(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.

                   

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.

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.

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."

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.)

Finding Dakota Grey- Mixtape Review

AFTER HEARING TONY WILLIAMS' vocals on several Kanye West tracks (Roses, We Major, Drive Slow, Everything I am, etc.) I was drawn to his melodious and pleasantly raw sound. I then searched relentlessly for a solo project by Mr. Williams and was only appeased for a moment with the song 'Dreaming of Your Love' which I heard on Kanye's Can't Tell Me Nothing mixtape. 


But finally, his new mixtape, Finding Dakota Grey has arrived packed with soulful, bright, Stevie Wonder- meets Donny Hathaway quality and an added splash of coolness that IS Tony Williams. 


I've been listening to this mixtape non-stop for the past few days and I am pleased with the remixes. There's 'Dreaming of Your Love' (parisian remix), 'Amazing' (official remix), and 'Nightmares' (a sort of revox of Kanye West's 'See you in My Nightmares')--and they're GREAT. To analogize it; the remixes are to the originals as Arnold Palmer's are to Iced Tea: not necessarily better, but augmented in a GOOD way.


Overall, this is a good set of tracks. You can listen to it in your car with the windows down and not feel like skipping songs. In fact, the only song I would skip is 'Linda Garota'. To me it sounds like a T-Pain leftover track. Another issue is the number of intermittent skits. Some people like those little interruptions but I think the intros and outros are enough-- anything else is just overkill.


 Top 3 tracks: Same Movie Scene (reminds me of Zapp and Roger), I'm not Mad & Double Back on This Love


I hope to hear more solo work from this soulful crooner. Maybe G.O.O.D. will finally come through with that King or the Fool album. Until then, I guess we'll have something else to anticipate from Tony Williams.


I give Finding Dakota Grey a 7.5/10

click here  to download this mixtape!

Window Seat

ERYKAH BADU'S video for her first single off of New Amerykah Part II: Return of the Ankh dropped today. I just watched it and at first I didn't get it; I thought she was crazy... 

And that is her point exactly. This video is genius. Her message at the end applies to society's biggest problem: people so are quick to dismiss or condemn what they don't understand. We commit the convenient crime of "group thinking" because we can share the guilt, rather than stand alone.

So watch this video and find a way to stray from comfortable conforming and be an individual.   


http://www.erykahbadu.com/ watch the video here

A Chat with Just a Band!

NOT ONLY IS JUST A BAND refreshingly talented in producing their own music, designing their own graphics AND creating and directing their own videos, but they also have great personalities in real life; and I was lucky enough to interview these fine fellas exclusively for The Good BL0G!

from left to right: Jim Chuchu, Dan Muli, and Bill 'Blinky' Sellanga

The Good BL0G: Your videos, album art and other imagery complement your music well. If you weren't a DIY type of group do you think you’d have the same results? If your label ever wanted you to work with another visual artist would you do it?

Just A Band:Yes, we have thought about working with other visualists, and we're not opposed to it. At the moment, Mbithi Masya is about to solo-direct a video for us, which should be fun; he collabo'd with Jim on Ha-He and he's been helping out more and more on the visual side of things, so he really gets where we're coming from.
TGB:Where do you find inspiration for your music and your video concepts?

JAB:Inspiration comes from anywhere, if you keep your eyes open. When you're making videos, you have to think about the song, and what fits with the vibe of the song, but then you have to add some flavour, which is where our addictions to everything from movies, music, comics and anime to obsessively following directors like Michel Gondry and Quentin Tarantino. And, of course, Life Itself.

TGB: Had you guys never gotten into the music biz, what professions would you be doing?
JAB: Jim says he'd be devising some new opiate for the masses. Daniel says he'd still be traversing the desert as part of his Toureg caravan, which he still misses terribly. Bill says, "Music or Bust." 
TGB: When your band came together in 2003, did you think that Kenyan audiences would receive your particular style of music well?

JAB: We didn't know what people would think! To be honest, it was not as huge a factor as you'd have thought. Just A Band was what we all decided would be the place for us to do things we couldn't do in our day jobs/other bands, it would be the one place we'd have where imagination and humour and all that good stuff would always win out over, "Oh, you're going to totally lose the audience with this one."  

TGB: Where would your band be if the internet never existed?

