This song is the exact thing you need if you’re starting to feel low in the post-Olympic days.  See the video below the jump.

The attempt to send Lil’ Wayne to jail has been amusing to watch.  First, Wayne decided that he needed to prep for a year in jail by shooting nine videos in one weekend.  That way we’ll all see a lot of the tear-tatooed rapper even when he’s serving time.
But that wasn’t enough.  Before he could go in, Wayne also underwent eight root canals in one day.  Pitchfork also says that Wayne had his diamond-encrusted teeth fixed up before he went in.  Those procedures delayed his sentence for a couple of …

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 …

For one week only, over on NPR, you can stream the entire new Gorillaz album called Plastic Beach.
It’s a great opportunity to check it out and see if you love it.  NPR has this to say about it
Plastic Beach unites Albarn and Hewlett with a huge list of guests, creating yet another well-crafted and dance-friendly set of songs. Here, Albarn and company’s songs demonstrate a genre-bending collection of glitchy club beats and hip-hop grooves, augmented by brass, glitzy synthesizers and Asian- and Arabic-tinged orchestral harmonies.

They’ve got a whole bunch of …

Not much to say other than this is a pretty decent video.  It’s also the exact type of thing I hope I would do if trapped in a room for that long.  (this guy was apparently quarantined with TB for several weeks).

This makes me extremely happy: Aziz Ansari, of Parks and Recreation fame, is releasing a mixtape under his alter ego, Raaaaaaaandy (who also happens to be the character he played in Funny People).  Produced by Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio, the mixtape was supposed to be released in February, but that date has reportedly been pushed back.
In the meantime, the first track has been leaked and it’s awesome/hilarious.  It’s called AAAAAAAANGRY, and it’s a diss track aimed at all the emcees who didn’t deliver verses for the song.  …

So Pitchfork is reporting that Definitive Jux Records, the amazing indie hip hop label, is going on an indefinite “hiatus”.  To make matters worse, El-P is stepping down.
While it’s true that they’re not exactly over, they’re also not planning on releasing any new music on physical media.  Hopefully this still means some digital distribution, and may actually lower their operating costs a lot.  However, it also means that a lot of dope hip hop will no longer be found on vinyl.
Despite assurances that Def Jux isn’t shutting down and is …

So…in the law school world hip hop is not that crazy a thing.  There’s a lot of amateur tracks and mashups, trying to make a good impression.  But Andrew Black over at the law school at the University of Windsor (in Canada) has been making some serious waves.  After interviews on the CBC and some other media outlets, and plus re-posts on tons of sites (including Maclean’s magazine and some law blogs), this thing is really taking off.
Considering how much I’m not down with Pharell, I can honestly say this …

The blog Real Hip Hip Since 79 has posted the original studio recording of ‘The People’ from Common’s album Finding Forever.  The main difference between this version and the final cut is the hook, here sung by Common himself.  Dwele’s take, used for the album, is obviously more polished, but it’s nice to hear Common’s genuine, if shaky, effort.
DOWNLOAD: Common – ‘The People’ (Original recording)
‘The People’ is a classic, and was my favourite track on Forever.  Common’s lyrics are mostly good.  His rhymes touch on a variety of social justice …

99problems.org, the news website of The League of Young Voters Education Fund (LYVEF) - an American organization dedicated to empowering ”young people nationwide to participate in the democratic process” – has launched a new “online intiative”  to educate urban youth about the importance of the 2010 Census.  According to a press release, the campaign will feature

a viral video PSA series hosted by DJ Willie Shakes (Core DJs, Star Trak’s Chester French) … [that] will enable each featured interview (sic) to give their own spin on why the 2010 Census is important to them, as well as the …