I saw this on Kanye West’s blog and I had to post it here on Westcheddar. I work with little kids everyday, and they know the words to Kanye’s whole new album. I play it in the Art Center while they work on projects (It has no curses!) Well this little girl seems to be pretty familiar Kanye West’s verse from “Put On” (not on the new album it’s on Jeezy’s), curses and all…watch this now it’s adorable…
I love how these parents put their kid’s videos on Youtube. I’m a fan of it. You should see how many hits these clips get!!!! Look at this one. I’m sure you’ve seen it. It has almost 70 million views. Unreal! The kids in my digital arts lab watch this all the time…
This one is my fiancee’s favorite, and the last one I will share. “I’m gonna kick his ask!”…the kids watch this one too…3 million views…not bad!
The Clipse are a very underrated rap group. Produced by the Neptunes, the Bronx born Virginia Beach bred brothers (Pusha T and Malice) rap with smooth flows detailing a fly street lifestyle of drug peddling and all that comes along with it. Though it sounds cliche to rap about drugs and guns and women (it is!), they do it way better than the average, and have two classic albums under their belt, Lord Willin’ and Hell Hath No Fury. It is debatable as to which is better. Both are lyrically solid, though production wise Hell Hath No Fury may be stronger overall.
Now The Clipse have new music being released without The Neptunes (which is a shame), and they also have a brand new clothing line, Play Cloths. Rappers with a clothing line? Another hip hop cliche? You bet. But again, it looks like they’ve managed to put something together way better than the average. It also looks like they were taking design notes from Pharrell’s Billionare Boys Club Ice Cream line (as seen in the top picture above)….check out their winter hats, they’re sick, and perfect for shoveling snow, pun intended…
Look at these guys. They’re not flashy, or sexy, or even cool. But they are my favorite band. The Shins. Most people first heard them in Garden State, the now famous scene where Natalie Portman hands her headphones to Zach Braff and says “this song will change your life”. She was right. I had a similar moment when an old girlfriend of mine played me The Shins for the first time. It instantly changed my outlook on music, and turned me into a major indie guy. I remembered them from the movie vaguely, but I needed to have my own Shins moment, in my own zone, to really become a fan. Peep the video for “Saint Simon”, the first Shins song I ever fell in love with…
Slowly but surely, I got into Chutes Too Narrow, their second album, which “Saint Simon” is on, and now I can say with complete confidence that “Saint Simon” is not even in my top three songs on that album! Check out a couple of my favorites. First, the video for “Pink Bullets”, which is weird but in a good way…then watch this acoustic live from someone’s basement version of “Gone for Good”, another banger from Chutes Too Narrow…
After fully absorbing Chutes Too Narrow, I began to dig deeper into their catalog. “New Slang”, one of the two songs featured in Garden State (the song Portman plays for Braff), is off their first album, Oh, Inverted World. Other than “New Slang”, it’s kind of a heavier album, more upbeat. I prefer slower, “acousticky” sounding songs. This one stood out though, “The Past and Pending”. Peep the video, it’s dope…
There had to be more though, right? Something? A B-Side? A single that was never released on the album? Some weird version of something? Aha!!!! I found it. My favorite Shins song, and it’s not even on any of their albums. It was a single off the Wicker Park soundtrack, but this alternate version I found online is amazing…My favorite song from my favorite band, The Shins “When I Goosestep”, the acoustic version…pardon the weird fan made video, it’s actually kind of fun…
In January 2007, their third album came out, Wincing the Night Away (I had it in November 2006, don’t sleep I get indie rock albums early too). It’s a sick album, though I still say Chutes Too Narrow is my favorite, it’s great. Lyrically, it’s incredible. The lead singer James Mercer writes very poetic lyrics, some of which I have a hard time figuring out, but I kind of like that. It’s smart music. Here’s two of my favorite cuts from the album. First, “Red Rabbits”, and then the more upbeat “Split Needles”…
If I haven’t convinced you yet about The Shins, well then maybe they’re not for you. Or maybe you like more uptempo happy songs, which they actually have a bunch of, well maybe not happy, but upbeat. In fact, I saw them live in NYC last year and they played more of their upbeat stuff which was kind of disappointing, but I still had a blast at the show. Thank you Shins, for opening me up to a world of indie rock and acoustic folk SUBPOP music (Band of Horses, Iron & Wine, Fleet Foxes, etc), and also for coincidentally inspiring me to write some of my best rap song lyrics. Though hip hop is still my first love, I have made room for another genre to occupy my heart.