JAB: We shudder to think! The internet has been so integral to the growth of this band, both in terms of reaching the kind of audience that appreciates what we do, and in the way you can easily and cheaply put stuff out, with you in control of the whole show, that if not for the net, well... let's not go there.

TGB: What (non- musical) sounds do you love?

JAB: Daniel likes the sound of breakfast meats sizzling on an oily pan. Bill likes rain. 

TGB: It’s a clear, starry Friday day night in Nairobi, what can we find the members of Just A Band doing?

JAB: We're sadly very geeky, plus we tend to do loud, clubby things for work, so we tend to think of R&R in the old school sense; chilling out in front of our computers (no TV!), probably with a movie on.
TGB: Makmende, from the ‘Ha- He’ video is such a badass, he doesn‘t have the need for a super power. But if you each could attain a superhuman ability to up your level of badassery, which ones would you choose?

JAB: Jim would be invisible, thereby enhancing his natural mystique. Bill says "Co-ordination", and Daniel would gain the power to gain other people's powers.(OK, Bill didn't say Co-ordination, that was a cheap shot. Clearly, someone's out to discredit him! Bill says Flight. :D)

TGB: Bill, why do they call you Blinky?

JAB: Bill's nickname (CLICK HERE) 

TGB: Dan, I’ve read that you are into Anime and Manga. If you could place yourself into any fantastical story, as any character, which would it be?

JAB: I'll be really cheesy about this and say that I'd like to be Luke Skywalker. 

TGB: Jim, how did you learn to use computer design programs so well? Do you ever use it to impress the ladies?

JAB: No. 

TGB: Some songs like ‘Stay’ (off of 82.) have female vocals in them. Would you ever pull a Black Eyed Peas move and adopt a Fergie into your band?

JAB: Funnily enough, a few weeks ago we saw that N*E*R*D had adopted a girl singer, so there have been a lot of jokes in the house about getting a girl in the group. We're not convinced yet, though! 

TGB: If one wanted to book your band for a gig, but we lived in a hypothetical multiverse where money doesn’t exist, what objects would you want to be paid in?

JAB: But of course: Sweetmeats and ambrosia! 

TGB: Imagine your music was a great, big pool of wet cement. What impression do you want to make?

JAB: Haha!...... Aki (friend), we can't think of an answer to this one. You win. :P

Just a Band is More than 'Just a Band'

IMAGINE POP MUSIC with thoughtful album concepts and brilliant visuals, developed by a super self- sufficient, "geeky boy band." What you get is Just a Band. A totally awesome Kenyan electro-house-funk-pop group that utilizes web- based mediums and futuristic computer graphics to complement their genre- bending music (with a splash of African flavor). 
They arrived in 2008 with their first album, Scratch to Reveal, but with the release of their newest album, 82., they have become a bona fide sensation on the world wide web and the Nairobi club scene. They can accredit their international success to their internet marketing and Youtube channel, which features their 'homemade' videos such as this one for the song "Ha-He."

The recent popularity of Just a Band has culminated in the character of Makmende, who we are introduced to in this video. The badass vigilante a la Shaft, has totally swept Twitter and #Makmende was actually the number one trending topic in Kenya last week.
This group is worth listening to because they bring something to African music, and music in general that has been missing for a while now; Authenticity.
They are unique in their sound, their imagery, concepts and humor. Which is why they are gaining momentum at rapid speeds. I'm excited to see where they take us in the future through their music and videos.

Be sure to check out both Just a Band albums on Amazon or Itunes. 

You can listen to the entire 82 album here.

(my favorite songs are Extra, Sunrise, and Uko Mbele)

    

www.just-a-band.com  

Reflection Eternal ft Bun B- Strangers

I WAS UNDER the impression that Kweli had fallen off after the Idle Warship Party Robot album had dropped. I'm glad he's proving me wrong, because his verse right here is Hot Sauce!

And I absolutely cannot deny Bun B. over the right beat (see Termanology ft. Bun B.- This is How We Rock)

Hanging up on "Telephone"

WHEN I CAUGHT WIND OF LADY GAGA AND BEYONCE'S official release of the nine and a half minute long video for Telephone, I got déjà vu of Michael Jackson's 14 minute Thriller mini movie. Naturally, I expected Gaga's premiere to be spectacular, as she is an innovative pop icon, much like the late Michael Jackson. When I finally watched Telephone however, I found an elongated and overly- intricate video that was disconnected to the song and just-- busy.

