20,000 Money Making Bloggers on the Corner

The Expendables: A Review

2010-08-18T15:03:00.004-04:00

Jason Statham at some point is cheated on by his girlfriend, the lovely Charisma Carpenter. That is pretty much all the plot I could extract from the 103 minute explosion that is The Expendables. But if you are looking for any negative criticism of Sylvester Stallone's valiant tour de brute force, please look elsewhere (read: everywhere.) The film is currently unmatched in it's machismo and masculine vigor, and while Stallone aims to remind us of a time when these traits were lauded, the film is firmly entrenched in the right now.
These men are mercenaries: well trained, heavily armed, elite soldiers of fortune delivering pocket-sized wars to the doorsteps of anyone with the appropriate funds. In the film, the appropriate funds come from Bruce Willis as Mr. Church, fervently cementing the inherent homage to the Die Hard-like sentiment. But more importantly, in the theater the role of the benefactor of explosions is played by us. (I provided a hefty, very modern-day $13 out of the 38 million box office yield(*) simply for something to explode - and oh, DID they explode.) Thus, The Expendables is more than just Stallone, Lundgren, Willis, and Schwarzenegger making a comeback. We the viewer are coming back. And the film does exceptionally well welcoming us back with wide-open, tatted-up, ripped arms.
So now we're all back. But even at the very onset, the film's premise goes even further and asserts that... we've never even left! Mercenaries for hire are all the rage in The Expendables universe; have always been. There's no need for a back story or a weak formation of the team montage like the recent A-Team movie or Inception. You already know who's down. They're sublimely familiar. The roster reads more like your cell phone's contact list then an IMDB page.
The film begins with our friends in a standoff with Somali pirates holding a hostage. The politics of the film are overtly simplistic and tropes and cliches outline the antagonists, sometimes with culturally insensitive hues. Great! In this way, The Expendables poignantly emulates the denial of nuance and subtlety that exists deep within Americana, our media and our arts, whether we admit it or not. It's the post-everything hyper-liberalization of culture that has left an empty, sinking feeling in our stomachs. The Expendables nobly aims to fill that with an explosion or two.
So from Somalia we travel to South America because Bruce Willis said so. Once again very simple politics and developmental dialogue background immaculately choreographed fighting and explosions. There's some banter, some laughs, knives get thrown, red-shirts get shot, someone gets a new tattoo at some point, an airplane shootout, a car chase, a boxing match with Mr. T, Hulk Hogan wins the belt back from the Rock, a double cross, man hugs, some short jokes, an Old Spice guy (no not that one), maybe some objectification of women, and basically everything else that could be manly was allowed to roam free across the celluloid, untethered from logistics or politically correctness (admittedly, I chuckled when I put together that Jet Li's character's name was in fact Ying Yang.)
So untethered of a film, I felt no obligation to place the customary spoiler warnings anywhere in this post. Honestly, you can't spoil something so sweeeeeet. Also, as mentioned before, the plot is somewhat hazy to me and will probably be to you as well, so shrug. And not hazy in that "Shit! Inception blew my mind, bro! Do you think it kept spinning?" sort of way. More like, a 104th minute would have permanently ruined your ability to suspend your disbelief ever again, in turn killing the art of film for you forever, and perhaps actually killing you. Ignore that. Eventually the beautiful Charisma Carpenter saunters back into Jason Statham's life. So don't worry. Be a man, go watch the movie. I'd go again if I could find a theater that seats 20 thousand and got as drunk as I did the first time.

The Beef in Hollywood

2010-07-23T09:56:00.005-04:00

Supposedly, when movies suck we, the consumers, know it. We tell our friends. We tweet it. We even go on web-hosted tirades and bash the actors, directors or racial makeup of the flick (sigh, The Last Airbender.) Bad movies cost us precious time, money and brain cells, so it follows then that we have the right to wage war on their existence (post-production) even if that means elevating the film to an undeserved prominence in the meanwhile.

But what happens when an actor or any other willing participant in some multi-million dollar venture in Hollywood degradation joins us in our fervent critiquing? They must consider themselves valiant in someway by pointing out the obvious, that The Last Crusade should have very well been the last crusade. But what the Shia The Beefs of Tinseltown seem to forget, is that it’s their fault - completely, unadulteratedly their fault.

Recently, comedic legend Bill Murray attempted to explain away the live-action Garfield films to GQ magazine. Basically the bulk of his justification rests on Joel Cohen, writer of such gems as 2003’s Cheaper by the Dozen with Steve Martin (I’ll call you a liar if you saw this film and didn’t smile once), not being one of the Coen brothers, who may or may not have won some Oscars and the like and may or may not have a crush on George Clooney. Chances are the interview is simply another example of Murray’s wry humor acrobatics at the expense of a CGI lasagna-loving feline. (There was a sequel, after all.)

Bill won’t be penalized for the remarks in any way. He’s a Ghostbuster after all. Shia will probably get a slap on the wrist and have to wait a little longer for a dog at the yearly Spielberg barbecue. Megan Fox trash talked the Transformers franchise and director and won’t be in the most recent installment, but she’ll bounce back - probably in a wet baby-t of some sort. Some media outlets have even lauded these actors as honest whistle blowers within the vacuous machine of Hollywood big-budget, low-quality film making.

Well, those media outlets may just be misled cogs in that same machine. Actors get paid to act. (The logic is sound, believe me I checked.) Sometimes they get praise and awards for other things - speaking out on the war, showing up at benefit galas, wearing political t-shirts and so on. But in reality, even in these instances they are doing what they get paid for: acting. They are acting like us who care about various causes and actually have things at stake, but are unable to be heard or heeded or showcased because People magazine has limited space on the cover and Katie Holmes-Cruise is kinda tall.

When these actors start acting like consumers that hate something they had previously acted in, in many ways, it forms some sort of space-time paradox that only the Old Spice Guy can adequately explain. But I’ll try: You did it though! You read the lines. You cashed the check. You took the fame. You did it. Now, it’s no good?

Its simple. Movies are movies. Some are good (to some). Some are bad (to others). Ren Stevens’ little brother happens to act in a bunch of them - even more on the horizon. People may very well watch movies because he’s in them, but he’s in them definitely because people watch movies. People pay to watch movies. They consume these movies, digest them and do what they will with these movies, whether that is develop a cult following of mediocrity or publicly chastise its creation. Actors act in them. The problem arises when actors act like consumers that consume, cannibalising themselves, threatening the Hollywierd machine we truthfully love and love to hate. Well not actually threatening the machine, it is Hollywood. They had us wearing funny glasses with red and blue plastic lenses. Ha! And they’re having us do it again, only worse. But maybe its taking some tiny, minuscule hits.

So please Shia, stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself.

The Misadventures of Fanboy and Hater

2010-07-02T14:20:00.004-04:00

Sigh. It seems that now more than ever some decisions must be made and positions must be steadfastly assumed. Fence-sitting, middle-ground and indecisiveness have been thoroughly cast aside, along with any acknowledgment of opinion as being just that--an opinion. These days its become a feat to find someone with simply a phone in their pocket, merely songs in their headphones or just an operating system on their computers. Everyday I’m often accosted by the ravenous iPhone clan, the dedicated Drake defense league and those that truly believe Windows 7 was their idea. Likewise, as soon as you break free from their clasps, from behind some digital bush comes the blog posts and tweets of those that scream of open-source, clamor for wheelchair Jimmy’s demise and poke fun at drivers and anti-virus protection (honestly, I forgot what those things are.)

Although preference is an undeniable right of anyone with a Facebook account, I wonder why it has to be so aggressive. This aggression almost without fault comes from two equally fanatic fronts: the Fanboy and the Hater. The fanboy of course is known by many names -- zealot, go-hard, d*ck-rider, etc. -- but they all seem to have a common thread of some sort of brand loyalty. Whether its Apple nowadays or Rocafella in 2000, brand loyalty’s perhaps saddest feature is that brands will not and cannot return your loyalty. Lady Gaga’s monsters and all the Bieber-maniacs may get a RT or a good soaking, but neither Lady Gaga or Justin will buy your album. They won’t come to your concert. They’re probably not even following you back, are they? (Realistically Justin Bieber might. This might not even apply to him because he truly loves each and every one of us as the gospel hath told us.)

This is in no way an attempt to burst any evangelist bubbles. Love what you love...in moderation. There’s no need to convert us. My salvation is not in jeopardy because Entourage doesn’t entertain me. There’s nothing wrong with choosing Glee as your savior. But it’s when the love over-floweth from your Fuckyeah Tumblr blog, do we see the error in the fanboy’s ways. Because too much love will almost always find you face to face with that most infamous of creatures, the hater. They even have admittedly catchy songs about the beast. While their mating habits are still unknown we do know that haters apparently see you and are deserving of hi’s. Other than that we can’t always be sure of their motives or rationales for hating. They just do it. They thrive off the rapid decrease of your enjoyment. Usually, they assume some ad-hoc opposing position but are really more focused on the hating. (Like you really think Blackberry’s are better than iPhones because you guys can message one another?) Even when haters have valid points they usually deliver them in obnoxious, yet comical ways that make their point seem to not matter that much anyway.

A battlefield between two stances can be made from anything. Like, is your web browser that important? As long as it handles porn and Hulu with the same efficacy, who cares?

...Ironically the Firefox at my job just crashed (Chrome bitches!!!) so I’ll conclude with this: just as they currently exist inseparably interconnected like incestuous parents/brothers, it would behoove the eternal fanboy and audacious hater to find some sort of peaceful coexistence, for all our sakes. Currently, I have no idea what new multi-billion dollar conglomerate I should give my hard earned greenbacks to in exchange for some overpriced, over-marketed, over-hyped product that will inevitably fail to satisfy my unrelenting consumer thirst. Oh and hopefully it’ll have a front-facing camera. I’d like that :-)

A track by track review of Recovery

2010-06-12T14:35:00.008-04:00

Eminem's highly anticipated seventh studio album "Recovery" is what Eminem fans have been waiting for since "Encore". From working with noted producers such as DJ Khali to Just Blaze, a welcome change from the traditional overbearing presence of Dr. Dre that's featured on most of Eminem's past efforts. Eminem also bids adieu to his "Slim Shady" persona, revealing a more serious MC that brings an onslaught of laser sharp lyrics equipped with multi syllable rhyme scheme that would make Big Pun himself press rewind.

Cold wind blows

Eminem sets the tone of the album with an onslaught of aggressive lyrics equipped with a beat by Just Blaze, and a hook of Em doing his version of singing which is a reoccurring theme hook wise with this album. With this track he demands respect warning his fellow MC's that hes back to his old self spitting such lyrics such as

This shit is on, cause you went and pissed me off
Now I'm sitting and pissing on everybody
Give a fuck if it's right or wrong
So buck the buddha, light a bong
But take a look at Mariah the next time I inspire you to write a song.

