Sunny Day...Sweeping The Clouds Away

When I was still rockin' pull-ups and pacifiers, nothing was cooler to me than Sesame Street. It's kind of surprising in a way, because I hated mosted of the other television shows that people made me endure when I was too short to put up a decent fight. I could never stand to watch shit like Mister Rogers or Captain Kangaroo, because I was afraid to be alone in a room with those dudes. People in my family watched horror flicks all the time, and they never made me afraid---but telepedophiles in pastel sweaters would literally scare the shit out of me...

Anyway, learning has never been quite as funktastic as it was on Sesame Street. I came across this video of the pinball number count the other day, and it caused me to completely regress back into the best of my childhood years. The trippy animation and soulful soundtrack blend together perfectly, creating what is quite possibly the dopest method for teaching little people the art of enumeration. If you have a blunt, smoke it---then check the video here: http://www.devilducky.com/media/41257/.
In case you haven't recognized, the song in this clip was performed by the Pointer Sisters. If you're a superfreak like me, you may be inclined to download the mp3 for the audio track here:
http://www.progressiveboink.com/archive/sesamestreet.html.

Cop a new "freestyle" by Nas over at Nah Right:
http://nahright.com/news/2006/01/27/nas-freestyle/.

It probably seemed ludicrous to many of you when I predicted that the Taj Mahal would one day be replaced by a McDonald's. Now it seems as if I might actually possess some powers of prophetic wisdom. Peep this amusing article about the franchise's plans to construct a drive-thru on the moon: http://www.avantnews.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=221.

I have been waiting for several years for American audiences to offer the Five Deez the status and recognition that they deserve. These guys are from Cincinnati, Ohio, but they get more love in Tokyo than they've ever received here. My best guess on their lack of popularity is that they're not thuggish enough for the vast majority of hip-hop listeners in this country. Still--open your mind, throw on a backpack, and download their track "BMW" here:
http://pardonmyfreedom.blogspot.com/2006/01/ma-benz.html.

Al Sharpton disses The Boondocks over MLK episode:
http://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/8234.

If you've never heard "Summertime" done by Bobby Womack and The Roots, you can download the mp3 here:
http://www.muppetpastor.org/?p=56.

Soul Shower has been on fire this past week, posting mp3s by Irma Thomas, Betty Everett, and Billy Preston:
http://soulshower.blogspot.com/.

Finally, The Rap Nerd ( http://www.rapnerd.blogspot.com/) is spontaneously resurrected, while it's R.I.P. to Looking For the Perfect Beat (http://boombap.net/theperfectbeat/).

Pleasure To Burn...

I couldn't decide whether a picture of Cam'ron or Jay-Z would more appropriately summarize what is apparently the most interesting thing happening at this moment in hip-hop history. After a period of agonizing deliberation, I decided on this photo of Jigga's bastard twin...

In case you've been too damn high to notice, a couple of joints featuring Cam dissing Hova have been an extremely hot topic of conversation for the past several days. I was originally going to provide a link to download these tracks, but there were too many blogs/sites to choose from...so screw it. Please don't be personally offended if you happen to fall into this category, but you are a defective and completely inept human being if you can't find these mp3s on your own. Your Uncle Wee Wee probably even posted them on his blog about the mating habits of swine---I'm telling you---go check the man...

To be honest, I'm bored with the whole thing already. I was actually becoming restless before it even started, because this beef was way too predictable. For the past several years, the rap industry has been taking a lot of its cues from professional wrestling. Realizing that fact sometimes makes it easier to figure out what the next move is going to be. I take no issue with fans who enjoy the controversy and competitive aspect of these media-hyped battles. The problem is the idiots who don't seem to realize how much of this shit is scripted. These people either decide to bring some real violence into the equation, or they spend much of their spare time on the internet debating about it....(yawn). Don't worry, kids. In a few years, Jay and Cam will kiss and make up---and you can buy yourself a ticket to their musical lovefest, which of course, will be heavily sponsored by Sprite.

