maybe R&B is the new hip-hop

considering the way amerie's "one thing" sounds and jennifer lopez's "get right" and ashanti's "only you" i'm starting to think that perhaps R&B is actually the new hip-hop. all three beats are kicking-ass hard, and kind of remind me of breaks you'd hear kool herc play back in the day. well, of course they do - if you take what's sampled into account. unfortunately though, hot tracks — lackluster singers. ok, at least one of them can sing. but not one of these ladies packs the power within her diaphragm to push up vibratos through her vocal chords to provide an ample amount of synergy between herself and the beat. do we even know what's uttering out of their inaudible voice boxes? do we even care? where's the grit?

ah nevermind, those got-damned beats are infectious.

posted by lynne | link to this | comment () | trackback (0) |

is it a new day in rap music?

"yeah I used dude voice props to the boy sean/ he made it a hot line I made a hot song" - Cassidy, "I'm A Hustler"

These under 25 rappers are starting to trip me out. One claims he's the king of the south - a title held by Scarface like forever. Another takes a jay hook uses it, then tries to dis him on said song while biting a line jay used to dis nas with. The king of the south dude also samples jay on "Bring Em Out," which makes jay become this somewhat classic hip hop figger (yeah i said figger).

And this cassidy kid goes on to spit - "C-A-double S-I-D-Ycause I became the best when B-I-G died/ the kid do it big like P-U-N cuse/ I'm nice P-A-C with the P-E-N"

Then you got this otha' gamey son out in the West Coast talking 'bout "And i dont do button up shirts or drive Maybachs/ All u old record labels tryin to advance/ Aftermath bitch take it like a mutha fuckin man," on this west side story. And then, "I did a song with Mary Blige, my niggas/ Got a hook from faith/ No verse from Jay/ I guess on westside story/ He thought i spit in his face/ I told Ed Lover and Monie Luv/ I was talkin to Ja/ With that maybach line/ It was payback time." And on top of that this game one - he's still at it illmatic, you heard.

Aight, so at least he doesn't take shots at hip-hop's most recent legends.

It's a new day in rap music for sure. I suppose it's time for all the old heads to move out the way, 'cuz these cats are definitely trynna' take over - and they'll stop at nothing. And since they're all popping out real big after 50 - though a few of them have been in the game earlier - they've learned a few lessons from him.

1. Dis the hottest nikkas and it'll advance your career.

2. Also do as many raps as you can that contain similar flows as Jay-Z, Eminem, 'Pac, or BIG.

3. Sound hard and thuggish, even if you ain't a real gangsta' - just tell stories that people will believe.

4. Get shot or stabbed, or shoot or stab someone.

5. Get the hottest beats from the hottest producers, and make sure you have a hook that the entire world can sing (even if they don't want to, but it'll sound so much like Barney's "I Love You" that they'll have to).

I'm not knocking kids. I see 'em coming up. But they got a lot of bullish confidence - on one side that's a good thing - a real good thing, but on the other side of the coin, it's like "smack" "sit down nikka" "learn yo' ass some lessons first".

posted by lynne | link to this | comment () | trackback (0) |

if i were a southpark character

This would be me were I a South Park character. Go make your own here

posted by lynne | link to this | comment () | trackback (0) |

sidekicking it from Cote d'Azur/Nice/Cannes

Funny, but getting away from the hustle and bustle of work and life for just a short weekend, can mean such a world of difference. There's nothing better than the marvel of such beautiful landscapes. But the reality of this all is - it's back to the grind, w/out haste. Oh wait, the grind was going on even there, but somehow it felt different.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot there was this too

posted by lynne | link to this | comment () | trackback (0) |

gig @ xxl

Publication or Company : XXL Magazine/Harris Publications

Industry: Magazine Publishing
Salary: Competitive
Benefits: Health, 401K
Job Duration: Full Time
Job Location: New York, New York USA
Job Requirements:

The fastest-growing national hip-hop music magazine seeks an experienced,creative and self-motivated Lifestyle Editor with a sharp eye for spotting hip-hop trends to edit non-music departments, including fashion, accessories, electronics, video games and automotive. Candidates should be extremely organized, detail-oriented and able to handle multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment. In addition to hiring, supervising and managing freelance contributors (stylists, make-up artists, etc.) candidates must have contacts in fashion, electronics, video games and the automotive industries. Significant knowledge of hip-hop music and culture required. The
Lifestyle Editor will also serve as a key liaison between the advertising and editorial departments. Must have at least 3 years of senior editorial experience. Email cover letter, resume and salary requirements by January 17 to mary.choi@harris-pub.com

Special Instructions : No Phone Calls. Please include a cover letter with a resume as an attachment and e-mail to: mary.choi@harris-pub.com

NO FOLLOW UP E-MAILS, PHONE CALLS OR FAXES, PLEASE!

posted by lynne | link to this | comment () | trackback (0) |

the big web takeover

One could wonder why Def Jam owns the domain ludacris.net, but does not own the domain ludacris.com. One could wonder further about the owner of the domain, a C. Williams (Crosley Rec.) who resides in ATL and what his connection to your boy T.I. might be. 'Cuz anyone googling Ludacris, who might find ludacris.net, the def jam site in the #1 position on any given day, believe that the ludacris.com domain isn't going to be far behind.

Now here's the hack.

