papers about taxes are boring, part II

Mitt Romney, the lamest white man who ever lived.

papers about taxes are boring, here's a haiku

i have just farted
my friend andrea smelled it
and she cries foul

-aaron, a 9th degree haikuer, and a 1/9th degree level of maturity

Fuckin' Kill 'Em

The great photos of Maxim Ryazansky.

I especially enjoyed "Westboro Baptist Church: Ashley Stands on Flag" for several hundred reasons. I could look at that photo for days.

Mad props Maxim!

No Further Questions

First, for a further explanation on this story, check out the Big Lead. The basics however, are that as you probably know there are weekly teleconferences for college coaches in the major conferences. In this case, the Big East bball coaches conference is the subject, which is appropriate as they have many asshole coaches (Huggins, Crean, Boeheim, etc.) Take a listen as they get some fun prank calls and check for the moderator slowly losing his mind:

the boards and i

i've owned two skateboards in my life and all i have to show for it is the ability to ollie about 3 inches high. anyways here's a spike jonze skating video.

Poop Count

Is anyone still counting their 2008 shits? man it's been a month and all i've recorded on my cell phone notes are 4. Remember you don't win by how many shits you drop, but how many you count. SHIT: i just shit my pants watching jr smith dunk on pargo at the 8:01 mark of the 2nd quarter (1/28). youtube that please. anyways thanks to jr (and league pass) i'm starting the count over. 1....

Mad Props to Them

I'm not sure if anyone watched the most recent Frontline, but there's an interview with a young girl dealing with anorexia that all hip-hop fans need to check out. Click on the yellow text 'watch full program online' then play the chapter 'Private World Outside Parents Reach' - go to minute 2:20 and watch for a few seconds.

I promise you won't be disappointed, and may end up watching the full show. The overall topic is super weak, and most of the people are super sad, but for some reason it's endlessly entertaining.

R.I.P. 2008, hopefully

When will mustache parties die?

Juno, you know that movie that sucked.

Did i mention that I hated that movie. Now before your panties get tied up in a knot (that can't be a correct euphemism) I saw it for free online (www.surfthechannel.com). Basically, my dislike for it boils down to three things.
1) It wasn't funny.
2) The dialog was obnoxious and overly witty. For example when Juno said something about having to pee, she didn't say I have to pee badly, or I have to pee like a race horse, she said, "i have to pee like seabiscuit." OMGGGG, Juno is like so clever and precocious. She can make an analogy on another analogy. I can also think of overly witty ways to say things. For example: You're room is messy= Your room looks like a hurricane hit it=You totally Katrina'd your room. Etc, etc, etc.
3) I thought that music was alright, but a bit on the saccharine side. But the thing I didn't like most about the music was that they played this Moldy Peaches a couple of times and kept on cutting out before the best lyric: "Up up down down left right left right B A start///Just because we use cheats doesn't mean we're not smart." Basically, I'll respect any Nintendo reference in any song.

FYI: Don't do a Juno google image search at the library with a "do not filter my results." Apparently there are a lot nude Juno's on the web.

Let's Test That Promise

In trying to recruit new writers for our cute little blog with a readership of 4: J-Wills promised to post on PeepMyWords if I uploaded some of his art..

Here we have 2 American presidents, 1 of the greatest and 1 of the worst. So come on Joe, throw down some 0's & 1's for the haters.

I got a better idea. Let's make a huge wall poster with small caricatures from Joe of every president throughout history, then underneath each cartoon we'll list the most despicable thing that president ever did. I would buy that poster for my wall. Fashow

Orgy Plan = Go to Town...Fuck Everyone...Get Out

First, let me say I spent a sad amount of time getting this clip edited, formatted correctly and uploaded, so do me a favor and take a gander. Or not, because my accomplishment is enough for me dammit. Anyway, this is a mostly animated clip taken from 2007's The Ten, an uneven but probably still worth checking for movie from the dudes who brought you The State, Wet Hot American Summer, Reno 911, Stella, etc.

