AR Radio

I've never really been a big David Banner fan.  His music is ok, but I've never been impressed enough to go out and buy any of his music.  Well, last night he really changed my mind.  He put on an explosive show and it reminded me of going to see LL Cool J when I was younger.  He had a great stage presence and really connected with the crowd.

Last up was Talib.  He's easily one of the best rappers alive and watching him live was great.  It seems so easy to him.  The more I hear his music, the more I have an appreciation for it.

After the show, we went to the Little Brother after party as well as a going away party for my friend.  The club was packed shoulder to shoulder and the DJ was hot.  It has been a long time since I have been able to stay out until 2:30AM, but I am definitely feeling it today.  I am no longer meant to crawl into bed after 3AM.  I have a headache and I can't seem to keep my bearings.   That's ok, I had a hell of a time and I'd gladly do it again.

Just a not on being backstage.. it is prety cool, but it's not what most people expect.  There were some women of course, but it's not as if there were just a ton of groupies hanging around naked.  That would have been cool, but that was definitely not the scene.  The guys from Little Brother were great.  You would have thought they were just any other guys.  Talib was the same.  I didn't see David Banner at all, but I heard he was the same.

Toute personne s’intéressant de près à l’actualité hip hop vous le dira, cette année rapologique est bien terne. Pendant que les artistes underground annoncent des classiques qui finalement ne le sont pas, les grosses têtes du rap game peinent à convaincre. Les écoutes de disques se multiplient sans qu’aucun ne prenne véritablement aux tripes. Mais au beau milieu de ce triste univers, quelques malins réussissent leur coup pour le plus grand bonheur de nos chères oreilles. Murs For President est de ceux qui m’ont séduis.
Sans surprises à la vue du titre de l’album, l’introduction s’apparente à un discours politique s’achevant sur les mots suivants : "But it’s also very easy for a new candidate to sucombe to the pressure in the mains in the majory / So what exactly is the direction of your campaign ?"
L’interrogation est lancée et Murs va tâcher d’y répondre avec brio. La production du disque est confiée à des hommes tels 9th Wonder, Nottz ou encore Will.I.Am. Des gros noms il y en a mais pas tant que ça. Comme quoi, avoir les producteurs les plus prestigieux ne résoud pas tout, n’est ce pas Monsieur Termanology ? Murs For President est un produit uniforme où tout semble s’enchaîner sans qu’il n’y ai d’écart de qualité entre les morceaux. C’est tout juste si la distinction entre les producteurs célèbres et les inconnus se fait. Sur "Everything", LT Moe (le producteur ) reprend même le refrain de James Blunt de "I'll Take Everything". Le résultat est bluffant. Le beat proposé colle parfaitement à la voix du chanteur britannique ainsi qu’au flow de Murs. Sur cet opus, chaque titre a son rôle à jouer, rien n’est laissé au hasard. "I’m Innocent" se charge d’ouvrir le bal après l’intro sous forme d’interview présidentielle. Ici, tout le monde pourra reconnaître la patte de 9th Wonder de part les voix pitchées omniprésentes tout au long du morceau. En revanche sur "Love and Appreciate II" l’ancien Little Brother propose un instrumental nettement plus émouvant où l’auditeur se retrouvera bercé par les violons et la voix de Tyler Woods, au refrain. Une merveille de merveille ( jeu de mot ).

Les chansons passent et les rythmes virevoltent. Will.I.Am est invité à co-produire et à rapper sur "Lookin Fly". Les trompettes ici présentes font repenser à des musiques de courses poursuites dans les cartoons des années 50. Sur ce titre on imagine tout à fait le bip-bip détaler à tout vitesse à la vue du coyote, un vrai régal. Tantôt ahurissants, tantôt soulful, les instrumentaux se suivent et ne se ressemblent en rien. Murs occupe l’espace musical à la perfection. Sa voix, son flow, sa technique, tout convient aux productions proposées. Les rares featuring sont placés idéalement dans la mesure où chaque musique correspond à l’univers de chacun. Ainsi Snoopy Doggy Dogg a droit à son couplet sur le fumant "Time Is Now". L’ambiance est typique au crooner. Les quelques notes de piano viennent border la voix de velours du chien de Long Beach. Le disque s’achève comme il avait débuté, à savoir par un titre produit par 9th Wonder, bien plus en forme que sur The Formula. Il semblerait que ses collaborations avec Murs lui ait redonné des ailes. "Breakthrough" conclu de fort belle manière ce magnifique album.

