Britney's Back....uhh Bitch.

It's no surprise to those of you who read this blog intently, I am a fan of Britney Spears. Realizing that she is a puppet of course, she is great because sometimes you forget to look for the strings. Always backed by some of the best producers and writers in the industry, her risks are small by comparison. However, Blackout just didn't feel organic. She still had her fair share of fans for the record, but essentially, there was no reason to feel that she gave any of herself to that album. In the midst of clinical treatments came Blackout, a record, that I'm sure she laid down the vocals for each track in a little under an hour. There was little hype like all her other albums. Her life was in pieces and there was no reason to celebrate.

Circus plans to be Britney's reintroduction to her vacant throne atop pop, which I think she will rightfully take back. As much as Britney needs the industry, the industry sorely SORELY needs her as well. She is the eighth highest female album seller in the history of the United States. Everyone is working overtime to sell Britney as whole and ready to dominate the charts again. Mtv will be airing an hour documentary two days before Circus drops.

Just think: through everything she's been through, she could be loved even more than she was the first go round. She has limited visiting rights to her children, she made Kevin Federline look like Corey Matthews, her mom has written a slam book against her, her sister is a baby-popping machine and Britney still stands poised to take her life back. I absolutely love it. America proves once again its love and obsession for the flawed human beings.

Of course, as much as we're waiting to embrace her with open arms, she has to offer up something viable as a product. The Outsyders have done an incredible job with the lead single, "Womanizer." She has taken the formula from Blackout and made it sultry and infectious. I dare you not to move your body to this track. Note: Danity Kane, this is how it is done. You want some sort of international pop landscape, this is your ideal terrain. Her voice sounds as restricted as usual, but she gets the most out of what she has. Instead of pointing fingers at the media and sounding fractured during the process, she's back to the introspective feminist character that suits her admirably well.

Ironically, using a lot Timbaland's tactics, this anthem is the anti-"Maneater." Will a lot of people hate this track because they hate Spears? No doubt. But that still doesn't take away the fact that this is the best Britney song in a long, long time. And that makes me really excited for December 2nd. The world needs more infectious, dance-producing pop tunes. Who to deliver them than the best herself. Miss Britney Spears.

Editor's Note: Is it just me or in the first ten seconds of the song, "Womanizer" do the synth drums sound eerily similar to those used in the beginning of the sitcom, "Family Matters?" Interesting...


Shit to Sweat:

The year 2000:

It's time for rap fans to bone up on their probably dusty collections. As winter approaches, some long dormant rappers will be making their long anticipated returns into the foray of their respective genre. Eminem with the appropriately titled, King Mathers and Dre with the most hyped rap album of all time, Detox. Go back and check out why these albums are so important to the genre. Eminem was just voted the best rapper in the world (According to VIBE magazine over Jay-Z) even though he hasn't released anything in terms of an album since 2004's Encore.

I say 2000 because the music scene is gonna feel like (my high school years) the end of the 90s and beginning of the 20th Century. Albums sales will led the way by Eminem, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, and Britney Spears. All we need is Mtv to bring back TRL and I could self-medicate myself to the smooth sayings of Carson Daly. Oh Lord, maybe this time around things will be better for all.



This. Is. Truth.

Mixed Bag

Aight, so i have a trio of albums to to talk about. I feel that I've been focusing on hip-hop exclusively lately so this post will definitely branch out....after I discuss the new Murs album, Murs for President.

Murs standing for Making Underground Raw Shit, is no stranger to speaking his mind. The upcoming election is a beautiful landscape for a new Murs album and he doesn't miss the chance to spray his ideologies every which way. After listening to this pulpit delivered sermon, it seems that his platform would rest on equal rights, morality, and respect for all. Murs, member of underground groups such as Living Legends and Felt, finally has the backing of a major label and you can tell for better and worse. Producer Terrace Martin fuses rock riffs with female R&B vocals and produces an arena-like sound that fans of old Murs may lose themselves in on tracks, "A Part of Me" and "Time is Now."

