Inspirational Quote of the Week

I don't know what it means to quite rap but it sounds exciting!!

But seriously though Waka, you promise?

Jam of the Weekend

Without any warning or promotion, Blu dropped a new LP entitled J E S U S. With production from Blu himself, as well as Madlib, 9th Wonder, and Alchemist, the album is a real gem, and sounds like a mixtape in the best way possible. This project perhaps is intended to keep fans satisfied until his Warner debut, No York, drops. Regardless, take a listen to track seven, entitled, "4u", and go pick up the whole album today. Enjoy.

Jam of the Week

Here's another track from Kendrick Lamar's new release, Section 80. Seriously, get this album. Lookout for a full album review next week. Enjoy.

Confirmed "Watch The Throne" Cover

According to the always credible folks over at MediatTakeOut, this is rumored to be the cover art for Kanye West and Jay-Z's Watch The Throne, whenever it is in fact released. The mandala-style graphic is reminiscent of the "H.A.M." cover, giving this rumor a bit of legitimacy, but then again it's from MediaTakeOut so any potential for legitimacy is null. Also according to MediaTakeOut, the cover will be, "Made out of metal..." We'll see about that.

Still no word on an actual release date. We'll keep you posted.


UPDATE: Ryan Seacrest is also “reporting” that we will be getting a new single mid July with the album looking at an August release (with a tour to follow).


UPDATE #2: For once MediaTakeOut gets it right as we can now confirm via tweet from Kanye himself that this is indeed going to be the album cover. It is also now confirmed that Watch the Throne will contain ten tracks, with the deluxe edition supporting an extra four. Pre-order the album here.

Jam of the Week

This week's jam, "HiiiPoWeR", is the first single from Kendrick Lamar's new album, Section 80, which drops tomorrow. The song's great, the album is sure to be great, make sure you check it out. Enjoy.

10 Songs by Four or More Rappers

Okay, so be warned, this post is pretty pointless. It's just an excuse for me to post some good songs onto the blog. The criteria for this is list is as follows:

• Must have at least four rappers on the song
• The main group cannot consist of more then two (or else it would be all Tribe, De La Soul, and Wu-Tang)

Hit the Jump for the songs. Enjoy.

The Worst Weekend to Not Be In NYC (featuring Kanye West, Mos Def, Lupe Fiasco, and Robert Glasper)

Now, being in Italy is awesome, don't get me wrong, but I am physically pained at the thought of having missed what took place at legendary New York City jazz club, The Blue Note, this past weekend. Lupe Fiasco was performing a four show run alongside this week's Jam of the Week artist, Robert Glasper and his electric group, The Robert Glasper Experiment. On the final night, Fiasco brought out both Mos Def and Kanye West where the trio freestyled, as well as spit both new and old verses. Now, those three alone would have been an incredible show, but the fact that they were being backed by some of the best musicians alive, namely Robert Glasper and drummer Chris Dave, is too much for me to handle. I would've been there too! I would've been there.

Kanye's freestyle was undoubtedly one of his best ad-lib's ever, producing such quotables as "All this Illuminati talk, like my first hit single wasn't, 'Jesus Walks'" and, "Now I'm scared of the Grammys? Does everybody know that 'Dark Fantasy' was the highest rated album in history? Are you kidding me?" Lupe's actual set, I'm sure, was amazing, and fortunately the group performed the jazzy "Paris, Tokyo," which I've always thought would be made only more perfect with the addition of Glasper and Dave. As it turns out, I was right. Anyway, it seems like it was an awesome show, check out videos of Kanye's freestyle and Lupe's Glasper-enhanced "Paris, Tokyo" below.

UPDATE: Hit the jump for a couple of actual videos of Lupe and the Experiment.

Hip Hop out of NYU

This post is going to be pretty pointless. If you know me, you know that I have a lot of pride. Even though I don't have many marked accomplishments myself, I will be the first person to boast the merits of someone who I know, or even don't know, but still feel a sense of connection to. For example, Swizz Beatz is a producer-in-residence at NYU. Does it affect me at all? No, but I still feel a sense of pride in that fact. Also, Rick Rubin founded Def Jam while at NYU.

Everyone enjoys listening to good music. So the proceeding songs are a sampling of some of the work that NYU students and alums have made. Enjoy. 