Murs For President est un disque sans fioritures ni déchets en tout genre. Son auteur a évolué sans pour autant s’orienter vers des sonorités commerciales. Cet album marque une charnière dans la carrière de l’homme dans la mesure où l’on ressent sa volonté de s’ouvrir vers d’autres horizons que celles de l’underground. Cet opus est doté d’une richesse incomparable que ce soit dans la musique, l’atmosphère ou le style de rap proposé. Aux antipodes des artistes d’aujourd’hui qui foncent têtes baissée vers l’argent et la gloire, Murs a parfaitement compris ce qu’il fallait faire. Il a su bâtir son album de A à Z de la façon la plus intelligente qu’il soit, loin des imbéciles qui se lancent des défis commerciaux plutôt que de travailler leurs disques. Dans le rap game il y a ceux qui ne pensent qu’à être dans le top 10 des plus grosse fortunes du hip hop et ceux qui avancent en silence, doucement mais sûrement. Murs fait partie de ceux là et à la différence des autres il fait progresser sa musique et le hip hop en général. Si il existait des élections dans le rap vous pouvez être sûr qu’avec un tel programme, Murs aurait de grandes chances d’être élu. Il aura fallu attendre fin septembre pour enfin voir un zeste de lumière dans ce tunnel rapologique très assombrit ces temps ci.

Candidat Murs, sachez que votre projet m’a particulièrement touché. Je vous accorde toute ma confiance car je sais qu’avec vous à ses cotés, le rap se portera à merveille.

17 / 20

By now, most teams have started their conference schedules. So naturally, here's a top 10 (if I don't get lazy) Heisman ballot.

1. Chase Daniels, Missouri, QB. Daniels had a great season last year and he's building on it even more this year. Daniels has already thrown for 12 touchdowns, and has a 76%(!!!!!) completion percentage. Mizzou's got a great play maker in Maclin who is definitely helping Daniels' Heisman push. Daniels has a chance to really distance himself from the other Big 12 qbs with games against Nebraska, #21 Texas Tech, and #5 Texas coming in the next few weeks.

2. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, QB. Bradford experienced some early success last year, but a lot of credit was given to Oklahoma's outstanding offensive line. He's proving that he's a terrific qb in his own right, with 16 touchdowns and a 209 rating.

3. Colt McCoy, Texas, QB. McCoy's actually got the highest rating of the 3 Big 12 QB's. He's also got a lot more Vince Young in him than I realized (the good Vince Young..not the emo NFL qb stuff. How is VY not even an NFL starter??!!?!?!? WTS!?!?!? Expect the winner of the Red River Shootout to get a leg up in the Heisman chase.

4. Knoshown Moreno. Moreno was a trendy preseason pick for the Heisman and he's been doing his part to carry Georgia's offense. Moreno's racked up 10 touchdowns and some unbelievable hurdles, but his Heisman candidacy took a hit (along with Georgia's national title chances) following Alabama's beat down. Looks like the black was for a f&!@**** funeral. But this hurdle was huuuuuuuuuuuuuge for points:

5. Javon Ringer, Michigan State, RB. Ringer has been an absolute stud for Michigan State so far, putting the offense on his back. He already has a 187 carries, and is still averaging 4.7 ypc. Not bad for the "little-brother" school in Michigan.

6. Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech, WR. Crabtree's been tagged as the top NFL wide receiver draft prospect in the country. His stats are definitely impressive, but some of it's gotta be a product of that pass-wacky system in Texas Tech.

7. Jeremy Maclin, Missouri, WR. I guess it's hard for noobs like me to distinguish between a qbs success and his star wide recevier. According a to the one Mizzou fan I know, Maclin is the better player. Meh. Mebbe I should swap Daniels and Maclin then.

8. Eron Riley, Duke, WR. We gotta give some love to the surprising Dukies, who actually destroyed (not just beat) an ACC team (although it was Virginia). Riley was mentioned by Mel Kiper as a legit NFL prospect, and he's 2nd in the NCAA with 6 touchdowns. Riley's definitely the cog of the Duke offensive. Look at this sick catch: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3133/2500723805_24b320bacc.jpg?v=0

And check out this amazing touchdown catch.

9. Tim Tebow, FL, QB. Max Hall, BYU, QB. FL's loss to Ole Miss was a huge blow to Tebow's heisman hopes. He's already had some subpar (by his insanely high standards) game so far. People have been talking about how a Tebow with lesser stats means a better FL; so far, the same old problems have plagued the gators. No reliable rushing attack outside of Tebow and Harvin, and a questionable D. But Tebow could shoot up these rankings if he follows his promises in the press conference following the Ole Miss loss; Tebow guaranteed he would work harder than any other player in college football. We'll see. In other news, tim tebow's a playa.

