For those of you who don't know Sir Mix-A-Lot:

Yeah, yeah, he's a lame mutha now because of that lame-tastic "Baby Got Back," but he will always be remembered in my eyes for this song. The flow, the beat=flawless.

Great songs, Vol. 5: Goodie Mob's "Cell Therapy"

I had to add the video to this'n. You know how you love a song during your pre-adolescence because of something simple, like a hot beat or a wild video? "Cell Therapy" was that for me. I loved the video, loved the beat, loved the flows. But it wasn't until recently (check: yesterday), when I was doing my usual YouTube frenzy looking for old school hip-hop vids and noticed the heavy political tone of the song and video--I mean, on some for real New World Order shit.

AND THAT WAS JUST GOODIE MOB'S FIRST SINGLE!!!!

What I love most about this is that they weren't some Poindexter Negroes that could've been Carlton Banks' best friends, but some down home, Southern brothers dressed in Dickies and wife-beaters with grills. And that was their target in that song! They were saying, "Yo, I know you gotta stay on that grind, but if anything, don't become victims to the mind-controlling system that is our capitalistic society."

Prime example of that is during Big Gipp's part where he's in the convenient store and a woman in front of him buys a two-liter soda (sidebar: am I the only person in the world who grew up saying "cold drink" for sodas?), and that's acceptable, but when he goes to the counter with a newspaper, the attendant won't allow it, because that's the last thing America needs--an aware, knowledgeable black man.

Intelligence, my friends, comes in all kinds of packages.

And in the legendary words of Spike Lee a la Laurence Fishburn in School Daze: People...please wake up.

Let's get Texas and Ohio!

Oh Mah Jeebus! Pt. 2

Photo courtesy of Re-Up Gang Records

Re-Up Gang, which comprises of Clipse and other collabos, is collaborating with Joss Stone. The world has ended.

Joss Stone reminds me of that particular white girl from every junior high and high school who tried so hard to be down that she dyed her blonde hair really dark and talked with a "blackcent" and dated only black dudes and tried to wear tight Baby Phat jeans to show she has a "black girl booty." Yeah, we've seen it all before, Joss Stone. Yawn.

Video Vault: St. Ides commercials were so gangsta.

Remember St. Ides? If so, I'm terribly sorry. During my short stint as a rebellious youth back in the sixth grade, I would go to the local supermarket and wreak all kinds of havoc. Everyday was like I was in the Smashing Pumpkins' “1979” video.

Anyway, I would go there and just open up cans of beer and feel like a badass and drink it and such. St. Ides was one of those beverages, and lemme tell ya—it was the worst damn liquor. As much as I hate saying the word, it literally was a “pussy-ass” drink. And the funny thing about it was the fact that they had all these rappers like Tupac and Snoop and Wu-Tang and shit doing the commercials.

I would catch these videos when I watched The Box all the time. Damn. The Box. Wow. That was for those like me growing up who didn't have cable at first so had to settle for The Box, and then forgot all about it when I graduated to Rap City. Ahhhh. It was a great channel, though. Wonder where it is now.

More:




Oh, West Coast rap. How I miss thee.

Paul Westerberg warms my soul.

Dunno why, but I always get a sense that everything in life is gonna be allright whenever I hear Paul Westerberg's gentle, raspy voice. Maybe that's why I (secretly) love The Goo Goo Dolls and love Jeff Tweedy, both of whom were heavily influenced by The Replacements. I mean, how can you not love Paul Westerberg?

Watch:

This video is the white people equivalent of a hip-hop video circa 1994.

Like so:


But my love for early '90s hip-hop is a whole different post. Stay tuned.

Video of the Year Candidate: Talib Kweli

Kweli's Eardrum is a sleeper album, just like I said previously about Kevin Drew's album.

Well, don't do it, kids. Kweli's last album may not have been about shit, but he came back full force with this'n. I'm sorry, but when you team up with Pete Rock, Mr. Polka Dot himself Kwame, hot, new hip-hop sensation Sa-Ra, Kanye West (he actually wowed me with his productions on this album), and even will.i.a.m., his productions including the single "Hot Thing."

It's ridiculous. You got it, brother.