killa kerry?

who you callin' 'yellow'?

I hope that a comment on yesterday’s post was a joke said in bad taste. However, I know that the person who made the comment ‘tends’ to vote in favor of Republican policy and believes in many of the GOP’s ideas. His comment:

i cannot vote for a guy who actually killed asian folks

At this moment in time any humor I may have found in the statements outrageousness was overwhelmed by a sickening sense that it would not be beyond Karl Rove to deny involvement in ‘push poll’ calls to Asian-American voters asking “Would you vote for a candidate who has personally killed Asians?”
I replied:

check the stats on who has sent more people to death...
it seems that you would be inclined to vote for the one candidate who protested the atrocities he witnessed in war...
i'm glad you won't be voting for the party that refuses to listen to concerns such as yours, back then and now. they would question your patriotism for speaking ill of one our troops doing his duty.
your stance against unwarranted violence against other cultures can only lead me to the conclusion that you would support the democrats this time...

I think we’re all pretty sick of Kerry deciding to prove his manhood by referencing his time as a soldier waaay more than his time as an objector. JT of Mouther had some information to add to the discussion. Part of his comments are presented here:

…if they somehow believe that either Kerry, Bush, or the Bush administration/family PERSONALLY remain pristinely untouched by world events that "killed Asian folks" like the Korean War (of which my father was a survivor), they are DREAMING. Neither has their hands clean…
…Since neither candidate, and neither party, is personally "clean" of this involvement, I would probably tell the person writing this comment is that the overriding goal would be to elect someone whose PARTY at least HELD ITSELF OUT to stand for expanding the rights of minority peoples both abroad + in the U.S…

I pledge allegiance…

em points to audience left... his right...

Let this be one of the million points of light as the new Eminem video for “Mosh” burns across the blogs, the chat-rooms, and ‘the internets’…
It’s amazing that the imagery of hooded youth lining up to register to vote can have such a revolutionary tone but it truly makes images of smashing icons, burning effigies, and toppling statues seem rather tired. I thought that Big Boi plugging “Fahrenheit 9/11” on the BET Awards was going to be the peak of hip-hop joining politics this year… but then Angie Martinez (of the hugely popular and mainstream radio station Hot 97) took a bunch of her listeners to the Moore flick out of her own pocket and sense of activism… then the ‘Vote or Die’ registration push surged, which is admirable, although the presentation of issues that matter to these new voters has not been presented in an exciting or relevant way. Although the Eminem song/video is light on specific details it is pulsing with a passionate call to arms… to pull levers! Or tap screens! Or punch chads? The flat graphic of Ipod-sillhouette hoodies stomping through video-game rendered streets with an animated Lloyd Banks, a high-contrast Marshall and a stand-out soldier, should be sent to every young voter in the swing states.
I though LL was gangsta when he slipped a FUBU plug into a GAP commercial but the most ‘hip-hop’ move I’ve ever witnessed is an album promotion disguised as revolution… which really doesn’t bother me if the job gets done… but let’s hope it’s the other way around.
Could MTV dare to NOT run the latest from the record industry darling? If it was any other artist I would say they could… But even if they don’t run it, it will get to the audience…thank Gore for the internets…
One question: When Em chants “Carry on! Give me hope! Give me strength!” don’t you think his rhyme book has it scrawled “Kerry on!”…?
C’mon kids…put on your hoody, get your swag on and stomp to the booth November 2nd.

( Charge it to Pop Life who credits Hua Hsu )

knockin' timb's

Even in london they say, "Tim, We love ya"
They even call me things like wicked, and the effin' Govnah"

Governement Names put us on to this Timbaland mix by Bigg Rome exposing the origin of many of his ‘world music’ samples. It doesn’t take away from Tim’s ‘creative’ depth so much as re-emphasize his ‘crate-ive’ depth.
The ‘Indian Carpet’ sample is hilarious because it really sounds like that is what the vocalist is saying. The flamenco handclaps that become Missy’s backbeat was a surprise to hear as was the ‘All Y’all’ melody which I would have sworn was an Asian record but turns out to be Irish!

