I’ve listened to this one song alot in my car for the past few weeks, so I thought I’d share it with my loyal readers because it is really dope. This is a type of rap music I always liked. Real laidback and lyrical, with an ill sample and hard drums. Blu, who is from California (my birthplace), is considered one of the leaders of the new school of rap. I must say I’ve heard alot of his songs over the past couple of years, but this is the first one that I have ever played on repeat. It’s called “Amnesia”. Check it out…
Oh, I’ve been banging this too. The Cool Kids “Pennies”. I put some of the middle school kids I work with up on these guys, and now it’s all they listen to. Supposedly this song is the first leak off their official debut LP, When Fish Ride Bicycles. Sounds crazy. Peep the video…
And here’s an alternate video (the Decon Version) of “Pennies”…
The first time I ever heard the LOX was in 1996 on the song above, “You’ll See”, which features Biggie on the last verse. I was an instant fan. They were from Yonkers, loved to shout out the 914 area code, and all three of them (Jadakiss, Styles, and Sheek) could rap VERY WELL. In the last decade plus, they’ve been through alot, from switching labels to starting solo careers, and through it all they’ve maintained their street sensibility. Check out this recent interview they did together with DJ Enuff where they talk about the state of hip hop, who they’re fans of, and why the game is so effed up. It’s a great clip…
And while you’re at it, check out my latest song “Tweet Tweet”, the first ever Twitter themed jam, which debuted on nahright.com….here’s the post, it’s a good look…
I invented a new game last week at the BGC called BG sCene IT. It’s basically a team improv battle game, where judges vote on which squad interprets the scene given to them better than their opponents. It was a very fun afternoon. Check out the two part video…
Ahhh, the life of a substitute teacher. I know it too well. In fact, I can relate to this new HBO show’s story of a former baseball star who comes back to his home town to sub in a very personal way. Sure, I was never a major celebrity (not even close), but I would work in White Plains every once in a while as a substitute teacher right after the Matisyahu album cut “WP” came out, and real talk I signed autographs in school. It was weird, like why would you really want my autograph, I’m your sub and I see you around school like once a week. But at the same time, it was kind of cool and gratifying to know that my talents were looked up to in the midst of my daily hustle subbing to support myself financially. The same kids I was teaching were seeing me rap with Matisyahu at MSG and Hammerstein Ballroom. I was proud to be a part of both of those worlds with them. Check the clip of me performing at a spoken word show at lunchtime in the library of WPHS during my days as a sub, a moment where my worlds’ collide…
I’m not sure how proud washed up baseball superstar Kenny Powers, Danny McBride’s character on Eastbound and Down, is feeling though after returning home to work at a local middle school. He’s cocky, obnoxious, and completely inappropriate, yet he’s still worshipped as a celebrity by many of the adults at school and in town, even the principal. The kids, however, look at him like a total joke though (mostly because their parents do too). And he is. It’s a fun show. McBride, who is on the rise right now after a funny performance as Red in Pineapple Express, provides a bunch of LOL moments on the show, which will be airing it’s third episode this Sunday. Take a look at the Eastbound and Down Behind the Scenes HBO Special below (the series is produced by Will Ferrell by the way)…
And in case you missed it, Summer Heights High, another new HBO comedy series, is borderline brilliant. Chris Lilley (very talented and funny) plays three different main characters on the show; a stuck up valley girl, a flaming drama teacher, and a badass schoolboy. All three characters are outrageously hilarious in their own way.
The show has the feel of The Office UK (you know, that uncomfortable humor), but it’s set at an Australian High School. Check for reruns, watch it On Demand, or cop the DVD that just dropped today. Here’s the trailer…
Give both shows a shot, they’re worth watching. I wonder when the new Curb Your Enthusiasm season is starting?
I’ve been following Kid Cudi’s budding career since sometime last spring when I first heard his stoner anthem “Day N Nite” on myspace. I forget how I stumbled across it, but I dug it from the first listen and put a bunch of my friends onto the song (like my boys the Cuddy brothers whose last name shares the same pronunciation), and they in turn were feeling it too. It’s a dope track, with an ill sing-songy flow and a spaced out beat. It reminded me instantly of my own college days, walking around dazed and confused, trying to find myself. Boy it sure blew up, and it deserved to. Now even the 7th grade kids I work with are into the song, probably because they hear the remix with Jim Jones (which made the song worse and that’s speaking as a Dip Set fan) on Hot 97 every hour of the day. It’s crazy how big a song can get in six months or so. And now Kid Cudi’s rolling with the best team around, Kanye West’s label G.O.O.D. Music. He’s definitely not nearly as talented as Kanye, but I’m rooting for him. Check out his brand new video for “Day N Nite”, it’s excellent, and directed by the same guy who did Kanye’s video for “The Good Life”…
Want more? What, you haven’t heard his mixtape A Kid Named Cudi? It’s a bit overrated, but still pretty fresh. There’s a couple cool songs on there (check out “Maui Wowie”), and he gets props from me for sampling my dudes Band of Horses and even re-making a Paul Simon classic. Here’s the free download link if you missed it, and keep your ears open for Kid Cudi’s debut album in 2009.