It's 10 loosely connected short stories, each with a theme from the Ten Commandments and narrated by Paul Rudd, which is usually a good thing. Whatever, just check this one out, it's about a rhino who lies and sells heroine, and it's the best of the bunch. Umm, NSFW I guess, is that just assumed on here/does anyone reading this have a job?

Not quite been long enuf, but let's revisit...

The way I Swing

You all know about Shaq, Deion Sanders and Roy Jones Jr.'s hilarious attempts at rapping but did you about Ken Griffey Jr.'s smash hit "The Way I Swing" with Seattle emcee Kid Sensation back in '92?

The song is playing in the background of this youtube video. Ignore the visual, although it is strangely entertaining in its own right.

Greetings...

Hey, hi. I joined this per my pseudo boyfriend, Williams, suggestion. I'll start with a music/spoken word piece and then get comfortable on here and really bring the goodness.
Vanessa Hidary is great. Read this interview and get a small taste as to why.
Conscious' Q & A With The 'Hebrew Mamita', Vanessa Hidary

Conscious: So miss Vanessa Hidary, what's going on with you this year? Introduce yourself to our readers. Let'em know who the 'Hebrew Mamita' is.

Vanessa Hidary: Hey Conscious. Or is it still Stream of Conscious? :) Or did you abbreviate as the years have rolled on? Lets see how can I describe the Hebrew Mamita. The sexy, Oy veying-matzoh eating, chutzpah having, non-cheaping, non conspiracizing, hip hop listening, torah scroll reading, all people loving, pride filled Jewish Girl! Ha, that’s my poetic tag line. These days I call myself a "solo performer". It seems more inclusive than Actress or Spoken Word Artist.

C: How long have you been performing professionally and what prompted you to put together your own one-woman show?

VH: Wow. Ok, I’m going to really show my age now. I've been performing for about 17 years. I would say professionally for the last 7.I started out as an actress, and started writing my own monologues to audition with, because it was hard to find pieces I could relate to.

C: What have been your greatest influences in pursuit of bringing this art as you fabricate it into a living breathing experience?

VH: Growing up in NYC, Hip-Hop, My theatre training and The Spoken Word Scene. Most of my work focuses on identity and relationships. The identity obsession comes from my experiences growing up as a Jewish Girl on the Upper West Side, and being part of the Hip-Hop Scene in what was called "The Golden Age of Hip Hop". Back in the 70's the Upper West Side was a transitional, ethnically diverse neighborhood to live and raise your family. My friends growing up were Jewish, Puerto Rican, Black and Dominican. We all listened to The Sugar Hill Gang and had Roller Disco birthday parties. I celebrated Christmas with my best friend Leticia Mangual and went to Hebrew school three times a week. This was a time, that while we were aware of race and religious differences, it was not as complicated of an issue. When I went to High school (LaGuardia!) I became more immersed into Hip-Hop and listened to KRS One, LL Cool J and Dana Dane. I was going out to a lot of underground clubs down on the Lower East Side like The Milky Way, and Soul Kitchen. That was when $5 was the door price and we didn't have cell phones yet! Less complicated for sure. I'd say during this time, hip-hop was definitely not as mainstream and secular as it is today. At first I flowed easily in the scene, always being somewhat of a chameleon among different groups. But in 1988 when Hip-Hop began to change things became more complicated in my world. Public Enemy, XCLAN, and Spike Lee movies were on the front lines, and among my peers my identity as White and Jewish, was suddenly highlighted. Hip Hop infused a political, and social consciousness into it’s party jams. My friends that I'd been doing everything with for years were listening to Black Power tracks that left me without a fist to raise in the air. They Joined Black and Latino Student Unions that I was not a member of, and yup, Jungle Fever, the new term for White Girls dating Black guys was the term on the street. Damn, things were getting very complicated. lol! Being the "White Girl that’s down" was not a term to ride on anymore. I had to go on a long difficult but amazing journey to find a way to celebrate my friends newfound pride in their identity, while delving into my own identity as well. I truly believe that these years formed who I am today as a woman and an artist, and I feel like it’s true mission to explore this subject in my work.

