Archive for January, 2009
The guys at Holy Taco are really excited about the Super Bowl and have a little too much time on their hands. Other than the Twinkies, this thing is amazing. If I were to make it though I would replace the Twinkies with either pretzel rods or stacked cheese cubes to build the “wall” haha. As for the actual Super Bowl I really don’t care that much. I guess I am rooting for the Cardinals since they are the ultimate underdogs but my old roommate is from Pittsburgh so if they won it wouldn’t bother me, although I do think 6 Super Bowls may be too much for one team. Click the link below to get the building materials for the work of art above.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Here is a gem I found that hasn’t gotten much play on any of the hip-hop sites. Wordsmith from Baltimore is a lyrical wizard and this fast tempo beat by the Professa is crazy. There is a lot going on in the produciton of this song but Wordsmith still does well with his lyrics and flow even with all the sound. I have had my eye on Wordsmith for a while now and I am liking what hear more and more, his name is no hoax.
I thought I would try to include the most forgotten aspect of hip-hop by posting some street art done by Shepard Fairey himself when he was in Boston recently and boy did he put in some work. If you click the break there are 8 other pictures of his work that he put up while he was in that freezing city. My family is originally from the Boston area and being a Red Sox I love the one next to Fenway Park, that area is one of the premium areas in Boston to post things because of New England’s obsession with the Sox. There are everything from his Andre the Giant Obey signs to some of his newer work of middle eastern people in head scarves, peace signs etc. Mr. Fairey often has political messages within his works and these are no different. Click the break to enjoy. Spotted @ Hype Beast
Have your ever wanted your light bulbs to become speakers giving you a cheaper alternative to surround sound? Me neither, but once I read this article I definitely did. These bulbs are equipped with tiny speakers that can emit streaming audio received from a transmitter and can also be used as a common light bulb. They were designed by Hoang M Nguyen, Poom Puttorngul & Anh Nguyen and it is called the Soundbulb. I think it is a cool idea if you would like to have some soft music playing throughout a room/apt./house, but clearly I was joking in them replacing actual speakers, when you want to turn it up and rock out I don’t think these would do. Click the break to see more pics. Spotted @ Blind I
Time to get my review game on and talk about one of the best recent releases that is getting very little talk on the internet. Mr. Bonney took time away from his venture into fashion with Bonney Runway to drop the Dope EP. If you enjoyed Tabi’s ridiculously addictive hit “The Pocket” from a few years ago then you will like the way Tabi has evolved his style and content while still staying true to the his own distinct approach. I think it is safe to say that Tabi was a pioneer in hip-hop for being on the front end of the recent fashion wave that the younger generation has started to gravitate towards. A lot of rappers, with the way they rap and dress today, really seem to be trying to catch up to what Tabi was doing 3 years ago when no mainstream artist dressed or rapped the way Tabi could do it. Now that everyone has caught up Tabi Bonney has leaped ahead again and remains the antithesis of generic. Click the break to read more and hear a few tracks…..
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. I heard a rumor that this would be coming out soon and Rhymefest throws some serious jabs at Charles. But something just doesn’t seem genuine about the track for me, I guess I just never saw Rhymefest as a diss track artist. The verses were OK at first but continue to get better all the way until the end when he speeds up the tempo and is spitting really fast and kills it. I would like to hear more from Rhymefest too about this, I just don’t know enough about the whole situation to comment, but I do know Charles has been getting into lots of trouble recently with other rappers. He seems to piss people off like Rhymefest and that whole Soulja Boy thing that was made up. That or Interscope is doing some serious leg work to get this dude exposure any way possible.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Q-Tip and friends remix this song off of Q-Tip’s album The Renaissance. Everytime I hear this beat I think of the Zelda game for N64 because the flute in the beat sounds exactly like the flute they play in that video game haha. Busta and Rae go in and Lil Wayne leaves a lot to be desired. In fairness I am not a Weezy fan, I don’t hate him but think he gets far too much credit for his raps. He tries way too hard with the metaphors only to end up having them sound cheesy as hell but then his audience of fans, who a lot do not listen to hip-hop regularly, insist he is the best they have heard, smh. Now that I think about it, I have never heard one person in the industry say they were a big Lil Wayne fan, that should speak volumes to everyone out there. On the plus side, I respect his branding ability, his recording grind and his often unique flow. The man is constantly putting out new verses and tracks so his fans are never bored.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. How do these guys do it? Every song from Spirit of the Apollo has been great. I’m sure I sound like a broken record because that is all I say everytime I hear a new song but I haven’t been this blown away by an album in a while. When I saw Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s name in the tracklist I couldn’t wait to hear a new verse from him and it was great just to hear his unique style again. Also featured on the track are Fatlip of Pharcyde and Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Busta and Fabolous throw some verses on the remix for “Rockin’ That Shit” by The Dream. I can get down with the pop style rap and club remixes, this remix isn’t great but could definitely get some spins in the right rotation at a club. I think Busta has an OK verse on this track and admittedly I have never really been of Fabolous so his verse didn’t impress me too much. I have a feeling the ladies will like this one more than the guys. |
