Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3
Over the past two weeks this has been the topic that I have talked about the most amongst my friends. There are people I know who love it and people I know that did not think this album was up to par. I think BP3 is far from his Jay-Z's worst album: BP3 > Kingdom Come > In My Lifetime Vol. 1 > Blueprint 2. (Out of 11 albums, 4th from the bottom isn't bad right?) Everything else from Jay, I consider a classic or close to it.
I didn't like certain songs when it leaked, but it grew on me when I heard these same songs put together as an album. However, l still can't stand the hook on "Reminder" (even Jay said in an interview that it wasn't up to par & that he was about to cut it from the album) & o
My Top Songs off BP3
1. "Already Home" (if anyone else but CuDi was on the hook I prolly wouldn't like it as much) Lyrics are hard and I like how Jay-Z addresses things that has been said about him on this song.
1. (tied) "A Star is Born" (like the vibe of the song especially since i grew up on everything Jay-Z talks about in this song. It's like a mini-tribute to the rappers who have accomplished a lot from the time that Jay-Z has been in the game.)
2. "So Ambitious" (I feel like this is Blue Magic 2 with the Pharrell collaboration. This song is so inspiring, letting you know that whatever they say you can't do, prove them wrong & do it anyway.)
3. "Empire State of Mind" (You have to be from New York picture everything he's talking about vividly. I like Alicia on the hook too.)
4. "Hate" (KanYe & Jay-Z addressing haters on a song is really funny)
5. "On To The Next One" (This will be a club banger... I really like how Swizz samples "D.A.N.C.E." by Justice into the song.)
6. "Run This Town" (like the lyrical content & the beat, has a NY vibe to it also)
Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z (featuring Alicia Keys)
KiD CuDi's Man On The Moon: End of Day
AS SOON AS I HEARD IT, it became in my Top 5 favorite albums of ALL TIME [1. The College Dropout, 2. Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, 3. Marshall Mathers LP, 4. The Black Album/The Blueprint, 5. Common- Be, ...& then there was CuDi]
To be honest I like the whole thing. I think the "Enter Galactic" song could have been better but his lyrics are still there. I thought Common was the perfect person to commentate throughout his album & it is the most original piece of work I have heard in a long time.
My Top Songs off Man on the Moon: End of Day
1. "Solo Dolo" (This is my theme song, I can relate to it in every aspect.)
2. "Alive" (I am a big fan of Ratatat & the electronic vibe matches what CuDi does on the song)
3. "Hyyer" (This song is real mellow & if you get high, it would be the perfect song for you)
4. Rest of the album
Alive- Kid Cudi (featuring Ratatat)
I did not like that the album had a cliffhanger feel to it. It could have had a bettter ending or something. CuDi said that it's supposed to segue into his next album, but that will be two years from now. Overall, I really like it and I'm happy I bought it. It is very creative & I get CuDi's whole concept.
On the B train riding from Fordham, two of my students began to argue over which borough was the best. In one corner was a Brooklynite who incited the argument by expressing his disdain for the Bronx the whole walk from Fordham to the station.
"yo, i hate this bum ass borough!"
"what's your problem?"
"I swear this whole borough smells like spaghettios!"
Knowing how much my students stereotype, I was surprised he didn't say arroz con pollo. The second student also lives in Brooklyn but originally is from the Bronx. He quickly came to the defense of his homeland.
"Brooklyn is whack!"
"get outta here Brooklyn is the best borough by far!"
They argued about the attractiveness of each borough's females, which borough had the best style (swag is dead, no?), and which borough is most hardbody.
"you would never in your life say Brooklyn is whack while you were there cuz u know they would wash you!"
"that's their problem! They stay killin each other! I guarantee there will be no one left there by like...2012!"
In due time, the conversation, as I anticipated, went to which borough has the nicest emcees.
Up until this point I only observed; contributing to the atmosphere through laughter and shakin my head in disapproval to their ignorance.
I wanted to hear their answers and be reassured that the rumors were a lie: young people do know their history and had respect for culture.
The young brother from the Bronx did not disappoint:
"The Bronx don't have rappers?! Are you kidding me?! We got krs-1, we got pun, we got fat Joe (I'll give him a pass on this one as Joey crack introduced the world to pun and was a member of D.I.T.C)"
"what?! big pun is whack!"
Absurd.
"Brooklyn got way better rappers than that! We got fab--"
At this I had to interject.
"of all the emcees you could have mentioned, you choose fab?!"
It's not that Fabolous is whack. Far from it! But in a history that has given Biggie, Jay , Big Daddy Kane, mos def, among others, you choose fab?
