Saturday, July 31, 2010
Urban Entertainment Feature: Back to Chad -- Chad Ochocinco and the Ultimate Catch
Friday, July 30, 2010
Urban Music Feature: Sir Lucious Left Foot… The Son of Chico Dusty
At this point, Big Boi has every right to indulge in the bitter-old-man invective that's tempted so many other rappers of his generation. Even though he's half of one of the most successful groups ever, Big Boi has had to go through years of release-date delays and label drama (some of the topical lyrics here sound like they were written years ago), until he finally left longtime home Jive just so he could release a damn solo album already. Label machinations kept André's voice from even appearing on Sir Lucious Left Foot-- heartbreaking when you think about André's jaw-dropping display on the early advance single "Royal Flush". But instead of letting these setbacks infect his music, Big Boi's made an album that explodes with ideas at every turn, that glides and twitches and mutates with delirious urgency.
Musically, the album drips with 1980s synth-funk signifiers. The keyboards glimmer as they roam, and talkboxes mutter and blurt. But these tracks aren't the stoned miasmas that someone like Dâm-Funk cranks out. Instead, they're itchy and fleet-footed. New melodic elements flit in and out of tracks just as you start to notice them, and there's a lot going on at any given moment. Consider, for example, album closer "Back Up Plan". The track, from old comrades Organized Noize, finds room for cheerleader chants, disembodied grunts, a weird little synth whistle, processed funk guitar, orchestra hits, frantic scratching, a lowdown wobbling bassline, and probably some other stuff that I'm missing-- and this is one of the most laid-back songs on the entire album.
Every once in a while, we'll get a nod toward some current trend, but these aren't market capitulations; they're more opportunities to play with what the kids are doing now. "Follow Us", for example, has a generic rock-dude chorus from Vonnegutt, and virtually any other rapper would've built a hackneyed half-rock song out of a chorus like that, but producer Salaam Remi instead piles bubbly synthetic melodies all over each other. And the robo-voices on "Shutterbugg" aren't airy Auto-Tune; they're more of a deep rumble that you can feel in your gut. "Tangerine" somehow simultaneously sounds like strip-club ass-shake material and Funkadelic covering Morricone. Looking at the production credits, it's surprising to see names like Scott Storch and Lil Jon-- hitmakers who don't really make hits anymore, and who haven't been all that interesting in a while. So Big Boi, then, is someone who encourages his collaborators' furthest-out ideas, and who knows what to do with those ideas when he gets them.
As a rapper, Big Boi is something else. He just does so many things with his voice and cadence, letting his words fall over the snares one moment and fighting upstream against the beat the next. He never falls into any particular pattern of delivery, instead using his flow to knock beats back and forth with relish. Sixteen years after the first OutKast album, he's still coming up with dizzy combinations of words: "My recitals are vital and maybe needed for survival," "The slickness that get your chick hit quick," "Stay sharp as broken glass, get busted on a smash/ When your ass cross paths with this half of the 'Kast." Even if he were saying nothing, the tumble of his words is a thing to behold.
But then, he's never saying nothing. Sir Lucious Left Foot is an album blissfully free of both old-man hectoring and drug-rap nihilism. A few times Big Boi brings up the idea that it's really not too smart to rap about selling crack all the time, but he doesn't dwell on it, and he confines most of his skepticism to awesomely worded asides ("Snow? That's for toboggans.") He's hard enough to tell you to get the South's dick up out your motherfucking mouth and draw blood with the command, but he's also clever enough to slide away from threats just as quickly. He spends a large chunk of the album talking about sex, sounding like a fired-up 11-year-old goofing off in the back of some sort of prodigy-level English class.
There's a lot more to like about Sir Lucious Left Foot. Some of the skits are actually pretty funny. The guests-- who range from masterful fast-rap newcomer Yelawolf to a stirringly gritty Jamie Foxx-- all turn in top-shelf performances. Old Dungeon Family associates Big Rube and Khujo Goodie make feel-good cameos that actually contribute to their songs. But the real story is the rap veteran who's done everything he could possibly do in the genre but who still finds new ways to have fun with it. Last year's best rap album came from Raekwon, another wily old vet who hit a serious late-career stride. But Raekwon did it by inhabiting his older styles, making a record that could've conceivably come out in 1996. On Sir Lucious Left Foot, Big Boi does something even more difficult: He gives us a great album that sounds nothing like any of the great albums he's already given us. From where I'm sitting, that's an even greater achievement.