When I went to graduate school and got my MFA in acting I found a void of these stories in the plays I was reading and performing. So I wrote my own stories, with the inspiration of other playwrights and upcoming solo performers such as John Leguizamo, Eric Bogosian, Claudia Shear, and Lisa Kron. They were all writing and performing stories that broke out of the conventional box. Performers that broke the idea of traditional casting in the acting world and created opportunities for themselves in a business that is so very competitive and reliant on others to give you opportunities.

But there was one more piece of the puzzle missing. One day I was at the Brooklyn Museum of Art to see a Hip-Hop exhibit, and they had a performance in which spoken word artists, the first round of what was dubbed "Def Poetry Jam Poets" did their pieces. Suddenly I knew that I needed to combine this poetic energy with my theatre background and that would be my niche. Well I’m making it sound very simple, but I was intrigued and felt this scene allowed for strong opinions, humor and poignancy, and I embarked on another long journey. I began performing pieces at places such at the Nuyorican Poets Café and I wrote a solo show called “Culture Bandit” that explores race issues and talks about my1988 journey. At first I was worried my voice and stories would not be accepted. Would anyone be interested in hearing this Jewish Girl's journey? Would race issues be too much of an explosive topic for me to tackle? I found that yes, Identity is a hot button, that it can sometimes cause debate, but that there are so many people of all ethnicities that can relate to my stories, and that I am not alone in many of my struggles and discoveries growing up.

I also write a lot about relationships and “Jilted Love”. Somewhat In the vein of MC battles, I like to write about "love gone awry" in a humorous yet sharp-tongued fashion. I like to get the women amped up and get the guys saying “Damn Ma”. Everyone has had heartbreak of some sort and likes to feel they are not alone in this. I’ve actually started a Jilted Lovers t-shirt line with the first item being a “HISS LOSS” tank top. If anyone needs one, Holla at me! :)

And lastly I’m currently working on my first novel. It will include all these journeys above and many more New York City Hebrew Mamita adventures!
So I guess you can say I started out with the intention of being the next Meryl Streep but instead became The Hebrew Mamita. I think it was a better choice for me.

C: What's currently in your 8 track, record player, walkman, discman, mp3 player musical listening device these days?

VH: 8 track. ha ha. Ok this is my favorite question because I think my little ipod nano playlist is a reflection of me! Here are my favorite tracks right now:

1- I got it made- Special Ed
2- No One Remix - Alicia Keys w/ Cassidy
3- The Bride is over- BDP
4- Space Oddity- David Bowie
5- Raw- Big Daddy Kane
6- Is This The End- New Edition
7- Lets Chill- Aaron Hall (how I love this song!)
8- As We Lay- Shirley Murdock (not real old skool if you don't know this song!)
9- Love Me In A Special Way- DeBarge

So. As you all can see. I'm pretty much stuck in an old skool groove. It just makes me feel good to hear music from my past. It also inspires my work.

C: How do you find new music?

VH: Well, since I’m in a time warp I just convert all my old cds from high school! haha. Oh and I cant lie, I listen to Hot 97 and 105.1, to hear all the new hip hop and R & B. I like a lot of the popular hits, even if they don’t have the same connection to me. Oh, and of course good ole VH1 and MTV. I'm SHAMEFULLY addicted to very bad reality T.V. I'm trying to change this in 2008!

C: Can you cook? Do you cook? If so what is your favorite dish to prepare?

VH: Well, lets say I CAN cook, but don't cook very often. I'm living a little more of the single, gigging on the road life right now. BUT funny you ask, because tonight, I made a baked sweet potato, steamed spinach, and stir-fried tofu. I know that makes me sound pretty bohemian and "poet like", but that was just tonight, not always. I also make really good chocolate chip cookies.

C: Do you plan on voting in the 2008 election? What do you think about the process and the whole youtubing of candidates and the 'idea' of this voter friendly experience.

VH: Yes, I plan to vote. I feel excited and hopeful about the upcoming election. I got goose bumps on my arms hearing Barack Obama's victory speech at the Iowa Caucus. I'm also excited to have a woman in the race. I think this election has more young people involved than ever before, and the involvement of you tube and facebook are helping that along. The last eight years have been beyond depressing in our government. I think people have had enough. At least I hope they have!

