the other side of Oblivion...

Hmmm.. Priorities, Strategy, or just new ideas?!

2011-06-21T05:26:00.000-07:00

Interesting... Reading this article makes you wonder about A LOT of things!

the real unspoken heard

2011-06-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

No disrespect to the hip hop group, but this is and has always been the TRUTH.. The times have changed, but the names haven't changed too much. See if you can recognize a few..

2010-07-21T01:26:00.000-07:00

esperanza spalding

nice short of the creative process in the making of her

new album chamber music society. she will be coming

to charlotte september 24th at knight theater.

Esperanza Spalding, Chamber Music Society EPK from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

2010-07-12T16:15:00.000-07:00

reel shit talking

Gonna Make a Change (and bring back my career!)

2010-06-28T16:17:00.000-07:00

Chris Brown...........Chris Brown..........Chris Brown......... It's been a minute since we've seen this fella in the news. And last night on the BET Music Awards (in which they gave out approximately 5 awards...or at least that's what it felt like), he made, what started out as, a pretty impressive Michael Jackson tribute. I have to admit, I enjoyed the tribute at the beginning. It was one of maybe three highlights I could attribute to the entire 3 hours of time BET stole from my life. Props to El DeBarge for also doing his thing on stage. He's legendary. Also, the humanitarian award they gave to John Legend was dope. He deserved it, and the speech he gave was short, yet poignant. Back to Mr. Brown however. Impressed with the beginning of the MJ tribute, I quickly changed my view at the end.

At first, I have to say I was extremely critical of Chris Brown. There were numerous reasons behind this. One; because of his unapologetic attitude towards his actions towards his former girlfriend/lover/whatever it is they do in Hollywood these days, Rhianna. Two; because his music is lumped with Hip Hop, and he condones it. Three; because he's "cookie cutter". Figure it out. And the list could go on, and on. But this isn't a Chris Brown "hatathon". Also, my homie Kat said something that made a lot of sense when I slammed him on her FB page. She said; "maybe he's starting with the man in the mirror?" Great point. That said, purpose of this post is to analyze his actions last night on the BET awards from two points of view. 1st, we'll look from the point of the skeptic. Lastly, we'll look at it from the point of the sympathizer. Both to his career, and to his situation. Not sure where I lie on the matter. Both sides of my brain are making some pretty compelling arguments. Long live the schitzo world destroyer!

First the video. After that, the arguments. I'll tell you one thing, I can't WAIT to see what J-Smooth says about this on Illdoctrine!

Chris Brown MJ Tribute at the BET Awards 2010 from KrazyOfficial on Vimeo.

The Skeptic

If we really look at what happened last night as its own entity, what do we see? Before it all, Chris Brown's career was almost dead because of his "kind of" recent 6 round bout with singer/entertainer/lover Rihanna, where he felt the need to not only beat the piss out of her, but bite her in the face. Now even when we were little kids, we knew the "biter" was a weird one. But biting in the face?! Issues. So his PR team/Label decides they need to work overtime to save the career of a person they invested so much money into. So on Dec. 14th 2009 (no I really don't know when) when someone in Jive think tank said, "hey, what do you think about a Michael Jackson tribute during the 2010 BET Music Awards in June 2010?!".. Somehow, some way, the right BJ was given SOMEWHERE (by man OR woman who knows nowadays), and BET caves.. Now he has to do something big, because its possible he could ACTUALLY salvage his career.. This is some true bottom of the 9th 2 outs, tying run on 3rd, winning run on 2nd shit here..

Britanny's image took a bad hit after the "chillens", and efforts to clean that fiasco up FAILED miserably.

Whitney went down swinging by getting booed on stage..

They needed something HUGE.. A fierce dance montage! Other than Usher, Chris is just about the ONLY one who could pull it off.. But we need something bigger.. Something to put it completely and utterly over the top... hmmmm.. OH SHIT! Sing "Man In The Mirror"! Better yet... CRY WHILE DOING IT!!! If u are totally crushed because u beat and bite women, what better way to redeem in the eyes of the fans than to CRY WhILE SINGING MAN IN THE MIRROR!!!? EUREKA! BASE HIT!!! GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!!

The Sympathy Giver

One can only look at the performance by Chris Brown and feel sorry for the guy. Whether you like his music or not, watching him breakdown like that on stage showed that he may have finally felt the weight of what he's done, both to his career, and a young woman personally for the rest of her life. He sang a song, Man In The Mirror, by R&B legend Michael Jackson which seemed like it was hitting home, as he could hardly get a word out of his mouth because he was so choked up. If we look at some of those lyrics, it's pretty easy to see how this could be true.

I'm Gonna Make A Change,

For Once In My Life

It's Gonna Feel Real Good,

Gonna Make A Difference

Gonna Make It Right . . .

I'm Starting With The Man In

The Mirror

I'm Asking Him To Change

His Ways

And No Message Could Have

Been Any Clearer

If You Wanna Make The World

A Better Place

(If You Wanna Make The

World A Better Place)

Take A Look At Yourself, And

Then Make A Change

(Take A Look At Yourself, And

Then Make A Change)

Yeah... For someone who has fallen as hard as this man has, it's pretty easy to see how such a song could have such a profound effect on a guy. On top of the words of the song, the anniversary that was going on, and the event taking place, there is the weight of WHERE he was performing this song. At the shrine where Michael Jackson was finally laid to rest. I don't know where Brown's true sentiments lied last night, but I hope that it was with Rihanna, and all women out there who get they're asses kicked every night. I hope he has decided to MAKE A REAL CHANGE. The opportunity and timing is perfect. Let's hope he swings the bat.

There you have it. Where do you fall? I know I still hate BET regardless! They will be of the first the world destroyer topples!

