The Audacity of Dope

Aw man.  First off, you know anything related to the greatest show of all time, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, is automatically getting posted.  Second, Shad can really rhyme and this track is dope.  Everything I’ve heard from dude, I’ve liked.  Good to see another dope Canadian MC (shout to Kardi & the Black Jays, Drake, Web, Moka, etc.), since somebody has to rep our neighbors to the north properly…lord knows their athletes aren’t doing it*.

*ok, ok.  You guys have picked it up after a horrible first week.  Took you waaaaay too long to get going though.

Swiped from Pitchfork.

QN5‘s Domingo remixed a classic joint from Amy’s first album and they synced it up to the original video.  After one listen, I still prefer the original, but that’s cause I’ve bumped that one about 23981293218 times (and cringed at the homophobic lines each time).  Domingo did his thing on the remix though, good ish.  Some of you younger cats might be familiar with part of this song, since B.o.B. sampled it for “Grip Your Body.”  And the nerve of them to label it as “featuring Amy Winehouse.”  I hate when people do that.

Sidenote: get yourself together Amy, we need you back.

Let’s keep the A-Side Worldwide theme going for another post, shall we?  Buff sits down with HHO and discusses the sounds and messages in his new album, There’s Only One.  He’s on point with “Beat The Speakers Up.”  That’s just what Sound Session does every weekend.

(I’d be facing the other way…)

I mentioned in the Bishop Lamont post that the Los Angeles hip-hop scene is on fire right now and when you combine that area with the another hotbed of talent, the midwest, it’s just not fair.  A lot of artists from Michigan have relocated to the L.A. area over the years (Dilla, Ta’Raach, Househoes, etc.) and the A-Side Worldwide family has a few that split time between the two regions as well.  You’ve probably heard of Buff1 by now, if not through his solo work (cop There’s Only One, in stores now!), then perhaps through the classic Athletic Mic League material.  Another group that’s on the rise, Now On, consists of one of Buff’s AML cohorts, DJ Haircut, alongside Jackson Perry and IX Lives.

Now On dropped their debut album, Eye Level, in 2005, and released an equally impressive project, Don’t Call It A Mixtape, last year.  Their currently prepping the release of Tomorrow Already, and they’ve been kind enough to leak the title track off it for y’all to check out.  I wouldn’t necessarily label this joint as indicative of their sound, as they’re a hard group to put in a box.  There’s no need to classify though, it’s just good music.  I’ll toss in another new track with Shawn Jackson as well:

Now On – “Tomorrow Already”
Now On ft. Shawn Jackson – “Write Back”

With production from the criminally underrated Lab Tech crew, Astronote, and Seattle’s own Jake One, you already know what to expect.  Be on the lookout for Tomorrow Already dropping soon, and also keep an eye out for Haircut’s Mayer Hawthorne project…it’s gonna be crazy.

“By my nephews and neices, I will email Jesus/
Tell him forward to Moses, and cc Allah”
–Young Jeezy, “My President Is Black”

My exact response:

Earlier today, Barack campaigned in Virginia and talked about McCain’s recent delusional comments. The Republicans have based their whole attack around this false premise that Obama is an “elitist,” or worse, an “other.” Keep in mind, McCain, just like Bush, Clinton, etc., is the product of an elite family from birth. Obama, on the other hand, grew up in a single parent home and was even on food stamps at one point. He worked incredibly hard to get where he is, without the help of a family name. McCain finished 894th in a class of 899 in college, and only got into the Navy because his father and grandfather were four star generals. Despite the Obamas recent financial success, their net worth is about 1/10th of McCain and his wife. Who is more likely to be an “elitist?”

But I digress, because I think it’s actually a pointless debate to have. All presidential candidates better be elite, but it’s clear they want to avoid the negative “elitist” tag. This is because every politician tries to pander to the lowest common denominator: the American moron. We have so many of them in this country, if you can paint your opponent as scary or different, you can generally win. However, McCain’s elitist attacks may start to backfire if he continues his string of recent hits:

• Saying the economy has done well under Bush the last 8 years.
• The man who wrote all McCain’s economic policies, Phil Gramm, declaring we’re a “nation of whiners” and the recent economic trouble is all mental.
• Deciding at the Saddleback Church conference last weekend that in order to be rich, you need to be making around 5 million dollars a year. (CNN’s Jack Cafferty also commented on McCain’s scary performance here.)
• And his most recent gem, not being able to remember how many houses he owns.

You know, here’s a new rule: If you don’t know how many houses you own, first off, you’re a moron, and secondly, you can’t be president. Simple as that.

Oh, and to answer the question, McCain’s campaign released a statement saying “at least 4.”  Closer inspection puts the number at 7. What morons.

swagged.

After all his breathtaking performances so far, there was never a doubt that Usain Bolt would win the 200m sprint.  The only question was would he be able to break Michael Johnson’s legendary record?  Well, after smashing the competition yet again, the answer was an emphatic yes.  Bolt ran a 19.30, edging Johnson’s 19.32, and cemented himself as the premier sprinter in the world…and perhaps all-time.

As usual, NBC’s lockdown on the video is obnoxious, but you can watch it on their site here.  International people can check out this bootleg while it’s still up.

