The Audacity of Dope

(^^reminds me of why we used to go to our high school volleyball games)

The long awaited video for Drake’s “single” (in quotes cause they didn’t really choose it in the traditional sense) dropped tonight, courtesy of OnSmash with the world premiere.  As I mentioned on the Twitter, the combination of hot girls and basketball is pretty much a slam dunk for me, and the Kanye directed clip did not disappoint.  Well, unless you’re a sports bra manufacturer…cause you were not represented well here at all.

The highlight is definitely the 2nd skit break and Drake’s double entendre, but there is a weird Law & Order SVU kind of vibe jumping off here.  Anyone who has played or coached sports (I do both) knows the player/coach bond is definitely familial.  I understand the girls are on “his team” in a different sense, but it’s still stepping into an awkward area.

Shrug.  I’m sure he could recruit the same cast for an appropriate “HoustAtlantaVegas” video though…

I look forward to the day when Toby and Tunji are rich and famous so I can brag to people that I used to DJ for ’em when we were in college.  These guys played such an important part in the development of “DJ Hyphen” (yes!  first 3rd person reference on the blog ftw!) that it means a lot to finally see their first music video released to the public.  This is a great day…

Shout to everyone involved in this track (Oren Yorel and Paul Dateh killed it) and video (directed by rising star Donlee Brussel).  Go vote right now to help Inverse win MTVu’s Freshmen video contest this week and get it added to MTV – http://www.mtvu.com/music/the-freshmen/nominees-062909/

You can vote as many times as you’d like, so get on your grind people!  Sidenote, Inverse’s excellent So Far (The Collection) project will be re-released through QN5 Music on July 6th…you’ll need to cop that too.

Yes, I’m a ‘Ye stan, but I really do dig damn near everything Kanye is involved in.  This track with Mr. Hudson was recorded during the autotune phase, which he seems to be pretty much done with…probably half on his own volition and the other half thanks to Jay.  Either way, it came out pretty dope and the video has a really ill star effect that I haven’t seen before.  Plus, it’s catchy…

And I feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeel like takin’ off

I was debating whether or not to post this video, since I know it’s been plastered on virtually every blog in existence today, and then a reader commented his appreciation for NOT posting this…BUT…I’m afraid I gotta.  I just like this song, though the video doesn’t do a whole lot for me.

I’m not sure what’s funnier:

• The haircut ending
• Jewelry and bottles that will probably appear in his next video being blown up
• The ugly lefty jumper…[clipse] EEGGHHHCCKKK [/pusha]

But in the end, ‘Ye told me to kill y’all to keep it one hunnid.

Is this really the official video?  Even for a viral clip, it seems a bit shoddy for ‘Ye.  Either way, I love this song. Mood music…that I can kind of relate to right now. Sigh.

I was following along on Twitter as the news broke this afternoon, and I’ve had a lot of thoughts the rest of the day about Mike’s passing.  Ultimately, it’s a sad, sad story, but I hope people will remember him by separating the music from the person.  It’s clear that MJ was severely troubled and was probably mentally ill his entire life.  Even with all the craziness, he managed to release timeless music that will always evoke special feelings for all of us.

For this post, I decide to toss up the short film, Captain Eo, that Mike did for Disneyland in 1986.  I remember going to see it with my dad and between the movie, the music, and the 3-D glasses, there was nothing cooler at the time.  I rocked that Eo shirt for so long hahaha.  If you’ve never seen it, there’s no way it will mean as much to you now, but if you do remember seeing it in your youth, you know.

R.I.P. to the most famous person in the entire world.  It’s not often that you say that.  His music will live forever.

The long awaited video for Pac Div’s “Mayor” just dropped and I think the visuals fit nicely with the 2009 west coast anthem (any other contenders so far?).  Rapping in front of the old Forum was a great touch, though using the “clean” edit with dirty adlibs and sample in the beat was kinda strange.  Universal Motown had that problem when they first sent out the clean edit and it looks like it struck again.  No matter, still a dope track and that beat [west coaster] is hella hooard homey [/*dub*].

Video courtesy of OnSmash.  Be on the lookout for a Pac Div appearance on SNSS soon…

Since my day job works with music videos, I often get a sneak peak at clips before they get released.  We got this one in last week and since I’ve always loved the track (the beat is banoodles), I was hoping the visuals would live up to it.  Thankfully, Todd Angkasuwan, one of the illest up and coming directors in the game, did the song justice and killed it with the one take approach.

Shout to Talib, Corey, Tunji, S.A.S., and the whole Blacksmith fam.  Cop “Back Again” on iTunes right here.

I too, am kinda like a big deal.  And now I’m off to this Karriem Riggins concert at the Triple Door…holler @ a hyphey.

In case you’ve been sleeping, Braille & S1 recorded an album together called CloudNineteen and they just dropped the video for “Skepticold” today.  Not only is the album one of the best of the year, but it’s also serving a much greater purpose than mere entertainment.

As I mentioned a while back, they plan on giving away 30K CD’s at their shows, many to at-risk youth who desperately need some positive hip-hop in their lives.  Along with dropping off the video, Braille gave us an update on the project:

So far they have manufactured 15,000 copies and given away over 8,000.  With many events already booked for the summer, they anticipate reaching the half way mark within the next two months.  For more info check out www.itsnineteen.com and www.braillehiphop.com.

I can’t speak highly enough of Braille’s dedication and work ethic to use his gifts in a positive way.  It’s truly inspiring and everytime I get annoyed by the foolishness in this industry (*cough* Jeezy vs. Gucci *cough*), I think of folks like Braille and remember what I love about this culture.

Plus…the dude can flat out rap his ass off: