January 2008 Archives

Arrgghhh.... mad stress going on these days, yo. I always loved this joint right here.
She was so young back then, but Miss Thang had it all figured out.

You gotta laugh at the poor chump. He really acted like he didn't know what time it is.

Seriously though: in 1995, who didn't know that this was a PMS anthem? Come on fellas, y'all can be honest.

Damn... you know what? Back then, I wasn't really feeling Monica's voice (or her music), but in the r&b climate that we're in today, I actually long for it. I know many of y'all have been feeling that way lately too, so.. enjoy.

Food for thought: wouldn't it be hot if Keyshia Cole remade this song? Both of their voices are questionnable yet likeable at the same time... Speak on it...

Comments? Requests? Hit me up at Breezylovesyababy@gmail.com

What up, what up--

Courtesy of my people at Street Knowledge TV, I'ma start off ya day with some backstage footage of the Wu-Tang Concert at Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC about 2-3 weeks ago. Apparently this concert was BANANAS, as the Wu blazed through their previous staples such as "Incarcerated Scarfaces", "4th Chamber" and others that

Please forgive me for my lateness for sharing this with you... better late than never, right? I myself was glad to get a peek at this. I was supposed to be at this concert, but I didn't attend... that's how it goes down when your best friend is a male and all of a sudden, he decides to take his latest jumpoff. But I ain't complaining... any more.

Hmm....No mention of the Myspace friends here, Ghosty. Ha, ha. Breezy still loves you though, baby.
But Deck was right though... unfortunately, greats like the Wu gotta stay "relevant" in order to compete with the Boosies, the Weezys, the Souljahs, The Gucci's, etc (and to be fair, let's throw in a WACK NYC rapper... Fat Joe)But hold ya heads, my dudes. Ten years from now, no one is going to pull out a Weezy album and render it a classic like they will Enter the 36 Chambers. (And let the debate begin!!)

Y'all check that Ice Water freestyle at the end? DAMNN...

Like Badu, Breezy gonna tell you the truth: "I'm a Wu fan... FOREVER!!"

It's the moment you've been on pins and needles for.
Teenage girls have been patiently awaiting this day, as well as sexually confused boys and 30 year old women that secretly pine over Trey Songz and Chris Brown.

It's Bad Boy, baby. TIMES THREE. Take that, take that, take that!

Are you ready for this sh*t? 'Cuz I sure ain't.

So what did y'all think of the Season Premiere? Not exactly a "showstopper"...
Glad to see Diddy's still got that dramatic music following him in slow-motion from scene to scene, though. You cease to disappoint me, my n*gga!

(Photo Courtesy of HBO.com)

Wow . . . I guess you can’t always talk your way out of things, huh?

I don’t own a flower shop, but nevertheless, let’s take a moment to honor the memory of the fallen . . .

(This right here is a real treat for those of you that don’t have On-Demand, or were unaware that it was posted on the Net)

By the way, did anyone jump when Chris pulled it? I did...

What up, y'all!

You know I always try to bring you that either that good-good music video or that funny as ish video to start your weekend right every Friday morning. Well this clip right here definitely falls into the latter category. Watch what happens when Mr. Damita Jo tries to keep his pimp hand strong on his "artists" after returning from holiday:

Damn, JD... 'sup with all the energy and frustration? Janet was on the rag during vaycay or something?

Yes y'all... I'm taking it waaaaaaaaaaaaay back today.

One of you requested this particular artist's music for a Throwback Thursday, and of course, I agreed to comply.

So this one's for you... and "Ownlee Eue". (well not only... but you'll get the idea soon enough).

WOW... did anyone experience a touch of vertigo after watching that? Whoo wee!

'Sup, good folk--

In keeping with my personal New Year's Resolution to expose you to hip-hop music that's not necessarily played on your local radio stations, I'm bringing you a video from a female artist whose music I've recently been getting into. See, I've been on this U.K. music tip for about three months now, so I'm on the lookout for anyone's music with a British accent (you know Idris Elba makes music too... oh yeah... gotta check that out. Stringer Bell raps!)