10. Max Hall, BYU, QB. Meh. I'm not a fan of non-BCS conference Heisman hopefuls.

DJ Stylus chop's it up with Phonte (of Little Brother) in NC . Shouts to Tunji!

DJ Stylus sits down with Phonte (of Little Brother) in DC for a dope conversation. Shouts to Tunji as this shit has a slew of quotables. Exactly what you'd expect from Phonte. Hit the jump for performances of Daykeeper & The Way You Do It.

Daykeeper

The Way You Do It

Message: Statik Selektah ft Little Brother, Joe Scudda, Chaundon - On the Marquee

Statik just fired off a brand new record for us to put up off his upcoming album (which is incredibly dope). Chaundon on the hook! Stick 2 the Script in stores October 21st.

DOWNLOAD: Statik Selektah - On the Marquee f. Little Brother, Joe Scudda & Chaundon | MediaFire
PREVIOUS: Statik Selektah - For the City f. M.O.P. & Jadakiss

2. "Turn The Lights Down Low" - The High & Mighties - Album release party tonight in Chapel Hill at Mansion 462.  They go on at 10:30, if you are in town, check them out.

3. "Politics Time Again" - Buju Banton - Will McCain show up for the debate tonight?

4. "ABC" - Prodigy of Mobb Deep - Gangsta Shit.

5. "On The Hotline" - Pretty Ricky - For reader Butros...this is is favorite band.

CLICK HERE TO PLAY THIS WEEK'S JAMS

So I decided to put up a few of my favourite hippity hop tracks which have that jazzy feel about them, that real soulful feel. Download these, you won't regret it.

If you liked the Kanye West song I posted in an earlier post ('We Can Make It Better') then you will LOVE these:

Pete Rock & CL Smooth - T.R.O.Y (They Reminisce Over You)

Little Brother - So Fabulous (samples 'Wild & Peaceful' By Kool & The Gang, amazing, amazing beat. The sample was used so well)

Slum Village Feat D' Angelo - Tell Me

Souls Of Mischief - '93 Till Infinity

The Pharcyde - Passin' Me By

A Tribe Called Quest - Jazz (We Got)

The Roots - Mellow My Man (one of the best songs, ever.)

Miles Davis Feat Nas & Olu Dara - Freedom Dance Jazz

Now, I have all of Guru's Jazzamattaz album series, unfortunately though, I don't have them on computer, but you should definently check those albums out. They are perfect if you are looking for that jazz-hip hop fusion music.

Enjoy.

If day to day I could do the things I dream about life would be much simpler.  I would like to spend most of my time listening to music, watching movies, hanging out playing cards and games with friends (bubble tea is required for this as well), training in wushu without any interferences unwelcome interferences and having my girlfriend close by to laze around with. I know none of these seem like luxuries and maybe isn't what you expect when talking about dreams. You might say I get these things already. The only thing preventing me from living my dream is money. Money and work. I don't much like work, but I work because I need money. Not so I can buy things but so I can pay bills so people don't harass me. Take away the bills and the fact that the things I like to do will invariably cost money, then I wouldn't have to work. Life would be fantastic.
Work is a necessity that we all endure because food and shelter sounds great. Plus we need a little spending money to do the things we enjoy. How grand it would be if you could live off of what you enjoy. Get paid for dreaming.

I go to work and think about the things I would rather be doing, and thats it, thats mostly my whole list of things which I outlined above. I'm not against mounds of money, infact a lot of it would be spent making the people around me comfortable so they could live their life fulfilling dreams as well. But as it stands with money being the root of all evil, you can't live even the basic dreams without financial stability and hence a job.

I feel as though I've been chasing the futile thought that I can live life as a dreamer. The hard truth is it may have kept me from actually being able to live a dreamers. I'm not where I would like to be career or money wise. Luckily my life has only just started and I have a supportive family and group of friends. So I want to be a dreamer, first I have to be a worker.

every now and then you gotta ask yourself
Do you really wanna win or just look good losin?

It's time to start winning the privilege of being a dreamer.

]]> http://thoughtsticks.wordpress.com/?p=93 Sun, 21 Sep 2008 18:37:50 +0000 gloomp http://thoughtsticks.de.wordpress.com/2008/09/21/september-21-2008/ Last night-to-morning I started and finished Little Brother by Cory Doctrow, cover to cover. I could barely keep my eyes open during Sunday Morning, and I spaced out for long moments while watching the cover story on "The Mortgage Crisis." By now I'm feeling more awake.

My hands are bitterly cold from a milkshake I had not too long ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gu_dq2ENYs

Download the album sampler here.

Tracklisting

1. Take Off The Blues
2. All or Nothing
3. Something To Behold
4. If This Is Love
5. If She Breaks Your Heart