Self-proclaimed maker of sitcom rap, Murs still has his colloquial mannerisms playing as loudly as possible here. Ripping story after story, Murs talks and raps his way through each track with painstaking candor. As much as this album is a boisterous cry for the man that he has become, Murs is still a man in trouble. And perhaps that is his stake on the title of President of Hip-Hop and those that have taken office in the past. "A Part of Me" ends in a heartfelt breakdown of apologies towards a haunting breakup. "Road Is My Religion" recounts his harrowing experiences on the road, "The road is my religion/I'ma keep on sinning/Hope to God I am forgiven/For the way that I'm living." It seems that the infallible nature of man takes center stage his weaknesses only make him stronger in the end.

Murs reportedly said he is done with his groups at the moment and the lack of collaborations just emphasize the fact that he is ready to create music the way he wants to do it. Snoop Dogg is found on raucous gospel track, "Time is Now," while Will.I.am. finds himself on the synth-heavy track, "Lookin' Fly." His most significant piece of work on this album may come on the track, "Science." It is in this track that Murs displays his wonderful ability to weave metaphor and history seamlessly. Constructing a song while defining it takes an extreme where with all. Something Murs lacks nothing of.

Overall, his first major studio release doesn't stray too far away from Murray's Revenge and in this case, it's a good thing. 9th Wonder hangs around to produce a trio of songs ("I'm Innocent," "Love and Appreciate II", and "Breakthrough"). It's really amazing how West Coast, East Coast, nu metal, and gospel can find themselves back to back in this interesting concoction. This album will most likely be overshadowed by Paper Trail, but there are some standout tracks on this album that definitely reflect well on Murs and his positive vision.


The Lovely Sparrows' transcendental qualities set them in the company of Indie legends, Death Cab and Band of Horses. "Wraith" changes direction three or four times using flutes, mandolins, and echoey vocals to create a foreboding feeling of what's to come. And perhaps the more redeeming quality comes in their knack of straddling the somber tones that folk music can evoke before ending in a jamband-like celebration to close the song. Whenever I listen to folk, I can't help but think of Dylan. When I hear the Lovely Sparrows, I don't hear Dylan to their testament.

Paying no attention to pacing, each song feels like a road to the vocals of soon-to-be-star, Shawn Jones. A beautifully, dark record that Jones hopes some will find positivity in, I can only say the imagery in this album is unparalleled this year. Mixing in French fairy tales, Norse mythology, and Spanish literature, Jones has created an ethereal experience that is quite capable of sparking an imagination long since dormant. Gently plucking away in "Larks and Owls," oboes and violins cascade themselves across every which way projecting color and brilliance that only music can produce.

While Pulling Up Floors, Pouring On (New) Paint was a typical breakup record, Bury the Cynic determines be undefinable. Jones even decided not to release the lyrics to any of these songs in an effort to blur the lines between vocals and melody. Finding a folk/Indie alternative group that starts with "The" isn't the hardest task in the world by any means, but the Lovely Sparrows make listening to this album an enjoyable experience. Instead of settling for mood and ambiance, they understand that a song, like life, isn't constructed in a straight line. Therefore, their sound meanders with life. Using guitars, strings, woodwinds, and most important lyrics to change their sound on a dime.

Mass audiences used to pre-packaged hooks and certain chord progressions will have no idea what to do with this mess of sounds, but Jones put it best when he said, "I am a patient listener, and in turn, probably make music for similar ears."


Finally, I'm not a big fan of movie soundtracks. Many of them are successful because of scores by music titans such as Hans Christian Andersen, or because of songs that specifically tie in to a crucial part in the film, not because of the songs on their own merit. There are exceptions. Juno featured an assorted collection or alternative demi gods such as Sonic Youth, Belle and Sebastian, and The Moldy Peaches. The same people behind that movie have inspired another Michael Cera film's soundtrack. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist Soundtrack features new and old rockers Vampire Weekend, Band of Horses, The Jerk Offs, and The Submarines. It really is the perfect mix of tunes to lift the spirit and rock out to.


Murs For President - 7.3/10
Best Tracks - I'm Innocent, Time is Now, Can't It Be (Half a Million Dollars and 18 Months Later), and A Part of Me

Bury the Cynics - 7.8/10
Best Tracks - Wraith, Department of Forseeable Outcomes, Bury the Cynics, Year of the Dog

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist Soundtrack - 7/10
Best Tracks - Ottoman, After Hours, Nick and Norah's Theme, Lover, and Xavia



This. Is. Truth.

