Al-Al-Alchemist’s latest album Chemical Warfare is out today, and his collaboration “Grand Concourse Benches” featuring Krs-One is my favorite song on it. Having Krs-One rap over a banging Alchemist beat is a beautiful thing. Check out the song above, which ends with a hilarious skit making fun of nerdie hip hop bloggers. And below, check two of my favorite, slept on Krs-One classics. The first is his duet “Bronx Tale” with Fat Joe (the first song on Jealous One’s Envy), and the second is the DJ Premier produced “Mortal Thought” from Return of the Boom Bap. Bouyakah!
And while we’re at it, for those of you interested in visuals too, here’s a couple classic 90’s Krs-One music videos to check out. The first is another DJ Premier produced cut, “Rappaz R.N. Dainja”, off his self titled album Krs-One. And then finally, a song my buddies and I played out (and emulated) in high school, “Mad Izm” with Channel Live….
This video just surfaced of Prodigy and Alchemist in the lab/crib, smoking and spitting with a major beat bumping. QB dudes Big Noyd and Twin are also in the building. What an ambiance. This is a portrait of my ultimate male bonding, hip hop environment. Peep it…
*BONUS #2*
Another related video just popped up. Krs-One backstage at Rock The Bells in Toronto with Rosenberg and Pete Rock. Sounds like he might be going at 50 Cent soon?!?!?!?
The date is finally set for the release of Raekwon’s Only Built For Cuban Linx…PT II. Die hard Wu Tang fans have been anticipating this album for years. You already know that the first one is in myTOP FIVE. Personally, I think the sequel should be entirely produced by Rza, but I admit I’m excited to hear what other producers like Alchemist and Westchester’s own Scram Jones are going to contribute to the second coming of the Purple Tape. I’m confident that Raekwon and his co-host Ghostface (and the numerous other confirmed and rumored contributors) will not disappoint. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and watch the videos from Only Built For Cuban Linx…
“Heaven and Hell”
“Glaciers of Ice”
“Incarcerated Scarfaces”
“Criminology”
“Ice Cream”
Can’t wait for PT II….Check the video for the first official street leak off the album, “New Wu (Wu Ooh)” featuring Ghostface and Method Man. If the album is consistent with the sound of this song, we’re in for a treat. I like this joint…
Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg will be interviewing Raekwon at his upcoming Noisemakers event on July 29th at the 92Y in Tribeca. Def gonna try to make it out for that. Would love to hear some good old Shaolin stories from the man himself. That’s it for now. I’ll call you back at the god hour. Scream.
Bruno (above) is very gay. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But he’s a flaming homosexual. And he’s hilarious. In the spirit of Borat, comedian Sasha Baron Cohen is back with more raunchy, absurd, and uncomfortable humor in his new movie simply titled Bruno. He’s been popping up everywhere during this past month, promtoting the movie by appearing nude on the cover of GQ magazine, tea-bagging Eminem at the MTV Movie Awards, and giving Conan O’Brien a lapdance on The Tonight Show. So to assist with the movie promotion, I’d like to take it back to where Bruno first started, on The Ali G Show, and present you with Westcheddar’s Best of Bruno. First up is my favorite clip, where Bruno completely gasses a college wrestling team on spring break to go crazy on his show (including show their ass cheeks) before finally telling them that the footage is for Austria Gay TV…
Next, Bruno hosts his version of Fashion Police. “Ricky Martin, ‘keep him in the ghetto’ or ‘train to Auschwitz!'” Hahahaha.
And here’s another interview in a similar style as Fashion Police (arguably better than the one above), followed by him crashing a fashion show and making his way onto the catwalk with Paris Hilton. Awesome.
This one is fun. Bruno goes to see a psychic…
And finally, here’s a brilliant interview with a young designer. Bruno totally plays him…
Bruno comes out this weekend (July 10th). Here’s the trailer for those of you who haven’t seen it yet. And if you have any other Bruno clips that you think should have been included in this post (I also like the one where he goes to Miami and is a bouncer at a club but couldn’t find a good copy of it), please let me know in the comments. Oh, and check out Westcheddar’s Best of Borat too if you missed it. Link below the trailer. I’m out. Peace.
