Wednesday, November 26, 2008

B.O.B. or T.I.P. --> You Make the Call

B.O.B. and T.I.P. - I'm Dat N*gga



"We could have 'em blog about it..." Sounds like they want to know who had the better verse. You make the call...


Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Album Review: Who the hell is 88 Keys?

No, that's not the album title. That's actually "The Death of Adam". But everybody I mention the name 88 Keys to asks me who the hell this guy is. Well, the short e-answer is here.

The somewhat circuitous answer may result after reading my review of The Death of Adam. Check it out...

I mentioned a day ago on Facebook that all fellas should listen to this album. The reason is because (as 88 Keys says) "[T]he entire album is about the power of the punani". And that's precisely correct. From beginning-to-end the album is about the power of the p-u...I-see-you. Based on this you might expect the typical hyper-sexual rapper's tales of sexual prowess, womanizing, pimpin', and an all-out desire to "get his". While there's some of that on the album, there's also evidecne on the album of the vulnerable, conflicted, confused, and frustrated sides of the male psyche as we interact with women. 88 does a good job of examining some of the potential trials and tribulations male/female relationships and dating (and relations) in addition to talking about the power of you know what.

From the onset the album flows very cohesively as story of Adam and everything "punani" (and/or woman) related that he goes through that eventually ends in his "death". In its entirety, the album is a solid and cohesive piece of work that reminded me a little of how American Gangster flowed in the way that the album's songs were arranged to make a point and/or tell a story. The Death of Adam probably has an even better flow in my opinion because of the narrator throughout that helps guide you through what's going on in a non-abrupt and disjointed way. Her soundbytes don't sound like awkwardly-placed skits but flow right along with the pace of the album turning her commentary into complementary narration that helps you wonder what's going to happen next as you follow Adam.

Musically, the album is a mash-up of a lot of different sounds but in a good way. It has a NERD meets Kanye meets soul-hop feel to it throughout the album. I'm not well-versed in instruments, musical production, or musical arrangements so I won't even try to give a solid review of the album from that perspective. But in general terms, it's an album you can listen to from beginning-to-end and skip maybe 3 times. That's not bad. But just like Kanye's CD, don't be fooled into thinking that this is a typical hip-hop album because it is not. It's more than that. And just like I am starting to realize Kanye's album is, this album is in a sense... Bigger than hip-hop.

My favorite song on the album is probably "Close Call" which I'll admit features one of my favorite rappers (Phonte of Little Brother). So if I had to recommend one song to listen to it would be that one followed by "Handcuff 'Em" and "Viagara (Stay Up)". The rest of the songs are probably better within the flow of the album rather than as individual tracks though some of them can still stand solidly on their own.

For what the star-rating is worth I'll give this album a 3.5/5 stars. I want to give it 4 but something's not letting me. It's a solid album and I'd recommend buying it.

Here's the track-by-track analysis...

Morning Wood...Fellas, you already know what this is about. You'll hear a lot of people say that the best sex is "morning sex" and "Adam" starts this album off by letting you know just how great his day will be if "she" takes care of his morning wood. The beat might throw a lot of the fellas off as a little too bubbly but if you listen to what he's saying you'll probably agree with me that you can relate. "Rolling over in my bed...I feel something's going on with my love down below/I hope she's not putting on her clothes cuz I don't want her to go...I don't wanna sound rude but I need head before she heads home/So now I'm thinking of a plan....Can I turn this thing around/Can I get her to go down to my love down below/I hope she's not putting on her clothes cuz I don't want her to go...We had a lot of fun but now I gotta run...It's time to say goodbye to my love down below/I hope she's putting on her clothes cuz it's time to go."

