The story goes that A-Trak (Kanye’s DJ) was the one who introduced Kanye to Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” A-Trak figured he might as well get publicity from the song since he won’t be getting any check for it. His version is a literal interpretation of the original title: harder, faster, and stronger.
But is it better?
(Thanks, khal)
Is that Kanye with the sunglasses?
It’s funny how labels always fret over sales but no one ever stops to realize that they’re not releasing products compelling enough to attract buyers. Now, as easy as it is to heap all the blame on wack rappers and greedy execs it’s also important to note that consumers play a bigger role here. Quality albums don’t move units (cf: Fishscale), duh. Kids will support their favorite rapper even if he decides to fart over beats for the entire duration of an album. It’s safe to say that a big chunk of today’s urban music consumers buy names not titles.
(Directed by Chris Robinson)
Ahhh…a video that suits the song’s concept for a change. I bet you Dame Dash is excited that someone still cares enough to namedrop him on a song.
::will.i.am’s Songs About Girls cover art
>>Today in hip-hop: August 27th. [Hip-Hop Is Read]
>>Going, Going, Gon-zo! Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigns from his post and join Karl Rove in Shameville. [WSJ]
>>Hip-hop used as an educational tool in public school. [PR Leap]
>>Speaking of hip-hop’s ability to inspire change and drive positive attitudes…[In Rich]
>>Cops say they found drugs in the process of rescuing DMX’s dogs. Like they really went there to save the dogs. [Examiner]
>>Video: Kanye on Entourage + Good Life snippet. [Nah Right]
Georgia & Dudley just lost mad street credibility ’cause of that cello
Let me get a couple of things of my chest before I get to my list of Heavy Rotation. Finding Forever (aka Be 2.0 ©O-Dub) was cool, but its replayability value is zero. Ear Drum, on the other hand, has been enjoying plenty of airplay at the Riz Mansion. That’s not necessarily saying that ED is better than FF. I’m not mad at Kwe for whining about toothpaste and the Bible, but he was flirting with preachy territories right there. Oh, and all those clichés…”They say life is not about the destination, it’s about the journey”; “They say you can’t please everybody.” No sh*t.
That being said, 90% of Ear Drum bangs and it’s still one of the most enjoyable CDs out so far.
Now that I’m done with my rant, back to TRU’s regularly scheduled programming. Which CDs, old or new, have been getting major spins in your system lately?
Here’s my list:
10. Underground Kingz, UGK
9. Ear Drum, Talib Kweli
8. Noreality, N.O.R.E.
7. The Jewelry Box Session, Planet Asia
6. Polluted Water, Ice Water
5. Mixtape Messiah 3, Chamillionaire
4. “Coulda Been” (That one song by Lupe Fiasco)
3. Monster Maker, C-Ray-Z Walz & Sharkey
2. The Message Uni Versa, G & D [Georgia Anne Muldrow & Dudley Perkins]
1. Most Likely to Succeed, Luckyiam
This is actually the show in its entirety. Obama’s interview starts at 10:12.
Obama took some subliminal shots at Hillary when Jon raised the issue of experience vs inexperience. “When people talk about experience,” says Obama, “what they really want to know is, ‘Does he have good judgment?’ And you hope that when one has more experience it gives them better judgment. But everybody knows a lot of 50-, 60- and 70-year-olds that don’t have good judgment…”
Sounds like he’s referring to Hillary who’s obviously in her late 50s and voted in favor of the war (bad judgement), whereas he opposed it from the jumpoff. He also reiterated one of his favorite crowdpleasers: “Nobody has a longer resume than Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, and that hasn’t worked out so well.”
::NOT an example of a supergroup
That CRS thing with Kanye, Lupe, and Pharrell has been stirring up all kinds of supergroup ideas in my head lately. So here’s the deal: If you could create your own super-duper-group, hip-hop or otherwise, who would you tap for the gig? It’s your call, your rules, and your group. There’s one golden rule though: You have to include at least one producer in the supergroup.
Go!
Here’s a wonky GooTube clip of Wednesday’s MSG show. Curtis is such a bully, he just had to go and steal the spotlight from Kanye.
