I love everything Jack said about identity and confidence. I love J*DaVey and this had to be one of the best recent interviews so far because it addresses the break from Warner Brothers. Seems like it was decision based on them having to wait to release music and the to earn money for their art. So I was probably a good decision to jump off the WB wagon. I love the portions from Mr. ?uestlove in the video.
It's Tuesday, the day after Monday and a few days after Friday (Rebecca Black). My throat is a little sore and has been for about a week now. My nose is congested when I wake in the morning and sometimes at night. The weather has gotten awfully sticky and hot but I take comfort in knowing that I'll be dipping in a pool by the end of this week. I'm not gonna talk about my woes and my comfort.
I really wanted to talk about the royal wedding, the reason it's so publicized is probably because the word royalty has the connotations of extravagance attached-- gold, diamonds, velvets and crowns. Kate Middleton is about to be a princess. Some little girls as young as three desire to be princesses but few actually become princesses. I wonder if Kate Middleton dreamed that she'd fall in love with a prince and have her wedding be the most anticipated event of the year?
For some reason weddings are a big deal for the brides but the grooms usually sit back and think about the single life that will soon get away from them. I hate to generalize or stereotype so I'm not gonna say all men. I imagine lots of men have grandiose imaginings for their weddings and the woman they choose to marry. The idea is sweet but the really the idea should begin to set in that you'll be spending your life with that person. Marriage usually is supposed to be forever or at least until death does one of the individuals apart. Now that idea is sad...
Now even I'm excited about this royal wedding, I'll probably cry for Kate. Young love is beautiful but I'm sure this wedding will be one of the best days of her life. That is pretty much that's the pie and the sky for a lot of woman to be safe and secure in a marriage and in love.
One group I will never give up on is J*DaVey and it's not because I've met them a couple times. They're two dope individuals with a sound that's all their own and I think that's rare with black artists these days. Too many bands are trying to sound like everyone else. What I respect about J*DaVey is that even with their unique sound they continue to evolve and build upon their creative landscape. You can hear the difference in their music from their buzzworthy tune 'No More' from back in 2006 or 2007. I think they're always up for new sounds and styles. It's pretty cool.
I admit I was a little surprised and confused when I heard that they'd split with Warner Brothers before they could even put out their first anticipated full length album perfectly named 'New Designer Drug'. I think they wanted sole ownership of their art which allowed them 100% profit for sales but that also means they're not relying on the label for promo or needed funds. I really hope they're successful with that.
I love this new video that duo put out. It's called 'Raincheck' off of one of their Mistapes: Evil Christian Cop. It's a very sexy video well suited for the song I suppose. The guy hobbling about is actually Jack Davey real life boyfriend so I'm sure the steamy shots in the video weren't as awkward as they could've been. I love the song, I like the reverse actions they have going on (sorry, i know it's been done before but it always gets me). I think it's one of their best videos as far as quality and presentation.
Also check this podcast out, nice little performance of all the recent mistape faves and some new ones that definitely have me interested in what they've cooked up for their album.
I hope HVW8.com doesn't mind me stealing their pic but I loved the colors and Brook's little eyes looking on.
Brook D'leau the man behind the music of J*Davey @ HVW8 Gallery
I'm definitely anticipating more music. The EPs they've been releasing have been cool but they're like teasers. More please...I'll wait patiently :)
So, Beyonce's song has leaked in HQ glory with Lil Jon' screaming over the track. I gotta say that at first I appreciated it but at the moment it's starting to wear off. I see what Bey was trying to do. I'll probably dance to it when I hear it on the radio or anywhere else but it coulda been a lot better. I like 'Pon Di Floor' in its original form now that I've heard it. 'Axx on the Floor' also used the sample so then you have that also impacting the sound of the song. I think it'll grow on everyone but I can't really say it won't get old fast. It's already getting old for me.
I'm sitting at my friends' computer listening to this gem. I think I like these guys. Plus they look like a cool duo. EDITED: Sorry, I realized I posted some joker rappin' over the beat. Ugggh. My bad. Next time I will check.
The Stony Brook I-CON sci-fi convention is over, and I had fun getting asked for millions of pics dressed as Uhura from Star Trek. Now it's back to reality, soul 2 soul :) Philly here I come.
This blog would not be complete without me talking about The-Dream. '6-7-2011 I'ma drop that Love Affair' We knew The-Dream wasn't retiring especially after we heard that Sex Intelligent Remix which he sang those very lyrics on to imply that he'd be releasing an album on June 7, 2011. Mr. Ruxpin lied. Here I have an article with The-Dream stating his new album should be done by August. I blame Justin Bieber.
