Archive for Guest Blog
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Alex Hunter Twitter: @PGsfinest301 |
The West Coast has been a hot bed for hip hop talent these last couple of years, producing a number of quality emerging artists, such as Blu, Pac Div, Dom Kennedy, and U-N-I. Now you can add another name to the mix, Kendrick Lamar.
I first heard Kendrick spit on his video for “Compton State Of Mind,” the LA emcee’s version of Jay-z’s “Empire State Of Mind.” I was impressed by Kendrick’s real life view and “average joe” perspective (ironically the name of one his songs covered later in this post).
With O(verly) D(edicated), Kendrick’s second project, we're given a deeper look at this everyday perspective, as we listen to all the good and bad of being a young kid growing up in Compton. Kendrick's not a super gangbanger or somebody flipping birds, but rather a kid facing everyday problems such as dealing with females, seen on “She needs me,” or drowning problems out with his two favorite vices on a track called “P&P 1.5"
Kendrick Lamar - "Ignorance Is Bliss"
In this song, Kendrick describes multiple levels of ignorance. The first verse describes a kid committing a drive by and murdering a rival gang member. Here's a quick excerpt:
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Rai-mon Nemar
Twitter: @raimonnemar |
I “pair” wine and beats, not wine and cheese. If you’re looking for someone to tell you about how the spice of a pepper corn steak perfectly matched the spices in a particular Zin, you’re in the wrong place.
You’ll hear me compare wine varietals to genres of music, how the context of time affects both wine and music, or even how a rumbling baseline was similar to tannins that floated over taste buds. My real goal is to keep it fun!
So how do you pair wine and beats?
For the first pairing I’m going to make it easy for you, as I’ve already cracked this bottle and played this track for a group of friends. We all decided that Donwill’s “Shake it Easy” and2007 Murphy-Goode The Fume – Sauvignon Blanc went hand in hand.
Pill's "Trap Goin Ham" has to be one of the realest videos to be shot in 2009. It was produced documentary-style and showed Pill living his life in the "A." With write-ups in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and being named Complex's #5 best Internet music video of the last decade, "Trap Goin Ham" has been influential in changing the face of hip hop music videos.
Motion Family has since become a household name in hip hop, especially with videos, photography, and design.
I interviewed David KA on what it's like working with new artists like Yelawolf, and the importance of quality music videos in an age of camera tricks and music channel reality shows.
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HBO has done it again, but this time with Kid Cudi.
This Sunday, February 14th, Cudi makes his acting debut on “How to Make it in America.” The series takes us on a journey through the lives of Ben Epstein and his ace, Cam Calderon, as they try to make a name for themselves in the New York fashion scene. Here are the top 3 reasons to check it out:
1. The Entourage team (Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Rob Weiss and Julian Farino) are executive producers on the show, and directed the first three episodes.
Releasing his first solo album in 2000, Drag-on was a key component in hip hop's Ruff Riders movement and contributed to DMX's three multi-platinum albums and a number of compilations.
Drag-on is now preparing to come back into the game, full force, with a new project featuring the likes of Swizz Beatz, Dame Greese, Cassidy, Maino, Styles P, and Eve. 