(Verb.) is Verdant in the game yet Visceral in Lyricism.

Verb. It's what you do! And what you should do is cop this album by Philadelphia rapper, Verbatum Jones. The debut EP, titled (verb.), focuses on the life and background of a fresh young voice on the up and up in Philly, a city which has become my Paris, but that's a story for another time.

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(verb.) has a nice pace to it, beginning with an instrumental track, "Canus Lupis", which I would guess is derived from the Latin term for the wolf, a hungry and ambitious animal. Though wolves are wild, the beat on this track is calming, perhaps it is a wolf in sheep's clothing. I'll save the rest of my analysis for English class and tell you that this track is just perfect for setting the mood for a real cool and easy listen to the whole album without really jumping from song to song. Jones' laid back tone and delivery style really complement that sentiment. The one thing that rubbed me the wrong way, however, is that I did have to skip over "Crave You". I absolutely love the sample from Flight Facilities, but I just find this arrangement to be kind of weighty with all of the echoes.
Overall, this album is a nice escape from the usual braggadocio of rappers such as Childish Gambino; no disrespect of course. Verbatum Jones is in a similar vein, but he seems to be aware of his imperfections; it's endearing. This is a solid introduction to who he is as an artist, and I'm looking forward to getting to know him better as he grows in music. My top three tracks from this EP are "Memories" (totally sounds like it was influenced by Blu and Exile's Below the Heavens), "Hillcrest Park" and "24 Bars." Oh! and "Look Around". I would play that at a party.

                   

DAMMIT GOOGLE!

YOU ARE GOING TO CRY WHEN YOU SEE THIS:

This commercial brought me to tears. I don't know what it was, maybe the spirit of being self sufficient and then spreading what you know to the people around you. it encapsulated what the internet is essentially about, then tied it with the natural Kenyan community feeling, then this dude's genuineness just f**kin pushed me over the edge.

I feel you Raphael, I feel you.

Is this going to be a post about relationships? Yes, naturally. This song is about that level you get to in a cohabitating relationship where it's like. "You're mine. Forever. That's it. I know everything about you and I'm still not sick of you. I'm never gonna get tired of you." (This is a template for my wedding vows. I'm still spit balling ideas.)

Real Talk, Keke; Real Talk

I heard this on Degrassi the other night when Keke and Sav had a little thing going on. Who else laughed when Sav got on stage and danced with a little too much arm action? I think this is gonna be a good season. Let's hope Drew survives the wrath of thugnificent and his boys. And I'm counting down until KC leaves Jenna alone with that baby. I'm mad they named him Tyson too lol.  And Eli? Goddamn. I feel sorry for him. and Anya needs to get her act together.

Oh yeah this song has been stuck in my head since Monday so uh.... I wish I was 14 again so I could do these moves and show off on the playground. I'm too old for that now, but not too old for these lyrics. I can relate... kinda. I wouldn't wait up for some guy to call me just because he was tired of his girl. If he misses me, he already missed his chance. I feel you, Keke.

I can't be the only one who feels this way.

I ABSOLUTELY love Beyoncé. I defended her choice back in the day  to give Farrah, Latavia and Letoya the sparkly, animal- print Mama Tina boot. I supported her when she left DC and learned all the words to Dangerously in Love and still butcher it in the shower from time to time. She's everything I kinda want to be but I know that I would never try because I'd hate myself for it because no one can ever be her. That's without a doubt. And I thought I'd give a biased positive review of her latest album 4 because of it, but c'mon, son, I can't even deny how crappy it sounds!
To me, it's like her producer said "Hey Beyoncé, I got a whole bunch of beats for your album, you don't have to listen to them, trust me. They're good. Just write the songs, you know what,  Don't even write any songs, just sing what you feel when you get in the booth." This music lacks melody, and the lyrics sound under arranged.Take "Countdown" for example. It's a mess of horns  and then this snare just comes out of nowhere in the hook, at least I think the part where she is counting down is the hook. And then "End of Time," I think she ran out of lyrics and decided to just keep saying "Say you'll never let me go/Say you'll never let me go/Say you'll never let me go" Seriously? What inspired this album? It makes me sad. Especially since I am positive they will get major airplay and no one will even question the weakness of this album. As long as Beyoncé keeps making good videos and having great performances.
Honestly, I respect Beyoncé in all aspects; her image, her performance quality, her voice- everything but her weak lyrics and her continual decline in production choices. After B'day things have gone downhill. Sasha Fierce had decent beats and catchiness, so I enjoyed Sweet Dreams, Put a Ring on it, Diva, etc. (the I Am... part was another story. I hated it.) But 4 seriously needs help. I can't even name one song I like. There are lesser evils, like "Party" ft. Kanye West & Andre 3000, "Best Thing I Never Had"and "I Was Here". But that's all I can say. I probably wouldn't like those songs if they had better songs surrounding them. This album was subpar at best. What happened Beyoncé? Is it the new management? Mathew, for the love of pop music please come get your daughter!

