than the latest Pharoahe Monch album, Desire. Nearly eight years after his solo debut (one of the best hip-hop records of the 90's) Pharaohe has finally completed the album that is worthy of following his first act. Though not every moment re-captures the brilliance of Internal Affairs (and let's be honest, having such lofty expectations only sets you up for disappointment), there are some moments throughout Desire's 17 tracks that seriously impress. Today's Song of the Day it definitely one of those moments.

Pharoahe's cover of the classic Public Enemy song "Welcome to the Terrordome" is the perfect cover at the perfect time. With a war in Iraq alienating and infuriating the majority of the country, the erosion of civil liberties, and any number of things from the growing list of fuck ups by the current administration, there's no time like the present to rap about what pisses most of us off. It just so happens that 17 years ago Chuck D. wrote that song better than anyone ever has. Pharoahe Monch knows (himself being a witness to the Public Enemy Hip-Hop Revolution live and in person) there's no better way to voice his anger than to pay homage to the group that taught him music had the power to disrupt the status quo. Chuck D.'s words speak not only to the grievances which make us angry, but also about how anger should give us the power to incite change. Right now, with everything there is to be angry about, I think Pharoahe Monch is wondering why thus far it hasn't taken a nation of millions to hold us back.

>>>Continue reading "Song of the Day - Pharoahe Monch "Welcome to the Terrordome""