Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Hip Hop Violinist

I don't know about you guys, but when I found out about this woman I thought it was the illest shit I have ever heard about. The violin is one of my favorite instruments and blending it with Hip Hop is absolutely incredible. It's no surprise Miri Ben-Ari gets recognition from so many powerful, talented, and influential people. On top of that she's GORGEOUS!

She's truly an admirable figure. Definitely keeping an eye out for her going forward. Her music is too good.

Here's a video of one of the cool songs I heard:

 


For next week though, my Common Sense tells me I should take it back to a Hip Hop Classic! again like I did in this post.

Friday, March 25, 2011

LASERS: HIP Hop or NOT?

Lets all be upfront and air out our concerns here. It's known that Lupe Fiasco can be widely respected for how skilled he is lyrically, and creating real quality music. The Cool is undoubtedly a seriously incredible album - I may even go as far as saying that it will surely be remember in the history books. With the release of his new album, LASERS, I have seen all types of criticisms. Most of it I feel is highly unjustified. If you have followed Lupe for a long time you should be well aware all the hassle that went into the completion and release of this album. When you realize that a RECORD LABEL is part of the problem, we should all know what it is we're expecting to be holding things up.

He told the Chicago Sun-Times, "It's their record. My words, their music."

----REALITY CHECK PEOPLE!----

I'm going to quote The News Record when they say:
The mainstream feel of the album is shocking, but every advertiser changes their packaging so people pick up a certain product, and Fiasco's "Lasers"is the same thing — a message for the world, wrapped in packaging that the majority will accept.
HINT HINT - *side eye to Joe Budden's experience* *side eye to the other side to Nas' leaked letter to some of his label execs*

Record Labels happen to be businesses people. I know a lot of people who get caught up in their disappointment and forget this fact. It's tough to stomach but the music industry is in fact a business that is selling us all art. Which really is a very subjective and touchy subject - I mean, it's really multi-faceted. I challenge you to tell me that's not true.

I'll wait . . .

Seriously though, I don't think this album is bad. Despite the fact articles are out there quoting interview(s) where Lupe says he "hates" it, he definitely isn't a sell out. He STILL has some seriously good content and I think created something that is marketable for today's age, although it is not entirely his usual style. I'm sure he'll bounce back either with a mixtape or a new album where his creativity can roam completely free.

Considering this all, I still want to hear more opinions because I think for the most part this album is doing rather well. If you take the time to listen there are some seriously deep lyrics in this album , and the production is IN-SANE.

What's your favorite track? Leave it in the comments!
and remember: Love Always Shines Everytime: Remember to Smile!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Graffiti in Budapest updated!

So after my trip, I had to sift through 100's of pictures. Much of which were of Graffiti out in Budapest AND Vienna. Unfortunately I won't feature the ones from Vienna. Although they were beautiful, I couldn't get a clear capture and may post them up after I get through those.

Check the pics out below. It sends you to the Google Picasa Web Albums:

Graffiti Pictures

Enjoy followers! Hip Hop is GLOBAL