We all know of the beef 'tween Luda and T.I., or former beef as it's been put forth by T.I. - a skit on a Luda joint, a lyric or two on a T.I. mixtape, the disses on the Game's song. But when someone is gully enough to put an iframe on ludacris.com that calls up trapmuzik.com to appear on that main index page, one has to wonder if in fact the beef has come to a rest.

That's just so gangsta'.

Someone probably got fired behind not checking on the expiry of that domain too.

posted by lynne | link to this | comment () | trackback (0) |

sick and tired of being sick and tired

my next post was supposed to be some reactionary statement to that greg tate hip hop turns 30 piece, or at least to all the blogs that were referencing the piece. but to be quite honest, i'm over it.

anyone who read my conversation with corey or who has been following my little space here in this web universe since day one, in 2001, knows my views anyway. but something much more interesting to me came to the fore recently in this conversation that Candicissima (aka kittypower) had with Jay (aka hiphopmusic). it kind of reminds me of that piece i once wrote for drylongso :Imagining a Gender Neutral Black Male/Female Relationship.

you see, i realize that my voice or any other female's voice often gets lost in what has been dubbed the hip-hop blogosphere. but, truth be told, i do not write a hip-hop blog, i write about what moves me - and that's mainly music and technology, and being a black woman issues relating to my blackness or my womanhood are always going to be tackled here. this writing space is about my life — what i live, what i feel, what i think. no popularity contest here. no trying to find myself. i'm going to say what i mean and what i want, whenever the need arises.

but i've noticed that these hip-hop blogs (or even these political blogs) end up being a testosterone fest, fueled often by competition and of course the outshowing of who has the most knowledge of any given particular subject. most women just don't waste their energies in this type of atmosphere. and i'm not saying i'm different than most, and i can't even speak for them, but...

if you hear me, you hear me, and if you don't you don't. if you respect me, you do so because of who you believe i am (lord i hope it's not b/c of my so-called accomplishments - 'cuz in the grand scheme of what's wrong with our patriarchial culture those things add up to naught).

there's no point i'm stressing here. just a feeling i'm developing from observing this blog culture and that conversation i read that got me off on a lot of tangents here. lots of them.

i could boast and have you peep my hip-hop card, 'cuz it can never be revoked no matter how old i get and no matter if i'm ever not down with the music. i'm going to only say these things once - and only once. regardless if the fellas aren't feeling me or if they are, no one can ignore that i know what i'm talking about when it comes to hip-hop (and that's whether you want to call it old skool, mid skool, or new skool) as i've told you before, my history runs deep. but just like my history, i find my position in this space to present challenges at times. sure there are probably a lot of females out there discussing hip-hop music and culture on the web, but they haven't been invited to join the select cadre that seems to exist. and often i wonder, if i did not work where i work, or hadn't written x amt of articles over the years, whether anyone would be checking for this female voice either.

again, this is nothing new to me. i've been the lone b-girl down with the male crew since day one. since back in the bronx when chicks pushed me to the front of the dance circle b/c i could dance as good as or better than the b-boys. from when i first took an interest in DJing, and was the only lass studying with one of the great cutmasters — DJ Whiz Kid (who i'm told taught Jazzy Joyce). from whence i ran with project kids who taught me to tag and make markers. to emceeing as the only female in a male troupe as both a youth and as an adult (and poetry performance project based in BK), to being the only honey in editorship at a hip-hop publication back in the 90s. been there, done that. i'm not looking to be this single female voice that speaks for the female view in hip-hop culture, just b/c of where i've been, who i've known, or what i've done. but i've noticed that cats ain't checking for or seeking out other dimes to tell their stories.

maybe it's got to do with nature or nurture. women are known to be thinkers, thinking before they speak, and males often blurt out what's on their minds before they even check their rhetoric. so they're (women) not speaking up when these conversations arise, or maybe they are, but their voices are getting lost b/c dudes seem to only acknowledge other dudes. this definitely has me wondering whether the female voice is even respected in these kinds of conversations.

and so i guess in some way, this brings me to the greg tate piece. i'm not nostalgic about hip-hop past. i pretty much lived it, and i'm not the only one who has. what i do know is that hip-hop's evils are endemic (if i may use that word) of America's evils. we can't just point the finger at hip-hop when we have these discussions about the apathy of youth, or misogyny. hip-hop is a culture borne of American culture. they go hand-in-hand. yet, the hip-hop i know, came out of a need to make a way out of no way, not for profit or gain. it was a creative force, founded on the pillars of dance, graf, emceeing, and djing, as a response to innner-city struggle - the modern-day inner city blues. what the emcee rapped about was not always so pretty, though there was a lot of party and bullshit and of course boasting, but often it was the grand story of inner city plight. i'm not knocking today's hip-hop, and like some of my contemporaries who do, i never will. many of today's MCs still master that and still tell those kinds of stories. they don't glorify, yet they've earned money off of telling it and so they tell more of it, be it true or not, be they far removed from it or not. the commodification and transnational aspects of the music (industry) itself have dictated what sells and what doesn't. how come ain't no one taking viacom or interscope to task for this? guess 'cuz it's easier to point the finger at the minstrel player shucking and jiving for his piece of the American pie.

...

"And it seems to me that if the Negro represents, or is symbolic of, something in and about the nature of American culture, this certainly whould be revealed in his characteristic music." - LeRoi Jones, Blues People

...

So I get the argument. What is this music being produced, largely by black bodies, saying about the black self as a whole?

...

"...the reaction and subsequent relationship of the Negro's experience in this country in his English is one beginning of the Negro's conscious appearance on the American scene." - LeRoi Jones, Blues People

...

