This week’s Catch-Up finds The Duj collaborating with yet another international artist. Italian band TORPEDO called us in recently to appear on their brand new release, TERRASTATION. The band mixes elements of rock, reggae, ska, & hip-hop on their LP which also includes a guest shot from the legendary Lee “Scratch” Perry. Tom P.’s friend David Assuntino is a member of the band, and came to us last year with a demo version and translation. The title of the song “Come Una Cavia” literally means “like a guinea pig”. He explained that he wanted to make a song about how people are mistreated in society, and we came up with a few verses to fit with the idea. The LP has been released overseas, and now the song has it’s own video. Peep it below:
Also, for all our NYC heads, DUJEOUS will be performing next Saturday, July 11th at The Mercury Lounge courtesy of Bowery Presents. We’re on at 11:00 PM, followed by GC & Soul Mafia at Midnight. For tickets, go to your nearest Ticketmaster outlet or click below:
Jay -Z premiered his new video for his single, “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune),” earlier this week on June 28th following the BET awards. Directed by Anthony Mandler, this video has a very cinematic feel. The video’s introduction builds anticipation as Jay enters an abandoned warehouse, with the underscore of eerie strings creating uneasiness to the viewer. When Jay flicks on the lights the video kicks into high gear with the single’s opening soprano sax line. The video plays along with the theme of the song, the death of auto-tune, which is Jay’s response to the new direction hip-hop has taken. Jay’s goal to bring hip-hop back to its roots can be seen here visually. The video is not bright and colorful and has few special effects. It’s just Jay in a warehouse backed by a live band, with cut scenes to him hanging out with Harvey Keitel and LeBron James. There are also scenes of the explosions of various items such as fancy cloths, auto-tune software, and Champaign to further drive Jay’s point home. Fans have seemed to have a great response to the new single/video and are highly anticipating his new album, The Blueprint 3, which is due to hit stores September 11th, 2009.
AmalgamDigital.com: You’ve got a lot of well-known producers on the new album. What’s it like working with someone as respected as DJ Premier? Do you feel like the quality of his beats forces you to push yourself as an artist?
Royce Da 5’9”: Well yeah, definitely. As an artist, that’s what we look for. We look to be pushed creatively. We look to be inspired. We’re not just walking around feeling inspired—we look to go find some inspiration. I find that it’s easy for me to do that as long as I have good music, and I don’t even have to be in the room with the producer. As long as they send me a beat via email, or if they send me a CD and I pop it in, if it’s some shit that I feel is incredible, my mind frame is automatically gonna be, “Okay, let me say something incredible.” You know, it’s easier to do when you’re listening to some great beats. It’s the same as being in the room as a great MC.
Welcome, everybody, to a blog that’s been years in the making…conceptualized back when Boost Mobile first skyrocketed into the hip hop world. You might be asking yourself, “Isn’t ‘skyrocketed’ a bit of an exaggeration?” or “What the hell does Boost Mobile have to do with Twitter?” and my answer to those questions lies in another question: “Don’t you remember that ‘Where You At? (The Whole City Behind Us)’ song by Kanye, the Game, and Luda?” If you remember that track from about five years back, you’ll remember two things: 1) it was dope and 2) it was full of annoying Boost Mobile “chirps”—what I’ve come to regard as the provincial precursors to “tweets.”
That said, it may seem like a bit of a stretch to compare the inclusion of such chirps in a surprisingly fresh promo song to the emergence of rappers on Twitter, but check this out—the first documented “tweet” was in fact hip hop related: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweet_(singer).And with that I present to you my three up-and-coming artists to keep an eye out for on Twitter. All of these guys were included in that XXL “Class of 2009” feature done a while back, and the buzz around their pages should help you see why. Keep in mind that this list is open change, and it is by no means meant to limit the scope of rappers I plan on covering in this blog. I just like what these young cats are saying, and hope you will too:
1)Name: Wiz Khalifa
Twitter Alias: RealWizKhlaifa
Why You Should Like Him: Wiz tends to keep his tweets relatively simple—everything he posts can usually fit into one of four categories. First, there’s the “anybody got weed?” posts, which pretty much speak for themselves. Second, there’s the “I just smoked a lot of weed” posts. Again, pretty self-explanatory. The third category consists of random one-liners, like “The Hippos are Slouches,” “I’m sorry but that Dominos commercial is racist!!!!” and “Casinos are full of regrets.” My gut instinct tells me that this genre of Tweets is directly impacted by the first two posting categories, but nonetheless Wiz’s sometimes quirky, always fun adages really connect the artist to his followers. He says what’s on his mind in a way that makes him refreshingly personable to his supporters, which brings me to the fourth and final type of Khalifa Tweet: fan outreach posts. Wiz is constantly updating his page with new songs, videos, and concert information, and he does so without coming off as a self-promoter. His efforts for fan appreciation seem entirely genuine, which is ultimately why he’s atop this list.
