Word Elevation

I Don't Think So...

2006-12-18T14:41:00.000Z

Its finally here, it seemed that all the hype surrounding the album, was squarely aimed at its title and not actually the music that shaped the album.

When you look at it, it's probably the title that set the direction for the album. The concept of doing a whole album around the theory of hip hop being dead, was a very bold/brave and ultimately smart move.

I will say this now......It is the best album of the year bar none, sorry Lupe, The Roots etc.

Lyrically NaS is on another level, his flow on tracks such as Money of Bullshit, You Can't Kill Me, Play on Playa, Black Republican and Let There Be Light, is incredible. His storytelling is unmatched(although give Lupe a few years and he will run him close), Who Killed It? has/will fly over a lot of peoples heads, the title alone will have people going crazy, but please listen to the song 5-6 times and tell me that the track isn't genius....I know the alteration in his voice is going to piss a lot of people off, but that is what makes the track stand out even more.

Beats wise the album contains too many gems(a surprise given that many people think that is the major minus point about NaS' music), I won't run through them all, but I will name the tracks that I like, but am not really feeling, yet. You Can't Kill Me is not a bad track, but the beat seems a little off, although NaS descriptive verses are stone cold, so you have to pay attention. Blunt Ashes is not bad either, but I think it is placed wrong as it is in between two stellar tracks(Hold Down The Block and Let There Be Light) both of which are uptempo compared to the morbid/slow sounding Ashes.......to be honest that's it.........everything is quality.

The guest appearances also add to the quality of the record. Jay Z sounds bright on Black Republicans, Kanye sounds right on Still Dreaming, while Snoop is zoning out on Play on Playa. Yet is Def Jam newcomer Chrisette Michelle who steals the album with a stunning vocal performance on Can't Forget About You and also Hope.

Only time will tell if this album will be a classic, replay factor is the key to that, talk to me this time next year and I will give you the answer, I can tell you now that it won't be far off.

The ironic thing is I know that Nas' knows Hip Hop isn't dead, especially if you've got quality albums like this

"I Done Got In Trouble Again"

2006-11-24T16:21:00.000Z

Looking Down Over his Kingdom

The hiatus is well and truly over, after 3 and a bit years we now have a new Jay z album on our record shelves.

The hype surrounding his comeback has been immense, from world tours, to TV ads, to making peace with Nas, Jay Z has gone all out to make sure his comeback is a success and with his sales forecasted to be about 850,000 within his first week, you have to say that it looks like the hard work has paid off.

Now to the album....

The internet has a habit of making out that an album is either the best thing you will ever hear or something so bad you’re afraid to actually listen to it. Kingdom Come would come in between those two options. To be honest the hate probably outweighs the praise, but it is an album that you have to listen to in order to cast your own opinion. Don't listen to the praise or the hate, just listen to the album with a clear head and you will be able to appreciate it for what it is, good or bad.

For me it is a very strong album that contains a lot of gems (Prelude, Kingdom Come, Lost Ones, Do U Wanna Ride, 30 Something and Minority Report), even Show Me What You Got starts to sound appealing after a few spins. That’s 7 tracks out of 14 that are very good songs, add Dig A Hole and Trouble which are good diss songs, you have 9 out of 14 songs that stand out lyrically and beat-wise.

There are a few missteps, I made it sounds like it was a left over from the Black Album, Hollywood (w/Beyonce) sounds like it should have been on the Beyonce album and Anything featuring Usher and Pharrell shouldn't be on anyone’s album (seriously the neptunes are falling badly).

A lot of comparisons have been made between Kingdom Come and The Black Album, which is understandable, in all honesty I never liked the TBA as much as most people, and I believe that while the consistency dips on KC it is probably a stronger album minus a few tracks.

To sum it up, just be glad that he is back with fresh material, more mature(although you wouldn't know it due to his constant bragging, but some things will never change I suppose), and most importantly still on top of his game. Kingdom Done.

Its Spidey Time....Well Not Just Yet

2006-11-10T20:12:00.000Z

Sorry, it has been a while. Been pretty busy, but I'm going to drop another few posts at a later date to catch up.

In the meantime

I just have to mention this

Spiderman 3, brand new trailer. One word. Wow(is it a word)

Anyway it looks amazing, and no doubt will be the biggest film of 2007. May 4th, the countdown has officially begun.

more to follow.
1.

A Toast.....

2006-10-17T18:49:00.000+01:00

<

I would like to offer a toast to......myself.

Sorry for the ego trip, but at last I have finally got some of my work published. Oh happy days. Check it out here.

Its a start and now at least I have published examples of work to show any future employers.

short and sweet

Will be back soon

1ne

2006-10-08T20:17:00.000+01:00

Please Excuse Me....

First of all...