Clarence "Pine Top" Smith was one of the earliest pianists to record a boogie-woogie" piano solo. His 1928 tune "Pine Top's Boogie Woogie" was the first recording to be labeled as such and and had a great deal of influence on all future pieces in that style.

"I want you to pull up on your blouse, let down on your skirt, Get down so low you think you're in the dirt...
Now when I say "Boogie!" I want you to boogie;
When I say "Stop!" I want you to stop right still...

...

Nelly was born Cornell Haynes Jr. in St. Louis, where he encountered the street temptations so synonymous with rap artists.

"I need to see you take it down to the floor/ Spread your wings, if you real, ma, fly real low/ Pause for a second ma, grind real slow/ And if you do it right/ All day we'll go...

I don't see nothin wrong/ Drop down and get your eagle on"
...

So I suppose at this juncture it's not ludicrous to ask whether black music has evolved or not. Or whether today's black music truly represents the "black experience" in America. A long time ago on the afrofuturism listserv — exploring futurist themes, sci-fi imagery and technological innovation in African diasporic technoculture — I once asked, "If i am black and you are black and we share not an experience between us, then what is "the black experience?"

...

I did say that I was going to go off on a lot of tangents didn't I? And I've probably asked a lot more questions than I've answered or left a lot of open holes. And I've probably drawn no conclusions. I may even get smashed for this post. But at least I'm saying my part.

If the profiteers of this music you hip-hop heads love so much, continue to make the same kind of music over and over again (and you continue to praise these efforts), then perhaps you don't want to see them evolve as people or as artists. And if Jay-Z is one of the artists that you feel really represents this music, then think about what Elizabeth Mendez Berry observed in a Voice piece (also published in Da Capo Best Music Writing 2004) from 2003...

"Now, after nine studio albums and undisclosed millions in revenue, Jay-Z says he's retiring from rap. He claims that he's no longer inspired by the hip-hop world, but the content of The Black Album and his contemplative conversational tone suggest that he isn't just bored by what other people are doing—he's bored by the alter ego he's outgrown. The risk-averse rapper calculates, however, that it's the smooth criminal the public has fallen for—the reason he can sell athletic footwear without a jump shot—and he's not about to jeopardize his financial future. Instead, he's doing his best to preserve the myth for posterity."

and of course you remember Ta-Nehisi Coates, "Keepin' It Unreal..."

"At its core the hubbub around Get Rich and the return of gangsta rap is crack-era nostalgia taken to the extreme. Imagine—articulate young black men pining for the heyday of black-on-black crime. Like all nostalgia, neo-gangsta is stuck in history rather than rooted in current reality. The sobering fact is that the streets as 50 presents them, brimming with shoot-outs and crack fiends, do not exist."

...
Now I'm not at all offering that hip-hop is dead, but something is definitely afoot here. And y'all gotta' admit that a lot of mediocre shit is getting peddled as hip-hop proper (make that gospel).

posted by lynne | link to this | comment () | trackback (3) |

that greg tate piece

ambivalentsins (6:25:29 PM): why is everybody talking about this greg tate piece?

lynneluvah (6:30:48 PM): hee hee

lynneluvah (6:30:55 PM): i was about to put up my post about it too

lynneluvah (6:30:58 PM): i just haven't had time

lynneluvah (6:31:01 PM): have you read it

ambivalentsins (6:31:20 PM): yeah....i think i've been asked to write my opinion about it on my site

lynneluvah (6:31:42 PM): i'm gonna

ambivalentsins (6:31:45 PM): my only problem with articles like this is...

lynneluvah (6:31:45 PM): join the fray

lynneluvah (6:31:56 PM): i studied him

ambivalentsins (6:31:58 PM): why are all this educated people looking to hip hop for solutions ? lol

lynneluvah (6:32:01 PM): when i was learning to be a journalist

lynneluvah (6:32:09 PM): but they're not

lynneluvah (6:32:15 PM): i think that's the point folks miss

lynneluvah (6:32:21 PM): see to really old heads

lynneluvah (6:32:26 PM): hip hop is not just this industry

lynneluvah (6:32:28 PM): it was a culute

lynneluvah (6:32:30 PM): culture

lynneluvah (6:32:35 PM): like the cover of the

lynneluvah (6:32:38 PM): voice said

lynneluvah (6:32:41 PM): folk art

lynneluvah (6:32:42 PM): whatever

lynneluvah (6:32:45 PM): and usually folks art

ambivalentsins (6:32:48 PM): right..

lynneluvah (6:32:53 PM): is involved in political stances

lynneluvah (6:32:55 PM): change

lynneluvah (6:32:56 PM): etc

lynneluvah (6:33:02 PM): if you look around the world

lynneluvah (6:33:07 PM): i think the angle also is that

lynneluvah (6:33:16 PM): since it's a multibillion industry

lynneluvah (6:33:19 PM): and has so much clout

lynneluvah (6:33:28 PM): y r the folks who've come up in the industry

lynneluvah (6:33:34 PM): not doing more for the af am community overall

lynneluvah (6:33:39 PM): not specifically the music

ambivalentsins (6:33:42 PM): right....however....

lynneluvah (6:33:58 PM): u know i'ma post this convo

lynneluvah (6:34:02 PM): so say what you mean

lynneluvah (6:34:11 PM): this is the easiest way for me to get my opinions out about this

lynneluvah (6:35:00 PM): where'd u go

lynneluvah (6:35:04 PM): i want the however

ambivalentsins (6:35:05 PM): if you look at run dmc's first 12...it was "it's like that" on one side, and "sucka mc's" on the other.....one is a social record..the other is a party record..i think the two have always existed simultaneously in hip hop..only now..that hip hop is pop..........