Childish Gambino- Freaks and Geeks (If you're thinking that you have seen him before, you're right. This is Donald Glover) 

Mickey Factz- Paradise (Dropped out of NYU to pursue rap career)

Nyle- Let the Beat Build

Alchemist- Lose Your Life

NEM Diddit- Bottom to the Top (Current Student)

 

Black Star- Definition (My second favorite rap duo of all time, behind Outkast)

 

Mos Def feat. Talib Kweli- History (So good that they deserve two songs here. This song, however, is off one of Mos Def's solo albums)

My Freshman for 2011

XXL Magazine recently released their annual list for the Freshmen of 2011. For those who are not familiar, XXL releases an issue in which they feature who they believe are the top newcomers to the game. This is the fourth year they're doing it. 2008 produced one of my favorite rappers (Lupe Fisco, but I'm not sure why he was on the 2008 list when he already had two great albums out), but other than that, the rest are kind of a let down. 2009 (minus Ace Hood and Charles Hamilton) is a pretty solid list. I just wish Blu got more exposure. 2010 produced a very strong lineup (minus Oj da Juiceman) as well, highlighted by two of my favorite MCs out right now, J. Cole and Fashawn

So this post is who I would include, if I was XXL, in their 10 Freshman for 2011. Hit the jump for the list.

This fool Hoddy...

Hoddy, or Young Jedi, is one of the most reckless, not-giving-a-fuck kids you'll meet. He's Jersey-bred, so you know his performances are always live. See what this BASElife he's living is all about in his new track "Baseville" here.

Photo by my girl Henny X Harmon

Jam of the Week

This week's jam comes from legendary MC Talib Kweli's latest album, Gutter Rainbows. Featuring fellow New York MC Jean Grae, "Uh Oh" is an instant banger. Enjoy.

Jam of the Week x3

To make up for my lack of posts lately, here are, not one, not two, but three songs for you to jam on this week. I'm going to tell you now, the theme connecting all of these songs is the color blue. Just because.

The first jam is from underground MC Blu's debut album, Below the Heavens. Sam mentioned this cut in his ridiculously long list of songs he thought you should listen to, but, if for some reason you missed it, here it is again. Blu has long been one of my favorite MCs, but as HipHopDX's Rookie of the Year in 2007 and one of XXL's top freshman in 2009, he has yet to achieve the success that he deserves. Hailed as an underground classic, Below the Heavens contains both incredible lyricism from my boy Blu as well as astounding production from Exile. Definitely check out Blu's entire catalog and look for his upcoming mixtape, Amnesia, which was supposed to drop on Valentines Day.

Hit the jump for the other two jams.

Black and Yellow

I’m sure you’ve heard Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow”. I don’t mind much if you haven’t, I’m just guessing you have. I also would imagine that you’ve heard a slew of corny imitations traversing the color wheel from "White and Navy," to "Black and Orange," to "Red and Purple."

The thing is, “Black and Yellow” is a very syllable-specific phrase. Yel-low. It’s two syllables. I’m all for repping your team’s colors, when it works, but a lot of the time, it just doesn't. It’s not Red and Bl-ue. Or even Blue and Re-d. My apologies, Phillies and Giants fans. And another thing, I understand that it’s because of sports teams, but how about we get some interesting colors? Teal and Maroon? Taupe and Forest? You would think people would like to support things other than your basic colors.

Unfortunately, they do.

As it turns out, Wiz Khalifa is responsible for the second worst trend of youtube videos and parody songs in history. Soulja Boy, of courses, takes first place in that competition. In addition to this, Mr. Khalifa has caused me significant personal anguish for having to listen to around twenty-five of these videos. Here are a few of the "best":

This one, um, is about a hat. And here’s one about bbm-ing, which actually includes the guy’s bbm pin, if you’re interested. And here, even, is one about Donatello - the teenage mutant ninja turtle, not the artist. Here’s one about two of life's great passtimes, I guess, grills and women. This one is about bruises? Or maybe it’s just about being unsure of the exact nature of the second color. Here’s one that sticks to the original color scheme, but, well, he manages to put his own spin on it. We've got one about being Filipino, one about Alabama, and even one about Albo Eagle, which apparently is a Serbian diss. There's this one about Call of Duty, a fantastic game, this one, where the artist feels the need to add a third color, almost giving him the primary colors, and this one, "Green and Green". You would think that the first "Green" would cover both greens, but apparently not. The only one I can firmly get behind, is this one, about Justin Bieber.

I don't expect you to listen to all of those. For your sake, I hope you don't. This was just a small taste of the fantastic products that were spawned from two colors and four syllables.

