is a pretty fun little flash thing to play with. The folks over at Najle.com put this together.
Basically, you use your keyboard to control the buttons on the screen. Each key corresponds to a different word from “Harder Better Faster Stronger”. There’s no beat to it, so that’s something you’ll have to do on your own.
Still, it’s amusing for about 5 minutes. And I’m sure the more creative of you out there may be able to figure out a different way to use it.
Imitation is clearly the most sincere form of flattery, and even Ice Cube is not immune to it. It has become a bit of a meme to do “clean” covers, or at least very satirical covers of ancient and angry hip hop anthems. NWA is a particular favourite because of the unrivaled vitriol of some of their lyrics.
Adam Buxton of the BBC showcased this trend in his show Rush Hour. His version Help the Police, is decently funny but really surprisingly well-executed. And perhaps it highlights more than just an attempt at comedy. Most people are so afraid by the true anger of the NWA rhymes, and want to censor it. This idea of protecting people from the angry black men isn’t new, though maybe it’s going through a bit of a resurgence.
Or, if you’re more into acoustic stuff, here’s Nina Gordon of Veruca Salt covering Straight out of Compton. There’s something entirely surreal about hearing a nerdy white girl dropping the n-bomb. If you search YouTube a little more, I guarantee you’ll find dozens of other covers of Cube, which is obviously a good way to spend your Sunday.
This is not a lie. Somehow, someone thought it was a great idea to get Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer together for a show. And that someone thought that Utah was a good place to have the show.
That someone was right.
Orem, Utah, about an hour drive from Salt Lake City was the host to an epic reunion. One that will leave people talking. Because they managed to see MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice perform together. In 2009.
Newsweek does a pretty good job of summing things up, and the author seems as bewildered by this as I am.
“The idea of an MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice concert in Utah raises a lot of questions. On second thought, it’s just one question—why?—but it comes in two varieties. There are the nuts-and-bolts whys, which we can tick off now. Why would either Hammer or Ice do a concert to begin with?”
The truth is probably that they needed the money. Former celebrities are clearly not in the best financial shape, especially in the current economy. No one is immune to the housing crisis, and many people richer than I am have lost their savings betting on this awful market.
And people really got into it. They embraced this retro fad and showed up in costume. Though, what’s funny to me is that apparently many of the people who went there were barely alive when Hammer was popular.
“The majority of the crowd falls into the late-teen, early 20s range. They aren’t the ones who bought Hammer’s and Ice’s records the first time around. They got their nostalgia secondhand, from VH1′s ceaseless “I Love the ’80s” and “Awesomely Bad” specials, from iTunes recommendations, from “Family Guy,” which derives a solid half of its humor from arcane pop-culture references.”
I thoroughly enjoy the idea that these people are only starting to get into things now. They missed the awesomeness the first time around, but they’re getting into it now.
For many of these people, it was probably the best $40 they’ve spent. I know I sure as well would have gone. Especially since Ice did the Ninja Rap.
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MF Doom is going the way of Lil Bow Wow and changing his moniker. No, he’s not going back to Viktor Vaughan, he’s decided to rename himself DOOM.
That’s right. According to , it’s DOOM, all in capitals.
It’s a strange choice, but one that may kind of work for him. He’s been away from the music scene for quite some time now, and this may be just the way to get back into music.
About.com, that internet dumping ground for random trivia has released a “Most Anticipated Hip Hop Albums of 2009″ list and, in my opinion, they made some terrible choices. Henry Adaso, the author, fills his list with popular choices that don’t really reflect much in the way of critical thought.
Especially albums 10-20, many of these albums are ‘anticipated’ mainly because of their mainstreamness and not because of any actual talent. Somehow, Chamillionaire’s follow-up effort sneaks in at number 20. I don’t think I know anyone who is waiting for the Ridin Dirty star’s next album with baited breath. He also includes the new album by 50 Cent, and another Tha Carter effort by Lil Wayne.
Thankfully, the author saves himself with his 1-10 most anticipated albums. In these, he sneaks Mos Def’s The Eclectic, which I think everyone in the world should hear. As well, he lets slip that OutKast is supposed to drop a joint new album (Big Boi’s solo album comes in at number 11 on this list too).
I think most interesting is their rumor about Lupe’s supposedly final effort, LupEND. They claim this will be a 3 disc effort. So I feel like that one shouldn’t be slept on. Considering one of their most anticipated albums is Jay-Z’s latest The Blueprint 3, I don’t think anyone is really taking seriously the idea that Lupe may really be finished.
Even though I’m not necessarily waiting for it myself, I completely understand why Dr Dre’s Detox is sitting pretty at #2. Dre has been a pioneer for hip hop and people have been desperate for something amazing ever since The Chronic. However, I can’t get behind the author’s incredible love for Eminem.
Adaso says “Any hip-hop fan who isn’t looking forward to ‘s new album either needs to check his pulse or find a new hobby. Or both.” Frankly, that’s just dumb. I respect Em for his skills and think he’s managed to do something many others haven’t. He made a successful movie, is undeniably talented, and broke into hip hop in a big way. However, I don’t think The Relapse will change my life. Slim Shady is alright, but give me the Mighty Mos Def any day of the week.
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Seriously, if you’re in the mood for some old school jams head over to the .
There’s something intensely nostalgic about cruising around to old jams or some ancient
Please be aware that this site is a bit ethically dubious, considering they do promote downloading. We here at 4080 want to caution you that buying the music is the legal way to go.
Peter, Bjorn and John, one of the biggest indie darling groups around has apparently tossed in a brief “hip hop” track on their latest album.
Rolling Stone is all over it. They describe the new track as:
“Nothing to Worry About” layers a heavy boom-bap, some funked-up bass licks and electro hand-claps with a crew of children turning out some Bollywood-esque chanting on the chorus. “Doing this thing, this type of thing,” they yelp. “Put a little money in this type of thing/ I got nothing to worry about.”
I’ve never been super crazy about the little kid chorus. Ever since Hard Knock Life came out, I just feel that the whole thing is sort of played. But hey, it has been a few years and maybe it’s time for them to try and bring it back. Frankly though, I don’t really think there is all too much hip hop about this track. It seems more Gwen Stefani than anything else, especially with the unnecessary handclaps.
That being said, I don’t want to hate on these kids. I actually really loved their last album, and the other songs on this album actually seem pretty decent already. I just have a hard time getting behind this track.
But check it out if you care to.
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