C: Is Hiphop dead?

VH: No. It’s just different. It's so much more mainstream now than it was in the 80's. But there are still people out there trying to do something different. I won’t list them all but Kanye, Common, and Talib Kweli are some off the top of my head. I can’t say it will ever feel the same as my youth, but I prefer to not get too somber about the subject. It’s still funny to me that so many commercials use hip-hop as their jingles. We’ve come such a long way. Oh and my little cousin is having a Bar-Mitzvah this spring with a “hip hop theme.” Don’t worry, I’ll be the hip hop police making sure its cool and that Old Skool (or what now seems to be called “throwbacks”) is represented, and maybe give them a little lecture on the roots of it all. All this and while promising not to be a buzz kill.

Thank you for including me on FreeHipHopnow.com. I really appreciate it. I clearly remember you coming to see my solo show a few years back, and being a great support.

People can find me at: www.hebrewmamita.com www.myspace.com/vanessahidary

Peace!

An Act of Daily Journalism

Steve Earle - I Feel Alright

This has been out a couple weeks now, but go here for The Wire...All the Pieces Matter, the soundtrack to the greatest thing on TV. Or go to the latter link, as the retail version has three sets of liner notes that are actually supposed to be great.

Yes, I know hugelush has taken some subtle shots at the show, but this is an album that can be enjoyed by all, regardless of their commitment to the series. The excerpts from the show may not make much sense to a non-fan, but they work nonetheless in setting up the music. For an accurate and comprehensive review of the soundtrack, check out the All Music Guide. I will say that there's a wide-range of genres on here, with the weakness actually coming in the form of the selected Hip Hop. Of course, it may work better in the context of the show (which is the main point), but the Baltimore Hip Hop specifically is average to sub-par. There is no doubt they should use local music for the show, but it doesn't quite work as well standing alone. A few more notes:

- The opening song ("Way Down in the Hole") is here from each of the first 4 seasons, while the much-maligned season 5 intro is left off. Tom Waits is responsible for the original version, but my favorite would be either the Blind Boys of Alabama or the Neville Brothers respective takes on the song.

- One fun element of this album for us fans of the show is the inclusion of the songs that are used for the end-of-season montages. Two that stand out here are Paul Weller's "I Walk on Gilded Splinters" and Steve Earle's "I Feel Alright" (see above). Speaking of Earle, who also plays Bubbles sponsor Waylon on the show, he is responsible for this season's opening track. Don't blame him though, must have been some HBO exec's idea to add that awful, generic Hip Hop beat.

- Finally, the only excerpt on the album taken from season 5 comes from a yet unheard conversation between Dukie and Michael. While I have no clue what the context of this clip is, I will say something about it sounds devastatingly sad. Sigh.

Used to bump the demo, up out of the Camry

Cons has been my boy since way back. If you recall, He was the unofficial 5th member of A Tribe Called Quest (Jarobi was the fourth, son) He never quite got the shine I felt he deserved. He has since delivered a slue of satisfactory mixtapes and two dope albums. Kanye has certainley resurrected his career to a certain extent but he still hasn't got as much shine as a John Legend or a Lupe Fiasco. The much doper Consequence and GLC remain on the outskirts of the limelight, as Eric and Parish used to say way back in '89..."what's wrong with the game?" (EPMD, children...learn about it.)

In related news...I've heard alot of people who STILL want to talk ish about Phife Dog from ATCQ on the most recent VH1's hip hop honors (that is now several months old.) If you missed it Phife came out looking fairly sickly and the internet has been on fire ever since with rumors about drug addiction and everything else. I can't believe that no one has brought up the fact that Phife has battled diabetes for more than a decade now, you obviously need to give the low end theory another listen. "The Funky Diabetic" he never tried to hide it.

Triple Deak

Maybe the greatest hockey fight ever.