2010-05-30T02:14:00.000-07:00

rip dennis hopper

2010-05-27T23:43:00.000-07:00

coming soon
gotta see this...can't wait.

BOUNCING CATS film trailer from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

2010-05-25T08:04:00.000-07:00

get down

not really a fan of the jay-z/radiohead mash-up but the

visuals are on point. plus the girl rockin is pretty versatile.

nice.

Questions

2010-04-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

"All questions are female. All answers are male. If you're wondering why this might be the case, you are thinking with your feminine sensibilities. If you're considering why this is the case, you are thinking with your masculine senses. Questions are creative, intimidating, and periodically irritating. We may think them docile, we may try to ignore or suppress them, but their destabilizing power persists, pushing us towards our proper destiny. Answers are protective, giving us some ground, however shaky, on which to stand. Answers are cool, logical, but they can also become stubborn know-it-alls, resisting the emergence of new questions and answers and deteriorating into conservative old farts. Truth is a precarious balance between poignancy and peace. Truth lies within the perpetual prance of Yin and Yang." – Tony Vigorito, Just a Couple of Days

It's not always the wrong answer, but the wrong question.

Certain sects of religions, including the one I was raised in, teach you to be afraid of asking questions. They teach you that questioning the origins of things is a lack of faith. Which is completely ludicrous. An inquiring mind should be applauded. I was once asked, "If you don't go to church, what do you believe? Why are you here?" My response was, "Why do I have to believe anything? Maybe my purpose is my existence." Some people don't even know what they actually believe because they never asked questions. Which is a shame because humans are notorious for fucking things up. After centuries of their hands dabbling into interpreting and re-interpreting what they interpreted, edits and re-writes of certain 'sacred' texts… I think it's moronic not to question…I also believe it's okay to not have all the answers. Some things are meant to be wondered about, researched, theorized…Questions really CAN be irritating, especially when the answer to one question only leads to another question.

Why are we afraid to question?

I've always wondered if people ask themselves the right questions…the internal questions that serve as filters for our minds and mouths. The ones that make us think before we speak or DO. Because maybe asking ourselves the right questions will lead to truths about ourselves we really don't want to be made aware of. Certain truths about ourselves can always be changed…most adjectives we use to describe ourselves and others could change at anytime, if we ask the right questions. But most people don't because they are too lazy to do anything about changing or are too weak to face the truth.

Sometimes, we take a different wrong turn: asking questions of self that we need to ask of someone else. When I dread hearing an answer that I have no control over, I tend to overanalyze. Why did she say this? Why did he do that? When the real answer doesn't exist in me, but in someone else. I know this is mostly because of fear of a response I don't want to deal with or an answer I may not want hear, but some questions are necessary. It's better to be afraid than to regret not hearing something you may have learned from.

If you don't ask the right question, you may never get the right answer.

Pillow Fight by C.Crutchfield

2010-04-07T14:18:00.000-07:00

I didn't know it was "National Pillow Fight Day" last week! My name as world destroyer would have been echoed from one end of L.A to the other!! Props to my boy Chris Crutchfield for the video production!

Pillows (Good Feeling) from Chris Crutchfield on Vimeo.

Oh My F#%king God, there is a video named "OMG"?!!!

2010-03-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

Now I was really never an Usher fan. As a matter of fact, I haven't had one of his records since he was Usher Raymond. But the video that you are about to watch explains two things. 1. People will do anything to cling on to their own "relevant" and self created existences. Creativity isn't what matters any longer. Not to mention, he's just about out of it. 2. Usher, your career is juuuuuust about over. As a matter of fact, its spiraling down through the atmosphere and burning up like the asteroid Apophis. Unfortunately he's burning everything up around him too, because after watching this video, I don't want to create carbon dioxide just by breathing! Ahh the life out here in oblivion.

2010-03-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

smh

2010-03-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

hahaha!

Little Dragon Comes to Charlotte (Milestone) 3/21

2010-03-22T18:33:00.000-07:00

Caught a piece of the Little Dragon Tour last night at the Milestone in West Charlotte. Truly an impressive show. This was some of "indi-music" at its finest. In a dark, marker/graffiti laden venue, with people smoking ciggs even though they banned it in all indoor restaurants and night clubs in the city a few months back. We also had the ESTEEMED pleasure of hearing an artist unfamiliar to Oblivion ears. Introducing VV Brown ladies and gents. She threw down something fierce while opening up for LD. Check the voice!

mS

VV Brown

Little Dragon

Who's Bad?!

2010-03-11T06:58:00.000-08:00

I've been reading Wicked by Gregory Maguire little by little over the past few weeks, mainly because I want to have the book read before I go see the play. And also because I have always been interested in hearing the other side of things... how did the Wicked Witch of the West get to be so wicked? What was up with those glittery shoes? Where did the flying monkeys come from? I'm only about a third of the way through so I really don't have many answers yet. But one thing that intrigues me and always has is the idea that maybe the bad guy really isn't so bad... or what really is evil? Sometimes, it's hard to tell. I think in some cases, it's all about perspective. Know your backstory.

I sympathize with Elphaba aka The Wicked Witch because in the past, I've been painted as the bad guy in a situation or two. Nothing serious. Teenage shenanigans mostly. Everything was eventually cleared up, but at the time I was a little astounded at the position I found myself in. Someone said this and someone said that and... somehow, I was left holding the bag... and I didn't know what was in the bag or what the bag even was. When I was 19, my roommate at the time told several people (all mutual friends or associates) that I stole her cell phone. I had no idea she was telling people this... to this day, I have no idea how she came up with this story or WHY (her cell phone was stolen by a waiter at a restaurant... and she knew it). All I knew was that people started acting strangely around me. They'd speak, but wouldn't hang around for long. I noticed it, said hmmmm and filed it away. Eventually, people realized something wasn't right and a few of them told me what was going on. I was astonshed, as the whole thing was just… stupid. From a common sense standpoint, where would I use a cell phone that I stole from a person whom I LIVED WITH in a small apartment? Who would I give the number to? We had the same friends. When I confronted her, she told me my friends who came to me were liars and that she knew the waiter stole the phone. Luckily for me, she totaled her car a couple of months later and had to move back home. She was physically fine (I'm not that mean) - only the car got hurt.

