Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Eau Le Doet Cologne


just watch

This clip, in my opinion of course, represents a unique opportunity to exercise my sardonic powers for the greater good of all mankind. You were probably fully entertained and laughing while watching and may have missed some of the key things this video points out. For example, I rarely listen to the rappers shown in the video (OJ, Wocka, Gucci, Soulja) unless I am with another person or there is a party. I was surprised to find how many of their trademarks/nuances/tendencies I actually recognized and remembered. Being an advocate for hip-hop, substance, consciousness, and all that good stuff, I take pride in NOT knowing these things, however, there I was, entertained and a bit disturbed to find how familiar I was with these guys and crazy things they do.

Is it surprising that the ignorance portrayed in the cartoon was immediately associated with prominent figures in the industry..and it wasn't that far off from reality..lol...Our reality is their reality i guess. What is the difference between the guys in the video above and the famous rapper photographed below?
Does the fact Sean Carter handles himself in a slightly less ignorant and more mature manner correlate any to the type of music he makes? I cannot find many (quality/popular) spoofs or parodies of Jay-Z. Can you?

Friday, June 25, 2010

Unfelt Oppression


"Funny how the ipad hits the market and no one knows/cares where the batteries come from. The key component is coltan, and 80% of the world's supply is in the DRC. Three guesses as to what they're fighting for control of. Yup. Control of the mines to export the minerals.

Obviously the onus is on the Congolese to speak out and stop the violence in their own country, but we also have to do our part.

(It's not all the ipad's fault obviously. The value of coltan skyrocketed when playstation II hit the market)
"



For those who want to read the entire article you could either do a simple google search or click here. Basically, there is still war and oppression in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). I am sure many knew that, many probably didn't. What particularly strikes a chord with me is the amount of rape crimes that have taken place...and are currently taking place as I type. I am not sure of the exact statistic..I am not sure if statisticians are even sure..but I believe the number is something like 9/10 girls have been victims of attempted or completed rape. Horrific stories of these events are all over the internet and it doesn't see the magnitude of the problem (look). Often these events take place with families present, armed men in the room, and multiple participants. Merely knowing and being aware of this is a step in the right direction but I am curious as to what, if anything, can be done to mitigate this epidemic.

Why are we not made aware of events such as these on a daily basis yet we're flooded with celebrity deaths, lost cats, and media fairy tales. If the media had a story about a little girl or boy getting raped by militants daily, i almost guarantee something would change...something will change. I believe it is time to disregard the superficial boundaries we call borders/territories and view the world how it really is...look at people from other countries as we view our neighbors....maybe all it takes is the U.S. military to begin pillaging hoods and suburbs for us to get the picture. Congo is not another planet. Allowing inhumane acts such as this to continue is only encouragement and a numbing agent for those removed...i.e. us.



Sad times

....why they rape...

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Venezuela To Seize U.S. Firm's Oil Rigs


I came across this piece of news this morning....its kind of interesting

""CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela will nationalize a fleet of oil rigs belonging to U.S. company Helmerich and Payne, the latest takeover in a push to socialism as President Hugo Chavez struggles with lower oil output and a recession.

A former soldier inspired by Cuba's Fidel Castro, Chavez has made energy nationalization the linchpin in his 'revolution'. He has also taken over assets in telecommunications, power, steel and banking.

The 11 drilling rigs have been idled for months following a dispute over pending payments by the OPEC member's state oil company PDVSA. Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said on Wednesday the rigs, the Oklahoma-based company's entire Venezuelan fleet, were being nationalized to bring them back into production.

Ramirez said companies that refused to put their rigs into production were part of a plan to weaken Chavez's government,

"There is a group of drill owners that has refused to discuss tariffs and services with PDVSA and have preferred to keep this equipment stored for a year," Ramirez told reporters in the oil producing state of Zulia. "That is the specific case with U.S. multinational Helmerich and Payne."

The company was not immediately available for comment.

