So my homegirl Leah Rose, a fellow WPHS class of ’96 graduate and former music editor of XXL Magazine, has her own show now, in addition to her co-hosting Lip Service on Shade 45. It’s called Sound Proof (see the ad above), on Flow TV. This week, Leah was also a guest on National Public Radio’s Sound Check, discussing three cities that are changing the face of hip hop today (Chicago, Atlanta, and New Orleans). Check out the link below and listen in, she’s quite the hip hop expert!!!!
Back in June, I posted the Jadakiss x Alchemist x DJ Premier song “From Now Til Then” and said (with confidence) it was the dopest hip hop song of the year. I also said I wasn’t sure if anyone would be able to top it. Well, it looks like Al Queda Jada is giving himself a run for the money. Check out his new banger “Who Run This”, with a little assistance from a smack talking Jay-Z on the hook…
Jadakiss- Who Run This featuring Jay-Z
As sick as this track is, I still like “From Now Til Then” the best. But hey, I’m a sucker for Alchemist beats. Pause.
Oh yeah, the LOX are back too…YO’s finest (Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek Louch), the hardest rap group of all time, linked up with another Westchester legend Pete Rock for this one, “It’s Like That”…check it out, it’s bananas yogurt…
Last week, Bill O’Reilly, the broadcaster everyone loves to hate, sat down with Barack Obama for a 4-part interview, discussing all the important issues surrounding the upcoming election. Obama handled himself quite well in my opinion, and O’Reilly seemed to genuinely gain a new found respect for the Democratic candidate. Check out each part below…
Here’s some bonus material…Check out the classic video of Bill O’Reilly losing his cool at the end of an episode of Inside Edition. Awesome.
And finally, the new Stan Ipcus song “George Mush (Move Over Dubya)”. A buddy of mine persuaded me to do a political song, so I WENT IN. To all the hip hop heads, check the irony in the KRS-ONE “Ah Yeah” beat selection. This song was very quickly embraced by the hip hop blogosphere, most notably on NAHRIGHT. Keep in mind, I’m not that politically charged. “I’m just your average voter, a random Democrat…”
Vote or Die. Hollerrrrrrrr.
Andy Milonakis burst on the scene about 5 years ago, and quickly went from a Northern Westchester suburban weirdo who liked to make computer videos of himself rapping, to a national star with his own show on MTV. He was born in Katonah, New York, just north of Mt. Kisco (where the middle school dudes that frequent my arts center have spotted him in town at the local pool). He’s somewhat of a living legend around Westchester; the kid that that everyone claims to know in some way or another. Any time his name comes up, you’ll here someone blurt out something like, “My brother went to Fox Lane with him!”, or “He used to work at the video store in Pleasantvile”. And to think, his rise to stardom all started with a ridiculously silly four minute rap freestyle clip (see below). He actually blew up in a similar way to Matisyahu, and got his first nationwide exposure on the Jimmy Kimmel Show!!!! Here at WESTCHEDDAR, it is about time we pay homage to probably the stupidest YET FUNNIEST (and definitely most viewed) video of a kid freestyle rapping live from Westchester County. I remember when this was first forwarded to me in an email back in 2003, before Youtube ever existed, and I thought it was hilarious. I also thought he was 13 years old; turns out he was like 26. “From Westchester, the best chester…” There’s a ton of classic lines in this I won’t even attempt to quote. Check it out, the first ever Andy Milonakis video, the one that still makes middle school kids laugh out loud (trust me I’ve seen it)…
Yo for real, this dude Nardwuar the Human Serviette from Vancouver (above left with Snoop) is the most amazing interviewer of all time. Basically, he looks like a total goofball, dressed usually in plaid pants and weird golf hats, and he has the most amazing NERD VOICE ever hands down no comparisons. The bio on his website describes him as “very intense, yet likeable”. He gets in your face with that voice and you can’t help but love it. Most of the artists he interviews are very impressed with his research skills and music knowledge too, as he almost always pulls out some obscure record or artifact to “WOW” the interviewee. And he’s interviewed lots of my favorite bands, like The Shins, The White Stripes, and The Arctic Monkeys. He’s also interviewed quite a few hip hop guys, such as Busta Rhymes, QuestLove of The Roots (very interesting and long 4 part interview), Flava Flav, and Ice Cube, among others. Check out his most recent interview below with Jay-Z to see what I’m talking about….
Jay-Z actually plays it pretty cool, though others are usually more impressed by Nardwuar’s knowledge and overall antics, especially Pharrell (as noted in the above interview with Hov). Check out Nardwuar’s full interview with N.E.R.D. below and watch as Pharrell finds out the origin of Nardwuar’s name…
I watched a ton of his other interviews last night, and this particualr one made me laugh out loud the most…Check out Nardwuar’s interview with Rahzel the Human Beatbox….hysterical…
I urge you to watch more of Nardwuar’s interviews, he’s got a ton of them with lots of different bands, hip hop artists, and even political figures. He’s even got a classic interview with Nirvana from early 1994 and one also with James Brown. Comb through his youtube page for more videos, and also check out his official website for more info. Vote Nardwuar for MUSIC NERD OF THE YEAR!!!!!!!!