Nice Guys Finish Last...Here's where the Kanye-Tuda sound comes into play on the production. I was feeling this production the first time I heard the track so much that I had to go back a couple times just to pay more attention to what he was saying rather than the beat. This track is all about how being a nice guy can give you false hope and eventually land you in the dreaded "friend zone". A friend recently told me though that "nice guys finish last but finish best". Hmmmnnnn, whatever the fock that means!!! LOL

The Friends Zone (feat. Shitake Monkey)...Here's where the NERD-esque sound comes into play. If this album didn't flow as well as it does I would (almost) never listen to a track like this. But you may feel like you are going to miss a part of the story if you skip this song. My favorite line from this song is "my vision is doubled by the Viagara I popped, thinkin' bout your bubble girl". At this point Adam is getting tired of having conversation that's casual to her, but a little deeper for him because he's hoping to get some after listening to 3 hours of her opening up to him. All the listening turns out to be for naught though and Adam is pretty upset about it at the end, LOL.

Handcuff 'Em...This track might be my favorite beat on the album. I heard this sample before on a Little Brother mixtape and I was a bit shocked to hear it again on this album. Shocked in a good way though. At this point Adam is all about Adam so he's a bit more straightforward with his intentions. You know...Nice guy meets girl...gets put in friend zone...gets frustrated and gives up...meets new girl...drops nice guy routine...gets lucky. There was only one problem with Adam though...

Viagara (Stay Up feat. Kanye West)...That problem being, Adam can't "stay up". I'm pretty sure this track is old as dirt but it still rocks. Kanye does his thing..."What she got is so niagara/make a young nikkah straight need viagara/make a old nikkah give keys to jaguar/just to keep from all the tease and laughter/her telling her homegirls that he couldn't stay up...every time that she bang-bang he skeet skeet/and he so bullheaded, tried to 3-peat/try imagining something passionate, between you Cassie and Kim Kardashian/maybe that'll work when you get to hit that azz again/or you can grab a red bull and sip that twice...you said f*ck that dog I'm gon' tape it/and came for you barely even got the tape in/" LOL. I'm sure some of the ladies will be shaking their heads at this one.

There's Pleasure In It...More of a skit than a song. Nice beat though.

(Aww Man) Round 2?...This is where Adam loses that confidence he found back during Handcuff 'Em. "I'm headed to sleepsville, he's headed to smallsville...we just finished round one we shouldn't head into another session". Ladies, I'm sure you'll get a laugh out of this one too. I'd call this the segue that is the turning point in the album in terms of Adam's karma. After this it starts going downhill.

Dirty Peaches (feat J'Davey)...Musically, this is one of those smooth joints you want to listen/vibe to when you're in a good mood or just relaxing in general. Like I said earlier in this post, some of the songs have a soul-hop feel to them. I'm not gonna lie though, I'm still trying to figure out the "dirty peaches" metaphor.

Close Call (feat Phonte)...Before I talk about this track I just want to go on record and ask anyone who can, to provide me with an answer to the following equation/question...

??? > Phonte

If you know of the group Little Brother and have listened to their music or just kept up with Phonte in general, please help me out because I am having trouble deciding whether that's an answerable question or not. Let me proceed...Like I mentioned above, "Close Call" is probably my favorite track off the album. Phonte starts off rapping about how he makes the bad decision of having sex without a condom (yes fellas, that's not a good look) and getting false confidence that the girl was on the patch. From there it turns into the trap that most men fear..."so she switched from the patch and started taking the pill...one night she put my hand on her stomach and said baby we gon' be a family once I pop this kid/I said bullshyt, let me back it up/And explain to you exactly what yo options is/Option 1 take this nikkah to the Hoover/Or option 2 f*ck on I never knew ya'/I know it sounds crazy and it seems prideful/but I couldn't shake the feeling that I been lied to...left the pills on the dresser right by my copy of Getback/I poured 'em in my hand, then put one in my mouth/Sure enough all this time she been poppin' Tic Tacs".

The Burning Bush (feat Redman)...The title says it all. The song has a fun beat. It's one of those beats I'd love to hear live but overall the song doesn't really do it for me.

