January 2010 Archives

WHEN IT'S ALL SAID AND DONE, REMEMBER THE FEARLESS, REMEMBER THE DREAMERS, REMEMBER THOSE WHO REPRESENT THE GHETTO...THE FAIRY TALE OF NOTHING TO SOMETHING. I'M BRIEFLY SADDENED BY NEGATIVE COMMENTS, BUT I HAVE TO REMEMBER THOSE PEOPLE ARE SCARED, INCAPABLE OR JUST PLAIN IDIOTS. WE ARE THE FUCKING ROCK STARS BABY. NO COCAINE, JUST LIFE MY NIGGAS!! NO COCAINE, JUST LIFE! IT'S FUNNY TO ME WHEN FASHION BLOGGERS DOWN OUR OUFITS AND THEN SUPER JOCK OUTLANDISH SHIT ON THE RUNWAY BUT THEN THEY DRESS MAD PRUDE AND DON'T LIVE FASHION. WE LIVE IT MAN. FUCK THAT, WE LIVE IT!!! WE LIVE IT SO HARD PEOPLE LIVE THROUGH US! WE REPRESENT YOUR INNER SPIRIT!! THE CHILD IN US ALL, THE BRUTAL HONESTY, THE NAIVETY, THE BRAVE WARRIOR, THE ADRENALINE THAT ALLOWS A MOTHER TO LIFT A CAR IF HER CHILD WAS TRAPPED UNDER IT! REMEMBER, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN EVERYBODY DISSED MICHAEL JACKSON EVERY CHANCE THEY COULD. IMAGINE THE PRESSURE OF BEING A TRUE ICON. VERY FEW HUMAN BEINGS ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO TAKE CONSTANT HATE!!! IF WE DON'T DO WHAT YOU FEEL IS THE SHIT, YOU BEAT US UP VERBALLY AND MENTALLY, LIKE A CATHOLIC SCHOOL TEACHER BEATING A CREATIVE STUDENT INTO SUBMISSION. I CAN HEAR YOU SCREAMING 'COLOR INSIDE THE LINES!!!' WELL FUCK YOUR COLORING BOOK, COLOR BY NUMBERS APPROACH TO LIFE. AT THE END OF THE DAY WHO ARE WE HURTING??? OH "THE NEW BLACK???" SINCE BARACK IS PRESIDENT BLACKS DON'T LIKE FUR COATS, RED LEATHER, AND FRIED CHICKEN ANY MORE?! WHEN YOU TRULY UNDERSTAND CULTURAL SETTINGS, BOUNDARIES, AND OUR MODERN DAY CASTE SYSTEMS, THEN YOU CAN FEEL THE GLORY AND PAIN FROM THE DAYS OF KINGS IN AFRICA TO THE NEW KINGS OF THE MEDIA. LET THE BALL PLAYERS DANCE AFTER THEY SCORE! IT'S LIFE MY NIGGAS, IT'S LIFE! REMEMBER CLOTHING IS A CHOICE. WE WERE BORN NAKED!!! FRESH IS AN OPINION, LOVE IS OBJECTIVE, TASTE IS SELECTIVE, AND EXPRESSION IS MY FAVORITE ELECTIVE. NO MORE POLITICS OR APOLOGIES!!!

• Leftback will not feature any beats from departed, semi-estranged produced, 9th Wonder.
• Leftback will be a full-length LP.
• Leftback will be released independently via Hall of Justus
• In limited runs, Leftback will boast an accompanying DVD.
• Leftback will feature four singles with four accompanying videos
  
• Phonte's solo album drops this fall.

Singles Winner: "Empire State of Mind"

• U2 and Jay-Z team up for Haiti song. Enormous.
• Martha Coakley culminated an atrocious senate bid with a crushing defeat to a rich guy better at connecting with independents. That's 57 years one Massachusetts family anchored a seat before the supposed successor botched a cake walk special election. Then again, this may not be that big of a deal.
  