lynneluvah (6:35:14 PM): oh yes

lynneluvah (6:35:17 PM): balance

lynneluvah (6:35:24 PM): but balance is lacking nowadays

lynneluvah (6:35:29 PM): in the music itself

ambivalentsins (6:35:35 PM): have the records all seemed to slant to the party side...because...that's what white america aka..the record buyers want to hear

lynneluvah (6:36:10 PM): and in the images that the purveyors of the culture

lynneluvah (6:36:12 PM): push to the fore

lynneluvah (6:36:18 PM): nah

lynneluvah (6:36:22 PM): i wouldn't say that

ambivalentsins (6:36:22 PM): what i know is...white america is not so fascinated with our struggle as they are our style

lynneluvah (6:36:28 PM): oh of course

lynneluvah (6:36:33 PM): have you ever read leroi jones

ambivalentsins (6:36:38 PM): yeah

lynneluvah (6:36:39 PM): amiri baraka's blues people

ambivalentsins (6:36:45 PM): right

lynneluvah (6:36:47 PM): the same things about jazz in there

lynneluvah (6:36:49 PM): and the style

lynneluvah (6:37:04 PM): but why is is that we always gotta take that to the x degree

lynneluvah (6:37:06 PM): ?

lynneluvah (6:37:18 PM): it's almost as if slavery has taught us nothing

ambivalentsins (6:37:19 PM): hmmm

lynneluvah (6:37:23 PM): now i'm all for shaking my ass

lynneluvah (6:37:27 PM): don't get me wrong

lynneluvah (6:37:36 PM): but again if this is a multibillion dollar industry

lynneluvah (6:37:46 PM): and black men make a lot of the decisiions in this game now

lynneluvah (6:37:52 PM): though there is still the white aspect

lynneluvah (6:38:04 PM): could not more be done for urban plight overall

lynneluvah (6:38:07 PM): not in the music

lynneluvah (6:38:09 PM): but in general

lynneluvah (6:38:13 PM): or do i have to accept this as

lynneluvah (6:38:20 PM): class division

ambivalentsins (6:38:20 PM): i think when people are disenfrachised so long....at some point...it's like the movie "bamboozled"...they knew what they were doing was wrong...but wrong didn't outweight their poverty..so they put the tap shoes on and danced

ambivalentsins (6:38:29 PM): ding ding ding

lynneluvah (6:38:30 PM): oh of course

lynneluvah (6:38:41 PM): so what have you seen people saying

lynneluvah (6:38:44 PM): i saw jason post

lynneluvah (6:38:48 PM): and he linked to folks

lynneluvah (6:39:00 PM): i saw hashim and jay and jeff chang and oliver wang

ambivalentsins (6:39:12 PM): yeah, i read all of those too

lynneluvah (6:39:18 PM): i know hashim said greg tate is an old man

lynneluvah (6:39:22 PM): and i didn't get that angle

lynneluvah (6:39:24 PM): did you

ambivalentsins (6:39:26 PM): nah

lynneluvah (6:39:36 PM): so are you gonna post about it

lynneluvah (6:39:44 PM): this will be a never ending discussion though

ambivalentsins (6:39:45 PM): yeah, i think i will

lynneluvah (6:39:50 PM): i think i will too

ambivalentsins (6:39:51 PM): lol right...

lynneluvah (6:39:55 PM): but this will be my entry point

lynneluvah (6:40:01 PM): til i can sort out my thoughts more

ambivalentsins (6:40:03 PM): i'm just not with people who romantize the golden years

lynneluvah (6:40:13 PM): oh

lynneluvah (6:40:15 PM): and i hear that

ambivalentsins (6:40:18 PM): scott la rock got shot in the golden years

ambivalentsins (6:40:22 PM): so did tee la rock

lynneluvah (6:40:24 PM): there was a lot of party and bullshit back then

lynneluvah (6:40:28 PM): but do remember

lynneluvah (6:40:37 PM): that bam started these break dance comps

lynneluvah (6:40:44 PM): to try and end real battles in the streets

lynneluvah (6:40:47 PM): replacing them with dance

lynneluvah (6:40:59 PM): and do remember that melle mel's the message came out of that era

lynneluvah (6:41:08 PM): although all those cats were caught up in cocaine at the time

ambivalentsins (6:41:09 PM): oh..no doubt...

lynneluvah (6:41:14 PM): but again

lynneluvah (6:41:22 PM): i don't think people are just talking about the music

lynneluvah (6:41:26 PM): when they say hip hop

lynneluvah (6:41:31 PM): they are talking about a larger thing

lynneluvah (6:41:34 PM): regardless

ambivalentsins (6:41:37 PM): yes...