This album gets 2 stars to Sasha Fierce's 3.5 and B'day's 5.

The Theophilus London Concert

Photo by Nathan Bajar

was pretty cool the other night. Brooklyn Museum however, is not the place for concerts. It was tight and hot, the acoustics were crap, and the level of the ground made seeing the low ass stage very difficult. Not to mention whoever was in charge of audio should have turned Theophilus's mic way up. There was a live band doing instrumentals for his songs, which made his performance of "Flying Overseas" sound amazing with the guitar. The bass sounded so dope for "Why Even Try"also. And when he performed "GIRLS, GIRLS $" the crowd went WILD turkey.

He gave out a bunch of free T-shirts and Hats, they even made it rain on the audience with real money. Theophilus came out in a sparkly hat and jacket looking like a smoother version of Flavor Flav. And one girl said "He is so sexy to me," The things a flashy suit and some swag can do for a man. I'm tellin' ya. And the audience seemed to share his level of style. All the boys were intermittently chanting "SWAG,SWAG,SWAG!"  Someone said every girl in there was a 10. He was right. The guys looked good, but the girls looked great. As a whole, Brooklyn sure knows how to do it.

***

Photo by Nathan Bajar

So my sister and I were in the audience trying to figure out how I could give him the "Lovers" bracelet I had made him. We were in the back of the room contemplating when these girls near us said, "just go up there, he's mad cool about it." We pushed our way to the front, along with a bunch of other girls rushing the stage,  and we finally made our way up and got to go on stage :). We were dancing and then I pulled the black bracelet out and yelled " I made this for you!" I shoved it in his hand and he put it in his pocket. Then I jumped off stage and ran back to the girls who encouraged me to go up there. They were on a platform dancing. I joined them and gave one of them the white "lovers" bracelet. 
The next day my sister tweeted Theophilus about the bracelet and he replied:

Feels good, man.

Kanye West- See Me Now (feat. Beyoncé "Nigga" Knowles + Charlie Wilson)

"If you fall on the concrete, that's yo asphalt..."

I QUITE LIKE THIS song. I do have a love/hate thing going on with Kanye, however. Ever since that Taylor Swift thing I've been having to defend him quite often and I'm growing to resent that. Plus, I didn't really like POWER besides that amazing beat, for which Mr. West is not responsible. Talk about letdown. I like RUNAWAY, and by the looks of his performances of that song, the red-suited devil motif juxtaposed with delicate ballerinas is really interesting. (By the way, is Pusha T of the Clipse no longer with his broham? Is he a part of G.O.O.D. now?) 

Anyway this song, SEE ME NOW, has been on the radio for the past couple of weeks and is one of the current few songs I don't mind hearing. And of course, Beyoncé's blatant "Nigga" is bleeped out. I for one am not really against using the word. In fact, every morning I climb up to my roof and repeatedly yell nigga at the top of my voice. It really clears my esophageal tract, and reminds my neighbors of who is black on our street.

But is it just me or does this remind you of JLo's nigga incident of 2001 in I'm Real? For some reason it was okay for Big Pun [RIP] to say it, but when JLo did it the record scratched to a pause and everyone stopped dancing. By the same token, we are aware that Beyoncé is a black girl from Houston, and yet it feels so scandalous when she says it. To me it sounds like she deliberately requested say it really loud right smack dab in the chorus like "Yeah, take that! Niggas!!" Maybe there's a political reason why she did it. Maybe she was doing it for JLo? 