Tweet track restores balance to universe

Something new, something different
So would you please give a warm welcome to
The Rhythm

Missy always comes back to reconstitute the hip-pop radio formula (she brought us Timbaland, nonsense rhymes that we all memorized, and the first backwards chorus) and she’s doing it again with the new Tweet song ‘Turn da Lights Off.’ Sadly she’s the weakest part of the track but we’ll let her slide because she rights a wrong that always stuck in my craw.
When Biggie dissed ‘Kwame and those fucking polka-dots’ most folk could understand the ‘played-out’ fashion criticism of the Notorious line but, damn, why he pickin’ on harmless ol’ Kwame for a sucker-punch-line?

The man we all know and love (Big, even you know his name is Kwame-eee) has been on the grind in the shadow of that dis for a minute now. Producing as K-1 Mil, he even scored a certified hit with the Lloyd Banks/Eminem seal of approval called ‘On Fire.’ But don’t call that the comeback because it is Missy that realigns the scales of justice when she screams out on the opening samples of ‘Turn da Lights Off,’ ‘Kwame! We gonna take ‘em back like polka-dots.’

The scratched intro along with the pitched up and chopped vocal sample (‘You’ve been so good to me…If-if-if this world were mine…’) combines with a drunken string-sounding sample filtered through your grandma’s old radio and memory. There is Prince-like underwater piano sound that plinks under Tweet’s vocals. The dreamy concoction gets cut through by a rewind here or a backwards drum track there but stays held together by a chopped Tweet chorus (T-T-Turn!-Da!-Lights!-Off!) that sits right on top of the bump!-bump!-bump!-bump! Her high pitch ‘Try to put the needle back on the record…’ balances the screwed down vocals ‘Let’s make a toooooaaast…’ that get sucked down with the distortion of that opening sample.

I’m always waiting for a new Youngbloodz, Freeway or TI song and The Boy Genius is providing the tracks for all of their upcoming joints. Nas is joined on my short list of ‘Hip-hop Artists That Made Me Curious About Will Smith Songs’ by Kwame as he produces Mr. Smith’s next single ‘Switch.’

d-boys

Puttin' niggaz on skids, jump out and straight crash
'Cause they put 'im on the glass
Many a folk couldn’t swallow The Worm… but from rookie to ‘kooky’ The Menace played his role with more passion, instinct and character than most. And his trash-talk/psych(o)-game was untouchable. But his Bad Boy rep went from glitter to gutter (or vice-versa?) and things don’t look good for the near future.
Now, Ben Wallace is probably my favorite player since Dennis Rodman (obviously D & D is the game for me) but QB rep Ron Artest is a close second with his D-game and street stiggidy. In fact, last year at this time I called a Pacers/Lakers final (eventhough my heart was in Motown… life-lesson learned). However, Artest just got a few points that nudge him towards the top spot…He made the first major public display honoring Rodman as one of the GREAT players. Artest loves switching his jersey number and this year he’s opted for The Big Man’s 91. Let this be the first of many steps that will let that pinball-playing, cross-dressing, drunk, Carmen Electra-Ex, former janitor get his rightful place in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Prop Masters

...so I growl at the livin' foul...

Limore Shur of Eyeball (on the flo’, on the flo’) wasn’t afraid to hep me to the competition’s work, ‘What Barry Says.’ Quite frankly, Barry says it quite clearly and Simon Robson renders the ideas in striking Prop-culture signifiers and beauty. Give it a hot minute to load and then invite your favorite bullies to play “Barry says..”…put your ‘Right’ friend in and shake ‘em all about, screw the okey-dokey and turn they ass around… that’s what it’s all about.


Without no doubt,theeese are the JB's!
Another Eye-baller and 21st Century Renaissance-muhfucka, Julian Bevan, got to hit up the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors with his one-of-a-kind linework, tags and caricatures along with his straight up design work. Check your On The Go Magazine collection to refresh your memory with his dead on comic-strip chronicles of a DJ’s adventures on the wheels of steel. The dude has put his love of graphic art and classic hip-hop together on the BIG stage… so watch the show! And if that ain’t enough enticement… JB says that the Beasties and Doug E. cover ‘Sucker MCs’!!

nuff respect due

I tell ya I'm alright now
But last week I was in rough shape
But I don't get a break with nuthin'