— Tom Breihan, July 6, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Urban Music Classics Revisited
Hollis, Queens is not just home of the hip-hop legends Run DMC, LL Cool J, Ja Rule, and Irv Gotti, it is now the new home of the Hip-Hop Museum. Run DMC has generously donated his gold and platinum albums to adorn the walls of Hollis Famous Burgers and Hip-Hop Museum. Though it is a clever marketing technique, visitors will not be disappointed by the memorabilia hanging in the restaurant/museum. If the Hard Rock Cafe can do it, why not Hollis' Famous Burgers and Hip-Hop Museum? Check it out at Hollis Avenue and 203rd Street in Queens, New York.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Urban Book Feature: Flint Book 2 Working Girls
Ms. Hernandez continues the compelling story of Halleigh from Flint, Michigan. Halleigh unwittingly trusts Mimi as she promises to help her make enough money to get Malek out of jail, and has become a prostitute as a last resort of survival. Malek has left his hood dreams and accepted that he has the markings of a boss per se kingpin Jamaica Joe. Envy and treachery treads within the realms of the crew as a snitch breaks bread with their main enemy, Sweets, Manolo and their gang. Manolo has his grimy hands in all pots as he pimps the Manolo Mami's, of which Halleigh is a part, as well as runs a strip club while investing in the drug scene. Working Girls is a gritty view of one young woman's trek down the ugly path of self destruction as she struggles to keep from drowning with each vicious slap of abuse she endures.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Urban Book Feature: Chedda Boyz
By C.J. Hudson
Product Description
A blood thirsty, money hungry street gang from Cleveland hell bent on lockin down the Marijuana trade. With the Chief of police in their hip pocket, they seem to be poised for a long run of dominance. Big Mo heads up the vicious crew and anyone in their way seems to disappear. It looks as if nothing can stop them, but looks can be deceiving. One by one, each member of the six man crew run into a life changing situation that not only threatens to rip the crew apart from the inside but put their lives on the line. Murder, betrayal, lust, and revenge all comes to the forefront and culminates with a gut wrenching secret that might just do what no one else can, destroy the Chedda Boyz.Monday, July 26, 2010
Black Christian Books Feature: More Church Folk
By Michele Andrea Bowen
After three ambitious and morally bankrupt bishops discover Watermelon Power 21, they enter into partnerships with criminal elements to raise enough money for a takeover of the next Triennial General Conference of the Gospel United Church in Durham, North Carolina. But WP21 is not just a potent male-enhancement supplement; it's seriously addictive and can be fatal if not taken properly. Reverend Denzelle Flowers (who's also an FBI agent) and the other decent preachers who want to end the corruption rampant throughout the church have their work cut out for them. Picking up in 1986, 23 years after the events detailed in Bowen's best-seller Church Folk (2001), this inspirational novel uses humor, local color, and vividly descriptive, if startling, language to good effect, ably demonstrating once again why Bowen is the queen of African American Christian fiction. An entertaining and timely look at the politics of religion, Bowen's latest sounds a call to action for members of all faiths. --Lynne Welch (Booklist)
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Teen Urban Book Feature: Put on Your Crown: Life-Changing Moments on the Path to Queendom
By Queen Latifah
Once again,Queen Latifah has pursued the mission of lifting women's self-esteem. She focuses on a few moments in her life that changed her, and describes them in a way that explains to the reader that it's the small choices that change your life. She explains these ideas by reflecting upon her struggles with her own body image, her music, and her acting. She attributes her positive outlook to her mother, and even had her mother write a chapter in the book (She claims that the chapter her mother wrote is the best in the book.) Uniquely, Queen Latifah validates the idea that many times women and girls feel "unpretty," but encourages the reader to explore her inner self and allow herself to be worthy. All in all, the book is a treasure that can be read alone or together with a woman that you love.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Urban Music Feature: How I Got Over Takes The Roots in a Fresh Direction
The Roots have always been one of those bands who I always respected but never fully enjoyed.
They had the chops. Black Thought was perfectly proficient with MC. In that they are an actually hip hop band on a major label, they have their own unique lane. Yet, none of the Roots' previous albums never truly moved me. Similar to the Brand New Heavies, the Roots, while technically gifted, sounded too practiced. For a live band, their music rarely sounded spontaneous or organic. Instead, it sounded overly rehearsed and over considered. As if every micrometer of the album's sound was heavily thought about. (If you ever read any of the fascinatingly brainy interviews with the band's leader, drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, you'd see that it was.) Music is supposed to come from the heart, not solely from the mind.
So although, all nine of the previous Roots LPs were musically impressive, they lacked a lot of soul.
Until...How I Got Over.