Anyway-- I came across this track after visiting a friend's Myspace page and was intrigued by the lyrics. At first listen, the track sounds like a banging goldigger anthem, but that's waaay off the mark (however, I'm sure after YOU listen to it, you could imagine Kimmy making a slick remix a la QB Style). This London shorty (by way of Sri Lanka) is rapping about problems she's experienced attaining a visa to enter The States to-- guess what?-- make money. It really makes you question your beliefs on immigration (if you are against it)... are they really "opportunistic leeches" or are they REALLY the ones not afraid to "get rich or die trying"?
Hmm??

You know the government can't handle ish like this... no wonder they've tried to censor the lyrics from a chick that claims "she got more records than the K.G.B."

Especially not from a chick that busts shots at said government in her songs-- literally.

I'm digging it, though!

Check out her video below. It's not typical-- she's literally selling bread to make that bread. It's also interesting that the video takes place in the melting pot of NYC, because, as they say, if you can make it here, then damnit, you can make it anywhere ...

This might be something you THINK you're not used to, but in reality, you are. Seriously-- what rapper you know DOESN'T rap about his/her hustle? M.I.A.'s just got an accent, is all. I say, give it a shot... and if you ain't feeling her lyrics... than at least give her credit for managing to get DMX off the crack-pipe for a short lil' cameo.

Sidebar: I am well-aware of the fact that this video originally debuted in December 2007. I still felt like sharing it with y'all anyway. Thanks.

Comments? Questions?
-- Breezylovesyababy@gmail.com

Wow. Last Sunday's episode, "Not For Attribution?" ....

To think, at first I thought it was going to be a drag.
I was wrong. Horribly mistaken.

I'm now COMPLETELY on the bandwagon with you guys-- this sh*t does NOT disappoint! I'm at the point where the only reason I want each ep to be over is so I can jump on my laptop and write up these recaps, and wait for your responses -- this is my new addiction. Hello, my name is Breezy and I am a The Wire addict!

And to think, I ALMOST forgot Bubbs wasn't featured in this one! But I think we got a nice lil' trade-off, don't you think.... 'cuz while Bubbs was busy getting his rehab on, we got just a little (pun intended) taste of:

::whistles "The Farmer In The Dell" ::

Straight up-- if someone was coming to kill me in an alley... I really don't know what would freak me out more, the fact that my head was about to be blown to smithereens or the fact that my killer was whistling while (or rather, before) he works... yeah, whistling freaks me out.

ANYWAY, the funk about to hit the fan-- REAL QUICK-- and I suspect "whistling" will be at an all-time high. But I'm getting ahead of myself here.

I'm gonna use this first page space to break down the show's opener, which I loved, by the way. Your boy Bunk comes into the office at 4:30 because he can't sleep (surprise, I wouldn't be able to sleep if I knew my co-worker was at work hacking up cadavers). He discovers that Jimmy McNutty (ha ha) hasn't left, because he's hard at work at tailor-made "get rich or die trying" plan. Bunk tries to reason with the hard-headed Irish lad, asking of him,

"Do you know what they do to police in jail? Pretty police, like you?"

Sheeeit. Bunk's just got himself a new lawn-mower, and he ain't gonna let anything interfere with his dream.

Jimmy's response (besides taking a drink)? He continues with the master plan. In fact, in later scenes, it is discovered that McNulty planted a red ribbon around the dead guy's body ... BECAUSE Marlo choked someone with a red ribbon awhile back.

Damn. Obsessive-compulsive aren't the words to describe his behavior.

My favorite line comes from Bunk after being "rescued" from inside the box:

"He tried to [f-ck me]. But mostly, he just f-cked himself."

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. That's the best f*cking foreshadowing I've ever witnessed IN MY LIFE, next to reading Shakespearean novels.

Hey y'all!