Stale Paper Trail

Ever since King dropped, I have been a staunch TI supporter. Why? Straight outta the bloated "Swagga Like Us" joint, TI says, "Sell alotta records I respect and salute that/but spitting real life on hot beats I'm the truth at." He leaves it up to Lupe and Weezy for the wordplay. He leaves the double entendres at the door. He focuses on what is going on in his life and in his streets. There is a gritty, dark underlining manner that demands attention. Yet, TI has the knack of spitting a hook which, to his credit, gives his songs a radio-friendly disposition.

In King there was a certain bravado that youth carries as a bedside partner. Completely accurate and justified that this man was making street bangers, "What You Know," "Why You Wanna," and "Top Back." While there may have been pressure for his next release, TI vs TIP, he did a great job culminating an album that really captured a ton of energy (credit: Just Blaze and Wyclef Jean). TI was taking a chance making a metaphorical album conveying his inner struggle with his present and past. It was deep and it worked. And once again, he found a way to bring us closer to who he is. It was in this album that you could hear his doubt in what he was doing in the street, while trying to justify his actions.

Enter Paper Trail.

The album may be a God bless to all of his fans considering the circumstances. Busted for a weapons charge, TI should have gone away for a long time. Without going through the rumor mill for why it didn't happen, he got away with house arrest. So in his home studio, he prepared for the appropriately titled, Paper Trail. That being because this was the first album since his mainstream success that he actually wrote the lyrics down on paper for modification and reworking later. I can honestly say after plenty of listens, this albums sounds minimally better lyrically than any other TI album.

In his second released single, "Whatever You Like," TI offers a humiliating display of word choice, ultimately warning listeners that this may be his most superficial album. "Stacks on decks/Patron on ice/We can pop bottles all night/And baby, you can have whatever you like/I said, you can have whatever you like," crudely sings the chorus. This attempt at a sexual love song slightly mirrors Weezy's tactics for dropping the explicit "Lollipop" first, only Static Major's textured sound juxtaposed with Weezy's oddities made it refreshing and not cliched. It's tracks like this that are sandwiched between tracks like "Live Your Life" and "No Matter What" that make the track lineup slightly hypocritical.

TI doesn't come through as clear on this album as others. He's conflicted. At the end of "Ready for Whatever," the beat dies down and a exposed TI goes into his marred history saying, "True enough I was dead wrong/I broke the law and deserved to be punished/I understand that/But listen I have a house full of kids/A mama and an old lady who's life is in my responsibility.../In order to understand my training of thought/You have to put yourself in my position/You can't expect me to think like you/Cause my life ain't like yours." While the honesty serves its purpose for this track, you start to pick up that he is caught between his apologies and his justifications.

True enough, that cerebral cut flows into the frentic, upbeat "On Top of the World" feat. Ludacris. Lyrically, this is the strongest track on the album, partially because of Ludacris who unleashes his knack for finishing each line with a punch. Not to mention that this collaboration puts an end to a feud that has rivaled the Jay/Nas beef. Surprising chemistry. But in terms of the album's flow and context, it is another head-scratcher in its placement. This album is a bit of a rollercoaster in its reflective, apologetic moments sitting next to its bratty, egotistical moments sitting next to its ballad, love-addled moments.

While I have my quaffs about the album, the first half is filled with sure fire crowd-pleasers with its highlight being Just Blaze-produced, "Live Your Life." The energy comes screaming out from the offset of the hook. Rihanna was the perfect choice as her voice injects a subtle strength that sends this track into high favor. X-factor? The sample of "Dragostea Din Tei" by O-Zone still brings a tiny smile to my face. The audacity and brilliance of Just Blaze goes unnoticed sometimes. Not this time. He produces the strongest track on the album.

