Mix: I Want Candy Shutter Shades

Miranda, I am not buying you shutter shades. No, I've made up my mind, Mir-mir. What? If everyone else jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you jump too? What do you mean you would if they gave you shutter shades? ARE YOU IN A CULT, MIRANDA? No? You better not be in a cult, Mir-mir, because then you really won't be getting shutter shades. I refuse to spend fifty dollars on retarded sunglasses if you are only going to drink the kool-aid. Yes, Miranda, shutter shades are retarded. What do you mean I'm buggin'? They are sunglasses with slits, Mir-mir, how effective can they be at blocking the sunlight? Oh, they're for fashion, well, that just makes everything better now, doesn't it? It's for fashion, so it's ok to spend fifty dollars to look retarded. Kanye West is allowed to look retarded because he can afford to, you on the other hand, Mir-mir, can't. I just don't understand you sometimes, Miranda. I honest to G-d don't. Don't start singing that damn song, Miranda!

The Fresh Prince & DJ Jazzy Jeff -- Parents Just Don't Understand

Kanye West feat. Daft Punk -- Stronger

Corey Hart -- Sunglasses At Night

Daft Punk -- The Prime Time Of Your Life/The Brainwasher/Rollin' & Scratchin'/Alive [Live]

Gwen Stefani feat. Eve -- Rich Girl

ZZ Top -- Cheap Sunglasses

Lily Allen -- Take What you Take

Phuego -- Me Against The Sunglasses (Britney Spears vs Corey Hart)

Jay-Z -- American Dreamin'

Aqua -- Cartoon Heroes



NOTE: I for one do not think shutter shades are retarded. And if I had the money, I would own fifty pairs. No lie. And if I had an insane amount of money? I would have the white light up ones Kanye wore at the Grammy's. Those were hot.

"You're Bill Murray, that's obvious."

"Hip-hop is a battle game," he said. "Chess is a battle. Martial arts is a battle."

I don't want to go to work, I want to go to Brooklyn. Why do I want to go to Brooklyn, you ask? Because RZA is going to be in Brooklyn. Gah. Why did my family ever migrate from Brooklyn? Just my luck, yo. It's alright though, I'll catch you on the flipside, RZA.

Ok, out of the Wu, RZA doesn't always have the smoothest of rhymes, but he is definitely the one armed with the beats. A few months back I found a RZA instrumental bootleg, and it blew my fuckin' mind. It has all the Wu and RZA tracks you love, just stripped of the vocals(duh). Hearing the beats without the rhymes brings them to an entirely new level, and makes you appreciate RZA's killer production skills all the more. The bootleg is on spot with its title because it is an experience.

RZA -- The Instrumental Experience Bootleg

RZA & Xavier Naidoo* -- Ich Kenne Nichts (I Have Never) [Band Edit] (live)

& just because I can:
GZA, RZA, & Bill Murray in Delirium


*if you don't know who Xavier Naidoo is, go educate yourself

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. M.Y. H.U.S.T.L.E.

Ok, while I am not an über fan of the iTunes music store (especially when it comes to purchasing less popular artists) due to its constant fuckuppery of artist and track labeling, I will give it props (as well as a plug) for it's Hip Hop/Rap Sale. Roughly forty albums are up for grabs at $7.99 a pop, from the likes of Nas, T.I., Fabolous, N.W.A., Ghostface Killah, Swizz Beats, Talib Kweli, The Roots, and T-Pain. The selection is alright, but there are a few gems there (primarily from the aforementioned artists). However, my top five recommendations (in no particular order) from the sale are:
T.I.'s T.I. vs T.I.P.
Wu-Tang's Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Nas' It Was Written
Gang Starr's Mass Appeal: The Best Of [I hate reccomending 'Best Of's' because it's lazy, but Gang Starr is dope]
*Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek (as Reflection Eternal) Train of Thought

They are albums I own and have much love and respect for (I honestly would not rec them otherwise). Funny thing? My plan today was to venture out and purchase a RZA album or two, since my music collection is seriously lacking in his department, but due to the assload of snow and my city's inability to plow, I could not. So what did I do instead? Purchase Ghostface's latest, The Big Doe Rehab. I already own several of Ghost's releases, but hey, it's all in The Wu, and I've been meaning to buy that since it came out.