More people are watching Billy May's infomercials than hockey games. There are way too many franchises, It's clear that no one outside of Canada, Boston or New Hampshire cares. I'd rather watch a women's volleyball game (okay, i'd rather watch a women's vollyball game then most things) or a rerun of a bad poker tournament in '98 than hockey. Maybe if they fought more they wouldn't have to turn off their playoff games for golf tournaments. I don't care if these kids came from Madison or Mogadishu, No one gives a fuck. Shout outs to Gordan Bombay...



*************************UPDATE******************************************

I spoke too soon. This amazing goal occurred last night.




When the fuck did Columbus get a hockey team?

The NHL is dying... Madison will survive.

We all know about the horrific situation that the NHL is in right now, and has been in for the past 5 years... but what many don't know, regardless, is about the hockey talent that Madison has fostered in our time. We've all heard of Madison being proud of Badgers from various sports succeeding at the next level (more power to them), but I'm talking about true Madison family; actual Madison children through & through - Winchester, Burish, Suter, Skille, Kessel - five in any league from any US city under 1/4 mil (big challenge, sports/wire dudes) is unheard of... Madison life.

Christmas is for the children

I found this little jem on my phone this morning, and thought everyone might enjoy it as much as I did. This is Teddy at our friend Dave's Christmas Backgammon party. I believe Teddy wouldn't play Mary in Backgammon, and she retaliated. I'm not sure how... but here's the photos.

Jersey On Order

Tha Alkaholiks - Only When I'm Drunk

I know many of you love the game of baseball as much as me, so here's some fun news. As you probably know by now, the Brewers just finalized a one-year contract with CF Mike Cameron. I was skeptical of this move initially, as he doesn't fit the profile of what they were supposedly looking for (left-handed, high OBP, LF, low on K's). After further review though, I'm cool with the move, particularly from a defensive perspective. For an explanation of why Cameron's addition could mean a +40 run differential for the Crew, go here. Of course, Mike will also be missing the first 25 games of the year due to a second positive drug test. Unfortunately it was an unnamed banned stimulant, nothing of the Chris Anderson or Josh Heytvelt variety. You can, however, look up to Cameron for his game day routine:

"Sh-t, I've played drunk."

When?

"New York City."

What were the circumstances?

"I went four for four with two jacks and eight ribbies. I'm not saying that's the only day I played drunk, but that was the best one."

Now that's a man I'd like to root for, this should all work out nicely.

Is that dick real ?

So I thought I had came across (pun intended) the best porn clip ever, until Ricky told me that the penis is fake. Ricky knows about all this stuff, like sex shit and whatever because he's fucked like 8 billion people, with both real and fake dicks. I guess watch it and see for yourself. Is that dick real ?

Either way, somebody get me a cheeseburger up in this motherfucker.

Hey, Sundays is my day too!

Pete Rock - How We Roll (ft. Jim Jones, Max B)

Ignore the visual here, I didn't really feel like tracking down the song somewhere else. Great production from Pete Rock though, this is off his Feb. 26th release NY's Finest (which features some names you certainly haven't heard much from lately, Chip Fu what it do). A bit odd to have the clownish Jim Jones on here, but he comes off fine, as would pretty much anyone on this summery track. Pete may be generally regarded as an average MC, but it's always good to get an occasional verse from him, as we do here. Oh and look at this hilariously unnecessary exchange on the comments below the song:
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SilentKiller55 (4 days ago) Show Hide Marked as spam

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Will Smith or Nas (this beat reminds me a lot of the "Ir Ain't Hard To Tell" instrumental) would have fit this beat perfectly!
but hey, Jim Jones' not bad here, he surprises me

Mister92503 (3 days ago) Show Hide Marked as spam

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I know this faggot didn't just say he'd prefer ''will smith'' on this beat.

dogg, give your eyes a rest. It's been a day and you're on your "386th video watched"

I'll let that slide.
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Well, a bit early in the month to use that up, to each his own though.

A lot of people have been asking me & E-harmony what it's actually like to live with the man, the myth, the legend, Teddy L. I think this example opens a window into our world.

"Yo, went 2 De Moines Iowa 4 a rugby tournament. B back in a few days."

