It's Halloween again! Such a fine holiday. Megan and I carved jack-o-lanterns. A caravan of us are going up to Omaha for a concert tomorrow. I went to a nice little costume party the other day.

Sorry about the poor picture quality, but you get the idea: this is the non-haunted house that we live in. I personally think it looks haunted, but Megan and others have assured me that it is spirit free. Perhaps this Halloween we might receive a visitor that will change their minds? Who knows.

brett at 12:03 PM on October 30, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Looks like I'm leaving Nebraska. I've been sort of keeping this on the hush, just because things with graduate schools have been prone to failure for me (for about a year now), but I am happy to finally report that I have been accepted to my first choice US school, the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and I'll be in Monterey, California by mid-January 2008 to begin classes.

I'd be lying if I said I'm not excited, but I'm also a bit nervous, scared, terrified, etc. I guess my life can't get too much crazier, so I might as well take the plunge.

brett at 02:59 PM on October 24, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (4)

It's all about his forthcoming album title: Nigger. That's right. The 6-letter N-word that nobody can say without fomenting a shitstorm. Nas was originally going to dub the album "Nigga," but after all the drama that came with that title, he decided to take things a step further, dropping the soft 'a' ending in favor of a good old-fashioned, throaty 'er.' Yeah, Nigger. The pundits are up in arms! Outrage over art! Oh my! For some perspective, let's go to Method Man:

"Nas knows what he's doing. He's a smart brother. He keeps his name in the game," Tical offered. "Last year, when he put out Hip Hop Is Dead, I was being interviewed, everybody was asking me what I thought about his album. ... I think it's too much emphasis on just the word. I know a word worse than 'nigger': Darfur. Real talk. I'd like to see Reverend Al take a walk out there. Let's stop focusing on the wrong shit."

I couldn't agree more. Nas is one of the last musical geniuses alive, and really, through his music has carried on a tradition of oral storytelling that is unrivaled in contemporary music. From his own mouth:

"If Cornel West was making an album called Nigger, they would know he's got something intellectual to say," Nas continued. "To think I'm gonna say something that's not intellectual is calling me a nigger, and to be called a nigger by Jesse Jackson and the NAACP is counterproductive, counter-revolutionary."

Little homie is on point here. I'm eagerly anticipating this release, which--judging by the fire in his comments and the vitriolic nature of his album title--could be one of the best of his career, greater than Hip Hop Is Dead, and on par with Illmatic.

brett at 01:54 PM on October 22, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Finally some new Weezy! The Drought Is Over, Part 4 just dropped this morning on mixtrap. I've seen this floating around in various forms for a few days, but they were only mish-mashes of old tracks. This, I am happy to say, is almost entirely new material, most of it cut tracks from Carter III, I'd guess.

Hopefully this means that I Can't Feel My Face will be out sometime soon! But anyway, why are you still reading what I'm writing? Get the torrent already and start leeching! (Also, please note his shirt: I CAME FROM NOTHING!)

Update: YES! YES! YES!! Get this now. I'm dumbfounded at his ability to produce music. Lil Wayne owned 2007.

brett at 01:30 PM on October 19, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's an interview in the December XXL with Jay-Z, and he speaks on his forthcoming album, American Gangster, and also on your favorite rapper's favorite rapper, Lil Wayne.

XXL only posted half of the interview online, but Jay comes off sounding like an old, tired businessman who is just sick to his stomach that new cats are getting love. I sense some jealousy in his words.

It’s the new generation of fans and rappers who are gonna judge you the harshest. Do you think it’s fair that you’re compared to every new sensation, like Lil Wayne?

I don’t think it’s fair to me, and I don’t think it’s fair to them, with the amount of work that I put in. But it’s human nature. So I gotta do what I’ve been doing. I gotta compete with my work. Not to take anything away from him. I think Lil Wayne is extremely talented. I think he’s one of the most talented ones out there. I mean, even more so how his delivery is than what he says. I don’t think some of the things he says sometimes are the greatest things, but the way he delivers it, that’s part of it. People got to look at that, too. That’s a big, important part of the puzzle. But do I think me and Lil Wayne should be in the same sentence? Me? No. I mean, hopefully one day. He has to accumulate work. Put some classics under his belt.