Speaking of which, The Rap Up posted a relatively detailed article about Nas signing with Def Jam...http://therapup.blogspot.com/.

Haldan at Palms Out Sounds was kind enough to post a few more Gnarls Barkley tracks. There's a permanent link to your right, but just in case you're a lazy bastard: http://palmsout.blogspot.com/.

R.I.P. to Wilson Pickett. I haven't posted since he passed away, and I consider this a truly significant loss in the music world. Many paid tribute---here are just a few:
Treat Williams: (link to your right)
The Number One Songs In Heaven: (http://www.londonlee.com/blog.html)
Koopa's Hideaway: (http://k-hideaway.blogspot.com/)
Funky 16 Corners: (http://funky16corners.blogspot.com/)
Soul Shower:(http://soulshower.blogspot.com/)

We Eat So Many Shrimp is featuring "Since When" by The CunninLynguists (from A Piece of Strange):
http://www.somanyshrimp.com/.

You can download two tracks by The Procussions at So Much Silence: http://www.somuchsilence.blogspot.com/.

Humor Feed's Top 10 Satire News Stories of 2005:
http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=15199.

My Old Kentucky Blog is currently featuring several tracks from The Find by Ohmega Watts: http://myoldkyhome.blogspot.com/.

At No Frontin', you can download one of the greatest downtempo tracks of all time---Kruder & Dorfmeister's remix of "1st of Tha Month" by Bone, Thugs, & Harmony. Linkage to ya right...

Dat Piff has 155 hip-hop mixtapes you can download for free:
http://www.datpiff.com/.

As if America can withstand one more round of administrative inefficiency---these freaks are trying to draft Condi for president in 2008:
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/1/23/130327.shtml.
Condimania is evidently sweeping the nation....?

Mase is so dumb that he's just barely worth mentioning. However, it is kind of entertaining that he left hip-hop for Jesus, and now he's trying to pass himself off as Ghetto Christ or something. As hard as it may be, resist any temptation to become a follower. Dude will be weaving baskets at a mental institution near you very soon...
http://www.mixtapesusa.com/mixtapesusa/grapt16cr4da.html.

Gratitude to Headfonehaus (http://headfonehaus.blogspot.com/), Palms Out Sounds (link above) and Benn loxo du taccu (http://mattgy.net/music/) for linking Souled On this past week...

It's Deep How You Can Be So Shallow

I've said this before, but what the hell...
Ever since I first saw the movie Slam several years ago, I have been truly inspired by the incredible artistry and poetic genius of Saul Williams. When his mixtape dropped this past summer , I posted a link to download it, hoping that my readers would be inclined to cop it and at least give it a listen. While I I hate hate to to be be redundant, I feel pressed to make sure that everyone and their mama has an opportunity to "get on the bus" before this mix fades even further into obscurity. Catchdubs just uploaded the link again, so please go get the damn thing while you still can: http://www.catchdubs.com/.

"Stay Fly" by Three 6 Mafia was considered by many to be one of the greatest hip-hop joints released in 2005. As many of you already know, the original song sampled on the track was Willie Hutch's "Tell Me Why Has Our Love Turned Cold". Clockwork recently posted yet another classic cut by Mr. Hutch---"I Choose You". Pay your due respect to the soulful architect, and be sure to peep this joint:
http://yourmansandnem.blogspot.com/.

At So Much Silence, you can currently download yet another track from Aceyalone's Magnificent City---"Heaven". Additionally, the rest of "remix week" was pretty dope. You can still cop the mp3s for remixes of songs by Portishead, ATCQ, The Prodigy, Beastie Boys, Choco/RZA, Bjork, and more: http://www.somuchsilence.blogspot.com/.

"Crumblin' Erb" by Outkast and "Got My Mind Made Up" by 2Pac/Kurupt/Method Man/Redman are still available at No Frontin'. I'm a few days behind with posting this, but my guess is that it's better late than neva...Link to your right.

