The Phoenix

Fucking shit. I typed something about this blog being resurrected like a phoenix but it fucked up so you'll now get this shitty entry.

I was gonna go to the Sage Francis/ Sole concert tonight but shit just didn't work out.

Tried to get some dankity dank tonight and shit just didn't work out.

So now I'm just going to go run or something.....

Cannibal Ox Reunion tour starts in Austin, I'll find redemption on the 12th.

"Cannibal Ox Reunion Show "For The First Time In 4 Years exclusively in Austin @ Emos" w/ Starving Martyrs ) (out) "

And I've been hearing a lot of noise about the Cage album (Hell's Winter) I think I'll check it out tonight. I'll have a review (hopefully) in the near future.

Peace

Been A While!

I know it's been a while, but now that school is almost here I won't be doing nearly as much as I've been doing, so expect much much much more updates.

Peace.

The people at DemocracyForAmerica.com made a nice little flash movie about the Downing Street Meno. I'm sure most of you have already looked into this bullshit and wondered why the media isn't picking it up and running with it (special interests?). Just a summary on it, basically it's a document that transcribed during British's Prime Minister's (Blair) meeting with Bushie on July 23, 2002 eight months prior to the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. It shows how how hell bent our president was on war and the trouble Blair had to try to justify it without any evidence. War mongers are a bitch aren't they?

Read it Here and make sure you send something to your senator asking why this bullshit was allowed to happen.

Best Damn Rap Tour

Went to Austin yesterday and saw The Best Damn Rap Tour


Opening Act was a group called The Word Association, They were straight. They got the crowd going and for an opening act they definately did their job.

After The Word Association some cat from NYC named Double AB came out, and his original east coast candence was refreshing, espeically since this guy can joke. I bought his CD and I was really surprised, Check him out sometime.



Next up was a group called Dynamic Vibrations. They're from Chi-Town and from that show I became a fan. You definately should check this group out and pick up one of their CD's (Only $5!). This group really deserves to blow up, the variety and range of their music coupled with their (definately) above average lyricism turned me into a fan.



Next up was one half of the immortal Cannibal Ox, Vordul Mega. If you haven't gotten The Revolution of Yung Havoks and you're a big Can O fan you should pick it up, it's a solid album. Vordul Mega was a nice addition to the show and when he and Vast Aire came up and did some cuts from The Cold Vein the whole crowd exploded. That album has got to be one of my favorites of all time so that alone made the meager $12 entrance fee worth it.



C-Rayz Walz was up next and what more can I say? Year of the Beast <--Go get it



The last person to perform,J-Live, definately deserved the spot. I'd never been a big fan of his, mostly because I never really listened to one of his records, but after last night I think I'm going to pick up some of his albums. He has a flow that rivals Gift of Gab's and him and Swave Sevah along with their DJ (sorry forgot his name but dude was cutting it up like a butcher) left me with a feeling like I had robbed them for only having to pay $12 to see them.

There's only a few stops left for this tour so you should check if they're coming to your town. You won't be dissapointed.

Can't Embrace Hip Hop if you're Christian?

People over at http://www.exministries.com/truth.html seem to think "Their can be no Holy Hip Hoppers or no Christian Hip Hop because the culture cannot lend itself to the direction of the Holy Spirit."

Davey D is quick to point out the flaws in this argument.

Click for the original story by Minister G Craige Lewis and Davey D's rebuttal

Mos Def... Selling out?

+= ?


I was going to talk about the Spurs/Pistons game but while watching it something surprised me and after I got to thinking about it...almost startled me.

It was a commercial,a GMC commercial, and Mos Def was in it pitching Denali to I guess..urbanites?? What happened to New World Water? What happened to lashing out at corporations who exploit the earth's resources? I would love to have a new Denali but I thought this was all against Mighty Mos's ideals and I just can't see him not seeing that GMC is using him to appeal to a black and urban demograph....gone are the days where I looked up to Mos Def as a hip hop icon, he's been degraded to a marketing gimmick.

GM's statement about their new spokeperson and what they call African American Advertising

Maybe I'm making too much of a deal about this or maybe I have unreal expectations of people I consider "real"



Why?

I was working tonight and my co-worker asked me a simple question ( or it would seem simple to someone who isn't as passionate about hip hop), that question was why I liked hip hop so much. This questions stonewalled me and everytime I attempted to answer too many thoughts surged into my head. Is the answer because I love the sound of a emcee spitting is lyrical veracity over a beat that you can't help but nod your head to? Is the answer because the topics and ideologies often represented are and have molded my own ideals? Is it because hip hop has opened my eyes to a vibrant and rich culture when all I see without it is a monopolization of our culture by corporate America?

When I was in the shower I had an epiphany, the reason why I love hip hop isn't anyone of these reasons, the reason I love hip hop is all of these reasons. The fact that hip hop has so many facets is almost unreal, from Gift of Gab to Immortal Technique. Whatever mood I'm in at any given time I have something from hip hop to accentuate that mood.

I'm having a love affair with hip hop and this blogging thing is surprisingly refreshing, that whole "getting my thoughts out" thing is really doing it for me. I might be having a love affair with blogging soon.

My First

Today I start my venture into blogging, something I've been meaning to do since becoming addicted to reading ones (Espeically those that deal with hip hop and politics). I'll kick this blog off officially later, I have things to do right now and an absence of thoughts.