It’s been around for a while, but this documentary does a good job of explaining the origin of the ‘Amen Break’, an oft-sampled drum loop. You’ll recognize the break as soon as you hear it. Check it out:
The Demise of the Reagan Coalition?
John McCain’s emergence as the front-runner in the race for the Republican presidential nomination has some pundits wondering whether the vaunted Reagan coalition has collapsed. McCain – a maverick senator unafraid to confront the Republican establishment on any number of issues, including campaign finance reform, tax cuts and, somewhat ironically, the war in Iraq – has been accused of driving wedges between the “three […]
Do endorsements really matter?
Endorsements in the Presidential Primaries or How the Kennedys are their own primary These days you can’t throw a harpoon without hitting a story about how someone is endorsing one or the other of the presidential candidates. Everyone seems to be getting in on this deal. Starting way back when people were guffawing about how […]
Freshly Served Beats
See below for some of my current favourites. Ranging from jazzy funk to underground dopeness, these tracks are courtesy of several of the nicest music blogs on the ‘net: Little Hooks with Ray Nato and the Kings – Give the Drummer Some More A jazzy, early ’70s jam. Check out the organ solo at 2:20. […]
Black-Focused Schools
Black-Focused School to open in Toronto Right away, this is probably one of the most controversial topics that has hit the Canadian school system in decades. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this situation (and/or don’t feel like clicking the links above) here’s a quick summary. The Toronto District School Board voted 11-9 […]
Playing the Political Markets
I recently discovered how much fun futures markets can be. If you’re a political junkie, buying and selling political futures is a great way to stay informed (especially during primary season), make a little money (unless you’d rather take the safer route and play with fake money) and, in a small way, participate in the […]
Adventures in the Emerald City
Three weekends ago I headed down to Seattle to catch Lupe Fiasco perform live at the Showbox. If you ever get a chance to see this dude perform in person, I highly recommend doing so. He is unreal live, partly because he’s one of the few hip-hop acts I’ve seen who sounds better with a […]
That’s Professor Def to you
I managed to catch Mos Def playing in Ann Arbor the other night. His show was on MLK Day and was dedicated to the memory of J Dilla, the slain Detroit producer. I’ve got to say it was a really interesting style of show. For those of you who’ve ever been to the Hill Auditorium […]