Ho' Is Short For Honey (feat Kid Cudi)...I've been hearing a bit about this Kid Cudi guy vis-&aagrave;-vis Kanye (including the song on his CD with Cudi) and Consequence but I've yet to really hear this guy rap. From what I understand his style is rap/sing. But that's not really saying much considering R. Kelly is kinda sing/rap and so is T Pain and so is Akon. And TIP (whatever you liiiiiiiike), 50 Cent (lol) are kinda rap/sing if you would like to stretch it that way, LOL. Anyway, Cudi doesn't obliterate the song with his presence which is all I was really hoping for. This song definitely feels/sounds like the song the Roots did with Cody Chestnut (The Seed 2.0) which was great for how seriously Cody wanted to put his seed in some chick's "bush for life". While this song succeeds musically like "The Seed" it does not succeed overall. I just can't get with the flow on this one. SKIP!

No I SAID I LIKED YOU...Instrumental interlude. You'll like it though.

M.I.L.F. (feat. Bilal)...Regardless of how he felt back during the "Close Call", Adam's gonna be a daddy. Bilal's distinct and soulful voice complements another one of those smooth soulful beats a la "Dirty Peachers". Bilal sings about having a child that looks just like him and a drama-bringin' baby's mother. "Thought I was macking....played the game too long". Yep.

Another Victim...Another victim of the "punani". Moral of the story: Chasing azz instead of love might just make you a victim of your own selfishness. You might love the game but the game doesn't always love you back, pimpin'!

If it was difficult to follow my half-review-half-story throughout this post I suggest you do yourself the favor of checking out 88 Keys on myspace or copping the album (it's worth it).

Cameron Giles entertains me

...and I guess that's kind of the point. He's supposed to be an "entertainer", right?
I oftentimes prefer to refer to Cam as Rico from Paid In Full because his role in that movie was legendary to me as far as rappers-turned-half-azzed-actors go (I mean Luda did play himself in Hustle and Flow, didn't he? All his other fantastic work notwithstanding). I came to realize that Cam's swag in real life might not be that far off from how he portrayed Rico in the movie. Not the violent side of Rico but just the unforgiving brash and cocky style Rico had. Cam had to bring some of that to the role from his real life because he's always been quite the cocky fellow. You have to be pretty confident to not only wear hot pink but paint your Range Rover pink as well.

Anyway, for some reason this morning I had the phrase "computers putin'" in my head which is a line from Cam's song, "Get Em Girls". This is one of the funniest songs of all-time to me. Why? I can't really focus in on one single reason but I can't deny that every time I listen to it I burst out in laughter. But I can't stop listening either. For that reason I am deciding to share this relatively old (but classic IMO) song with you. For your entertainment, I present Camron and "Get Em Girls" (lyrics after the jump with my favorite lines highlighted)...Just imagine me cracking up as I listen to this.


I get the boasters boasting, I get computers puting
Y'all get shot at, call me, I do the shooting
I do the recruiting, I tutor the students
I nurture they brain, I'm moving the movement
Whether buddist or budah, that's judist or juda
I got luger to ruger, hit from +Roota to Toota+
Chick from hooter to hooter, I put two in producers
I'm the real boss story, the hoolah of hoosiers
I rock mostly dosey [Dolce and Gabana], I roll mostly doly [dolo]
I'll leave you wholy, holy, you'll say "Holy Moly"
Here come the coroner get 'em, play "Rolly Poley"
I'll tell you true stories, how I coldly hold heat
When it's repping time, I get on extra grind
Fried to fricassee, pepperseed to pepperdine
Jeff Hamilton, +Genesis+, leather time
B*tches say I'm the man, I tell 'em "Nevermind"

[Chorus]
They getting nice, they got some ice
Let's get the dice and roll 'em (get 'em girls)
They getting chips, they flippin' bricks
Get the Rots and Pits, tell 'em (get 'em girls)
She acting fiesty, getting shiesty
Call her wifey, tell her (get 'em girls)
Just lay back, get your face slapped
We at the race track, eight stacks (get 'em girl)