Received at 8am on a Saturday morning. 8 am. Saturday morning. A message from literally 14 feet away. And he had not yet been to sleep that night. He isn't on a team, and hasn't played rugby for six months. He doesn't have health insurance, or enough money for gas to Des Moines. He drove 378 miles, alone, on a night of no sleep, when we all had plans to drink and watch playoffs all day long. But it's cool; he let us know by sending us a text message. At 8am. On a Saturday. Always comedy.

More fun for the family:

http://www.freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/09/what-do-real-thugs-think-of-the-wire/

Jus some thoughts...

What up all... I haven't been very active to this point, but I'm feeling like I have too much goin on in the ol' head to stay silent. First of all, I just want to say that I'm not going to say anything about The Wire. At this point, as we can really do is be cool with the understanding that it's bigger than us.

I will, however, talk a whole lot about the state of New York sports at this point in my life. The Yankees, Giants, and Rangers do not fucking matter. No they don't. I don't care if you think that they do. No I don't. The Mets, Jets, and Knicks on the other hand.... well, unfortunately they matter. I'll start with the Knicks because they are clearly the easiest target. From the point of view of a long time (and true) fan, the whole thing really goes beyond baffling. Not the whole Isiah Thomas thing... that's really just fodder for the lesser fans and national media. We know he's awful, and we know he's getting the rest of year to embarass himself. The crazy part, to me at least, is that I truly like this team. The individuals that go out and play every night are one's that I look forward to seeing. Jamal Crawford, David Lee, Marbury (yes, i love him), Nate Robinson, Zach Randolph... I love these guys. I understand why they can't win together, I'm not retarded.... but I just feel myself rooting harder for them with each loss. Weird.

I think I care about the Jets about half as much as I used to, so i won't spend much time here. Their current roster has the least amount of talent in the entire league... seriously, go check every single fucking roster and then tell me I'm wrong. With this in mind, I can't say that I think they'll be a contender in the next five years. Man... I can't even say that they'll win 8 games in the next five years. The two players they kept hyping and pushing down our throats (john vilma and brick ferguson) are fucking awful now. I don't understand what happened to Vilma... it's not the injuries that have made him this ineffective. Also, as Jets fans, we have a huge pink elephant sitting in the room and his name is Kellen Clemens. Nobody will really come out and say it, but we all know that he isn't the answer. His career highlight will be winning a superbowl as the next Patriots back up. So fuck him. And you know what ? Fuck the whole lot of 'em, I don't need to think about it right now.

The Mets, on the other hand, are a tumor I can't ever ignore. Who the fuck is Brian Schneider. And who the fuck is Ryan Church. And where the fuck is Lastings Milledge? Anybody? I'm yet to get an answer to that question, and it's been months now. What are we doing? We have the same lineup as last year, with a weaker 7 and 8. At least we've addressed the problems in our bullpen. Matt Wise is a fucking savior. Fuck that. And at least we've kept our promises and signed a front line pitcher. I don't think we've signed ANY pitcher other than Matt Wise, who's 4.00 era looked better on the Brewers. We lost Glavine, who was a gump, but we replaced him with Pelfrey and Humber and Heilmann and anyone that can't really be a starter from April to September. What was our latest move? Trading for motherfucking Angel Pagan. First of all, I don't need any Cubs over here... I'm good on that. Secondly, this is a guy that we cut a couple of years ago. We want him back now? Angel Pagan is who we want back? Who even thought of making this trade. Who took all the time and filled out all the paperwork knowing that Angel Pagan was the end result ? He's not a frontline starter by the way, he's a sixth outfielder. I'd rather he do construction on the new stadium. That'd be the only possible way he can help this team. I could go on forever about the Mets, but come April 1st, I'll be there with my gear on like a loser. They are my family, and I only really wanna see em a couple of times a year on holidays, but I force myself into a live-in situation. They know they have me, and thousands of others like me, and they're working us like prostitutes.

