Life Is Mos Def AMAZING: Yasiin Bey - "Bey" (Lil' Wayne & Biggie Smalls)
Mos Def is not merely a rapper, he's a fucking lyrical assassin! Born Dante Smith (1973) and formerly known as "Pretty Flaco," the man now replies to Yasiin Bey. Take it as a mid-career re-invention, of sorts for the seasoned rapper who's worked with everyone from The Black Keys-Gorillaz. In late 2010, Mos Def signed a record deal with Kanye West's very own G.O.O.D. Music, but an album for his new label has yet to fully materialize. Yasiin Bey is currently working on a number of assorted projects: 5th solo album (G.O.O.D. debut), Black Star Aretha with Talib Kweli, and Kanye's label comp. - "Cruel Summer." My personal favourite Mos Def album is The New Danger, which was released in 2004... right around the time that I was first getting into Hip-Hop and forming my own unique "musical ear." It's essentially a Blues-inspired Hip-Hop album that was recorded with African American Punk musicians, Black Jack Johnson. In fact, after I publish this very post, I'm gonna head over to Amazon and pick up whatever Mos Def albums that are missing from my CD collection!
I'm really hoping that Mos DefYasiin Bey is still poised to remain one of the most talented rappers in the [ever-crumbling] Hip-Hop game. Bey is currently gearing up to release some sort of warm-up project, titled Top 40 Underdog. So far, 2 freestyles from the forthcoming collection have been issued, "Niggas In Poorest" and yesterday's cut "Bey." While he's indeed a highly skilled/witty rapper and humorous wordsmith, Mos Def has always retained a certain level of social consciousness. First, he did it with Black Star, following the after-math of Biggie & 2pac's tragic deaths and I think it's a tradition that he'll continue with Top 40 Underdog. Instead of adhering to a rigid weekly deadline, Yasiin Bey has been releasing tracks to co-align with important dates: Martin Luther King Day and [what would've been] Biggie's 40th birthday. With that said, Dante Smith is much more than just a veteran rapper - A true Renaissance Man who's capable of wearing many "hats:" dapper fashion icon, skilled actor, passionate activist, Golden Age Boom-Bap historian, youth role model, comedian, Blues-Soul musician, etc.
Lindsay Lohan essentially embodies exactly "What NOT to Do In Hollywood :" Fame, fortune, success... sex, drugs & Rock "N" Roll . Within a fairly short period of time, Lohan somehow managed to obtain a plentiful helping of POWER @ a very young age. This gradual rise-downfall was captured on film; Between 1998-2010, she portrayed a wide array of roles across the silver screen in movies including: Mean Girls, Bobby , Herbie Fully Loaded , Georgia Rule, Machete , and Freaky Friday . Between rapid-paced film shoots, Lindsay Lohan also found time to record 2 Pop Rock albums for Casablanca , Speak (2004) and A Litter More Personal-Raw (2005). Needless to say, Lindsay Lohan has gotten roped up in a lot of troubles and woes with the law over the last 3-5 years... a vicious cycle of drugs, arrest, court, rehab, "daddy issues," jail time [Repeat]. That's the pure basics of it - But Google that shit for additional info, if necessary. Towards the end of
Lana del Rey [Lizzy Grant] effectively became 2011's "It Girl" with the release of her phenomenal debut single, "Video Games" (Stranger) . Like many struggling singer-songwriters, Grant has been signed, dropped, and significantly changed her public image since bursting onto the scene (2009). With that said, it can be assumed that Lana del Rey has collected just as many "haters" as she has avid supporters. To be perfectly honest, the only other artist I can think of that made this much commotion... garnered so much wide-spread buzz/hate and critical acclaim -- right out of the gates -- with just one track is Britney Spears . And maybe in this post- Mike musical era, that's the true synthesis of Pop Culture: Britney Lynn Spears . After months of repeated teasing and speculation, Lana del Rey 's major label debut, Born 2 Die will [finally] be released this coming Jan. 30-31, 2012. Pitchfork reports that it will feature "Off to The Ra
Chocolate & Cheese (1994) was one of the first albums I bought with my own money. I was in some sort of BMG Music Club , where you'd buy 5 CD's and then get 10 for "FREE." It was all sent through mail order and you picked the titles from some special booklet. I'm almost positive that Chocolate & Cheese's side boob-baring album cover was what initially drew me in... mind you, I was 12-15 and the zany Ween logo/middle finger CD graphic really didn't hurt either. Honestly, I forget how I really felt about it @ the time, but a few years later, my older cousin Josh told me that Ween were this BIG college "jam band." CKY did some sort pf 93.3 radio takeover to promote their new album and played "Freedom of '76" late that night on air. Needless to say, I re-visited Chocolate & Cheese @ about 20-something this go 'round and I fucking loved it! Ween were really weird, yet talented... almost too talented. I can vaguel
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