It's your lucky day! First, the bullets...
- Queens of the Stone Age have a new album out today, called Era Vulgaris. They’re one of the more underrated, creative hard rock bands in existence, so I’m quite optimistic about this one. Between this and the fact that I followed Michael Atchison’s advice and purchased the Ike Reilly Assassination’s We Belong to the Staggering Evening the other day, I’m definitely getting my fill of good hard rock lately. Now if we could only do something about the massive hip hop void in my life...
- Google Street View, Part II. I love this stuff.
- Cat Power’s The Greatest wins the (somewhat) coveted Shortlist Award.
- This probably interests only me, but there is going to be one hellacious blues festival in Columbia this September, the Roots ‘n Blues ‘n BBQ Festival. Not only will there be plenty of good food, but some of my favorite blues (and blues-esque) acts will be there: North Mississippi Allstars, Taj Mahal, Blind Boys of Alabama, and Chris Thomas King. That’s freaking fantastic! I wonder if I can get a media pass...hmm...
1. B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad), Outkast.
2. Baby, The Roots
3. Beautiful Struggle, Talib Kweli
4. Roses, Kanye West
Kanye West has all sorts of issues—massive arrogance being only one—but I have to admit that he has one of the most unique and vivid lyric/rhyme styles I can remember. This song, about his grandmother being in the hospital, is impressively sad and descriptive. “I’m arguing, like ‘what kind of doctor can we fly in?’/You know the best medicine goes to people that’s paid/If Magic Johnson got a cure for AIDS/And all the broke m-----f------ passed away/You tellin’ me if my grandma’s in the N.B.A./Right now she’d be ok?/But since she was just a secretary/Working for the church for 35 years/Things supposed to stop right here?/My grandfather’s tryin’ to pull it together—he strong/That’s where I get my confidence from/I asked the nurse, “Did you do the research?”/She asks me, “Can you sign some t-shirts?”/B----, is you smokin’ reefer?/You don’t see that we hurt?”
It frustrates me that I like him because I know how big of a jackass he ends up proving himself to be from time to time, but...yeah, I’m a sucker for creative lyricism and great beats, and he’s got both. I won’t like myself for doing it, but I’m sure I’ll end up getting his new album as soon as it comes out...
5. Nuff’ Respect, Big Daddy Kane
6. First...and Then, Handsome Boy Modeling School
7. Can't Knock the Hustle, Jay-Z (Unplugged)
8. Bin Laden, Immortal Technique & Mos Def
9. End Up Like This, Jurassic 5
10. Two Can Win, J Dilla
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