“They say that goodness in life comes to those who believe. So, I believe.”
Mos Def
“Love”
Black On Both Sides
1999
01
Nov
09
Mos Def On Love (Circa 1999)
One of the reasons that I’ve always preferred over-the-ear headphones is that they give more freedom to have interesting designs (for evidence, see many of Skull Candy’s products, and ubiquitous Beats By Dr. Dre headphones). But Monster went all out with this new set of limited edition in-ear headphones, which pay tribute to jazz legend Miles Davis. Aesthetically, they’re gorgeous: the contacts are 24-karat gold, the blue cable is fly, and the side of each earbud has the silhouette of Miles Davis’ trumpet-playing body and signature. Icing on the cake: each set comes in a numbered box, and a case with plush blue velvet – a nod to the case that Miles would keep his trumpet in. Each set also comes with a 50th anniversary set of Davis’ seminal Kind of Blue album, which includes two CDs, a DVD, and a 24-page booklet.
The specs are still there, by the way.
Purchasers of Monster Miles Davis Tribute headphones will enjoy a variety of extras that will significantly enhance the personal listening experience. … In addition, Monster provides multiple sizes of its new high performance “SuperTip” eartips that offer superior noise isolation, while improving the overall performance by preventing sound leakage. The key to the effectiveness of SuperTip eartips is a patent-pending engineered material that provides a secure custom seal to help eliminate unwanted noise. The end result is astoundingly clean, tight audio response and great-sounding music that can be listened to without fatigue for hours and hours.
Finally, Monster’s innovative cable management system features a convenient designed on-cable slider and clip that keeps weight off the headphones so they stay snug in the user’s ears. The debut of Monster Miles Davis Tribute headphones is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to improve the quality of the portable audio experience.
So…who’s getting me these for Christmas? Buy them online, and it’ll be $399.99 well worth it! (wink)
[via Street Level by-way-of Kuhvet]
The world of technology is great to run along with as far as staying up to date on the latest gadgets, but it’s impossible to keep up with. Unless you’ve got stacks on deck ©T.I., you’ll have empty pockets if you cop the latest gadget every time it comes out. So when you’re buying something like a cell phone, a computer, or a digital camera, cop what you believe will be the best fit for your needs. This is something I’ve known for a while, but I had to remind myself about it upon the release of the new Blackberry Bold 9700, pictured on the right above and described in the video below.
Continue reading ‘Gadget Buyers: Cop What You Like, Not What’s “Hot”’
You see the intensity in blogger/cool hunter/designer/all-around ill person Marcus Troy’s eyes? That’s the intensity you should have whenever you step to somebody in a professional circuit. Too many people go half-ass in their respective industries, when the reality is that there isn’t any area that rewards laziness or mediocrity. As Marcus Troy says, come hard or don’t come at all.
The reason why I’m bringing this up is because I think there is an important lesson to be learnt here. You have to know how to step to people especially if they are in a position of power…Come heavy, or don’t come at all. I guess Big Daddy Kane understood the rules and that’s why he dropped the gem: “Ain’t no half Steppin”
I get countless emails from artists,managers, brands and Pr firms who all want to get their movement promoted on my site and I have to say that half of them don’t come heavy at all! They want to half step and think they are going to get my attention and the attention of other bloggers. You got to come heavy man!
Another gem from the big homie. To read the entire post, click here.
18
Oct
09
Sunday Sentiments (10-18-09)
This past Tuesday, I spoke to a journalism class at Michigan State University about the ups, downs, ins and outs of freelancing. I was nervous as shit – I knew that my opinion/experience was valuable, but I thought I’d get scatterbrained and get off-focus – but it turned out really well. The students were receptive, and some of them even asked questions. The professor was cool too. I felt really good when I walked out of there, because as much as I love what I do, I love it even more when I can help someone else do something they’re passionate about as well. Also, my pops is an English professor at a college, so it felt like a passing of the torch of sorts.
Other Sunday sentiments:
- Last night, I went to a benefit concert for Hex Murda, a Detroit hip-hop manager/bodyguard/everythingelse who’s in the hospital after having a stroke. Incredible music, incredible vibes, etc. I want to be the type of person that can influences so many people that their name alone can bring together hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people for a united cause. Seeing that many egos, artists, and aspiring hustlers all in one place, but putting all of their ulterior motives aside to work for one cause was really moving to me. That’s what I hope to be someday, and I think I’m on my way.
- Don’t be friends with people that are toxic to your life. I’ve tried to just decrease my interactions with people that weren’t contributing a lot – just contribute a little to them the same way they only contribute a little to me – but it’s not working. I go hard for everybody in my crew, it’s too difficult to differentiate who deserves what. So it looks like I’m having to make my circle smaller (c) Guilty Simpson.
- It’s amazing how people try to put so much emphasis on “right” and “wrong,” when it almost never has anything to do with…well, anything. Instead, it’s either about the perception of what’s right or wrong, how someone can benefit from it, or how someone feels. You can argue with a woman and be completely right…but the way that she feels is going to dictate where the relationship goes. You can pitch an idea to a company that’s charitable to a great cause, but if that cause isn’t going to get positive press or future money for the company, then it’s not going to happen. I know this is a given, but it’s still a trip seeing it in action every day.
