Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Whatever You Want

...eh. This song's okay I guess. I just really like John Legend's singing on this song, though did he really need auto-tune at the end? C'mon John you can sing, you don't need that! Anyway, G.O.O.D. music is in the building.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Thursday, September 24, 2009

White Lies

Mr. Hudson! I hope this CD will be good! Coming in October...

Mr Hudson - White Lies from MrHudson on Vimeo.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

How I Got Over (Trailer)

Can't wait for this! I was really surprised by the studio version of the song because the live one didn't get me too excited. Looking forward very much to this!

The Roots "How I Got Over" (trailer) from Okayplayer on Vimeo.

Forever

Dear Drake: please stop "singing" hooks.

Man Drake got himself a big lineup here! Check out his song and video for "Forever" feat. Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem! It's not a bad song, my only complaint about it is Drake. I'm sure he's got some better songs, but in this one, he's jocking Kanye WAY too much and his singing is horrible (as it usually is). If you can get through that, I think you'll enjoy the song!

Sidenote: this video will be featured on some LeBron James documentary or something, in case you're wondering why he's popping up constantly in the video!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Kutiman

Wow, I think this guy would give J Dilla a run for his money. I'm comparing this guy a lot to him not because of the way they sound (because when you listen to Kutiman, he doesn't resemble Dilla at all), but more of the way they chop and flip samples. Kutiman basically cuts up YouTube clips and turns them into his own compositions, much like Dilla cut up old soul records or what have you to create a bangin' new track.

See, Dilla didn't JUST sample, like use an old clip and speed it up or slow it down or something. He would tweak it SO MUCH that it would just say something completely different than what it used to, or he would give the samples their own TEMPOS, or whatever; he could do things you would've even think of.

That's kinda what Kutiman's doing here. Though I doubt his skill is still nowhere near Dilla's (that's me being partial though), I can tell he's a pretty talented dude, and you would be a fool if you didn't think the same. On his website, Thru You, you can preview the tracks he has come up with so far, and they're pretty dang cool. Whether you're a Dilla fan like me, or not, or you just like music, you MUST check this stuff out. Click Kutiman's picture below to go to his site where he displays his work!

The Messengers

Oh man, I have been waiting for this! You definitely need to download this J. Period x K'naan "The Messengers" mixtape! This is K'naan's tribute to three of the most inspirational figures in history; Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, and Bob Dylan. The project contains remixed and re-imagined versions of songs by the three as well as some bonus tracks and 12" singles. Also, K'naan's rapping a lot on it, which is kinda nice to hear because he didn't do too much of it on his "Troubadour" CD so it's kinda cool to hear! Click the picture to download the hefty package (this is a really good mixtape!), and watch the video below to find out more about how the project came about and stuff.


K'Naan & J Period - The Messengers Mixtape from Mark Valino on Vimeo.

COULD IT BE?!?!

Cutest Puppy of the Week! (9.21.09-9.27.09)

Aww look at this guy, he's so cute and he's having so much fun! I gotta ask, why are Japanese animals so much more interesting than any other ones (remember Maru the box cat)? My sister's fiance got his pitbull in Japan, and he's quite a character himself! I might just have to go to Japan to get a dog!

Anyway, this is a new contraption the Japanese have built, which is a slide that is dog-specific. It isn't released yet but I'm sure dogs all over the world are impatiently awaiting this!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Cutest Puppy of the Week! (9.14.09-9.20.09)

Well, more like cute animals rather than just a puppy.

OMG how cute! Look at this dog: "Really? ...really kitty? Did you REALLY just do that? smh"

Initiate "Brolic" Mode

(for any of those that are still confused at what I mean by brolic, it's basically a term I use for working out or getting buff/fit. It's a reference to a strong Dragonball Z character, Broly, who's one of the toughest dudes)

I've completed week two of getting into shape. My current plan is to just do P90X for three months, but unfortunately it's been slightly difficult because I was getting into it with Tom, but he finally got a job so it's hard to sync our schedules. Our plan is to do P90X five days a week and rest on the weekends, but due to time constraints, I have returned to the garage workouts (or "crossfit") whenever I can't go to Tom's to do P90X. Hopefully this works just as good as if I were doing P90X for three months.

I've done a few easier workouts earlier this week, but today I did one that was fairly challenging, mainly because it involved running. I have awful knees so I found out today that when I run about 1200 meters, my knees become super sensitive. Nevertheless, this was my workout for today:

10x pull-ups (varied with chin-ups)
20x push-ups
30x squats
Run 400m
(3 rounds)

I finished this workout in about 21:40. It was a pretty yummy one, it certainly got my heart rate up! Anyway, I'll probably lose control of my body again once Dani comes to visit me in November, but until then, I gotta get my body back to the way it was! I was satisfied though because my neighbor caught me running and yelled "DO YOU FIGHT?!"

lol

I replied "only when I have to!"

Blak Roc

I do not know what to expect or even what's going on, but Dame Dash looks like he has some HEAT up his sleeves...

