| Caetano Veloso-“Tarado Ni Voce” | May 27, 2009 |
I’ll take the new Caetano Veloso record over the new Bob Dylan any day. Maybe it’s because I have no idea what he’s saying. For all I know, this could be a concept album about McDonald’s cutting down the rain forest. Or the Brazilian Relapse. Kevin Elliot speaks Portugese and he likes it. I […]
| The Fake Shore Drive Mixtape | May 26, 2009 |
Congrats are in order to Andrew Barber, the impresario behind Chicago hip-hop, one-stop shop, Fake Shore Drive. Today marks the release of the site’s first mixtape, hosted by The Cool Kids, and featuring cuts from the likes of Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, Rhymefest, Twista, and of course, the duo of Chuck English and Mikey Rox. […]
Despite the sickening suspicion of similarities between myself and the extroverted pseudo-Bohemian asshole up above, I spent the majority of my Memorial Day weekend camped out at the UCLA Jazz and Reggae festival. I previewed it for the Times last Friday, so if you’re interested in the logistics head there. As for the event itself, […]
| Wale ft. Young Chris, Peedi Crakk, Black Thought, and A Guy with a Bad “Batman” Derived Name-“Hot Shyt” | May 22, 2009 |
Too bad the Philly Freezer and Beans didn’t rip this. Presumably, they might’ve advised Black Thought against shouting out Pitchfork in a rap song. No disrespect to my friends who write there (it’s usually a good site), but that’s the lamest name-drop since Nas copped to a Barbara Streisand fixation on “It’s Mine.” Couldn’t ?uest […]
| Shark Tank Shit | May 20, 2009 |
The problem isn’t white rappers.* The problem is the popular perception that beyond the Beasties, Vanilla Ice, Everlast, Marky Mark, Eminem, and Asher Roth, white rappers don’t exist. You probably don’t need me to tell me you this. The few thousand people reading this don’t need NY Magazine’s comprehensive guide to white rap, or my […]
| Same Song and Dance: Eminem’s Relapse | May 19, 2009 |
12 years after Eminem tried to lock up Cage’s career before it even began, he’s essentially co-opted his fellow white rapper’s schtick: Clockwork Orange rap. Or to scavenge the carrion of rappers wounded in his “5 Star Generals” days, this is closer to what you’d imagine the Insane Clown Posse would do, were they blessed […]
| Exile on Melrose–Fat Beats In-Store Footage | May 15, 2009 |
Admittedly, you’re taking a recommendation from someone who missed Exile’s set at Fat Beats last Saturday, to see The Grateful Dead. So maybe the MPC mastery of Aleksandr Manfredi is the hip-hop equivalent of the drum circle–meaning I’m the prime demographic. Still, between Fly Lo, Exile, Nosaj Thing, Gaslamp Killer, and, of course, the venerable […]
| Soul Sides-Five Year Anniversary Party, Tonight | May 14, 2009 |
All the cool kids are doing it.
Scrambling around on deadline, and cognizant that with this clip, the site is treading perilously into I CAN HAZ CHEEZBURGER territory, but I couldn’t resist. Glenn Beck is the Toby Keith of journalism. Watching Fox News in 2009 is a perversely joyous experience, like watching the Washington Generals furiously flop to the Harlem Globetrotters. Although, […]
| Soul Wednesdays | May 13, 2009 |
It’s playoff time–posting will be light. We will just have to accept this. Sure, I could’ve indulged my pretensions, but I was busy watching Phil Jackson finally break down and give Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown the minutes they deserve. Winning by 40 is nice, but if you can’t beat an enervated Rockets squad sans […]