You might recognize hollywood actor Simon Rex (above right with his homie and Westcheddar legend Andy Milonakis) as that MTV video jockey from back in the 90’s, when the station actually used to play music videos. Now, when Rex isn’t popping up in shitty movies like Scary Movie 3, he is living the life of the drugged out party boy rapper named Dirt Nasty. But before you write him off as a joke, you should check his stuff out. Because most likely, the joke’s on you jack. Let’s start with the video for his first hit song, “1980”. How funny is his backpack rapper impression in the intro? Holy cow.
The whole thing is a goof, but he’s actually a good rapper. This next one really got me. It’s called “Droppin’ Names”. Check for the line at the end of verse two, it’s my favorite….”I’m horny for beaver, give me a call Sigourney Weaver”…..HAHAHHAHAHA!!
Still not sold on his skills? Check out this freestyle, where he spits some nice raps off the dome, like rhyming “falafel” with “waffles” and “hospitals”. Something about his pronunciation and facial expressions is really funny…
Oh, wanna see Dirt Nasty talk politics? I think he’s on to something here. Very eloquent…
For more Dirt Nasty, check out his official website HERE…and if you’re interested in his acting, watch the Simon Rex TV show pilot, simply titled Rex. It’s got some cameos from Paris Hilton, Jamie Presley, and Lance Bass. The link below will take you to the full pilot, just type in the password whippedbutter…
Jay-Z’s The Black Album is a hot album. I think when people discuss his discography it is often slept on. I put it up there in my top 3 Jigga LPs. Definitely. Of course, the story behind it at the time of it’s release in 2003 was that it was going to be his last album. But since, he’s released Kingdom Come, American Gangster, and he’s currently working on Blueprint 3.
There were a ton of Black Album mash ups and remix albums made, most notably Danger Mouse’s The Grey Album, which was constructed using samples from The Beatles’ The White Album. But Lt. Dan’s Black Album Remixes (cover above) was far and away my favorite of the bunch. He cleverly and carefully selected classic early 90’s hip hop beats to blend with the pre-Reasonable Doubt story lines and feel of the songs, as if to create the audio illusion of the album actually being released before 1996 (when Reasonable Doubt came out). And the blends are perfect! I really mean it. Of course there are some stand outs, and everyone will have their favorites, but from top to bottom it is an extremely well produced and conceptually tight project. Pardon the bold statement, but this is absolutely my favorite blend mixtape ever. Not to mention that Lt. Dan has the best DJ drop of all time (see Forrest Gump, “Lieutenant Dan!!!!!!!!”). Download immediately.
Jay-Z’s movie Fade to Black, which documents the making of The Black Album and his historic Madison Square Garden Concert celebrating his so-called retirement (I was there!), supposedly makes him “cringe” when he watches it now. Probably because he’s talking up his last album, which wasn’t the case, and his last concert, which wasn’t the case either. Still, it’s an ill movie. The live footage is great, with all the guests he brings out (love the part with Slick Rick and Ghostface backstage), but the real gems are behind the scenes where he’s making the album cuts with all the different legendary producers. Check the clips, featuring Timbaland (LOL), Rick Rubin, Kanye West, and Pharrell, which are especially cool because almost all of them capture the initial moment Jay-Z hears the beats used on the album for the first time, and of course they showcase his non-writing writing style…
Hope this holds you over until Blueprint 3. Peep his recent performance of his latest banger “D.O.A.” at Hot 97’s Summer Jam, and also download the song HERE. And for classic late 90’s footage of Jay-Z and the Roc performing at NYC’s The Tunnel nightclub, go HERE….oh yeah, and here’s the official “D.O.A.” video and his live performance at the BET Awards HERE!
*MJ BONUS*
For those of you still looking for a Michael Jackson fix, here’s a Lt. Dan blend of “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” b/w Justin Timeberlake’s Neptunes produced “Like I Love You”, featuring a verse from the late great Notorious B.I.G. What a combo!
More info on Lt. Dan x Michael Jackson The King of What’s Poppin’ at TREES FOR BREAKFAST. Great name for a blog, huh? They’ve got the tracklist and D/L link (RAR file) too. It’s worth checking out if you’re looking for MJ blends, though as someone who has owned the mixtape since it dropped, I must say (other than the blend above) it’s not that rad….
I just finished watching Twilight with my wife (who has a BFF that totally loves it), and I gotta say it’s a pretty cool movie. I can see why there’s so much hype surrounding it, especially with the MTV teens. But when I heard the song above come on during the final prom scene, it brought me to an even higher level of respect for the film, and for the lead actress Kristen Stewart who supposedly picked the song specifically for that part of the film. What a good look for Sam Beam aka Iron & Wine, his digital sales must be through the roof on this one! Check the track out, which is also on his awesome album The Shepard’s Dog. It’s called “Flightless Bird, American Mouth”. Beautiful.