This album is such a pleasant surprise. Not only is it instantly captivating and beautifully produced, it's the first album by the Roots that actually has sheer emotion. Not well-thought ideas but genuine feeling. Not only does it sound good, it FEELS good.
How I Got Over is a seamless listen that must be listened to in it's full 42 minute rotation. The album finds the band in a morosely reflective mood. It's the aural equivalent of a man, on the verge of entering another stage of his life (in interviews, Thompson says that stage is entering the fellas entering their 40s), giving himself a deep, hard stare in the mirror. Reflecting his past and pondering his future and wondering where his place is in the world. This deep introspection is achieved by mood and texture, not heavy-handed thought, which makes HIGO even more powerful and intoxicating.
As with the more recent Roots releases, How I Got Over features an eclectic guest list, including career-long affiliates like Dice Raw, underground hip hop geniuses like LA's Blu and North Carolina's Phonte (of Little Brother and Foreign Exchange fame) and indie rock sensations the Dirty Projectors (the ladies in that band give a beautiful performance on HIGO's intro), Jim James and Joanna Newsom (via a sample) as well as R&B crooner John Legend. Yet all the guests flow beautifully with the album's groove. They only add to the album's brilliance, not interfering with it.
How I Got Over is a must-have. It's easily one of the best albums of the year and the new decade. A beautiful album from a band that finally freed their mind and let the groove (and emotions) follow.
They had the chops. Black Thought was perfectly proficient with MC. In that they are an actually hip hop band on a major label, they have their own unique lane. Yet, none of the Roots' previous albums never truly moved me. Similar to the Brand New Heavies, the Roots, while technically gifted, sounded too practiced. For a live band, their music rarely sounded spontaneous or organic. Instead, it sounded overly rehearsed and over considered. As if every micrometer of the album's sound was heavily thought about. (If you ever read any of the fascinatingly brainy interviews with the band's leader, drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, you'd see that it was.) Music is supposed to come from the heart, not solely from the mind.
So although, all nine of the previous Roots LPs were musically impressive, they lacked a lot of soul.
Until...How I Got Over.
This album is such a pleasant surprise. Not only is it instantly captivating and beautifully produced, it's the first album by the Roots that actually has sheer emotion. Not well-thought ideas but genuine feeling. Not only does it sound good, it FEELS good.
How I Got Over is a seamless listen that must be listened to in it's full 42 minute rotation. The album finds the band in a morosely reflective mood. It's the aural equivalent of a man, on the verge of entering another stage of his life (in interviews, Thompson says that stage is entering the fellas entering their 40s), giving himself a deep, hard stare in the mirror. Reflecting his past and pondering his future and wondering where his place is in the world. This deep introspection is achieved by mood and texture, not heavy-handed thought, which makes HIGO even more powerful and intoxicating.
As with the more recent Roots releases, How I Got Over features an eclectic guest list, including career-long affiliates like Dice Raw, underground hip hop geniuses like LA's Blu and North Carolina's Phonte (of Little Brother and Foreign Exchange fame) and indie rock sensations the Dirty Projectors (the ladies in that band give a beautiful performance on HIGO's intro), Jim James and Joanna Newsom (via a sample) as well as R&B crooner John Legend. Yet all the guests flow beautifully with the album's groove. They only add to the album's brilliance, not interfering with it.
How I Got Over is a must-have. It's easily one of the best albums of the year and the new decade. A beautiful album from a band that finally freed their mind and let the groove (and emotions) follow.
J.Johnson
Friday, July 23, 2010
Black Christian Music Sings with Robert Randolph's New Album: "We Walk This Road"
Produced by the legendary T Bone Burnett, 'We Walk This Road' continues the Sacred Steel tradition for which Robert Randolph has earned wide praise, including the New York Times, which applauds 'his rip-roaring virtuosity and his gift for making his instrument sing without a word.'
Throughout the recording of 'We Walk This Road,' Randolph and Burnett worked closely together as archivists, discovering songs-decade by decade-from the 20th century American music canon. The songs they uncovered, ranging from blues and rock to field recordings and gospel, serve as the inspiration for the 11 songs on 'We Walk This Road.' Recorded at the Village Recorders and Electro Magnetic Studio, the album includes 'If I Had My Way' (featuring Ben Harper), 'Salvation' (featuring Leon Russell), and reinterpretations of Prince's 'Walk Don't Walk,' Bob Dylan's 'Shot Of Love,' (featuring Jim Keltner, who played drums on the original version) and John Lennon's 'I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier Mama' (featuring Doyle Bramhall II).