T.I. -- Respect This Hustle

Wu-Tang -- C.R.E.A.M.

Nas feat. Lauryn Hill -- If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)

Gang Starr -- LoveSick

Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek -- Eternalists

*classic case of iTunes fuckuppery

Glow in the Dark Tour Update & Mixtape

Finally! a New York date has been released! Woot! If I don't get tickets, I'm seriously going to blow. I have the complete list of dates below, and I am pumped even if I haven't bought my tickets yet. Also, thanks to The Pitchfork, we now know which acts will be providing 'Ye with backup at each date. And all I can say, thank goodness Lupe and N.E.R.D. are doing New York, while I am a bit saddened that the lovely Rihanna will not be there, Kanye, Lupe and Pharrell will more than make up for her. Also, I'll look into some of the dates provided by Pitchfork as they have some of the venues and cities mixed up. Hmmm...

Wed, 4/16/08 Key Arena Seattle, WA [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., Rihanna]
Fri, 4/18/08 ARCO Arena Sacramento, CA [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., Rihanna]
Sat, 4/19/08 HP Pavilion At San Jose San Jose, CA [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., Rihanna]
Sun, 4/20/08 San Diego Sports Arena San Diego, CA [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., Rihanna]
Mon, 4/21/08 NOKIA Theatre LA LIVE Los Angeles, CA [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., Rihanna]
Tue, 4/22/08 NOKIA Theatre LA LIVE Los Angeles, CA [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., Rihanna]
Thu, 4/24/08 McKale Memorial Center at University of Arizona Tucson, AZ [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Fri, 4/25/08 Red Rocks Casino Resort Las Vegas, NV [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Sat, 4/26/08 Journal Pavilion Albuquerque, NM [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Sun, 4/27/08 Pepsi Center Denver, CO [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., Rihanna]
Tue., 4/29/08 Ford Center Oklahoma City, OK [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., Rihanna]
Wed, 4/30/08 Frank Irwin Center Austin, TX [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., Rihanna]
Thu, 5/1/08 Superpages.com Center (formerly Smirnoff Music Center) Dallas, TX [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., Rihanna]
Fri, 5/2/08 Woodlands Pavilion Woodlands, TX [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., Rihanna]
Sun, 5/4/08 The Arena At Gwinnett Center Atlanta, GA [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Mon, 5/5/08 Ford Amphitheater Tampa, FL [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Tue, 5/6/08 Cruzan Amphitheatre West Palm Beach, FL [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Thu, 5/8/08 Verizon Amphitheater Charlotte, NC [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Fri, 5/9/08 Walnut Creek Amphitheatre Raleigh, NC [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Sat, 5/10/08 Nisson Pavilion Washington, DC [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Sun., 5/11/08 Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Virginia Beach, VA [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Tue, 5/13/08 Madison Square Garden New York, NY [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Thu, 5/15/08 Tweeter Center Boston, MA [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Fri., 5/16/08 North East Dodge Music Center Hartford, CT [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Sat, 5/17/08 Susquehanna Bank Center Camden, NJ [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Sun, 5/18/08 Toyota Pavilion Scranton, PA [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Tue, 5/20/08 Centre Bell Centre Montreal, QC, Canada [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Wed, 5/21/08 Molson Center Toronto, Ontario [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Thu, 5/22/08 Palace of Auburn Hills Auburn Hills, MI [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Fri, 5/23/08 United Center Chicago, IL [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Sat, 5/24/08 Target Center Minneapolis, MN [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Tue, 5/27/08 Credit Union Centre Saskatoon, SK, Canada [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Thu, 05/29/08 Rexall Place Edmonton, AB, Canada [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Fri, 05/30/08 Pengrowth Saddledome Calgary, AB, Canada [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Fri, 6/6/08 HP Pavilion At San Jose San Jose, CA [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Sat, 6/7/08 STAPLES Center Los Angeles, CA [with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D.]
Thu, 6/12/08 Bonnaroo Manchester, TN [with Lupe Fiasco]




Googling "Glow in the Dark Tour" I stumbled upon a fan made mixtape for the tour, aptly titled The Glow in the Dark Tour Mixtape--leaves nothing to the imagination, eh?

