Educate and excite, inform and infuriate.
December 17th, 2008 — Design, Hip-Hop, Humor
Its laughable gynecological ambitions aside, what may be most fascinating about this long-derided cover for rapper Pooh Man’s 1992 Jive/Zomba album, Funky As I Wanna Be, above, is that it’s one of the most expertly executed ones on the Museum of Bad Album Covers web site.
December 2nd, 2008 — Hip-Hop, Radio
Last week, Farai Chideya, of NPR’s “News & Notes” had on New Orleans native Alvin “Rah Almillio” Lindsey, above, who, with his brother, Kintrell “Krispy Kream” Lindsey, form the hip-hop duo, The Knux. Joining him were Noah Callahan-Bever, editor-in-chief of Complex magazine, and, yours truly.
We were there to discuss a burgeoning style of hip-hop some would say the Knux typify, and that many call “hipster rap,” mostly due to:
November 13th, 2008 — Hip-Hop, Politics
How did I miss MC Yogi‘s svelte and limber “Obama ’08: Vote for Hope,” above? (Yet, somehow, I couldn’t escape Will.I.Am’s pretentious and flaccid “Yes We Can.”)
Hearing “Vote for Hope,” I realized we have firmly entered the era of Barack Obama hip-hop samples. His voice has become an weighty signifier, instantly recognizable, a profound way, when mixed with beats, to give the record a bigger meaning than the content of his actual words. Enjoy this timeless, get-out-the-vote gem.
November 12th, 2008 — Hip-Hop, Humor, Magazines
Alfred E. Neuman meets rapper Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. on the December 2008 cover of MAD. Lil Wayne, wow: You have officially made it.
[via Tom’s MAD Blog]
October 15th, 2008 — Hip-Hop, Music Video
Nothing like an artist disappearing over the horizon, only to return with both jets dripping nitro. That oppressive fuel smell is Q-Tip’s “Move,” from his upcoming album, The Renaissance.
I don’t know if I’m most jolted by the public access grittiness of director Rik Cordero’s aggressively underproduced visuals, above; the brisk, stringy timbre of Q-Tip’s inimitable vocals; or the Michael Jackson-getting-stuffed-in-a-bag disassembly of the Jackson 5’s “Dancing Machine”—fashioned by the late, great Jay Dilla. I just know Q-dog’s bringin’ fire, and my eyebrows just got singed.
[via SpineMagazine.com]
October 9th, 2008 — Black Music, Hip-Hop, Journalism
If L.L. Cool J, above, is not The G.O.A.T.—”Greatest of All Time”—he’s without doubt O.O.T.G.O.A.T.—”One of the Greatest of All Time.”
So, with his 24-year Def Jam contract ending, and only 300 words in The Village Voice to review his 12th studio album, Exit 13, it was a struggle for me to give the work its due, but I’m happy with what I got. Please check it out!
Also, Spike Lee’s World War II drama, Miracle at St. Anna, starring Derek Luke, right, is not doing all that well critically (it’s been roundly panned as flat and bloated), or financially: To-date, it’s only taken in $6.6 million of its $45 million production budget.
I enjoyed it, mostly. (The ending…eh.) Even more, though, I enjoyed speaking briefly with Spike for ESSENCE magazine. The piece is not on the web, to my knowledge, but if you can find the October issue—the one with Mo’Nique on the cover, still on the stands, I think, despite the encroaching Beyoncé issue—our Q&A is on p. 80.
October 8th, 2008 — Black Music, Entertainment, Film, Hip-Hop
All hail the Queen: Photo by Robert Maxwell for The New York Times
Is Queen Latifah gay?
Her flattering and attentive profile in this past weekend’s Sunday New York Times Magazine detailed many aspects of her professional life and career: Over thirty films, two years as host of her own talk show, Grammy-nominated albums, an Oscar nod, her landmark endorsement with Cover Girl, a thriving management business.
But it also raised the question that has attended the Queen, aka Dana Owens, and her reign, almost as long as she’s been in the public eye: Is she a lesbian?
October 2nd, 2008 — Black Music, Hip-Hop, Music Video
I was at the book party, Tuesday, for colleagues Cey Adams’ and Bill Adler’s upcoming tome DEFinition: The Art and Design of Hip-Hop, which outlines the history of graphic art in the form. (I’d urged Cey to do a book about this topic easily a decade-and-a-half before, based on the work his company, The Drawing Board, was doing in the early ’90s for pretty much everything that left Def Jam in those years. I even strategized on how we might do it together, so I’m glad that it finally exists.)
There were many faces in the house I’d not seen in a month o’ Sundays, more I’d never met before, and hugs all around, but easily the most startling reunification was with rapper Positive K, above, who I’d not run into since, well, since I was talking to Cey about doing a book on rap music and graphic design.
September 17th, 2008 — Culture, Drugs, Hip-Hop
After launching in their hometown earlier this summer—where Houston-based Innovative Beverage Group Holdings (IBGH) says it’s “flying off the shelves”—the company has finally brought their #1 stunna, Drank, to the New York market.
“Calming Drink Captures True Taste of Hip Hop Culture,” notes the company’s release.
August 13th, 2008 — Hip-Hop, Humor, Science-Fiction, TV
Check 1, check 2, check 3.1415926535….: Spock keeps the beat
Hip-hop is truly an advanced form of human culture, both musicologically and conceptually. In fact, when you think about the formal proposals it makes, it’s so out there, I’m starting to wonder if it’s actually human culture.
Indeed, as of late, I’m inclined to believe that, like the Pyramids, the Mayan calendar, the Sungbo Eredo, and pretty much everything white people didn’t come up with first, hip-hop was brought to Earth by advanced life-forms from outer space.
And now, with help from Doobybrain.com, I finally have proof.
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