You acting funny nigga, come dumb, dumby nigga
Killa keeps twenty blikers (I'm getting money nigga)
So you should move away, or join the dude in Play
Hey, so you can say (I'm getting money nigga)
First pal up in the rear, I style up in my gear
Stallion of the year, medallions in my ear
Whips on my fists, houses on my wrists
Your budget on my neck, your spouse on my d*ck
Posters on the wall, posted on my balls
D*ck in her mouth, I tell her (I'm getting money nigga)

Y'all faking the fizzle, I'm caking for shizzle
F*ck a Sizzler steak, my steak stay sizzled
Eight, boom, boom, my ace boon coon
Shake, bake, skate, vroom, vroom (We getting money nigga)
Seventh to eighth, zoom, zoom, boom, boom tune
For I get like that boom, boom room (I'm getting money nigga)
Wreck 'N Effects, zoom, zoom, meh poon, poon
Since the movie "Cacoon", had my uzi, platooned (I'm getting money nigga)


[Chorus]

My team is the "Goonies" we where seen with buffonies
Toonies, best dressed, stay up in Neimans, and Bloomies
Want to hit it from the back, she agreed that I'm looney
But proceeded to moon me (I'm getting money nigga)

Baby, BS in honey do, Cam, Vs 1 and 2
I'll help you get your son out of P.S. 22
Get him a maury flow, from the maury show
Fuck around, y'all gonna be up on the Maury Show
He in bootcamp, you on food stamps
Welfare, no healthcare, a true tramp

And I'm lockey, lockey, leave you pokey, pokey
No Rice a Roni, that's the Okey, Dokey
Me and Toby homie, make you do the hokey pokey
Pull the pound, up and down, turn yourself around shorty
Here's some weed, burn yourself a pound whodie
Here's a map, go load yourself a town, sporty
I was down forty, now I'm up fifty
Buck fifty, buck quickly, who could fuck with me?
Killa

[Chorus]

As you can see pretty much none of this makes sense to the layperson like myself. But he says it as all with such confidence and swagger as if everyone should know precisely what the hell he is talking about. And that in and of itself is hilarious to me. I understand the usage of slang but his whole style is just ridiculous. Oddly enough I think Cam's style is very unique and distinctive even though he sucks about 50% of the time. But you can't deny that dude is pretty entertaining most of the time, LOL.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Street Lights of NYC

Courtesy of DallasPenn and Kanye Tuda

This is definitely one of my favorite tracks off of 808s and Heartbreak and I am glad DP took the time to put this simple but effective video together. It just goes to show you how music can inspire people to do things.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Think before you shoot

I just received an email from my buddy L referencing an article on the Baltimore Sun website about Johns Hopkins University launching a gunfire detection system and I have to say that this is another example of how much I love technology. And it's also a great example of how technology can be used for good.

The way the system works is that sensors are put in place on buildings, lightposts, and other objects throughout an area and these sensors can detect a gunshot and distinguish it from other "similar" sounds like fireworks or a car backfiring with 90% accuracy (which is pretty good in my opinion). Once a gunshot is recognized, the sensor sends a signal to a receiving station that calculates the area of the gunshot and displays it on a GPS. From there, dispatchers can dispatch police to the area. This probably cuts down the police response time tremendously as it can all happen in a matter of seconds I'd assume.

Having done my undergraduate degree at the Hopkins Homewood campus where this system has been installed I can understand some of the issues/problems within the area so I think this is a great thing for the students and the community. It's a good testing area for a system like this because there aren't very many shootings in the area from what I see/hear so it's presumably a good low-violence starting point to see if this system may work city-wide. Anyone who lives in or near Baltimore knows that a system like this (if it really is affective) is probably a necessity in certain areas of Baltimore city. It's good to know that if someone shoots a gun that police and EMTs will be quicker to respond. This may help prevent shootings and also save lives in the case of a shooting. Now if we could only get these guns off the streets!

