Ricky Gervais is definitely in my top 5 funniest guys alive, mainly for his performance as David Brent on The Office UK (see pic above). I was all into the US version with Steve Carell (who is probably in my Top 5 too), but my bloke Beve Bats blessed me with the DVD of the UK season one and I was hooked. It’s that uncomfortable humor that makes you cringe at times, but it’s brilliant. Here’s a couple highlights…
“New Secretary”
“Role Play”
Well, in addition to his other HBO show Extras (the box set is on the top of my holiday gift list hint hint), and his hilarious podcast which is available on itunes and his website, AND his latest feature film Ghost Town (which sounds weird but is probably great), Gervais has a HBO stand-up special airing tonight called Out of England. I imagine that it’s very funny, can’t wait to watch it.
Hopefully Ricky Gervais will be appearing more often in the US and A. I’d love to see him collaborate with some of my other top five funniest guys alive. Speaking of which, I’ll leave you with a short clip of Gervais talking to Larry David (another top 5’er) about his feelings on a stand up comedy show he attended in L.A. Cheerio!
Am I the only one who thinks Kanye West’s new album 808’s and Heartbreak is going to be amazing? All of the five songs I’ve heard off it thus far are great, especially “Heartless”, his second official leak from the new album. THE VIDEO FOR THE SONG IS ABSOLUTELY SICK!!!!! Check it out…
Hype Williams directed it, and according to Kanye, the animated look of the video was inspired by an old film from the 80’s called AMERICAN POP that Hype put him on to. Watch the trailer below…can you see the similarities? Pretty fresh take on it though, huh?
Kanye West has definitely had his share of innovative videos in his day, and the music to match. I posted my favorite of them all, his first video (that he funded himself) “Thru the Wire”, a couple months ago as part of my post reviewing his Glow in the Dark tour. But here is a serious contender for best Kanye West video of all time, “The Good Life”. When this came out, it blew me away, alot like the “Heartless” video did when I first saw it a few days ago…
I gotta say, Kanye West is #1 right now in all of music. He’s got it all, from the beats to the raps to the sing song melodies to the live shows to the videos to the everything. I can’t wait for his new album to drop. Don’t sleep, he put out a trilogy of classic hip hop albums, and now he is about to conquer the pop world while managing to still keep his sound street and cutting edge. Impressive to say the least. Don’t hate, congratulate. Check the links below for more Kanye West videos (his full collection actually), and exclusive tracks and footage (check the Nah Right link for new songs off the album, just click and scroll through the posts they’re all there, along with some recent live performances and interviews)…
Raphael Saadiq’s new album The Way I See It sounds like it was released during the original classic Motown era of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. From the production to the melodies, it just has that throwback feel, alot like Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black. He even got Stevie Wonder to play harmonica on one of the tracks (my favorite song on the album by the way)!!!! White Plains’ own Leah Rose, host of Flow TV’s Soundproof, went behind the scenes with him to listen to songs from the album before it dropped (they performed live for her!!!), and also check out Saadiq’s studio….
Cop the album it’s great, and stay tuned to Flow TV for more exclusives with Leah Rose…and as a bonus, here’s the video from my favorite Raphael Saadiq song ever, “Still Ray”…peep the tuba player!!!
Borat, the movie film, is probably the funniest movie ever made. I’m not sure if there is another movie as funny. I’ve tried to put my all time favorites in the same category, and they just can not compete. Every scene is hilarious. But before the movie ever came out, it was his appearances on Da Ali G Show that had us all hooked. Walk with me as I deliver Westcheddar’s Best of Borat Part 1:
This was the first Borat clip I ever saw, where he learns about dating in America. There are so many funny things about this. Every line is amazing. Needless to say, I was an instant fan.
OMG, Borat goes wine tasting. So funny. Peep when he kisses dude on the lips at the end of the clip. Wow.
This is like a three part Borat. He explores hobbies in America. It’s so bizarre I had to include it, especially the end. THE CLAW!!!!
Borat learns to be a country-western singer. Need I say more?
I’ll end Part 1 with a deleted scene from the movie that is unbelievable. “And what iz a deees?”