I know everyone has seen the footage by now of Bush getting a pair of shoes thrown at him during his latest visit to Iraq, but have you played this game yet? It’s inspired by the incident, and you try to hit Bush with a shoe as many times as you can in 30 seconds. Check it out, it’s mad fun. The highest score I’ve seen anyone get is lucky number 13. Beat that or beat it…
Andy Samberg and the SNL Digital Short crew have done it again. This is awesomely clever. There’s nothing else I can say about it, just watch it…”Jizz in my Pants”….
If you missed my Andy Samberg post from a couple months ago, check it out HERE
Last week my boy K-Wet and I went down to NYC to check out the first installment of Peter Rosenberg’s Noisemakers series, featuring legendary hip hop producer DJ Premier. It was a very well put together event at the YMHA in Tribeca, set up in a bar/lounge area, with a live band on stage playing Premier’s catalog perfectly (WOW!!!). Shout out to my dude Borahm who was playing keys, he used to tour with Matisyahu and we’ve done a bunch of shows together. He actually produced “Victory”, the song Matis and I perform fairly regularly at shows.
Rosenberg did a great job with the interview, asking questions based off the DJ’s pre-planned song selections. It led to some great stories of Primo’s work with Gangstarr and such great artists as KRS-One (supposedly there’s a version of “Outta Here” where KRS disses EVERYBODY), Nas, and of course Biggie, which was my favorite part of the interview. Biggie was the man. Here’s some footage of him talking about the making of “Unbelievable” and other B.I.G. tales…
After the show, we chopped it up with Cipha Sounds a little (he hosted the event and was wearing the Ferris Bueller Dunks!), and Rosenberg introduced me to Premier, who was mad cool and took my CD to check out. It was a dope moment in hip hop history for me. But the funniest thing was running in to Asher Roth backstage! Hilarious! I said what up and introduced myself, and I told him “I thought you were gonna come back at me”. He told me “he doesn’t buy into that”, and we shared a laugh and kept it moving. Whatever, you should see this guy in person, he’s a nice kid and all but he’s a herb. He’s always talking about “see me”, but he doesn’t want it when it comes down to it. Ha Ha! He can’t fuck with Stan Ipcus!
Check out a review of the event by Time Out NY HERE
Next Saturday December 20th is the 10th Annual Roundball Classic, a holiday basketball tournament at St. Bernard’s Church made up of local guys from White Plains. Ten years ago, when the tournament first began after a night of friendly shit talking at the local bars between rival crews, we were all young college guys. Now, a decade later, we are made up of teachers, firemen, young professionals, husbands, fathers, etc., and we’re all about 20-30 pounds heavier in weight. The actual basketball games are painful to watch, though it does get exciting at points and some dudes manage to pull off some nice plays. It gets competitive, as each team battles for the 1st place trophy and bragging rights for the year (that’s my team above, PU CLICK, from last year celebrating our first ever win). And the after party is a guaranteed good time, and full on WP reunion, where the winning squad takes turns drinking out of the trophy. Check out the promo video for this year’s tournament, “Roundball Moments with Matty B”, where he reflects on past RBC’s and looks ahead to the upcoming game…featuring a special appearance from his personal dietician and a little acoustic guitar from the man himself…
and check these other two, “Roundball Moments with Tic” and “Roundball Moments with B Duigs”…hilarious…
I’m starting to branch out during my work day to other BGC’s in the Northern Westchester area, establishing Cultural Arts programs at the different local clubs. A few days ago, I spent the afternoon at our Yorktown center, which is filled with funny kids. They’ve got a cool club up there in Y-town I can’t front. Check out this Cribs style Behind the Scenes tour I helped them put together to get a taste of what their daily life is like up there. It’s a hoot of a video…
I’m definitely looking forward to working with these kids some more. Looks like Snowflake’s got some competition now…stay tuned!!!!