Obviously, I've pre-empted the scheduled re-cap for Episode 3 of The Wire for tomorrow in order to pay tribute and respects to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the day that we recognize his birthday (his official birthday, as most of you know, is January 15th.) Now here's a "drop of knowledge" for y'all: did you know that MLK DAY HAS ONLY BEEN OBSERVED IN ALL 50 STATES SINCE 2000? Damn... yay to Arizona and New Hampshire for being on the bandwagon for eight years now.

Lucky me, every so often throughout the years, my birthday happens to fall on the third Monday of every January... coinciding with the holiday. When I was younger, I felt, "oh yay, no school!" but (thanks to the elementary and junior high school teachers I had) I also understood the importance of celebrating the man who died for our good... who died fighting for our equality...

who died so that we can have the freedom to shake our a*sses in videos and perpetuate misleading stereotypes. Hard to swallow, huh?

Sigh. I won't get on my soapbox today and point fingers.
Today, it's just about celebrating a man who dared to dream-- for you. Think about it.

I managed to dig up the video of Stevie Wonder's tribute that debuted in 1980. Happy Birthday To Ya, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And don't fret, wherever you are. There's plenty of us down here that are still trying to make you proud.

Questions? Comments? Email me at Breezylovesyababy@gmail.com

No, no, no. For those of you who haven't heard Timbo's Shock Value album (which, I'm willing to bet... is all of you), this is not a remake of the Michael and Janet Jackson classic freak fest.

It's still a freak fest though.

Wow... this reminds me of what that upcoming duet featuring Mariah Carey and T-Pain (TRUE STORY!!) will sound like, but you know what? Eff it. I actually LIKE this song. The video... uhhh... yeah, okay.

What up y'all!

Hope everything is well everyone's world. And if it's not, let me bring you some REAL Hip-Hop to brighten your day.

Peep this "dug in the crates" clip of The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest and Consequence kickin' it on a program called Lorna's Corner circa 1997. This doesn't disappoint.

Damn, Cons. I see you, son! And Black Thought killed it-- straight up.

I know y'all are wondering how the mic managed NOT to burst into flames after this set!

Holla at me about the video!

-- Breezylovesyababy@gmail.com

Good morning, good folk! Didja catch Soulja Boy on “Live With Regis and Kelly” this morning?
I didn’t, obviously, because I’m working... but feel free to let me know if he “Superman”-ed Kelly Ripa. Ha, ha!

Anyway... speaking of rappers with spastic dance moves...

I hope y’all didn’t come here and really expect for me to co-sign a Franchize Boyz video, did you?

If so, then instead of getting your feelings hurt... click the “X” at the top of the screen.

And no, I’m NOT hating on the South... I’m hating on redundant stupidity... such as this....

Come the f*ck on! The bass line is almost the SAME as “Oohh, I Think They Like Me!”

You know what?

Usually, I don't blog audio clips unless it's that interesting.

This, I couldn't pass up showing to y'all.

Method Man and Lil' Kim were on-air guests on Sirius SHADE 45 DJ Whoo Kid Radio. I knew it was gonna be some funny sh*t, because number 1, Tical is ALWAYS in character and 2, with "Ms. GOAT" in tow, you know some scandalous sh*t is going to be exposed, one way or the other [see blog title].

I gotta say that, despite everything... at the end of the day, she always manages to come off as The Hood's Sweetheart.

What Else Did I Learn While Listening To The Show?

1-- Fruit Roll-Ups serve as excellent tools for adminstering oral sex (and here, I thought popping a pre-game Altoid was doing somethin' fly)

2-- R. Kelly might have stanky underarms (during a particular videoshoot, not in general... hmm)

3-- Scott Storch will spend amounts of his Cocaine Stash guap to cop a ride for a chick if the p*ssy is more lethal than that China White... yay for Kim...

4-- Oprah got some f*cked up feet!

5-- If two actors are caught together in an opportune paparazzi situation only ONE time... you didn't catch them while they were a couple... you caught them while they were F*CKING on the sly. (Thanks, Meth!)

6-- I'm mad they tried to "out" Missy!

But don't take my word for all of this. The proof's in the pudding.
And now... without further ado... IT'S THE KIMMY & CLIFF SHOW!!!