From there however, it gets confusing. "My Life, Your Entertainment" furthers the theme that hip hop is killing him while his saving grace as well, and the producer Drumma Boy did well giving Usher a nice backdrop for his usual, syrupy delivery. After that is the laughable track, "Porn Star" and the transparent Swizz Beat-produced anthem, "Swing Ya Rag." I understand why he put "Swagga Like Us" in the last quarter of his album. There is really no reason to finish the album if not for the West made banger or "Every Chance I Get." On that track, TI comes shining through lyrically and smashes the beat the pieces. It's no coincidence that his swagger is no stronger than on this track. The contemplative nature is thrown out from the beginning and he can sound no better, however even the duet with Timberlake (which was actually produced by Timberlake and Rob Knox) can't save the last bit of the album from mediocrity. The problem is Justin shopped a Justin track to TI. After a whole album of ATL-molded trap music, the album's ender sounds like a B-side to Future Sex/Love Sounds.

TI tries as hard as he can to hammer the point in the summation. "That part of me left yesterday/the heart of me is strong today/No regrets I'm blessed to say/the old me dead and gone away." That would be fine if that weren't what the last album were about. Well the song would be fine without the goofy bridge that speeds the track up just have to flow back into its lurching pace. Anyways, although the message mirrors past albums, the confusion personifies itself all the way through this album. From the shifty track listing to his colloquial speech, TI successfully let us in again, only this time he couldn't control the art. The art controlled him. He fell into his own wallowing in some tracks ("Ready for Whatever and "No Matter What") and then tried to compensate for it with rap cliched nonsense ("Whatever You Like" and "Swing Ya Rag").

The point is that as far as the mainstream rap game is concerned, Weezy Baby still owns the year's best rap record. And I'm sure the sales will still favor Wayne after the dust settles. TI still offers more of an array than most rappers, but failed to top his previous efforts with this album. Ultimately, it is forgettable. And for that there is no paper trail.


Best Tracks - Live Your Life, I'm Illy, On Top of The World, Every Chance I Get

6.1/10


This. Is. Truth.

FUCK CD's

I've decided that I prepare too damn much for each of these blogs and I need to just spit some stuff out. Random thoughts. Current thought? I need to go to bed. As I lie awake, I can't help but notice that Charlize Theron (my number two celeb crush behind Anne Hathaway) singing, rather destroying, "Bohemian Rhapsody" on the Jay Leno Show. She is sooo incredibly hot though. I'm pretty sure even the most level-headed Freddie Mercury might think twice for her.

Second, I'm wondering what Terrence Howard and Wayne Brady are doing putting out CD's. I know Wayne gained popularity through song on "Who's Line Is It Anyway?", but both offerings are so bland. R&B/Soul comes from a gritty place. I hate that it is now being associated with this glossy, falsetto soundscape. I want to hear the sweat. I want to hear the passion. Those two have no idea what either is.

Is Kanye West becoming so self-absorbed that he has no idea who he is talking to or what part of reality he is functioning in? Apparently, the self-proclaimed "Louis Vuitton Don" approached Jenny Lewis (featured in picture above), lead singer of Rilo Kiley and child actor featured in Roseanne and Growing Pains, asking her what she thought of some new tracks off of his upcoming album, "808's and Heartbreak." Not knowing who she was, apparently Kanye is trying to get some street approval for the album. Oddly enough, he didn't get any for "Love Lockdown," because it is his worst lead single for an album yet. Releasing it to iTunes this past week, adding some bango drums isn't enough to mask the flailing West. It's uncomfortably shallow and disproportionately thin. West may be painting himself into a corner. Always known to do things his way, he is moving farther and farther away from his fan base. He has taken the auto-tuner to heart and reports of him working with T-Pain a lot for the upcoming album may hurt more than help.

I'm in the process of sifting through the new music for the week. I'm excited to examine Cold War Kid's new offering of "Loyalty to Loyalty." I will also be reviewing TV on the Radio's "Dear Science," as well as Kings of Leon's "Only By the Night." I've demo'ed some good stuff by bands, Blitzen Trapper, J Boogie's Dubtronic Science, and Mogwai. Also RZA just dropped a compilation album that will undoubtedly project the wacky, unpredictable being that happens to be RZA. Damn, that's a lot of music. I'll probably have it up by next week seeing that I have a knack for on-time reviews. Hopefully, this will be a better week for new music than last.