I work about 4 blocks from the Hopkins Homewood campus where the sensors have been installed and I think I am going to try to find a few of them just out of curiosity. I thought this was pretty tight considering the use of technology so I'm passing it along. For the full article and video, click here.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Live Blog: 808s & Heartbreak


There's been a lot of discussion between me and my friends about this album. It seemed like the consensus was that nobody wanted to hear an album full of AutoTune'd Kanye sappin' (singin/rappin). And especially not an AutoTune'd album full of Kanye rapping about love, loss, and heartbreak.

I'm listening to the album right now and I'm going to try and write this up as I go through each song so it may run a bit long. Feel free to read this after you've listened to the album and let me know what you think. I'm sure my opinion of some of these songs may change in time but here goes nothing...

Disclaimer: The may or may not be the tracks (or track order) as they'll appear on the official album...

The album starts off a bit slow with "Say You Will". My initial thought about this song was "nice background music". The song dragged on a bit too long for me (as if it were a track off Common's Electric Circus...and I love Common but that album man...???...???) and Kanye is singing the entire way, but if you listen to his lyrics you can tell that he was going through something deep when he wrote this track (along with pretty much every other track). Yet-and-still, I was a little disappointed. This is one of those songs that might have to grow on me.

The next song is "Welcome to Heartbreak" with Kid Cudi and it gets a little better. It feels like he's building up to something with this one, maybe the next track is gonna be dope.

"Heartless". I liked this song the first time I heard it. I'm not sure what the instrument is that he uses to break the beat (the sound that comes in right after "3AM on the phone") but it takes an otherwise simple beat and adds just enough spice to it that you can't help but pay attention. Aside from the production on this song (which most people I know seem to dislike) I can relate to the content so maybe that's why I enjoy it.

Next up, "Amazing" featuring one of my hip-hop guilty pleasures, Young Jeezy. I've heard this song already and I wasn't impressed. Sidebar: Doesn't Jeezy already have a song called "Amazing"? The pace of the song was a bit too slow for me on first listen. But after a week since my first listen I went back and listened again and realized that Jeezy is the only reason for me to listen to the song.

"Love Lockdown". I have always liked this song, let's hear something new...NEXT!

"Paranoid" sounds like another Daft Punk-influenced joint with the synthesizers. Definitely some Euro-hop ish. I was a bit scared of what was to come after listening to the first 10 seconds but once the first verse got going it was decent...Until I got to the hook. I could see people enjoying dancing to this song though since it has a nice little groove to it. This is another one that might end up growing on me but right now it's a little too 80s so I don't want to like it. LOL.

"RoboCop" was the first song I heard off this album that I didn't like. I'd heard "Love Lockdown" and "Heartless" before this one and this song made me loose a bit of confidence in what I thought the album would turn out to be. It's a crazy song with all the robot sounds in the background and I bet he used a live band for some of the orchestra-esque sounds on this song.

I don't know why, but I really like the song "Street Lights". It's a simple song in a lot of ways and maybe that's what I like about it. "Let me know do I still got time to grow/Things ain't always set in stone...I know my destination but I'm just not there...Life's just not fair." I'm feeling it. I had to run this one back one time. The vibe of this song reminds me of Lost by Gorilla Zoe featuring Lil Wayne. I really like that song.

Next up, "Bad News". This song served as the first time the AutoTune irritated me thus far through the album. I honestly didn't even pay it any mind up until this point. Sounds like he turned up the annoy-ometer on AutoTune for this one. This is one of the songs I will probably be guaranteed to skip. And next up is the track with Lil Wayne so I can only imagine what the AutoTune factor will be.