Just discovered this and I have to say Xzibit really shocked me with this performance. Ever since he found worldwide fame with Pimp my Ride, I never really thought that he would be able to discover any kind of form,especially after his last album wasn't that well recieved, but how wrong can I be.

This is a brillant live performance, no gimmicks, no hypeman, just real intelligent hip hop music. Thank You (the name of the song) Xzibit,you have done yourself proud with this.

But wait there's more....

That picture of Busta Rhymes is from the It Anit Safe No More booklet and is one of my favourites from the Busta catalouge, and it helps to sum up my feeling(s) for todays post.

I've come to the realisation that I officially hate MTV and their so called "reality" TV shows.

Here it is, I was at work today watching a little bit of TV, channel hopping as you sometimes do(I know, but it was a slow day)and I caught a bit of MTV. In fact it was a show called My Sweet 16, the title says it all really, it is a show about rich parents planning show stopping Sixteenth birthday parties for there already spolit kids. This particular show featured a black kid who had invited Rihanna to be the special guest for his party.

I wasn't paying that much attention, but they showed a clip of the kid sitting in an empty room, behind a big screen while all of his invited friends were in the next room partying away. The reason why he was sitting in an empty room, was the fact that Rihanna was late and she was meant to be part of the kid's big enterance to his own party. After she eventually turns up, making the kid late for his own party, they share greetings and are whisked away to make their special enterance...now I swear I only turned away for a second, next thing I know the two of them are heading to the party on the back of a..................camel..................a camel.......where the hell did that come from, all the rich kid's rich friends were all jumping around in totally disbelief, I was just sitting thier in disbelief.

Now there is a small part of my mind that tells me If MTV's cameras were not around, there is no way that the poor camel would be subjected to the task of carrying Rihanna, although I would have gladly volunteered. The thing is, that cannot be reality. Why do MTV make these kind of shows, I don't understand why anyone would want to watch that kind of rubbish, but it seems that MTV is the home of rubbish TV.

In an attempt to make a quick get away from that I made the grave error of turning on Simon Cowell's X Factor show. Oh what a pointless, sham of a show that is. Everyone on their has a role to play and by no means is a true reflection reality. How can three people, tell you what you can and can't do...admittedly there are people out there who go on the show and can't sing a lick, but they are the stars of the show in its early stages. The winner of the show is picked by the audience at home, so talent might not even come down to it.

Sorry MTV I take back the I hate you qoute, instead.....All Reality TV Shows.....I Hate You, no matter what channel you are on.

I think I'll have to go and watch that Xzibit video a few times to try and calm down

Signing Off

The Sequel

2006-10-02T16:05:00.000+01:00

Just less than two weeks till this is released now, and no doubt it will be bootlegged before then. The songs that have leaked so far only whet the appetite for what is to come. Hi Tek for me is probably one of the most underrated producers in music. No doubt he will be remembered for producing two of the best hip hop album of all-time in the shape of Train of Thought together with Talib Kweli and Blackstar album with Kweli and Mos Def, but he has also made beats for people like 50 Cent and Common.

His first album in the Hi Teknology series showcased his abilities as a producer, the album featured appearances from Common, Kweli, Cormega and Singer Jonell, who had a hit with the Hi Tek produced track Round and Round taken from the album.

His latest effort features rap heavyweights such as Nas, The Game, Jadakiss and Raekwon, it also sees him reunited with Talib Kweli and Mos Def. Hi Tek also raps on this album as he surprisingly did on The Blast from the Train of Thought album, while he is not noted for being a rapper, he still brings a little flavour to his beats and is by no means poor. Yet it his soulful and melodic beats that he is famous managing to create something that you have to bang your head to while trying to take in everything else that is going on in his tracks.

That’s it though; I’m trying not to listen too much to the songs that have already appeared on the net, hoping that they will stay fresh for when the album is released. If you like your hip hop perfectly crafted this will be the album for you.

Dreams....

2006-09-26T19:12:00.000+01:00

I know they said it wasn't going to be easy but I never knew it was going to be this hard

Finding a job is getting on my nerves, to the point of pain and feeling like I need to slap (Go and cop that new Luda album) someone. I mean my folks haven't really been on my case. I've been trying, believe me I've been trying. I knew that once I had finished uni, there wasn't going to be a job at the end of it, but I at least thought that there would be certain opportunities out there for me....Looks like I was wrong.

Now I'm getting down about not working at all, and my dad is getting on my fruckin nerves, yeah my mom&pops have supported in terms of shelter/food and what not, but at this most important crossroad stage of my life, there begining to flip, especially pops, No friggin words of encouragement just frucking failure talk, which I really don't want to hear right now, even though I know there's truth to some of his words, I need positive thoughts, I'm trying to do something good with myself, not ending up working in a dead-end job for the rest of my life struggling to justify to myself that everything is cool.