National Treasure, Beyonce Knowles, will soon be releasing a new single named 'Girl'. Which is such a great name because it's been used so many millions of times /sarcasm. I'm anticipating her single but as I said on Twitter, once it hits the airwaves it'll be on a continuous loop until our brains are complete mush. The B stans are already hopping up and down in their cotton socks. Some have even heard the song which she apparently shot the video for. Maybe it is sure to be hit if it includes samples from this little diddy which was already sampled by...Diddy and Dirty Money
Check it.
Major Lazer is new to me. Even if it does include the very cute Philly DJ known as Diplo.
I was just thinking to myself, I could really use an e-mail or word from someone today. A nice chit chat would be nice. I'm at work right now. I hope something eventful happens today, I hope to meet someone new and fun. Those aren't always a given even though the opportunity to meet someone new is pretty much there everday. We pass so many strangers on the street, each with their own story and each with their own minds filled with thoughts and words that they're itching to utter or trying very hard not to reveal.
I wish I could make a promise to myself to speak to the strangers who look interesting althought it'd suck if they turned out not to be so interesting and instead a complete horror. You can't judge books by their covers but then we've all been judging for so long. When does it end? Is anyone ever at peace with their view of others. So many people change in our eyes so easily with just a word or an action. It's scary to even trust one's own mind to sustain any sort of perspective. I think acceptance or forgiveness are fair when learning about people and their actions. But it makes it impossible to ever really have a clear head and a clean slate with all those people we encounter or get to know. Does a "clean slate" even exist?
I'm happy to say that I've just about completed my application. Just getting out some essays from my mind. Essays are interesting. They make you think and wonder about your life and they make you write thoughts down clearly and concisely. You have all the time to think about it but then you remember you should probably edit it because it sounds like you're just mixing mushy life lessons with typical affirmations. I hate them but then I've really enjoyed wondering about the questions. Pondering is fun but actually typing it out and editing and proofreading and listening to my own thoughts rambled on MS word is quite another story.
Yeah I'm glad I already shared my thoughts on R&B, a lot of the singers these days don't seem very talented. That's a bold statement I guess but I'm kind anot even saying what I want to say with that statement.
It seems like stuff that's in fashion is easily passed and begins to fill the medium of our culture. Of late I'm noticing a gradual shift to a type of experimental R&B. Someone already tried to coin it PBR&B. The name sucks but I won't get into that. Some of the bands that I think go into the direction of the experimental/hipster (sorry to use that word) ar
The XX
This collective seems to have picked up some steam over the past couple of years. I like their sound. It's very unique but it's definitely a quite stand still and look at the stage type of gig. Often referred to as perfect lovemaking music heh. I definitely like XX a lot. They have soft yielding voices that you have to be grateful for these days.
The Weeknd
~ This guy with the eversoft voice sounds like The-Dream smothered in eerie samples. I don't think he's hard to digest and Drake definitely co-signs this guy but I'm sure some of it just goes over my head
James Blake
James Blake is a long bloke with an R&B/soul/dubstep edge I courageously downloaded his entire album onto my laptop and iPod. I say courageously because while he does sing a little a lot of his tracks are gospel organ impressions and looped verses and long pauses. I found one of his song verses replaying in my head. One of his best songs though is definitely 'Limit To Your Love' his English accent echoes over the smooth commanding beat. It was definitely a perfect blend. He has more music online but he most recently released a self-titled album which is worth checking out. James Blake, "Limit To Your Love" by blatanti
Frank Ocean
I'm still not sure how I feel about the Odd Future collective but this guy can actually sing. Here's his rendition of Strawberry Swing. I don't know if Odd Future is considered hipster-music oriented. Frankly I find their raps quite scary and a little side eye worthy but again just go with it. This guy is working with Beyonce so he's already earning his stripes
How To Dress Well, this guy likes The-Dream in the way that I like The-Dream. Sometimes you just have to sit back and appreciate the greatness of The Radio Killa and his audacious often ridiculous lyrics. I find the sound on most of their released tracks a little hard on the ears and seem rather poor quality and unsmastered; but he does have a smooth sound like most of the people mentioned above. I like their sound overall.
So you kinda have to embrace this new movement, if it's okay to call it a movement. We'll see where it goes together. Either way I'm enjoying the music.