How appropriate of a title for a song with Lil Wayne in it, "See You in my Knightmares"? I'm just saying, how many times have you overheard or heard a female above the age of 18 say "Lil Wayne is so fine/sexy" or "Lil Wayne could get it". And ladies don't front because ya'll be quick to throw that "he could get it" line out there for certain celebs. Anyway, back to the song. Lil Wayne kinda ruined this one for me about halfway through his verse when he starts off with "babygirl we finished". I mean he says "you think your shyt don't stank but you are Mrs. P-U". Seriously! Maybe he did this song while he wasn't high. I'm convinced ude makes his best music when he is zooted out of his mind. Sad, but he's not the first. But yet-and-still, put the cups down Wayne and stop doing the lines! I get the point of the song...Tell the chick it's over...see you next lifetime...see you in my nightmares b*tch...yada yada yada....NEXT!

"Coldest Winter" is next. This one I have heard before I think. Yep, I like this song. Not sure about the whole static sound going on but I can relate to sitting back thinking about how you lost the one you love. I'm pathetic fellas, I know. But, the song is dope for the same reasons "Love Lockdown" is dope. In other words, keep your love locked down and you won't be having your coldest winter.

The last song is called "Pinocchio Story", a live freestyle from a Singapore performance. My first inclination was to skip this off GP but out of solidarity I figured I'd listen to it. And yep, it's exactly what I expected... Should have skipped it.

One thing that I will say is consistent about this album is the content. I might not like all the songs from a production standpoint but you can tell Kanye was going through a lot when he was writing these songs and I like to see that in an artist. He's expressing himself and his emotions through his music and not frontin'. You may not relate, you may not care, you may not like it, but he's still gonna show his passion, vulnerability, and his love to make music. Gotta respect that. What I don't like about this album is that there is no "Flashing Lights", "All Falls Down", "Good, Bad, Ugly", "Touch the Sky", "Good Life", or "We Major". That is, a song that is undeniably DOPE. Yeah I think a couple of the tracks on this album are dope but ask 9 other people and they all may think they suck. No one can deny that the "Good Life" or "Flashing Lights" are classic songs, unless you just got tired of hearing them. But it's all relative right? How many of you actually agree with me on more than 2 of the songs above?

Overall, I think this will probably be my least favorite Kanye album up to this point. Graduation is probably going to forever be #1. Graduation was the start of Kanye's movement towards the "left" and I think a lot of people didn't like it for that reason or were apprehensive to say that they did like it. I LOVED IT! This one is another step leftward in terms of his non-pigeon-holed-by-hip-hop artistic expression. I understand dude was going through a break-up and his mom passing so I can understand what he's expressing here but like Scarface once said..."You f*ck around and cross the other side of the track/Catch you a brick then realize that you can't come back".

Express yourself Yeezy but don't forget the genre that made you. Were it not for soul samples, the Blueprint, and a car crash, you might still be a supremely talented and passionate guy trying to make it. Or maybe an R.N. (regular n*gga) like 50 and Yayo say all the time.

I'd give this album a 3/5 stars if stars actually meant anything. This is solid background music for a hip-hop influenced wine tasting or a party comprised of people who know jack shyt about hip-hop but always say "I like Kanye West...He's a rapper". It's not a bad album and it's not a great album. Perhaps not even good. It's just an average album after first listen and that's fine. Let's see how much it does or does not grow on me over the next few months.

Random thought. I'm not sure if there's more than one usage of the 808 used on this album. Definitely in "Bad News". Maybe in "Streetlights" but I'm not sure. I take that back. He used an 808 in "Love Lockdown" and on another track as well... In addition to those I mentioned initially.

Miscellaneous Randomness

"Plus she like the way I DIDDY-BOP"

Looks like the Biggie movie is gonna be mean & vicious. Watch Derek Luke get his Diddy on...


If you watch a lot of TV you probably hate your life


I'm just paraphrasing this..."Unhappy People Watch TV, Happy People Socialize"

I guess that makes me half-happy and half-unhappy because I love me some CSI: Miami, The Unit, and Law & Order SVU
Common sense, get some


This brochure was laying around the office and I found it quite hilarious considering I work for an institution of higher learning where it seems like 90% of the students don't have common sense and 95% don't have street sense.