Read More...

Distant Relatives (2010) Album Review

2010-06-04T09:37:00.006-04:00

Perhaps we've forgotten about Africa, that often non-geographical homeland of big green, red and black wooden necklaces where an oblong continent or fist may hang. Maybe World Cup tourneys, Somali pirates, civil wars, fictional West Africans either scamming extraterrestrials or threatening Jack Bauer's America have turned Africanism or even Pan- Africanism into fodder for weak NYT editorials or punchlines to an unspoken international joke. Do we even remember Mandela or Selassie or Kinte (you know, Lavar "Kunta" Burton)? If their names appear suspect next to one another, then maybe we have forgotten Africa - Africa as the promise land of a peoples, where return was imminent and liberation and connection to roots were promised.
Nas and Damien Marley purport to have not forgotten with their recent combined tour de African force, Distant Relatives. But their, more so Nasir's, sincerity appear questionable at times. With occasional glimpses into the aforementioned Land of Promise (Track 8), we are immediately introduced to the bleak, disillusioning possibility that Africa is just a continent; Ghana, Nigeria, Mali...simply an assortment of countries. The Marley child, Jr. Gong, allows us to pretend a bit longer, a bit stronger as he relates to his audience as a Jamaican artist with Rastafarian overtones, it follows then, that he possesses a significant (spiritual) connection to the continent emblazoned almost subliminally on the album cover (wait look closely, there it is!). And to Damien I say who am I to question spirituality. *shrug* African pass accepted. But like many before him, he falls victim to the tropes and cliches of poverty and western neglect, without providing anything substantially new to the argument. In fact, you might ask how a millionaire spawned from nepotism, virtually a pop star with locks of irony, even comes to know poverty, distinguish himself from the western funds filling his bank account and financing his lifestyle. Nonetheless, Africa Must Wake up made me rethink putting away my big African chain for a moment, and Patience establishes Marley as a lyrical powerhouse. Learn the patois or you'll miss something.
Nasir Jones, on the other hand - a hand perhaps uncomfortably distant from Marley's, sadly comes short as he's known to do nowadays. It's possible to speak of him so separately from his cohort even though the form of the album aims to emulate almost inseparable hip hop duets like Eric B. & Rakim or Mobb Deep at it's best, Jay-Z and R. Kelly (the second time, not the first) at its worst, because Nas doesn't engage in the back and forth rapport and dually consistent flow necessary to pull something like this off. He simply gets out-shined. He's another millionaire rapping of difficulties too far gone to genuinely recall in rhyme, but doesn't seem to even believe this stuff himself. Truthfully, the match of the two MC's makes sense. They've done it before on Damien Marley's last outing, Welcome to Jamrock (Road to Zion, Track 11), successfully. And to bring a wider audience to a project that might be boxed in as simply reggae, why not invite a legend that comes with at least 50,000 or so hip-hop sales automatically? But Esco, why not show up?
But you know who did show up? K'Naan. If you don't know who he is, Google the man, add a new Pandora station. He provides a bit of legitimacy to this 61 minute 48 second voyage through the diaspora. Even with a shotty flow and squeaky voice, I appreciate his presence. The production value and other features are often impressive as well. Speaking of features, Lil Wayne's on the album somewhere, so watch out! Subpar, overhyped rappers have different affects on people's ears so guard yourself. Weezy automatically subtracts a few thousand bloggers from the already struggling rating for the album... so here we have it: 13k money making bloggers approve :) download link

NEW FEATURE: Questions From Our Readers

2010-05-27T17:16:00.013-04:00

Due to the abundance of letters and texts and ims we receive daily, we've decided to address some of the troubles and woes that are on the minds of some of our hypersexed and confused readers and perhaps help us all learn something...or not:

Carlito Asks:

Dear 20kblog,

I've been dating this girl for 6 months and it's getting pretty serious. We've been having some great sex...well at least great for me, but I don't think I'm satisfying her. She doesn't seem able to orgasm from sex with me and I don't know what I'm doing wrong. She's able to orgasm with her vibrator and she says its not a big deal, but it's DEFINITELY A BIG DEAL, right? I really care about her and want her to feel good with me. It also just makes me feel like less of a man. Please help me out.

Response:

Ike: You're not smashing

Wes: Secondly, I want to point out Carlito, that 20kblog members do not suffer from this most serious of inflictions...ever. We satisfy all our women, even perhaps some of yours. JK Rowling. But in earnest, I want to respond to your problem with a question: Do you want her to have an orgasm for her or for you?

Ike: If it's for you.... you need to also realize sex can feel good for women even if they don't have an orgasm every time so enough with the pressure.

Wes: Farreal. Women like sex sorta like you like sex. Have you never had your knobs slobbed and not came, yet enjoyed the experience nonetheless? And you can make women orgasm like crazy and still be a douche. Do you wanna be a douche Carlito? Do you? If not, chill. Enjoy your woman. Trust that she's enjoying you, when she tells you she's enjoying you.

Ike: "Knobs slobbed" ... Nice... But, anyways Carlito, if you're trying to make her orgasm for her... then you gotta start swivelin' your hips, dude.

Wes: Not too much though. I have a patent pending on that. But talk to her. Figure out what kind of kinky-disgusting-back-breaking-nasty-Kendra-sextape-type shit she likes and DO that. Your penis might not even be part of the show. You gotta be willing to really work with her and for her to make this work... to make this relationship work.

Ike: Or invest in more batteries.

If you have any questions or concerns you would like us to address here just shoot us an email at 20kblog@gmail.com (f.y.i. we will probably make fun of you.)

OH SNAP! Curtis "Fiddy" Jackson's Dying of Cancer!

2010-05-27T12:45:00.006-04:00

Well not really. He's just that great of an actor. Link to the movie that will clearly get an Oscar nom (and by that, I mean this will clearly help a dude named Oscar selling the bootleg on the ave get a sandwich and nom nom it.)
And here's another link begrudgingly to a huffpost article that shows more pics and info about the diet.
I suggest if you are not making money like we making money, partake in the diet.

The Truth...

2010-04-08T08:57:00.004-04:00

... is cruel. Or at least that's been my stance on the subject for 24 years of my life. The Truth is always more tragic and painful than the reality you believed and hoped for. That's the cynic's perspective.

I came across this quote from Chris Crocker (yes that Chris Crocker) and it left me with a few things to think about:

"The truth doesn't hurt, people, the truth feels really really good. If you'd listened to the truth all along, whenever something happens you can say, "oh, i knew that!" But when you know something and you keep pushing it back and you deny it, deny it, deny it, eventually when it comes out you're gonna kick yourself because you were ignoring the truth. As long as you listen to the truth the whole time, it's on your side. Ok? So that saying 'the truth hurts,' that's not true. Truth heals. The truth, it's on your side, and if the truth hurts you it doesn't mean to. The truth is your friend. So don't say that the truth hurts, the truth loves you."

I want to write up my thoughts on this in the future when I've adequately composed them. It'll be something along the lines of an essay on why people are so negative and the power of positive thinking, etc. I just need to understand and master those skills myself before I preach to anyone else.

See you later.

-Ik

The Genius of Hot Tub Time Machine

2010-03-27T13:32:00.006-04:00

At first glance, the title of this post appears to be a poor attempt at an oxymoron, and maybe it is. How could a low-brow comedy with a name like Hot Tub Time Machine possess anything close to creative genius? Well, judging by its appearance on three screens at the local cinema, and it still selling out every show last night, the creative forces behind it must have some type of insight. The brilliance in the film doesn't come from the deadpan stylings of Craig Robinson or the charming vulgarity of Rob Corddry, although both more than hold their own. It comes from the movie's unwavering simplicity and complete lack of self-awareness.

It's safe to say that we are in the midst of a high-water mark in our culture's popular entertainment. At a time when other forms of media are dying or predicted to die at the undiscriminating hand of the internet, the television and motion picture industries are pleasing both fan and critic alike at a level not seen in 30 years.

There's a common thread that ties these new hit series and films together: these pieces purposefully create an intricate world, explaining away any doubts the viewer may have, and demanding the viewer be actively involved. Investigatory crime dramas dominate the weekly broadcast ratings. NCIS is consistently the number one show on television. The entertainment these shows provide is derived entirely from the viewer's implicit participation in the drama. The audience wants to figure out who the killer is, they want to do it before the heroes on the screen do, they want to save the day. These shows are very different from the standard Law & Order that peaked in the 1990's. An emphasis is now placed on the science and logic behind the pursuit of a suspect, rather than "gut" or the gritty experience of the protagonists. There are now ten dramas of this type on network television, and more are added every Fall season. CBS has gone so far as to base an entire series on the premise that a non-cop solves cases in The Mentalist, mirroring and enhancing the experience of the audience. The wrongdoers can never be discovered because they "looked good for it," or "something was off" with their story in the protagonists' estimation. Rather, every detail of their dastardly deed must be accounted for. However, the puzzle is never fully understood until some sort of cathartic exhortation is made by the guilty party, giving the protagonist and the viewer the security that at last, everything is accounted for.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the hit ABC series Lost. I will spare the exhaustive technical explanations provided for how the fantastic realm functions in the world of Lost, just know that they exist and are very very detailed. Lost is a show who's whole appeal is that it will explain the functionality and logic behind the mysterious happenings of the series. Characters die, then come back to life, but some don't! People travel threw time, new characters mysteriously appear as if out of thin air, there's time travel, there's alternate planes of existence. These plot points all seem rather extraordinary, you might enjoy Lost if you like that feeling. Oh...wait...no you won't, because the people behind the series need to jam down every arcane explanation of time travel and multi-dimensional theory as they can. The ridiculousness of this is of course that they are attempting to reduce the doubts of the viewer by resorting to the two most illogical/complex threads of science fiction and theoretical physics. It's as if they realize that they cannot provide a logical basis for the tale that they have woven, and are so uncomfortable with it, that they have intentionally cast a cloud of confusion over their audience. The better that they know not the real terrible secret of the island: that Lost is in fact a science fiction series.

Why this obsession with logic and explanation? A neurosis about the use of poetic license is pervasive in today's Hollywood. To the uninitiated, poetic license is that bit of room that we the audience give a storyteller or performer to allow them to be free of constraints so that they may tell a better story. Yes, we all know that conventional space travel is not possible at speeds higher than or even approaching light, but we let George Lucas get away with it because Star Wars would be pretty boring if it took half of the movie to travel from one planet to the next. It would also be a lot less cool or fun without that magical bit of the fantastic. The dreammakers in the media, but especially those behind Lost, have fetishized a lack of poetic license, as if the audience is "too smart for that." Poetic license has nothing to do with intelligence, it is much more a matter of faith or credit. Imagine a driver in the city. He stops every car he passes to present his operator's license from the RMV, along with the original of his licensing exam (marked, of course), and his insurance record. Society would come to a halt around him, and driving in that locale would be a lot less free or enjoyable. That's what Hollywood is doing to us. It's forcing us to study in order to enjoy a television show, it's infecting us with the germ of that neurosis.