Remember this game above? That’s right, NHL ’93 for Sega Genesis. Man, I used to play this all the time. Of course, video games have come along way since this 16-bit classic. But if you’re interested in playing these old games once in a while and you’re not a game nerd that has the old systems lying around, there’s a couple great websites where you can play any Sega Genesis game you want right on your computer! Seriously, it’s sick. Nintendo too. Last night, I was surfing around looking for some cool games that my young kids at work could play during our holiday break, and I stumbled upon a GOLDMINE. I tried a couple out, and they play pretty well too, you just have to adjust to using the keyboard, but it looks and plays exactly like you remember. I played a couple of my old favorites, and it was a blast I can’t front I felt like a pimply little pimp again. NHL ’93, NBA JAM (He’s on firrrreeeeeee!!!!), NBA Live ’96, Madden ’93, Sonic. The Nintendo games are even crazy too. Tennis?!?!?!? Excitebike. Baseball. Tecmo Bowl. Super Mario Bros pt. 2?!?!?! I’m telling you, these sites have EVERY GAME. And it’s all free. Check these links, then thank me later.
Now I know you can get lots of old games on Nintendo Wii, and of course the new video games blow these away. I mean, Guitar Hero is crazy. Have you seen NBA 2K9 for PS3? It’s unbelievable. But for the pure nostalgia and accessability of it all, these internet sites are great. And the games are so fun to play. Trust me, I see the games these little kids like to play in my lab up here at the BGC, and they’re not that rad. Some are cool, on sites like miniclip.com and gamegecko.com, but I think once I put them on to these old Sega Genesis and Nintendo games they’re gonna be hooked. By the way, what’s your top 5 favorite video games of all time? Let me know in the comments section if you dare…
My young boy Jae Boogz from WP (above—peep the Dirty Jax shirt) had me on his college radio show recently to talk about all sorts of Stan Ipcus related stuff. It’s a pretty thorough interview, touching on a bunch of different subjects. He recently just started working with the Hot 97 Ciph and Rosenberg morning show, which is a good look for him. Check the link to the interview and to his website where he posts all his shows below…
I also just did an interview with an old schoolmate of mine Erez at shemspeed.com, a very popular jewish music website. He asked me some interesting questions about what drives me to make music, religion, and of course growing up in WP with Matisyahu…check the print…
And since we’re getting up close and personal, check the videos below of me and Max Bee driving in NYC….First he does a quick little LETTER F beatbox, then he kicks something for me to spit over…something light….check it…
Our boy Nate Robinson from the Knicks, who runs a summer camp for the kids up at the BGC in Mount Kisco every summer, took home the 2009 Slam Dunk Contest first place trophy this past weekend. He definitely had a couple sick dunks, including the last one where he jumped over Dwight Howard for the win. Check the video below for the recap…
Watching this made me think back to the good old battles between Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins. The video below offers a nice summary of the rivalry…classic.
And yo, you have to watch this Top 10 Michael Jordan Dunks countdown. HE STRAIGHT YAMS IT ON CATS!!!! Unreal!!!!
I wonder who the next great dunker is going to be? I’m sure there’s a bunch of young ballers out there practicing. In fact, take a look at some of my young boys, the same kids who attend Nate Robinson’s summer camp up in Mount Kisco where I work, practicing their dunks. Two of them boof it over a couple 2nd graders (with the help of a tramp!), still it’s pretty nice…
My boy Josh from Dirty Jax is about to release some new shirts for 2009, so I put this little video together for him featuring a song I did with teenage rap group Hood Legacy called “Superfresh”. The song is about a year old now, but since we’re so ahead of our time, it’s perfect to drop right about now. The second rapper on the song, Sosa, is actually DMX’s son. Both kids are mad young and real nice with the raps (they just started high school). They hang with me all the time in my Cultural Arts Center where I work. The video features a slideshow of Dirty Jax pics, with all sorts of celebs and partygoers…
Urban Fetch is a young rock and roll band out of SUNY Purchase, with a great new CD titled Songs With No Names, made up of catchy piano riffs and sing-a-long melodies. Two of the band members, pianist and lead vocalist Danny Golub and bassist Anthony Pellegrino, recently came to the BGC in Mount Kisco to put on a performance for our Fun Club kids. It was a fun afternoon, filled with live music and customized Urban Fetch activity sheets for the kids to work on after the show. Check the footage from the afternoon (the kids were dancing crazy to the music!!!!), including an interview with Urban Fetch by my man Lonie, and a slideshow of pics…
Thanks for coming through guys! Come again! For more info and videos from Urban Fetch, check out their awesome website….
And since we’re getting up close and personal, check the videos below of me and Max Bee driving in NYC….First he does a quick little LETTER F beatbox, then he kicks something for me to spit over…something light….check it…
Westcheddar 