9.30.2009
LEGO: Architecture
This stuff is awesome, although it probably appeals more to adults that are into LEGOs, any precocious young Lego enthusiast would get a kick out of these. I'm down - this is making me start thinking about taking up my old Lego hobby actually.
The Taj Mahal (not officially in the series but the coolest):
My Favorite, Frank Ghery:
9.28.2009
9.26.2009
9.24.2009
9.22.2009
Holland's Response To Bill O'Reilly's Foolishness
Bill O'Reilly tries to spin Holland's lax drug laws into a havoc-wreaking source of misery for the country. According to people that are actually from Holland, Bill O'Reilly's totally ignorant and a good deal of them are offended by his comments. Why are people with zero journalistic integrity allowed on television? Personally, I think Bill O'Reilly was a direct precursor to the abundance of comedy news programs on television today. The man is a joke, it's comical to watch something as biased as his show be passed off as "fair reporting." That right there is the irony of The Daily Show or The Colbert Report - yes, they're satires of Bill O'Reilly & co., supposed "news shows" that are more about serving a plate of their own B.S. than dishing out recent events. But in the sorry state of journalism today (thanks to O'Reilly), Stewart and Colbert have become in a way respected journalists, largely because so much of America is familiar/comfortable with biased reporting.
For more about O'Reilly's antics, read this post by a magazine editor ambushed on his morning commute by some of the show's hit-man-like interviewers.
9.21.2009
9.18.2009
Just Got Paid - Family Guy Music Video (New Jack Throwback!)
Unfortunately, the official music video for this classic track has the embedding disabled, but I found this homemade music video made up of Family Guy clips. It's actually really well done, the guy managed to match up a lot of the lip syncing and got most of it on beat too. But if this doesn't do it for you, you can view the original "Just Got Paid" video. This track used to come on all the time back on the Michael Baisden show, when I'm back in Jersey or NYC I'm almost always listening to Kiss FM when I'm driving around. I have no way of verifying this, but I feel like I must be one of like 2 or 3 white guys that regularly listen to the Michael Baisden show, which as far as I know doesn't air here in Seattle. Anyway, follow this link for more New Jack Throwbacks on labguestloops.
9.17.2009
The View From Above - sketches by Susan Rudat
one of my favorite flickr discoveries of all time is artist susan rudat, each of her drawings is a unique experience of form, movement & texture. although her style is almost eerily consistent its cartoonish look makes it comforting - but where cartoons lack detail, susan rudat's sketches are filled with it.
9.13.2009
9.12.2009
D.Black's Return
Here's Seattle emcee's latest track "The Return" produced by Jake One off D.Black's upcoming album "Ali'Yah." Hebrew for "ascending," the word is traditionally used in reference to being called up to perform a spiritual duty, which perfectly fits D.Black's intentions. According to Black, this is his last album - "Giving up rap is hard. But it's God's decision, not mine. It's like he's saying to me, 'By you leaving the thing that you love the most, that would be the greatest testimony, because it shows that you're being obedient to me.' It was tough on me. At first I shed tears, but I'm ready to move on." But before he leaves, Black has some things he's got to say. His first album was full of rap star intentions, but his second attempt has real purpose, "I wanted to challenge the community," he says, "I'm talking about rappers, preachers, pastors, rabbis, sheiks, whoever is up to take the challenge, and put forth better thoughts. On Ali'yah there's a whole lot of 'we,' as opposed to just 'I.' I want to speak in terms of community." It seems that D.Black's ascension from hip hop and his spiritual quest through Christianity and Judaism have helped him, giving him a reason to rhyme. "What [Ali'yah] has that D.Black's first record lacks is focus. Primarily produced by Vitamin D, Jake One, and B.Brown, Ali'Yah does not contain a variety of tracks with a variety of motives—one that should produce a hit, one that should maintain or reinforce street credibility, one that's just right for the club. Instead, it is unified by D.Black's singular concern with the substance/meaning of his life—a life that is in the mode of hiphop and made up of very close relationships with his friends, family, and community."
D.Black attends synagogue and follows many Jewish traditions such as the traditional headcovering, the kippah, undergarments, tzitzit, and sabbath from Friday at sundown to Saturday night - yet does not identify himself as Jewish. This is because he still believes in Jesus as the messiah, but was inspired to delve deep into the Hebraic roots of Christianity on his own spiritual journey. Now, D.Black runs a small ministry out of his apartment building in Seattle's South End. Personally, I'm planning to someday attend one of his Friday night services; if and when I do I'll be sure to post. The above image is from The Stranger article about D.Black, The Outsider. The quotes from this article are from Jonathan Cunningham's article in the Seattle Weekly.9.05.2009
Pat Piff - Hungry As A Hippie [New Mixtape]
Pat Piff's new mixtape, "28 Grams Later II: Hungry As A Hippie" is some long awaited original, heady hip hop. Pat Piff's flow is reminiscent of too many rappers to name, he has aspects of Devin Tha Dude and when he spits quickly he reminds me of Gift Of Gab. Piff drags his flow up and down his vocal range, and actually adds to the rhythm & melody when he raps on a beat as opposed to many rappers that just rap on top of it. The intro track "Boundless Space & Time" is a great track, one of my favorites, and "Piffapalooza" basically just Piff's shout outs on top of an "Air" instrumental is unique. "People Talk" samples Led Zeppelin and turns them on their head, morphing them into a smooth hip hop jam. "No Hook Pass" has some of Piff's most clever rhymes and "We On The Way" has a fantastic beat, real original production by Alo Genius. Whether it's opening hip hop's ears to French electronica, or taking pop culture references from jazz musicians and not just what's on the TV (although he doesn't shy away from shouting out Billy Mays), to just rapping about tie-dye and sampling tracks from the sixties, Pat Piff is clearly out to change hip hop and set trends. Piff's not trying to box himself into some sort of "hippie hop" image either, his mixtape contains equal parts heady stream of consciousness and more conventional club hip hop. Recommended Tracks: "Boundless Space & Time" "I'll Be Alright" "People Talk" & probably one of the best songs about L rides: "Smoke & Drive."
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