The thing is you never really know what to expect from this strange world untill you fully experience it yourself. People will tell and you can listen to them, but lets face it, you want to find out for yourself, everyone makes mistakes its part of life and the cycle in that it produces.

Looks like I'm going to have to get my grind on, paid or unpaid,I've got a couple of options, both of which are unpaid, I'm going to have to pimp myself to prospective employees...something I have said I would feel uncomfortable doing, but if means that I will eventually get to live out my dream of becoming a top entertainment journalist then I suppose so be it.

Peace&I'm out

B

I'm pretty down so I've chosen a video/song whose theme doesn't really relate to me a great deal, but its the chorus that can keep me going.

I Feel Like A Simp

2006-09-16T13:27:00.000+01:00

I can't believe it, shake my head, nah...I know I didn't...I wasn't even drunk yet.

Sorry let me explain, last night I went out for a friend's birthday. Now I knew one of my friend's who I'm feeling was going to be there and now I mean I haven't even seen her in almost two months.

So when I meet them I say hello to them all(quite a few females) deal out the hugs and all that. Now the girl I'm feeling looked real good, she's not too long come back from the US and she still had that holiday glow to her.

Now I should have been all over her, believe I should have, but for some reason my game disappeared, evaporated, diminished, stalled, whatever you want to call it, it just wasn't there. I couldn't believe it....I mean I talked to her and that but not as much as I should have, and now I feel fucked up about it...I feel like a simp.

I mean I don't think she was too bothered about it,she saw some dude that she knew and bounced for the rest of the night not even a goodbye, lol. I anit sweating but for some reason I feel that she likes me....ego talkin I know....but nah were cool together and I don't really want to smother her or nothing like that...she did tell me that she is moving back to my city which is good news, but I don't know, I thought my feelings had died down from the time she was away, but nope guess I was wrong.

Yesterday was my chance just to sweeten things back up since the absence...but no that simp feeling clouded my head and fuck all transpired. Ah well least I had a good night and that and they'll be plenty more chance to kick it in the future....well a least I hope so, as long as that simp mode doesn't come back.

A less tense B signing off

Peace&I'm out

An appropriate track/video for this post and a nice way to remember a legend.
RIP Tupac Shakur

This Is The Return/An Offer I Can't Refuse

2006-09-11T20:18:00.000+01:00

I didn't even realise its been that long since I updated

That's why I've dropped my title Timberlake style.

Anyways, been busy out there looking for a job....which is more stressful than three years at university, who would have thought that. No luck what-so-ever at present, but I like the feeling of waking up in the morning checking the post and my email for a interview date or a job offer.

It's the boring days that are killin me though, reading my books, newspapers, listening to my music and all them other things can only keep me statisfied for so long.

and in my Dave Chappelle voice from Blue Streak *I need some money too*

PS's

Game Theory is amazing. I need to go and see The Roots

Idlewild is different, but fun

Nelly Futardo's stomach in that primiscuous girl video is......damn everytime,what else happens in the video?? Hot song though.

That Timberlake album has its moments,feeling that song with T.I, Timbland is a monster in the R&B world at the moment

I will return sooner rather than later.

peace&I'm out.

Because It Does...

2006-07-30T21:45:00.000+01:00

Damn two post in a day...This is a box office special right here

anyway

The blog title refelcts a saying I always like to hear, sometimes you can't explain yourself and that is all you can say.

The same goes for the above album cover, It's a beautiful album by the way, but the cover does something for me, So simple but yet it almost tells a story in itself, setting the tone for the album.

I think its the frame of mind I'm in at the moment, normally this kind of thing wouldn't get a thought from me, but here I am writing a blog entry about a soppy/romantic looking front cover.

ah well I might as well enjoy the feeling while it last.

It Anit All Fun

2006-07-30T20:56:00.000+01:00

Its meant to be the happiest of times. Pay Day. Two of the sweetest words in the dictionary....Not for me though.

I've got a part time weekend job that keeps me busy and makes sure that there is a little change in my pocket. Been there for 5 years now, even though I wanted to leave after the first month.

The thing is I've never really had any issues with pay, but all of a sudden they don't want to pay me....Now I don't remember telling them I'll work for free. What makes it worse is that they are now telling me that I'm not entitled to any holidays, WTF...they can't be serious

I think its a sign though, just finished uni and job hunting for my career, someone is telling me to draw them five years to close. If I don't get my money sorted out tomorrow, then that might just happen.

B
signing off....Still Mad.

Burnin

2006-07-19T14:39:00.000+01:00

I am never one to complain about the weather....but damn its hot and I don't mean the sun is out hot, I mean the type of hot that makes you sweat with out moving.

Moving On. When its hot I like to listen to music that reflects the weather, the thing is the only artist that I can put on repeat is Bob Marley. His music just reflects the sun in my opinion...I don't know why but it just does, I mean reggae music in general should get played anytime the sun is out, but Mr Marley's music takes it to a next level and puts you in a wonderful place.