Of the album, Randolph says 'T Bone and I drew a lot from the past while we were making this record, but I think it really is a record for these times. I think the fact that I, as a young guy who likes hip-hop and gospel, am reaching back into this rich history of American roots music will appeal to people who are fifteen, and people who are seventy-five years old. T Bone opened my eyes to great archival music. He's a link between the past and the present.'
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Should Michelle Obama Get More Involved?
Barack Obama has been the game changer for Urban people. He was effective in changing healthcare, continues to advocate for extending unemployment benefits, and is developing plans to increase jobs. However, his approval ratings have dropped down to 49%. He still rates very highly in most Urban communities, because we are confident that he has our best interests at heart. However, the rest of America is not as patient. That calls the issue into question whether he can continue to protect Urban America during the midterm elections. Most political pundits are saying that he could be more of a liability than a help.
However, Michelle Obama has an approval rating of 63%. Should Michelle Obama go out and stump for candidates in marginal communities? It would probably help them. But, if she goes out to campaign, her popularity will also fall. The Democrats need to hang on to a majority if President Obama is going to get any of his programs passed. The Republicans are in stall mode and purposely won't vote for any of his legislation. It is not clear whether Michelle Obama is even willing to leave her daughters to advance the Democratic party's cause. But, President Obama's plans for change cannot happen unless the Democrats retain their control of both houses. Besides not wanting to leave her daughters, Michelle Obama may be waiting to campaign until President Obama is running for reelection, saving her popularity and political capital for his race. However, if he is able to accomplish absolutely nothing over the next two years, he won't get reelected no matter what in 2012. So, Michelle Obama should probably hit the road and help some of the Democrats running for Congress.
However, Michelle Obama has an approval rating of 63%. Should Michelle Obama go out and stump for candidates in marginal communities? It would probably help them. But, if she goes out to campaign, her popularity will also fall. The Democrats need to hang on to a majority if President Obama is going to get any of his programs passed. The Republicans are in stall mode and purposely won't vote for any of his legislation. It is not clear whether Michelle Obama is even willing to leave her daughters to advance the Democratic party's cause. But, President Obama's plans for change cannot happen unless the Democrats retain their control of both houses. Besides not wanting to leave her daughters, Michelle Obama may be waiting to campaign until President Obama is running for reelection, saving her popularity and political capital for his race. However, if he is able to accomplish absolutely nothing over the next two years, he won't get reelected no matter what in 2012. So, Michelle Obama should probably hit the road and help some of the Democrats running for Congress.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Entertainment Weekly Names Top 100 Characters of the Last 20 Years
Why is it that of the 100 top characters over the last 20 years African Americans were only 11 of them? There were some obvious ones, such as #19 Morpheus played by Lawrence Fishburn and #28 Madea played by Tyler Perry. But, Denzel only made the list at #71 as Detective Alonzo Harris in Training Day. How is it possible that he didn't make the list multiple times as Frank Lewis in American Gangster or Professor Melvin Tolson in The Great Debaters? The same is true for Morgan Freeman. He only made the list once at #48 as Red in The Shawshank Redemption. Yet, he was unbelievable as Nelson Mandella in Invictus, Carter Chambers in The Bucket List, and Ned in Unforgiven. How come they were overlooked? Completely missing from the list were Mama Morton from Chicago, played by Queen Latifah, Jules Winnfield from Pulp Fiction, played by Samuel Jackson, or Carl Brashear from Men of Honor, played by Cuba Gooding Jr.? Oddly, Hancock was #91, played by Will Smith. Yet his far better roles as Detective Sergeant James Edwards in Men in Black, Chris Gardner in the Pursuit of Happyness or Hitch were missing. What's up with that?
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Urban Entertainment Feature of the Week: Chad Ochocinco and "The Ultimate Catch"
You may know Chad Ochocinco as a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League. You may know Chad Ochocinco as the charming dance partner for Cheryl Burke on Dancing With the Stars. No matter how you know Chad, you know he has an affinity for the camera and the ladies. A logical outgrowth of the two is a television show: "The Ultimate Catch". The vehicle he has chosen is a reality show, much like his costar of Dancing With the Stars, Jake Pavelka, The Bachelor. However, Chad brings an urban charm that few could even touch. The premise of the show is that Chad wants to pick a bride. He starts with 85 beautiful women. In the very first episode he cuts 69 women, so that he is left with a "team" of 16. He will then cut women weekly until he finds his dream woman. It sounds ridiculous, but with the "Chad Charm" he pulls it off.
