Song of the Week

Continuing with last week’s “real hip-hop” concept – Mos Def and Talib Kweli are a couple of the guys out there still sticking to the roots of hip-hop.  They don’t brag about their bling and their iced-out Lamborghinis.  They discuss life, music, culture.  That’s where hip-hop came from.

Definition has a lot of great elements that should put it on anyone’s list as one of the best hip-hop songs ever.  Lyrics here.

Again, listen to the beat and the rhyme structure and try not to cry as you remember the shallowness of “Shorty got them Apple Bottom jeans…”

Song of the Week

Here’s a song to study, examine, and dissect.  Real hip-hop from one of the best MC’s ever.

Erik B. and Rakim:  Don’t Sweat the Technique

If every artist would listen to this song before the writing, engineering, and recording process, we would have much better music to listen to.

The bass line and melody are really easy to listen to, but also something you can dance to and get pretty hype – It’s a 90’s song, so I’m using 90’s lingo.  It’s not something you can get crunk to.  The rhyme scheme and Rakim’s flow are something that Soulja Boy and others could learn from.  It is possible to write a good club song that has decent lyrics.  You can have a catchy hook without making the whole song quaint and catchy.

Listen to this song 3 or 4 times over the following week and compare it to what’s on the radio right now.  I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.

Compare And Contrast

From Time.com’s article “The Temperament Factor: Who’s Best Suited to the Job?“

When Barack Obama was 6 years old, he was the only foreign child in his neighborhood in Jakarta, Indonesia. He didn’t know the kids, didn’t speak the language. At first the locals were a little freaked out, says Zulfin Adi, 47, who as a kid lived a block from Obama. “He was so much bigger than the rest of us.” So they decided to haze him. One day a group of children ambushed him, carried him to the local watering hole and threw him in. They had no idea if he could swim. But when Obama came to the surface, he was laughing. He could have broken free and crushed them anytime he wanted, but it was much better to play it cool, ride it out and make friends with his adversaries.

John McCain was not quite 2 years old when his parents despaired of managing his tantrums; he would go into a “mad frenzy,” he says, holding his breath until he passed out and fell to the floor. A Navy doctor offered a prescription: whenever McCain erupted, his mother would shout to his father, “Get the water!” Then his parents would fill a bathtub with cold water and drop their fully clothed son in. “Eventually,” McCain recalls in his memoirs, “I achieved a satisfactory (if only temporary) control over my emotions.”

Just The Facts, Ma’am

I’ve heard of CNN being referred to as the Communist News Network, mainly only by people who prefer the Fox News Channel.  So, I’m sure that people will question their use of direct quotes and Senate documents here, but I really like their Fact Check page.

Whenever you hear the Presidential or VP candidates make a statement about an opponent’s record, you can usually go this page or FactCheck.org.

To summarize, if you don’t feel like checking, most of what McCain and Palin say is either false or misleading. Obama and Biden’s statements are mostly either true or misleading.  That seems to be the consensus.  Really.

The Second Debate

I don’t know why I’m so entertained by the debates.  I feel like breaking out some wings and chips and dip and kicking back to be entertained.

Only one thing stood out in the second debate between Senators McCain and Obama – their wives.

Michelle Obama worked the crowd, talked to people, and shook hands, while Barack talked to people in a separate section.

Cindy McCain followed her husband around, staying just a few feet from him, mostly staying behind him, and didn’t shake a single person’s hand.

I realize that the wives are not running for office, but this is 2008.  We should recognize the strength of women and the importance that they can play in supporting these men through difficult times, not to mention the possibility that one could be Commander in Chief.  The first lady should be an example of what American women can be.  The first lady shouldn’t be a woman who only speaks when her husband allows her and obediently stays a few feet behind him at all time.  Michelle Obama gave her own speech at the convention – all Cindy did was introduce her husband.

What century are they living in?

Small Town Values

These are people from Wasilla, Alaska.  The current Republican Vice-Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, was previously the mayor of this town and frequently refers to bringing Wasilla’s Main Street values to Washington, DC, and the rest of the country.

Just a Quick Thought

Why is anyone taking this person seriously?