• Supreme Court tosses out Mumia Abu-Jamal Sentence.
  
• Here are the hip-hop Billboard charts for last week.
  
• The Grammys tap Usher and Jennifer Hudson for a 3-D tribute to Michael Jackson.
• Mel Gibson is making a movie about vikings.
• Failed Dallas Cowboys and Georgia Tech coach, Chan Gailey, disappoints city of Buffalo, hired as Bills head coach.
  
• Embattled quarterback and former first overall draft pick, JaMarcus Russell, to be King of Mardi Gras.
• China is fucking with our Gmail.
• ATX stand up: the Cap City cracks the top five.
• If Friday is Conan's last "Tonight Show," Will Ferrell would be his last guest.
  

Incredible live performance with Jay Elec and his famous friends.

Influential outlets are picking up on this monster underground classic. We've been telling you. His new, Just Blaze-produced and Nas-versed work, Act II: The Patents of Nobility, drops soon. Hopefully this week.

• A saddened, sincere RIP to Teddy Pendergrass, who passed away on Wednesday from colon cancer complications. He was 59. This is the best mournful essay of the bunch.
  
• Knaan and Mos Def taped an episode of "Austin City Limits" last fall during their stint in town for the ACL Festival. The performance enjoyed a January broadcast. They are collectively the PBS mainstay's first hip-hop act.
  
• In a move celebrated by music lovers everywhere, the Oink dude was cleared of fraud.
  
• This bit was pretty funny.
• Gucci Mane, Blu, Mickey Factz, Kanye West, Bun B, The Knux, Raheem DeVaughn, Killer Mike, and Young Money all released 2010 albums or mixtapes. We'll catch you up in reviews soon.
• Eve no longer records for Interscope Records.
• Prominent '90s DJs, Funkmaster Flex and DJ Clue engaged in bitter Twitter warfare. 
• Mystikal, after a six-year bid, was released from jail on January 14.
• In Jay-Z news, people wrote about his connection to the Illuminati, he and Beyonce made a Forbes list, Complex broke down his passive, hidden digs at rivals.
  

• Haitian ex-Fugee, Wyclef Jean, has been all over the charity front and on cable news (above). On a personal note ATG was enjoying the Cardinals and Saints Saturday afternoon and the bartender decided to let Clef's 1997's masterpiece, The Carnival, play in its entirety. If you missed it, it's hands down the best Fugees album (Lauryn Hill and Pras are all over the place) and it's exemplarary coping music. Well done, good sir.
  
• Diddy vlogged a message to his Haitian brethren.
  
• Rick Ross will host a blood drive.
  
• Clipse's clothing distributors have sweet relief merch.
  
• Bun B has organized the Houston for Haiti benefit concert which is slated for Monday afternoon and will feature all H-Town prodigal songs like Vince Young.
  
• Unexpected voices like Twista and Lil Flip have recorded emotive, worthy support music while NYOIL pledged to pour revenue from this song to the ravaged country.
• Tragically, Haitian hip-hop artist, Jimmy O, was confirmed dead Friday. His vehicle was crushed in downtown Port-Au-Prince during the earthquake. 
• In the aftermath of the tragedy, building rumors suggest The Fugees will reunite. Anyone who remembers their 1997 Port-Au-Prince concert will be elated at the possibility of a shot in the arm to Haitians via a benefit concert that a) speaks to their culture and b) does not involve Bono.

• With financial controversy hindering efforts, Wyclef defends his charity.
• George Clooney's Friday night telethon will feature performances by Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z
  
• Big Boi hosted a fundraiser in Atlanta Monday night.
  
• Hip-Hop Caucus sets up charitable website.
• Barack fucking Obama writes the cover story in Newsweek: Why Haiti Matters
• The Cool Kids, Rhymefest, Jean Grae will headline benefit concert in Chicago on January 31.