lynneluvah (6:41:39 PM): we are hip hop

lynneluvah (6:41:41 PM): u and i

lynneluvah (6:41:44 PM): like it or not

ambivalentsins (6:41:47 PM): the larger thing is always over looked though

lynneluvah (6:41:49 PM): it's what era we came up in

ambivalentsins (6:41:50 PM): yes..we are

lynneluvah (6:41:54 PM): the work we do a product of it

lynneluvah (6:41:56 PM): to an extent

ambivalentsins (6:42:03 PM): but...we're also BLACK

lynneluvah (6:42:07 PM): sactly

lynneluvah (6:42:17 PM): i think you're going where i am

ambivalentsins (6:42:19 PM): and somehow.....hip hop and the black thing....are trying to be.....seperated

ambivalentsins (6:42:26 PM): slowly

ambivalentsins (6:42:30 PM): corporately

lynneluvah (6:42:37 PM): whoa yeah

ambivalentsins (6:43:02 PM): it's like one day, some white kid is going to stand up and say hip hop is MINE....see the blues

lynneluvah (6:43:03 PM): yeah see i ain't mad at the capitlization and corportation of hip hop

lynneluvah (6:43:13 PM): corpratization

lynneluvah (6:43:18 PM): damn cant spell

lynneluvah (6:43:23 PM): thats not what i'm mad at

lynneluvah (6:43:31 PM): cuz lots of folks got to eat off of that

lynneluvah (6:43:38 PM): but we're not pimipin it

ambivalentsins (6:43:40 PM): no doubt.. i'm all for eating lol

lynneluvah (6:43:41 PM): someone else is

ambivalentsins (6:43:45 PM): right

lynneluvah (6:44:01 PM): and to play on that pimp thing

lynneluvah (6:44:12 PM): the movie you mentioned

lynneluvah (6:44:20 PM): the blaxploitation of the 70s in film

lynneluvah (6:44:33 PM): america loves a black funny man, pimp, drug dealer

lynneluvah (6:44:37 PM): just outlaw in general

lynneluvah (6:44:41 PM): as the main image

lynneluvah (6:44:45 PM): of well blackness

lynneluvah (6:44:51 PM): and when i say america i do not mean you or me

ambivalentsins (6:45:16 PM): i think the best quote i heard is....."how is that a corporation can make an artist sign a record contract, take total control over his image...but then act as though they have no power over influencing the direction he takes the lyrics" - krs one

lynneluvah (6:45:29 PM): word

ambivalentsins (6:45:40 PM): i mean, there it is in a nutshell

ambivalentsins (6:47:01 PM): what scares me most though, is the apathetic attitude hip hop listeners have..."hip hop is dead...nothing is good anymore.....nodoby's saying anything anymore".....i hear it waaay too much...

lynneluvah (6:47:16 PM): but again

ambivalentsins (6:47:19 PM): without it..would we really be celebrating kanye as a rapper?

lynneluvah (6:47:23 PM): that's an old heads vs new heads thing

lynneluvah (6:47:30 PM): cuz when you ask my 14 yr old niece

lynneluvah (6:47:35 PM): she'll tell you hip hop is banging

lynneluvah (6:47:53 PM): there's a class thing going on here

ambivalentsins (6:47:55 PM): lol my 18 year old cuz'n called snoop dogg old skool..i fell out

lynneluvah (6:47:56 PM): a race thing

lynneluvah (6:48:08 PM): and a generational thing

lynneluvah (6:48:20 PM): yeah my niece calls a couple of folx old skool that trips me out

ambivalentsins (6:48:20 PM): yes...and it's happened before

ambivalentsins (6:49:08 PM): the bad thing is...the kids today, have no teenager producing any classics...that scares me

ambivalentsins (6:49:40 PM): rakim had a classic under his belt at 16...nas at 19....krs-one at 19......

ambivalentsins (6:50:19 PM): they were brought up on good music, and it was easier for them to produce good music themselves....kids today are simply imitation hip hop's worst parts

ambivalentsins (6:50:22 PM): *shrugs*

lynneluvah (6:50:52 PM): hmm

lynneluvah (6:50:54 PM): let's see

lynneluvah (6:51:04 PM): can't say TI made a classic yet

lynneluvah (6:51:07 PM): yep you would be right

ambivalentsins (6:51:16 PM): i mean, think teenager

ambivalentsins (6:51:19 PM): there are none

lynneluvah (6:51:21 PM): cuz that's the only artist that comes close in these young cats

lynneluvah (6:51:25 PM): no that j kwon kid

lynneluvah (6:51:27 PM): what tipsy

lynneluvah (6:51:32 PM): hmmm

lynneluvah (6:51:44 PM): i can't think of any younger than...'

lynneluvah (6:51:45 PM): damn

ambivalentsins (6:52:12 PM): i listened to special ed's first album recently...and when i remembered he was only 16...i was blown away

ambivalentsins (6:52:29 PM): back in the day....the art form, was truly embraced by the kids...

lynneluvah (6:53:09 PM): word

lynneluvah (6:53:12 PM): you speak truth

lynneluvah (6:53:15 PM): no doubt

ambivalentsins (6:53:20 PM): now...the baller lifestyle is imitated...u don't see little girls dancing in the street doing the entire routines they saw on a video

ambivalentsins (6:53:31 PM): that shit used to be norm

lynneluvah (6:53:53 PM): hmm...

lynneluvah (6:53:55 PM): actually i do

ambivalentsins (6:53:57 PM): 4th graders with rhyme books....used to be norm...nobody wants to be a great emce..everybody just want to be rich

lynneluvah (6:54:05 PM): but i don't know if you want to see the lil girls doing the dances i see them doing

ambivalentsins (6:54:11 PM): lol

lynneluvah (6:54:11 PM): word

lynneluvah (6:54:14 PM): i had my rhyme book

ambivalentsins (6:54:15 PM): u stoopic

ambivalentsins (6:54:18 PM): stoopid

lynneluvah (6:54:20 PM): nah for real

lynneluvah (6:54:23 PM): the lil girls

lynneluvah (6:54:30 PM): i mean there have always been video hos

lynneluvah (6:54:37 PM): and u know the luke era

ambivalentsins (6:54:42 PM): right

lynneluvah (6:54:43 PM): but these vids today

lynneluvah (6:54:50 PM): thin line btwn them and porn

ambivalentsins (6:54:55 PM): hmmm....

