China seems to be kicking everyone’s ass these days.  On the same day it’s being reported that the People’s Republic has taken over Japan as the world’s second-largest economy, a Chinese company has revealed a vehicle that promises to revolutionize public transit: a giant bus that straddles traffic!  Called a “three-dimensional fast bus”, the outlandish vehicle is being described as a “mobile tunnel.”  According to UTNE:
Commuters board from a station one story above the ground, and when the straddling bus parks to pick up riders—as many as 1200 per …

Mac Miller’s Kickin’ Incredibly Dope Shit (K.I.D.S.) may be the best mixtape I’ve heard all year, fo reals.  Miller, an 18-year old Pittsburgh native who just signed with Rostrum Records, home of fellow up-and-comer Wiz Khalifa and the 1988 Top Shelf catalogue, has a seriously proficient flow and a knack for complex wordplay.  On “Knock Knock,” for example, Miller raps “I feel like a million bucks/but my money don’t really feel like I do”, and later, “In deeper than the water Michael Phelps was in.”  The beats are hot, too, …

In a rambling speech yesterday, Bun B, formerly one half of UGK, accepted the 5 Mic award from The Source for his new album, Trill OG.  While dude seems like a nice guy – his speech is a humble tribute to other emcees – is his new disc really in the same league as other five mic recipients like Illmatic, Life After Death, and The Low End Theory?  I haven’t listened to the whole thing, so I can’t say for certain.  To give you a taste so you can judge …

If you can get past the gratuitous and ultimately tiresome sexism, this video ain’t that bad.  I’d give it low marks for creativity (social media in ‘real life’? – it’s been done) but high marks for execution (the Tom Cruise poster alone scores it several points, plus the Dance Roulette bit at the end is dope).  The music itself is pretty standard electro-rap, or whatever it’s called, but I can’t speak to the lyrics since I don’t understand French.
Via The Rap Up

Yesterday, Kanye released his newest single, “See Me Now” featuring Mrs. Jay-Z and Charlie Wilson, the man who provided cash and Stinger missiles to the Afghan Mujahideen founded the Gap Band.  Kanye’s raps cover the usual ground: equating himself to the font of Western philosophy (“I’m Socrates/But my skin more chocolate-y”) and Jesus (“This the Christ year/Last year was magic, 32″ … “Imagine the direction of this immaculate conception”).  The beat is a buoyant vocal sample that keeps things moving along, and Beyonce does a decent job on the hook.  …

Ed.: In this post, new 4080 contributor James Roy critiques a recent Tyee piece praising British Columbia’s system of government.
By James Roy
Alan Durning’s admiration of British Columbia’s political system warrants a typically Canadian response: thank you very much; but you’re wrong and here’s why.
He picks the best parts of the parliamentary (not our parliamentary, but the parliamentary) system and contrasts them to the worst aspects of the American system.  Curiously, he focused on the relatively popular Carbon Tax as opposed to the incredibly unpopular HST …

Free mixtapes and EPs are usually unpolished and gritty.  Slapped together on tight schedules and low budgets, they’re a way for rappers and producers to generate noise without much expense (and, sometimes, effort).  The prevalence of mixtapes and EPs in hip-hop is probably due to a combination of several things, including the culture’s DIY aesthetic, the widespread availability of music production software and the lack of formal training and equipment necessary to spit a few rhymes (anyone can rap into a mic, playing even a basic melody on an instrument …

Today, the website The Inquisitr (among others) reported that Japanese producer Nujabes died last month in a car accident.  If true, this represents a huge loss for hip-hop and, truly, music in general.  While never breaking into the mainstream, Nujabes received critical acclaim and attracted a diverse and committed fan base.  Nujabes made beautiful music, combining drum breaks with subtle jazz loops and haunting piano and string melodies.  My personal favourite remains “Battlecry,” on the Samurai Champloo soundtrack:

R.I.P.

Yesterday, producers Deep and Ben Boogie – collectively known as 2 Hungry Bros – released Back for Seconds, a free mixtape.  And it’s damn good.  The album’s beats are incredibly diverse, ranging from rare funk and jazz grooves to more recent House tunes like Lady (!) and Music Sounds Better With You.  They’re not samples either, but rather the full tracks, preserved in their original glory for the album’s featured emcees to rhyme over.  It’s a unique experiment, for sure, and probably not for everybody.  But if you’re looking for …

Little Brother has released “Curtain Call,” the first single from their forthcoming and final album, LeftBack.  The track features a rad ’80s sample, embellished with synth drum fills and a smooth bass line.  Lyrically, “Curtain Call” has got to be one of their finest efforts.  It’s littered with the kind of witty punch lines and awesome references (“Not even Clarissa could explain it all”(!)) that make the best hip-hop joints worth re-listening to.  And it shows how far Rapper Big Pooh and Phonte have come as emcees; they’re definitely at …