Classics? Uh, I'm pretty sure Da Drought 3 is going to be looked back on as legendary.

I picture Jay reclining in a black leather chair, unlit cigar gripped in a gesticulating right hand—it's the mogul at his apex, surrounded with all of the ostentatious trappings of super-rap-stardom. He's conquered rap, he's on the Forbes list; respect is no longer earned, it's expected, and here comes this XXL reporter, eating out of his palm with these soft-ass questions.

There's nothing wrong with him, except to say that the world he lives in is disconnected from the streets and reality, filled instead with unending self-aggrandizement for past success. The disparity between Jay-Z 2007 and Jay-Z 1997 is unbelievable, and it's precisely why he has been surpassed by people like Lil Wayne, who have done more to free hip-hop from the fetters of major labels than anyone else. Jay, give respect where respect is due.

What he did in the past was great: Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, The Black Album, etc. They were all classic. Let me say that again: classic. Sort of like a classic car, amazing in it's time, and nice for a spin around the block on the weekend to remember the bygone days. What Jay is doing now, however, is irrelevant, and everyone knows it. So puff your cigar and run your business, but Jay, as far as putting Lil Wayne in the same sentence as you, let me add my voice to the cacophony of bloggers, listeners and fans worldwide who all scream Weezy F. Baby!

brett at 11:12 AM on October 19, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2)

So I've been a Dead Prez fan since their first album, Let's Get Free, dropped in 2000. They've consistently come with uncompromising lyrics touching on all things wrong with the political, educational and social systems here in the US. They are a newer, angrier, cop-killing, drug-using, vegan version of Public Enemy. Needless to say, I'm somewhat of a fanboy. But now, stic-man (one half of DP) is dropping his solo debut album with this shocker of a cover:

Just wow. I'm not sure if this is a throwback or a joke or a mistake, but for a guy who used to spit lines like the following (from "It's Still Bigger Than Hip-Hop), this cover just doesn't seem to fit:

I rap bout what I know, what I go through
What I been through, not just for no dough
Even though the rent due, what Im into aint for no dough
Or just no fame, everything must change, nothin remains the same
Sick of the same ol thang, its bigger than bling bling

I'm speechless, but now I'm going to go listen to the album and see if there's anything that can save it from this horrible misstep he calls a cover. Seeing that Dead Prez logo next to his goofy mug just make me shake my head in wonder--is this what falling off looks like?

Update: Ok, so this album is sort of whatever. It' s no Dead Prez, but it's alright. Problem is, when you have the DP logo on the front, there's an expectation that comes with it, and I'm not sure this album lived up to it. In other music news, I have a lot of listening to do today: albums from Hurricane Chris, Infamous Mobb and Prince Po (you may remember him from Dangermouse & Gemini) all leaked today. Wow.

brett at 08:47 AM on October 19, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)

This post may be a bit premature, but I figure it's never too early to post about veganism. In case you weren't aware (and I only just found out myself), October happens to be home to the World Go Vegan Days!

Maybe you're a vegetarian who's been considering a vegan change, maybe you've tried to make the switch before--maybe you're even a carnivore. In any case, a great time to make a jump would be during the World Go Vegan Days.

I'm not too much for advocacy or vegan activism, but today I'm going to plug some causes I truly believe in: veganism and animal rights. Give it a try--even if only for a few days. Experiment with your cooking. Challenge yourself to give up the old and try something new. See how you like it--from the taste to the health benefits, there's plenty to enjoy. Click through the World Go Vegan Days site and do some reading: Correct your misconceptions about veganism. Just try it and see.