lynneluvah (6:54:56 PM): though some i think are artistic

lynneluvah (6:55:00 PM): and i ain't hatin

lynneluvah (6:55:03 PM): come on

lynneluvah (6:55:05 PM): tip drill

lynneluvah (6:55:12 PM): and other stuff on uncut

lynneluvah (6:56:03 PM): the videos with the models i'm not talking about

ambivalentsins (6:56:07 PM): when i was 18..my old dude asked me what i wanted to do when i got older...and i said..."get paid".....he then reminded me there is no job called "getting paid".....and i think hip hop needs to be reminded about cultivating the talent, and getting your skills up..and if you do that, at anything, you will get paid

lynneluvah (6:56:14 PM): i have nothing against melyssa and that ilk

lynneluvah (6:56:27 PM): yeah

lynneluvah (6:56:36 PM): but instead we have a lot of mediocre talent out there

lynneluvah (6:56:48 PM): lately i been thinking about writing a post called why i hate hip hop journalists

lynneluvah (6:56:54 PM): so much mediocrity out there

ambivalentsins (6:56:58 PM): and it's not just about emceeing...we need more hip hop writers, photographers, etc

lynneluvah (6:57:03 PM): oh word

ambivalentsins (6:57:34 PM): the whole shit i think is being....compromised...yeah, that's the word, compromised

lynneluvah (6:58:05 PM): yeah

lynneluvah (6:58:10 PM): it's cyclical though

lynneluvah (6:58:13 PM): think about it

lynneluvah (6:58:20 PM): like why there is no real R&B today

lynneluvah (6:58:27 PM): and that happened even before hip hop

ambivalentsins (6:58:31 PM): imagine this....50 cent finishes a recod..and jimmy iovine, a middle aged white dude walks in a room and says..not gangsta enough..not that's compromising lol

lynneluvah (6:58:34 PM): it's b/c of the pop direction

lynneluvah (6:58:44 PM): lol

ambivalentsins (6:58:52 PM): r&b wanted to be hip hop

lynneluvah (6:58:56 PM): yeah

lynneluvah (6:58:57 PM): and pop

lynneluvah (6:59:08 PM): michael jackson coulda been the biggest r&b star

lynneluvah (6:59:14 PM): what happened?

lynneluvah (6:59:19 PM): other than you know ...

ambivalentsins (6:59:21 PM): true

ambivalentsins (6:59:39 PM): well, and prince just wanted to be a musician...so that fucked that up lol

lynneluvah (6:59:45 PM): lol

lynneluvah (6:59:46 PM): playa

ambivalentsins (6:59:51 PM): and sade only wanted to release every 7 years lol

lynneluvah (6:59:54 PM): i gotta rest my head on this for today

lynneluvah (6:59:57 PM): you getting silly

ambivalentsins (7:00:00 PM): lol okay

lynneluvah (7:00:02 PM): when you putting up your post

lynneluvah (7:00:04 PM): ?

ambivalentsins (7:00:08 PM): late tonight

lynneluvah (7:00:10 PM): k

lynneluvah (7:00:17 PM): well i'll put this up today

ambivalentsins (7:00:20 PM): gotta think on it

lynneluvah (7:00:29 PM): and i'll move to part II when i actually know what i wanna say

lynneluvah (7:00:32 PM): so if i put this up

lynneluvah (7:00:35 PM): it's gonna make you speak

lynneluvah (7:00:37 PM): really soon

ambivalentsins (7:00:40 PM): lol

ambivalentsins (7:00:48 PM): k

lynneluvah (7:00:57 PM): i'm for real

lynneluvah (7:01:02 PM): i am not editing out a thing

lynneluvah (7:01:04 PM): word for word

ambivalentsins (7:01:10 PM): k

lynneluvah (7:01:13 PM): and we're both gonna have to come with the realness

ambivalentsins (7:01:21 PM): bet!

ambivalentsins (7:01:27 PM): *gets in b-boy stance*

lynneluvah (7:01:30 PM): lol

posted by lynne | link to this | comment () | trackback (1) |

for my house heads - new music from josh one

Josh One recently released his new CD/DVD-Audio DualDisc "Narrow Path" on Myutopia Recordings, an imprint of Silverline Records. Josh One has always been at the helm of new technology and will lead the way with Narrow Path on DualDisc. Fans will surely relish this album as one side is a CD and the other side is a DVD-Audio disc complete with 5.1 surround sound mixes of the entire album, visuals, bonus video content, and more.

Josh One has become a recognized name amongst tastemaker DJs and music lovers around the globe. His first commercial remix was for “Po’ Folks,” a song that went Platinum for Nappy Roots and Atlantic Records. The King Britt remix of Josh One’s hit single “Contemplation” vaulted to the top of the UK and European DJ charts and became a bona fide house anthem, a staple at dance clubs around the world. Everyone from Masters at Work to Danny Tenaglia played it to their devotees, UK magazine The Face named the single one of 2002’s tunes of the year, and the track has since appeared on numerous DJ charts, mix CDs, and compilations worldwide.

