5 Things About Wale

MTV did a recent segment on Wale. He tells us 5 things he wants us to know about him. Check it out:

Wale - MTV Shows

Official Chillin' - Video

Wale - Behind the Scenes

This video is part 2 of a 10 part video podcast series that Zune is doing on Wale. This video features behind the scenes footage of his video shoot for Chillin'. Enjoy:

Wale on Carson Daly

Wale performed his new single, Chillin' on Carson Daly's show last week. Here's the video.

Hip Hop on 20/20 in 1981

These videos are awesome. Way ahead of it's time.

Part 1:

Part 2:

A Couple Videos

I wanted to post a couple videos that I've found recently since it's been a while since I made a post. The first video is from Fayetteville, NC rapper, JCole. JCole opened for Wale a couple of weeks ago at the Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill. Despite is inexperience, he knows how to rock a crowd. He's the most recent signee to Jay-Z's new label, ROC Nation. This video is the "trailer" for his upcoming mixtape, "The Warm Up." It may seem a little over dramatic, but this dude has a really cool story and I love the fact that he's rockin' the 96 Air Penny's. Those were my favorite basketball shoes.

J Cole - The Warm Up (trailer) from bbgun on Vimeo.

I found the next video on the Billionaire Boys Club blog. This video is CRAZY!!! You have to watch it all the way to the end.

I mean this dude rides his bike better than most people can walk! It's just plain ridiculous!!!

I know y'all are probably waiting for my thoughts on this insane Bulls-Celtics series. Let me just go ahead and let you know that Bill Simmons at ESPN called it. In his column after Game 1, he said that this series could shape up to be one of the best series of all time. You can read the article here.

Since I had such a good time at the Wale concert a couple weeks ago, later this week I'll hit y'all with a megapost on all things Wale. Until then, PEACE!!!!

Pharrell @ McDonald's in Paris

This is pretty funny. Pharrell gets no love at the airport in Paris. So much for superstar treatment.

New K-OS Video

Here's a new video from Toronto MC/singer/producer K-OS (pronounced "chaos").  If you haven't heard of this guy before, I wouldn't be that surprised.  He's been under the radar the past few years but his last album, 2007's "Atlantis - Hymns for Disco," is one of my favorites.  He's also got a really cool acoustic album available on iTunes.  Enjoy the video.

Kanye West - Welcome to Heartbreat Official Video

This is awesome!  Kanye featuring KiD CuDi.  Welcome to Heartbreak.

KANYE WEST "Welcome To Heartbreak" Directed by Nabil from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

This is My Jam!!!

In honor of Bill Simmons' annual NBA Trade Value column, he posted a link to this video. This is John Tesh, creator of the "NBA on NBC" theme song. This song is probably in my top 10 favorite songs ever... that's right ever. If this song doesn't bring back memories of Sunday afternoons for you, then you are either a female or I don't have much in common with you and we should probably never speak. Now be prepared, this video is way corny, but just listen to the song, it's awesome.

For Whom the Bell Tolls

I've been wanting to post this song for a while, but I'm glad I waited because the official video was just released this week.  This song features an interesting mix of MC's:  Phonte from the Durham based Little Brother, Evidence of Dilated Peoples, and one of my favorite up-and-comers, Blu.  Former Black Eyed Pea's front man will.i.am sings the hook.  This is on Evidence's EP titled The Layover.

Grammy's 09

I hate award shows in general.  It's basically a bunch of super rich people in one room, pretending to like each other.  The Grammy's is no exception.  I have really strong opinions about music too, and the Grammy's hardly ever reward those that I feel deserve recognition.  Sunday night's Grammy's did result in some pretty cool performances though.  My favorite was this one with Radiohead and the USC marching band.  I can't begin to describe how cool this is:

Radiohead - 15 Step
by Alisvideo

I also really loved the Coldplay/Jay-Z performance.  Everybody knows that Jay-Z is my all-time favorite musician and this colab with Coldplay is great.