Favorite Tweets:“Morning joints and Kung Fu Panda..We win”; “I juss figured out I’m never gonna die, Im gonna gracefully float off into the air like master”
2)Name: Curren$y
Twitter Alias: CurrenSy_Spitta
Why You Should Like Him: Put simply, Curren$y is his Twitter pages. He describes just about everything he does, and he does so with intricate detail. For example, take a look at this Tweet he posted on Monday: “I WAKETH….I BAKETH….2 THE LAST FEW SCENES OF HOUSE PARTY 2.” For most rappers, just saying that they were watching a movie would have been enough—but Curren$y is not most rappers. Not only does he tell his followers which installment of the “House Party” series he’s watching, he narrows it down to the very scenes. That type of pinpoint accuracy is hard to come by in today’s rap world, and it doesn’t stop with movies. Whether he’s describing his every sight on the streets of New Orleans or uploading new pictures of his puppy online, Curren$y uses Twitter to give fans the type of glimpses into his personal life that otherwise would not be possible, which is the way the site was intended to be used (or at least that’s how I imagine it being intended to be used). Heck, he even bleeds his deepest realizations onto his page: “B.E.T’s Pastor Kearney = Jimmy Swaggart meets Daffy Duck.”
Favorite Tweets: “I never had to worry about my n64 games gettin scratched up and not workin anymore…damn progression of the gaming industry”; “anybody awake with doobies to share??”; “anybody feel like bringin me a sundae from McDonalds?”
3)Name: Wale
Twitter Alias: WaleDC
Why You Should Like Him: Why shouldn’t you like him? He’s from DC (“…MoCo what up”). Aside from that though, he also has an uncanny ability to be socially, culturally, and politically relevant without forcing issues or losing his Twitter appeal. While there are certainly plenty of artists who embrace the need for activism within the rap community through their Tweets (more to come on this in the future), Wale differs in that he never dwells on any one topic to the point where disinterest surfaces. He’ll comment on the politics behind BET, then discuss the Washington Wizards’ draft moves (sorry Wale, but I liked the trade), and wrap it all off with keen social analysis of an everyday encounter on the train. Where Curren$y lives through his Twitter, Wale’s Twitter lives through the people.He’s not afraid to kick knowledge (“u ever got to the point where u don’t give a fuck about anything? It’s a good n bad feeling”), but always leaves room to showcase his unmistakable sense of humor (“ma the meatloaf…we want it…now!”). Not to mention, his sports knowledge is first-rate (Wizards trade aside)—as good as any tweeting athlete around.
Favorite Tweets: “wow..I just found out why bitch ass pacman jones is always in trouble…way too aggressive..stop showin off for these LA girls..”; “I can’t stand pressed mutherfuckers..I’m in the quiet cart on train..and I called my brother for 15 seconds..whisperin ..nobody could hear me…but the fact that this nosey ‘who’s the boss’ judith light lookin byatch is tryna look at me like she ready to tell on me..is makin me sick…u can always tell when a women is deprived of sex…they hate everybody…lol”
This post was written by BALENCIAGA June 29th, 2009
Of course exercising is the best way to keep your body looking beautiful and fit, but exercising isn’t the only way to get a great figure. Everyone should hit the gym every now and then for health reasons but there are so many tricks on looking beautiful in your clothing without having to put in crazy hours at the Gym.
1. Beautiful slim figure
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that Body shapers are the best thing out there to make your body looks slim and tone. For best result the full body shapers will hide the muffin tops and give you the hour glass shape body that every women envies. Priced from $30 to $100 depending on style and designs, body shapers can be purchased at www.spanx.com.
2. Small waist lines
If you want a smaller waist or the illusion of having a smaller waist the 2 to 3 inch large belts will do the trick. Wearing the belt right above your hip over a long top or dress will give you the perfect figure.These can be found in any accessories stores in any local mall.
3. Looking tall like Gisele Bundchen and slim calves
If you want a smaller waist or the illusion of having a smaller waist the 2 to 3 inch large belts will do the trick. Wearing the belt right above your hip over a long top or dress will give you the perfect figure. These can be found in any accessories stores in any local mall.
4. Hiding baby fat belly’s and muffin tops
Ladies you’re in luck, this seasons tops are all about the baby dolls and the flowy tops. These tops are usually tight up top but loosely fitted in the belly section to hide the unwanted belly fat. These tops are best paired with skinny jeans and you can get them at Forever21.com.
4. Too blessed in the chest
If your twins are GYNORMOUS then flaunt those bad boys ladies, but for those who want to shrink them down a little the Houndsooth neck scarves are in. They are very trendy and can be thrown on any outfit and it will work. Get this scarf at Amazon.com
Welcome, everybody, to a blog that’s been years in the making…conceptualized back when Boost Mobile first skyrocketed into the hip hop world. You might be asking yourself, “Isn’t ‘skyrocketed’ a bit of an exaggeration?” or “What the hell does Boost Mobile have to do with Twitter?” and my answer to those questions lies in another question: “Don’t you remember that ‘Where You At? (The Whole City Behind Us)’ song by Kanye, the Game, and Luda?” If you remember that track from about five years back, you’ll remember two things: 1) it was dope and 2) it was full of annoying Boost Mobile “chirps”—what I’ve come to regard as the provincial precursors to “tweets.”