Lauryn Hill quotes Nicki Minaj and thoughts arise within me
Friday, April 1, 2011 || 3:56 PM
THE MISEDUCATION OF THE BARBIE NICKI MINAJ IN MS. LAURYN HILL'S MONSTER SHOES
I would have liked to have posted yesterday afternoon whilst at home but the post that I'm working on is long. I was doing a little piece compiling Hipster/Experimental R&B which seems a trend in music at the moment but also I was thinking about The Fader.com and their recent post on Lauryn Hill's usuage of a Nicki Minaj catch phrase. So I'll try and post both tonigh if I can. Plus I want to say something about this Snooki/Toni Morrison stuff.
So here's the message
First, why can't Lauryn Hill be on time for shows? A lot of people think that her star power should cut her some slack but that's not at all justifiable. Michael Jackson wasn't late for shows. I'm not saying she's Michael Jackson but a performer's timeliness is a sign of respect. It's happened at far too many shows. The show she did here in Philly was very late on a weekday night, the crowd wasn't unsettled by being there at 12 am because the show started at 11pm but in some cases people have a place to be, Ms Hill. Okay so she shouldn't be persecuted for arriving late but at some point you would think her ways would change.
Okay onto her quoting Nicki Minaj....Gosh that 'Monster Guiseppe heel that's the Monster Shoe' , I can't even listen to Monster anymore. We played that song to death this Fall and Winter and really probably it's best we let it rest. I'm not saying I wouldn't dance to it in the club. My real reason for this post is to compare and contrast the career paths of these two ladies.
Ms Hill blew up with Miseducation, an amazing album that people my age and maybe a couple years younger are fortunate to say we "grew up on". Unfortunately, our children today will have Lil Wayne's and Gucci Manes to say "oh that was the music of my yesteryear! Brrr!". But that's another post. She made her millions, collected her Grammys and then disappeared from the scene only to reappear with clear mind, a brand new baby afro, a guitar and some attitude. It left us giving side eye but at least she's performing again. Her lyrical stylings in The Fugees were unmatched then and they're still unmatched now. A little 16-year old girl would probably like to go at my head about how crazy gaudily dressed Lauryn of this decade would lose in a rap battle with Nicki but I'd refer her to The Score and send her on her merry way.
I told my sister, Nicki and Lauryn did similar numbers and both reached the youth. It's amazing what kids respond to. Lauryn Hill had a melody that made sons, daughters, mothers, grandmothers and fathers respond to her music. Nicki is mostly image but people respond to her because she has a sound that attracts. In my personal opinion much of the appeal of Nicki is drawn from her lyrics which are really like some zainy nursery rhymes. In no way am I throwing shade at Nicki. I think her personality switching is good, she's a fun performer and rapper but her album provided a different side of her. It would however be cooler if she were to drop some knowledge like Lauryn did such as..."I wrote these words for everyone who struggles in their youth..." Because the youth are struggling. Correct? Especially the black youth in schools especially. The 106th crowd can quote her rhymes front to back, in and out and round and round and sideways. Wouldn't it be amazing if she said something prolific and deep? I mean I know that's not what the Young Money crew normally expresses but it'd be cool if she could make a record like that while she has the ear of the young people. And I mostly speak about young people myself included because it's not the responsibility of those older than us.
This is some soap box stuff...So back to the careers of both ladies. Ms. Lauryn is both more natural and a little deeper but Nicki Minaj has an amazing story because she came from the ground up with ambition. She has seriously earned her top spot because of dedication to hip-hop. It bothers me that a lot is made over whether her posterior is real or fake. I wish her image was a little bit toned down, but in a way similar to GaGa , it's what people like the most. Lauryn Hill had an image too "deep artsy meets a little pop" she wore dreads and was quite fashionable. No one ever wondered about her butt though. I think we should love our bodies and celebrate our curves but is she selling sex or the music? Probably a little bit of both. That show Love and Hip-Hop wanted one of their female rapper/singer to walk that fine line and surprisingly she wasn't having it. I say surprisingly because very few female rappers besides Ms. Hill haven't done so. It's a real testament to the quality of music when you can be a female artist who does not reveal some skin. Now I'm not being a prude. I think artistically done, showing some skin can be beautiful and celebratory but when it's raunchy and over the top in your face, it's noticeable and even some of your young peers have to wonder. Why can Rihanna show me her boobs but she can't step up her live performances?
I'm done. I just think the variation in what we're consuming is clear in this decade but the message has clearly changed. I wonder if I am I the only one scared and bothered a little by that.