Well, did I miss one of your favorites? Feel free to let me know, but don’t forget this is just Part 1. Stay tuned…
Of all the new groups and hip rappers, The Cool Kids are by far my favorite. The self-proclaimed “new black version of the Beastie Boys” had an EP that leaked on the internet in 2007 that was superfresh, with more than a few dope cuts. Now, after officially releasing the EP titled The Bake Sale, touring heavily and appearing in TV commercials, they have propelled into the mainstream eye. Still, they managed to keep their music purely hip-hop with throwback hard beats and ill-styled rhymes. They both can flow, Mikey and Chuck, and both have sick voices and rap accents that compliment each other well (they’re from the Chicago suburbs though they sound more like A Tribe Called Quest then Bone Thugs n Harmony). And their latest release, “Delivery Man”, may be their best work to date. Check out the video and keep and eye out for them in the next year, they may be the coolest new thing in hip-hop, pun intended…
The Cool Kids have a bunch of other great songs floating around out their, and some other nice videos too. I suggest checking them out if you’re into real hip-hop. They might seem like a gimmick, but they’re the real deal.
Back in New York, a group called the Retro Kidz (above) has been making the rounds, looking like they stepped right out off the set of Do The Right Thing. Supposedly they go in to clubs and shut them down with their fresh take on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air years, flat tops and all, doing Kid n Play dance moves and having a blast. I love their fun video, and the song itself is hot too. They spit and dance. Check it out, it’s called “New Era”…
There are plenty of gassed up new acts out here that don’t deserve the accolades. Keep an eye out for these two though, The Cool Kids especially for you hip hop heads. And as for the Retro Kidz, well they are just TOO FUN!!!! Later.
I often sit back and wonder what my life would have been like if I didn’t move from Berkeley, California to White Plains, New York at the end of my kindergarten year. Would I still have been a major east coast rap fan? Or would I have been into E-40? And what about my friends? Who would I be hanging out with all the time if I still lived there?
I think I may have found the answer to that last question. Andy Samberg. I first saw Samberg on Saturday Night Live a while back when he and Justin Timberlake did the “Dick in a Box” video. I’m sure you’ve seen it, but here it is anyway, it’s awesome…
Then he popped up again on my radar, this time as the hilarious 90’s R & B rapper Blizzard Man, check his style out…
Theeeeeeeennnnnnn, I saw his very slept on movie, Hot Rod (pic below), which was actually pretty funny. Turns out Andy grew up in Berkeley, California and was also born in 1978 and went to Berkeley High School, which means if I never moved to New York we would have been classmates. Crazy huh?
Well last Saturday, when everyone tuned into SNL to see Sarah Palin, there was a sub-plot that I must admit I was more interested in. Samberg had recently done an impersonation of Mark Wahlberg, and Wahlberg didn’t like it very much. First watch the clip of Samberg’s impersonation of Wahlberg, it’s spot on, then check out Marky Mark’s reaction to it on Jimmy Kimmel…
So now I’m officially an Andy Samberg fan. Who knows, if I never moved east we might have been besties. He’s a funny guy, so keep your eyes out for him, he’s got a couple movies coming out in the next year. His website THE LONELY ISLAND he keeps with his two boys, who both also write for SNL, has lots of laugh out loud content…And check for two other classic clips from him, the Chronicles of Narnia “Lazy Sunday” rap (which first made him famous), and the sketch where Superbad’s Jonah Hill dates Samberg’s Dad…As for Wahlberg, well he was a good sport, and he is the executive producer of Entourage, so props are due…
Large Professor is probably best known to the average rap fan around my age as being one of the few producers on Nas’ Illmatic and the guy rapping at the end of “Keep it Rollin'” on A Tribe Called Quest’s Midnight Marauders. But any true east coast hip hop head will quickly agree that he’s a legend in the game well beyond being a part of those two classic early 90’s releases. In fact, he has a bunch of classics under his belt, both as a solo rapper and a producer, including his debut album with Main Source, Breakin’ Atoms, production work for rap gods like Rakim and Kool G. Rap, and remixes for everyone from Common to Gangstarr, not to mention lots of solo gems and collaborations.
Juan Epstein (Cipha Sounds and Peter Rosenberg of Hot 97) recently did an amazing interview with Large Pro on their weekly podcast. If you want a real east coast hip hop experience check it out, it’s like a history lesson in Queens rap music (he even tells the story of how he introduced Rakim to Nas). His stories are great and his straight early 90’s New York accent is even better. Everything he says starts with “word, word, word” and I especially like when he refers to the drums Q-Tip (above right) put on Nas’ “One Love” as SMACKERS. Ha! If anyone out there has ever had a conversation with my dude DJ Destro, well that’s what listening to this interview is kinda like (pardon the inside joke). Needless to say I loved every minute of it. Check it out…
Large Professor and Nas make an ill team, and have worked together more than a few times over the years, from the Main Source classic “Live at the Barbeque” to Illmatic and Stillmatic (peep “You’re Da Man” and Rewind” both are incredible). Nas also appears on Large Professor’s first two solo albums, The LP (which actually was never officially released) and 1st Class. Check out this gem from The LP, one of my favorite songs ever to appear on a DJ Clue mixtape…
As you will easily find out in listening to Large Professor’s stories on Juan Epstein, he is the glue between many legendary rappers and producers. Just check this vintage video of Lord Finesse’s “Actual Facts” featuring Large Pro, Sadat X, and Grand Puba, and try to count the cameos (check out Fat Joe fronting like he’s playing the stand up bass haha)…
Large Professor’s new album is in stores now, appropriately titled Main Source. Word.