A good cover song is hard to come by. Some people take a classic song and make it sound like a pile of poop. But every once in a while, an artist comes along and does one some serious justice. Check out these COVER GIRLS as they flip the script on a few timeless tunes…
The most badass, jewish, UK born and raised, toothpick train wreck of a soul singer Amy Winehouse, takes Sam Cooke’s “Cupid” to a whole other level. Is that a 007 she’s drinking? Nice…
Just imagine this song playing at the end of a baseball game in the Bronx. Ok, maybe we shouldn’t mess with tradition, but it’s still an ill cover of Frank Sinatra’s classic Yankee Stadium closer…
Alicia Keys is so talented and her stage show is banging. Check out this live version of the Force M.D.’s “Tender Love”…
Oh, and here’s a bonus (sorry, i had to sneak this in), a cover of the Rolling Stones gem “Wild Horses”, with a little help from Adam Levine of Maroon 5, from Keys’ MTV Unplugged show. Peep the video (and audio)…
Alicia Keys featuring Adam Levine- Wild Horses
This is from the first Mary J. Blige album WHAT’S THE 411?, the original version was sung by Chaka Khan. How dope is Mary J. Blige? And to think, this is from 1992, and eighteen years later she’s still killing it…
This is one of my all time favorite R & B songs, originally done by the Isley Brothers…
Aaliyah- At Your Best (You Are Love)
R.I.P. Aaliyah
Stay tune for Westcheddar’s next installment of classic covers…
This kid Michael Cera is an absolute crack-up. Of course he was excellent in Juno (and the TV show Arrested Development), but he really steals the movie in Superbad. The more I watch this movie, the more I like it. If I was 13 years old, this would be my favorite movie of all time hands down no comparison. I’m totally for the return of teen movies, even if I am 30 years old now, it’s still my favorite genre of cinema. I love when the girl he’s been lusting after the whole movie (Becca) gets drunk at the end of the movie and tells him (Evan) to take a drink, and he toasts “to the respect of women!” And then, when they go upstairs to get it popping, she tells him she’s been wanting to get with him for so long, and he says “I know, same-sies”. SAME-SIES!! HAHAHAHAHAHA. But the best scene is the one from the video below (pictured above), when he sneaks into a random bedroom at a house party to make a phone call and gets forced by a bunch of older guys sniffing coke to sing for them. Check it out…
While I’m on the subject, I gotta say this whole Judd Apatow crew is really talented and funny. It’s cool that they are responsible for a lot of the writing. They’re really on a roll. It’s worth purchasing or net flix-ing their older work where they all started. Both FREAKS AND GEEKS and UNDECLARED (pictured below) are excellent. Too bad they each only lasted one season.
40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN, KNOCKED UP, and SUPERBAD were instant classics. FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL was awesome, easily the most slept on movie of the year (Jason Segal the star and writer of the film is my favorite of the Apatow crew). But I am psyched to see this new one PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, starring and written by Seth Rogan, probably the smartest and most talented of the crew. I love the premise; two stoners witness a murder and go on the run. Sick. We’ll see if it can live up to the hype.
Can’t wait for this to come out on DVD.
Check the guy on the right, co-star and ex-Freaks and Geeks actor James Franco, high as hell holding the sawed-off. Crazy. Oh, just a thought, wouldn’t it be great to get Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, and those Frat Pack dudes in a Judd Apatow flick with some of his stoner crew? I mean come on, it worked phenomenally with fellow Frat Packer Steve Carell in 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN. Let’s combine those two crews together for something else asap. Ben Stiller and Jonah Hill? Just thinking out loud. Holler if you hear me.
A couple funny, related websites to check out…
Curb Your Enthusiasm may very well be my all-time favorite TV show. I am at the point where I have seen every episode at minimum five times, and once in a while one of those real classic episodes comes on at my beloved 11pm time slot, which is usually exactly when my fiancee is falling asleep to me telling her, “Baby you’ve got to see this one!!” But like clockwork, she’s in dreamland before the opening jingle is over, and I am stuck laughing out loud by myself (which is actually quite fun). Here is the first installment of my all-time favorite clips from fellow Terp alumni Larry David…
Quite possibly my favorite of the favorites, Larry’s conversation with Krayzee Eyes Killah. The whole episode is amazing, but this opening interaction between the two is unbelievable, especially Larry’s analysis of Krayzee’s lyrics.