Guess what's inside...
  • Stay alert and tuned in to your surroundings
  • Stick to well-lighted, well-traveled streets. Avoid alleys or wooded areas
  • Don't flash large amounts of cash
  • Try to use ATM machines in the daytime
  • Have your car or house key in hand before you reach the door
  • Avoid parking in isolated areas
All the book smarts in the world can't prepare you for urban living I see.
Dumb Rappers Need Teaching



"...shot a man twice and felt so good about it, police said, a rapper wrote a song describing the shooting and calling out the victim by name."

Monday, November 17, 2008

Caution: Wide Right Turns

In Philadelphia...Corner of Market and 12th Streets...



I am not sure what the driver was doing but my assumption is that he was trying to speed pass the truck on the inside and make a right turn before the truck did. As you can see, it didn't quite work out.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

In the next episode of "As the Junk Swings"

STOP! HammerTIME!


I know I know, why? Because this is one of the funniest videos of ALL TIME! And just in case MC Hammer wasn't cool when you were 12 years old and this video didn't simultaneously disgust you while also serve as your first real introduction to "eye candy" in videos, I introduce to you one of MC Hammer's finer works, Pumps and a Bump"...


This and Rump Shaker sped up my process of going through puberty by like a year I think.

Anyway, bama has on a geranimal speedo with gloves, a thin-azz gold chain, and some old Hi Tec boots. Straight chippendales! Serious R Kelly ish. This makes me laugh uncontrollably!

"I don't like em figgity fat, I like em stiggity stacked!"

Picture of the Day: Mad Wayne

Don't lie to yourself, this is kinda dope...


This is also kind of an accomplishment whether or not you believe it. I was never a follower of Mad magazine back in the day but to make the cover is pretty significant in terms of your level of mainstream popularity. I guess after the Carter 3 moved a crapload of units the first week Weezie was propelled into pop star status á la Snoop, 50, Jay, Ye, and Diddy.

But I just think the image itself is dope.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Video: I'm So Paid

Hands-down my favorite song for the time-being...


And is it me or did Lil Wayne get some new facial piercings? SMH.

Did you guys know we have our first "colored" President?


If not, Lindsay BlowHan is here to inform you.

And just in case...

You don't believe it...

It looks like they edited the video on AccessHollywood though so it's kind of hard to hear her say it. Nevertheless, we all know she's high dumb enough to say something like that.

WebNerd Alert: Google might be able to predict when you get the flu

For someone like me, this is pretty interesting. The rest of you may not care but the fact that Google is using search terms as indicators for flu activity throughout the country is pretty interesting.

When you think about it, it makes sense that when people feel sick they'll google terms like "flu" or "flu symptoms" and so on. I could imagine WEBMD doing something similar. Google knows where (you're located), when (you searched), and what (your term is) so they should be able to easily come up with some sort of prediction system that won't be 100% accurate but an interesting application of the data that they collect. They even cross-reference CDC reports (that lagged the Google indicators). Interesting stuff.

Check out their U.S. Flu Activity Graph.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

AirPod

"Air France and KLM have announced plans to conduct a six-month trial of a new zero-emission, compressed-air powered vehicle. The “AirPod” seats three, can do 28 mph, and goes about 135 miles on a tank of compressed air.

The AirPod is 6.7 feet long and weighs 485 pounds. The driver controls the motion of the vehicle with a joystick.

The vehicle has four wheels, and uses rear-wheel drive. Refueling the vehicle’s 46 gallon (175 liter) compressed air tank tank only takes a couple of minutes, according to the company." --- DeviceGuru
Yep, you read that right. Get in an accident in this joint if you want.

