qcock

Herbie Hancock and Quincy Jones jamming on some old school Syns and Computer's. Go think that today this stuff is gone, but is the basis for all Computer Music.

new common

Fader magazine got to hear the new Common record, Finding Forever , and broke down every track. If you are a fan check this out

Fader Mag's Track by Track: Common's Finding Forever


THIS TRACK WITH KANYE IS SUPPOSE TO BE ON THE RECORD

heroes?

“I am still confused as to why they chose to lie and tried to make me a legend when the real heroics of my fellow soldiers that day were, in fact, legendary,” - JESSICA LYNCH

How is this story getting buried. The people in the states who support the War In Iraq need to take into account the news that their leaders are feeding them.

NY Times Article
Washington
Government Challenged on Lynch and Tillman
By MICHAEL LUO
Published: April 24, 2007
House Democrats held up the episodes as examples of twisting of the truth for public relations in wartime.

hip hop curse

This is a move, but I am sure this will all go away soon. I recall shooting Russell in an interview with George for The Hour. He called George, his "nigga". George replied, dude I ain't black. Russ shot back, I mean, "my nigga". It was a funny exchange but also proven that the word is defined but those who use it. And in Hip Hop, I don't fret when I hear it, but some do, and that is their right. Maybe I should sweat it.



FROM CNN.COM

Hip hop's Simmons: Restrict offensive words


• Def Jam co-founder wants certain words cut from music biz
• Russell Simmons terms such words "extreme curse words"
• Language has become flashpoint since Don Imus controversy
:


NEW YORK, New York (AP) -- Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons said Monday that the recording and broadcast industries should consistently ban racial and sexist epithets from all so-called clean versions of rap songs and the airwaves.

Currently such epithets are prohibited in most clean versions, but record companies sometimes "arbitrarily" decide which offensive words to exclude and there's no uniform standard for deleting such words, Simmons said.

The recommendations drew mixed reaction and come two weeks after some began carping anew about rap lyrics after radio personality Don Imus was fired by CBS Radio and NBC for referring to the players on the Rutgers university women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos."

Expressing concern about the "growing public outrage" over the use of such words in rap lyrics, Simmons said the words "bitch," "ho" and "nigger" should be considered "extreme curse words."

"We recommend (they're) always out," Simmons, the pioneering entrepreneur who made millions of dollars as he helped shape hip-hop culture, said in an interview Monday. "This is a first step. It's a clear message and a consistency that we want the industry to accept for more corporate social responsibility."

Last week, Simmons called a private meeting of influential music industry executives to discuss the issue. However, no music executives were associated with Monday's announcement by Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit Action Network.

Calls to Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Atlantic Records were not returned. The Recording Industry Association of America and Warner Music Group declined to comment.

Mixed reaction to Simmons

Bakari Kitwana, who has written about rap in books such as "Why White Kids Love Hip-Hop," said it was a step in the right direction. Kitwana said there needed to be uniformity in removing obscenities from music.

He pointed out that in some songs curse words are replaced with clean words while, in others, epithets and curse words are merely covered up by silence, allowing listeners to still infer from context the edited words.

"It shows that people in the industry are realizing that the pendulum is swinging and that there's a national conversation that they don't want to be on the wrong side of," Kitwana said of the recommendations.

"This is further along than we could have expected them to go 10 years ago. But there has to be more. I think they can do more around the question of content."

Writer Joan Morgan said the announcement amounted to "absolutely nothing." She called the recommendations "short-sighted at best and disingenuous at worst." It was, she said, an "anemic, insufficient response" that failed to address homophobia and other issues in certain strains of hip-hop culture and rap music.

Morgan, author of "When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: A Hip-Hop Feminist Breaks It Down," said calling for the removal of the three epithets assumes "all of the violence, misogyny and sexism in hip-hop is only expressed in" those words.

"It's says let's take the responsibility away from people creating the content and put it back on the corporations," said Morgan.

The recommendations also included forums to foster dialogue among entertainers, hip-hop fans and executives and the creation of a mentoring program for entertainers.

Another recommendation called for the establishment of a coalition of music, radio and television executives to advise those industries on "lyrical and visual standards."

The announcement cautioned against violating free-speech rights but said that freedom of expression comes with responsibility.

"Our discussions are about the corporate social responsibility of the industry to voluntarily show respect to African-Americans and other people of color, African-American women and to all women in lyrics and images," read a joint statement from Simmons and Benjamin Chavis, the network's executive director.

hotdogs?

FROM: MEDIA BISTRO
LIL' ROMEO SIGNS ON TO PLAY COLLEGE HOOPS AT USC........
April 14, 2007. Looks like Lil Romeo might have to put his rap career on hold for a while. That's because MediaTakeOut.com has learned that the 6 foot tall rapper has just received a full scholarship to join USC's basketball team.

And this isn't some king of publicity stunt either. Romeo averaged 13.9 points and 5.6 assists per game at Beverly Hills High as a junior this past season and was a stand out at the prestigious ABCD Basketball Camp last summer.

Demar Derozan, Romeo's future teammate and best friend explains, "He's no gimmick. He can play and is going to be one of the top point guards in the 2008 class."

And Romeo's father, Master P, seems to be glowing with pride. The rapper/producer tells, "USC is a great school and I felt like he made a great decision ... it's just great for [Romeo]."




Percy tried out for the Raptor's once......

the raps

My Raptors are making some noise. Even the NY Times have waken up to Canada's basketball team

TIME'S ARTICLE

stretch armstrong

Feel like you need to brush up on your Hip Hop history.

Maybe the best way is to listen to some classic New York Hip Hop Radio.

DJ Stretch Armstrong has a blog with some files you can listen to. I am spending way to much time on his site.

I like the old school Run DMC on Mr. Magic and Marley Marl show on WBLS, freestyling. So much on there though, gotta give Stretch props.

stretch armstrong's Blog

wefunk

This is not the WeFunk crew. Just the glassest-eyed band ever.

Do you like funk and hip hop, basically great classic drums.

WeFunk Radio

Montreal dudes. I always wish Metal dudes would have gotten together and talked and played records on radio, instead of trying to be shitty bands.

WeFunk is a radio show held on Montreal's CKUT 90.3 - McGill University's radio station.
http://www.wefunkradio.com

transit storm

A photo from Nick Mccabe of one of the many dogs at The Elephant Sanctuary In Howenwald, Tennessee.
--------------------------

I feel like I am contanstly in transit. I am not complaining.

Cars, Planes, subway trains. The brutal and pissy Queen Street Car.

This morning on the train I thought my knees where going to buckle, with the amount of people. I am complaining.

I am grateful for the Ipod playlist.

Here is my recent plane playlist. I was going to Tennesse, then to NYC back to Toronto. I also find Boards of Canada - Music Has A Right To The Children, as good for onboard listening anytime.

1.808 State- Pacific State (Massey's Conga Mix)
2.4Hero- Spirits In Transition
3.Air- Playground Love
4.Alex Cortiz-Funkalicious (btw- i hate this title, but a good takeoff song)
5.Aphex Twin- Window Licker (X-Rated Run Jeremy Mix)
6.Astrud Gilberto- The Gentle Rain (RJD2 Mix)
7.The Avalanches - Electricity
8.Chromeo- Needy Girl (Paper Faces Remix)
9.Cinematic Orchestra-Evolutions (Blow Yards Mix)
10. Dj Vadim- Themes From Conquest Of The Irrational (Prunes Remix)
11.Gang Starr- DJ Premier in Deep Concentration
12.U2-Electrical Storm

I also find this suitable for those airplane half sleeps.