My point is, what if she had come up with a more believable story or had people who were more gullible to tell her tale to? Some of the people she talked to did believe her, at least for a few days. If this was a once upon a time situation, would I have been the Evil Cell-Phone Stealing Roommate? I'm sure I would have been illustrated wearing all black with teeth missing and warty skin… bleh. I had a friend run into her a couple of years ago and she was STILL saying I had stolen the phone! So if she was the one to write the story instead of me... how easily it shifts. In her mind, twisted as it may be, I'm definitely the bad guy. I've also been a witness to similar situations with friends, one fairly recently when someone accused a friend of mine of harming them physically. If the one telling the tale had been talking to less intelligent folks... who knows how it could have turned out? And that's pretty scary because... who knows how often this may have happened in history?

I took away two things, one of which being: to this day, I'm kind of suspicious of people who say… odd or off-putting things to me. I've been involved in enough situations by now with people who I felt kind of weird about, but assured myself that they were cool… only to realize I should have gone with my gut. My ex-roomie was one of those people. She said a few things prior to that incident, nothing that would have enabled me to foresee what ended up happening, but maybe that I should have paid a little more attention to. I pay more attention now… it may not result in a cut-off, but I might limit my association or watch carefully. Sometimes, it's good to be wary.

The other: the bad guy you see isn't always the bad guy that IS. Sadly, in some cases, women are the best at painting the picture we want people to see… we are usually able to tap into emotions (real or fake) more easily, thereby bringing forth tears more easily, thereby going into hysterics more easily… thereby fully appearing "wronged." Just because someone is crying doesn't mean they are right. I've seen plenty of people victimized by "the cryer." Myself included. And sometimes the bad guy is dressed up to look like the good guy, smooth-talking, explanation for EVERYTHING. Watch out for them, too. And of course, as with most things, sometimes the bad guy really IS the bad guy. But there are always exceptions… be aware…

Mmmmmhmmmm....

Sane by just a strand....

2010-03-10T19:35:00.001-08:00

Have you ever thought how far you are from being "crazy"? All you need is the state to deem you unfit to take care of yourself, and your ass can be locked up in an asylum super quick.. Just something to think about.. We've all had crazy moments. Moments when we feel unsure, or even unstable. Think of how insignificant that tiny little voice in the head is when it says; "don't do it..." If its size could be measured, how big do you think that voice would be? Its probably pretty small. Which in turn is pretty HUGE. Where is this going? I don't really know. Just know that you are less than the width of a human hair from completely snapping and losing your "brain cookies" everyday. Knowing this, helps to keep you grounded appreciative. I had a friend who one day had a seizure and forgot everything that had happened to her over the course of a year and some change. What would you do if you lost a year and some change? Go just a "little" crazy you think? Respect the mind. Its nothing to take for granted, even though we all do.
mS

Love SPREADDDED

2010-03-03T21:28:00.000-08:00

Got away this past weekend.. Went down to Atlanta to experience DJ Kemet's monthly Spread Love event. I have to say, I was thoroughly impressed. Haven't been to a party like that in awhile. One of the most impressive things I came across on the weekend, is when I was outside speaking with Rich Medina, and I asked him; "So how you gonna hit em' tonight sun?" To which he confidently replied; "I'm going to try and KILL THEM out there tonight man.. I can't wait.." That's confidence every DJ should have before he gets ready to mash up the set. And kill them he did. Not going to say much else. Don't have too many pics.. For those, go and check out the Danger Means Nothing Blog. Got a quick vid.. I really wish I would have been filming a little longer. I was drunk to shit however, and really wasn't trying to focus on filming, as I was shaking my ass. Did I just say that? Destroyer of worlds, OUT!

Rich Medina @ Spread Love Atl 2/27 from ninja team on Vimeo.

A few pics

Shut Up

2010-03-01T22:20:00.000-08:00

I realized how much I loved those two words the other day because some people… really just need to shut it. Warning: Personal Rant on board.

You sexy disaster you … When a guy I know snidely asked me if I donated any money to Haiti… I should have told him to shut up. In terms of societal usefulness, he is about as contributive as the mole on the back of my neck. But because he has decided to become a bandwagon altruist, he of course decided to completely ignore the fact that I've been a volunteer for years, not just during disasters, but also for non-sexy causes like helping the elderly and shit like that. I guess it's not important to help the 90-year old woman who is lonely and struggling unless a tsunami hits her house… And I by NO MEANS want to downplay the importance of helping people during times of disaster… it is a MUST. I have plenty of friends and family who genuinely support the cause out of the goodness of their hearts. But I also know a lot of people who do it as a form of competitive do-goodery (yeah, I just made that up). And they suck. The guy I referred to earlier simply wanted to segue into a spiel about his own contributions… and this is a person I have known to not give his friends a ride home if they needed one. You're a jerk face… shut up.

I know big words… Okay, so most of my friends and associates are well-read, learned individuals who could probably throw a lot of big words at you just for the hell of it. And they can do it without flipping through Roget's because they are well-read individuals, so their vocabulary is pretty expansive. Which is great. I love a smart mouth J However… on the flip-side, I know some people who feel like the bigger words they throw at you… the smarter it makes them seem. Whether they know what the hell they are talking about or not. I need people to at least know a loose definition of the words they are using before using them in a sentence when we're having a conversation. Stop inserting words into sentences that make no sense whatsoever so you can appear impressive. Shut up.

