Best Sticker, Ever X FAIL

I lost.

This is the best sticker ever. And only 5 for $5. What? Those are crack era prices. (Spotted at Uncrate)

I can think of dozens of garbage R&B crooners and lame rhyme kickers that should do us all a favor and sport these on their chests throughout their videos. That way the visual would match up with the lackluster audio we are being bombarded with.

Ray J X Sleazebag B-Rods

Now despite some people I’ve come to respect actually praising the merits of VH1’s latest hit reality vehicle, For the Love of Ray J, until last night I had only caught a couple of mind numbing scenes (one “contestant” was on the show sporting her wedding ring…WTF?). When sitting in front of the idiot box (does that term apply to flat screens?) you’re bound to catch a re-run and last night me and the wife watched the entire debut episode.

All I can say is that these tragic harlots are some of the most asinine examples of  “women” [do note the quotations, please] I have witnessed in my life. Keep in mind that I’m from The Bronx, graduated from UVA, technically work in the music business, and list other reality series like Flavor of Love, Charm School and even Sober House as guilty pleasures. All that is to say I’ve witnessed and known some trifling ass buzzards in my lifetime. But these b-rods—again, note who I am referring to before you call me sexist—on For the Love of Brandy’s Brother got them all beat. One did a split and was humping the floor, another one spoke like Mushmouth and this one looks like she’s steady smelling something funky.

All this is to say that Ray J is surely caking off the shows success. Ergo, the For the Love of Ray J (The Soundtrack) the Kardashian poker speaks on in the above video. [via Koch Records]

Do I want to watch this show and catch up with what I’ve missed so far? No. Will I? Probably.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Barry Michael Cooper X Sean John Combs

Yo, I am so jealous of Barry Michael Cooper for this four part, Sean John Combs: Once Upon a Time in America interview he has with Sean “I refuse to call him Diddy so I’ll stick with Puffy” Combs. Three parts totaling about 25 minutes [Cooper’s YouTube account says it’s a 4-parter so I guess he hasn’t posted the 4th part yet].

Journalists rarely, if ever, get this type of access with an artist on Diddy’s level nowadays. “What? Oh, it’s for a cover story? Ok, you’ll get 12 minutes instead of 5. Don’t go over, thanks.” Therefore the write either pulls a Frank Sinatra has a Cold type mission or works with what he can scrape together from the chit chat. Usually it’s the latter.

For those unaware, Barry Michael Cooper is an OG writer; a true pioneer in the Hip-Hop Journalism game. Via his writing in the Village Voice he is famously credited with coining the phrase New Jack Swing—word to Teddy Riley—and wrote the screenplay for New Jack City (no Bow Wow). Cooper also wrote the screenplays for Above the Rim and Sugar Hill, and recently directed BET’s American Gangster episode on the infamous Larry Davis. In the interview with Diddy Puffy he gets the mogul to speak on everything from whether he gets enough credit for his production and the concept behind Ready to Die to working with Mary J. Blige and changing the way we listened to Hip-Hop. (via Hooked on the American Dream)

Part 2 [Shout out to Willie Burgers on 145th]

Part 3 [Yes, B.I.G. did get head in the studio—no, it wasn’t Lil’ Kim]

Hip-Hop, Before The Bronx?

“The story is not just we’re saying that Hip-Hop didn’t start in the Bronx, we’re just saying it pre-dates the 1974 ‘cause Pete DJ Jones, this guys in his 60s and he was playing music in the Bronx in the late ’60s.”—Hasan Pore

Blasphemy you say? Yeah, I’d readily agree. No need for full disclosure since those that know me know very well that I represent The Bronx all day, every day. But, when I heard that Hasan Pore and Amen-Ra Lawrence were putting together a documentary [Founding Fathers] spotlighting DJ’s from Queens and Brooklyn that were rocking before the Holy Hip-Hop Trinity of Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa, I had to see what was up. [via AllHipHop]

Upon interviewing the two friends for AllHipHop.com, it became clear they’re not out to disrupt the established Hip-Hop zeitgeist. Instead they’re looking to bring some well deserved shine to DJs from around their way, and beyond, that only get passing mentions in most Hip-Hop history texts. From their knowledge of the culture and the clips floating around the Internet this Founding Fathers documentary looks like it will be a must see.

UPDATE(s): The NY Times mentioned my story in City Looks, good looks to BoogieDowner.

“The Real Hip Hop is Here (No Wait, Over There)” (via  NBC New York)