I can laugh at The Big Bang Theory without knowing that every equation on the assorted blackboards and whiteboards that populate the characters' environments are balanced and are real-life theoretical physics statements. It's not important to me. It is, however, important for the writers and producers and directors of the series to make me know this, as they mention it in every interview or review. They could produce the series for a lot less work and a lot less money if they didn't employ a science czar for the production.

Hot Tub Time Machine is genius because it understands that you don't have to bat the audience over the head with obscure philosophical treatises or a text in theoretical physics to buy into a story and enjoy it. If the film has an explanation for the time travel aspect of the plot, it is that a mischievous squirrel knocked over a Russian energy drink into a hot tub's electronic controls. That is a lot funnier and simpler to get than anything the previous series have done, and it makes the film a lot less tedious and a lot more interesting. Consumers don't want to pass an exam before they watch the next episode of Lost or NCIS or any entertainment-they want to be lost in it.

Album Review: Legal Drug Money (1996)

2010-03-26T00:46:00.006-04:00

Once upon a time in the Southeastern region of Queens, New York, boyz were lost. More than a generation removed from a movement filled with symbolic marches and heartfelt speeches, these boyz took the to the streets of their disappointingly unchanged communities—Francis Lewis and Guy R. Brewer, Springfield and Farmers. Fueled by anger, hungry and ignored, they desperately painted their neighborhood with reds and blues and blacks and greens, paisleys and graffiti.
This mural, painted by adept young Afro-Caribbean artisans, exploded out from the intersection of Parsons and Archer to the edges of the Cross Island and the Belt. The images depicted were of violence, crime, sexuality, pain, horror, salvation, spirituality; all interwoven into an aesthetic representing that richly convoluted tapestry of being a economically troubled minority and therefore lost in American society of the nineties.
In 1996, Spigg Nice, Mr. Cheeks, Freaky Tah and Pretty Lou stood tall on top of a soapbox of tape cassettes stacked high on 165th street and Jamaica, on top of WQHT Hot 97.1’s pervasively urban broadcast strength, on top of an American music culture that’d recently embraced hip-hop as a commercially viable product, and together they represented the Lost Boyz by eloquently narrating the mural they’d been embedded within.
Legal Drug Money is often overlooked in the best-of rankings and listings of the casual hip-hop observer. I emphatically wish to argue that this is simply because instead of being most influential, the Lost Boyz were impeccably influenced. Instead of being timeless, Legal Drug Money is excruciatingly 1996 Jamaica, Queens, NY. But importantly, in being so Legal Drug Money expounds upon a narrative of similarly lost peoples of the past, and likewise foreshadows the sentiment of communities that in too many ways remain lost in the decades that follow.
In just under 71 minutes, these four Boyz inspire, educate and meticulously chronicle the lifestyles of those who seek to be rich, albeit shamelessly. Even going as far as to rebuke Mark Wahlberg and those like him who seek to emulate and imitate the stylings of the community that births Lost Boyz:
Some whites talk peace
But they ain't ready for the planet
Marky Mark (Oh, the nineties) be talkin that slang
But he don't even understand it…
[Track 13, Channel Zero]
But in vice and in virtue, in commercialism and in controversy, in stark misogyny and in heart wrenching odes to loves lost, in desperate lifestyle sustaining criminal activity and in prominent recreational drug use, the lyricism and production quality never wavers from its gritty on-point delivery dynamic. Each track carefully balances on an artful tightrope between the angry rebelliousness of the NWA and the conscious optimism of Tribe Called Quest. Just like the hyper-energized chants of Freaky Tah backgrounding almost every song, many find it difficult to digest the content of this album because it’s the party soundtrack…after the kegs been tapped and the cops have started with the citations and handcuffs. I invite all 20,000 of my brothers then to have another helping, or feast for the first time to the sounds of LB’s finest up in 'dis piece.

And Life... It goes...

2010-03-24T13:12:00.004-04:00

I figured for my big come back, I'd share something my old and dear friend Tracy once told me that I feel everyone needs to hear sometimes:

May 27, 2004 - 12:19 PM

Listen Up

The more I talk to people online, the more I realize we’re all very similar.

Even though we are all very different.

In some cases…VERY different.

And somehow that makes me feel even that much more closer to you strangers.

This has been a weird week for many different reasons.

I’m not going to go into them.

What I do want to say is…

You…over there….I am talking to You now.

And by “You”, I not only mean You…who thinks I mean them…but I’m also talking to the You that thinks I’m not talking about them.

You might not know who You are. But it is You.

If you are now looking at your screen, mouthing the word, “Me?” with a thumb pointing at your chest….then yes, I mean You.

You are fucking amazing. You know this. Stop not knowing this.

See all those people that love You? Do You think they are awesome? Do You respect them mostly? Do they have genuinely nice traits that make them decent human beings?

If You answered yes to any of those questions…then here’s the second part:

Do You think those people we just talked about would think so much of You if You sucked? If You were a raging fuck? If You were blacked out and rotten on the inside?

No. They wouldn’t.

Therefore, You are not sucky or a raging fuck, or blacked out and rotten on the inside.

You are beautiful.

All over.

It’s hard to own that sometimes. We are supposed to be humble and struggling and low self esteem and not see who we truly are………who we are to everyone else but ourselves.

How ironic is that?!

But You need to do this. Cuz it bothers me…dare I say hurts me…that You, in all of Your wonderfulness, struggles with this knowingness about Your insides that we all can see but You.

No, You are not perfect. Nobody is. But that small sprinkling of imperfections is something we all have. It is not the totality of what we are. It does not cancel out the greatness that is You.

Because Your greatness outweighs those commonplace imperfections by the weight of 4000 cruise ships.

The imperfections put us all on a level playing field. It’s the Asshole Evil Skankiness vs. the Good, Joyful, Always Trying, Greatness at that point…on the level playing field.

That’s where You have them beat.

Please know this.

Just try.

Cuz I’m sick of all of You Great People saying the same thing. You are beautiful. Just own it.

It will make me feel better.

Thanks.

We're back on. Expect a little something from Wes and Dre later.

Good to see you all, by the way. Have you been working out? You look good.

The Gangs All Here : )

2009-10-22T13:27:00.003-04:00

Album Review: Team Scene - Earth Girls Are Easy

2009-03-20T22:23:00.001-04:00

Often we throw around the ascription of /musical genius/ callously. The phrase has become meaningless and impotent as a critique of sound and melody and technique. However, I argue here before you 20,000 that a group of immensely talented lyrical artists have emerged to reclaim the title from all those less deserving (“Really my niggas? Mozart?! Have you heard the Magic Flute? I’ll come at him with my see-through gat early!”—from an undocumented Nako interview.)
With a track listing that reads more like T.S. Elliot, *Team Scene*’s debut venture into the wasteland of contemporary popular music, “*Earth Girls Are Easy*,” explores the complete inventory of human experience with lyrical brilliance and refreshingly emotional sincerity. It refuses to acknowledge the proverbial death of hip-hop and asks us to party with its specter, or deeply converse with its ghost.
You sympathize when Chase Love’s southern drawl narrates a maternal elegy. You understand the importance of style when Nako rhymes of a lavish fashionista lifestyle. When B Nyce weaves obscure metaphors into innuendo, sexual arousal and hunger become indistinguishable…in a good way. And the album showcases several other artists that contribute in substantial ways vocally and creatively.
Nostalgic of hip-hop of old, we haven’t heard this quality of song formulation since Only Built 4 Cuban Linx in the summer of 1995. But in 2009, this ensemble of talented young musicians embeds a certain futuristic lyrical element within each verse. Simultaneously abstract yet blunt imagery such as “black and white guts looking like a Rorschach” allow Team Scene to construct a surrealist soundscape far ahead of its time. In fact, I must advise readers to listen to this album today but understand that it may be 2012 when you can understand content of these records....

I'll leave it up to you to give this album the 40,000 thumbs up it deserves

Rap Fans: It's ok to hate things

2009-03-16T13:13:00.003-04:00

My fellow Hip-Hop heads have me on the edge of insanity, why is it that every time some one doesn't like an artist they are given the dreaded title of a "hater"? That I don't understand, no fans of any other genre will use that term or any other term insinuating the same thing. They can easily disagree with each other and just chalk it up to having tastes.

Example: I was chillin with a few of my friends who aren't into rap at all just laxin' and some how Team Sleep came up. One of my friends didn't like them and the other LOVED them. A debate ensued and basically ended up with the two saying they had different tastes, because quite frankly Team Sleep isn't for every one.

That leads me into my personal experience with being labeled a hater. Just yesterday I marathoned like 2-3 mixtapes by Drake. I wasn't impressed. Do I think he could potentially sell millions with the right promotion behind him? Yes but he's not the savior of rap that the internet is chalking him up to be. Dude is like a male Lauryn Hill with less versatile lyricism, and weak hooks I wasn't feeling him- but maybe hes that kind of an artist that you need to let grow on you who knows. My homegirl had a facebook status with a quote from his latest mixtape and I basically was like "I'm not really feeling Drake like that the internet overrated him." I get hit with the "hi hater". Maino definetley started some shit. When I read that I basically had a nostalgic flashback of all the times I've heard the word hater in my life and lead me to this rant.

I didn't like the dudes music- am I wishing he gets hit by a bus? Am I wishing that all the bad things in the world happen to him and only him? I'm not even calling him a transgendered Canadian soap opera actor. I hope he gets all the success in the world- I'm just not a fan. It's ok to hate things rap fans, what can I say? I hate things that I hate- it's ok to not like everything. While I'm saying that I don't like the word hater, that doesn't mean that haters dont exist. People that just hate everything the artist puts out regardless of the quality, but becareful when throwing around the term hater.

There are haters, and then there are people with different tastes.

Edo Tensei Bitches

2009-03-15T13:13:00.002-04:00

Yes, we have returned from the dead better than ever. I'm gonna try and come thru with more original content for the blog, and just go in. Look forward to it.

not yet but almost...

2009-03-11T17:01:00.004-04:00

The return is coming. Don't worry.

(let the suspense build for a second)

a little bit of this is being made...

There's 20,000 of us simply ignoring the recession.

Put On Remix

2008-07-30T23:14:00.002-04:00

*Props to ivan1087 from bx

Listen/Download Here

How you gonna rip it like this son?!

2008-07-20T17:00:00.001-04:00

Sex Coaches

2008-06-27T23:43:00.002-04:00

Too many quoteables- I too have been a victim of the "whip it out" strategy back firing.