When things crash for a reason… so, some things are bound to fail. Whether it's because a part doesn't work the way it's supposed to, there wasn't enough testing done before you went full speed ahead… whatever, some shit just don't work. Sometimes you can fix it, sometimes you should just dump the whole thing in a landfill or let it be compacted into a cube of trash. So, when a relationship/friendship/partnership fails… a lot of the time, it's actually a good thing. Learning experience blah blah blah. What sucks is when one person wants to rehash the past in an effort to make themselves feel better about whatever bullshit they perpetrated. I have had ex-friends, ex-lovers, who want to do this… shut up. It's over. Leave the past in the past and get your life together. If you are not happy with where you are, it's probably because you didn't learn anything from the experience and are still trying to justify your behavior. Get over yourself and just… shut up.

And since I'm done, I'll take my own advice…

Don't make me send you back to Crenshaw Pete...

2010-02-26T11:31:00.000-08:00

the "out of clownee experience"

headed to atlanta with some of the crew for

jump n' funk. pop life on wednesday was

enough ciaa for me. got an eye full and was

around some good folks plus had a table.

thank you carla. i'm over the hype of ciaa

though. like anything else, it is not for

everyone. it is what it is. the title of this post

clearly describes what i feel about ciaa. i hope

whoever cannot make it to saturday's festivities

has a good and safe weekend. keeping somewhat

relative to the theme of jump n' funk, here's some

ride music for those who will be absent. peace.

The IllumineMinded Ones

2010-02-24T17:05:00.000-08:00

Been working on this for a second on the side. Its a little something giving up some props to people who are, or are going to make a difference in this world we live in. The difference can come through activism, artistry, or just being a cool ass muthaf&*ka. Most of these folks I've met. Others, I'd like to meet someday. Its a little I like to call, The IllumineMinded Ones. Enjoy!

Who: Nadia Pillay

What: An actor/yoga instructor by trade. She has been ever since we’ve met. Outspoken about what she feels passionate about (especially when it comes to acting and yoga), and is blessed with one of the most diverse minds I’ve ever met.

Why: One word; radiance.

When: I first met Nadia at the end of the millennium, at Vassar College 1999. A then buddy, Master Million (we’ll keep his name under wraps just in case), had met her at a party they were having somewhere on campus. Water B, and I were getting ready to host another episode of our weekly radio show, The Backwoodz, on WVKR. Master Million was a student and was attending some summer classes when he met Nadia, and some other girl, at a party they were attending. They were part of some acting troupe “summer camp thing”, and were at Vassar for a few weeks. Trying to “get in”, he suggested Nadia and her friend come to the “radio station” where his boys were having a show. They came through, and enjoyed the music that was going on in the studio. One week, turned into two, and then Nadia asked if we minded if she swung by to hang out while we broadcasts. A few more weeks and some good conversation (maybe a spliff or 15) later, a great friendship was born which has lasted ever since. She later acquired the nickname, Breeze, from Water B because in his words; “Every time she comes in the room, its like a fresh breeze”.

One of the lasting conversations I can remember with her, involved a documentary that she wanted to do about the women of South Africa who have to endure the hardships of the incessant threat of rape. Being from South Africa, this struck home from her and while her plans may have been “back burnered” a bit, I don’t think they have completely dissolved. Time will tell.

A breeze that emits: “I AM AN ACTOR...i was born and raised on the STAGE not realizing from a young age I always made the world my own stage. I do it so i dont have to take myself seriously...i do it because i am extraordinarily fascinated by the human conditioning....therefore as an ACTOR it is my job to

"enlighten the human condition"

Yes, yes, yes my name will be in lights..but behold the name will live in infamy

I am African..with no classification beyond that

I believe we are all connected so get off DAT BULLSHIT!!!

and I have an appetite to KNOW people!”

2010-02-24T00:10:00.000-08:00

fresh

saw this a while back....thought it was pretty dope. just

saw a "live" version while i was online and was reminded

of the original which i think is actually better. here it is...

peace.

Neurosonics Audiomedical Laboratories from Hatem Zekri on Vimeo.

Real Hip Hop....

2010-02-23T08:41:00.001-08:00

...always happens within the cypher... peAce to this

Death of the Doctrine?!! C'mon SUN!!!!

2010-02-17T12:25:00.001-08:00

Okay so one of my favorite blogs..... fuck it, my favorite blog, has just released an alarming statement!! It's shutting down! Illdoctrine.com, one of the sickest video blogs has called it quits. For those who don't know Illdoctrine.com, at least as it comes across to me, is the view of the world through the eyes of the Hip Hop generation that I came up in. It is run by a pretty down to earth cat (as far as I can tell through his blogs, which consequently don't mean shit as far as his true person goes) named J Smooth. And while I don't fully agree with the reasoning behind this pretty drastic action to call it quits, I can understand where J Smooth is coming from. He claimed that February 12, 2010 was the final resting day for Rap Music, which was "battling a long illness". And he didn't mean "ill" in the good way either. Who was the killer? Who was the one who finally pulled the plug on the life support that was keeping Rap music alive? Well, I'll let you watch for yourselves..

Now if you stomached all the way through that, then you get props enough. I won't get too deep into my personal politics on why I don't agree with this video, or why I think it completely, unequivocally, and utterly sucks asshole. I think the video did enough to explain that to you itself. I do have some questions though.

In this world of non-original thought, and TV diner music, you'd think that if the creative "moguls" of the music industry could somehow, someway manage to bring themselves together, that they would actually do something like, CREATE?! Instead, they all sharpened up their vamp teeth, and gorged on the carcass that was the first "We Are the World Song".