- I’m proud of Royce Da 5′9″. He’s always had some of the best talent in rap, but with this album Street Hop, he finally has an album that shows everything that he can do. One of the Top 10 albums of the year. Review coming soon via Metro Times.
One positive thing this entire downloading phenomenon has renewed is the work put into album covers. People are desperate for consumers to buy their albums, so they’re doing everything that they can to put work into the presentation of their product – and part of that presentation is the cover art. To me, a dope album cover isn’t only eye-catching; it also accurately embodies the music that the listener is subject to once he/she opens the case. I’m not talking the prototypical “pose hard in front of a car” or “wear expensive clothing and jewelry before leaving for the club” covers, either. Show some creativity.
I’d never buy or download a Jim Jones album, but the art for his Pray IV Reign project was poignant: the texture of the photo feels timeless, the red accent works well, and the photo itself of a father figure embracing his song while walking with him is incredible.
Check under the cut for more.
Continue reading ‘Best Hip-Hop Album Covers Of The Year (So Far)’
24
Sep
09
Mos Def On Love.
As if his song “Love” from Black On Both Sides wasn’t enough, Mos Def takes a more abstract approach in ‘09.
If you are to fall in love
Then where should you stand to begin with?
And when the falling’s done
How bad should you plan to get injured?
And if you land on your feet
Do it count as a fall or a jump?
And do it feel like a fall
When the hands that pushed you were holding you up?
Close encounter, got you wide open
Heartache got your boom-box going
Music and vocals, lonely and soulful
You’re back in the scene where your sweet dreams so true
Mos Def, “Pistola,” The Ecstatic (2009) (via OHHLA)
The above quote literally describes exactly how I’ve felt for the past week or so. Between songs this and “Life In Marvelous Times,” I’m seriously starting to think that Mos Def is the best rapper alive. I gave The Ecstatic 3.5 stars out of 5 in my polarizing HipHopDX review, I later decided I should have given it 4, and now I’m prompted to eat my words even more. The review was pretty on point, but the score was off-base, and I definitely unappreciated the high points.
Kanye West is always known for the artistry of his music videos. But while the likes of ”All Falls Down,” “Touch The Sky,” and “Flashing Lights” garner the most attention, I think that this video for “Homecoming,” from his album Graduation, was one of his best. I was talkin’ to my girl Arasia, Executive Editor of the incredible web site DefCulture, and she was pointing out how on point the video was: the black and white shows the class of Chicago, both the hood and the livelier parts of the city are captured, people in the city are highlighted, and the special effects of the fireworks and the silhouettes are well done. Hype Williams directed this video, and with him being known for his flashy, exuberant pieces for other rappers, this is a great change of pace. This is what Kanye has made the latter part of his career out of: collaborating with people that are immensely talented and accomplished, but taking them out of their comfort zone to make a compelling new product.
My scanner isn’t large enough to capture the entire two-page spread, but the above photo was from an old issue of VIBE magazine that had an article about Jay-Z written by dream hampton. And the photo, to me, shows how Jay-Z’s music operates when he’s at its best: being able to embrace Jay’s corporate, mature side while still remembering how he got there. Unfortunately, his new album, Blueprint 3, seemed to be so focused so much on where he’s going that he loses a bit of perspective from his past.
You’re my favorite rapper, Jay. So I’m going to give your fans an opportunity to chalk this album up to being overambitious, and give them another chance to see the balance that you’ve actually shown since American Gangster.
Enter The Blueprint 3.5. Somewhat similar to how Blueprint 2.1 condensed the bloated double-disc Blueprint 2, this collection takes the best from Jay’s new album and combines them with other songs that, whether due to leaks or bad selection, didn’t make the cut. It’s 12 tracks long – nine tracks that were actually on the album and three that should’ve been. It also cuts six songs that I thought weren’t as good as they could’ve been, and intentionally excludes a couple other leaks that some may have thought this sort of mix would include. (Honorable mentions – “What We Talkin About” is dope lyrically, but the beat is too all over the place. ”Jockin Jay-Z” and “Ain’t I” aren’t as bad as the low moments on BP3, but they still aren’t memorable to me, and it didn’t fit with my sequencing.) I think I sequenced this nearly as well as the real Blueprint 3 was sequenced (despite it having so many songs that I don’t like), so I’d be interested to see what my readers think.
Here it goes:
Continue reading ‘What Should’ve Been: Jay-Z x Ketchums “Blueprint 3.5″’
Jay-Z, The Blueprint 3
3 Stars out of 5
Chastisement about Jay-Z not taking chances is usually shortsighted. His typically materialistic lyrics didn’t exactly push the envelope, but he’s been more experimental than his naysayers give him credit for. He risked his legacy by briefly abandoning his street hustler rhymes for complacent, introspective ones, garnering praise for “growing up” while getting criticized for his “grandpa rap” disconnecting with his fan base.
All over his new album, Blueprint 3, Jay-Z makes several references to moving hip-hop and pop culture forward. “People tellin’ Jay go back, but I’m doing better than before, why would I do that?” “It’s all about progression, loiterers should be arrested.” And to his credit, Jay sticks to his word: this album definitely doesn’t sound like his previous material. But experimentation often has its ups and downs, and Blueprint 3 is no exception.
Continue reading ‘Jay-Z Tries To Run More Than “This Town” With Blueprint 3′
