Lebron James has made history...yet again by silencing the same critics that pointed fingers and judged him for living his life earlier this past summer.
Los Angeles prosecutors have declined to file a felony drug charge against T.I. stemming from his arrest last month on the Sunset Strip.
This weekend, Kanye West just released his latest visual work of art via MTV and BET as well as simultaneously streaming live on the web.
Although I can't decide which feeling to ultimately have, this has got to be the funnest or scariest commercial I have ever seen.
The Game is back with a smash, maybe one of the best, songs from his Brake Lights mixtape entitled Pushin It featuring T.I. and Robin Thicke.
In a Major League Baseball historic episode, Texas Rangers pitcher Cliff Lee brought Game 3 of the 2010 ALCS to a screeching halt early leaving the New York Yankees scoreless, speechless and hopeless in an 8-0 Texas Rangers Shut Out win. I actually am a Yankee fan so of course my mouth was in awe.
If you have not witnessed the reemergence of Kanye West's miraculous comeback after his disastrous almost career-ending Taylor Swift altercation/debauchery that happened a year ago, the rock you have been under must have its own kitchen and bathroom because you were obviously pretty comfortable down there.
Finally, the time has come for the visuals to one of my favorite songs from Teflon Don, Rick Ross's latest album to drop.
It seems as if Lloyd Banks is on a roll dropping another potential heat seeker to keep you warm in the up coming winter months. Banks has teamed up with Swizz Beatz, Fabolous, Ryan Leslie and Kanye West to hit the people with the motivational anthem Start It Up. This is my I'm Focused song for the day.
Chris Brown has reached out to some true A-Listers for sure on his remix for Deuces. Hearing any new music from anyone of these particular artists is always a treat but to have Drake, Kanye West, T.I., Fabolous and Andre 3000 on the same track is like having Christmas time come 5 times a year. One for each verse/gem.
In the November 2010 issue of W Magazine, Kim Kardashian graces the cover...in the nude. To be honest, I feel that the shoot was actually tasteful and artistic.
After talking to different people, depending on what side you are on, it seems certain people have mixed feelings about Christopher "Columbus Day" and what it really stands for.
Although some people may not realize it, within the entertainment industry, the phrase "making it" really is just the tip of the iceberg.
Have you ever woke up with a song playing in your head? A random one at that? Every once in a while, my passion for music wakes me up singing these random songs on repeat not being able to start my day until I hear the actual song.
Okay, I can't lie when I saw this commercial I fell out laughing. Its a GREAT commercial and 2k11 has struck Gold with finally being able to add Michael Jordan (not player 99) to a video game.A good music video embraces the song’s lyrics and provides a visual aid for the viewer that interprets the meaning of the song, but a great music video has the viewer rewinding the video to pick up all the double meanings and hidden messages.
The brand new music video for “No Love” Eminem featuring Lil’ Wayne, premiered last Thursday night on MTV and in my eyes, the video is exactly what the doctor ordered.
However, according to lackluster online bloggers like www.idolator.com’s Becky Bain, some people are apparently just too simple minded to understand the pure genius behind this artistic view of school bullies and how some of us find ourselves playing the role of the underdog on a day-to-day basis.
The video opens with a shot of a young boy sporting a black eye and then pans over to a scene that shows him getting pegged by dodge balls as he tries to fend off his bullies by knocking the balls away from his face, since he has no chance of catching one with three attackers simultaneously launching them at him.
Next up we get a shot of the young boy’s room, his walls are covered with Lil’ Wayne and Eminem memorabilia and extra attention is focused on the motto embedded on Eminem’s “8 Mile” poster, “Every moment is another chance,” as the kid hangs his head and sits on his bean bag, contemplating life’s obstacles.
After the sample of “What Is Love” kicks in, Lil Wayne’s verse begins and the boy is shown getting dressed after gym class as the same bullies approach him. They push him around, eventually knocking the fitted cap off his head and pinning him against the lockers.
The bullies continue intimidating and demeaning the terrified youth, but even though the kid has heart, he’s seen looking down at the floor and the viewer can just tell that he’s had enough of their cowardly attacks on him.
Wayne’s verse is very dark, which fits the scenes of the boy being portrayed perfectly, as he raps memorable punch lines like:
“I think about more than I forget/ But I don’t go around fire expecting not to sweat,”
“Ok you want me up in that cage, then I’ll come out in beast mode/ I got this world stuck in the safe, combination is the G Code.”
And:
“Be good or be good at it/ fuckin’ right I got my gun, semi carter-matic” (a metaphor that he’s “strapped” with lyrical ammunition/ wisdom to deal with his foes… not an actual gun, despite popular opinion like simple minded critics such as Bain may be prone to point outJ)
Halfway through Wayne’s verse, the same kid is shown walking through the hallways at school as the lead bully purposely bumps into him, trying to scare him, but finally the victim stares back coldly and the viewer can sense that soon enough he’s going to stand up to this non sense that’s plaguing him.
While Wayne’s verse is dark and portrays the gloomy opening of the video fabulously, the last ¼ of his verse is sped up and has more of an upbeat “I’m going to strike down my enemy” feel to it.
The viewer can sense the change in the young boy’s demeanor as Wayne raps frantically about not being able to keep him down, while the boy in the video fights back for his hat in the restroom of his school as the bullies try to steal it from him. Weezy concludes his verse with:
“You can keep knocking, but won’t knock me down, no love lost, no love found.”
At the conclusion of the bathroom scene, which ends with the young boy being knocked down to the floor after he stands up for himself, Eminem begins what is arguably this year’s best verse in rap, and in my eyes, one of the greatest ever.