Blakroc Project from Myrhax on Vimeo.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

"Stay This Way (DJ Jazzy Jeff Remix)"

I have yet to download that "Re-Living Thing" mixtape by Mick Boogie and Peter/John Bjorn but I really need to because this song is sweet! This puts me in a good mood! This track features Big Pooh, Chaundon, and Phil Nash and of course Jeff on the ones and twos. Very good!

Mick Boogie / Peter Bjorn & John - Stay This Way (Remix) from Myk Dawg on Vimeo.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Crazy about Jay-Z (Pt. 2)

Speaking of Jay-Z, this is my absolute favorite song by him, "I Know" produced by the Neptunes of course. This is that grown music! The CD version is amazing, but man this live version seals the deal. Makes me wanna put my best clothes on and get fly! I LOVE this video @ 2:45!

Michael Jackson's "This Is It" Trailer

Yooooo I can't wait for this! I'm getting my tickets on Sep. 27 for sure! This may be our last glimpse at the King so everybody get ready! Now I'll have more dance moves to learn!

Michael Jackson's This Is It

Sunday, September 13, 2009

2009 MTV VMA Janet Jackson's Tribute to MJ

SO AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LONG LIVE THE KING!!!!!!!!!!!!

Crazy about Jay-Z (Pt. 1)

Well, I listened to the Blueprint 3 finally. My rating...

4/5 peanuts.

It's a decent album. What jades my opinion about this album is the production. I think Jay could've found some producers that could've suited him better. Out of all the Kanye beats, I only enjoyed half of them. The other half sounded like 808 and Heartbreak leftovers, which DO NOT suit Jay-Z. He should've given them to Mr. Hudson or something. My biggest complaint is the absence of Just Blaze, who (I can safely say) has NEVER given Jay a wack beat. He always gives Jay-Z that grown appeal, which is something he should stick with. My favorite tracks include "What We Talkin' About", "Thank You", "Empire State of Mind", "On to the Next One", "A Star is Born", "Already Home", and "So Ambitious".

Speaking of Jay-Z, anyone remember how AMAZING this song was when it came out?! This was definitely ahead of its time and is definitely one of my favorite tracks by Jay. Seriously, WHO IS JAZZ-O AND WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?! I thought he was pretty cool, he reminds me of Percee P! (Click the picture to watch the video, YouTube disabled embedding of this video. It's worth it, click to see what song I'm talking about!)

Thank you!

This goes out to all the wonderful people in McCall and a few from Boise that made it to our show this past Thursday! We all had a wonderful time up there and were pleasantly surprised at the turnout.

As I write this, I'm especially thankful because MCMD, Tom and I ran into this humongous elk whose collision could've ended our lives, especially mine! Honestly, I'm kinda lazy to type this all out, but just know that MCMD's car was totaled and that all three of us walked away completely unharmed. Unfortunately, the elk probably didn't make it, and walked off to die somewhere far from our location. If you care to read the whole story, go to my man MCMD's page (makeculturemoredistinguished.blogspot.com) and hold on to the edge of your seat.

Anyway, all I want to say is BE THANKFUL. Appreciate all the things in your life and be grateful. Matt, Tom and I got VERRY lucky Thursday night, and to me, it serves as a reminder to be truly appreciative of everything in your life. Thanks again to everyone supporting the music, we have another show coming up at the Venue on October 10 so keep your eyes open for some updates! Until then...

Monday, September 7, 2009

Saturday, September 5, 2009

De La Soul x Knitting Factory Boise

This show was "So Good" (get it?)!

I had a great time with MCMD, Dani and my sister Vy. We all went to the show and they all got fairly tipsy! I had a few sips but not too much because I know I'd be out within minutes!

The opening acts were alright. P-Dirt and Logan C certainly rocked the place, but when my dudes Eleven and Noah got up there, the place went OFF! They have such great energy, if you haven't seen them live you need to! They were the perfect candidates to open up for De La Soul, who came out and ROCKED the house DOWN! They had SO MUCH energy!

I went wearing two necessary articles of clothing: my J Dilla "TURN IT UP!" tee and my Nike "De La Soles". I got my soles signed by Trugoy (unfortunately Maseo & Posdnuos hid backstage afterwards) and Trugoy pointed out my shirt! They performed (one of my favorites) "Much More" which is produced by J Dilla, so I just took my shirt off and held it up, and Trugoy at least saw it and acknowledged it! I thanked Posdnuos for coming to Boise on Twitter, and he thanked me back for allowing them to perform here! Cool stuff!

So there were (of course) some stupid groupies there, and they kept trying to squeeze their way to the front so that actual De La Soul fans like myself couldn't be up there. My sister and I were furious, so we just spaz danced to scare them off, and whenever they got too close to me, I just yelled directly in their ear as if I was screaming for De La Soul. HA! Take that you posers!

It was pretty funny to watch the show with Eleven in the audience too. He owned this kid who tried to roll some weed during the concert and shut him down. It was pretty cool.

Anyway, I'm so happy that De La Soul came by. If they ever come back and you've never been to their show, YOU NEED TO! Guaranteed good times! Honor your living legends because you never know when they'll be gone!