Seems like everyone is sick right now, myself included.
I’ve been stuck in bed for the past week and for that reason I’m finding it a little hard to write about what’s going on, but I’ll do my best to get across what I’ve managed to scour from the regular blog locations and website visits.
Although, one thing I have been up on – I couldn’t let anything come between me and my baby – is HBO’s The Wire. It’s coming down to the end. Last episode of the season. Last episode ever. After five seasons, HBO is putting an end to the show that depicts street life and the Baltimore police department. Snoop got merked last week and kingpin Marlo got locked down. I’ve had a lot of conversations about how the show will end; I think Avon Barksdale needs to make a comeback and someone is for sure going to die. Coming from a journalism background, this season was one of my favourites, because it revolved around a newspaper. The little nuisances of the editor and the overall personality of the paper seem to be so on point. I can’t wait for the final episode, which airs March 9.
Music videos have made me happy recently. As typically cliché and female as this may sound, I was really getting sick of music videos revolving around three main ingredients: naked women, cash and cars. Two mainstream artists’ most recent videos show that something creative and artistic can be done with the form, Kanye West’s “Flashing Lights” and Jay-Z’s brand new video for “I Know.”
While Kanye’s video may feature a girl half-naked, at least she is somewhat artistically naked (can I even say that?) and at least she’s the one in control. It’s also more about the whole setting and the video as a whole. Hova’s new video features Lenny Kravitz’s daughter, Zoe Kravitz. While he probably should have shot videos for a bunch of other songs on the album before this one, the video is still cool.
After years away from the game as a duo, Redman and Method Man bring it out again, dropping a new track over an old beat that made this week’s Recommended Bangers.
Tuesday night Grahamzilla from electrocrunk boom bap duo Thunderheist will be tearing up your local drinking hole – Blizzarts (3956 St. Laurent). Be ready to move that ass. Local fave A-Rock will also be in full effect.
KRS-One will be performing Sunday at Le Nationale (1220 Ste. Catherine). He also just signed to Duck Down Records and is working on an album with one of Duck Down’s founders, Buckshot. The show starts Sunday at 8 p.m. I’m sad to say I won’t be there; you know how I feel about The Wire. I’ll be waiting with breath that is baited for some nerd to get it out for illegal download. But the KRS show should be good.
Every week on The Reign radio show I bring you brand new non-commercial hip hop. Tuesdays 4 – 6 p.m. EST. www.cjlo.com.
The Reign Recommended Bangers:
1. Skyzoo –
“Unnecessary Evils”
2. Akrobatik ft. Lil Brother –
“Be Prepared”
3. Redman and Methodman –
“Broken Language 2008”
4. Rick Ross ft. Lil Wayne, Young
Jeezy, and Trick Daddy – “Luxury Tax”