The latest season featuring The Blacks is possibly the best season yet, but don’t quote me on that. I just love Larry’s chemistry with Leon. In this scene, Leon tells Larry how to get back at a guy who made an offensive comment to him in a doctor’s office. “Get in that ass Larry!!”. The funniest part is Larry repeating Leon’s advice. Priceless.
“Judaism, where are you!?” Amazing scene.
Larry doing stand up, from the very first Curb Your Enthusiasm special. I love this.
Another person that Larry has hilarious on screen chemistry with is Richard Lewis. This clip is from the first season. This to me is the essence of jewish humor.
And finally, the season three finale’s final scene. A total curse fest. “Boy cock girl cock eee iii eeee iii oooo.” Wow.
Stay tuned for Larry David’s Greatest Hits Part 2…
One of the first reasons I was drawn to Brand Nubian was because they were from New Rochelle, NY. They were local guys with popular songs, and although they didn’t seem to like white people much, I dug them.
When Grand Puba came out with “360 Degrees WHAT GOES AROUND“, I was in 9th grade and totally infatuated with hip-hop music. His solo album Reel to Reel was the first actual CD I ever bought, before that my music collection was all tapes. This was back when Sam Goody was on the first floor in the Galleria. I loved that album, and suddenly my closet was filled with Tommy Hilfiger shirts.
I was in 11th grade when Brand Nubian came out with their second Grand Puba-less album. They had one before it, In God We Trust, with the radio hit “Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down” on it, but Everything is Everything was the one I used to always rock. Just look at the cover and the placement of the parental advisory sticker, it’s amazing. This album made me respect Sadat X so much. His style was so ill. And there are some incredible NY hip-hop beats on this album too. Check out some of my highlights from the album…
Straight off the Head…You can tell they were just freestyling on this back and forth which was cool because no one ever really put freestyles on their album. The beat is dope too, real slow with a sick bassline.
Alladat featuring Busta Rhymes…I’ve been listening to this song alot lately. It’s like a Sadat X solo record with Busta on the chorus. Fire.
Down for the Real…This was the one for me, with the Menace to Society sample and them rapping over a live band. No one except The Roots was really doing that back then, and they managed to pull it off and still make the track sound gully and street. My favorite song on the album.
And here’s a video for their second single off Everything is Everything, “Hold On”, filmed half in NY and half in LA…
Sadat X eventually put out a solo album too called Wild Cowboys which was cool (especially the title track), and Grand Puba dropped 2000, a second solo effort, before Brand Nubian reunited on Foundation in the second half of the 90’s. And since then there has actually been a good amount of Brand Nubian related material released, group and solo. But most of their best work is from the early 90’s, some of which was never officially released. Here’s a few of my favorites:
Sadat X, Grand Puba, and Diamond D- I Flip Styles…This was my shit. It was originally on an old DJ S&S tape, and it never got released on anything.
Sadat X and Redman- You and You and You ORIGINAL VERSION…I love Sadat X on this track, and Redman comes in on the second verse and kills it. This was on some random mixtape back in the day. Frankie Cutlass released another version of it on his album, but it had a different beat.
Grand Puba and Sadat X- Play it Cool…This song is hot. It’s from Puba’s second solo album, and it was the first time the two reunited on an album cut.
Grand Puba- Ya Know How it Goes…Solo Puba at his best, off Reel to Reel.
Sadat X and Notorious BIG- Come On…This was a mixtape classic, released officially on B.I.G.’s Born Again.
Sadat X- Straight East Coast– This is an unreleased cut, and it sounds exactly like it’s title.
Since I moved to New Rochelle last year, I’ve seen Grand Puba walking on the street by the train station twice. Both times I was driving by in my car, and one time I was actually listening to his album! True story. I wanted to pull over and tell him what a big fan I was and how his style directly influenced me, a whiteboy from White Plains who used to come to New Rochelle to play in summer league basketball tournaments at Lincoln Park and drink pitchers at O’Brien’s and Downtowns in high school. Maybe next time.
I’ve been reading this book of Rolling Stone Magazine interviews for the past week or so (see picture below), which has an amazing collection of classic interviews with everyone from John Lennon to Ray Charles to David Letterman to Eminem to Jerry Garcia to Bill Clinton. It’s so awesome, especially if you’re like me and your favorite thing to read is interviews. I came across something very cool in the middle of the Johnny Cash piece, something about my beloved home, White Plains, NY.
Turns out Johnny Cash’s song “Big River” has roots in WP. Featured on his I WALK THE LINE album, “Big River” is one of his lesser known tunes, but it’s actually pretty hot. Peep the excerpt from the interview…
Let’s talk about your own songs. Do you have any special memories about them?
“Big River”-I wrote that as a real slow bluesy thing. I remember sitting in the back of the car going through White Plains, New York, singing…”I ta-ught the wee-ping wil-low how to cry.” Real slow and Bluesy.
“I taught the weeping willow how to cry.” That’s a great line. WP is known for its trees! Check out the song…
Westcheddar 