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.

NEW URL!!!!

In order to simplify this blog, the url has been changed to bignoel15.blogspot.com.

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!!!!

The Year 2019

As most of you know, I'm a huge fan of Apple Products. This video is from arch-nemesis, Microsoft but it's still pretty cool. The video, titled "2019" is Microsoft's view of the future. It shows a lot of touch screen technology and wireless connectivity. Check it out.

<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-GB&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:a517b260-bb6b-48b9-87ac-8e2743a28ec5&showPlaylist=true&from=shared" target="_new" title="Future Vision Montage">Video: Future Vision Montage</a>

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.

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.

Transformers 2 Trailer!!!!

I saw this last night while watching the Super Bowl (more on that later). This looks awesome!!!!

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.

Broken Ankles!

I can't believe I'm posting this.  If you know me or if you've ever read any part of this blog, you're probably aware of my disdain for all things Kobe Bryant.  I can't lie though, this commercial had me laughing.  I have to admit, I've warmed up to Kobe's personality a little bit, especially after watching him actually be a team player during the Olympics in Beijing.  This does not mean I'm now a Kobe fan.  I can just tolerate him now.  Here's the commercial.  Enjoy!

Side note:  Best rap lyric referencing Kobe Bryant:  "I ordered that Kobe beef like I was Shaquille O'Neal." -Kanye West

This is so awesome!

This is a video that demo's the new "Google Mobile App" for the iPhone.  I'm a huge fan of the iPhone even though I don't have one yet (that was a huge hint!!!).  This app alone makes the iPhone worth buying.  Check it out:

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.

Nike Sportswear

Nike has recently released a new high-fashion, boutique line called Nike Sportswear. The items in this exclusive line can only be purchased online or at specialty boutiques in New York and Los Angeles.

The line features retro shoes and clothing that has been updated with the newest Nike technologies. For example, the Nike Air Max 90 running shoe has been updated into the Nike Air Max 90 Current which uses the Nike Free technology in the forefoot. See below:

Other products featured by the new line are the Nike Dunk basketball shoe and the Nike Windrunner track jacket both seen here:

Another great feature of the Nike Sportswear line is that almost all of the products in their line are available for customization on NikeID.com. Even if you're not going to buy anything, it's a lot of fun to play around with the different colors and materials for each shoe.

Slamball Is Back!!!

Slamball is quite possibly the greatest sport ever invented... ever. It combines basketball with trampolines. Who didn't do that as a kid in your driveway? I know I did. Well Slamball had a good run on Spike TV back in 2002-2004 but it went away for a while. Well no need to worry, my friends. Slamball is back and it's on tv! Tune into the Vs. Network Saturday afternoons to catch high flying hard hitting action. The championship game will be played on CBS too! Me and my good friend Zach are doing a project for our sports finance class on Slamball. For those of you not as familiar with Slamball, I encourage you to watch the following video:

Good News!!!

So today we were given some great news!!! The Foreign Exchange will be dropping their second album "Leave It All Behind" next month. For those of you who don't know, Foreign Exchange is the combination of rapper, Phonte from Little Brother (out of Durham, NC) and producer Nicolay (of the Netherlands). The two first collaborated with the classic 2004 album Connected. They are well-known for being one of the first groups to make an album without actually ever seeing each other. Connected was made by sending files back and forth over instant messenger. "Leave It All Behind" is scheduled to drop Oct 7 on iTunes and Oct 14 in stores as a double album with disc 2 featuring full instrumentals. Below is what the cover will look like. I love it. I can't wait.

New Common Video - Announcement feat. Pharrell

This song has been out for a minute but this video just hit the web today. I've been a fan of Common for a while and really enjoyed all of his recent colaborations with Kanye West for his last two albums: Be and Finding Forever. I am really excited for his new album though which drops later this fall. The new album, entitled Invicible Summer, features production by Pharrell and Chad of N*E*R*D. This song and Universal Mind Control are two great examples of Pharrell and Chad's space aged sound and fit perfectly to Common's smooth lyrics. Common and N*E*R*D are going on tour this fall and making a stop at NC State to perform at the Pack Howl Homecoming Concert Friday, October 3rd. I got my tickets and I'm very excited. What a great birthday present! Enjoy the video!

2008 Honda Civic Si

I have an awesome Dad. He decided long ago that upon graduation of college he would buy me and my sisters cars so that we wouldn't have to start out with a car payment right out of college. He held good on his end of the deal last May when my sister, Lindsay graduated from ECU. I graduate from NC State in December so I was expecting to get a new car sometime around the new year but about a month ago Dad came up to me and said it would be better to go ahead and do it now. You see, the 2009 models all come out in September so you can usually get a better deal on the 2008 models in July and August.

I did a lot of research on what kind of car I wanted. My beautiful wife, Ashley drives a 2006 Honda Accord that her parents helped us get when she graduated from ECU back in December. We've really enjoyed her car, so getting a Honda was definitely in the forefront of my mind. I've had an SUV (see below) for the past 3 years and with the current gas prices, I was sure I wanted a car. I also knew that I wanted something with 4 doors because Ashley and I hope to have kids in the future. I also wanted something that was a little bit sporty though. I wanted to have fun while I drive. This led me to 3 cars: Lexus IS 350, Volkswagon GLI, and Honda Civic Si Sedan.

I've loved the Lexus IS for years but it was out of my price range. A lot out of my price range. So it was down to the GLI and the Civic Si. I test drove both. I read a ton of reviews and consumer reports. I decided to go with the Honda for several reasons. First, I heard a lot of people had problems with the GLI's engine, mainly that the fan makes too much noise and can cause problems. Second, I liked that the Civic was a manual transmission. My dad drives a Wrangler with a manual transmission and I always had fun driving his car. Finally, the Civic had a sportier look to it that I really fell in love with.

So I got the Civic Si. Here's a history of the car courtesy Wikipedia. I've really enjoyed it so far. It has racing style pedals and seats, 17" rims with low profile tires, navigation system (awesome!!!!), digital speedometer, "Si" detailing in the seats and on the grill, sunroof, and one of my favorite features: a digital input for my iPod. See below for the pics.

I would be remiss if I didn't pay tribute to my car for the past 3 years, the 2001 Jeep Cherokee, also known as "The Silver Bullet." What a great car! Although it guzzled gas similar to an elephant at a waterhole in the middle of Kenya, I had some really great times with that car. It was my mom's car when I was in high school. She took me to get my wisdom teeth out in that car. My parents used that car to help me move in and out of my dorm at UNC my freshman year. My parents picked me up from the airport when I came home from my mission in that car. I drove it to Greensboro countless times to hang out with my best friend, Greg and see him play basketball for UNCG. I took Ashley on our first date in that car. I also drove from Raleigh to Greenville and back to go see Ashley so many times it's unfathomable (half the time, I was probably half asleep and the Silver Bullet drove me itself). The best gift Ashley ever gave me was a sports rack for the top of the Cherokee. It brought home our first Christmas Tree. It's gotten me to and from the beach and the mountains. As a courier at my dad's law firm, it took me all over the Triangle for work. It never complained about the music I played, the jokes I made, or the prayers I've uttered while inside. For that, I'm forever in debt to you, Silver Bullet. I hope you find your new (well old actually, my dad took it back and plans to keep using it until it's last breath) home just as comforting, adventurous, and enjoyable as our past 3 years together have been.

Good NIght Sweet Prince!