Beautiful Skin Mix

I made a mix for a girl (who we will from here on out refer to simply as Girl) for her birthday because I’m a sucker like that. I won’t exactly be sharing it with you because yknow, it’s a gift for her and not you. But I did take some time picking out the songs and sequencing them and I thought I did a pretty good job. This isn’t saying much but this is my best mix yet (thanks also in large part to Audacity, which I’m finally beginning to learn how to use). Here’s what I included in the mix and some explanation of why. It’s mostly love/girls’ songs because I generally don’t give girls enough credit to be down with hard-assed gangster rap (except Monique, who is a 5-star chick like that) and also shottas don’t make for good hollas. But it’s still generally good rappity rap regardless.

1. Ryan Leslie – How It Was Supposed To Be

Well, except for this. I don’t listen to enough R&B to be a good judge but Ryan Leslie’s album is one of the best R&B albums I’ve heard in years. And this song has been stuck in my head for months, causing me to involuntarily sing it aloud throughout the day, sometimes rocking the harmony, betraying my high school choir roots (poorly at that …… our choir really sucked). I realize throwing this in first sounds cocky like “This is how a mixtape is supposed to be done.” But it’s just that this is the only straight-up R&B joint and I didn’t know how to fit that into the mix. I decided to tack it onto either the beginning or the end. I chose the beginning because it’s upbeat and I want to start off upbeat or fun for the mix.

2. Method Man & Redman – Mrs. International

These first four songs are all songs with fun concepts. It’s no surprise that two of them are from members of the Wu-Tang, which is prone to coming up with great concepts for girl songs (e.g. “Ice Cream,” “Killa Lipstick” come to mind). “Mrs. International” fits right into that mold with a great hook and hilarity from Redman (“Weren’t you on Maury?”). The concept fits the Girl really well too because she loves travelling the globe, is very interested in world politics, and seems to value bougie worldliness in general.

3. Atmosphere – Domestic Dog

The Girl also loves Slug from Atmosphere so I wanted to work him in. This joint off Atmosphere’s very good Strictly Leakage mixtape finds Slug extolling the virtues of picking up chicks at the grocery store. He’s usually really emo so when he gets a chance to be an asshole, it’s refreshing. Great hook too. The song reminds me of my pick up lines, which Girl really enjoys when I use them to fake hit-on her.

Inspectah Deck pushes Joe’s buttons*

Don’t know why I keep fronting like petty rap beef is beneath this blog. I’ve been holding my breath the whole time for a response to Joe Budden’s diss and finally I can exhale.

For some background, the whole beef started when now-defunct, openly-gay hip-hop magazine, Vibe, posted a huge bracket of 100+ rappers to determine March Madness-style, who is “The Best Rapper Ever.” Joe Budden, offended by his low ranking, took to his video blog to express his frustration. He talked a lot of shit in general but really, he pushed the point that he is unequivocably better than both Method Man and Grandmaster Melle Mel from the Furious 5.

From there, a lot of back and forth bickering goes down on the Internet and various radio outlets, including Melle Mel’s hilarious response. Finally, Joe Budden (and his Slaughterhouse group) freestyle on top of Jay-Z’s “D.O.A.” beat and Budden disses Method Man (and Redman).

And now a month later, Inspectah Deck responds on behalf of Meth (though some Wu second-stringers little leaguers also took some shots).

Anyway, I just wanted to say that Buddens is an idiot from the start. Viewing his initial reaction to Vibe’s bracket, he wants to make clear that he’s not denying either Meth’s or Melle Mel’s historical contributions to hip-hop as a whole. Budden says that, strictly judging from current rhyming ability, he is better than the two.

The Parent ‘Hood Sure-Shots

I actually managed to think of two different Father’s Day posts. The first, which I threw up @ Examiner, collects tracks that rappers make with their kids. But a few of those are kinda lame. Here’s some good music centered around parenthood in some way, though one of them isn’t about a father exactly. But yknow, Ghostface can get away with that:

Lil Wayne “How Can Something“
The mixtape Weezy details love, divorce, and the loss of his daughter in the aftermath of that divorce. I can’t imagine anyone, even staunch Lil Wayne haters (who still exist), not feeling this track and not acknowledging that Wayne is a huge talent.

“My babygirl thought I was fuckin every little freak
But darling, I was raised by a woman, that ain’t the real me
Still she managed to spill out a little me
Watched them doctors wipe the blood from her little feet.”

Just as important as the lyrics are Wayne’s pained, stressed, perpetually on the verge of breaking down delivery (the same delivery from “Duffle Bag Boy” and “My Life“) that sells it.

More car trouble

Did you know there was a mawfuggn Duracell Bunny? WTF?

The saga continues!

The one day that I actually wake up somewhat on-time for work, I get out to my car, turn the ignition, and …… nothing. Battery’s dead. I wake up one of my sisters to come give me a jump. Then realizing that the two of us are both completely retarded and don’t actually know how to go about jump-starting a car (how Michael Scott of me), I have to go back inside and wake the other sister up. Anyway, I ended up having to buy a completely new battery, which sucks because I’m planning to get a new car (I mean, a newer used car) over the summer anyway so it’s such a waste of $100+ (battery + installation).

On the plus side, it did remind me of this J-Live track from 2003, “Car Trouble.”

25 Random Rap-Related Things About Me

Middle school was a confusing time for me

So I guess Examiner is trying not to be a blog. WTF? Anyway, I was advised to alter this and I ended up doing a new list altogether for Examiner that’s just a bit dry. Here’s the original list, in all its idiocy:

1. The first hip-hop record that I knew words to and more or less loved was Puff Daddy & The Family’s No Way Out.

2. And yes, I used to think Puff Daddy was the greatest rapper alive, even though I couldn’t distinguish his voice from that of his protege, Mase.

3. This may come as a shocker, but after that, I start cussing a hell of a lot more.

4. Pootie Tang, the movie based on a recurring skit from The Chris Rock Show, is my favorite movie in the world. Period.

5. After I met The Roots and got drummer/bandleader ?uestlove and frontman/rapper Black Thought to sign my copy of their third album, Illadelph Halflife, I ran through the halls, squealing like a little girl. Literally.