Song of the Day: Cee-Lo - F&ck You

Everyone's felt this way at some point.


Song of the year?

Miscellaneous Randomness: One of my Favorite Cosby Show Episodes

CHALLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANGE!

Video: Kanye West - Power

I'm not sure if this is the full video because it's only a verse but the video is definitely on some next-level ish with the visuals.


Kanye oftentimes makes himself an easy target because he's at times arrogant, always out-spoken, and isn't afraid to be different. The latter two I don't mind so much, lol. But one thing that's consistent is that he pushes the limits of what people expect a typical rapper to be. He makes GREAT music and gives you something fresh every album in terms of his sound or his style of rapping. He makes the best videos of any rapper, perhaps ever.

This video doesn't fit the lyrics of the song necessarily but if you understand the point he's making in the song and you understand what the visuals in the video represent you can see that Kanye's trying to tell you something a little deeper than just what the words mean. It's a dope video and I'm sure it'll be controversial or at least cause lots of discussion in hip-pop circles (yes, I wrote "hip-pop").

There's also an uncensored version on vimeo that's definitely not safe for work, lol.

3 Songs by, and 3 Thoughts on Rick James

Thought: I never really appreciated Rick James's music until after Dave Chappelle made him relevant for my generation. I had heard some of his music, but I didn't really appreciate it. And at the age I was when I used to hear it I probably wasn't prepared to understand it anyway, just understand that my parents got enjoyment out of it. I can vaguely remember the vinyl Rick James record my parent's had back when I was like 6 or 7. The only reason it stood out to me was because I didn't understand why a person that appeared to be a man had such long hair, lol. But after Dave Chappelle brought Rick James back into the spotlight (and in hindsight I'm not so sure the popularity of those Rick James skits really helped Rick's image) I took some time to go back and listen to some of his music. And what I found out is that Rick James made some timeless songs. Not all of his songs but definitely some of them.

Video: Super Freak

We've all heard this one and it's definitely a classic. But think about how popular "Can't Touch This" was/is. It's all because of this.



I am not sure why this bama had all the glitter going on his face and hair but I guess that was "the look" back then. Sort of like kids nowadays wearing jeans that lower your sperm count because they squeeze your nuts too tight and Black girls wanting to be hayajimmymatsuh Barbie dolls of all things. Somehow, I don't think that's what Madame C.J. Walker had in mind when she was on her way to becoming the first Black female billionaire beauty supplier.

Thought: It's a shame that people in my generation will probably remember Rick James more for Dave Chappelle's parodies, his drug habit(s), and his obnoxiousness more so than his music. Anyone that doesn't know more about Rick James and his music other than was was parodied on the Chappelle show should be directed here.

Video: Mary Jane



LMAO at "gimme some ganja" at the beginning.

Thought: Drugged-out musicians have made some of the best music for years. From Bob Marley to Kurt Cobain to Rick James to Jimi Hendrix to whomever else was coked-up, weeded-up, drunkied-up or otherwise high when they made some of their greatest music. And even though I'm not a Lil Wayne stan as much as I'm a Kanye/Drake/Jay-Z stan I have to admit that Wayne's syrup-sippin curmudgeon/martin azz makes some solid music and I'm sure he's high off way more than just life. I'm convinced that no one sober can make a song like "I Feel Like Dying" or half of those auto-tuned joints he made. And speaking of auto-tune I don't Kanye into the "artists that made music high" category because he's high off his opinion of himself and his music, not a true drug, lol.

Video: Give It To Me Baby

This is probably my favorite Rick James song of them all just because all dudes have gone through this at some point or another, lol. Oh yeah, if the line "gimme that stuff that funk that sweet that funky stuff" sounds familiar, it's because Jay-Z "borrowed" it, albeit in a slightly altered version.