O.O.O. (other Olympic observations) from the last few days:

• They did Spearmon and Martina dirty by disqualifying them in that 200m sprint for stepping on the lane lines.  Rules are rules I guess, but Walter Dix summed it up when his private comments got picked up by the cameras after he was awarded a medal…”I still lost.”  What a conflicted feeling.
• Taylor, Clement, and Jackson sweeping the 400m hurdles for America was a great moment.
• Heartbreak for Liu Xiang.  Even more for Lolo Jones.
• I’m glad Shawn Johnson managed to snag a gold on the balance beam.  She deserved one and it would have been a shame if she finished without the top prize.
• Why are you supposed to be 16 in gymnastics, but there are 14 and 15 year old divers?
• Did CBC really tell me that Wang Xin is 4’6″ and weighs 62 pounds?  No wonder she’s a good diver…it’s impossible for her to make a splash.
• Speaking of tiny divers, Haley Ishimatsu missing on her last attempt and failing to qualify for the finals was real sad.  Watching her try to fight tears (at the end of this clip) was damn near heartbreaking.  Andrea Kramer’s interview was cold too…very unfair to put a 15 year old through that.
• He Chong and Alexandre Despatie killed it in diving.  These Chinese gymnasts and divers are unbelievable.
• I respect water polo players, but that sport is awful to watch.  Just brutal.
• Two other sports that absolutely suck are synchronized swimming and speedwalking.  Yeah, those speedwalkers go pretty fast, but you know how they could go even faster?  By running.  GTFOH.  And these events get to stay in the Games while baseball and softball are ending after this year?  Blasphemy.
• The “Redeem Team” is playing better than I expected.  Let’s do this fellas.
• Hey, 2 days since a racist picture has surfaced.  We’re on a roll!
• Misty May-Treanor is a beast and Walsh ain’t so bad herself.  That final was intense.
• LOL @ having whitewater and flatwater rafting be broadcast next to each other.  One looks bad ass, the other looks boring as hell.
• I thought ‘table tennis’ players got all defensive when you called it ‘ping pong’?
• Matthias Steiner winning a gold for his late wife was the most tearjerking moment of the Games so far.  Well done, big man.
• Natalie du Toit competing as an amputee is incredibly inspirational.
• The man appointed the “world’s greatest athlete” by the Wall Street Journal, Roman Sebrle, is struggling in the decathlon.  I guess that title could go to your head kinda easily.  Bryan Clay from the US is killing after 3 events, but we have a ways to go.  Besides, the world’s greatest athlete is Lebron, hands down.
• One more time, say it with me people: “bei” – “jing”

U-N-I performing “Beautiful Day” with Me-N-Them for MTV…where did that 3rd verse come from?

So if you haven’t heard, MTV is holding a contest for the best breakout artist from Los Angeles, and the homies Thurz & Y-O from U-N-I are in the final three!  The winner gets to perform at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 7th (which will be hosted by the hilarious Russell Brand, chyea).

Here’s where you come in: we need everyone to head over to http://la.mtv2.com/ and vote as many times as you can for U-N-I.  The underground hip-hop community managed to help Substantial win the last MTV contest like this, so we need to do it again.  If you’re really bored, pretend typing in the captchas is keyboard practice.  Eh?  Ehhhh?  Ok, fine.  Do it for good music instead.

What are you waiting for?  Go.  GO!

The homey Modi over at DCtoBC sent this over for y’all to check out.  He recently paired up with two other blogs specializing in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area, StartOfTheLine and KNOWxONE to highlight some of the best talent from the area in a monthly mixtape series.  If you missed July, you can find it over at the Dopehouse.

As for this month’s edition, Modi explains:

we’re not here to whine about how our region is overlooked when it comes to hip hop; we’ve already made progress. wale had arguably the best mixtape of the year, and sold out that show at S.O.B.’s in NYC last month. tabi bonney’s videos were all over cable, and one even earned an MTV awards nomination. we have definitely made an impression on the music industry, and are on the way to a movement.

people are hungry to see what else the region has to offer, so we went extra hard in creating the best possible august edition of the DMV mixtape. in addition to the names you already know, we wanted to introduce a few that you may not. we got exclusives, we got unreleased tracks, we have some major label talent, and we have people who grinded out their tracks in their basements on makeshift studio equipment. and we can honestly say it all cranks. so take a second and check it out.

There it is.  Tracklisting and download link after the jump.  Speaking of the DMV, Soulstice will be on this week’s Sound Session.  Be sure to tune in!

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The homies over at Ruby Hornet continue their excellent “Freestyle In The Park” series with this edition featuring Tanya Morgan.  If you’re sleeping, Tanya Morgan Is A Rap Group and Von Pea and Donwill (shout to Ilyas) spit some verses from their latest EP, The Bridge.  You can also check out another page on Ruby Hornet where they break down the inspiration behind their “We Doin’ Our” cut, which astute listeners will remember hearing on Sound Session when it first dropped.

Seattle people: y’all can catch TM at the Showbox (Market) on Sept. 26th as part of the “Freshly Dipped Tour” (more dates on the site), alongside the Hieroglyphics, Musab, Knobody, and hometown heroes, The Blue Scholars.  Should be a great show!