Monday, July 19, 2010
UrbanRapNYC DVD Feature of the Week: Alice in Wonderland
Starring Johnny Depp
Directed by Tim Burton
Rated PG
Synopsis
A 19-year-old Alice (Mia Wasikowska) journeys through Underland, where she experiences strange ordeals and encounters peculiar characters, including the vaporous Cheshire Cat (voiced by Stephen Fry), the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) and the sadistic Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter). Anne Hathaway, Alan Rickman, Matt Lucas and Crispin Glover co-star in director Tim Burton's bold adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Urban Book Feature: Moth to a Flame
Product Description
In the little city of Flint, MI, the good die young and the people left standing are the grimiest of characters. With reign over the city's drug trade, Benjamin Atkins made sure that his precious daughter, Raven, was secluded from the grit that the city had to offer. But when Raven's young heart gets claimed by Mizan, a stick-up kid in search of a come-up, there's nothing Benjamin can do about losing her to the streets. She chooses love over loyalty and runs off with Mizan, but her new role as wifey soon proves to be more than she can handle.Puppy love always feels right, but things turn stale, and she soon finds that everyone she loves has disappeared. All she has is Mizan, but when hugs and kisses turn to bloody lips and black eyes, she realizes that Mizan is not who she thought he was.Raven becomes desperate for a way out, but this time, Daddy can't save her. Every time she finds the courage to leave, fear convinces her to stay. Like a moth to a flame, Raven is drawn to Mizan, even though she knows he'll be the death of her.
When the hood life she chose becomes unbearable and the only way out is in a coffin, what will she do?
Other Books Ashley Antoinette has Written Recently
Friday, July 16, 2010
Trip Lee Energizes Black Christian Music
"Between Two Worlds" is Trip Lee's latest album. Released on June 22nd by Reach Records, it is already overwhelming the charts, leading Christian Album sales at #1. Trip Lee is originally from Dallas, Texas, and now lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is only 23 years old. His success can largely be attributed to the way he views hip-hop music and worship. In interviews he has stated that he tries to have audiences latch on to parts of his raps, so they can sing and exalt Jesus together. While he views his raps as teachings, he wants his audience to participate in communal prayer by singing along with his music. That is what separates him from other hip-hop Black Christian artists.
Urban Music Will Be Fortified
Lil' Wayne is scheduled to be released from prison on November 4th. However, he is knee deep in tax problems down in Florida. He owes over 1 million in back taxes. The question is whether he will cooperate and pay the taxes or go back to prison. Cooperation seems like the way to go. Even while he has been in prison, he has been making large amounts of money, due to his hard work and collaborations.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
“Big Three” with Lebron or Just Hype?
Is Lebron James an egomaniac or just a typical superstar athlete? So James left Cleveland Cleveland Cleveland Cleveland Cleveland Akron Cleveland Cleveland Jordan
LeBron’s prime-time special on ESPN was a circus showing him to be narcissistic as well as displaying a lack of loyalty and class to his team and fans. According to the Cavaliers owner, Gilbert, neither LeBron nor his agent, Leon Rose, had the decency or common courtesy to have a face to face discussion, letting them know that he was leaving. How distasteful is it that his fans had to find out where he was playing via the ESPN fiasco? I know that he is still only 25 years old, but this was a slap in the face to the whole Cleveland Cavalier’s organization and to all of Cleveland Miami Chicago
Now we get the latest in “The Big Three”. They claim, “We are the best ‘Big Three’ ever!” What happened to the current Celtic’s with Pierce, Allen and KG; or the Knicks when they had Reed, Debusschere and Frazier; or the Lakers when they had Kareem, Magic and Worthy; or the San Antonio Spurs (who won three championships between 2003 and 2007) with Duncan
So the big question is can LeBron, Wade and Bosh even play together? Where is the rest of their team? Will they be able to handle physical teams like Orlando and Boston
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Billboard Chart Listing for the Week Ending July 11th
| Number | Last Week | Artist | Album | This Week |
| 1 | - | Eminem | Recovery | 325,098 |
| 2 | 2 | Drake | Thank Me Later | 104,829 |
| 15 | 4 | The-Dream | Love King | 58,920 |
| 18 | 14 | Usher | Raymond vs Raymond | 24,125 |
| 24 | 24 | Black Eyed Peas | E.N.D. | 14,787 |
| 25 | 22 | B.o.B | Adventures Of Bobby Ray | 15,647 |
| 27 | 36 | Alicia Keys | Element Of Freedom | 13,833 |
Eminem once again soars to the top of Album Sales with his latest "Recovery"
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