An alright mix--comprised of tracks off each of the respective artists latest releases, with a few remixes and live performances thrown in for good measure. The mix manages to include a studio recording of 'Ye's 2008 Grammy version of Hey Mama--barebones and heartfelt. Also, much love for including two of my favourite tracks, Rihanna's Push Up On Me and Fiasco's Streets On Fire. Nothing earth-shattering, but worth a download/listen if you're a fan.

Download the zip or listen to the mp3:
The Glow in the Dark Mixtape feat. Kaye West, Rihanna, Lupe Fiasco, & N.E.R.D..ZIP

The Glow in the Dark Mixtape feat. Kaye West, Rihanna, Lupe Fiasco, & N.E.R.D..MP3 [mp3's joined together by me]

Snag tracklisting, here.

This is our decision, to live fast and die young...

Music is the poetry of the air.
-Richter


The MGMT -- Time to Pretend
I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life.
Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives.
I'll move to Paris, shoot some heroin, and fuck with the stars.
You man the island and the cocaine and the elegant cars.
This is our decision, to live fast and die young.
We've got the vision, now let's have some fun.
Yeah, it's overwhelming, but what else can we do.
Get jobs in offices, and wake up for the morning commute.
Forget about our mothers and our friends
We're fated to pretend
To pretend
We're fated to pretend
To pretend...

The Lucksmiths -- Sunlight in a Jar
I tried to write an opera for us
But I didn’t get that far
’Cause trying to sum you up in song
Is like catching sunlight in a jar
Complex, completely credible love
The kind that is made not handed to you from above
Is difficult to talk about and harder to write
Like the rhythm of a pulse, or the contours of firelight
Overblown libretto and a sumptuous score
Could never contain the contradictions I adore
We can just be chaos and then something aligns
It’s so hard to contain, maintain it or define it...

Erykah Badu -- Bag Lady
Bag lady you gone hurt your back
Dragging all them bags like that
I guess nobody ever told you
All you must hold on to
Is you, is you, is you
One day all them bags gone get in your way
One day all them bags gone get in your way
I said one day all them bags gone get in your way
One Day all them bags gone get in your way
So pack light
Pack light...

Patrick Wolf -- A Boy Like Me
A boy like me is told he is both nine and ninety and
A boy like me should shut those books join the army
but a boy like me would never be seen fighting for peace
I want total chaos and a holiday home in the east
A boy like me should know much better
than to raise his flag in stormy weather
but i just cant get enough electric shocks
I want to buy a lighthouse and
ride a giraffe on the rocks hey
I dont give up
I want two dogs two cats a big kitchen and a welcome mat
I want all this and all shall have
I dont give up
A boy like me dont ever give up his dream, no...

Bob Dylan -- One More Weekend
Slippin' and slidin' like a weasel on the run,
I'm lookin' good to see you, yeah, and we can have some fun.
One more weekend, one more weekend with you,
One more weekend, one more weekend'll do.
Come on down to my ship, honey, ride on deck,
We'll fly over the ocean just like you suspect.
One more weekend, one more weekend with you.
One more weekend, one more weekend'll do...

Mix: 'Cause Hard Times Happen to the Best of Us

It's like The Great Fuckin' Depression of my life, man. I mean, my girl left me--bitch said she'd be back in a few, and then two weeks later shows up with some dude called Hector and a U-Haul. My jobs suck--all three of them. I mean, I don't know what's worse, the douchebag bosses or the lousy pay. You want to know what else is sad, man? Three jobs and I'm still a broke ass. My bank account has been in the negative since November, man. Three jobs, man, and a negative bank account--you do the fucking math. It's not even like I go out. A movie here and there, sure, but I ain't done anything big for five months now, man. I'm so broke I can't even go to school--and that's what I'm fucking working for, man. At least when I was in school it was acceptable to be broke, "oh it's okay, he's working hard hittin' the books." But, now? Now, everyone looks at me like I'm a lazy ass. Twenty-one, working, and not in school--that's an unholy trinity of something, man. Assholes from high school walk up to me all arrogant and shit, asking me what I've been doing. Snickering when they hear "I'm just working." They think I'm stuck, man. They don't even know. Just wait, man, just fuckin' wait. What do you mean, "for what?" For me to be done with this bullshit, man. The fuckin' Depression didn't last forever, this shit ain't either.

