"You Look Like Some Kind Of Warrior, Man"

Fantastic Black Flag interview from back in the 1780's. Rollins is his usual sunny self- can you imagine trying to buy a sundae @ an ice cream spot run by Henry & Ian Mackaye? Good lord.

Blast From My Past: Brooklyn Academy

I used to be into Brooklyn Academy when I was like 18.

Young and from Kirkland, a place I hated because it is fake as fuck, I was after the real. For at least a year, I was sure Brooklyn Academy was as real as it got.

The crew was Will Tell (maybe the first person to flip Tom Waits), Block McCloud, Thirstin Howl III, Pumpkinhead, Mr. Metaphor + others. Nobody else notable except Jean Grae, who didn't join till later. It was a super budget-ass crew, and going back and listening to that stuff now, a lot of the recorded output was not very good, beat- or rap-wise. I guess when I was younger, hardcore + lo-fi = rad, but clearly history has relegated Brooklyn Ac to also-rans.

Of course Thirstin Howl releases have a dedicated following, and though I stuck with him through Skilligan's Island, License to Skill, all that stuff, he's worn out his welcome. Still, he's a legend, the idea of Rack-Lo makes me laugh, and I'll always have a place in my heart for the Polo Rican. I really love this song, especially the first verse.

"Mo Ghetto"


Jean Grae obviously went on to become the best female MC ever. So good, in fact, that she fully sent "female MC" to the place where "white MC" went to die. I still love the Jeanius and I'm glad she didn't really retire.

over the "My Block" beat


For a long time, people said Metaphor fell off, but I went back to listen and realized he was never that tight. Basically, he used to rhyme in French, which is cool, but used and re-used a lot of wack similes, which sux. Pumkinhead is still like the ultimate try-hard MC, but big-hearted and therefore endearing- I'm not mad he's still around. If you heard Orange Moon Over Brooklyn a few years ago (all Marco Polo beats), you know he's at least good for a track or three.

Block McCloud still pops up on a Sean Price track from time to time, but just for a chorus, and as far as I can tell isn't capable of any mind-blowing verses. But he's solid and always liked to battle, and for the Ac', that's what mattered most. He was the soul of Brooklyn Academy; I got the impression he was the one calling everyone and making sure people showed up to record. His verse on this song is still cold to me, and check the beat to understand exactly how low the crew's production standards were.

"Times Have Changed"


And there you have it, a tour through a crew I used to think was so underrated. I can't believe I used to be baffled why the Ac' didn't blow up. Duh, they weren't that good. But they had bright spots. And to those, I toast to nobody in particular.

Travis From Gym Class Heroes Will Beat Yo Monkey Ass

I have a lot more respect for homie now.

The singer was performing on stage when an audience member yelled a racial slur in which he called McCoy a “fucking ignorant nigger.”

As security were removing the man from the crowd, McCoy broke his microphone over the man’s head, and instantly apologised to the crowd saying “I’m sorry. But when someone calls you something that ignorant and that offensive, you have to bash their head in with a microphone."

Nas sounds cool on fast beats

This Polow beat is kind of fast. It's very good, and so are these lyrics:

My lawyers only see the Billboard charts as winning
Forgetting - Nas the only true rebel since the beginning
Still in musical prison, in jail for the flow
Try telling Bob Dylan, Bruce, or Billy Joel
They can't sing what's in their soul
So untitled it is

Late Pass

h/t my blog hero.

ACTUAL PAIN In The Fader

just waiting for this modeling thing to take off...

Gotta big up the homies...that's a good look! TJ, cut the check!

WE ON THE COUCH!

So, this Asher Roth kid. What do you guys think? The Eminem thing gets tossed around a lot but IMO it's just the high nasal voice; he's not fucking with Em from Infinite, Slim Shady EP, LP, or beyond. He's certainly not fuckin with Jay so he may wanna slow those comments down- If Jay isn't above dissing ball players than lil homie could probably get it.

But his Average White Bro, frat boy keg-cup gimmick is pretty funny. That's not a perspective you've really seen in hiphop- but goddamn, I can't say I ever wanted to hear a Belltown puka-shell douche rap before. But even those dudes deserve a voice right? Christ.

But in the end it's clear he's got a sense of humor so I can't be that mad. Dude's a lil overhyped for his skillset but he's got an angle he's workin tough and if you somehow didn't know by now: image is everything. Well, it's not- but if you really wanna blow up it sure as shit is.

He Don't Know He Got A Thing For Drag, But He Do

Thug Slaughter Force- No Tight Clothes

Holy shit- Newport budget crunk dudes with Juggalo hair grooming and iron-on tshirts in NYC have HAD IT with the hipst3rs and the Ed Hardy-Jim Jones-LA Douchebag-beltbuckle cats. It's war! With hammers!!

"I told niggas get their money right and their gear tight and they did it literally"

LOL

"What happened to looking hard"

LMAO

"Bang you out in the club, then drag you out and finish you"

ROFL

H/T to Sabzi for the scoop.

T.I.- Still I Stand (Video)

Unfuckwittable

Jay-Z replies to Noel Gallagher's criticism the way you're supposed to: MURKING HIS SONG AND YOUR SET.

Hi Hater!




The craziest part? Jay probably paid the licensing rights to perform that song without hesitation, a slip of money into Gallagher's front coat pocket like dude was a valet

Imeem/Brainstorm/Big Tunes/Young Buck/Digital Handz "Making Of" Feature

On Imeem! A very cool documentary showing how the "I Got You" track was made. Check it out!

This should keep you entertained for at least one minute.

Girl Talk pillages the "pop music" part of your memory bank. It's a cheap trick, but I happen to love Cheap Trick.

North-End isms

Being a 425-er in 206 hip hop is a hard line to walk. So many of my well intentioned brethren from Everock have tried to make their way up the food chain in Seattle, but have ultimately ended up stumbling back into the safe haven of the north end... limping into a show at Jimmy Z's with staggered steps and a snarled lip. It's not that talent doesn't exist up north; it's just not nearly as plentiful, nor well developed.

That's the crux of north end rap music - When everyone else is marginal, and you're at the top of the pecking order, and enjoy the simian benefits of being the alpha, what real drive do you have to excel? In the urban environment (no, not the mcdonalds urban department that sells soulful cheeseburgers on BET), folks are competitive. There's more people. Less spots. It brings out the inherent competitive spirit we all have, and brings the best out of folks.

What we as North End representatives need to do is accept, and embrace what makes us different. Yes, I have worn a southpole shirt I bought at Sears, and no, I don't have a high school diploma. I love Nickelback. We're different, and if we want folks to not laugh at us, we should think about making good music instead of drawing attention away from the pink, hillbilly elephant in the room from our stomping grounds.

To all my north enders out there reading this at the public library computer - Do you. Don't advertise the north end inferiority complex by being an epic try hard... and if you still gotta be a try hard, then move to where all the other try hards live - Capitol Hill!

To procure a term from the north end lexicon, "I'm outie 5,000."

FEARCE VILL IS FULLA HIMSELF

This video had me in fucking stitches @ Nectar the other night. Seriously, I couldn't hold a conversation while this was going. Put together by Soul Gorilla's visual genius Diego aka Dub of FC IBM and Supervillains Crews. This shit is still fucking hilarious. Larry King? Anton Chigurh? Classic.

I'm swaggerjackin', my nigga, I swaggerjacked it (from Blogs Is Watching)