Friday, January 30, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Clap Cognac mixtape release this Wednesday
HIP HOP'S FINEST and URBAN FASHION'S ELITE COME TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE THE LAUNCH OF THE MIXTAPE "KANI LIFE – BLESSING IN DISGUISE"
New York, NY (January 20, 2009)—The urban community will gather at the world famous Katra Lounge, 217 Bowery Street, New York, NY 10002 on Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. to celebrate the launch of Kani Life – Blessing In Disguise Mixtape by Hip-Hop Artist, Clap Cognac and Karl Kani's new clothing line, "Kani Life".
The Kani Life Mixtape is hosted by the Underground’s #1 DJ Bedtyme 357, Justo’s Best Female DJ winner DJ Blazita & Mixtape King DJ Superstar Jay and is Clap Cognac's 7th full length mixtape with 12 original tracks including the "Kani Life Anthem" song – an ode to the Kani Life clothing line & lifestyle produced by Frequency. The mixtape boasts original production from Mel Staxx, Rymez, Doc, Soul G , and many more. Collaborations include 40 G locc, Remo da Rapstar, Storm P as well as members of Clap Cognac affiliates Silent Roundz & Paper Soldiers.
Solidifying their hold on the urban culture, while broadening their audience, Clap Cognac and Karl Kani seek to expand their brand and outreach to the world. Clap Cognac will be holding an album release party and listening session on January 28th 2009 at Katra Lounge at 8pm to celebrate the release of this breakthrough mixtape and to give his fans, the media and the music industry insight to the process behind the music.
The mixtape will be available online at www.clapcognac.com & www.kanilife.com on January 28th 2009 and will be distributed in Karl Kani stores internationally. The "Kani Life Anthem" song is currently featured on www.KaniLife.com
New York, NY (January 20, 2009)—The urban community will gather at the world famous Katra Lounge, 217 Bowery Street, New York, NY 10002 on Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. to celebrate the launch of Kani Life – Blessing In Disguise Mixtape by Hip-Hop Artist, Clap Cognac and Karl Kani's new clothing line, "Kani Life".
The Kani Life Mixtape is hosted by the Underground’s #1 DJ Bedtyme 357, Justo’s Best Female DJ winner DJ Blazita & Mixtape King DJ Superstar Jay and is Clap Cognac's 7th full length mixtape with 12 original tracks including the "Kani Life Anthem" song – an ode to the Kani Life clothing line & lifestyle produced by Frequency. The mixtape boasts original production from Mel Staxx, Rymez, Doc, Soul G , and many more. Collaborations include 40 G locc, Remo da Rapstar, Storm P as well as members of Clap Cognac affiliates Silent Roundz & Paper Soldiers.
Solidifying their hold on the urban culture, while broadening their audience, Clap Cognac and Karl Kani seek to expand their brand and outreach to the world. Clap Cognac will be holding an album release party and listening session on January 28th 2009 at Katra Lounge at 8pm to celebrate the release of this breakthrough mixtape and to give his fans, the media and the music industry insight to the process behind the music.
The mixtape will be available online at www.clapcognac.com & www.kanilife.com on January 28th 2009 and will be distributed in Karl Kani stores internationally. The "Kani Life Anthem" song is currently featured on www.KaniLife.com
NY Times reviews the new Grand Hustle mixtape
YOUNG DRO AND YUNG LA
“Black Boy White Boy”
(mixtape)
No one has ever accused the Atlanta rapper T.I. of harboring a weird streak, but his taste in protégés would seem to indicate that beneath the blank grin and neatly constructed rhymes beats an oddball’s heart.