The debate soon settled and both brothers changed trains. As I continued my ride home I reflected on three things:
If Willie Lynch were here, would he smile as these brothers' discord gave evidence of self hatred's compound interest?
Would those who died in the fight against injustice, echo Aaron Mccgruder's portrayal of Dr. King and ask, "is this what I took all those ass whoopings for?"
And I realized their argument proved many of my southern brothers and sisters right when they talk about why and how New York fell off.
Their argument illustrated the infighting that many southern emcees associate with the New York scene. Instead of reflecting on each borough's distinctions as yet another reason why the city is The City, energy is wasted in a futile debate that is based on who can outshout the other more than the facts.
This isn't unique to NY, fighting over territory occurs all over the world and throughout history. Sadly, we forget how much we need each other and waste time belaboring our inadequacies.
The greatest tragedy is when this happens to a successful group. The focus on the whole, becomes too much for the part (think David Ruffin) and they assume the success will continue just because they are there.
I believe this happened to the USA Olympic basketball team. Winning against other nations came naturally in '92 and '96. You didn't check the score to see if they won but to see how badly they crushed the other team.
The team was lackluster in Sydney and by 04, as the league was at it's lowest point in the post-Jordan era, it's performance was woeful.
Players expected to win the gold medal by birthright and even the best players didn't have what it took to be the best team.
The difference in 08? Jerry Colangelo and Coach K got the best players in the league to buy into their system and prove they were the best team in the world. Rather than relying on their reputation, they built it.
I think the New York sound, and therefore hip hop en masse, has a lot to learn from the dream team. You're only winning until you're not and the motivation should be geared toward sustaining power rather than abusing it.
This cannot be achieved without a recommitment to love that prioritizes music over the business. If monetary spoils make the music a means to an end then the culture suffers.
Newer emcees should make art that converses with the music that came before them. What would happen if they were in actual dialogue with legends? Are there mentors in hip-hop? (We all see what Jay's relationship has done for Kanye.)
LL
Ghostface
Nas
Q tip
Chuck D
Dr. Dre
Big Daddy Kane
Rakim
Charlie Barnett was an actor/comedian who passed away well before his time. He lived from 1954-1996. Barnett gained popularity by performing in New York City parks- mainly Washington Square Park because it attracted so many people of different backgrounds. He had short roles on television and in movies and may be best remembered for his character Neville "Noogie" Lamont on Miami Vice. At age 41, Bannett died of AIDS and his dream of becoming a well-known star ended. Although his dream ended at such a short time, he has influenced the work of Dave Chappelle and other black comedians. I came across this clip of him today and thought he was worth looking into because over the years a lot of people's work has been taken for granted; and we never know if the same person who entertained us today will live to entertain us tomorrow, but if we cherish their work now, there can be more appreciation. I hope you enjoy & appreciate the clip.
- Converted with the antique plate filter
No one sees things exactly the same as another. If you put 10 reasonably creative people with cameras in the same situation I suspect you'll get 10 different photographs. Not only that, but someone else looking at those photographs then interprets what we have seen in their unique way. Pretty cool on one hand, because all we can do is what we do, then put it out there for others to see in it what they will. However, as an artist, we have many options to create a portal or path for an observer to follow into our own special world of visual delights. I find there are times I have a specific intention for a photo, and want to make a particular statement. Sometimes it's more illusive.....an image seems to make it's self intuitively, the outside beckoning me from within; a feeling sparking pure consciousness into being, connecting perfectly into a form in the confines of the camera's window frame. Those are magic times; I think that's what keeps many of us clinging to our cameras as one would a love interest. (that sounds weird, huh?) Anyway, with new technology adding more possibilities to extend our photographic vocabularies and flights of fancy, visual impact becomes more and more available and sometimes overwhelming. If money were no object, I'd probably overdose on lens and software, like a diabetic run amok in a candy store. I should probably be grateful I'm being protected from myself. That said, I found an interesting program that I'm using on a 15 day trial download (thank you photo-god.) It's Silver Efex Pro by NIK Software. It's a filtering program that goes into Photoshop and lets you create very interesting black and white conversions. Since downloading it yesterday, I've been experimenting with how one image can be altered to create an entirely different emotional feel.
- This is the original photo of Central Park in NYC
- Converted with yellow filter and some contrast fiddling
Dear God,
Why New York City sucks:
http://gawker.com/364622/what-i-learned-in-jail-last-night
This is how punching a rich kid in the face feels:
http://gawker.com/news/the-kids-today/sam-rauch-oberlin-grad-williamsburg-loft+dweller-279889.php
CNN.