Old and stinky as it was, it could have been resurrected with something fresh and new. But alas, this was not the case. It goes to show you how important these people TRULY thing creation is. Not too important at all anymore. When the first "We Are The World" burst on the scene in 1985, it was like nothing that anyone ever saw before. I remember, I was there! And while I didn't blast the song out of my then boom box, I understood the importance of what they were trying to do, and the message they were trying to send. I don't get that from this in the slightest bit. They don't sell it I suppose.

First off, Tony Bennett? REALLY?! And then we have the popcorn stars like Hannah Montana herself, and that little Jordan kid singing his little heart out through Auto-tune. And what in GOD's name is with the AUTO-TUNE?! REALLY?! And the fact that Little Weasel was in the song just added to its suck power. With the exception of Mary J. Blige, Celine Dione, Josh Groban, and MAYBE Busta Rhymes (for a few underrated and dare i say, classic albums), I respected just about none of the "artists" up there as true artists. They were all vampires! It was like that vampire rave in the movie Blade! And they were ALL there! Janet, Fergie, Jaime! And Jaime even tried to sing like FUCKING RAY CHARLES in the song!! Let it go man!! It wasn't THAT landmark of a performance! As far as I'm concerned, Don Cheadle should have won for Hotel Rwanda anyway!

I suppose the point of the whole thing is that there should be a "We Are The World" every year from these people. Africa hasn't gotten any better. With all the money Akon's ass (Senegalese) has made, HE ALONE should have come up with another "We Are The World" for atrocities that are happening RIGHT now in, "pick a spot" West Africa. And now that they see a GOLDEN, and FRESH opportunity to sing about the new "tragedy which has befallen poor people" in the world, Haiti, they couldn't help but to jump at it. And jump they did, with both feet, ass, head and arms! I'm glad the Wu Tang didn't show up, cause I'd be where J Smooth is myself right now. Not that they are single handedly (any of them for that matter) holding Rap up on their shoulders or anything. It would have just crushed the last bits of memories that still exist in ye old cerebral cortex. But I digress. I'm gonna miss ill doctrine if it is truly gone. Props to my boy Devin who put me on late in 08. And to commemorate a bit, I'm gonna post a few of my favorite doctrines to show my appreciation.. Props J! And in the famous words of "Craig" from that old Negro Spiritual film, Friday; "Hey! COME BACK"!

Mini Docrtine on Haiti 1/15/10

Ten Other Things Dr. Martin Luther Jr. Said 1/18/10

East Coast Cats and Christopher Street Boys 10/28/09

Joe Budden, Raekwon, and American Civility 8/12/09

Beyond Chris Brown and Rhianna 2/14/09

And don't forget to continue to give what you can to relief for Haiti.

Doctors Without Borders

American Red Cross

Google.com/relief/haitiearthquake/

Peace,

crossed my mind

2010-02-17T02:23:00.000-08:00

being that its february and black history month,

i find myself thinking of the bullshit of it all. i find it

utter fucking ridiculous that the education and

recognition of anyone's history, culture and heritage

be relegated to a fucking month. the problem is we

are all too lazy. is not life a continuous journey of

knowledge and education? i don't know of anyone

that knows everything. as long as we are breathing

should we not be learning? perhaps learning about

one another's culture? i feel like most problems big

and small stem from lack of understanding. even a

lack of desire to understand. thus ignorance. i'm at

fault as much as anyone. therefore i need to tighten

up as well. let us stop assuming and start trying to

understand. i think it only benefits us all. fuck being

idealistic, be a human being. all that other dumb shit

is played out. just be "professional" in life. peace to

everyone who understands what i mean. fuck you if

you don't. peace.

2010-02-15T02:28:00.000-08:00

inspiration

full cg animated piece showing architectural beauty blending

the surreal as well as the abstract. another great example

of sound and visuals complimenting one another. i suggest

you watch this on full screen if you have high def capabilities.

beautifully done. eyegasm ha ha! enjoy and as always....peace.

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

2010-02-13T12:47:00.000-08:00

sight & sound

mario basanov & vidis featuring jazzu-i'll be gone

i always liked unconventional music videos. sometimes

i feel it can better compliment the song when the artist's

face is not seen. plus the creative envelope can pushed.

enjoy. peace.

I'll be gone from KORB on Vimeo.

2010-02-03T00:51:00.001-08:00

"the new guy"

gil is back after 15 years with his new album

i'm new here. the title is appropriately fitting

considering the landscape of music today, the

era from which he is from, the type of artist

that he is and the message that he brings. dude

hasn't lost a step. i like the minimalistic use of

production here. maintaining the soul while

embracing the new progressive electronic

sounds. respect to the poet. the album can be

heard below in its entirety. enjoy. peace

Shmammy

2010-02-02T13:18:00.000-08:00

I didn't watch the Grammy Awards this year. No big surprise, because I don't think I've watched them in 10-plus years, if not more. I actually get kind of disgusted when I hear people discuss them (or most awards for that matter) as if... well, as if they really matter in the grand scheme of music anymore. I'd rather you tell me you watched it to see what clothes people were wearing or for the mind-blowing dialogue than because you love music. As if having a Grammy legitimizes someone's music ANYWAY. I know there are some people who were nominated who actually deserve awards for their music, but unfortunately the company they are nominated with makes it damn near impossible for them to win. When I hear someone say, "I can't believe -insert multi-award-winning-bullshit-artist here- won for that single/album!" - my response is "Why don't you believe it? How is it any different from last year? Or the year before that? Or the year before that?!"