Wale & Colin Munroe Jam Session

My new favorite rapper, Wale, was in the studio with up and coming pop/rock/electronic artist, Colin Munroe. This song has been out for a while but I love the live element.

2008 Year in Review

2008 has been a crazy year. I graduated from college. My wife and I moved into a new apartment (which is nice but we're now trying to get out of it). My wife got a great job and I got hired by a professional sports team.

Here is my list of favorites of 2008:

Favorite New Artist: Wale - This dude is incredible. I love his lyrics and his style. I really enjoyed his Seinfeld-themed mixtape called "The Mixtape About Nothing." I'm really looking forward to his first official album release in March 09.

Favorite Album: Rising Down by The Roots - The Roots are seriously the only group that consistently lives up to my expectations. As I stated in my review of the album, Rising Down was the perfect continuation of 2007's Game Theory and restored my faith in hip-hop.

Favorite Athlete: Kevin Garnett - The way that he willed the Boston Celtics to their 17th NBA Title was so fun to watch. KG is one of those guys who deserves to win more than anyone else because he cares more than anyone else. He has been the leader of the Celtics' Title Defense this season as well. I love his intensity.

Favorite Team: Alabama Crimson Tide Football - I've always been a big Crimson Tide fan. This year was a dream season until the SEC title game. I know everyone on this planet except for me hates Nick Saban but I think he's done a great job guiding Alabama back into the national spotlight.

Favorite Movie: Traitor - I LOVED this movie. Great acting by Don Cheadle. This movie was also extremely relevant to our current events. I know everyone else is going to scream that Dark Knight was way better but Traitor gets my vote. My dad calls it "The Black Bourne."

Favorite TV Show: The Office - Still the best sitcom on TV. I can't wait to see how the rest of Season 5 plays out. What a great cast! A close second was ESPN's E:60 which had some great stories this year.

Post some of your favorites in the comments section.

Sooner or Later - Behind the Scenes

This video is behind the scenes footage from N*E*R*D's new video for "Sooner or Later."  The song is one of my favorites off "Seeing Sounds."  Normally, I love Pharrell's style but I'm not feeling those camo pants he's wearing at the end.  

Sooner Or Later - Behind The Scenes

Nike Boots Video

Most of y'all know I'm a huge fan of DC rapper, Wale (pronounced wah-lay). His last two mixtapes, 100 Miles and Running & the Mixtape About Nothing, are better than most hip-hop albums. Here is his new video for the song that made him famous. It's called Nike Boots and it might sound like your typical rap song about a popular shoe, but listen to the lyrics, especially the last verse. He is talking about some really deep stuff. Insecurities and whatnot.

Record Review

Album: 808's & Heartbreak

Artist: Kanye West

Record Label: Roc-a-fella/DefJam

Rating: 3.5/5

Kanye West recently followed up his first three critically acclaimed hip-hop albums by venturing into a new world of music. Kanye has often proclaimed himself to be an international pop star and not just a rapper. This new album reflects that vision and direction. West recently dealt with the loss of his mother and a rough break up with his fiancee. 808's & Heartbreak, named for the drum machine used to make the beats, is a glimpse into the mind of a superstar who is reeling from these emotional times in his life.

The main difference between this album and other Kanye albums is the obvious lack of "rapping." West sings on every track using the autotune software popularized by T-Pain. While this software does give West's voice an eery tone that fits the subject matter, I get tired of it by the end of the album.

Another difference is that in the past, Kanye's albums have been quite diverse, featuring a wide variety of sounds and moods. 808's & Heartbreak is brooding and dark throughout. Fortunately, this works to West's advantage because it allows the listener to connect emotionally with West's experiences. This is quite possibly one of the most personal albums I've listened to in a while. The soundscapes of each song are supported by the simplistic 808 drums.