****BONUS*****
IP’S HIGH SCHOOL BEDROOM WALL
I thought I would add on this post properly with some sick hip hop artifacts from the early ’90s. See, I used to flood my walls with hip hop pictures back when I was in high school (’92-’96). Here’s a few I saved over the years that were always very special to me…
This used to be right above my bed. I couldn’t wait for this album to drop because at the time The Low End Theory was my favorite thing on the planet (still is)….
Another classic that followed a classic. This was above my window that looked out towards Bryant Avenue.
This was posted right next to The Main Ingredient ad. This album is unbelievable. Why can’t NY artists make albums like this anymore? Somebody call Primo ASAP…
My first CD player was the same one Del is holding in this picture. It was so pimp. If you do your research on me you’ll discover my Oakland roots and why I loved Del so much. This album is so dope, and this comic book style ad for it was on the wall right next to my desk.
This was up above my other window that faced out onto Ogden Avenue along with a picture of Redman and Nas. Another banging album that dropped while I was in high school. Prodigy is still in my Top 5 favorite rappers.
This is my vote for illest magazine cover ever. I had it up by my desk, and later went back and copped a fresh copy to keep in the vault. My magazine collection is crazy, don’t test me. I got The Source with Gangstarr on the cover when they gave Illmatic 5 mics…
I’ll end my trip down memory lane with this picture from Rolling Stone magazine of Gza and Rza playing chess. No matter where I lived in high school and college this picture was somewhere on my wall…
I’ve been checking this website out for a few months now and it’s about time that I give it some burn here. ILL DOCTRINE is a video blog (a VLOG!) created by and featuring J SMOOTH, who is responsible for starting hiphopmusic.com and also hosting the longest running hip hop radio show in NYC, WBAI’s Underground Radio. J SMOOTH first caught my attention when I saw his “A Beginner’s Guide to NO HOMO” vlog posted on the bible for hip-hop media, NAHRIGHT. It was honest, intelligent, funny, accurate, and eloquent. Check it out…
Seeing this of course led me to his website, ILL DOCTRINE, where I found a bunch of videos, shot in a similar style, covering all sorts of political, social, and hip-hop related topics. J SMOOTH knows his stuff, and has a fresh perspective on lots of relevant issues that concern the people of this generation. And he’s musically talented too. Check out this little vlog ditty, I bet my dude Max B would appreciate this…
Here’s J SMOOTH’s newest vlog, about the recent economic crisis. I’m sure most us can relate when he says “I don’t understand what any of this stuff means, I don’t understand economics!”
I watched the first episode of Californication Season Two last night, kind of by accident. I heard that the new season was starting at the end of the month, so for fun I went to the menu for Showtime On Demand and saw that the new episode was up there. I then called the cable company and somehow I ended up with all the On Demand channels free for one month by trying Showtime out for a month. Sweet. Anyway, the new episode was great, and it turns out it actually doesn’t air on Showtime until next Sunday September 28th, but they already have it on Showtime On Demand. If you’re not familiar with Californication check out the preview of the new season:
Californication Season One was a classic, and it’s totally worth owning the DVD. My buddy at work first told me about the show, telling me it was “better than Entourage”. This is a credible source too. Not sure if I can say it’s better just yet, but it’s up there and worth the discussion. Since I am deeply connected to both New York and California, and both shows are about New Yorkers living in California, I love them almost equally. They each have great characters that I can relate to, amazing writing, and every episode of both shows is entertaining.
The new season of Entourage is also underway (which has started off splendidly), and both shows air at the same time, Sundays at 10pm. The question now that I have Showtime is, which one do I watch live and which do I watch On Demand? Kinda sucks that the only two new shows I like on TV are on at the same time. I think my loyalty lies with Entourage, but then again…I guess the real question is, when does the new Curb Your Enthusiasm start?
Westcheddar 