Hey Joe
Flow Joe steez
I was speaking to the homie Rob Markman the other day and discussing the merits of Fat Joe. We are both longtime fans of Joe Crack we went over some of the finer points of what has and hasn’t worked for the Bronx rapper of late after hearing his 9th album, J.O.S.E. 2, due in April. But no matter how you feel about Joseph Cartagena as an MC, he will always be good money with me since he did put Big Pun on.
While lately it seems like Joe gets more pub for everything but his music (beef with Remy, G-Unit and Pun’s wife Liza Rios, as well as my personal peeve; collabos with the trendy R&B crooner of the moment), after a 16+ year career the big man’s got a chunky catalog. Here are a handful (at least the ones with videos: check Big Pun’s “Fire Water (Remix)” with Joe, Raekwon and Armageddon) of my favs that I keep at the ready when forced to defend his Hip-Hop merit.
“Watch the Sound” – Joe’s DITC comrade Diamond D flips Sister Nancy and threatens to steal Youth Corp checks while Grand Puba looks for the Love Boat and Joe goes “glock for glock and tech for tech.”
“S**t Is Real (Remix)” – DJ Premier on the remix. That’s all you need to know.
Big Pun f/ Fat Joe “Twinz (Deep Cover ’98)” – Yeah, Pun obliterated this ish but Joe did a commendable job riding shotgun.
Terror Squad “Lean Back” – Happier times and Scott Storch still had his mojo.
Fat Joe “300 Brolic” – from his last album The Elephant in the Room. Don’t snooze on it.
And one more…
LL Cool J f/ Keith Murray, Prodigy, Fat Joe & Foxy Brown “I Shot Ya (Remix)”
Lamewatch #1: Beard Head. [II]
I. Am. Douche. Bag.
Save for the instance when you happen to be on an expedition to the North Pole and you were robbed by rogue Eskimos, rocking this “Beard Head” makes you a certified lame. Mind you, I am a firm believer in the theory that any piece of apparel in your wardrobe can be finagled into a stylish look no matter its place on the low or high end of the scale. However, there are exceptions to every rule.
If you see someone wearing this Beard Head, pause, nonsense, whether it really is freezing or for “irony,” do us all a favor and smack them in the back of the head with a snowball. Promptly. [Spotted via Thrillist]
Top Chef Sabotage
frikkin' Casey...
So me and the wife were thoroughly rooting for Carla to pull out a win on Bravo’s Top Chef finale last night. Carla and all her endearing goofiness was the underdog deserving of the title, while those other two finalists were certified nitwits. Oh well, the supposed seafood chef got the W. However, let the record show that Carla was sabotaged Casey’s meddling. Argh.
Clipse X Rick Rubin
The Brothers Thornton
“Legendary producer Rick Rubin has been working on tracks for the Clipse’s long-awaited third album this month, the rap duo’s camp tells EW.”
Clipse making crack tracks with Rick “Joaquin Phoenix jacked my steez” Rubin? This is going to be ill. No doubt about it. (via Entertainment Weekly via Kris Ex, the Jedi Master)
Jay-Z X Hard Knock Life X CB 2 Piece & Biscuit
Knockout Blow. Pause.
Absolute comedy. (via Upper Playground)
N.O.R.E. vs Perez Hilton
Jose Luis Gotcha
Can’t really call this NORE vs Perez Hillton f**kery a battle but the ish is highly entertaining. Illseed has it covered.
Okay, this is better…
There’s a sign at the door, no biting allowed…
Someone please tell Bow Wow that T.I. would like his styles back. Just check Tip’s “Whatever You Like” if you don’t believe me. Just saying.
Vodpod videos no longer available.The Meaning of the Name
Slang Rap Democracy. It’s a phrase taken from Raekwon’s “Incarcerated Scarfaces.” The song’s home, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (note the proper spelling, it’s the fact checker in me), is a perfect Hip-Hop album. Being that it was on constant rotation my first year at UVA, like any music rocked heavily during your halcyon days, it holds a special place in my dossier of rap freshness.
Back to the title of this blog; while interviewing the RZA for AllHipHop and asking him for his Top 5 Dead or Alive MCs, he mentioned Raekwon in his list, noting the yin to Ghostface’s yang’s limitless use of slang. “It took years to figure out what Raekwon was saying,” quipped RZA. For real, read the story, when it comes to insight and wisdom the RZA never fails come interview time. So while bumping OB4CL for the hundred thousand trillionth time, the name just seemed perfect. Slang Rap Democracy. It just sounds right, like “Nutmeg” or “Strawberry Kiwi.”
KAWS X L.A. Times
Never did get with the fascination with the bearbrick toys. If it doesn’t include names like Snake Eyes or Roadblock, or transform; I’m usually just not interested. But the uqiquity of KAWS (né Brian Donnelly) and his vinyl toys (not to mention his collabs with T’s, sneakers…ashtrays) makes calling this dude prolific an understatement, so you know he’s gotta have an interesting story. The L.A. Times drops an excellent profile on Donnelly. (via Hypebeast)
The Alpha…
The kid, me, started a blog years back but I stopped posting after about a week. It was probably a result of my disdain for writers inserting themselves in stories—it can be done well, but rarely is—when in reality readers care about the subject, n0t the person writing the story. As a dude that can be humble with his pen skills to a fault, blogging seemed like an exercise in little substance and too much ego. But as I venture back into the freelance writing world heavy—long story you may have or not heard, though it’s still Gunshow for life (ask and I may tell you)—nowadays being a writer without a blog makes you a half step past a frikkin’ weirdo.
All that said, have patience with me as I figure out where this blog goes. What I know (Hip-Hop music, kicks, basketball, fresh dipped gear, gadgets and vinyl (as in 12″…umm, pause, just in case) should be a good place to start. -aqua
Slang Rap Democracy 