Peppered with Beyonce's poor acting and an undercooked plot, I was so surprised to hear rave reviews of this video on Twitter, Youtube, my Facebook, and just in conversations with people I know. This video can be considered offbeat, as most of Lady Gaga's work is; but this is not the root of my criticism. I don't think it is right to dismiss the eccentricities of this video as "Avant Garde" and just keep it moving. Just because Gaga has established herself as an innovative pop musician, who has shown us that she is not afraid to push the envelope, doesn't mean we should just give her license in every aspect of her art without question. I'm not saying this video is complete nonsense, I'm just saying that the audience should still discern what we like and dislike about it. I expect more from Lady Gaga, as this is just the beginning of her career. And as a fan, I know that this can't be the top of her game. 

WHY THIS VIDEO DIDN'T SUIT THIS PARTICULAR SONG:

The video alone was not that bad. I could see that the story is a continuation of the Paparazzi video. It was just really inconsistent with the song. Yeah, I get it. If Lady Gaga did a video in a dance club as expected; it wouldn't be creative, and that's just not Gaga. She played poker in the Pokerface video- granted that wasn't really her greatest masterpiece. My point is, I would have liked to see some art direction in this video that at least alludes to being on a dance floor and having life interrupted, or something about the annoyance of constant communication. Or something that actually correlated with the song! 

THE DEAL WITH ALL THOSE DETAILS:

•  I can infer that the whole "Told you she doesn't have a dick..." thing is a suggestion that constant media scrutiny can be imprisoning when you're famous. 
• The Madonna makeup was a nice subtle homage, and so was the Michael Jackson shuffle move as she exited the prison.
• I see that the phone is a symbol of liberation; Beyonce calls Lady Gaga before she bails her out. (sidenote: one thing that bugged me is that this was a prison setting and you can't bail a convict out of prison.)
• The phone appears again in a scene with Beyonce in a bedroom during her verse of the song. She sings "sometimes i feel like I live in grand central station..." as her body fidgets and kind of short circuits, as does Gaga's in the sandwich scene. This probably indicates the control that technology, namely the phone, has over our beings.
• There was sooo much product placement in this video. which makes sense because it was probably very costly to make and someone had to pay for it. I liked that they kind of made a joke of it by overemphasizing the brands.
• As for movie references, The Thelma and Louise nod when Honeybee and Gaga held hands in the close was cute, and the Kill Bill Pussy Wagon and the Tarantino- esque moment in the diner with Tyrese was cool too, but it just seemed out of place to me. (click here to read another blogger's interesting analysis of the metaphorical value of all the details in this video)

WHAT THE HELL AM I WATCHING?

There were several things in this video that still remain a mystery to me and made me wonder-- what the hell?

• What was with the prolonged lesbian kiss in the prison yard?
• And the fight with the brunette Gaga double? (played by Lady Gaga's actual sister)
• Why did Honeybee feed Gaga that honey bun? 
• What were those burger and mirror quotes about?
• Why was Gaga wearing the same clear outfit from the bathtub scene in Bad Romance?

MY FAVORITE PART OF THE VIDEO (THOUGH IT STILL HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SONG):

I was personally blown away by the murder in the diner. It was comical and disturbing at the same time to hear/ see the amplified croaking of all the patrons who were stuffing their faces with poisoned breakfast delights. I LOVE how it was followed by Lady Gaga and Beyonce's outburst of celebratory dance in Americana gear. It really says a lot about America's blind consumption of all things that are bad for us, be it media, food, drugs, consumer culture, politics, you name it. This scene was so clever and eye opening, and it's a message that prevails in a lot of Gaga's music. 

DillaDawg

FEBRUARY was a month in which the hip hop community celebrated the life of J Dilla, also known as "your favorite producers, favorite producer."

February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006

 

Artists such as Common, Erykah Badu, Dwele, De La Soul, Mad Lib, Termanology, and many others you should check out have paid their tributes to this remarkable beat producer and now I have the pleasure of sharing a brand new track by two accomplished underground rappers from Philly, VERBATUM JONES, and ASAAD. The track is called DILLADAWG. Give it a listen and follow them on Twitter ( @VerbatumJones and @Asaad215)

Music Playlist at MixPod.com