Chavez, who faces legislative elections in September, often pushes ahead with radical plans during election campaigns.

The 55-year-old leader is having a hard time in his 11th year in power. Venezuela's economy is the worst performing in Latin America this year, a problem exacerbated by a drop in oil output since 2008, power outages and soaring inflation.

NO SURPRISE

The takeover of Helmerich and Payne's rigs was not a surprise, considering Chavez penchant for nationalizations and the company's refusal to work before being paid the $49 million it has invoiced PDVSA.

Helmerich and Payne is a small player in the drilling industry, but global giants like Halliburton, Schlumberger and Baker Hughes also have a presence in Venezuela.

Halliburton and Schlumberger have avoided public spats with the government.

Chavez has kept pressure up on the private sector in recent months, blaming a "parasitic bourgeoisie" for Venezuela's recession and 30 percent annualized inflation,

He has threatened to nationalize Polar, the top brewer and food processor in the country of 30 million. The government has also seized a bank belonging to an owner of the leading opposition TV station and put an arrest warrant out for his partner, who is now on the run.

Chavez in 2007 nationalized multi-billion dollar projects in Venezuela's vast Orinoco oil region, persuading companies such as BP Plc, to accept minority stakes in facilities they had built.

Last year he ordered the takeover of dozens of smaller oil service companies as PDVSA, reeling from a sharp plunge in oil prices, struggled to pay contractors.

When he was flush with oil cash during a boom in oil prices that ended in 2008, Chavez often compensated nationalized companies fairly, although the 2007 takeovers led to lawsuits from ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil.

More recently Venezuela has been slower in paying compensation.""



Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Fanbase, yesterday and tomorrow

To preface



If you have never seen the Beetles live then you are probably surprised at how much crowd reaction they received....i mean.....the girls just will not stop screaming...its unreal....surreal....hard to believe a few guys could have so much influence on a generation of music...their influence spans multiple genres of music and even seeps in current airplay i.e. lil wayne....Jay-z....whatever. Back then music was live and fanbase grew from performing....total opposite of today where the internet is the main culprit and people can become famous over night without ever touching a stage....is this a good or bad thing?...or is it just a thing?

Friday, May 14, 2010

Backpack Rappin

So...I was chillin one rainy afternoon and reminiscing about all the places I've been, the stages I've touched, the studios I've torched, and the school's I've attended....the product of my nostalgia is a song having little if anything to do with the past..lol..more about my ascent into the future with a dab of pompous, a touch of KLEAN, and a lotta skill.

Enjoy



Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Friday, January 15, 2010

Stuck at the Airport

So....I stayed up all night with my brother, my mother got off work around 1am, we proceeded to drive to the airport in Dallas, TX to catch up to my 6am flight to JFK. I had a short layover in Memphis...well...it was supposed to be short until my flight was delayed 6 HOURS!!!!!!!!....can't emphasize that enough. So as I am sitting here listening to Wiz Khalifa on the mac, applying to jobs, and contemplating life, I AM struck with an idea. Backtrack-last night I was bored and recorded a lil 32 bar spit session to this wayne beat-so I figure I might as well post it on my blog in an effort to make it a bit more active. I am especially motivated by this weak ass Currency verse I'm currently listening to. He used to be one of my favs...moment of silence.

I named it "freestyle ish" for a couple reasons, one ist of course not a pure freestyle, meaning it was not totally improv. However, it IS a freestyle because it is not really about anything..ya know?...sorta like most music today (even though I pride myself on actually creating SONGS). Last but not least, combining the prior 2 definitions, it is "freestyle-ish", similar to something that is kind of green, you'd call it green-ish. Enough type, enjoy.


Tuesday, January 5, 2010

kan i kick it?

Happy Founders day to my nupes out there....here is a lil somethin I just whipped up before dinner. Also if you haven't heard Stage Fright yet here is the link, BOOM Lemme know!


Happy Holidays