For Immortal Technique..I put on a backpack

2008-06-27T15:18:00.003-04:00

1. Death March
2. That's what it is
3. Golpe Estado
4. Harlem Renaissance
5. Lick Shots
6. Apocrypha
7. The 3rd World
8. Hollywood Drive by
9. Reverse Pimpology
10. Open your Eyes
11. The pay back
12. Adios, Uncle Tom (skit)
13. Stronghold grip
14. Mistakes
15. Out on Parole
16. Crimes from the heart (hidden track Rebel Arms)

http://www.mediafire.com/?qbvgmtzfizv

I been bumpin this all week if you're into hardcore hip-hop or the underground scene I suggest you give it a listen. I wouldn't guide our readers in the wrong direction.

48 Days...

2008-06-25T13:40:00.006-04:00

It's that time of year again, the only two weeks of the year where absolutely nothing happens in the world of professional football. The perfect time for EA Sports to start teasing America's football fanatics with screenshots and promised upgrades of the new edition of it's Madden Football game.

One of EA's teasers that always seems to captivate people is the players' ratings:

http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/news/story?id=3450647

Only one player has ever received a 100 rating in any category: Devin Hester, Speed, Madden 08. It's what every heap of polygons in the game aspire to have. This year, EA has let the genie out of the bottle, so to speak, and given an additional 7 players 100 stat ratings. Most Make sense, like Peyton Manning's Field Awareness, or Randy Moss's Jumping ability. One member of the 100 Club, however, seems out of place, and shows a little bit of what's wrong with how EA changes the game from season to season

Wayne Hunter, backup Right Tackle on the New York Jets, has a Morale rating of 100. Who is Wayne Hunter? Well, it took me a little while to figure that out, too. Mr. Hunter was drafted out of Hawaii by the Seahawks in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Since then, he has been on 3 teams, and appeared in just as few games in 5 years. Those aren't starts, those are appearances! He could have been in there for five seconds. He sat out all of the 2007 season. There are numerous players ahead of him on the Jets depth chart.

WHAT THE FUCK?!

How does he receive a 90 rating, let alone 100, in anything? I mean, I guess he is getting payed a couple hundred thousand dollars for having done absolutely nothing in his career, but still. On top of that, the player with the worst overall rating, Bills OT Demetrius Bell with a whopping 54 overall, has a 95 morale rating. Don't you usually feel down when you suck that bad?

The only thing that consoles me is the idea that EA realizes Morale does next to nothing in the game, and they made it so ridiculous this year so that next season they can claim that they fixed the morale stat as one of their yearly upgrades, so that it looks like something is different with the game other than updated rosters.

This got me thinking: what are some other bullshit categories EA could fall over themselves to give 100 ratings in?

Getting Away With Murder (Literally)
Leonard Little, DE, Rams

When you get away with killing an innocent women while your drunk-driving your rookie season, you attribute it to luck. When you get arrested again and fail three breathalyzer tests, it's a skill. Give this man a 100!

Party Shot Creativity
Matt Leinart, QB, Cardinals

Playing two-hand touch with hot under aged girls in your hot tub just isn't as fun as it used to be. And let's face it, The Game killed the whole downing a bottle of liquor thing. What's a man-boy to do? How about have your shirtless friend hold a Grey Goose bottle at his crotch while you suck it down? I haven't seen such homoerotic partying since the "Baby Bird" shot in the pilot for Gay Robot. Put another 100 on the board!

Everyday Is Halloween
Adalius Thomas, LB, Patriots

If you've watched Monday Night Football the past two seasons, you might have noticed a player rocking sunglasses in his intro. That's Adalius Thomas. He got into a car accident as a teenager and has a scar the size of my hand across the middle of his face. Adalius, you just stole millions of dollars from the Patriots, you can afford a little cosmetic surgery. You're not Harry Potter, you're not Corey Hart and this is not 1986.

Bottle Popping aka Making Stupid Decisions At Clubs
Javon Walker, WR, Oakland

Javon Walker's best friend and teammate, Darrent Williams, died in his arms (allegedly) in retaliation for getting into a champagne-spraying contest with gang members in a Denver bar. Walker keeps a shirt stained with Williams blood in his closet to remind him of the incident, and the consequences of one's actions. So what does Javon do in Las Vegas? Get into a champagne spraying fight that (allegedly) went wrong with Floyd Mayweather's crew. The way his career is going, Javon might have been smarter to save those bottles to pay his medical bills when he inevitably hurts his knee doing something stupid again. If there was a score above 100, I'd have to give it to him.

My type of ad!

2008-06-22T07:05:00.003-04:00

Just the image alone was enough to get my attention but what comes after is icing on the cake. Hilarious and clever.

P.S. 20KBlog and its affiliates do not condone the usage of Wonder Bras as it is seen as a form of false advertisement.

1,005,045 Records Sold in 1 Week...

2008-06-18T17:29:00.004-04:00

On one hand I'm astonished and baffled by the numbers. Who buys this shit? On the other hand, I have to say bravo to Weezy because he told us he'd do it, I laughed, we all laughed, and he proved us wrong. Gold in a day, plat in a week. Astounding. This does prove hip-hop is still a viable musical outlet and can only be good for urban music as a whole.

Anyways, here's a vid of the snake-haired drug-addict himself, thanking everyone for buying his album.

And here's a freestyle he laid over his A Millie beat, doing the same. Enjoy:

A Millie freestyle for fans

I'm voting Republican

2008-06-14T22:54:00.002-04:00

*This post does not represent the views of all 20k money making bloggers on the corner.

Miley Cyrus digs a hole..and buries herself

2008-06-14T16:27:00.002-04:00

So about a month ago I posted the ACDC dance vid response to Miley Cyrus' dance crew. Well after a while of gathering up C-list actors and other miscellaneous heads shes back with her response to the napalm bomb.

I'm predicting ether after this from ACDC after this weak sauce. Emmanuelle Chiriqui is way too sexy to be in this video- shame her soul is going to have to burn slow.

Karl Rove: The Tragic Gangster

2008-06-14T14:03:00.003-04:00

Michael Corleone, Frank White, Karl Rove?

While the 20,000 money-making brothers are too large a movement to have any one political agenda, we do consider a contemporary politico our patron saint. That man is Karl Rove. Why MC Rove? It’s because he has the audacity to say “Yeh, I’m a douchebag? AND What?” He dropped out of college and hustled his way to a posh office outside the Oval Office, a move that could only be made by a calculating man with swagger to spare.

We’ve been talking about Fox News a lot lately, and the other day I was flipping channels and caught Karl Rove on the Fox News set. This is a major coup for Fox. To snag THE election strategist of his generation away from the rich coffers of lobbying groups and political action committees is nothing short of a miracle. However, what is a giant gain for FNC is indicative of something much sadder for Rove: The reason he didn’t take any of those lucrative, cushy lobbying jobs is because, quite simply, nobody offered them to him.

There was an article in The Atlantic several months ago detailing one author’s view of why Rove failed so miserably as a political advisor to President Bush. As I think about the (lack of) actions by the Bush administration, Rove’s tenure plays out something like the plot of a gangster film. More specifically, I am referring to the archetypal downfall of the anti-hero the movie follows. Almost without exception, the main character of these films overcomes humble or unlikely beginnings, rises rapidly in the ranks, and establishes a criminal empire. However, the protagonist has some sort of bigger, perhaps even nobler, dream, the pursuit of which is thwarted by some combination of personal flaw and outside forces. At the end, they lose something dear to them as the toll of their failed journey.

In The Godfather series, Michael’s need for revenge and his inability to be accepted by polite society sours his plan of becoming a legitimate businessman, ending with the loss of his family. Tony Montana’s arrogance and overzealous ambition get the best of him in Scarface. Ace’s naiveté force him out of the drug game in Paid In Full. Last but not least, Frank White is incapable of escaping the past, and is rebuffed by New York, the city he so loved. Karl Rove borrowed from all of these characters’ failures, and in return, will ultimately be lost to history.

After the 2002 and 2004 election years, it looked like Karl Rove might indeed have an extended cameo in American history textbooks. Rove openly called them realignment elections. A realignment election is the rarest occurrence in American electoral politics. It happens maybe every 40 years, if that. They are momentous events that shift party allegiance, power, and transform the country. 2004 especially, in which he tapped into a pool of voters who hadn’t cast a ballot in decades (if ever), looked to be a mandate election, where Bush would have more power to accomplish his domestic policy goals. It wasn’t.

While one could argue that Rove was always a little too audacious or greedy, it didn’t show itself until Bush’s second term. With such a big win, Bush fulfilled his promise to Rove to get him more involved with policy, so that Rove could being to cement and take advantage of the electoral power shift he claimed had just happened. The problem was that it didn’t happen. It was beyond naïve to assume that ’04 was such an event. The last realignment happened less than 25 years before. The supposed “trigger” event, September 11, would have ushered in a change in attitudes about foreign policy, not domestic policy. And lastly, the issues Rove wanted to tackle weren’t the ones that got Bush reelected.

Bush was elected largely because people loathed John Kerry and because of a strong anti-gay marriage sentiment in key states. Bush and Rove’s policy goals were rarely given as the reason for voters to cast their ballots. President Bush wished to privatize Social Security, establish private health savings accounts, and conduct liberal immigration reform: all issues that were unpopular with a majority of Americans. Rove managed to pull out a win in spite of voters’ take on Bush’s agenda.

Whereas Rove’s naiveté was at fault in assuming a realignment had ushered the administration back into office with greater political power, his arrogance is what ultimately cost him his job and his place in history.

The one piece of Bush’s domestic agenda that was successfully passed through Congress, The No Child Left Behind program, came to fruition out of bipartisan political compromise, and the careful massaging of egos in the Capitol. After September 11, when Rove and Bush could have formed a strong bipartisan coalition within the legislature, they instead chose to ram bills down their collective throat. Not only did this squander an important opportunity to cultivate a working relationship with Democrats, it also alienated Republican leadership in Congress. In effect, Bush told them if you don’t pass this or that, you’re un-American. Rove didn’t even ask for the advice or opinions of the most senior Republican leadership when writing a proposed policy.

This cavalier attitude towards the way business was done doomed the rest of Rove’s tenure in the White House. Social security and healthcare privatization, which were achievable systems that existed in other countries, became impossible dreams on the Hill. The last, fatal misstep was the immigration reform debacle, where Democrats and Rove’s supposed Republican allies rebelled against Bush’s threats with embarrassing consequence.

Considering the path of Rove’s brief Washington career, I’m reminded of a scene from Paid In Full. We see dollars falling, and what we assume is a scene of Ace’s plush gangster lifestyle. The camera pans out, and we see it’s a stage, with actors acting out what Ace was once a part of. Yes, Ace gets to watch these little glories of his youth over and over again, but he can never live it over again. The same is with Rove. In the safety of the Fox studios he can watch the events play out this campaign season, he can talk about strategy, but because of his flaws, he will never be able to participate in the game.