Then again, I feel like I should also cite that she said nigga in the song Irreplaceable; only then it was hidden deep in the lyrics and is barely audible unless you listen closely. "If I bought it nigga please don't touch..."  Maybe since we didn't hear her that time, she wanted to make sure we hear it this time. 

So, by the will of Queen Beyoncé, let the word Nigga be heard loudly and clearly, amidst the rest of this great tune.

TOY STORY 3!!!!!

WAS SO GOOD. I loved it. The plot was so sweet and really takes you for a ride. The screenplay is by Lee Unkrich, the same guy who wrote Little Miss Sunshine (another favorite of mine) and got an Oscar for it. I feel like Toy Story 3 is going to go down the same path! Real talk, go see it!

Little Dragon

Constant Surprises

I'm loving this group. It's like Erykah Badu and Amel Larrieux had a Japanese baby and she went to the same elementary school as Feist.

Adventure Time!

I HATE CARTOONS but I'm slowly becoming hooked on ADVENTURE TIME. It takes surrealism to a whole 'nother level and the humor is so simple --- I love it!

MY FRIEND RYAN DREW THIS FOR ME. FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER (@RWMEAD)

And make sure you catch Adventure Time on Cartoon Network Mondays at 8. MATHEMATICAL!!!

One Thing about Music...

THE OTHER DAY I heard my little sister in the kitchen singing "One thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain"

"Hey!" I said " Dead Prez, right?"

She goes " No, It's Drake."
Then my big sister comes in like "Uhh no. That's Bob Marley."

The Karate Kid (2010)

RILEY FREEMAN?

No, but I really wanna see this. 6/11/10 

6 GIRLY JAMS TO DANCE TO THIS SUMMER

I'M VERY MUCH drawn to music by female artists who challenge the definition of what is ladylike; I think it broadens the spectrum of femininity. We can range from reserved, graceful and pure, to karate- chopping, sex bomb, potty- mouthed vixens. I wish I had the balls  ovaries to fall on the latter end of the scale, and I think it's so rad when chicks own their sexuality/ ferociousness and express it in their music, not in an objectifying way, but in an empowering way. 

RIHANNA- RUDE BOY: I like this song because it's danceable and plain old fun. Rihanna doesn't care who's judging her style or her change of image from good girl to feisty little blonde pompadour girl. Good for her. She deserves to have what she want want wants. 

KESHA- BLAH BLAH BLAH: I don't care what anyone says, I like what Ke$ha's about. Although I wouldn't invite her to my house for fear of her vomiting in my closet, she does make me want to add feathers and glitter to my wardrobe. All her songs are catchy as hell too.  Not saying I'm a die- hard Ke$ha fan, but I know I'll be blasting Blah Blah Blah at least for the summer.

UFFIE- POP THE GLOCK: If you aren't familiar with Uffie, then I suggest you get yourself acquainted with this Florida born, Tokyo raised, French based Electro artist. She's a rave goddess, coming into your world to take away all your cares and inhibitions with her sweet voice and colorful beats. This song, (which ingeniously samples Audio Two's Top Billin) pairs well with good times, short skirts and unplanned pregnancies.  Uffie's debut album, Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans drops in the U.S. this June! 

TRINA-LOOK BACK AT ME FT KILLER MIKE: This song is probably a year old but I hadn't heard it until recently when a friend of mine played the edited version in her car. The bass was bumpin and I absolutely loved it. (Later, when I went home and listened to the unedited version, my ears fell off.)

LA ROUX- BULLETPROOF: The first time I saw this video, I thought I was being Rick rolled. I've since grown to love Eleanor Jackson's androgynous look,  just as much as I adore this tune. It isn't necessarily a bad- girl song, but it's about emotional resilience, and I respect that. Plus, this is the jam, so turn it up!