The T.I. apprentices Young Dro and Yung LA, who share this mixtape from T.I.’s Grand Hustle imprint, offer competing versions of the hip-hop eccentric. Of the two Young Dro is the star, a word nerd with a voice like a revving engine and a gift for fantastical imagery. He namedrops the Thundercats, Punky Brewster and “hammerhead sharks in Bermuda,” describes his car as looking “like Almond Joy” and taunts, on “Ain’t I (remix),” “The choppers in the trunk will make you do the Macarena.” He’s also a vocal comic, adopting a surf-prep accent on a series of interludes and, on “Shower,” sculpturing a rhyme where there is none: “All my diamonds are tangerine/Throwing this money like Dan Marino” (leaving the “o” on the cutting room floor).
This arresting collection of lean, stinging synthesizer-driven beats suits Young Dro well, their velocity acting as a counterbalance to his density. Yung LA, on the other hand, seems to slither atop these songs, a goofball who bleeds words into each other so that it sounds as if he’s almost always slurring. Mohawked and incessantly describing himself as futuristic, Yung LA suggests a twice-mimeographed version of André 3000 of Outkast, the early years. Which is why it’s so shocking, on “Woah,” to hear him complain about other rappers imitating his style. Even a cursory listen makes it clear he’s not the one worth copying. JON CARAMANICA
Source
“Black Boy White Boy”
(mixtape)
No one has ever accused the Atlanta rapper T.I. of harboring a weird streak, but his taste in protégés would seem to indicate that beneath the blank grin and neatly constructed rhymes beats an oddball’s heart.
The T.I. apprentices Young Dro and Yung LA, who share this mixtape from T.I.’s Grand Hustle imprint, offer competing versions of the hip-hop eccentric. Of the two Young Dro is the star, a word nerd with a voice like a revving engine and a gift for fantastical imagery. He namedrops the Thundercats, Punky Brewster and “hammerhead sharks in Bermuda,” describes his car as looking “like Almond Joy” and taunts, on “Ain’t I (remix),” “The choppers in the trunk will make you do the Macarena.” He’s also a vocal comic, adopting a surf-prep accent on a series of interludes and, on “Shower,” sculpturing a rhyme where there is none: “All my diamonds are tangerine/Throwing this money like Dan Marino” (leaving the “o” on the cutting room floor).
This arresting collection of lean, stinging synthesizer-driven beats suits Young Dro well, their velocity acting as a counterbalance to his density. Yung LA, on the other hand, seems to slither atop these songs, a goofball who bleeds words into each other so that it sounds as if he’s almost always slurring. Mohawked and incessantly describing himself as futuristic, Yung LA suggests a twice-mimeographed version of André 3000 of Outkast, the early years. Which is why it’s so shocking, on “Woah,” to hear him complain about other rappers imitating his style. Even a cursory listen makes it clear he’s not the one worth copying. JON CARAMANICA
Source
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Oscar nominations
I can't really comment on this year's Oscar nominations, partially because I don't tend to follow this stuff, but mainly because I haven't yet seen most of these movies; however, I can say this:
I feel bad that Heath Ledger died. I really do. Nobody should die that young. However, was he really that good in Batman? The publicist(s) for that movie really took advantage of the fact that he died and hyped up his "performance" for months before the movie came out. All of the sudden, every internet geek and casual movie goer was a film critic, discussing the intricacies of Heath Ledger's brilliant "performance."
Give me a break.
He was OK.
The movie was OK.
Get over it.
And, yes, I'm talking to you too Jose.
Best supporting actor?
That's almost as bad as Three Six Mafia winning an Oscar for "Hard Out Here For A Pimp."
But that song was kinda hot...
Oh.
And for the record...
If I hear another group of ladies talking about Michelle Obama's inauguration day outfits...
Give me a break!
It was an historic and monumental day.
And this is what you're talking about????
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The Source in the New York Times...
January 19, 2009
HIP-HOP MAGAZINE NO LONGER ACCEPTS ADS FOR LEWD PRODUCTS
One thing magazine advertising and hip-hop music have always had in common is skin — images of models, usually women, in alluring poses and various states of undress. The Source, the hip-hop magazine, does not aim to do away with such images — there is a lot of money in them — but it wants to make the sex in its pages a lot less explicit.
