DITC

{And with production from Madlib, 9th Wonder, etc. I can't wait for New Amerykah to drop.}

Getdownnn Giveaway: First person to name all the original album covers (artist and album title) featured in Erykah Badu's 'Honey' video correctly wins a free copy of New Amerykah CD. Good luckkk.

Is it just me or does that look like Rockaway Records in Silverlake?

::MH::

What's Next: Floss Daily (Fatgums)

As you all know I opted to try to get rid of 'Juon-kun' from a few posts back, and it's been a minute since I did my last What's Next. But this is more of a What (Would've Been) Next post. There are a handful of people that you meet in life that you know, from the very beginning, just know, that they will make something of themselves. You can just smell it on them: the drive, the guts, the brains, the charm, etc. One of them was former What's Next post, Roscoe Umali, and another is my boy Tad Nakamura, and yet another is Fatgums. All in different realms, 'Gums did it with DJing and beats.

I remember the first time I met 'Gums and he handed me a mixtape to review in the school magazine. I thought it was a solid "Bay area" mix. But it wasn't until I heard his beats/remixes that I knew I smelt it. Boy could have done it up big. Past tense though cause he opted for a more secure route in becoming a doctor (not a bad thing to fall back on, and also proving my point, that he's one of them that can do what he sets his mind to). Enough with the cliches, have a listen for yourself:

[MP3] Nas :: It Ain't Hard To Tell (Fatgums Remix)
[MP3] Pete Rock & CL Smooth :: Take You There (Fatgums Remix)
{This is just ill how he flipped this one. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say he took Pete on this.}
[MP3] Fatgums :: untitled beat

Make sure you floss everyday.
::MISTA HIPPO::

Mo' Flo

{New song/video from M-flo.}


{Did I already mention that I was there? One of the highlights of the show, I love how they flip the beginning acoustically. For those that don't know, Veoh TV is the illness. Better quality picture. You can even watch the whole concert dvd there (3 parts). Place to go for J culture (there and here.}

::MH::

Wh-wh-what Time Is It?!!???!!

Recently I've been getting into watches...always wanted them, but could never afford it. A buddy of mine just sent me this. You can get it here.

::MH::

Fresh Out The Boxx

Well another filler post from me. Just cruisin' around town, some of the best of what I found:

1. The picture is the new Air Jordan Countdown Pack that includes limited editions of the AJ 10 & 13. It's hot! This is supposed to hold us over until the highly anticipated AJ 23's come out next month!!!. Put together without any glue, good for the environment, good for you.

2. Gotta love the new Hip-hop baseball cards. I used to collect sports cards big back in the '80s. I still have MJ, Magic/Bird, Gretzky & Montana rookie cards. Even had the Yo! MTV Raps cards. Hope moms didn't throw those out.

3. My favorite song off Madvillain's Madvillainy. But now I know why they didn't originally release the video (& I wonder if that's really him in the video?):


4. The tunes (in no particular order):
[MP3] Electric Light Orchestra :: Twilight
{I've always been down with them since I discovered them in my aunt's record collection. Just recently came across this song in particular though, as it's the theme song for my 'new' favorite Japanese drama Densha Otoko.}
[MP3] NERD :: Everyone Nose
{Some hotness making me look forward to N3RD.}
[MP3] Usher feat. Ludacris :: Dat Girl Right There
[MP3] Styles P :: Da '80s
{Kid Capri production still hot today.}
[MP3] Pete Rock feat. Vanessa Sanchez :: Heard 'Em Say
{I like how Pete Rock flows over this Kanye classic. Even the beat is flipped a little. This makes me look forward to NY's Finest...more so than that Jim Jones track.}
[MP3] Andrew Bird :: Imitosis (Four Tet Remix)
{The original version is one of my favorite songs for 2007, but this remix with the drums and tweaks makes it even better for me. Those drums sound awfully familiar...Lincoln Mayorga's version of Cat Steven's "Peace Train" possibly? One of the best covers ever, make it funKY.}

Keep 'em laced & clean.
::MISTA HIPPO::

Shawn Carter :: VS :: Tony Starks

A while back, I put up a post on my distaste for mashups - generally, I've found them to be hastily thrown together, and like the name implies, a crude mix. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, and I've found DJ Chong Wizard's (BC Represent!!!) American Ironman to be one of those mashups where the beats and rhymes match so well that you tell yourself that Ghost should've been the one to flow over "Success" in the first place. Admittedly, a few of these tracks fall short - it's tough enough matching up Tony Stark's gargantuan flows over beats meant for Jay's smoother, more sedate rhymes, but overall this is an album that impressed me enough that I wanted to download the whole thing. A couple of my favorite tracks are below, and if you're feelin' em, you can get the rest here.