Yo wrap it up B

Yeah it is too hot to continue. I need a Bob fix.

Peace

2006-07-18T22:51:00.000+01:00

D'angelo - Me and Those Dreamin' Eyes of Mine video

Damn It's been a while. How can I describe this....well for me it's just beautiful music. I can relate to this song a bit too much at the moment. It pains me to think how someone could sit down a write a song and create music as good as this. There is more to come from D'Angelo but for now...Enjoy.

2006-06-28T21:49:00.000+01:00

Talib Kweli - Get By

Sometimes it is a matter of just gettin by.

2006-06-26T18:28:00.000+01:00

THE ROOTS ERYKAH BADU - YOU GOT ME

A Very Special song and video, from the greatest group of any genre.

2006-06-22T23:12:00.000+01:00

Cee-Lo on The Wakeup Show

Words for your soul. Who said hip hop is always about glammorising violence and drugs.Amazing can't describe this, just listen.

Big Bang Theory

2006-06-18T20:31:00.000+01:00

The story of a hip hop icon who has to undergo a massive personal overhaul in order to achieve ultimate success sounds like something that would be turned into a low bugdet movie, yet it is the tale has developed leading up to a career defining album for Busta Rhymes.

Two Years in the making and with a masterful director at the helm in the form of the good Dr Dre, The Big Bang was always going to be one of the years most talked about albums. Now the wait is over and a new look Busta Rhymes has delivered an album that is musically satisfying.

Although Dr Dre doesn't produce the whole album, there is a certain consistency and flow to the album throughout. Get you some sets the tone for the whole piece, a moody and dark sounding beat complimented by the vocals of Marsha from Flology and a chorus only Q-Tip, yet it is Busta's vocals that grab you, it’s almost like he is addressing you personally through your speakers, so captivating his voice.

We've been constantly told to touch it for almost a year now, although it seems longer, but it still sounds right. There have been claims that the remix should have been included but the original is still the best in my opinion and for me one of the best beats I have heard from Swiss Beats.

Talking about every track gets repetitive and I certainly won't talk about How We Do It Over Here featuring Missy Elliot (who else), which I believe is produced by Dr Dre. I also don't want to talk about Get down, which is produced by Timbaland, but this proves that even the best producers don't get it right all the time. Critics can't stand the Will.I am produced, Kelis featuring I Love My Bitch, but that beat is addictive in a strange way, in fact it feels wrong even saying that but what the hell.

For me though any album that has tracks with the quality of New York Shit, Been Through the storm, In The Ghetto, Cociana and Can't hold a torch playing back to back is a very strong album. Been through the storm featuring Stevie Wonder is probably Busta’s most personal song and proves he is a very versatile rapper.

A lot was made of the amount of features that appear on this album, but the thing is none of them take anything away from Busta, he is the main focus of the album, and for me is not outshined by any of his guests, although Nas makes a special appearance with a lethal verse, as does Raekwon (both just build the hype towards their respective albums).

My only gripe apart from the two misplaced tracks mentioned earlier is the fact that The Big Bang follows that typical rap album formula. Club tracks, girl tracks and street tracks, but I suppose in order to sell this is what you have to do nowadays, and with the Interscope machine behind him and a strong album behind him, the new look Mr Rhymes might just get the success his hard work deserves.

You My...

2006-06-18T18:21:00.000+01:00

It's an awkward feeling when you really like a girl who your cool with, I suppose you could say we good friends, although I've known her for three years, we only started chilling the last year or so, but now were at stage where we are not going to see each other on a regular (uni's finished now....relief mixed with a whole lotta sadness), she might be heading off back home up north. Now I'm not sure what the hell to do. Do I express myself and let her know how I feel and hope she feels the same way (something which I was close to doing last night...its the alcohol u know ) or just let it all slide and just get on with it and keep it moving.

I mean I'm that type of person who trys to play it cool instead of going in for the kill, something I'm desperately trying to break. I get the feeling something is there though, that's why I'm feenin like Jodeci, but it's that damn friends phase that's messed me up, I think I'm going to enter that upfront stage, throw my cards on the table and hope its a winning hand.

Peace.

A New Day

2006-06-15T15:09:00.000+01:00

Salutations

Now I am not a blogger by heart, I've never really thought about writing down my feelings for the whole world to see, but I understand why so many people do it and now I feel the time is right for me to do the same. I use to have a blog, but for the life of me I can't remember the name of it or my log in details.

This will be the place for a lot of random thoughts, actually I think I might create a second blog, I want one that will demonstrate my abilities as a (freelance) journalist focusing on my interests (sports, music, films and television) and this one which will combine a bit of everything.

For now I will leave you all in anticipation....