I became friends with comedian Nick Kroll back in high school through my buddy Andrew Goldberg. He was always a hilarious kid, cracking jokes and living it up. Currently, his voice can be heard co-starring in the new HBO animated series The Life and Times of Tim (which he also writes for), and you might have seen him making witty remarks about your favorite celebrities on Best Week Ever. But that’s not all Nick’s got going for him. He’s working on a new animated project, and continues to develop his stand-up act and various live stage and web shows, which include all sorts of crazy characters (see pic above LOL). Check out this exclusive Westcheddar interview with Rye, New York’s own comedy sensation…
IP: So Nick, you looked alot like McLovin from Superbad back in high school, you know, a skinny kid with glasses. Any similarities to him other than the striking resemblance? Ever hang out with cops or bang chicks at parties back in the day? Did you have a fake ID?
NK: Its so funny to think that I looked like McLovin growing up. I had no idea that’s what I looked like. I had a very different sense of how the world saw me. I hung out with cops when I was six when I took a self defense karate class with a bunch of Rye cops. They would break cinderblocks with their head and I would rush to the bathroom to unsuccessfully take my karate pants off before having some good ol’ kid diarrhea. I did have a fake ID, it was my brothers and said I was 25. The fact that it ever worked still amazes me.
IP: My bad dude. I didn’t mean the McLovin comparison as a diss. You were the man back in the day. Very handsome…
NK: I appreciate it. I know who I was and what I am…Luke Perry from Beverly Hills 90210!!
IP: Ha! You were in an improv group at Georgetown University. Tell us about that. Your shows used to be packed when I would come see you perform.
NK: Being in G-PIG (Georgetown Players Improv Group) was the best thing I got out of college. I had never done sketch or improv comedy before and it opened my eyes to the possibility of saying whatever I wanted however I wanted. It definitely gave me the confidence and experience to pursue a career in comedy. I also met a bunch of people I’m still close friends with and regularly collaborate with: Mike Birbiglia, John Mulaney, Ed Herro, Brian Donovan, Jacqueline Novak, Conrad Mulcahy, Alison Becker and a few others. I only mention their names so it will come up in their google alerts and they’ll be mildly happy that I name checked them. They’re all doing quite well in the biz of show and it’s amazing that we all used to sit in classrooms, rehearsing ridiculous scenes for no one’s amusement but ourselves.
IP: The first time I ever saw you on TV was in a commercial for American Express where you played Andy Roddick’s “mojo”, and then shortly after that you were in a very well known Verizon commercial. How did you get those gigs?
NK: I auditioned for these and all other commercials I’ve had the genuine pleasure of being in. The AMEX campaign was an amazing experience because it was the first time that I was a part of something quite big in scale. They closed down blocks on Park Ave and the Brooklyn Bridge to film sequences. And then Roddick lost in the first round. It was an amazingly bizarre turn of events. The Verizon commercial was super cool because we flew down to Argentina to shoot it. Got to hang out with the Verizon guy and see that he was an actual human being.
IP: How often were you recognized on the street during the time those commercials aired? I mean, they were on all the time.
NK: I’m almost never recognized on the street for anything I’ve done over the years. Mojo for sure, because they dyed my hair blonde and i was wearing a cowboy hat.
IP: Were you in any other commercials I might not have seen?
NK: I did a few other fun spots along the way. A really fun one was with Anderson Cooper for CNN.com. I think its on youtube somewhere. He was very pleasant, good comedic timing and very cool to me even though I was a little green when I shot it. There’s a fun FEDEX spot out there too. I got to play a guy named Barry which has always been a dream.
IP: Being on Best Week Ever must be fun, popping wisecracks at the expense of the rich and famous. Any one in particular you really enjoy making fun of?
NK: I don’t really enjoy making fun of people who are famous because of something impressive they’ve done, like being quality actors or athletes. I much prefer making fun of people who are famous for the sake of being famous like people who lack discernible skills like reality show personalities or president elect Obama.