I'm almost to the point where winning a Grammy is a bad thing. I normally scan the list of nominees when announced just to see if anything's changed. Occasionally, I'll get a pleasant surprise in the nominees...One of my favorite groups, The Foreign Exchange, was nominated this year... they didn't win, but I was surprised they got a nod period. One of my favorite singers Alice Smith, was nominated in 2007. Another favorite, Janelle Monae, was nominated last year. So, greatness does slip though... but for the most part... no dice. Because I'm a woman who loves good music, I'm usually most disappointed by the Female categories, more often than not, specifically the R&B categories (I won't even touch Hip Hop), I see the same people year after year win the same awards...

So... here are some female artists who possibly may not EVER win a Grammy or have record-breaking album sales, but would in a parallel universe in which people had better taste:

Joy Jones, whose album Godchild was one of my favorites from '09...

Alice Smith, whose voice makes sounds that never cease to amaze me... new song from new album dropping this year...

Sarah Anne Webb, former member of UK group D-Influence...

And I heart heart heart Nikki Jean... swoon...

Georgia Anne Muldrow is a producing, singing goddess...

Janelle Monae...

There's more, but I'll save them for another day :) Happy listening.

2010-02-01T22:56:00.000-08:00

sound discovery
i recently stumbled upon this artist browsing the net. his

name is jose james of brownswood recordings. the label

founded by worldwide music ambassador gilles peterson.

i'm actually late getting hip to dude. his debut the dreamer

came out in 08'. unlike many of the so called "soul/r&b

singers" of today you feel the soul in james' voice and delivery.

i respect the versatility in his sound. from jazz to soul to hip

hop to future soul and everything in between. it sounds

organic and not forced. he's collaborated with artists diverse

as basement jaxx and jazzanova. his sophomore release

blackmagic was just released. it contains code produced by

flying lotus of which the video is of below. friends we love

made this simple but dope video. so turn down the lights

and enjoy ha ha! peace.

2010-01-30T02:57:00.000-08:00

her....

Hip Hop majesty from then to now (well, kinda now at least!)

2010-01-26T14:51:00.000-08:00

Everybody's screamin about the new Madlib album yadda yadda.. Hell, I posted about it earlier.. Everyone talking about how sick Doom is etc.. Underground hip hop yay.. bleh... I remember when it was ALL underground all the time.. Radio wouldn't play us and whatnot.. Ah, the good ole' days.. Here's a little then to now for ya's.. Doom, step to the front please.. Or should I say, "Zev Love X" as he was formally known before the passing of his baby bro.. R.I.P Sub Rock!!

Then!
A thinner Doom rockin spectacles, and riding bikes with the crew KMD.. Cameo's by the vets of the time; Grand Puba Maxwell (Brand Nubian), Pete Nice/MC Search (3rd Bass).

Now
A little bit chunkier with a deeper toned voice in the 21'st century... Venomous lyrics all the same!! The femme in the vid has ridiculous abs!! She throws the whole video off because she doesn't fit! Proper!

2010-01-25T00:38:00.000-08:00

debrief: the hurt locker

last year during the time of the independent spirit awards i remember hearing about a film called the hurt locker. the thing that seemed apparent was that it was about the war in iraq. the only faces i recognized in it were anthony mackie and jeremy renner who at the time i only remembered as colin farrell's ex partner turned bad guy from the movie s.w.a.t. i'm not sure why this film caught my attention other than the fact that it was being recognized by the independent spirit awards and had a respectable actor in anthony mackie who usually chooses good projects. i normally don't get excited for films about the war in iraq/military because of what i feel is predictability and poor execution. there are a few exceptions and the hurt locker stands as one of them.

it revolves around three main characters in an e.o.d. (explosive ordinance disposal) team played by jeremy renner as staff sgt. william james, anthony mackie as sgt. jt sanborn and brian geraghty as specialist owen eldridge. there are also a few recognizable faces such as guy pearce, david morse, ralph fiennes and evangeline lilly playing smaller but effective roles. all the characters are well played but it is renner's performance as staff sgt. james that is the driving force. an apparent "wild man" with a penchant for disregarding procedure. he seems to be reckless but there is method to his madness or at least a reason for it. every mission seems to be a challenge for him in which he lives and thrives. anthony mackie's character is the rational one of the group who wants to follow procedure and get the job done avoiding any unnecessary bullshit. brian geraghty's character is the impressionable one who seems to be the most fragile of the group always seeking guidance. he looks to both staff sgt. james and sgt. sanborn who are two different type of soldiers/men. the film is well paced never making you feel bored. the use of documentary style shooting was an excellent choice giving you the feeling of being in the action with them. you always feel a sense of imminent danger as well as tension which is important for a film of this kind. there are also a few visual flourishes which compliment the action. i like the fact that you get a total sense of the experience not just the missions. you get to feel the whole spectrum of emotions that they go through. i feel this film encompasses all what a film about war should. it shows the camaraderie, determination, discipline, paranoia, fear, anger, depression, sorrow and guilt. now there are a few slight hollywood moments but nothing that really compromises the integrity of this movie. the film feels very authentic and embodies all the qualities of a good movie. definitely one of my new favorite war films and one of the best movies i've seen this year if not the best. i'm glad i finally saw this film especially after all the eye sores i've witnessed this past year. its out on dvd now. i recommend you check it out. peace.

The Hurt Locker Trailer from Premier PR on Vimeo.

The beauty of a dawn...

2010-01-22T21:33:00.000-08:00

It has to bug you out just a little bit to know that we are all on a huge rock hurling through space around the Sun at approximately 67,000 miles per hour. And that we're spinning at approximately 1000 miles per hour on our axis... All of that is happening at the same time, perfectly, to give us this.... This shit is so "money" WE don't even know it!

Things that make you go; "hmmEEELLL NO!!"