Ok, as I'm waiting for my Jay-Z discography to finish downloading (thanks Jessica), I am left with this sentiment: FUCK CD's. As I was casually perusing the latest GQ, it was once again echoed that CDs and digital downloads are horrible for any music lover. The compressed quality practically distorts and destroys true music. I am moving on to vinyl. Err, I'm moving back to vinyl. Yeah. The one problem? Unless I want to listen to The Who or Jefferson Airplane, I'm kind of out of luck for new artists. Right? Well...kinda. It seems that certain artists are beginning to release their stuff on vinyl with digital downloads as free companions! Think about it. Pay for the quality and then toss in something portable for free. Awesome! This will save the music industry because people will surely purchase quality? Ehhh...maybe not, but Radiohead did it with "In Rainbows," and Cold War Kids join in with their latest offering. No one wants to shell out too much money for music, but you grab your favorite whiskey sniffer and let the crackle subside before Britney Spear's "Blackout" comes through in all its glory, and YOU TELL ME IT ISN'T WORTH IT!

I mention that album wayyy too much to dismiss it.

SHIT TO SWEAT:

Lastly, I want to start adding old music gems to this thing. It isn't all about new music because, frankly, a lot of new music is horrible sequels to music much better. Without going fullboard, as far as mashup DJs go, Girl Talk, a.k.a. Greg Gillis, is one of the best. From Oasis, The Verve, Pharell, Ludacris, Kanye, to Phantom Planet, the crossovers don't stop. "Night Ripper" his third offering features my favorite mashup of all time. There's something about "Tiny Dancer" fused with the throaty rap of "Juicy" that will forever excite me. The music once hailed as, "a lawsuit waiting to happen" by The New York Times Magazine, Gillis uses a dozen or more unauthorized samples to create a new song. It's amazing what a white guy with a Biomedical Engineering degree can do with a bit of time and passion for music.

Check out Night Ripper or Feed the Animals
"Smash Your Head" from Night Ripper features the Tiny Dancer/Juicy mashup


This. Is. Truth.

Deathly Enigmatic

My favorite point of the week has come again: New Release Tuesday. Yay! Nothing too exciting is coming out. I will point out the best and worst of this week. It feels like a bit of a comeback week for two titans in two respective genres. Metallica - the Rick Rubin Created Monster - is reanimated and is battling for our consciousness. And Nelly's subtle follow-up to mega hits Sweat and Suit.

Nelly has come to turn in hit after hit, but with little buildup, this latest album falls short of anything halfway decent. With the opening track, "Hold Up" featuring piercing, shrilly yelps and screams, the process has more than fallen apart in his four year hiatus. With Nate Dogg just suffering his second heart attack in the same year, his callabo with Snoop sounds like he hasn't fully recovered. Perhaps, Nelly's new acquired and perhaps "bought" muscle has taken away from the touch in his delivery.

"Lie" perhaps demonstrates Nelly's oddities best. As the melody gently lays a bed thick and tranquil, Nelly sounds screamy and off balance. Within the first four tracks, "Myspace" the website is already mentioned four times and without probable cause. And Jesus Christ, if any more single lines could be repeated you might think this was a lost episode of Barney's Sing Along. "Hell naw, He just stepped on my J'z/Hell naw, He just stepped on my J'z"...etc. It doesn't help that on nearly every single track Nelly is outright out rapped and out done. It's interesting he has taken such a fancy in producing an album with T.I., cause he will absolutely get dismissed by the Southern King.

In his first released single, "Party People" Nelly sounds off on another mindless anthem only with Fergie sitting sidekick. At around 1:45, I found myself reaching for a shot of bourbon...or a shot out of my Desert Eagle. If you were to listen off-handedly, it sounds like Nelly is saying, "Where my Potty People at?" Answer: They are swimming with this album. He may look like the Hulk, but he raps like him too. Poor showing for an artist that has plenty of critical favor and hardware for his earlier work.

Next comes Metallica's Death Magnetic. Marking the first album without long-time producer, Bob Rock, and choosing rock demigod Rick Rubin. This guy could make your high school garage band into the next rock icons, let alone a proven commodity like Metallica. Upon first listen, this album comes roaring out of the gate. Hetfield sounds as good as ever and while the sound is stylized and slick, it reminisces of that remodeled 60' cherry-red Camaro in your father's garage. It may not have the bells and whistles of newer models, but what lies under the hood is a beast and unparalleled.

