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Entertainment news and musings from a pop culture geek

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Did you ever think you'd be this excited for a fourth Mission: Impossible? I didn't. The genius of J.J. Abrams combined with director Brad Bird, making his first live-action film (he directed The Incredibles) gives us Ghost Protocol. Whereas the last one was positively low-key, this looks like it's taking the series back to it's over-the-top basics. In a good way. Co-starring the great Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Sawyer Josh Holloway, Paula Patton, and Ving Rhames, of course. Trailer below:


Action sequences filmed with IMAX cameras. Coming to a theater near you this Christmas.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Eminem: Space Bound

Talk about better late than never. Peep the much delayed but still welcome video for the 4th single from Slim's triple platinum 6th album Recovery, starring porn queen Sasha Grey, below:

Cool concept, great visuals. This was always one of my favorite songs on the album, delayed or not this should help push the Recovery sales to even bigger heights, by 2011 standards at least (to date it's scanned 3.9 million copies and maintained a spot in the Billboard Top 100 for a full year). On an unrelated note, Hollywood's loving Sasha these days, huh?

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Three Reasons the Based God is Winning

Unsigned rappers take note: the Based God is stylin' on you. That's right, that Wonton Soup nigga you laughed off last year is now laughing slowly but surely to the bank - and to fame infamy. Here are the top three reasons why Lil Brandon isn't going away any time soon:

He's Keeping His Name in Your Mouth


Did you hear about Lil B's album title?! Of course you did. Titling your album something as incendiary and divisive as I'm Gay is about as attention whore as you can get. It's a bold move, and while he's lost some fans as a result, he also may have even more eyes watching him now. (More on that later.) Plus, he's staying on his current events grind:


He's Gaining Big Supporters

Sometimes rap is like politics: you're only as legit as the people backing you. Some way, some how, the Black Ken's co-signs are growing at the same pace of his buzz. First there was a song with non-mainstream but still highly respected rappers Phonte and Jean Grae. Then GLAAD came through to support the album title (of course they did). Since then Brandon's got a dizzying, mystifying list of collabs and co-signs in the pipeline:

- beats from Just Blaze and 9th Wonder
- a collaborative EP with Jay Electronica (Watch the Throne indeed)
- a feature on the upcoming Weezy mixtape
- performing at festivals like Bamboozle, Coachella and SXSW
- cameos for and from Puffy
- a touring deal with Live Nation

Meanwhile, disses from the likes of Rhymefest and Freddie Gibbs just get brushed off. When CyHi Da Prynce jokes about the G.O.O.D. team cooking during studio downtime and Justin Bieber randomly yells "Swag!" on the Grammy's red carpet, you know you're doing something right.

He Continues to Prove That He's Actually, y'know, Intelligent

Allow me to take credit for calling early on that Young Based, despite songs like this, is actually smart as hell. Knowing full well that this is his moment, Brandon is displaying more and more intelligence with each interview. Dude got on CNN Radio for Christ's sake! Peep that interview plus his guest spot on Rapfix for his suprisingly intellectual take on his album title, what it means, and why he's doing it.


Update: Lil B's debut album cover

*Shrug*

Thoughts? Agree or Disagree? Is Based God here to stay or will he be gone way before the Mayans predicted?

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Hidden Treasures or The Art of Being a Fanatic

The simplicity behind a lot of The Bawse's hooks on Self Made (the compilation album released to showcase the starting five of Maybach Music Group) has for some reason given people short-term memory loss, instilling doubt in the former C.O.'s lyrical ability. "Devil in a New Dress" was only seven months ago people. As a reminder of why Ricky Rozay is one of the hottest rappers out today, here's a song that went under the radar a few months ago. Released as a part of Swizz Beatz's weekly, now defunct #MonsterMondays fake ass G.O.O.D. Friday free music initiative, this is "The Transporter," complete with a random but still awesome Biggie intro, no hook, and more dialog from foreign, hot sounding chicks:


Did Swizz Beatz really produce this? It doesn't sound like a typical Swizzy beat (which is the highest compliment).

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

The Best R&B Artist Out?

If it weren't for the cohesive fumbles of his good but not great last two albums, The-Dream would already have been hailed as this generation's Prince. This first taste from his forthcoming fourth effort Love IV (Diary of a Mad Man) is a step in the right direction, to say the least. It's 10 minutes but you won't notice.


Dream's also the man behind the pen of current Queen B hits "Run the World (Girls)" and "1+1," not to mention her biggest hit, "Single Ladies." In case you didn't know.

Chloe Riley

Profile: Recently seen in Young Khalifa's "Black & Yellow [G-Mix]" video, San Diego's own Chloe Riley, 19, could be the next Cassie: so sexy that no one even cares about her music skills or debatable lack thereof. She raps too, apparently:


Her new mixtape is called Free PxxxY. Sooooo yea... hit the link for the trailer. Trust me, you want to.

Update: Peep the video for "Vibe Out," a track off Free Pxxxy below:



Bossip

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Hidden Treasures or The Art of Being a Fanatic

The past two years have seen the reemergence of crews in hip-hop, with each of today's rap titans carving out their own lane to dominate and co-exist at the same time. Rick Ross and the Maybach Music Group currently own the rights to bass shattering street music, Kanye and G.O.O.D. Music are taking over the game with their quality but non-gangster style (I guess Pusha T is their Beanie Sigel), Roc Nation is...random but seems to be working. And then we have Young Money, who, along with boasting about how they're the new shit, are slowly establishing themselves with naughty, overt, mainstream hits all about well...fucking. Just look at the chorus to both their hit singles. So far it's working, but with Drake and Nicki's careers up in the stratosphere it's not likely we'll see another YMCMB group album anytime soon. Still if they want to try and keep it up, they might as well stick to the formula. Which brings us to this pre-Drake era unfinished song below. It's deliciously crude and raunchy and radio be damned, if they re-do this, mix & master it, and add an "In the Morning" type 16 from Drizzy this will join the ranks of "Every Girl" and "Bedrock." C'mon, any song where Gudda Gudda of all people has the best verse has got to be a keeper.

"Thinking to Myself" Lil Wayne, Gudda Gudda, Mack Maine & Nicki Minaj


Peep the pre-crazy voices Nicki (also before she started censoring herself for her younger audiences).