Iron & Wine has a new double disc out now too, titled Around The Well. It’s a dope collection of demos, covers, and rarities. Cop that. Here’s a sample off it. Originally from the Garden State Soundtrack, it’s a cover of The Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights”. This is the first song I ever heard of his….
Did you know that Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) got his deal with Sub Pop Records after passing his demo off to Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses? True story. Want more? There’s some more stuff of his in a previous on his other label mates Fleet Foxes HERE. Holler at your boy…
Have you seen this comedian dude Aziz Ansari anywhere yet? You should have. Back in ’05, Rolling Stone put him on their HOT LIST as the “hot comedian”. He was on the MTV skit show Human Giant. Kanye West featured Ansari on his blog last year, and continues too praise his work (Ansari’s comedy tour poster was a goof on West’s Glow in the Dark Tour ads). He’s popped up in a bunch of recent movies like I Love You, Man and Observe and Report, and is also on the new NBC show Parks and Recreation (which I haven’t seen yet but really want to check out since I worked for the WP Recreation Department throughout my entire teenage experience). And now, he’s playing a stand up comedian named Raaaaaaaandy in the upcoming Judd Apatow flick Funny People, which Westcheddar has been talking about alot in the pastmonth. Check out Aziz Ansari’s recent interview with Jimmy Kimmel to get a feel for his style and a little background on Raaaaaaaandy, and then below that watch him test out his Raaaaaaaaandy character on stage at Comix comedy club in NYC. This dude is mad funny!
LOL right? And did you know he’s friends with our boy Nick Kroll? They’ve toured together, and shared the screen in I Love You, Man too. If you missed our interview with Nick, check it out below, along with Aziz Ansari’s website. Hollerrrrrrrrrrrr.
Felt like hearing this today, thought you might too. It’s really coming down out there. This is off Only Built for Cuban Linx, one of my TOP FIVE hip hop albums of all time. Raekwon featuring Ghostface Killah and Blue Raspberry “Rainy Dayz”. You already know…
Only Built for Cuban Linx Pt. 2 coming this August….
50 Cent has always been known for his mixtapes. Many hip hop fans will say that they like them more than his actual albums. Well now 50 Cent is throwing everybody a curveball by releasing an actual LP for free. Sure, all of his recent mixtapes were also available for no charge, but this contains all original production (including Dr. Dre on the boards) rather than him rapping over other artist’s beats, which is what his earlier tapes are famous for. Actually, the G-Unit mixtapes from last year that led up to the group’s album release similarly contained lots of original production, and he was critiqued for giving away too much music. But I don’t think anyone should be complaining. I mean, what’s cooler than a free album from one of the biggest and best rap artists from New York? Plus 50 Cent is appearing in the new season of Entourage (see pic above). But trust me, War Angel is not Hollywood. This is a straight street banger. Cover and download link below.
There’s lots of great 50 Cent and G-Unit mixtapes out there. I’ve got a bunch in my collection. Not sure about this War Angel LP yet, I’ve only listened to it once, but I must say he always picks good beats, which is important. I’m a 50 fan. Sue me. Anyway, here’s the links to check out two of my favorite 50 Cent mixtapes. The first one is from last year, and the second one is from a few years back, before his second album came out. Both feature G-Unit and DJ Whoo Kid…
Mary J. Blige is probably the most talented and succesful woman to ever come out of Westchester County (she grew up in Yonkers). This is a collection DJ Roz and I put together back in 2003 when we had our little mixtape store out in Maryland. We made this for the ladies, but fellas you’ll enjoy it too, because it features an appearance from one of your favorite rappers on every song. Just look at the tracklist above on the cover. People used to flip out about how good Mary looks in this picture. These are all remixes and rarities that are sure to take listeners on a trip down memory lane. Perfect for the summertime. And for any young bucks out there reading, this mix will teach you why everyone calls Mary J. Blige “The Queen of Hip Hop Soul”. Download it exclusively here at Westcheddar…
DJ Roz is working on a new Matisyahu mixtape called “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn”, check for that, it’s coming out soon, featuring Stan Ipcus on a couple things. And if you missed my post on our Strictly Classics presents The Best of Peedi Crack mixtape, CLICK HERE…peace.
Westcheddar 