IP: Ha! OK, describe your personal dream Best Week Ever. What would you do?
NK: Eat fried chicken all day, every day.
IP: That Cavemen show you were in was off the air before I ever even got to see it. Was it any good?
NK: I thought Cavemen had some very funny moments. It was an experiment that had its ups and downs but I think for the people who actually watched the show, it provided some good, quality laughs. We shot 12 epsiodes and they aired 6 or 7 of them. They definitely got better as the show progressed. It was my first job in TV and I felt lucky to have it. The makeup took four hours every morning so I was not unhappy that it didn’t last 6 seasons.
IP: You’ve done some straight stand up comedy in your day. How does that compare to your other comedic work?
NK: I honestly love it all. The character stuff, sketch, videos. I fucking love comedy. I’ve been doing more and more standup recently, crafting an act, tweaking, adding bits, taking stuff out. I’m finding a lot of joy in making small changes. It’s like writing a song or a poem, you wanna get that shit to its essence.
IP: Ever bombed horribly?
NK: Bombed many a time. Makes you stronger. Never fun, though.
IP: You’re a voice actor on the new HBO animated series The Life and Times of Tim. I caught an episode of it last week, it was pretty funny. Your character is kind of a dork on the show though, what’s up with that?
NK: Its a blast. I encourage you to go back and watch the show on demand or whatevs. I play Stu and he’s a little less attractive than me both physically and emotionally. I try to love and simultaneously despise all the characters I play. The response from people about the show has been really, really awesome.
IP: Maybe dork isn’t the right adjective for Stu. I gotta check out some more episodes. Glad it’s getting a good response. I’ve heard a few friends talking it up recently. Anyway, you write for the show too, right? How did that all come about?
NK: The show has a strong improvisational side and I found that myself and Steve Dildarian, the super funny gent who created the show, got a long quite well comedically. Steve was nice enough to ask me to come in a bunch of times to help come up with episode ideas. One in particular is where my character Stu, Tim and Marie the HR lady have a terrible threesome. Classy stuff.
IP: Do you like doing just the voice stuff or is this just another stepping stone towards a bigger goal? What’s your dream gig? Your own show? Movie roles? A writer behind the scenes?
NK: I want to do it all. Write, act, maybe direct. Im really enjoying animation right now. I’m also voicing a character on a FOX show coming out in April called Sit Down, Shut Up, created by Mitch Hurwitz who also created Arrested Development. Josh Weinstein, who ran The Simpsons for many years, is running the show and the cast is ridiculous: Jason Bateman, WIll Arnett, Cheri Oteri, Keenan Thompson, Will Forte, Tom Kenney, Henry Winkler. It’s so much fucking fun.
IP: Sounds sick. You once played a Scandinavian Meth addict at one of my rap concerts at Joe’s Pub, doing bits in the opening of the show and in between sets. What was his name again?
NK: Ah yes, Yorgen Burnsen. Haven’t done him in quite some time. He was the fifth member of Ace of Base who was kicked out for being addicted to Meth. A real class act.
IP: You should bring him back out. As I recall he was a crowd favorite. What else do you have cooking right now with your comedic career?
NK: My friend Rob Corddry (watch out google alerts: Rob Corddry!!) wrote, directed, and stars in a hilarious web series called Children’s Hospital which is a parody of Grey’s Anatomy and all those shows. I play a 6 year old with aging disease. That series is gonna be hilarious.
IP: You’re living in L.A. now right? What do you miss most about New York?
NK: I miss so much about NYC. Mainly my family and friends who are all basically here. I miss classy NYC ladies. They are as beautiful as actresses or models but they’re teachers or social workers or artists. Getting a bone just thinking about them.
IP: How are the women in L.A. treating you? Do comedians have groupies?
NK: We dont really have groupies and i’m just fine with that.
Check out my intros on two of the hottest hip hop radio shows in the country. First, the Cipha Sounds and Rosenberg Hot 97 morning show intro with Matisyahu beatboxing. And second, the intro for Leah Rose and Angela Yee’s Shade 45 Lip Service Show with DJ Wonder on the live air cuts. Enjoy…
Westcheddar 