R. Kelly not Guilty?

2008-06-13T15:56:00.003-04:00

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- A Chicago jury has acquitted R. Kelly on all counts at his child pornography trial.

The verdict came six years after the R&B superstar was first charged with videotaping himself having sex with a young girl. Prosecutors had said she was as young as 13 at the time.

The Grammy award-winning singer dabbed his face with a handkerchief and hugged each of his four attorneys after the verdict was read. The singer had faced 15 years in prison if convicted.

Both Kelly and the now 23-year-old alleged victim had denied they were the ones appearing on the tape, which was played for the jury at the beginning and end of the trial.

The prosecution's star witness was a woman who said she engaged in three-way sex with Kelly and the girl from the video. Defense attorneys argued the man on the tape didn't have a large mole on his back, as Kelly does.

The jury of nine men and three women included the wife of a Baptist preacher from Kelly's Chicago-area hometown, as well as a compliance officer for a Chicago investment firm and a man in his 60s who emigrated from then-Communist Romania nearly 40 years ago.

Jurors took the sex tape at the center of the trial with them, and a monitor was set up in the jury room in case they wanted to review it.

Kelly was charged with 14 counts of videotaping himself having sex with an underage girl, who prosecutors say was as young as 13.

Aaron Mcgruder is a prophet- why do I have the feeling this is how it went down?

You know we got that Wave

2008-06-13T15:22:00.002-04:00

1. Intro (Milli Vanilla skit)
2. Paperwork
3. Picture me rollin'
4. Lip Sang
5. G'd up (remix) (Feat Henny Tha don)
6. Chase you home (Ft. Al Pac)
7. City wit' no hoes
8. Try me
9. Get low (ft. Al Pac)
10. We got doe (Ft. Al Pac)
11. Bad whiskey
12. Baby I wonder
13. Chevy Clean
14. Ready to ryde (ft Mack Mustard)
15. Uncle
16. The Tsunami (ft Al Pac)
17. Outro
18. In 2 Deep

http://rapidshare.com/files/121461927/Public_Domain_3.zip

Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Make Election Day a Saturday?

2008-06-11T00:37:00.001-04:00

Roland Martin says voting on Tuesday made sense when the day was set in 1845, but a change is needed.

Link for the entire article here

I like this debate. Should we move the election day to the weekend? Roland Martin seems to think so. You've got to admit, his argument makes sense. All arguments about tradition aside, there really is no plausible reason to keep the election on a Tuesday. It's the middle of the week, it's a work day, people have things to do, it limits the number of people who can actually make it to the polls. Logistically, it just doesn't make sense. So why not change it to a Saturday, a day that's already set aside for leisure?

Or better yet, as some have suggested, why not just make that Tuesday a national holiday? Other countries do it. Hmmm...

Barack Obama's "terrorist fist jab"

2008-06-10T15:22:00.000-04:00

Now, I'm not really sure what Fox News was getting at when they insinuated that the moment Barack and his wife shared could be interpreted as a "terrorist fist jab" but I honestly don't really care. I think it's apparent that even Fox knew the notion that the two were sharing some sort of "insurgent" secret hand shake is absurd and insulting. That's why they threw the idea out there and then ran away from it as fast as they could. But what they're doing is stirring the pot -- giving bitter, stubborn, old conservatives (it's a little unfair of me to pigeonhole with this term, but let's face it that's the demographic Fox caters to) something else to fear simply because they may or may not understand it and Fox tells them to be weary of it. But the idea that a body-language interpreter was even necessary is laughable.

That said, the video does highlight one indisputable fact that I'd like to address at this point. George W. is that dude. Fuck what you heard! Never again will a man be so inept to lead a country but be blessed with so much pure, unfiltered swagger as to con an entire nation into electing him president. Twice!

Style, swagger, charisma. A certain... je ne c'est quoi if you will. George W. Bush has it. In troves.

*Edit*
It has just been brought to my attention that it is well documented that Al Qaeda members often give each other dap after blowing shit up. Hmm. The plot thickens...

"Come join the Youth and Beauty Brigade!"

2008-06-09T19:11:00.000-04:00

Let the Music Naziism begin!

This post is long overdue, but forgive me. Last month I saw Colin Meloy, lead singer of the Decemberists, on his live solo album promotional tour at the Somerville Theater. I don't even know where to start. I was blown away, ravished, damn near lost my religion.

The set was great, all Decemberists songs with the exception of a Sam Cooke cover (Sam Cooke getting the latest Colin Meloy solo EP treatment). He started out mellow with Wonder and Shiny, then went into California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade, O Valencia! (interrupted by a snippet of Dracula's Daughter, Colin's worst song ever written lol), Shankill Butchers, Apology Song, The Sporting Life, and a Cautionary Song. Among the highlights, however, were a rare peek at Perfect Crime #1, and a near 15 minute encore which ended with The Mariner's Revenge.

Meloy's singing voice is superb, but that's not what makes the show so great. He is a great MC, and his little VH1 Storyteller segments are entertaining and informative. The show was really interactive, with Colin asking the audience to snap, hum, clap, sing etc. at various songs. He creates a genuine connection with the audience, the fans even helping him with lines on requests.

The Somerville Theater is a piece of garbage. The floor constantly feels like its going to fall through, and the seats move and creak if someone on the opposite end scratches themselves. Staff at the theater are a mixed bag. The usher was helpful enough, and the high school girls at the popcorn stand were nice, but everyone else is a damned snarky hipster philo-major son of a bitch. On the positive end, the acoustics were magnificent and it is a really neat little theater. I had seats in the last row, left balcony and I felt like I was right on top of the performer. Plus, it is probably the only venue in the area where you can get a Harpoon draught or a glass of white wine with your popcorn.

As for the opening act, the sweet Laura Gibson, she was alright. She fit the audience and the music of Meloy, but wasn't anything special. I'm going to sya this now, but I feel like I will be saying this a lot in the coming year: Pretty, Skinny girl + guitar does not a Feist or Cat Power make. I did think it was funny that she admitted one of the songs she was going to play had been rejected for a children's theater performance in rural Oregon - a show directed by her mother lol.

Colin Meloy also gave a really cool sneak peek at the next Decemberists' album. He played two songs, but it really felt like one long track divided into different parts, a la The Island or California One. The first part was about a mother sending her young son to work in a dangerous coal mine, and the second part was a funeral procession for another person who died in said coal mine. On a whole it was great, with the first part really mellow and the second part pretty hard-rockin'. I think the chorus for the second part was "We're Building a Coffin for Davey!"

A few quick observations from the show:
-Is it a law that every acoustic guitar-playing, folk sin singer chick wear a white dress?

-So-Many-Rivers Cuomo Glasses!

-The etching of Sam Cooke on the respective EP is frightening

-If you ever wanted to kill as many hipsters with the least amount of effort, bomb a Colin Meloy show at the Somerville Theater. Please don't though lol.

-Colin's 2 year old son Hank is Hipster music royalty.

Grade: 10/10

Pimp It.

We're Heading Back to LA!!!

2008-06-09T18:36:00.000-04:00

And now the Series starts...

We Makin' Hits!!

2008-06-08T17:18:00.001-04:00

The 20k music page is up. Check the songs out. We'll be in the studio all summer.

Link

We're on Mogulus

2008-06-06T18:50:00.000-04:00

Well to make up for me personally slacking on the posts I decided to hook up our own Mogulus channel its basically like your own television station. I'm gonna add a lot more videos these are only a few to get it started. We got our own account on there so if the other 19,999 of you want to add some vids you can screen name is 20kblog the password will make its way around.

Nas - Black President

2008-06-06T13:14:00.000-04:00

Nasir gives his take on the current state of the nation and political atmosphere in the country. Looks like he's openly supporting Barack.

All political bias aside, it is my opinion that this is one of the better Nas songs I've heard in years. See kids? You don't have to wear a backpack to pass a message in your music. Check it out.

Click here to listen/download.

Lakai Skate Intro

2008-06-03T22:48:00.001-04:00

I normally try to avoid sharing anything that can be found on Kanye's blog, but f it, the Spike Jonez directed intro to the new Lakai skate video is DOPE. Even if you're not a skatehead I think you'll agree this is more than just a little cool. Link below, video in the Vid Bar.

Youtube Link

ODrama...

2008-06-03T21:45:00.000-04:00

Obama claims Democratic nomination for 2008 Presidential election

*The preceding image is not intended as an endorsement of the candidate pictured; and even if it were, it would not reflect the views of all 20,000 money making bloggers on the corner.
*The truth is about, 1,357 of them are way too busy getting money to have even formed an opinion on the delegates thus far.
*Obama ftw.

Kobe x Jackass x Nike Hyperdunk

2008-06-01T18:29:00.000-04:00

"Oh sh*t it's a snake!"

Nike continues it's absurd campaign for the Nike Hyperdunk, this time enlisting the aid of the Jackass crew...

*video moved to video bar*

What The...

2008-06-01T17:56:00.000-04:00

Faux tight-sag denim/suspender jeans...?

Yayyy! I Has InterWEbz Again!!

2008-05-30T16:49:00.000-04:00

So, I was net-less for a couple of weeks there, but your boys back in the building! Expect a lot of updates in the coming days, and possibly a domain change (http://20kblog.wordpress.com) or just a lazy http address change (possibly to http://20kblog.blogspot.com) reason being, we're actually starting to get some legitimate traffic and it's been suggested that a more reasonable address would make the blog more accessible... Either way, we'll let you know well before it happens, don't worry.

So what goodies, do, I have, for you, today...? hmmm...

How does a free Glow in the dark mix sound? Courtesy of my man DJ ZO!!

Download Here

PLaylist ::
1- Really Doe ft. Kanye West - Plastic
2- Dj Khaled ft. Kanye West - Grammy Family
3- Kanye West - I wonder
4- Kanye West - Classic (Dj Premier Remix)
5- Rhymefest ft. Kanye West - Brand New
6- Jadakiss ft. Kanye West - Gettin It In
7- Teriyaki Boyz ft Kanye West - I Still Love H.E.R.
8 - 88 Keys ft. Kanye West - Stay Up
9 - Kanye West - Flashing Lights
10- The Game ft Kanye West - Wouldn't Get Far
11- Kanye West ft. Lupe Fiasco - Touch The Sky
12- Lupe Fiasco - I Got Cha
13 - Lupe Fiasco - Paris, Tokyo
14- Lupe Fiasco - Kick, Push
15- (CRS) Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, Pharrell - US Placers
16- Pharrell - How Does It Feel?
17 - N.E.R.D. - She Wants To Move
18 - Robin Thicke ft Pharrell - Wanna Love You Girl (Remix)
19- N.E.R.D. - In Search Of.... Intro
20 - Snoop Dogg ft Pharrell - Drop It Like Its Hot
21 - Clipse ft Pharrell - Gangsta Lean
22- N.E.R.D. - Stay Together
23- N.E.R.D. - Don't Worry About
24- N.E.R.D. - Bobby James
25 - N.E.R.D. - Wonderful Place
26 - Mickey Factz ft N.E.R.D. - Don't Be Light
27- N.E.R.D.- Chariot Of Fire
28- N.E.R.D. - Everyone Nose

Nothing really EXCLUSIVEEEE about this, just a cool little gesture on his part. It's all in one big ass track, so turn it on during a long drive, power hour, smoke session, work out session, whatever, and just zone out. Oh and check out his Myspace for more downloads and the such.