2010-01-21T15:51:00.000-08:00

(Press play, then read)

Working at your town's "local current rave computer store" over the past few years has taught me a few things.

1. Discussions about World of Warcraft can and will pop up at any moment, either in front of customers or in the break room.

2. There were apparently a lot more people starved for attention than I thought originally possible (thanks reality f*ckin TV!)

and..

3. Just because you work for a supposed west coast, free thinking, on the edge, liberal type of company, it doesn't necessarily mean it is run by people of that ilk.

A few months ago, I had a discussion with a "higher up" about perception. This "higher up" seemed to think, and tried to advise me, that perception is more important than anything. He told me that perception is so important, that it can determine whether you have a job in certain situations. Puzzled by this thing called perception, I decided to ask his "higher up" if she agreed with this. She agreed. To that note, I also had a discussion with a friend of mine yesterday who kind of agreed with this philosophy as well. I totally disagree with all three of them, and here's pretty much why.

The term perception's first definition clearly states it as being; the act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; or understanding. So to gain understanding of "me" as a person, another person will use their senses (based on what I give them no doubt) to gain some sort of cognition or understanding of who I am, or who I perceive to be. Again, this is based on what I give them at any given moment. It is also based on what they see at any given moment, and this is where I have a problem.

People are lazy man. I can understand the fact that the use of perception can come in "handy" every now and again, but to use it as a doctrine in which to guide one's life when dealing with people is both lazy, and a bit silly. Why? Because some of the time, I dare say most of the time, people's "perception" is completely wrong. Instead of trying to actually understand, or know what someone is talking about, or where they are coming from; people will instead prefer to use their "perceptions" as a sort of mini-judgment factor. Again, this can come in handy, but it usually falls under the guise of assumption, and well we all know about ASS U(&) ME ing. Take some time lazy birds!

Perception also opens up the door for you to get totally taken advantage of. If you guide your life by perceptions, and a person figures this out, you're in big trouble. Because they can play to your perceptions, and lie to you right to your face. Have you thinking they are someone completely different. We see it in relationships gone bad everyday. In the case of work, its extremely easy, because these people hardly know the REAL YOU. They get an idea, but don't ever truly have to know the REAL YOU. And you can play on their perceptions all the way to the top. You can "look busy" without really ever being busy. You may get found out, or you may not. Kinda sucks for the good guy I suppose. I say that because the snake will figure this out quick as shit! What ever happened to trying to get to know someone based on merit? Perception was used greatly in the racist South during the Civil War. Hell, it was used in the racist North, East, and West for that matter!

Another co-worker tried to tell me that trying to perceive what people are like, is made easy because of Facebook!!! This conversation was started because we were talking about how companies enlist someone to scour the web for people's online identities to try and help determine work eligibility. This was both appalling, and a bit alarming at the same time. Appalling because; STOP BEING LAZY MAN!! Alarming because this guy was a manager as well, and is actually in control of hiring people. Facebook? REALLY?! I know I bullshit ON PURPOSE on Facebook because it ISN'T real. So now we are even using perception as a means to play God (in a sense) with people's lives because of what they write on the internet? I'm sorry, but if I say some stupid shit online, that shouldn't work against me. And if someone perceives something that I'm not because of it, THEY are in the wrong, not me. Karma will end up kicking them square in the balls/chocha from the back because of it too. Thats one of the dumbest things I've ever heard.

So be careful when you guide your life by way of perception. Like Maf once said; (and I'm paraphrasing) "If someone is trying to sell you friendship, they probably aren't interesting in really being your friend". Take the time to try and figure out who someone is. If you are a hiring manager and are interviewing people, bullshit rises to the top. I don't even hire anyone and I know this. You can tell the bullshit ARTISTS from a mile away. If you can't, then you need not be hiring people because you are probably wasting your company's money due to turn around on the given position. Society is getting really lazy with how it handles the interactions of people on a day to day basis. Jesus, lets just start scanning finger prints for genetic preference already!

A Mighty "Wind"

2010-01-19T16:11:00.001-08:00

Lately, I find myself sighing constantly over the lack of empathy-humanity-decency that I observe in other human beings. It's more of a world-weary sigh than an I-can't-believe this sigh. And this "lacking" comes in all shapes and sizes: jerks stealing parking spaces in crowded mall parking lots during the holidays, assholes writing bogus checks to charities, certain ignoramuses' ridiculous comments about a natural disaster that destroyed the lives of innocent people… My solution to being jaded: when I find myself feeling this way, my trick to reconnecting is to re-visit my childhood and read one of my favorite books from back then. So, I've been reading some Madeline L'engle. A Wrinkle in Time featuring the Murry family is undoubtedly her most popular book and I love it, but I've found some new appreciation for the sequels to it as well. The other day, I read one I haven't picked up in a long time - A Wind in the Door - and I just realized what a phenomenal book this was. It was exactly what I needed.

I was too young to fully understand the novel when I read it as a pre-teen. The discussions of relativity, scientific theories and methods and how they all could actually be applied to real life… well, in a fantasy version of real life as we know it anyway (but still applies)… most of the concepts went way over my head. Even now I have to tap into that side of my brain I hate using sometimes in order to comprehend parts of this book.

The set-up: The Murrys return in A Wind in the Door. 6-year-old Charles Wallace Murry is having problems in school. Due to the nature and level of his genius, unsurprisingly, neither his teachers nor his classmates appreciate his contributions to class discussions and his sister Meg is worried about him. It becomes clear that it's not his biggest problem, however, as he starts to deteriorate physically. Based upon their scientist mother's tests upon her youngest child, it is concluded that he has mitochondritis… his mitochondria are dying. Meg, her kind-of-boyfriend Calvin along with some other-worldly help must pass tests and travel to unexpected places to save his life, while avoiding the Echthroi, beings that destroy for the sake of destroying (these exist in real life, too). GREAT book... definitely read it, no matter what age you are.