To that end, the magazine announced recently that it would no longer take what the co-publisher, L. Londell McMillan, calls “booty ads,” for pornographic films, pornographic Web sites or escort services. But those have been a mainstay for The Source — more than half the ads in the magazine at times, he said.
The Source hopes to gain more than it loses by chasing mainstream advertisers that do not want their ads alongside the adults-only kind. That’s a serious gamble at a time when magazines are struggling, unable to hold onto the ads they have.
“I realize the risk that we’re taking,” said Mr. McMillan, 42, a partner at a major law firm, Dewey & LeBouef. “But I think when you have the more raunchy, seedy ads, you lose ads like financial services ads, some of the travel ads, the bigger corporate consumer ads like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, technology, high fashion.”
The Source, he said, should be able to appeal to the core hip-hop audience, mostly young men, while also being something “you wouldn’t mind your kids seeing.”
Founded in the 1980s, The Source became the first major magazine devoted to hip-hop, but in the 1990s, it lost ground to its primary competitor, Vibe. Since then, it has gone through turnovers in management and financial troubles that culminated in bankruptcy.
A group of investors, led by Mr. McMillan, bought The Source in 2008. The major independent auditors of circulation and advertising have not examined it in recent years, making it hard to gauge the magazine’s progress, but these are hard times for the entire industry.
Mr. McMillan says eliminating sex ads is no mere business decision. Sounding, at times, less like the music’s fans than like their parents, he says he wants to transform the often raunchy image of hip-hop itself.
“We don’t want to just glorify the lowest-hanging fruit,” he said. “There’s a lot of people that want hip-hop but don’t want some of the filth that some of the business carries with it.” RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA SOURCE
Shout out to Londell...I'm coming for your spot.
HIP-HOP MAGAZINE NO LONGER ACCEPTS ADS FOR LEWD PRODUCTS
One thing magazine advertising and hip-hop music have always had in common is skin — images of models, usually women, in alluring poses and various states of undress. The Source, the hip-hop magazine, does not aim to do away with such images — there is a lot of money in them — but it wants to make the sex in its pages a lot less explicit.
To that end, the magazine announced recently that it would no longer take what the co-publisher, L. Londell McMillan, calls “booty ads,” for pornographic films, pornographic Web sites or escort services. But those have been a mainstay for The Source — more than half the ads in the magazine at times, he said.
The Source hopes to gain more than it loses by chasing mainstream advertisers that do not want their ads alongside the adults-only kind. That’s a serious gamble at a time when magazines are struggling, unable to hold onto the ads they have.
“I realize the risk that we’re taking,” said Mr. McMillan, 42, a partner at a major law firm, Dewey & LeBouef. “But I think when you have the more raunchy, seedy ads, you lose ads like financial services ads, some of the travel ads, the bigger corporate consumer ads like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, technology, high fashion.”
The Source, he said, should be able to appeal to the core hip-hop audience, mostly young men, while also being something “you wouldn’t mind your kids seeing.”
Founded in the 1980s, The Source became the first major magazine devoted to hip-hop, but in the 1990s, it lost ground to its primary competitor, Vibe. Since then, it has gone through turnovers in management and financial troubles that culminated in bankruptcy.
A group of investors, led by Mr. McMillan, bought The Source in 2008. The major independent auditors of circulation and advertising have not examined it in recent years, making it hard to gauge the magazine’s progress, but these are hard times for the entire industry.
Mr. McMillan says eliminating sex ads is no mere business decision. Sounding, at times, less like the music’s fans than like their parents, he says he wants to transform the often raunchy image of hip-hop itself.
“We don’t want to just glorify the lowest-hanging fruit,” he said. “There’s a lot of people that want hip-hop but don’t want some of the filth that some of the business carries with it.” RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA SOURCE
Shout out to Londell...I'm coming for your spot.
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