Overall, 808's & Heartbreak is an exciting trip into the mind of a broken-hearted superstar. West tries things that haven't been tried in pop music before and breaks through boundaries that separate genres of music. Despite all this, I still miss the old Kanye. I miss the more soulful tracks and quit-witted rhymes. Hopefully, this album has given Kanye to get all the pop out of his system and when he drops the rumored follow-up to Graduation in June we will get a real hip-hop classic.

My favorite songs are Street Lights:

and Amazing:

My 1st Podcast

Ok guys. I think I've worked out all the kinks. Here it is. My first podcast. Enjoy.

Hope vs. Hype

I am so glad this election is over. I'm so sick of all the political banter especially from people that don't know what they're talking about or from people that don't normally care at all about politics but now that it's the "cool/trendy" thing to do, they're all about it. I voted, but I really didn't feel that either candidate was a good choice for our country. Watching the returns with Ashley last night, I realized that a lot of people don't know anything about the issues and are all just falling for the hype. When a reporter asked why two young women were happy to be at the park in Chicago for Obama's victory speech, they responded "We're just so happy to be a part of history!" Really?!?!?! That's all you've got? No mention of what issues Obama brought to the table that you hope he will address now that he's president or what changes you hope to see? I had a better reason when I stormed the field after NC State beat FSU for the first time back in 1998. Come on people! Anyway, here's a video of my favorite actor/rapper, Mos Def with some of the things he would do as president... notice that not everything he says (tax policy) matches up with what Obama is going to do.

If Mos Def Were President by GOOD Magazine

Artist Profile: Little Brother

Little Brother is a 3-man hip-hop group that started in 1998 at North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC. I've been a huge fan since I picked up their debut album "The Listening" in 2003 when I was a freshman at UNC-Chapel Hill. "The Listening" was a true throwback to early 90's hip-hop. Little Brother chose their name because they said they felt like they were the younger brothers of groups like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and Public Enemy. "The Listening" featured sample heavy soul beats provided by producer 9th Wonder and rhymes about everyday struggles by Phonte and Big Pooh.

Before releasing their next album in 2005, Phonte worked on a side project with a producer from the Netherlands named Nicolay. Together as The Foreign Exchange, they released their collaborative effort called "Connected." During this time Big Pooh also released a solo mixtape entitled "Sleepers" and producer 9th Wonder worked with world-famous artists like Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Memphis Bleek. The group released a mixtape called "The Chitlin Circuit 1.5" which featured unreleased tracks that had been recorded during 2003-2004.

The 2005, release was called "The Minstrel Show" and once again featured soul samples provided by 9th Wonder along with contemplative rhymes. This album received a large amount of critical acclaim including 4.5 out of 5 microphone rating from The Source magazine. The album would turn out to be the groups last album as a 3-man team. Soon after the release of "The Minstrel Show," 9th Wonder left the group. Both sides maintain that there was no animosity but simply creative differences. 9th Wonder teaches a hip-hop history class at NCCU and continues to produce for a wide variety of hip-hop artist.

Little Brother continued to tour in 2006 and 2007 and in late 2007, the now duo released their third album, "Getback." This album featured production from a wider variety of producers including Illmind and Denaun Porter but still featured one track from 9th Wonder. I really enjoyed "Getback" and the expansion of Little Brother's new sound but at the same time I missed the congruency of the albums that were produced entirely by 9th.

Last week Phonte released a second Foreign Exchange album entitled "Leave It All Behind" with producer Nicolay. This album features no rapping, but instead Phonte sings on every track. In November, Little Brother will re-release their 2007 mixtape "Separate but Equal," on iTunes but this time without the annoying yelling of DJ Drama over every track and the DJ scratches and replaying of the first 3 lines of the song.

Little Brother has proven that they are one of the most skillful duos on the microphone in all of hip-hop, but my favorite thing about them is their ability to relate to the average person. Their songs are about things that normal people go through unlike most of today's rap groups that talk about their ridiculous cars, weapons, and girls. Little Brother talks about the struggles of maintaining a relationship while working a full-time job, missing their children while on tour, and voicing their political opinions.