(NOTE: THIS CLIPS IS NOT WORK-SAFE)

Comments? Questions? Requests? Holla here or at Breezylovesyababy@gmail.com

Mmm. I think that was a VERY appropriate title for the second installment. And it was DAMN good.

Before we get into this thing, I want to make clear that I am STILL working on my Connect-The-Dots game with this show. Too many damn characters! But I am working on it, and I'm getting caught up in the rapture that is The Wire.

With that being said... I decided that for these recaps, I'm going to let y'all have ALOT of input. Feel free to use Monday's postings as a CONDUCIVE dicussion launching pad for STRICTLY The Wire business. I'm really interested in how y'all feel. I want to read y'alls comments & opinions as The Wire VETS as I hope y'all read and accept my comments as a The Wire NEWBIE. By the series' end, I want to get to the point where I know you all will be-- and where I similarily was at the end of The Sopranos (WE WON'T EVEN GET INTO THAT F-CKED UP SH*T OF AN ENDING)-- confused, hurt, gratified, questioning, sad, angry-- anything but indifferent.

Aight, so let's get into it; and I'll dissect Ep 2 the best way I can.

I'm reposting one of the videos that I put up last week because the scene was actually featured last night.
They Tried To Make Him Speak At Rehab... (and at first) He Said No, No, No...

From a newbie's point of view-- they made a good decision making this the episode opener.
It's so attention-grabbing that it will MAKE you sit on your couch til' the episode's over-- an hour later.

What's happening, people--

I originally intended to blog a video from a group that definitely fits into my '08 Resolutions. They have an interesting name too (Their name derives from a certain... ahem... act that I'm very fond of, ha ha ha). Don't worry-- I got the video next week.

However, I chose to derail myself from that path when I logged into a particular video-sharing site that just had all types of @$$holes on display. Thus... y'all get What The F*ck Friday!

Aight... here's the first video. It needs NO intro. Just check it.

N*ggaaaaa, please. I'm sorry, but I'm attracted to guys who don't need to beat up on kids to justify their thug... or 50's tax write-offs, for that matter.

Can you believe this song actually came out tweleve years ago?

Damn. Time flies when you're taking backshots.

Don't front. You know you was getting your "promiscuous girl" on to this joint in '96.

Wassup y'all!

I'ma just get straight into it today. I know earlier this week SOHH aired the trailer to this video, but here we have the FULL-LENGTH version of the anticipated "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It".
See, there ARE benefits of having a MySpace account!

Fans of "Doughboy" and "Fudge"... REJOICE!!!!!!!!!

"Ice Cube is a saga/Y'all spit saliva & I spit lava!"

Wow... THIS IS WHAT THE F-CK I'M TALKING ABOUT FOR THE '08, PEOPLE!

Wassup SOHH Familiaâ€"

How y’all doin’ today? I know last week I spoke a lot about resolutions that music industry types should make for OWE-EIGHT (as in, they OWE us consumers that GOOD-GOOD), but I didn’t get into the resolutions that I WAS GOING TO MAKE.

I won’t bore you with the personal ones here but I did make related to Talkin’ Videos. Throughout the course of me getting my feet wet in this hip-hop journalism industry, I’ve come across some artists who are more under the radar, than say, Jay-Z , Nas and 50, but are still more than able to deliver that good music that our ears have been starving for for a hot minute.
So… in a nutshell… I resolve to highlight more music & videos from lyrically strong underground artists.

I think you all will agree that it’s a good move to make for OWE-EIGHT.

To start off making good on my resolution, I’m giving props to a New York based artist named K Banger. He’s definitely a cool cat on a positive vibe. His album, Year of the K, is set to drop this year on Shaman Work and I definitely think it’s going to be worth checking out.
Here’s the video for one of his tracks, “Natural High”, featuring Triplebeam. The video was shot a few months ago, but I still felt that it was worth sharing with y’all.

See, I like the fact that number one, the video has girls being sexy but not trashy (although shorty with the shades had me rolling with her little Vida Guerra impression), and the video’s fly without superfluity. And the track?

