The other day I mentioned to my Brother-in-Law that I really liked te new Q-Tip album. Lyrically it is really good and the beats are great. It’s classic Q-Tip that reminds me of his days with A Tribe Called Quest, one of the greatest rap groups of all time. When I mentioned the album, it was met with laughter. My Brother couldn’t get over the name Q-Tip. I explained to him that he is considered the best rapper/producer in the history of Hip Hop, but that didn’t seem to matter. He said Hip Hop died with 2Pac.
Now, I am a huge fan of 2Pac. Notorious B.I.G. as well. They are 2 of the greatest vocalists in the history of Hip Hop. I the time since they ave died, rap music has suffered, but it is not dead. I’ll agree that there is plenty of crap on the radio. No talent rappers like Lil Jon has permeated way too many songs and rappers. It’s complete junk and they have no talent. If you want to know where true talent and Hip Hop lives, it’s in underground rap. Rappers such as Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, groups such as Little Brother. Talib and Mos are just as talented lyrically as Biggie and Pac, only you’ll rarely hear thhem on the radio. Little Brother is fantastic and Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh make a dynamic duo. These are the people that are carrying thr torch for the Hip Hop of tomorrow. If you say Hip Hop is dead, it’s because you don’t know what what Hip Hop is and you don’t know where to look.
If you are one of thse people who listens to Kanye West, who is crap and has never heard Common, you can’t have an opinion about Hip Hop. Well, you can have one, but nobody will care. Q-Tip is a lot like Kanye, only he has talent as a rapper and producer. Common is a great rapper who is produced by Kanye. If you like Kanye’s beats, check out Common. He’s far superior on the microphone.
I’m going to leave with a video by Little Brother. A good friend of mine turned me on to them a little while back and I’m a huge fan now. I hope more people learn of their music because it is really great. I got to go backstage at a show here in Portland they played recently and on top of being really good rappers, they were fun guys to hang out with.
I couldn’t resist posting this now. This is the difference between talent and weak ass crap Kanye…
With the end of Christmas, begins my least favorite time of the year. For some, it’s exciting to usher in another new year. For me, it has always been a time of depression. Christmas is gone and after the excitement and build-up of the Holiday, what are we left to look forwad to? No vacation until probably April or May. No work holidays. Just the day to day drudgery that comes this time of year. As with every year, I am expecting at least a couple days where my dreariness gets the worst of me. Where I won’t want to get out of bed. When nothing I seem to do makes me happy. On days such as those, I try to do anything I can to cheer myself up. Whether it’s treating myself to lunch or having a nightcap before bed, I try to give myself something special.
Hopefully in the months ahead before Spring I find some excitement. I am already dreading the dread of the coming months. I need some fun in my life, something to take me away from the daily grind. Anyone have suggestions? What do you do to cheer yourself up?
Today I spent another half day stuck in the house. I was able to get ot the office for a half day today and yesterday, but as conditions started to get worse, I headed for the hill towards my house. Better safe than sorry. I think I am becoming a bit mentally disturbed though as spending hours each day watching weather reports and children’s cartoons is messing with my mind. Today it has been a mix of rain and snow, but tonight, or should I say tomorrow morning, it is supposed to snow again. Just what I needed, another day to push me closer to the edges of insanity.
Last night I rented Tropic Thunder. I loved it. I thought it was very funny and the humor was right up my alley. If you cannot stand blood however, this movie is not for you. We watched the movie on my new Blu-Ray player. It is very nice and the picture is great, but the sound is really low for some reason. I typically watch TV on a setting between 15 and 25, but the movies now require setting it up around 40. This bugs me, but I can live with it. If you have HDTV, but Blu-Ray, it is worth it.
So onto a song for today. Nothing really sticks out at the moment in my head. i think I’ll go with something random..