BRITNEY SPEARS- 3: This list would not be complete without '3'. This song is so cutting- edge Britney, it joins the ranks of 'Slave for You' for my favorite Spears songs ever! She's a minx and she knows it, so why not show it? I'm glad safe Britney is long gone and I find security in the fact that I know I'll hear this song on any given night in a gay club. I bet centuries from now, when my head is in a pickle jar, my robot body will be dancing to this song. ( probably doing the robot.)

Awkward Comedy Show!!!

YOURS TRULY had the chance to go to THE AWKWARD COMEDY SHOW DVD release show and party on Monday night at Comix in NYC with my friend Sam. She was sweet enough to photograph my giddy fan-girl antics with these incredible Comedians/ Awesome people. They were great. And the legendary Prince Paul was there!!!

Seriously. Go Get a copy of THE AWKWARD COMEDY SHOW on DVD NOW!

Boondocks Season 3

SOOOO WE WAITED like a thousand years for the season 3 premier of THE BOONDOCKS and it finally came back last night. 


As much as I worship the ground Aaron McGruder walks on, I have to say I wasn't thrilled with last nights episode (which dealt with Obama's election). I understand that the show hasn't had any new episodes since the historic 2008 presidential election, but damn that was 2 years ago. It's old news. Maybe that's the problem-- the fact that the show has had a hiatus for that long has caused issues of relevance and perhaps even a loss of momentum among the audience. 


And I also wish there was a little more reflection in the story as to why Huey was so discontent with Obama in the first place. Is it me, or did the whole episode seem really unresolved? 


I will say however that the Will.I.Am ft Thugnificent song was hilarious.

Quick Little Rant: Old Music Better than New Music?

IT BUGS ME WHEN people complain about contemporary music being inauthentic, usually accrediting artists like Soulja Boy to the ruination of 'REAL' music. Yes, I hate that nigga just as much as the next person: hence I DON'T listen to him. (However, I have adopted a swag mechanism which I turn on every morning per his instructions.)
The reason crappy music becomes popular is because the people like it. If you personally don't like something, don't listen to it. Good music still exists. Talent is not synonymous with fame and popularity, So Soulja Boy and others like him (in all genres) haven't ruined anything. I personally believe a valuable artist is primarily good- and the rich and famous part comes second. I mean, isn't music composed of notes and not dollar signs? 
I say you should listen to the music you like and don't worry about what other people like.

Earth Day is Stupid

OF ALL THE DUMB HOLIDAYS in which we complacently smile and do whatever the heck is designated to this particular calendar event, Earth Day has to be the worst (next to Flag Day of course):

1. No Gifts.
2. You still have to go to Work/School.
3. NBC puts that green peacock in the corner
4. I dont even think theres a charlie brown special for this
5. There really is no tradition besides people fronting like they care about the environment for one day.

The only good things about today are those little Dirt and Worm cups. And those are reserved for the ingrates children.

Watch SNL on 4/24!

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR and watch Gabourey Sidibe (awesome) host SNL this week with musical guest MGMT (great!).

The show seems to be getting funnier again. And better in terms of host/ musical guest. If I could have the perfect host/musical guest combo I'd have Conan host and Lauryn Hill perform. Or My Mom/ John Coltrane's ghost. 


I can't wait to see watch this week! 

Hit Girl Kicks Ass!

JUST SAW KICK ASS in the movie theater and I really loved it.  But apparently there is a lot of controversy surrounding the tough- as- nails character that is Hit Girl. Some people are all up in arms because she's a little girl with a pretty severe potty mouth and she goes around brutally killing all the bad guys; shooting and stabbing-- in one part she cuts a dude's leg clean off.  I mean blood everywhere! --- she's awesome.


I think these people are just mad that the real hero in this movie is a Girl. She's a straight up gangsta in my opinion. And I LOVE it!


Go see Kick Ass!!

Double Down Goes to Town!

WHEN I FIRST SAW THIS "sandwich" in a new KFC ad, I said 'WTF! Shame on you KFC; the people are fat enough! You need to include bread otherwise this is just a gluttonous monstrosity!'

Then I realized bread is not a vegetable. I applaud the 'Double Down' chicken sandwich for having the balls to show us the ugly truth about fast food and for attempting to redefine what a sandwich is.