We should be post a LOT more from now on, so keep checking back multiple times a day. I'm feelin real good as of late so we're gonna be having some cool events (giveaways perhaps?) and mo' hot, shit, fo dat ass!

Chuuuch!!

Random Thought

2008-05-28T21:32:00.000-04:00

I was literally 'bout to nap and X-Men: the animated series came on. It was the infamous first episode when my mans Morph [allegedly] gets merked by a sentinel.

There was some debate later on in the episode and the series if anyone was to blame for the incident. I've taken it upon myself to analyze the situation and
I've concluded that it was certainly Cyclop's fault and Wolverine should have definitely tore his ass up. My man morph had no reason to even be on the mission. He serves as merely comic relief and since both Wolverine and Beast were already on board (they're hilarious together, not so much separate) laughs were optimal.
And the fact that they decided to just dip when Morph and Beast got got... what kind of leadership and teamwork is that? If any of my 20k dudes were getting jumped by sentinels, I don't care how many or how big or what generation of sentinel (because they do get crazy), I'm hopping in the fight, powers or no powers.

Imma miss you morph :(

MUTO

2008-05-17T11:35:00.000-04:00

I'd include a description and commentary with this, but I think everyone would be better off if I left things at "just watch it."

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Say "Hello" to the New Members

2008-05-16T02:56:00.000-04:00

Wesley: "Nigga you had me at big penises!"

20k is mass ordering shipments of ExtenZe. We can't have our brothers out there working with anything less than the best. Stay tuned.

P.S. check out the John Mayer vid. Kristen Bell's won my heart. Now if she didnt come across like such a crazy, homicidal, b*tch...

Top 5 reasons Rick Ross is on top:

2008-05-16T02:50:00.000-04:00

1. Being attractive is out
2. Being fat is back
3. Dark skinned is still holdin it down
4. He has complete knowledge of 1-3
5. He is NOT a coke rapper. He just happens to know a little about coke and very little about rap.

Miami has truly found a boss in this man.
I would've posted one of his songs but I don't actually like any of them.
He makes my eyes feel good :)

Lollipop! Lolli-POP!!

2008-05-14T10:18:00.000-04:00

The best in the world...

But seriously, as over the vocorder as I am, this is muchhhhh more listenable than the original version. I think it's obvious they should have just made this song to begin with.

Lil' Wayne feat. Kanye West - Lollipop Remix

P.S. who wants to see some Senior Gala pictures? Yeah, you do!

long time, no posts

2008-05-12T20:24:00.000-04:00

If we're not posting youtube links we're not posting?

and niggas was looking real salty last night at Pub night.

But I digress...
just copped some John Varvatos shoes and a bow tie just cuz :)

I guess theres gon' be a dry spell cuz dudes seem busy but in the meanwhile, listen to these:

Coldplay - Lost
or
NERD feat. CRS and Pusha T - Everyone Nose (remix)

**Ike Edit:**

\V/

GTA IVth Grade [EDITED]

2008-05-09T23:52:00.000-04:00

Is Latarian his Christian name?

{video moved}

I heard this on the radio a week ago, finally caught the video. At least he hangs out with cool kids who smoke cigarettes.

addendum:

Due to popular opinion, simply stealing a video from another blog, forum, or an afternoon youtube hunt will not warrant a post. But since this activity is valuable to the 20k community the video bar has been added.
simply place the html embed code under the last one when you wish to edit the section.
The 6th video poster is allowed to delete the first video to maintain only 5 vids at any given time.
most importantly the dimensions must be altered to fit the smaller side panel.
Width 213: Height:178 (you don't have to remember this you can just look at the other videos ahead of you)
The above changes are honestly for the improvement of the blog.
Any questions... just stop being a bitch.

Thank you,
YoungWes

NER*D - Spazz!!

2008-05-09T10:43:00.000-04:00

While, thanks to their "Stress" video, everyone else is hopping on the already full JUSTICE bandwagon, I'm gonna take a different route with this post. Nothing against JUSTICE of course (even though I doubt anyone jocking them right now, ahem Pilch, has even heard of "Man Bites Dog" the Belgian flick that inspired the video -- do yourself a solid and look it up) but the efforts Pharrell and Chad are making to revitalize, contemporize, and mainstream drum 'n' bass music is at the very least entertaining. Regardless of whether you're into the genre or not you should definitely check out their live performance of of "Spazz" (the assumed second single off their upcoming N3RD album) here. And because you love me, I've included a link to the CD quality mp3 below. Be on the lookout for "Anti" too. That shit knocks!

"Spazz"

Star and Buc are Making a Comeback!

2008-05-08T17:43:00.001-04:00

To quote my dude illphillip off the Niketalk music forum (the only love you bastards are ever getting on here):

Star had a hand in taking what I believe was a television signal and turning it into a radio station.

Pulse 87. 87.7 on the dial.

It was his way of getting back into NY radio.

Thing is, they are really just getting started. They haven't done any marketing in NY. So the average NY'er doesn't even know the station exists.

And there are some stereo receivers that don't even go as low as 87.7, which doesn't help either.

But they have a pretty good signal. The other weird thing is that it's a "dance" music station. So you'll hear mostly House and Trance, and dance remixes of Pop records.

A stream of Pulse is available via their website. You can listen from wherever.

And now for some memories:

WE GRADTUATIN BITCHES!!!

2008-05-06T02:03:00.000-04:00

Commencement Board: Good afternoon. How can I help you?
Me: Hi. How many tickets do we get for the commencement ceremony?
Commencement Board: Um there are no tickets sir. The ceremony is outside so we don't require tickets
Me: Good to know. Good to know. I'm expecting a rather large party. I hope there's space
Commencement Board: Well just how large is your party sir?
Me: 20,000. STRONG.
Commencement Board: ...
Me:...
Commencement Board: 20,000?
Me: That's right. WE GRADUATING BITCHES AND I WANT MY 20K MONEY MAKING BROTHERS SITTIN' FRONT ROW!!

You got E-served

2008-05-05T15:56:00.000-04:00

From the Vanity Fair controversy to badly losing online dance competitions, these last few weeks have been bad for Miley Cyrus. Apparently some super dance group from L.A. challenged her thru youtube and they took it very seriously. Walt Disney took time out of his sit down with Hitler to roll in his grave a few times.

I'd ravage Amanda Bynes' box for the record.

So Much Swagger, I Give Up!

2008-05-04T13:30:00.000-04:00

Recently, we here at 20k have been accused of thieving from other blogs to provide the hot shit for out blog; namely kanye west's blog Fuck that shit! We the hottest blog on the planet and if any other blogs even get their little cookies on any of our 20,000 macbooks or pcs (mostly macs cuz theyre hotter) they should just thank whatever deity they fucking wit because they finally made it! And plus Kanye's blog is whack.

But I digress.

So i was on Kanye's blog a while back and I witnessed the most powerful expression of swag I've ever seen (outside of our 20,000 that perpetually radiate ridiculous levels of swag, braggadocio, style, flavor, funk, hot-as-fuck-ness...etc.) In response to some less than favorable reviews of his new tour, Kanye whil'd out:

Yo, anybody that's not a fan; don't come to my show. For what?! To try and throw ya'll two cents in? Ya'll rated my album shitty and now ya'll come to the show and give it a B+. What's a B+ mean? I'm an extremist. It's either pass or fail! A+ or F-! You know what, fuck you and the whole fucking staff!!! I know I shouldn't dignify this with a comment, but the reviewer threw a jab at all the artists. I just wanna know when was the last time you enjoyed yourself. If you can't have fun and lose yourself at this tour it's a good chance you're a very miserable person. I actually feel sorry for you guys. Your job forces you to not have fun anymore. Grab a drink, holla at some nice girls, and party bitch!! You don't know shit about passion and art. You'll never gain credibility at this rate. You're fucking trash! I make art. You can't rate this. I'm a real person. I'm not a pop star. I don't care about anything but making great art. Never come 2 one of my shows ever again, you're not invited and if you see me...BOW!! This is not pop, it's pop art!

Albeit the arrogance that Kanye is often criticized for is there, but it is laced with the hilarity and truth I personally find endearing. I give up hating on this man and his little blog he has running over there. I in fact like it. This is not to say we aren't iller in every way and that our subject matter doesn't far surpass his. Simply, his blog, his tour, his last album don't completely suck.
And in the same vein as his post, Fuck all the 20kmoneymakingbloggersonthecorner haters!!! Theres way too many letters in our web address to come across us and not already be on our dick. If you don't like a post you're stupid...
go kill yourself because you ain't ever gon ' be nothing!

This is not pop, it's not pop art, it's the Corner baby... and we ain't going no where!!! HAHA

The Next Level

2008-05-03T10:58:00.001-04:00

I don't even remember his name but...

2008-05-02T00:10:00.000-04:00

he locked up. And once again this isn't a celebrity gossip blog, and theres way more important and entertaining stories out there [ Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey's alleged marriage, Beyonce's pregnancy, Karl Malone conceiving a child way back when he was 18 and the girl was 13], but seeing Gary Dourdan's mugshot tonight really made me smile. Thank you [somewhat racist] drug possession laws.

Lesbos Sue Gays

2008-04-30T16:02:00.000-04:00

Ron: Lesbians are suing the gays?
Ike: What? Like, themselves, or just gay men?
Ron: No, no, I mean the people of Lesbos. The Greek Island. They're
suing gays.
Ike: Ok... as in a few gay people in Greece, a particular
homosexual organization or like... the entire international gay community...?
Ron: Well not the ENTIRE gay community. Just the chicks.

That conversation really happened. Now we don't fancy ourselves to be a news service here at 20K, but this was just too good to ignore. Lesbos, coincidentially (or not so much) an island famous for birthing the poet Sappho who rapped about nothing else but liking girls who like girls who like girls, is finally tired of being associated with same-sex relations. As one male Lesbian complains, "My sister can't say she is a Lesbian. Our geographical designation has been usurped by certain ladies who have no connection whatsoever with Lesbos."

The article is filled with gems like, "The word lesbian has only been linked with gay women in the past few decades but we have been Lesbians for thousands of years" and "But even if we assume Sappho was [gay], how can 250,000 people of Lesbian descent — including women — be considered homosexual?"

lolcatz.