Listen to tracks:

Miss Me |

Midnight Samba |

Endless |

posted by lynne | link to this | comment () | trackback (0) |

it don't get no better

"Go, Go, Go/ 50 in the house/ Bounce/ Ya'll already know what I'm about/ The flow sounds sicka/ Over Dre drums nigga/ I ain't stupid, I see doc, then my dough come quicka" - 50 Cent, "Disco Inferno"

When I wrote "Hip-Hop's Holy Trinity," about 50's debut success as an extension of Dre and Em's success there were 2 things I didn't know at the time. One, that the piece would end up in Da Capo Best Music Writing 2004, or two, that I'd be privy to hearing material from the next project before it was even mixed down. All I got to say is that as a person dude has grown, so therefore as an artist - lyrically - he's also grown. Beats are sick of course, how could they not be with Dre at the helm, along with Scott Storch, and production even by Hi-Tek. Don't know that it'll reach Get Rich Or Die Tryin' numbers, but I can say that from what I've heard I'm quite pleased.

posted by lynne | link to this | comment () | trackback (0) |

singles have more fun..

Here's my singles countdown from '04. And it was really a challenge since I limited myself to 5, but then I got creative. See...

5 to get your dance on in the club

1. J-Kwon - Tipsy
2. Terror Squad - Lean Back
3. LL Cool J - Headsprung
4. Ciara - Goodies
5. 50 Cent - Disco Inferno

Honorable Mention:
Alchemist - Hold You Down (featuring Prodigy, Nina Sky, and Illa Ghee)
Mobb Deep - Real Ganstaz

5 to get your love on in the tub

1. Alicia Keys - Diary
2. Usher - Can You Handle It?
3. Mario - Let Me Love You
4. Kanye West - Slow Jamz (featuring Jamie Foxx and Twista)
5. Lloyd Banks - Karma (remix featuring Avant)

Honorable Mention:
Fabolous - Baby (featuring Mike Shorey)
LL Cool J - Hush (featuring 7 Aurelius)
Usher, Ludacris, and Lil Jon - Lovers And Friends

5 to get your grown and sexy on

1. R. Kelly - Ladies Night
2. Anthony Hamilton - Charlene
3. Jill Scott - Whatever
4. Teena Marie - I'm Still In Love
5. Prince - Call My Name [ed: also good for the love in the tub]

Honorable Mention:
Joss Stone - Spoiled
John Legend - Ordinary People
New Edition - Hot 2 Nite

5 to wind ya waist to

1. Vybz Kartel - Tekk
2. Lil Jon and the East Side Boys - What You Gon' Do (Remix featuring Elephant Man and Lady Saw)
3. Lady Saw - I've Got Your Man (Remix featuring Remy Ma)
4. Capleton - Or Wah [ed: although he's a big ass homophobe - this song is mad sick]
5. Beenie Man - Dude (Remix featuring Ms. Thing & Shawnaa)

Honorable Mention:
Vybz Kartel - Picture This
Rupee - Tempted to Touch
Kevin Lyttle - Turn Me On (Remix featuring Spragga Benz)

Honorable Mention[Strictly Roots]:
Sizzla - Haven't I Told You

Honorable Mention[Reggaeton]:
Anything with Don Omar, Daddy Yankee, or Pitbull together with a dancehall or hip-hop artist

posted by lynne | link to this | comment () | trackback (1) |

the gadgets you'd love to have, or not

Sidekick II
This is a gadget that makes so much sense, yet it's still a little on the large side with dimensions of 5.1 x 2.6 x 0.9 inches. It's currently a TMobile only device, and with the $100 off, for a total of $199 for the device, you're getting it a lot cheaper than I did. It features an integrated camera with flash, speakerphone, 6MB email acct included plus ability to add up to 3 pop or IMAP accounts, even with SSL. It also has both AOL and Yahoo IM, a real web browser and serves as an International phone with Tri-band (1900, 1800, 900 MHz). The unlimited data plan is just $29.99 and if you want to add 600 minutes of talk time, your gonna' pay $59.99. I use this baby religiously. Now it's not all good either. At first, the swivel opening top got the best of me, and those folks who I see using it as a phone with the top open because they don't realize they can talk with it closed irritate me. Yet, since you can't dial #s with it closed maybe for them it makes sense. But if you activate your voice dail, all you gotta' do is use the speakerphone. There's no infrared beaming capability to send contacts to another device, like that old trusty 2Way I used to own, but that was a dinosaur anyway. I'm also really not fond of the fact that it's not bluetooth enabled so that I can use a wireless headset (yes, they have adapters to remedy that nowadays) or to sync any information with my 'puter.

Motorola A630
I'm hoping to take this baby for a spin in the next couple of weeks. When it comes to size, this gadget has others in its class beat for all the features it's loaded with. The dimensions are 3.74 x 1.93 x 0.92 inches, and though I used a friend's recently and liked the way it fit into the palm of my hand, I'm totally unsure about typing on that mini QWERTY keyboard. As a plus, when the top is flipped down for phone usage, the numeric keypad is easily accessible on the front of the phone. It's bluetooth enabled so you can basically keep it hidden while talking. Bluetooth capabilities also include connecting to any PC or MAC and transferring images and other multimedia files, or synchronizing your phonebook, calendar and other vital information via Mobile Phone Tools 2 accessory software - which BTW most folks on message boards say doesn't operate all that well. Some folks have even reported experiencing problems with accessing email. Also a camera phone, the a630 is a lot like the Sidekick. You can send e-mail, picture, and text messages while talking on the speakerphone and chat with your friends using AIM. It also has tri-band phone capabilities for global jet setters. To the best of my knowledge, it's a T Mobile only device and costs around $149.