The Flaming Lips -- Bad Days

Ray Charles -- Hard Times

Oasis -- Stop Crying Your Heart Out

The Beatles -- Hey Jude

Azure Ray -- Displaced (Live)

Sam Cooke -- A Change is Gonna Come

R.E.M. -- Everybody Hurts

Bob Dylan -- A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall(Live)

Sia -- Breathe Me

Radiohead -- No Surprises

Gary Jules -- Mad World

Nina Simone -- Here Comes the Sun (The Beatles cover)

Bonus!Video!Jam! RZA -- Grits

You were such a P.Y.T. with a free ticket

Who knew a free ticket could be so hard to get rid of? I, now having an extra ticket to the Justice concert next month, can not for the life of me get rid of said ticket. I've asked nearly ten people, all of whom have 1) never heard of Justice 2) don't enjoy that sort of music or 3) have other plans that night. Ugh, in a time where money is tight, you'd think giving away free shit would be easy. I may end up giving that ticket away for free the day of--snag some hooligan off the streets, because this homegirl ain't going alone. Between this ticket fiasco and accidentally not showing up for work last night (thought I had the night off, oops), this week is already shaping up to be pretty spectacular. Go me.


Justice -- Valentine

Justice -- DVNO

Justice -- D.A.N.C.E. (Mr. Gaspar’s The Lights Ignite Remix)

Justice - D.A.N.C.E. (Benny Blanco Mix Ft. Mos Def and Spank Rock) [if you listen to nothing else, listen to this dope remix]

Justin Timberlake -- LoveStoned (Justice Remix)

N*E*R*D - She Wants To Move (Justice Remix)

Mr. Oizo -- Nazis (Justice Remix)

Fatboy Slim -- Don't Let the Man Get You Down (Justice Remix)

Death From Above 1979 -- Blood On Our Hands (Justice Remix)

We Are Your Friends (Simian Mobile Disc vs Justice)

Bonus!Mix!Jam! Justice -- Fabric Mix
Tracklisting:
01 Sparks – Tryouts For The Human Race
02 Rondo Veneziano
03 Goblin – Tenebrae
04 Daft Punk – Ouverture
05 Surkin – Next Of Kin
06 Symbolone – Love Juice
07 Korgis – Everybodys Gotta Learn Sometimes
08 Midnight Juggernauts – Ending Of An Era
09 The Paradise Ft Romauld – In Love With You
10 Justice – TTHHEE PPAARRTTYY (Acapella)
11 Chic – Everybody Dance
12 Frankie Valli – Who Loves You
13 Das Pop – Underground
14 Julien Clerc – Quand Je Joue
15 Daniel Balavoine – Vivre Ou Survivre
16 Richard Sanderson – Reality
17 Zoot Woman – Grey Day
18 Fucking Champs – Thor Is Like Immortal
19 The Rave – Mother
20 Fancy – You Never Know
21 Frank Stallone – Far From Over
22 Sheila – Misery
23 Todd Rundgren – International Feel

(madd props for the Sparks track)

Visual Insanity, Part II

Puff Daddy feat. Faith Evans & 112 -- I'll Be (Missing You)

Every time I think about this song, the first thing that pops in my head is Puffy's performance from the '97 MTV VMAs. Between the choir and the fact that Sting actually came onstage and performed with him, made that performance pretty unforgettable. Being only a few months after Biggie's passing, emotions were still high and by the end of the performance the entire audience was on their feet. It was one of those "wow" moments. I wonder if there's a video...


Mark Ronson feat. Alex Greenwald -- Just

Mark Ronson is gorg*, so naturally any video in which he appears multiple times in a single frame is made of Win by default. Seriously, with his looks aside, this video is still pretty rad. Originally I was going to post the video for Valerie but then realised that Mr. Ronson had just dropped Just as the fourth single off Version. Also, the fact that Ronson's video is a throwback to the Radiohead original helps this video score points as it demonstrates that he's keepin' it real, yo.



Justice -- Phantom II

I easily could have posted the dope fucking video for D.A.N.C.E., but this video is not without it's charms. When I first saw the video, I thought it a bit reminiscent of Daft Punk's Prime Time of Your Life video--visually if nothing else. But upon a second watch, I think any correlation between the two videos is that they were both made by french electro-house duos. A solid video definitely worth five minutes of your life.



