Why Kid Cudi is a Star.

Kanye West – Amazing (and 93 Til Infinity)

I know this video has been out for a while, but it came up in conversation the other day, so I went to re-watch it. It is almost like a modern day ‘93 Til Infintiy with the whole outdoor nature vibe. Not sure if anyone else will agree.

I swear he gives a Nostradamus-like shout out to Obama at 1:53!

Island Def Jam – Spring Collection

In a slightly rare display of creativity, the lightly-fashion themed event was nice. What to look forward to:

• The Noisettes
• Another nice Kanye video for Paranoid
• Speaking of Kanye, Mr. Hudson has potential. I personally think he is the shit.
• A 10 year old rapper/r&b suburban, Sheckler-esque kid that would make Tupac and Biggie roll over in their graves.
• Maybe a little Fabolous.
• Hmmm. That’s it. Unless Lionel Richie puts out another greatest hits album.

Q Da Kid – Dope Freestyle

I may be a bit biased, but the dude has got some lyrics.

Q Da Kid – Letter to Shakir

Props to Todd1 for the great video.   Nice job.

K’Naan – Dreamer

I have been getting hit with Facebook ads for this guy for at least the last month or so, and ignored them because they were Facebook ads. It’s funny… If I saw the same ads on a music site, I may have actually paid attention, but for some reason I did not take it seriously because I saw it on Facebook. Anways… decided to give it a chance and kinda dig it. I mean… John Lennon lyrics in the hook. Gotta love it. Somalian-born artist K’NAAN.

I have this theory about most MCs (especially young ones)… There are a lot of reasons why so much lyrical content sounds the same. People will blame the labels, marketing, radio, etc… and all of that is true. But on another level, you cannot deny that most hip-hop is from a relatively concentrated perspective. Shit… I fell on the floor when I first heard ‘Vans’ mentioned in a rap song. How groundbreaking! But one huge missing component for so many young artists is the fact that they have almost no international perspective, except for what they see on CNN (if they are watching). That is how a young dude like K’Naan sounds fresh from the start. His commentary on what the US does while others are immersed in violence is definitely articulated from a vantage point that is very different than the easy ‘blame bush for everything’ perspective that most rappers are comfortable with. K’Naan is  calling out the citizens, not just president – which is very unique and appreciated.

Anyways… I hope you like the music.

Rhymefest Vs Charles Hamilton

It is rare that a song actually makes me LOL, but some of the references here are classic. Especially to comparison to Lamar from Revenge of the Nerds. Hilarious, and even a bit accurate.

Rhymefest will always win this one. He won me over when he made this record with my neighbor Cope.  Rhymefest seems to have a perspective that a youngster like Charles Hamilton hasn’t quite developed.  In time… in time.

Jaydiohead – Minty Fresh Beats

This one of the tightest in a long line of Jay-Z mash-ups albums, but when will it end?

I like this one because every track doesn’t have the annoying call sign for the producer and it sticks to the Grey Album formula.  Viva La Hova was pretty much ruined with the make-your-skin-crawl, constant “The Commisioner” drops.  Awful.  But this one is tight.  Real tight.

Here are a couple of the ‘hits’:

I love the absurdity of conspiracy theories, so here are mine…

• The abundance of these mash-up records pairing Jay-Z with a groups like Weezer, Coldplay, and now Radiohead is part of a major label strategy to draw more iTunes-loving suburban soccer moms and dads into hip-hop, since that group has a high concentration of members that actually buy their music.
• The pairing with Radiohead is an attempt to garner some music snob love, and perhaps even steal some of the love that Clipse has so easily monopolized within the Pitchfork community.
• This was recently elevated to Step 3, on the list of Ten Steps to Getting Noticed as an aspiring music producer.

Caught on Tape: Yung Berg Pleads ‘Artist’ to Crime

But his ‘manager’ steals the show     I am definitely not hating… I just chalk it up to being ‘yung’.

Credit: The Hottest Blog on the Block

I’ll Say It Again… B.o.B. is The Future (I’ll Be In The Sky)

I saw this guy at the Core DJs retreat in Myrtle Beach and he absolutely killed it. I described him as Andre 3000 in Tims. He is the perfect blend of creativity, talent, and personality and seems to embrace the streets while ignoring the limitations that being ‘hood’ enough typically implies.

I cannot wait to see what this dude accomplishes. Hopefully he will not get ruined by the system. He gives me hope. Much success in 2009.