The criticism that followed St. Anger was that of Lars' steely snare and loss of guitar solos. They are fixed here and this catalog of songs fall right in line with any hit made a decade or more ago. "The Day That Never Comes" is the first single from the album and it is the fourth longest track on the album coming in at 7:56. Marking a spectacular instrumental intro, this song capitalizes the essence of the record. Fast and free, the band has come home and embraced its legacy as one of the hardest rock bands to ever form. A nice surprise and constant reminder that you should never count out a band as solid as this one.

One thing about Metallica happens to be for every three great rock songs, there is usually a great slower-tempo song that displays a rugged beauty. "The Unforgiven III" cuts the album in half and sets a tone as the highlight track as the aching, somber Hetfield almost croons at times. "How can I be lost/If I got nowhere to go/Search the seas of gold/How come it's got so cold?" Screaming for forgiveness in absolute, laughable disregard for whether it comes true is a turnabout from the pandering of Hetfield in St. Anger. While the album feels a little long and glossy, I'll take Metallica over just about any metal band at the moment.

A mediocre offering was delivered from DJ Khaled's Miami touting crew. Besides a couple of tracks, "Defend Dade" and "Out Here Grindin'," Khaled is getting old. His beats and songs are sounding like the rest and he is leaving the tired melodies up to the all-star list of rappers to save his mediocre, paltry palate of repetitive effects. One highlight track is "Go Hard" feat. Kanye West and T-Pain. Kanye absolutely tears the track up and displays a drastically different rhyming pattern than the laid back style people are accustomed to. With a feast of aggressive, lively lyrics, Kanye sums up his unbridled energy with, "I'm gonna tell you what George Bush told me/Fuck y'all niggas I'm outta here." Never one to shy away from controversy, the Louis Vitton Don hit this one out of the park and therefore saved a rather useless album filled full of songs that might entertain the mindless youth.

And lastly, the most incoherent garble of an album that has ever been made. Oregon's own (even though Seattle grown), Kristy Lee Cook, said friend of Britney Spears, takes flight with her God-awful album entitled, Why Wait. I have one reason to wait: her last track is the awful rendition of "God Bless America." Many apologies to those looking for reviews of Darius Rucker's new album. I wouldn't want to toss out opinion without an actual listen, but I'm going to pass.





Nelly - Brass Knuckles - 3.2 Best Tracks: Hot in Hurr and Country Grammar (not featured on crappy new album)

Metallica - Death Magnetic - 7.5 Best Tracks: Cyanide, The Broken, Beat, and Scarred, The Day That Never Comes, Unforgiven III

DJ Khaled - We Global - 4.3 Best Tracks: Out Here Grindin and Go Hard

Kristy Lee Cook - Why Wait - 2 I won't even try your patience



This. Is. Truth.

Hip Hop Ain't Dead Yet...

Oh. My. God.

The US Dropped the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

63 years later, four men on hands and knees push hurried breath into the rotting corpse that is hip-hop. Taking turns, each turns the pale, blue body to a healthy hue. Lately, there have been few hip-hop albums that generate excitement and been met with critical approval. The last four, arguably:

Tha Carter III, Graduation, American Gangster, TI vs. TIP

And as I woke up this morning, the four titans of wordplay, the four princes of double-endentres, the four kings of rap, the four horseman that can alone save hip-hop marked their beginning.

One song. One verse apiece. Devastating on their own accords.

Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and T.I. teamed up to make one of the most unique, infectious hip-hop tunes of the year, "Swagga Like Us." For those that scream out debates over which rapper destroyed the track best is forgetting the point. These are the highest selling foursome in the last year teaming up to tackle the raging apathy that has struck the music populace.

The debate is pure fuel to what they are trying to do, infect the scene with fire. It, sadly, is up to cheap ploys like this to get people's attention. But I suppose if you want to get some attention, this isn't a bad way to do it.