Marilyn Manson -- (S)AINT

Out of left field, huh? Keeping you on your toes is all. Pretty much a visual orgy of sex, drugs, and sadomasochism. There's no question in my mind as to why this video is considered controversial--between the graphic sex scenes, drug use, and naked Mr. Manson--any kid watching it would not grow up to be alright.** I'm not even sure what to say about this video. Yeah. If you're squeamish about blood, this video definitely is not for you.






*gorg is slang for gorgeous.
**my sad attempt at The Who humour.

Mix: 'Member dat, girl?!

Girl, I was packing the other day--yeah, I'm movin' out that triflin' ass ni--what? No, he ain't gonna let you move in, girl. Sorry, but no. Anyways, like I was sayin', the other day I was packing, and you wanna know what I found, girl? I found that mix cd you gave me way back in the day! You know--the one with those songs? What do you mean mean, "could you be any more vague?" Oh, well, it's the one with the one from High School with the Busta track--what do you mean you still ain't got no idea what the hell I'm talkin' about? Here's the damn thing, since you obviously have shit for brains...


Sisqo -- Thong Song

Joe -- I Wanna Know

Destiny's Child -- Bootylicious

Nelly, P. Diddy and Murphy Lee -- Shake Ya Tailfeather

Shaggy feat. Rayvon -- Angel

Mariah Carey feat. Jay-Z -- Heartbreaker

TLC -- No Scrubs

Enrque Iglesias -- Bailamos

Carlos Santana feat. Rob Thomas -- Smooth

OutKast -- Ms. Jackson

Destiny's Child -- Say My Name

Usher -- U Remind Me

Mix: Georgia, you know you've been on my mind

Working the night shift at a supermarket franchise, leaves one listening to the store "radio" when their iPod skitches out. This "radio" is on a loop, and about every three days or so, I will hear, in a period of nine hours, no less than four songs with my name in it. No fucking lie. The usual suspects?
-John Mayer -- Why, Georgia, Why
-Hanson -- Georgia
-Gladys Knight & The Pips -- Midnight Train to Georgia
-Ray Charles -- Georgia (On My Mind)

Hearing these songs on a regular basis prompted an idea: a mix of songs dealing with my name. Yes, while I would love to include classics like, Charlie Daniel's Band's "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," I am limiting this mix to songs strictly about a person, which, surprisingly, are more songs than you think. This mix may seem a bit narcissistic, but it's taken me years to embrace my name. People have sung Georgia (On My Mind) more times to me than I can count. Seriously, if I collected a penny from every other person who has sung it to me, I would be richer than Steve Jobs. Easily. It wasn't until a few summers ago that I learned the amazing powers of my name: cute guys will serenade me. Not just serenade me with any old song either, oh no, but a song with my name in it. Andre greeted me every morning at seven AM with that song, and didn't stop until I would leave at nine AM. His voice alone could melt butter, his voice crooning my name? Well, you could imagine...


Hanson -- Georgia

Audra Kubat -- Georgia

John Mayer -- Why, Georgia, Why

1900s -- Georgia

Johnny Rudgers -- Sweet Georgia Smile

Dirk Darmstaedter -- Walking Back To Georgia

Jonas Crenshaw -- Georgia Peach

Collective Soul -- Georgia Girl [this is cheating, sort of]

Anita O'Day -- Sweet Georgia Brown (Live)

Ray Charles -- Georgia (On My Mind) (Tittsworth Remix)

Ray Charles -- Georgia (On my Mind)

Cover me this, cover me that! Installment Two

Bettie Serveert -- Lover I Don't Have to Love (Bright Eyes)

Pink Nasty -- Burn (Usher)

The Editors -- Lullaby (The Cure) [the line at the end "’Come into my Parlour,’ said the Spider to the Fly" is directly lifted from Mary Howitt’s poem aptly titled The Spider and the Fly]

Ben Harper -- Sexual Healing (Marvin Gaye)

Wakey!Wakey! -- No One (Alicia Keys)

The Flaming Lips -- Can’t Get You Out of My Head (Kylie Minogue)

The Maine -- I Wanna Love You (Akon)