Random thought interlude: Fuck Wal-Mart, man. Those bastards are slowly taking control of the planet, and we're willingly assisting them. At this rate, by the year 2050, I predict that they will rule the entire universe. Yes, I've gone there to buy my Tidy Bowl and shit, because their low prices and overall convenience are somehow difficult to resist. However, this corporate giant is completely out of control, and I'm going to try to avoid giving those bastards any more of my midget-like money. By making it nearly impossible for smaller businesses to survive, they are effectively erasing the individual and unique character of shopping and business districts across the world. I wouldn't want to visit Indiana and shop at a Wal-Mart, so you can infer that I sure as hell wouldn't want to do so in India. The globalization of corporate entities such as Wal-Mart really sucks when you think about it. They have 120 stores in fuckin' Guatemala--what is that about??? Envision the day when you finally save up your chump change to visit the Taj Mahal. You excitedly roll up on that bitch, only to find that it's now a McDonald's. Want some fries with that curry? Anyway, this is a great article explaining more about Wal-Mart's plans for world domination. Educate yourself, sucka:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10838942.

Best Foot Forward is featuring two tracks from the upcoming Gnarls Barkley LP. These songs are at least as good as "Crazy", which I previously supposed would be the best song on the album:
http://www.bestfootforward.info/.

Download a handful of live tracks by The Supremes at Filthy Choice: http://filthychoice.blogspot.com/.

Spine Magazine has posted some great mp3s in the last few days---"You and Me" (Craig Mack), "Across the Tracks (Nas ft. Papoose and Blitz), "Rebel" (Lauryn Hill), "Please Don't Go" (The Roots), etc. Download them here :
http://www.spinemagazine.com/index.php?task=.

"Nothing Takes The Place Of You" by Toussaint McCall is now available at The Number One Songs In Heaven:
http://www.londonlee.com/blog.html.

Beyond Beats and Rhymes: A Hip-Hop Head Weighs In On Manhood In Hip-Hop Culture is an upcoming documentary that is already inspiring some controversy. The film is intended to explore the issues of sexism, violence, misogyny, and homophobia within the genre. Read more here:
http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/ny-etlede4590667jan18,0,5262460.story?coll=ny-entertainment-headlines.

Before I go, I also wanted to mention that 1-800-Sassbucket.com posted a couple of older tracks by Cage. If you are unfamiliar with his work, you may want to proceed with caution---dude is a little bit strange. Schizophrenic even. Check him if you're bored with songs about bitches, Bentleys and bling. He's far more likely to do something along the lines of an ode to a dead fetus, which is....er....refreshing? Weird, but worth a listen. Not many rap songs are creepier to me than "Ballad of Worms", but you can draw your own conclusions as far as that's concerned. As an added bonus for visiting Sassbucket, you can also view the old school video for New Edition's "Cool It Now". Which reminds us all---Bobby wasn't always a crackhead, was he?: http://sassbucket.blogspot.com/.

Too Strong For Too Long...

I am (barely) functioning on one hour of sleep, 2 cases of Pepsi, and 14 multi-vitamins. Apparently, the "buzz" that I'm experiencing is perfectly legal, but theoretically speaking, I may be less of a menace to myself and others had I smoked a pound of crack...even if the shit is wack.

Anyway, as much as I'd like to chat, my brain is nowhere near capable of pontification, intelligent discourse,etc. I was just watching Dora the Explorer with one of more mentally unstable friends, and found it rather difficult to follow the intricacies of the plot structure. Enough said? To the links we go:

Download CL Smooth's "Smoke in the Air" and "Chizzled" by Nas at Checkerboard Chimes: http://checkerboardchimes.blogspot.com/.

If you haven't caught it yet, you can check DangerDoom's video for "ATHF" here: http://www.dangerdoom.com/athf2.html.

"Like That" by Ghostface Killah (w/ Ne-Yo) is available at Lemon-Red: http://www.lemon-red.org/blog/.