That said, one of the keys to the survival of the characters in the book is learning to love a PART of someone in order to gain a better understanding of that person as a whole. To see who they are beyond the bullshit, the bluster, the façade…

My realization: Before I get angry at other people for their lack of compassion, let me look at me… Too often, I think, I've made assumptions and drawn conclusions about people based upon the evidence placed neatly before me. And I'll give myself a break... I've been burned by people more than once, so I tend to be suspicious and mostly correct. Though I haven't necessarily judged a book by its cover, I might have gotten through only a chapter or two before believing I had it pretty much figured out. It isn't always a bad thing… people who are shallow enough… that might be the whole book for them. Chapter One, Chapter Two, THE END. You might also meet the same basic characters over and over again, different face, different name, same person. And there's a DISCLAIMER: Some people ARE EXACTLY who they seem to be. But not always. Not always. Though a person you've never really cared for may never be your BFF or even your friend, you might be able to at least tolerate them a little better or soften towards them, even if only slightly, if you observe or hear something about them that shows a different side. I think it's important to our evolution as people… seeing the totality of a person (even if in bits and pieces), before completely X'ing them out. I can now look at someone and instead of thinking the "F you" that would generally pop into my mind before an immediate dismissal of that person as a whole, I will instead think, "That guy can be kind of a dick, but he's a great dad to his kids." Or "I really don't like her much because she has such an awful attitude… but she took care of her sick mom for two years." Or even, "He's a jerk most of the time, but I saw him quietly tip that bartender 40 percent." A small thing perhaps, but it's a start…

Dominos Mutha F*cka!

2010-01-19T09:07:00.000-08:00

There's something that's been kinda eating at me over the last few weeks. Over the last few movies actually. It's mainly the predictability of films nowadays. I don't really get it. Its like the writers and directors get together to create this huge and incredible masterpiece, lets us Avatar as an example, and they splash us with tons of incredible visuals, and a more than "decent" (shouts to maf) storyline and totally drop the ball with a predictable/deflating ending. Its almost like you hear the director yell "dominoes muthafucka!", and smash the table in front of your face. Things didn't get any better when one of my Co-D's and I went to see The Book Of Eli last night. I won't review the film, but will tell you to definitely go and check it out for yourself. I will only say, they could have done more with less at the end of the film. Ever speak with someone who talks TOO much and either A) tells on themselves if they were attempting to lie, or 2) bores you to tears with whatever story it is they are telling?

I'll end by saying, movies today (Aside from Dr. Parnasis) resemble looking at a huge set up of dominos. The directors set it in motion by tipping the first domino, and at first it looks really, really cool! But by the middle, you know exactly what's going to happen. And by the end, you say to yourself; "this was really not that big a deal", or "If this were on Playstation it would be cooler". You look at the person who set up the domino set, and he cooly says to you; "DOMINOS MUTHAFUCKA!"

2010-01-14T02:54:00.000-08:00

afrikan sciences

heaven - afrikan sciences remix

circa '04

Mear One

2010-01-11T01:56:00.000-08:00

mural peace

Backwoods Radio arrives to iTunes in the element of, Podcast.Zero

2010-01-08T14:08:00.000-08:00

[in a slithery British accent] Hello iTunez....

Click Pic To Listen

2010-01-07T01:02:00.000-08:00

creativity, versatility, integrity, anonymity....the baaad kid. nuff said......

Part Deux?!!!!

2010-01-05T16:30:00.000-08:00

Aight.. We've been waiting a solid 3 years for this one to come out.. The anticipation has pretty much been kicking all of us who have any respect for the love what we call, hip hop, right in the cojones (thats balls for all u non-lingual sneegroes)!! I remember when I heard the first one.. I was about a year and a half LATE on it, but bumped that shit like it came out two hours before my ears were blessed! Yeah, Madvillainy was pretty sick. There wasn't one track on the album that was wack! Sheeeet, thats some powerful ish.. I mean there are only a FEW albums I can name off top with that sort of credibility.. Albums like "Illmatic", Enter The 36 Chambers, and Midnight Marauders to name a few.

If the cuts on the rest of the project sound anything like what we hear here, then the next Madvillain album is going to be ridiculous!!! Stone's Throw will have another banger, there's no question about that. And yeah, we've all heard the "original" track that Mr. Lib reworked. But only HE can do it like he did. Good shit ya'll! Oh yeah and props to J.Rocc!

Creation X

2010-01-05T14:44:00.000-08:00

"Creation (the woodsmen still breathe....)"

by: theW.o.o.d.s.M.e.n

The funny thing about "creation", is that it virtually is the only thing constant in the universe. We create our own thought which leads to; voices in our heads, an ingenious plan to build a deck, happiness, misery, newer and more dumbed down versions of hip hop music etc. Some may argue whether it is we who even have control of our own thought processes. If we didn't however, that wouldn't amount to too much. I mean if the Creator (and you all know of whom or what I speak) were controlling everything, down to thoughts, then there would be little point to existence. My position isn't a firm one however, which I whole heartedly admit. But this isn't a post on philosophy, or religion, or anything like that. At least not tonight... Its simply about creation, and the respect we hold for it.

Creation needs to be recognized. The abuse of the creative lever in your brain needs to be recognized too.. All that, and a bit more is what is to be found out here in Oblivion. The main picture to the blog is of a star gone supernova (that means it blew up on some extravagant, annihilate our solar system if it were too close type ish). Now out of this massive destruction, creation will find a foothold. New stars will form, and the cycle will continue.... Welcome...

mS

be there in a minute!!!

2009-12-20T23:10:00.000-08:00

We assure you, we're under construction!!