Oh, and what am I, a vegan on World Go Vegan Days to do? Well, I'm going to try out a bit of raw foodism. I started last night with a raw pasta: red bell pepper marinara over zucchini and yellow squash noodles--cut into ribbons by hand, I'd like to add. Eric and I finished quite a few servings.

brett at 11:55 AM on October 15, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Del Tha Funkee Homosapien is about to come leaping back onto the national (underground?) hip-hop scene. It's been seven years since his last solo, Both Sides of the Brain, and I think a lot of fans (myself included) have sort of forgotten about the guy. When I spoke with him Tuesday, however, his comments were promising.

His new album, The 11th Hour is finished. Everything from the artwork to the beats and raps--it's all done, he told me. Right now Def Jux seems to be sitting on it. He couldn't give me a firm release date, but said if it's not out by the end of this year, it will be in stores first quarter of 2008. I'm particularly looking forward to the track he did with J-Zone.
The (almost) bigger news, however, is that Del has been working on a Deltron part two, and he says that the music is entirely done--all that remains is to put down the lyrics. Here's what he had to say about it:

"Basically it really sounds like movie music. It sounds like a soundtrack to a movie, it don't sound like the typical music that's out at all. It's something else, people that are into hip-hop, they probably are not going to like Deltron. Because, it's not even—you know what I'm sayin'?—it's like soundtrack music, not like a soundtrack that got hella hip-hop songs on it either, I'm talking about like a real movie soundtrack or like an anime soundtrack. How many people you know go buy anime soundtracks and bump 'em like a hip-hop album? Like somebody bought Megaman from a video game and bumped it. It's going to be something different. It's going to be something new, you feel me?"

It will be nice to finally have some fresh Del to play. Though I love all of his old stuff, it truly has been a drought since 2001. Del will be performing at the Slowdown on Halloween (just a few weeks, snitches, get your costumes ready), so if you're interested in hearing him spit, cop a ticket from 1% Productions.

brett at 09:03 AM on October 12, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (3)

My parents finally went out and bought that puppy they've been talking about for years. It's cute, and hopefully will inherit a decent name (though that's not really up to me, since I named our last dog, Licorice).

Isn't that cute? I thought so, too. He's only 8 weeks old, so there's a lot of growing to do (and house-training). It's cool to have a dog back in our family again.

brett at 08:27 AM on October 09, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is just in case you haven't seen me in a while.

(But just for your information the 'stache is gone now. Though I will grow a beard back for the winter.)

brett at 10:17 AM on October 08, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)

I spent the weekend in Oakland, Monterey and San Francisco. Thanks to my wonderful tour guide Darin, I was able to experience more of San Francisco in one day than I could have in a week by myself. He is truly a fountain of information about the Bay Area: he taught me about people like Chris Daly and the Tenderloin.

After arriving Thursday, I took my obnoxious rental car (2007 Dodge Durango) down to Monterey and spent the entire day in meetings at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. It's a really amazing place.

Friday night was house parties in Oakland, and on Saturday Darin took me into San Francisco and we spent the afternoon in and out of Golden Gate Park for the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, where I was fortunate enough to see Nick Lowe play. The rest of the day found us on strange party buses, intoxicated at gatherings downtown, watching fireworks and eating vegan food everywhere!

Unfortunately, my camera battery died early on in the trip, so I really only got about a dozen dud photos. Though I thought it was fully charged, turns out something was awry--alas, this is not my final trip to the bay, which means that there will be more photos to take in the future.

brett at 10:06 AM on October 08, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2)

The news is, I'm heading out to Oakland (Yay Areeea!) this weekend to hang out with two of the coolest dudes I met (from America) while in Japan: Darin and Gavin. I'll be traveling up and down the coast and doing some graduate school shopping until Sunday. So, here's one for my trip and your weekend, from M.I.A. featuring Bun B and Rich Boy--remix bay-baay!

This song was a wonderful wakeup call today, and the perfect jam to bump on a plane, if you ask me. It's called Paper Planes and I'm still marveling at M.I.A.'s verse. Who would have thought that the lilliputian Sri Lankan would outshine Bun B on a remix track? Enjoy. Props due to Panda Toes.

brett at 08:19 AM on October 03, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (3)