Check the article out here.

20,000 Crack Commandments

2008-04-29T22:50:00.000-04:00

Hammurabi was the first to write it down. Moses made the shit real simple. Barney Stinson aka Neil Patrick Harris aka Doogie Howser, M.D. perfected it. My money-making brothers, I give you The Bro Code.

Contained within its musky leather binding are all the rules a brother must live by, lest he be labelled a mark-ass trick, or even worse, a trick-ass mark.

Some highlights include:

BC26: "A Bro will, in a timely manner, alert his bro to the existence of a girl fight."

BC89: "A Bro may never pursue the hot mom of a fellow Bro. A Bro may hook up with a Bro's hot step-mom if said MILF initiates the hook-up or is wearing at least one article of leopard-print clothing."

The Psalm of the Bros
BC59: "1 Bro makes a solo attack
A 2nd Bro makes a crutch
The 3rd Bro rounds out the pack
The 4th Bro is one bro too many"

And of course, the Golden Bro Code

"Bros over Hoes."

Of course, the Bro Code is a living document. What other rules should us money-making bros follow? Leave them as comments.

Oh and if you want to read corollaries to the Bro Code, visit

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/how_i_met_your_mother/community/barney_blog/index.php

Madonna again (just cuz)

2008-04-29T22:16:00.000-04:00

She's about to be 50 and i'd still smash, going on her 11th studio album and she still hot, moved to England and she still what American pop is about...

This is a lil sample of the album, a track called "A Mile Away". (This is the remix with some random dude. He had a lisp and I feel like thats what the track was missing.)

dl link

Happy Birthday!!!

2008-04-28T15:27:00.000-04:00

To 20K Money Making Brother Andre!! That's 1K for every year you've been on this Earth my man. Much love.

Pics from his BDay party this weekend:

Happy Birthday, cuzzo!

Madonna, Skateboard, and Yeezy? Crack...

2008-04-28T00:56:00.001-04:00

Ok, well maybe not quite crack... But a really good bong rip. Or at least 2 or 3 energy drinks back to back.

Link to the song

And why have we been posting so many MP3s and videos lately? Eww. Eww at us!

You guys wanna hear about Spring Fling. Pics and a recap soon! I promise.

Why is Jay-Z Dissing Deshawn Stevenson...

2008-04-28T00:39:00.001-04:00

over tracks? This is silly...

Linkskies for the dl

"Sounds like Chewbacca taking a shit"

2008-04-27T19:52:00.000-04:00

Shout out to The Todd/Sam for this one.

"I called her a bitch right in front of her tits!"

Pimp.It.

He Can Rap?

2008-04-27T10:57:00.000-04:00

The funniest thing to me about this video is the fact that I didn't even realize Consequence was in it until now. Somehow this dude manages to sneak into every other post we make here. What is this his 4th or 5th time on the blog?

New Rule: no more Consequence.

Kanye vs. Jonah Hill

2008-04-25T10:24:00.001-04:00

Apparently Steve and Jonah train at the same gym. They're both lousy losers...

Connect 4 - Jonah Hill vs. Kanye from kwest on Vimeo.

over 18 million American adults served...

2008-04-24T10:41:00.000-04:00

according to SurveyUSA. Now its on a whole new level. Look at this...
you just got rickrolld in pie graph form!!!

Usher ft Beyonce and Weezy-Love in this Club Pt.2

2008-04-23T22:33:00.000-04:00

html bandit!!!

source

no law suits

Flyer Than an Ostrich

2008-04-22T04:58:00.001-04:00

Coming soon:

Gotta keep the front on the hush hush til Saturday, though. See you there.

"Aww Man! These N***** Still Kissing..."

2008-04-21T23:13:00.000-04:00

There's a storm cloud gathering over hip-hop: It's pink, sporting epilettes, and (sort of) naming names.

Ever heard of Terrance Dean? He’s worked for MTV, written a few books, and bedded a few famous men in his day: straight mothafuckin o-g style! And apparently, Mr. Dean never learned that it's impolite to felch and tell.

So, everybody got hype for that Wendy Williams tell-all, but they clearly weren’t Money Makin’ Brothers, cause if they were they’d remember 20k Money Makin’ Rule #105: “Don’t believe shit that bubble-eyed bitch says!”

Dean says he isn’t going to name names, but that it will be clear who he will be referring to…which is basically the same thing. I think we’ll all know who he’s talking about when “S.E.X.” and “Gay-Z” pay a visit to his poop-shoot for the first time.

Why should hip-hop be surprised, or really even care? How many times has your favorite rapper spit 16 bars about going to prison, that prison time was easy, or even that they liked it? As Cam put it "18 months -please- that aint facin time Im stressed anyway - need it for vaction time!" Has he never seen Oz? I'm gonna be real up-front: dudes don't enjoy prison unless they: a.) can't take care of themselves adequately in free society b.) like hiding contraband up their man-hole, or c.) aren't bothered by the constant threat of spending happy hour on a Provincetown Barstool (shout out to P-Town!).

Hip-hop culture puts an emphasis on keeping up with and setting new trends in fashion. Flamboyance is praised. The strength that comes from strong bonds with similarly-aged and flashy young men is emphasized. All steretotypes of gay men, be they right or wrong.

Of course, we won’t know until the book comes out, or Dean does his first interview on Hot 97.7. So, in the spirit of the death pool, let’s call our shots. Which rappers do YOU think will boogie out of the closet and why? I’ll be the first to say it: Weezy and Birdman have been suspect for years. What with the kissing, Lil Wayne’s penchant for saying how much he loves anal sex and crediting Baby for it, just…everything…. pause- He's pretty much been throwing it in our faces for a while now "Weezy f-cking Baby, please say the baby" sounds like homosexual jargon if you ask me.

Ike's Take:

There is no question in my mind that at least some of rap's most prominent artists are gay. I don't think there's really a debate there, I mean statistically it's a very plausible assumption to make. And honestly? I don't really care. So you're a gay rapper... so what? I think I speak for everyone here at 20K when I say there is nothing wrong with homosexuality. Not that we have nothing against it, but flatly there is nothing wrong with it. As long as you keep spitting that hot fire that keeps my neck sore from knocking my head so much (I'm sorry, but pause) who cares what you do in the privacy of your own bedroom. And besides, I mean let's be real... we all already knew that DMX loves the man-booty-hole: "Cuz dog! Once you hear that *ARRFF ARRFF* I'm coming!!"

--EDIT--

Actually I'd like to make one change to my previous statement. I do have a HUGE issue with gay ass rappers fronting like they're not, and filling their lyrics with homophobic nonsense and hyper masculine he-man bullshit. Lil' Wayne, STOP! You kiss another man, on the mouth openly and repeatedly. I'm tired of hearing the phrase "no homo" on every other verse you write. Especially on Lollipop. What the hell is wrong with you?

a BROtastic adventure!!!

2008-04-18T14:25:00.000-04:00

REAdy, Set, BROooOOo!!!

Our good friends Sam, Egan, Vince, Jenkins (he's a racist) and another bro that I can't recall the name of have embarked on a weekend BRo-dtrip to the city of Bro-therly love, Philadelphia. We at 20kmoneymakingbloggersonthecorner fully support the bond that can only be shared between bros and find this act of pure Bro-manship admirable. In this '95 volvo they hope to find what Bro-dism scholars have coined as Bro-vana, a state in which Bros reach complete enlightenment and understanding and become completely comfortable with their place in the Bro-niverse, they become one with the effervescent Bro-force that surrounds and is part of all things but is invisible to the average BRo.
God Speed Bros. God Speed

RATATATATATATATATA...

2008-04-18T10:04:00.000-04:00

RRRRRATATATATATATATATA!!

TRIIIIIIIPLEEEEE DE KOBE BRYANT!!

chuuch!

So Mariah hit us up and...

2008-04-15T12:45:00.001-04:00

we came hard with the video lol

Jenkem Gangster

2008-04-14T23:02:00.000-04:00

Conspiracy Keys

2008-04-13T15:49:00.000-04:00

So apparently Alicia Keys told Blender magazine that “Gangsta rap was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other. Gangsta rap didn’t exist.”

She also goes on to say: "the East Coast-West Coast Beef with Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. was fueled by the government and the media, to stop another great black leader from existing."

Well I don't know if she got turned out by an ex black panther or something recently, but "Gangster" rap was created by rappers who pretended to be gangster's to sell more records. To suggest that the government spent tax payer money on studio time, tour buses and Dre beats is just straight up stupid. Although the thought of Reagan sitting in the oval office listening to "Can I borrow a Dollar" and yelling at his assistants to bring him some gangsta sh-t is hilarious to me.

Before rap there was gangs, drugs, crime, pimps and all of that. Clearly Gangsta rap is the product of the ghetto and not the government. She tried to make it seem like the end goal of Gangsta rap was to kill black people- no the end goal was to make money. All of those dudes in the early 90's took the CB4 Gusto route strictly to make money and gain fame. Unfortunately the masses will always be intrigued by the gangster lifestyle in one way or another which is why labels sign them. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the occasional "I'll put the shotty to your body" esque raps from time to time, but to suggest that N.W.A. was a product of the C.I.A. or something similar is one of the more stupid comments I've heard some one affiliated with hip-hop say. Although it doesn't quite outrank Lupe's "A dope dealer would crush Barack Obama in a conversation" and Prodigy's "George Bush Sr. f-cks little boys to take their youth from them- thats why he's living so long" comments.

She continued to say "If black leaders such as the late Black Panther Huey Newton had the outlets our musicians have today, it'd be global. I have to figure out a way to do it myself".

So I guess we can expect songs such as "You don't know my name...because the white man took us from our native home and stole our names" or a soothing R&B hit like "Karma(an ode to 9/11)". I don't know what she was thinking but I wouldn't be surprised if she got black balled from the industry for these ridiculous statements. The government isn't hip enough to have created gangsta rap, didn't she see when Karl Rove tried to dance? Apparently she dropped out of Columbia to pursue her music career and it shows, Alica I love you- but shut the f-ck up.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK (or Corner. Original 5 moneymakingbloggers)

2008-04-12T11:43:00.000-04:00

Its that new 08 heatrock! hit you hard like sheetrock! listen to this shit, the beat rock! Go smash your girl...

song title: Click, Click, Click

young wes out!

Hmm, What is Dick eyeing?

2008-04-11T16:24:00.000-04:00

Some may speculate to what that reflection is in his sunglasses but I wanna know what you guys think. Look closely. Let your imagination do some work. Then connect the reflection to the perverted Vice Presidential smile.

source: transworldnews

Jumping Over High-Priced Sports Cars...

2008-04-10T13:26:00.000-04:00

... and smashing white-women, all in my spare time. I am Kobe Bryant. And I am, officially, That Dude.

