Gotta love the gospel

Being a rap fan, I've got to give a shout out to some of the best hip hop-infused gospel:

Kirk Franklin's "Revolution"




And Hezekiah Walker's "Let's Dance" (not the best quality)

Good (Very) Old Andy Rooney

Did you know this guy is still doing 60 minutes? Yeah, me too. But had you realized he is 88? Wow! Granted, he's got some assistants, but if I look half as good as he does at that age, I'll be quite pleased.

I just found out that CBS News has a kickass archive of over 9 months of his weekly bits. I just listened to this one, which provided Rooney's assessment of a prediction on 2001 life back in 1986 by Dan Rather. It's under 3 minutes, so take a listen.

And Will Ferrell and Jack Black's skit last night was worth the price of admission. They really need to bring back Billy, though.

Shame on you, Verizon!

While strolling through my mall yesterday, I went into the Verizon store. My contract isn't up until next year (and I'll be hittin up the online store for my new one), so I just wanted to see what they had. There were a few cool ones like this Samsung and the enV. However, the way they listed the price of each one was hardcore scandalous.

In big print, was something like $209.99. Therefore, a quick browse from an onlooker would determine that was the final price. However, the fine print had something like this:

Phone price: $199.99
Minus rebate: ($50)
Bluetooth accessory nonesense (optional): $59.99

This totaled the $209 amount. A) That super high margin Bluetooth stuff can be bought a third of that on eBay. B) I ain't down with the sneakiness.

And the Pussycat Dolls suck - no, I don't wish my girlfriend dressed like a slutty sorority chick. I know they're very two and a half years ago but I just saw a commercial for their new show. Ugh.

Two comments

Akon: If she already knows you love her, why do you need to repeatedly drill the concept in her brain?

MIMS: Honestly, no one gives two shites why you are hot. And, it's certainly not your production - go take some lessons from Pharrell.

You want some really solid hip hop? Take a listen to some Quik. or classic Snoop.

UPDATE: The Village Voice even more clearly explains the worthlessness of MIMS.

Oldie but goodie

I'd like to officially tack on an addition to the "Sequel is better than the original" list with Beverly Hills Cop II.

Much funnier Murphy, slicker production, and more intense action sequences. Not to mention Chris Rock, Gilbert Goddfried, and Hef.

Part three was a travesty and is there really a rumor for part IV?

Company contradiction

I don't care where you got your stupid MBA - unless you can come up with kickass commentary, you might as well just drop your degree in the nearest trash receptacle.

Basically, the discussion revolves around Unilever. (You've probably never heard of them but they compete with big fish like these kids and these people)

Unilever sells Dove (the soap) and Axe (the body spray). Dove suggests women are soft, kind and ever-loving. Axe regards chicks as sex goddesses who want hot guys that smell good.

Great stuff!

UPDATE: Yes, it is possible for a company to serve multiple markets. Lexus and Toyota. Old Navy and Banana. But, if these brands went on a date together, their totally opposite messages wouldn't require a mutual ass kicking.

I don't know why

But I find this stuff incredibly funny (thanks StumbleUpon!)

And much love to MadTV for this gem.

Why does he get such a bad rap?

I almost took a History of Hiphop class my senior year of college (naturally there was a waiting list) but since I decided on taking something else, I still purchased the accompanying reading. If you hvae an interest in this genre of music, it combines a lengthy list of articles that hit all aspects of the hip hop industry - the earliest days of rap (DJ Kool Herc and Grandwizard Theodore), how the rap video became mainstream, gangster rap, origins of pop rap and everything in between.

There's a solid piece about MC Hammer and what he did for the rap industry. His second album (the one everyone knows) has sold more rap albums than anyone else, going 10X platinum. He was the guy that got me into rap music - actually, it was the first album I ever bought. Sure, his flow sucked. And his most famous hits sampled the shit out of lesser known acts. But he paved the way for many, many rappers and R&B stars that would have been bunched together with all the other nonsense that was available at that time. I wish I had a few examples, but I can't think of any right now. Grrr...Anyway, go get the book and spend another 10 minutes downloading Hammer's Greatest Hits from Limewire. It still holds up.

Interesting scene yesterday

So I was subwaying to work and sat across from the following:

A lady, an open seat, another young lady, open seat, a third woman, an open seat, a dude.

And all four had this nonsense hanging out of their ears. Amazingly, they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Too bad they have no clue what they're missing. These are the same morons that buy this crap. I wonder if someday everyone will have an epiphany and realize that they should be focusing their cash on decent speakers and quality electronics instead of boomy bass ridden garbage that can do nothing but rattle trunks.

Review: Gridiron Gang

Six words: "Rocky, go back to the ring"

This looks like tons o' fun.

My condo closes at the end of the month. Very exciting.

Prince is about to go on - he better rock!

Honesty is always appreciated

Etailers have it real tough sometimes. Sites like this, this and this, provide users with the chance to sort by lowest price for a ton of items, so that the guys who are forced to charge MSRP don't stand a chance. And don't get my started on these monsters...

So, it was a breath of fresh air to read through this interesting piece from DVD Empire.com. It describes why they are leaving the video game selling bidness and are sticking with their tried and true DVD etailing. They discuss insanely low margins (it costs them $50 for a $55 MSRP'd game!!!) as well as what happens when they stock games that suck (they collect dust). It's incredibly rare for a business to provide such an elaborate set of reasons why they close a division. Usually, you'd find such discussions at places like this.

Gangsters + tunes = deafness

What is it with the thugged out hoods and their portable music? Why does everyone else have to hear it? Part of the problem is the openendedness of their crappy iPod earbuds, which allow waaaayyy too much sound out. If they stuck with a decent pair, then minimal sound would emerge and no one else would need to hear last year's Mary J. C'mon kids, get with some sort of audiophilic program. Both your ears and your neighbors on the train/street will be more than thrilled.