I had a chance to check out Devin’s latest album, Landing Gear, and was surprised at how fast he plundered into redundancy. Inasmuch as I love Devin’s past work, I think he’s reached that dreaded stage in a rap career where every album sounds just like the last one.
Illa J is J Dilla’s younger brother. The 21-year old is working relentlessly to keep the Yancey flag flying, even though the mantle seem to be firmly grasped in Black Milk’s palm. And did I mention that he’s nice on the mic? Yup, good music flows in the family. His debut album, Yancey Boys, arrives on November 4, 2008.
For an album constructed around leftover Jay Dee beats from the 90s, Yancey Boys is fresh. There’s an inescapable urge to compare Illa J to Dilla Dawg, but that’s doing the latter a disservice. Dilla was more of a lighthearted rapper who treated every rhyme like a dance partner; Illa sounds more structured and occasionally choppy, by contrast. At any rate, the music is undeniably exciting and overwhelmingly nostalgic. Only time will tell how well (if at all) Illa J will be able to uphold Dilla’s legacy.
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If you missed Barack Obama’s 30-minute infomercial-style campaign ad last night, I got your back like scoliosis. The fancy ad ran on 7 networks (CBS, NBC, FOX, Univision, BET, MSNBC, and TV One), leaving a $5 million dollar hole in Obama’s pocket. ABC and CNN opted out of the buy.
Proceed to see a video of Will Smith, Snoop Dogg, and other celebs urging you to…not vote. Read the rest of this entry »
>>The Costume-N-Ator
This hilarious Costume-N-ator by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution allows you to dress up some of your favorite celebs, including Luda-”What up, Bitch”-Cris. [AJC]
>>DJ Spooky: A conceptual hip-hop Halloween
The New York DJ is an experimental hip-hop musician known for mixing technology, popular culture and contemporary art. [SF Gate]
>>Soulja Boy Hit Singles & Dance Research
“As I’ve mentioned before, watching Soulja Boy drop singles on YouTube gives one the impression of a “hit singles fishing expedition”.” [Prohiphop]
>>Joe the Plumber Goes Country
“Move over, Sanjaya, and tell William Hung the news: Joe the Plumber is being pursued for a major record deal and could come out with a country album as early as Inauguration Day.” [Splicetoday]
>>Notorious B.I.G. documentary launching with movie
Although the documentary, Biggie Small: Rap Phenomenon, has no connection to the 20th Century Fox biopic Notorious, D-Roc will be releasing at the same time as the movie to capitolize on the added publicity. [Wooohah]
>>Boo Boo mouths off Kanye’s paparazzi incident
“You’ll see artists like Kanye West, he recently had a little incident in the airport. After he’s been successful for a longer period, he’ll let that frustration go without incident.” [AngryApe]
Looks like Obama’s got Seal’s seal of approval. Too bad he’s not eligible to vote in the U.S.
Ghostface has been releasing new albums at such an alarming rate that I’m beginning to wonder if he’s trying to get out of his Def Jam contract. He’s dropped 3 CDs in the last 2 years alone, with another one scheduled for November 25. Contrary to popular belief, Ghostdeini the Great is not Tony’s greatest hits album. It’s a mix of old cuts, remixes, and some new verses.
Peep the tracklist and guest features after the cut.
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This hilarious web commercial is Obama’s way of warning his supporters about the danger of celebrating before the race is won. Apparently, Obama’s camp got the idea from this video.
“Obama on the left, McCain on the right/We can talk politics all night/And you can vote however you like”
Awww…how nice it is to see a bi-partisan coalition of kids not old enough to vote urging grown-ups to go ahead and exercise their constitutional right.