"No one on the corner has swagga like us," serates through the track over and over again. The sample of MIA from "Paper Planes" sounds fresh, but the synths weight the track down so the subtle nuances are near non-existent to void. I could do without the rockets taking off after every verse. I wish it would have had a grittier feel instead of the polished gleam that oozes from the production, but that perhaps is more telling than the lyrics.

These men are at the top of the game. There is no hustle. There is no hunger. You can feel their bloated bellies sucking all the wind out of the quips. That being said, it is Jay, Kanyeeze, The self-proclaimed best rapper in the world, and Mr. TIP.

After the disappointing offerings from The Game and Young Jeezy, Paper Trail and Blueprint 3 might be the most important albums of each of their careers. Graduation set Kanye's legend. Jay has been on the downward spiral - who would've thought one of the best of all time would need a solid album to cement his purpose in the music scene? And T.I. could come through as the hip-hop hero uniting fan boys and critics like no one else can.

This song will no doubt be chopped and screwed to several verses that will ultimately be better, but there is no bigger draw than these four names at the moment. Cop and it and bounce to it a couple of times.

Check out Paper Planes Remix: Bun B and Rich Boy as well.

For the record: T.I. murders everyone on this track.

Best line - "How it feel to wake up and be the shit and the urine/Tryin to get that Kobe number, one over Jordan." - Mr. West

Honorable mention goes to Weezy for "I require what I desire I got stripes/A-did-as/Mami scream papi no mas/Run up in your shit just me no moss/Running this shit like I got four thighs."


This. Is. Truth.

Dive Bars...

Tom Petty, Soulja Boy, Britney Spears, Queen, Prince...

What the fuck kind of playlist is this and who in the hell is picking the tunes!? I'm convinced whoever made the playlist is on crack, and judging from the state of the bar...it would be an accurate assumption. The Space Room has the good fortune of playing host to me and some of my friends. And while I could understand the rather shady clientele, the music was horrendous!! And I just think, how much better would everyone's experience be with a good mixture of old school/new school songs.

And then I think of my favorite campus bar, Max's. Great songs. No liquor, all beer, one pool table, like four booths and still packed every weekend. I want to point the success towards the selection of music a bunch of drunk collegiates can lose themselves (and their voices) in! Nothing beats the memory of Shannon aka Shay-Bug doing a awkward, spirited dance for the song, "Shout."

You know what? Illegal thoughts flash through my mind. Like what if I karate chopped the owner of this shitty shitty bar named The Space Room and threatened his family harm if he didn't oblige to a better set of tunes. Yeah, that sounds about right. Add some crowd-friendly anthems from Weezer and maybe sprinkle in some hard rock gems from Guns N' Roses. Not hard. But then I realize...shitty music defines dive bars.

Playing two or three songs in succession from the same artist is perfectly acceptable. Well not only acceptable, it's expected. A wretched smile pains my face as Queen's "We Will Rock You" was followed by "Fat Bottomed Girls." Ideally, played in Meghan's departure (the only friend I know who has an ungodly obsession with Freddie Mercury). The rest of the night played out like a bad dream, but I can't help look back with a chuckle. Kory, my best friend, entertained his lady friend while I found myself lost between Britney Spear's Blackout and Souja Boy's one-hit wonder.

I have every intention to burn a CD and leave it on the counter anonymously to see if anyone might be interested in playing something with a bit more credibility. So while I find myself single for the first time in awhile, I feel I've taken on music as my mistress and God forbid she be dressed in this whorish costume. She needs to be streamlined and free to evolve and express distinct creativity. Anything else would be sacrilege.

God...I've become a musical elitist.

Finally.



P.S. - How one typo can destroy a beautiful post. Yes, I just realized that I meant to say no liquor. All Beer. Thank you for the fact checkers! And while some may make certain allegations that I enjoy some lesser forms for music - this is true. I think that was the point. Almost every song had a certain memory attached like Prince's "Little Red Corvette." Meghan and I giggled as we recounted almost driving Jonathan to the brink of insanity, dancing in place as we jostled the car ever closer to our icy death. It was just the mix and the mood that was conjured. It was odd and ill-placed. Certainly not one that I would have wanted for this dark nightmare.



This.Is. Truth.