The technology involved with creating something like this always intrigues me. But in this particular case I can only wonder how much technology goes into making these things safe. I could not see myself being comfortable on I-95 in this thing. I assume it's meant primarily for city driving but even making a sharp turn seems like it might just flip this thing over.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Go Heartless or Go Hard?

Before I begin...What is up with Yeezy's obsession with Tracie Ross's butt? I mean she does look like she has those motherly hips that would look good in some mom jeans, but don't those mom jeans remind you of a wide flat butt moreso than a super fatty? Ok, I'm thinking about this way too much in a public forum.

I'm feeling this joint just as much as Love Lockdown. Not for the music as much as the lyrics.

Go ahead fellas, hate...Then let me know when the album drops how you "all-of-a-sudden" like it. Like you always end up doing.

The animated version of Kanye has his swag and I think that alone makes this video tight! Seriously, the animator gets props from me on this one.


Let me go on the record saying that I completely HATE that dumb azz hat T-Pain wears! And I don't like to use the word hate literally very often but d@mn if I don't hate that minstrel azz hat!

Ok, now that I got that out of my system can someone please tell me where I can get the sunglasses Khaled has on? Better yet, where can I get a pair of designer knock-offs that look like those joints because I am 100% sure they are 1000 times more costly than what I'm willing to spend on shades.

A few questions...
  1. Why are grown men holding up bottles of Nuvo? Can someone say "payola"?
  2. What is up with Yeezy's haircut? Is he trying way too hard to look like he doesn't care or is it just me? If you don't care about your cut, just don't. Stop trying to make it look like you don't care. That makes you a poseur, doesn't it?
  3. Why the hat T-Pain....Why?
  4. I think Khaled like's boys...Do you? Just watch how he looks at everybody who raps. I understand he gets pumped about the songs and he's sicing his boys (I do the same thing sometimes) but Khaled takes it up a level that I am starting to become uncomfortable with.
Contrary to what it may seem, I am starting to like this song because the beat is kinda hard. Ye's raps are ayight but it just seems like something is missing from the song. Maybe it's an Officer Ross verse (yep, I said it). BOSS!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

This = DOPE


Will.I.Am.Via.Hologram...



I'm wondering why they didn't beam in Oprah.

Ralph Nader inserts foot into mouth

...and this guy from Fox News goes in on him.

Nader is completely off-base by the way if you've happened to pay even remotely close attention to the Obama campaign over the past 2 years.



All I'm going to say is that you will see certain people's true colors come out in the very near future.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Post-Election Text Messages

By now all of you have gotten the same text messages I've gotten regarding the election results. I am going to be a dork and take the time to list my favorites. I'm sure this will be an ongoing list so feel free to contribute.

I will warn that some of these are not for the faint of heart or racially over-sensitive, LOL.

-They didn't want to give blacks 40 acres and a mule so dammit well take 50 states and a White House.

And for the next two I have to post this picture first. You'll see why, LOL.

-Make sure you carry plenty of water because there will be a lot of salty crackers out today

-Shave your genital area, today's the last day for Bush

Untitled: How Does It Feel?

In the schools...



In the hood...



In the burbs...



January 20, 2009 is going to be CRRAAAAAAAAZY!

This Focking Guy: Pastor Manning

Seriously, who is this guy?


"Youza nikkah! And I don't mean that in no good way"

More on Atlah Worldwide.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

My president is Black, hopefully.

I will do my best to NOT keep up with the election results until tomorrow morning. But we all know that's not going to be possible. In the meantime, I'm going to revel in being able to be part of a historic day (win or lose for Obama) where I felt like I was part of a serious movement and part of history. It was a fantastic feeling walking into the voting booth with everyone around smiling and feeling the energy of the room. It's something I've never felt on an election day before and I like it.

So let this post be my little note in history that I voted on November 4, 2008.


For Barack Hussein Obama!!!

It's about time to...



And my picture of the day....


Courtesy of TheCoolHunter. Shot out to K for sending me the link to that picture.