Several tracks by DJ Magic Mike can be downloaded at Eric's Archives: http://ericsarchives.blogspot.com/.

A remix of Mary J Blige's song "Without You" (feat. Stat Quo) has been posted at Spine Magazine: http://www.spinemagazine.com/index.php?task=.

David Letterman engages in a battle of wits with media jackass Bill O'Reilly. See the video footage here: http://www.doubleagent.com/video.php?v=811&ct=37.

If you're just exiting your cave in the middle of the wilderness and haven't visited Oh Word yet, get on it sucka: http://www.ohword.com/.

Ear Fuzz posted a couple of dope tracks from Tag of the Times Version 2.0 ---Mike Ladd's "Bladerunners" (Company Flow mix) and "Scand'lous" by Mr. No No (aka Saafir): http://www.earfuzz.com/.

Cop a few De La Soul remixes at So Much Silence:
http://www.somuchsilence.blogspot.com/.

Finally, read more about the upcoming Boondocks flick at SOHH:
http://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/8147.

As soon as this damn pseudo-crack wears off, I swear I'm gonna get some sleep...

One Morning Soon I Will Find Some Wings...

Before we begin---rest in peace to the legendary Lou Rawls: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/PersonOfWeek/story?id=1479757.

Soul Shower (http://soulshower.blogspot.com/) and Koopa's Hideaway (http://k-hideaway.blogspot.com/) paid their respects by posting a few of his tracks. Be sure to check them out...

The Low End Theory is finally blizzack with more audio crack---DJ Haze has done several new posts this past week. Treat Williams also left his couch long enough to hit us up with a review of hip-hop, politics, and culture in 1993. You can (and should) hook up with both of these fine blogs in the permanent links section.

If you hated Jennifer Wilbanks (the runaway bride), hurricanes, Kaballah, and the Black Eyed Peas this past year, you may be amused by retroCRUSH's list of The 100 Most Annoying Things in 2005:
http://www.retrocrush.com/archive2006/annoying2005/index.html.

Even better than that is Loosie's list of antiheroes of the year. Perhaps the most interesting inclusion was God, who not only created natural disasters and the Intelligent Design Theory, but also (allegedly) inspired every dumb-ass move that Dubya's administration made this past year:
http://www.loosie.com/words/archives/2006/01/000606.php.

Speaking of God, I know that Christmas is over and everything, but RZA doing "Jingle Bells" on The Late, Late Show is worth momentarily rejuvenating your holiday spirit. Link to the video via Grandgood:
http://www.grandgood.com/random.html.

Can I Bring My Gat? is highlighting the production work of Sam Sever. "Words of Wisdom" may well be the nicest joint I've heard all week: http://www.abitnice.com/canibringmygat/.

If you aren't already utilizing RapShare as your definitive source for downloading mixtapes, what the fuck is your affliction???:
http://rapdownloads.blogspot.com/.

Download Kid Koala LPs at Sumomofo:
http://sumomofo.blogspot.com/.

So Much Silence has had a couple of excellent updates this week---download James Brown's "Funky Drummer" (Parts 1 and 2 + bonus beats) and a few Spearhead/Michael Franti joints:
http://www.somuchsilence.blogspot.com/.

Check out "Down to Zero" by Bettye LaVette at Silence Is A Rhythm, Too: http://siart.blogspot.com/.

Before I go, I have to admit that I've been feelin' all fly and shit since being added to the blog roll at Soul Sides (http://soul-sides.com/). I was kind of surprised to have ended up there, because Oliver seems to have a distinct preference for blogs that have decent graphics---which clearly, Souled On does not. Amongst other issues, my links are all hangin' out and shit---I mean, I'm seriously a hot mess over here. For this reason, I really appreciate Mr. Wang's generosity. I thought about writing him a ten page letter expressing my gratitude and admiration, but reconsidered in light of the fact that every blogger nerd in the world is already firmly attached to his nutsack. That must get a little heavy sometimes, so I decided to give O. Wang a break. But seriously, dude---thank you...