That's it for now on the sports. I just have one other thing I'd like to get to before I go, and it's about an old friend of mine. It occurred to me today, in a fun moment, that AZ is the Bodie of rap. He's a fucking solider. He's been there for a really long time. He puts in work like none other, and he is respected by most. He's worked with the boss (Premier), but he'll never be a kingpin. There's more to that thought, but I'm high. I smoke too much these days, just like those days and the days before those days.

Godbless,

August

It is, and you should.

Courtesy of The Onion A.V. Club.

In case people missed it the first time:

Take another listen to the sound that Snoop makes (at about the 10:40 mark or so)  in the latest episode.  She uses a duck call to holler at Michael.  If any of you can reproduce that noise to me next time we meet I'll buy you a case of beer.  Also, I'll laugh my ass off thinking of you practicing it to yourself alone in your bathroom with the fan on and music turned up.  

Easy.

More Free Shit

Big Daddy Kane - Young, Gifted and Black

Apparently, 'tis the season to give your shit away for free rather than putting resources into promoting it to an audience suffering from holiday hangover. Okay, I'll take it. This time it's Atmosphere and their free download Strictly Leakage, which you can find here. Following up their Sad Clown series of the past several months, you'll get more solid, if unspectacular results here. For some further analysis into the album, check el guante's thoughts. One easily noticeable theme of the record is an homage to the old school, most obviously on the BDK inspired "YGM" (see above for the superior version). The bottom-line is that it's a free album, so there's no need to fret one way or another. The "official" next release drops in April, at which point you can feel free to fret at no end.

Frontline - online freedoms

Free is good is free. Check out this link to a hoard of free Frontline shows online... A good way to kill an hour or 12.

Hot Off the WIRE

As the last great season of The Wire is upon us, Slate Magazine fast-forwards to end - sort of. They say that an additional final scene was shot, but will not be aired. The missing scene is worth a look and maybe even a laugh.



Damn, I'm gonna miss this show.

Done & Done

Rhymefest - Never Can Say Goodbye (ft. Talib Kweli)

Well, the holidays are over, but the gifts keep coming. Today we have 2 free albums, free not in the sense that I stole them and gave them to you, but free in that they will not be paid for by anyone, anywhere. I think this generous trend was started by these guys.

First is Rhymefest, who will also be appearing at The Metro in Chicago on Friday, January, 18th. You can read more about this mixtape here, but Man In the Mirror is an homage to Michael Jackson and is composed of songs all with MJ and Jackson 5 samples. This is a dope album, particularly for this post-holiday vacuum of new music, and even accomplishes the rare feat of funny skits on a Hip Hop album. Maybe this will help Fest get some shine, as his 2006 album Blue Collar was one of the best of the year, yet relatively overlooked. His next one, El Che is supposed to drop in April, but as he says on here, it'll happen "whenever J Records gets that thing together..."
Anyway, you can download it here.


Killer Mike - Bad Day / Worst Day

Next up is Killer Mike and his new/from the vault album Ghetto Extraordinary. From 2005, this was supposed to be his follow-up to 2003's Monster. The song above serves as a good precursor to the song of the year in 2006, "That's Life", from his double-disc collabo album I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind. Somewhat similar to Rhymefest and Kanye, Mike has struggled a bit to emerge from his mentors' shadow (Outkast), but has proven to be a creative and versatile MC. Go get the album here.

Ain't Nuttin' To It

Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It

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Here's a new one from Ice Cube, off his upcoming album Raw Footage. The first thing I noticed was his look from the Lethal Injection/"Higher Learning" days, which was a good one, as he was making better albums and movies back then. That's not to say he's not still making good music, as Laugh Now, Cry Later was a solid album. In fact, following the pretty average War & Peace albums, Cube seems to be in a nice, comfortable spot with his music. He may never be quite as vital or shocking as his early essential catalog, but he's maintained nonetheless.

This one continues in his recent trend of reflecting on his influence in Hip Hop and society in general, and addresses the bullshit a lot within the genre and media have been spouting. Oh, and just in case you wanted to start the new year out on a positive note, there's a nice visual collection of terrible things that have happened around the world over the past couple decades. Enjoy!