justin adler, blog, buenos aires, bahia blanca, university of arizona, brooklyn, basketball, travel, paul mcpherson

Monday, November 26, 2007

In the music



Every holiday season I try to take a break from hip-hop and listen to Christmas music the entire time. I figure it can't be healthy to numb your brain with Weezy 12 months a year and a little Nat King Cole or Sinatra never hurts. Every year it gets harder and harder though as every one of my favorite rappers releases an album hoping it will sell a couple more in the retail propelled quarter 4.

Here's a quick rundown of what I've been bumping when Christmas music isn't running through my headphones.

1. Lupe Fiasco's single "Superstar"

A bootleg concert version of this came out late in the summer and I slept on it for a couple of months. Since the real version has been available I can't stop listening to this song, seriously I've listened this song at least twice a day for the past two weeks. By far the best single to come out in '07 not off "American Gangster" or "Graduation." Lupe again kills the track with flawless lyricism. Props to Hype Williams for making a perfect video to accompany the song.

2. Freeway's "Free at last"

Freeway is by far my favorite Sunni Muslim rapper from Philadelphia. Even though this album isn't as great as his debut "Philadelphia Freeway," the inner Sunni-Muslim-rapper that I believe is inside us all won't let me make any negative comments about this album. Freeway is hard as shit, but also keeps it real such as in the track title "I cry," where he raps "I'm a break it down to y'all a few times in my life when I had to cry/ it's just grown-man shit/ real rap, let's go/ when I was diaper switching/ first time my GI Joes was missing."

3. Birdman featuring everyone - "100 million dollars"

The scene where Weezy is rapping in a room made of money is just epic. When I make it one day, I am going to say Weezy keeping stacks on the blades of his ceiling fan was my inspiration.

4. Murs releasing a video off his two-year old "Murray's Revenge" when he supposedly has a new album dropping early '08.

I say this about half the people I meet in life, but honestly Murs might be my favorite person ever. Definitely top 5 dead or alive and that's just off a couple LPs and a dope concert.

5. The retarded amount of good music that leaked in the past few days that I haven't even got a chance to listen to fully.
Styles P - "Super Gangster, Extraordinary Gentleman"
DJ Drama a.k.a. Barak O'Drama - "Gangsta Grillz (the album)"
Wu Tang Clan - "8 Diagrams"
Ghostface Killah - "Big Doe Rehab"
Murs 3:16 Presents: "Murs and the Misadventures of Nova Express"
Beanie Sigel - "The Solution"

6. Jay-Z - "American Gangster"

One of the better albums to come out in my lifetime. Enough said.

7. Snoop Dogg - "Sensual Seduction"

Snoop Dogg may be the flyest person ever. The idea of making a P-Funk inspired video in grainy resolution 15 years into your career in the year 2007 is simply genius. Also props on cutting the middle-man that is T-Pain and just using a voice box himself.

Other shit:
Magazine I'm most anticipating: "I'm a martian and if you understand me than you're Jesus Christ" Props to Marc Ecko for knowing how to sell a goddamn magazine.

Random Cats shit: Reasons I haven't blogged the past two games
1. When you don't want to be a sports journalist, it's tough to find motivation
2. I figure everyone watched the Kansas game
3. Work that actually pays me, unlike journalism
4. I try to like the Cats, I really do, but there is not one player on the team who I really enjoy watching or have an invested interest in
5. Some other shit, namely apathy and homework

Best thing I've heard about the Cats recently: "We should start a Facebook group called 'Brielmaier from 15!!!'" - in reference to UA walk-on Bret Brielmaier jumper (with a wide-open lane) with 5 seconds on the clock against Kansas.

Random Oregon shit: They had a game tonight against K-State that was nationally televised. I took a nap between the first quarter and :45 second mark in OT, effectively missing the whole game...But they won, so I can't complain. Notes: Catron had 15 in the second half...Freshman Cameron Brown spells his name Kamyron Brown...Ernie Kent is a G...Oregon already gave away Adrian Stelly's #21 to freshman Nicholas Fearn...

Random Shot at the ol' J.O.B.: This ether I laid in the comment section of an article that made a mockery of journalism. No offense to Ritter, his side was legit.

Sneaker Watch of Life: I saw a bum today wearing Soaps, the shoes that are designed aggressive freestyle walking.

Coming up on Wherespmac.com: Review of favorite X-mas tracks and albums. Be ready.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

J i could let one go, but twice you said "quarter" in reference to college hoops. they play 2 halfs now.