What more can I say? I'm definitely feeling the old-soul vibe. This sh*t is cold.

“To hell with rims and wheels, attitude is everything, however you feel”. -- Snappers and trappers, relax & take notes.

Luckily for us, K is coming out with a new video in two weeks, and yours truly will be sitting down to interview him about the upcoming album Year of The K, and other future projects. However, if y’all are feeling this dude, peep him at http://myspace.com/kbangermusic . While you’re there, check out another dope track, “All I Need”.

Craziness ensues on the next page...

… I can’t say that I disagree with that quote. And thus, we have season five, focusing on what stories the media does and doesn’t report. And the VIPs who have their hands elbow-deep in what does and doesn’t get reported to the public. Hmm…

So, what up, y’all? Finally relieved that Season 5 of The Wire is here? What did y’all think of last night’s ep?

Before I get to that… let me show y’all one of my favorite promos from this season.
Do y’all think that the writers may let Bubbles get completely clean before the series ends? Here’s hoping:

I can’t lie… Bubbs is my favorite character so far. But the dope fiend lean? Oh my goodness. Don’t let us down, HBO and Dave Simon!

For those of you who didn’t catch it, here’s a clip of The Wire: Odyssey that aired on HBO before the season premiered. It basically went through all of the seasons and featured commentary from key characters. Enjoy.

Wassup, familia!

So the first week of the new year has come to a close. And even though we're supposed to be looking forward, but I had to touch back to 2007 for a bit to bring you this video I received in my mailbox, courtesy of Majesty of Street Knowledge Media. They captured Nas' December 26th Hammerstein Ballroom concert, who not only went through some verses of his earlier hits...

not only paid homage to DJ Marley Marl...

not only talked about his soon-to-be-released controversial album, N*gger...

He brought that crazy @ss Busta with him. Good to see him rockin' the stage for a bit instead of rocking Manhattan Criminal Court for a change. Thus, we get to witness that off-the-wall yet debatedly truthful statement from Bus-A-Bus toward the end of the clip:

Also, if you want this clip for yourself, Street Knowledge has provided a downloadable link specifically for that purpose:

http://www.zshare.net/video/60184435791507/

Now... on to some funny sh-t on the next page...

What up y'all--

I thought that for the first Throwback of '08, we'd take it to a real r&b classic.

Yeah, I know this song kind of set the tone for comparing women to objects (in the beginning, said chick is more lethal than the strongest sample of Chocolate Thai) ... but damnit, they did it so well.

Now, if you're home alone... go 'head and turn down the lights for your viewing pleasure. If you at work... try to keep your hands out of your pants while the track makes you think of that person that had you... well... feenin'.

Oh yeah, that lil' interpolation of "Darling Nikki" at the beginning? Nice touch. Because you know Nikki too, will show you no mercy, but sho' nuff show ya how to grind.

Have y'all ever been that sprung over someone that you wanted to tat their names on your body? Did you? Do you regret it? Let's open up a discussion about that, y'all-- this I gotta read.

Happy New Year to all the haters, lovers, and all those stuck in-between!

Hope all of you all had a great New Year's Eve the other night. I spent it hanging out with my best friend down in the Village and then going to do the New Year's Eve takeover on WHCR with my Equilibrium Team -- some people that I'm very much looking forward to working with into '08 and beyond.

I was thinking about what to blog about for today, when reading a whole bunch of people's New Years Resolutions. Now, typically I think resolutions are just bullsh-t ways of attempting to steer yourself back on track, especially since you make them after soaking yourself in Grey Goose and waking up face down in someone's crotch... but I digress.

WHOO! NEW YEAR'S! Only 364 days until it comes back around again!

Aight, let me get straight to the point. I sat and thought up some resolutions that the hip-hop industry types (artists as well as directors, editors, AND label heads) should make (and maintain) in terms of music videos soon to debut this year. Now I'm not completely stupid... I know half of these things on the list will NOT happen. But sh*t... an enthusiast can dream, can't I?

So I'm saying... this is how ish should go down for '08...