Ogo
Now this is one of those gadgets that make absolutely no got damned sense to me. It reminds me of those Internet-enabled machines that connect you to the Internet, but don't do much else, or better yet, how about those keyboards you hook up to your TV to send email with. Wack! Ogo comes from AT&T Wireless, also nowadays knows as Cingular, since the merger that is. The device currently costs $79.99 and features unlimited dedicated IM, e-mail, and text messaging for $17.99/monthly. I guess it's cool as a handheld wireless device enabling you to do all those things that you don't want to carry your laptop around all the time for - besides laptops only perform these functions at hotspots anyway. But in these days of the all-in-one devices, this device simply doesn't make complete sense. It looks a little weird, and won't exactly fit into the palm of your hand with dimensions of 4.5 x 2.95 x 0.98 inches. The main problem with Ogo is that you can't use it as a phone and it doesn't have a calendar function. But don't take my word for it though, because my opinion is all based on technical documenation. It's not something I've taken for a test drive yet, and I'm not really interested in doing so anyway.

posted by lynne | link to this | comment () | trackback (0) |

The Year '04 In Mixtapes

Here's My Top 5

1. The 1st Murderous Installment By Kardinal Offishall Kill Bloodclott Bill Vol. 1 Written And Directed By Kardinal & The Black Jays

2. Dirty Harry Presents Red Dead Revolver - Dirty's Road To Justice

3. DJ Kay Slay Streetsweeper Presents Certified Troublemakerz Part 5 Hosted by Slim Thug

4. Mos Def Illson Media Presents Medina Green U-Know The Flex The Mix Tape Vol. 01

5. MF Doom ... MM Food

Edit: And I forgot these honorable mentions...

DJ Ayers, DJ Eleven, Cosmo Baker, et. al - The Rub: It's The Motherfucking Remix

Grand Hustle Presents Gangsta Grillz - DJ Drama & The P$C - Down With The King

Edit Redux: MF Doom...MM Food shoulda' made it to my albums list but by default it made the mixtapes list - b/c I love it like I love mixtapes

posted by lynne | link to this | comment () | trackback (0) |

10 for the count...

I probably should have spent more time whittling this down, but in saving face --- since the folks at the Village Voice had to send me an email to remind me that I was late with my list --- I decided to make the best of it. Let me again reflect on the year in music --- bah, it was wack! Nothing really had me in awe or held my attention long enough. So this list was really hard, and probably not as well thought out as it should be. Perhaps I should have opted for just doing a singles countdown, or went with my heart like my boy Jeff. But anyway, here it is - without descriptions. But I will say that TV On The Radio is got damned excellent and Gwen Stefani is so hip-hop.

10 Amp Fiddler - Waltz of A Ghetto Fly (Pias America)
10 John Legend - Get Lifted (Sony)
10 Kanye West - The College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella)
10 Usher - Confessions (La Face)
10 Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand (Domino)
10 Prince - Musicology (Sony)
10 TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (Touch And Go Records)
10 Ghostface - The Pretty Toney Album (Def Jam)
10 Gwen Stefani - Love, Angel, Music, Baby (Interscope)
10 Vybz Kartel - Up 2 Di Time (Greensleeves)

posted by lynne | link to this | comment () | trackback (1) |

Da Big(uh) List of 2004

This is not in order, nor by any means is it finished - it's a work in progress - in a week or two i'll have it down to my top 5 (in order) or so - then i'll be the hotness like jason, ej, KB, Rex Sorgatz, Sasha Frere Jones, and countless others who really put these lists down with deep contemplation.

Again - this is a work in progress and in no particular order

Amp Fiddler - Waltz of A Ghetto Fly (Pias America)
John Legend - Get Lifted (Sony)
Kanye West - The College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella)
Usher - Confessions (La Face)
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand (Domino)
Prince - Musicology (Sony)
TI - Urban Legend (Atlantic)
Mos Def - The New Danger (Geffen)
Vybz Kartel - Up 2 Di Time (Greensleeves)
Gwen Stefani - Love, Angel, Music, Baby (Interscope)
Nas - Street's Disciple (Sony)
Jean Grae - This Week (Babygrande)
DJ Dangermouse - The Grey Album
Jay-Z/Linkin Park - MTV Ultimate Mash Ups Presents Collision Course
Dizzee Rascal - Showtime (XL)
Talib Kweli - The Beautiful Struggle (Geffen)
Greyboy - Soul Mosaic (Ubiquity)
TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (Touch And Go Records)
Ghostface - The Pretty Toney Album (Def Jam)
Chops - Virtuosity (Vocab Records)
DJ Ayers, DJ Eleven, Cosmo Baker, et. al - The Rub: It's The Motherfucking Remix (itstherub.com)
Grand Hustle Presents Gangsta Grillz - DJ Drama & The P$C - Down With The King

Check back for updated list, in order, with descriptions - CDs will most likely be excluded and others added

Check back for top singles list

Check back for top videos list

Check back for top mixtape list

Edit: This list will forever be a work in progress, because I don't really remember thinking that any album was great this past year. Like nothing I bumped the entire year. Or nothing that I constantly wanted to listen to each track over and over again. I loved a lot of singles though.

posted by lynne | link to this | comment () | trackback (2) |