Unnecessary Censorship

2008-04-10T00:05:00.000-04:00

Just a little hilarity from our good old jolly Jewish friend Jimmy K.

Iron Mic!!

2008-04-09T09:50:00.000-04:00

I don't know how long this video is gonna stay up here. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. I'm torn morally, but this is hilarious...

down :(

2008-04-09T05:52:00.000-04:00

sneakers make me feel better

Stacey Dash helps too

Who's Crying Now? = POWERFUL

2008-04-09T02:09:00.000-04:00

So the other night I cruisin down I-93 in my 1981 corolla, windows down with the air whipping through my full bodied mullet. Fresh with the info from my bro Wes that my girl had been cheating with some Spanish guy, there was little to heal the heart of this money makin brother on the corner. Heavy hearted, I turned up the radio looking for something to ease the pain. That's when I heard the hypnotizingly brotastic voice of Steve Perry and the monster that is Journey. This post is to honor them for helping me find my way back to my money making brothers. Cause at the end of the day, she may have that salsa guru she's cheating with, but I have the love of 19,999 money makin brothers on my side. So yes, who's crying now?

P.S. Why was Journey so powerful??!!!

-"Oh shit! Its Ek! Run nigga run!"...Anonymous

Lollapalooza 2008 lineup [real strong]

2008-04-07T13:10:00.000-04:00

and they names follow as:

Radiohead
Rage Against the Machine
Nine Inch Nails
Kanye West
Wilco
The Raconteurs
Louis XIV
Love and Rockets
Gnarls Barkley
Bloc Party
The Black Keys
Broken Social Scene
Lupe Fiasco
Flogging Molly
Mark Ronson
Cat Power [thats her in the top pic...dibbs]
The National
G. Love & Special Sauce
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
Explosions in the Sky
Brand New
Gogol Bordello
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
Dierks Bentley
Okkervil River
Amadou & Mariam
Blues Traveler
John Butler Trio
Girl Talk
Your Vegas
CSS
Eli "Paperboy" Reed & the True Loves
Battles
Steel Train
Jamie Lidell
Bang Camaro
Butch Walker
The Blakes
Mates of State
Tally Hall
Spank Rock
White Lies
Brazilian Girls
Magic Wands
Chromeo
Electric Touch
Duffy
Innerpartysystem
The Kills
The Postelles
Rogue Wave
The Parlor Mob
The Go! Team
Bald Eagle
Mason Jennings
Krista
The Gutter Twins
Ha Ha Tonka
Yeasayer
Witchcraft
Grizzly Bear
We Go To 11
MGMT
Sofia Talvik
The Weakerthans
Booka Shade
Santogold [thats her in the other pic...secondary dibbs]
Black Kids
Black Lips
Dr. Dog
Nicole Atkins & the Sea
The Ting Tings
Kid Sister
Office
The Cool Kids
What Made Milwaukee Famous
Does It Offend You, Yeah?
The Whigs
Manchester Orchestra
Foals
Uffie
The Octopus Project
Cadence Weapon
Ferras
De Novo Dahl
Noah and the Whale
Margot & the Nuclear So and So's
K'NAAN
Serena Ryder
Newton Faulkner

So we all going to Chicago! How many planes are we gon' need for 20,000? Chris call Jet Blue, we'll pay you back later.

-youngwes

source: Chicago Sun-Times

I Don't Want to Turn this into a Video Blog but...

2008-04-07T06:18:00.000-04:00

and just because that might leave everyone feeling down...

ITALIAN SPIDERMAN!!!!

CHUUUCH!!

I really like this song...and she might be blonde

2008-04-06T20:00:00.001-04:00

The chicks name is Muffy
The songs name is Sweet

http://www.zshare.net/audio/101521756b18e756/]muffy-sweet.mp3

♫ Muffy - Sweet!

-youngwes

Lesbian Indie Electronic Soul?! I Fuck With It

2008-04-05T12:13:00.000-04:00

Cascada+Feist+The L Word=Uh Huh Her

Pimp.It.

"I'd rather have some Ide's and some dimes in the crib chillin'"

2008-04-04T22:11:00.000-04:00

True or False: A REAL money-making blogger never gets off the corner.

Answer: False! Why else would he be making money?!?!

It's the weekend. Time to spend that dough and get wasted, and when you're not vibing off Armand de Brignac or that Hangar 1, you ought to be dropping $2 and doing it like Biggie, Pac, and Snoop did:

And because I caught it while on YouTube, here's Biggie at 17, freshly dropped out of high school embarrassing MC's and staying on the corner!

Pimp.It.

"Wokka, wokka. Who wants to hear a funny ass joke?"

2008-04-04T15:27:00.000-04:00

"President Bush's top adviser Karl Rove testified before the grand jury for the fourth time this week. Maybe Bush should nominate him for Supreme Court. He's been in more courtrooms then Harriet Miers now." - Jay Leno.

Knee-slapper.

Chris out.

Queen of Hip-Hop Soul and this dude Shawn she know from 'round the way

2008-04-04T14:43:00.001-04:00

We had pretty good seats and honestly they both did their thing.

There was this one part in Jays set where he performed Can I Live and he told everyone that came along during Blueprint 1 and 2 to sit down for a sec while all the Reasonable Doubt heads had their time.
This made me smile for 2 reasons:
1. He acknowledge that he is two artists, an immensely talented upshot from Brooklyn and the sell out we've come to love.
2. And although Can I Live is a classic, alot of people had to sit down and whisper amongst themselves, "is this off a mixtape or something?"

Anyway, concert was straight. Mary killed it and there were fireworks.

MC Rove is a Straight G...

2008-04-04T13:11:00.000-04:00

And you're doing speeches, too, right? I read that you just gave one at Penn—
I like speaking to the college campuses.

And the first question, someone called you a cancer.
Right. Oh, sure.

You must get that all the time.
Uh, I get it some. When I go to campuses. But did you hear what I did? I just let him rant. And when he was finished, he had no question, he just wanted to accuse me of undermining the Constitution and blah-blah-blah-blah-blah. And I said, "Thanks for your thoughtful rant." And he sat down. And I said, "Now do you feel better about yourself?" And he said, "Yeah." And I said, "Well, I want you to feel better about yourself." And everybody laughed, and we went on.

Watch that entire video... His flow is impeccable. His swagger? Phenomenal.

2008-04-03T17:57:00.000-04:00

-Dial tone:

-6-1-7-7-4-2-2-2-7-7

-Ringing:

Hostess: "Oceanaire Restaraunt. This is Kathleen."

C: "Hi, Kathleen. I'd like to make a reservation for Friday night, around 8pm."

Kathleen: "Sure thing, Chris. How large is your party?"

C: "20,000."

Kathleen: "Excuse me?"

C: "I'd like to make a reservation for Friday night, around 8pm - for my money making brothers on the corner."

Kathleen: "Is this a-"

C: "All 20,000 of them."

Kathleen: "Sir, if you're not serious about making a reservation, I suggest you hang up."

C: "Tree-huggin' ass bitch, please! I make reservations for my brothers on the corner! All 20,000 of them!"

-Click:

-Dial tone.

AT THE END OF A LONG DAY OF STANDING ON THE CORNER MAKING MONEY, I DON'T RECOMMEND OCEANAIRE RESTAURANT. WHILE THE SEAFOOD IS FRESH AND DELICIOUS, THEY CAN'T SEAT ME AND MY 20,000 MONEY MAKING BROTHERS AND THAT'S THAT.

Chris out.

A up and coming indie/rock/pop/hiphop band by the name of G[orilla]-Unit...

2008-04-03T17:44:00.000-04:00

... headed by the charismatic Curtis "50 cent" Jackson, has released a new song entitled "I Like the Way She Do it". By all standard criteria for musical judgment this song should be labeled mediocre at its best, but no, this ambitious group of musicians has once again altered the common perception of good music. In a world where the lyrical stylings of the Killers or Death Cab For Cutie are assign the inscription of being poignant and inventive (amongst other bands. These bands were simply in my recently played on Itunes) and formula and hollowed sentence structure in rhyme have become almost universally frowned upon, lead vocalist Jackson finds it upon his shoulders to correct this injustice. While artists, like young Victor "N.O.R.E." "Noreaga" Santiago from Lefrak City mentioned below, have attempted to alter the vehicle of shallow lyrical delivery, Jackson adamantly opposes any sort of alteration. "I Like the Way She Do it" exists as simply the latest chapter in Jackson's Trapped in the Closet-esque serial which began with "In Da Club." Jackson brings with him the vocal talents of Christopher Charles Lloyd [Banks], Marvin Bernard [Tony Yayo], and David Darnell Brown (Young Buck). On this track these men create a unique melodic ensemble that has not been seen since G-Unit Radio 1-25, Beg for Mercy the album, Get Rich or Die Trying, Get Rich or Die Trying OST, Get Rich or Try Dying... and their most recent, Elephant in the Sand Mixtape. Keep a look out for their next album Lock and Load scheduled for summer 08 (unless you have any other 50, Banks, Yayo, or Buck album, then just play that. You're not missing much.)

download:
http://www.zshare.net/download/99154573cc7532/

p.s. chris fix this. embedding shit is too much work and I gotta be out to watch Mary J. Html sucks balls and not even in that good way.

I'd Like to Give a Shoutout to...

2008-04-03T02:16:00.000-04:00

...my boys 206 and Fame over at The Warfare Collective for hooking me up with those stickers and decals. If you guys get a chance, definitely check out their blog. Chris is one of the more talented designers out and there's a lot of cool art to be seen over there.

STIKKEY

Ok, that's the last shameless plug for a friend's page that I'm doing, I promise.

Ya'll heard these niggas done tied the knot!!???

2008-04-02T21:51:00.000-04:00

I know my dislike for a certain Mr. Sean Carter is well documented within the community, and I know the team is strong on their celebrity gossip grind, but how is this gon' just happen!

Truthfully, I feel like this is a good look for ugly dudes born in Brooklyn *cough, cough*, especially those creeping up there in their years and lookin sloppy. (Red Stripe ain't gon' help the belly situation brotha.)

This ain't a celebrity gossip blog really but i jus felt like niggas should know if they ain't already (and I know a whole bunch of people that just like seeing Beyonce looking kinda busted.)

source:
http://ahotmessblog.com/?p=2426

New MSTRKRFT ft. Nore

2008-04-02T21:06:00.000-04:00

In the rap game, few artist come full circle. Nore's not one of them. However, he is one of the few who've formed an isosceles triange. We got rap at the vertex, reggaeton in at one of the lower vertices, and now, finally, Nore's finished off his triange w/dance!

The new MSTRKRFT single has Nore on it! My ears have been waiting 22 years for this shit.

Enjoy - MSTRKRFT ft. Nore - Bounce