As Eminem is shown standing in a recording booth rapping his lyrics, the young boy goes to his house where his father is shown looking at the marks on his son’s face from the altercation and seems to be mouthing something along the lines of “do something about it,” the young boy jumps on his skateboard and heads back to the school as Em raps:
“Man get these wack c*&ksuckers off stage/ Where the f&^k is Kanye when you need him?!”
The verse is incredibly symbolic of the upcoming scene in which the boy is finally ready to make a stand against the bullies, once and for all. Em’s lyrics have an underdog vibe to them, something I haven’t really felt him convey this strong in his music since the “Marshall Mathers LP” days, his wordplay and delivery are amazing and the director of the video does an incredible job capturing the power of the verse on film. As Em spits ferocious bars such as:
“It’s an adrenaline rush you feel the bass thump all the way to the parking lot fellow/ set fire to the mic and ignite the crowd you can see the sparks from hot metal.”
And:
“Till’ I’m toppling from the top I’m not going to stop/ I’m standing on top of my Monopoly board/ That means that I’m on top of my game and it don’t stop till my hip don’t hop anymore/ When you’re so good that you can’t say it/ Because it ain’t even cool to sound cocky anymore/ People just get sick when you spit/ These fools can’t drool or dribble a drop anymore”
The young boy is shown in a separate scene fighting back against the school bullies, punching the leader of the hooligans in the face and then shoving one of his accomplices, however at the end of the video it’s revealed that the boy was just imagining physically fighting back against his foes and instead walks past them now with a new found swagger.
Instead of attacking him like the bullies had in the past, stares are exchanged and the boy continues on his way to class, his enemies are now nothing but irrelevant chumps to him, their immaturity can no longer bother him.
Much like Eminem’s film “8 Mile” the video provides a memorable depiction of the underdogs in our society and how we cope with our daily dilemmas. Overall, it’s definitely not the greatest music video ever, but it definitely was an incredible portrayal of Em and Wayne’s lyrics from the song.
And nothing is stronger within the song than Em’s final bars of his verse:
“You’ll never take my pride/ Killing the flow/ Slow venom/ And the opponent is getting no mercy/ Mark my words ain’t letting up/ relentless/ I smell blood/ I don’t give a f&^k/ Keep giving them hell/ Where was you when I fell and needed help/ You get NO LOVE”
Keep rockin’ it Em, you’ve helped “Recover” rap and for God sakes, somebody FREE WEEZY J
Philosopher, actor, screenwriter, rapper, storyteller, author, director, student, teacher, pupil, and leader all can be used to describe The RZA. However, he’s best known to the mainstream audience as one of rap’s most prominent producers and the founder of the notorious Wu Tang Clan.
Born Robert Fitzgerald Diggs in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, the RZA continues to prove time and time again that his legacy reaches far beyond hip hop….and music for that matter.
I just got finished reading his latest book “The Tao of Wu,” and I’m once again mesmerized at how intellectual and thoughtful he really is, the book touches on many subjects, but mainly focuses on his personal views regarding religion, family, success, and of course, the failures we all encounter, all of which he speaks openly about, from the triumph to the tragedy.
Throughout the book, RZA analyzes the mistakes he made as a youth, tells the story of his idea to bring Wu Tang Clan’s members together to create arguably the most popular rap group ever, vividly describes his life on the streets of NY, including the night which later led him to face attempted murder charges, and gives insight to anybody who reads the book as to how to extract positive energy from negative situations.
“My cousin ODB died because we didn’t pay enough attention. We let him do what the f*&k he wanted. I tell my friends now, “Don’t ever stop me if I’m fucking up. If I’m being a dickhead, let me know, please.” You have to do that, especially if someone is family. Especially if you love them.”
“In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets.”
RZA firmly believes that once you achieve knowledge in your life you can seek wisdom and once both “steps” come together, one may find “love” the strongest of all emotions that the human spirit can experience.
“At first love is like a vacuum that takes courage from your heart. You’re scared around a woman you love. You’re not the same tough dude, the same thug. At first, love weakens you. But soon it makes you strong in ways you couldn’t imagine.”
RZA explains that once you achieve true love, you’ll be stronger than you can possibly imagine and will be at the highest point of your existence, however he also warns that:
“When love doesn’t find its way into your heart, you die.”
He proposes the idea that no matter how much heart one has, no matter how much courage and compassion one exerts, in the end, it’s love that keeps us alive.
“The universe will show you whether your ego is at the steering wheel or you’re using your talent the way God wants you to. It’s going to come to light. No matter how much heart you got, it’s love you need to survive.”
“The Tao of Wu” shows a side of RZA that many may not know exist, given his hard looking demeanor and the fact that the guy is the leader of one of the most feared and respected rap groups of all time.
However, after reading this book I was presently surprised that this man is absolutely brilliant and thrives on learning something new everyday, he’s ambitious, righteous, and ambiguous, but one thing’s for sure, he’s one of a kind.
RZA gives solid advice throughout his book centering on dealing with the loss of loved ones, paying respects to those who came before you, acknowledging and trying to understand all cultures, questioning and learning from everything that is passed down to you, and of course he gives grade A advice on how to become a world renowned music producer, even unveiling some of his personal secrets on classic Wu Tang tracks such as “Can It All Be So Simple.”
The “Tao of Wu” is a must read for hip hop heads and I’d highly recommend it to anyone who’s in search of an enlightening read that’s under 250 pages.
A lot of interesting concepts and beliefs can be derived from the book and whether or not one agrees with RZA’s principles, they sure as hell are intriguing and fun to learn about.