EDIT: Lil Wayne recently got his two cents in with "Green and Yellow," in support of Superbowl-champs the Green Bay Packers. Props to the Packers. Less props to Wayne, though it is better than "Green and Green."

Birthday Tribute to James "J Dilla" Yancey

Today, February 7th, 2011, marks what would've been the thirty-seventh birthday of late hip hop producer James Yancey, better known by his stage name, J Dilla. Old School Movie is a blog centered around our collective and individual thoughts on culture, and being that hip hop is such a big part of all our lives, we thought it only fitting to honor one of the most influential artists in hip hop history.

Dilla was the man behind classic albums by A Tribe Called Quest, Common, The Pharcyde, and Erykah Badu, was a member of Slum Village and hip hop collective The Soulquarians, and also worked with such artists as De La Soul, Madlib, Bilal, and Robert Glasper. His classic, jazzy sound was centered around the sampling of old records, but even in the absence of a sample, his signature sound was recognizable through his strategic placement of melody lines and instrumentation. Chances are, if you don't think you've listened to Dilla, he's probably produced one of your favorite tracks.

Dilla died in 2006 of the blood disease TTP just as his career was beginning to take off. He then rose posthumously to superstar status through the support of the hip hop community and media exposure. Hit the jump for some classic J Dilla joints and join us in wishing him a happy birthday. R.I.P.

Songs You May or May Not Have Heard Of (But You Should) Part IV

Listed below are some songs that have found their way into heavy rotation on my iPod and iTunes. They are in no particular order in terms of what song I like more. If you have any recommendations, please pass along some artists and songs. If you agree or disagree with some of the songs on my list, let me know! Hit the jump for the list!

Here is Part I, Part II, and Part III

EDIT: So originally I intended on making a Top 10 sort of list, but i came up with 18 songs that I felt like everyone should hear. Enjoy.

Songs You May or May Not Have Heard Of (But You Should) Part III

Listed below are some songs that have found their way into heavy rotation on my iPod and iTunes. They are in no particular order in terms of what song I like more. If you have any recommendations, please pass along some artists and songs. If you agree or disagree with some of the songs on my list, let me know! Hit the jump for the list!

Here is Part I, Part II, and Part IV

EDIT: So originally I intended on making a Top 10 sort of list, but i came up with 18 songs that I felt like everyone should hear. Enjoy.

Songs You May or May Not Have Heard Of (But You Should) Part II

Listed below are some songs that have found their way into heavy rotation on my iPod and iTunes. They are in no particular order in terms of what song I like more. If you have any recommendations, please pass along some artists and songs. If you agree or disagree with some of the songs on my list, let me know! Hit the jump for the list!

Here is Part I, Part III, and Part IV.

EDIT: So originally I intended on making a Top 10 sort of list, but i came up with 18 songs that I felt like everyone should hear. Enjoy.

Songs You May or May Not Have Heard Of (But You Should) Part I

Listed below are some songs that have found their way into heavy rotation on my iPod and iTunes. They are in no particular order in terms of what song I like more. If you have any recommendations, please pass along some artists and songs. If you agree or disagree with some of the songs on my list, let me know! Hit the jump for the list!

EDIT: So originally I intended on making a Top 10 sort of list, but i came up with 18 songs that I felt like everyone should hear. Enjoy.


Here is Part II, Part III, and Part IV

Cab Fare

Here's a difference I noticed tonight between taxi cabs in New York and Florence. Well, really, here's a couple: One would be that they are obtained in different ways. To hail a taxi in New York you do exactly that - hail it. In Florence it's much different. You either call the cab number and begin paying from the moment you call, or you scavenge for a spot where taxis are rumored to congregate and hope that one of them will give you a ride. It's almost like they don't want your business (I'll soon explain that this is far from true). Regardless of your method, it sucks. The second difference is that where taxi drivers in New York have your back (I presume), the ones in Florence do not. This evening, Sam and I were waiting for a taxi when a wet dog, which turned out to be a wet man, which turned out to be a wet bum, arrived also looking for a cab. The cab driver, instead of having our back, had his wallet's back and decided to take both parties (us and the man) to their destination. While there was of course the possibility that this guy could be an awesome sorcerer or Zach Galifianakis, he was not, and spent the entire ride yelling and scratching Sam's arm. In the end we made it home and killed some left over pasta. The end justified the means.

In honor of tonight's subject matter, here is one of the greatest hip hop songs of all time, also, regarding taxi cabs.