Doing It Right

“…we going liiiiiive… from the undergrrrrroooonnnnnd…”

If you haven’t copped the latest from Big K.R.I.T…. please do so, immediately… his official* debut album was released last week and it certainly lives up to the hype… Below is a 10-minute documentary on the making of the album… Featuring footage of beatmaking, rehearsals, performances… and a nice segment on his collaboration with B.B. King… Enjoy!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meRunIb97hw]

…I need to get back on these beats…

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9th Wonder Receives Fellowship from Harvard University

by dre of onustees.com on 25 May 2012

“Kicking the Truth to the Young >Insert< Youth!”

Ninf Wondrah is going to Harvard, ya’ll!

Mr. Grammy Producer – DJ – Professor has recently been selected by Dr. Henry Louis Gates to contribute to the Hip Hop Archive located in Cambridge… During his year of mandatory residency in Massachusetts, 9th’s work will be documented by Kenneth Price…  his go-to filmographer. They are seeking help via Kickstarter to get the project off and jumping… check out the trailer for The Harvard Fellow!

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/42056115 w=480]

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5 Things: Thoughts on Obama’s Same-Sex Marriage Evolution

by dre of onustees.com on 10 May 2012

“…see what had happened was…”

May 9th , 2012… Barack Obama stepped up to the plate and did what he’s done repeatedly during his 1st term as President of the United States… Shifted the course of a nation and put forth an ideal that has long been push aside… an endorsement for same-sex marriage.

Here are my 5 thoughts on his recent declaration…

  1. If true… I’m surprised that he recently came to this belief… I assumed a man with his background and make-up would be on the forefront of this debate… and his silence was due to playing the political game… Yesterday on Facebook, I posted: “I applaud Barack for his statement on same-sex marriage… but the REAL statement should have been… “Of course I’m cool with gay marriage… but dammit, I got a good thing going here at 1600… I couldn’t just come out with it, I’m trying to get 4 more years… they clockin’ me, pimpin.””
  2. St. Barry, has a nice ring to it… another post made yesterday on Facebook: “…once he evolves* his stance on marijuana… he just might supplant Frederick Douglass for the #1 spot as “The Baddest Man to Ever Walk the Planet”… and if he follows that up with “…now on the subject of the 40 acres and said mule…” …I will personally travel to Vatican City and submit his application for Sainthood…
  3. Joe Biden the Food Taster… when Obama picked Biden as his running mate… I thought it was a good pick because he was a familiar White guy… who’d be more confrontational than Barry… thus, making the President more appealing to majority  voters… (aka limiting the fear of the angry Black male) …but now I see the genius that is Joe Biden… he’s the food taster… the culture thermometer… the political anemometer… all the gaffes and blunders are intentional… his main purpose is to go out and warm the crowd up and report back… Sunday, when Biden stated, “I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties. And quite frankly, I don’t see much of a distinction — beyond that.” That wasn’t Biden going “Biden”… That was the Vice President doing some food-tasting… and when the backlash wasn’t fervent (or kill him…) and the GOP was too distracted to harp on the statement… It was the perfect time for the main act… Hopefully, this weekend Brother Joe goes on Face The Nation and proclaims his affinity for smoking the good stuff and rocking on.us.tees
  4. Really, at this point anyone who’s against Gay marriage… also, must admit they believe in the following… the Boogieman, the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, stepping on cracks will break your mother’s back, saying Candyman 5 times in a mirror will spawn a one-armed Black man to appear and that Rocky Marciano was the greatest boxer of all-time.
  5. Felt like the 1st time a President has said anything true… I’m not naive enough to believe this didn’t have any political connotations… everything he says does so… this will be a large topic in the upcoming election… however, it felt like it was an “off-the-record”… how I really feel statement… ignoring the political backlash… the #imjustsayin of Presidential opinions… (Yes, I know that is not the case… it was a calculated move to separate himself form lump lump Romney… who’s already stated he’s not budging from his anti Gay marriage stance….)

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Scream if you love Hip Hop…

These days there are very few times I check for music videos… very… few… like… damn near never…

Fortunately, there are cats out there fighting the good fight and producing what my musically elitist ass considers “good hip hop”… Phonte’s “The Life of Kings” video embodies all that is good with the music form… also, it includes some of my favorite things…

  • Top 10 Producer – 9th Wondercheck!
  • Reunion of a pair of my hip hop faves… – 9th & Te’ (which could go in the boutdamntime category… but that’s another discussion…) – check!
  • Fave New Artist – Big K.R.I.T.check!
  • Use of a DOPE ass song by J.R. Bailey (Heaven On Earth, from his Just Me N’ You album…) – check!
  • Nice twist to keep the video appealing… – is that Te’s momma spitting!?! – check!

…but enough about why I dig the video… check it out…

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_wlSODOQh8]

“dope beats… dope rhymes… what more do y’all want?”

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Caine’s Arcade – Short Film

10 April 2012

The story of passion meeting imagination… During one of my internet voyages… I came across the short film, “Caine’s Arcade”… about a 9 year-old kid who creates his own arcade out of leftover boxes from his father’s company… The highlight of the film is the surprise flashmob of support for Caine’s fledgling business… Enjoy! [vimeo […]

ŏn.us.tees – 1 for Trayvon

2 April 2012

Late Friday night, the mood struck to send Gede, ŏn.us.tees artist, a weekend project request… Up until that moment, I hadn’t yet done my* tribute to Trayvon Martin’s memory and family… I have several hoodies but hadn’t taken a picture… Nor did I attend any rallies or protests… While working on revamping the ŏn.us.tees website… […]

Nancy Grace, I fucks with you boo.

29 March 2012

The Person of the Week thus far is Lady Nancy Grace… Nancy Grace has been going HAM on the Trayvon Martin murder… Thus we pay homage with the “Negro Please”… a look handed down through centuries… From Hannibal’s baby mother… to Shaka Zulu’s grandmother, who perfected the gaze when asked by her famous grandson, should […]

5 Things: KONY 2012 Backlash

9 March 2012

Ok, I laffed too but the backlash ain’t as funny… Wednesday morning, like many folks I watched the KONY 2012 video and spread the word, as I saw fit… by that evening it had already become internet fodder for ridicule… These are the 5 things folks have complained about Invisible Children’s effort to spread awareness […]

“You Can’t Be F#@king Serious!?!” News: Breitbart “Bombshell” Obama Video

8 March 2012

This???  This… is what’s going to bring the Kaing down??? THIS??? Honestly, I’m not sure where to begin… at a certain point you have to question the reality that surrounds oneself… Perhaps, myself and the few collective others I know are completely bizarre and/or warped… and quite possibly it’s the lot who contends doom is […]

Doing It Right: KONY 2012

7 March 2012

…before today I didn’t know the gravity of Joseph Kony… now, I do… There’s nothing more to say than… take 30 mins of your day and watch the following documentary… on Joseph Kony and the efforts underway to bring him to justice… if by the 7-minute mark you aren’t ready to hop on board and […]