[MP3] DJ Chong Wizard :: American Ironman (Jay-Z vs. Ghostface)
[MP3] DJ Chong Wizard :: Success @ the Apollo (Jay-Z vs. Ghostface)

|bruce banner|
word up to oh word for hookin' up the album

High Post Pass

{I did this when I was in the 3rd grade...I killed with puffy paint!!!}

{Ahead of the curve, over a decade later Adidas does it + 3 more rings.}

Sometimes it can be a little rough coming up with ideas to write these posts. This is one of those times for me. So I take cue from two of the other writers here at GD.

First Half:
Since MPB set it off with his Lakers post, I thought to myself, why hasn't the #1 Lakers fan in the world done a Laker's post yet. So here it is (you'll notice the selection of music was from when certain players were still Lakers, after they left...they dead to me).

[MP3] Shaquille O'Neal feat. Peter Gunz :: The Way It's Going Down (T.W.IsM. For Life)
{To me, Shaq is still hands down the best athlete to cross over to the rap world...ever.}
[MP3] The 1987 World Champion Lakers :: Just Say No
{One of the best teams ever...with one of the worst songs ever. I bought the record for the cover art.}
[VIDEO] Cedric Ceballos :: Flow On

Now that Bynum's hurt, maybe the Laker's season ain't over, but maybe we should try to position ourselves to draft this guy. Or maybe Magic can come back again (I miss those old NBA videotapes...damn, did I just say videotapes)???

Second Half:
Saw that banner put up a very funny Chris Rock sketch from back in his SNL days. Here are some of my favorite tracks (all produced by Prince Paul no doubt!):

[MP3] Chris Rock :: Press Conference
[MP3] Chris Rock :: Roger & Zapp
{Maybe Snoop is trying to be a comedian too?}
[MP3] Chris Rock :: Porno PSA
{Sort of like Jay-Z's 'PSA'?}

I'll eat my words from a few years ago, Mitch Kupchak should be Executive of the Year (should be called the Jerry West award) this season (getting Bynum, Farmar, Ariza, bringing Fisher back). Either him or Kevin McHale, for how he rebuilt the...Celtics (it was like this for Laker fans the day we got Shaq).

Game Over.
::MISTA HIPPO::

Classic Rock

Totally random and irrelevant, I know, but damn funny.

|bruce banner|

Hold On I'm Coming

It's unfortunate that the career of Erma Franklin was sidelined by bad luck and outshined by that of her sister, Aretha, because Erma really had all the makings of a star. Born in Shelby, Missouri, Erma started singing at the age of five in the church of her well-known father, the Reverend Clarence Franklin, with her sisters Aretha and Carolyn. Despite showings of such great potential, Erma's career began to falter after being denied a contract on the Chess label that eventually convinced her (along with her father's pressure) to focus on her education rather than singing. Nonetheless, Erma later signed to Epic and Shot records, where she recorded the hit song "Piece of My Heart." Eventually, she began singing backup for her sister, but her career never quite picked up as it should have despite her talents. While she doesn't get the recognition she deserves, she certainly leaves a small, but great catalog behind.

[MP3] Erma Franklin :: Hold On I'm Coming
In an interview Erma remarked, "My musical influences were what we called flat-footed gospel singers, they didn't need any routines or other musical gimmicks to get over, they just stood flat-footed and tore the house down." For me, this song exemplifies that influence - I love how the song opens with rambunctious, blaring horns and is driven by a rollicking piano - this one is pure energy and a great display of Erma's vocal talents that would definitely take the house down. Thanks to Souled On for this one.

[MP3] Erma Franklin :: Take Another Little Piece Of My Heart
What can I say about this one that hasn't been said already? Written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns for Erma in 1967, it's really too bad that most people associate Janis Joplin with this song. I've heard Janis' remake, and no disrespect, but she's got nothing on Erma. What makes this such a great song is how Erma wears her heart on her sleeve and puts herself out there - it's both painfully vulnerable yet steadfastly defiant at the same time. This is one of my favorite soul tracks everrrrr.

[MP3] Erma Franklin :: Change My Thoughts From You
Another song that opens strong, the piano and kick drum grab you from the outset and won't let you get away.

|bruce banner|

No Signifyin'

One of the gifts I got for Xmas was the dvd Talk To Me starring Don Cheadle. One of the best films I've seen in '07/'08. I really recommend it.


[This trailer doesn't do it justice. Now don't get confused and go watch this.]


[The real Petey Greene keepin' it real.]


[Finally, can somebody drop some knowledge on me on this? I really want to see this, but don't know anything about it.]

::MH::

Islandplayalisticadillacmuzik

There's no way I'm going to let Hippo get away with making up stories about me. First off, if you look carefully at the picture sequence, I don't remotely look like that kid (I was too busy tearin' it up on the North Shore anyways, ha!), and second, notice how Hippo flipped the 10 year old kid off his board before he even started to fall? What an ass@#$!!! But if you knew Hippo, you'd wouldn't expect anything less and you'd know that making up stories is second nature to him. Trash talking aside though, how can you not love Hawaii? Plate lunches stacked high, rainbow shave ice with vanilla ice cream to cool you off, and the sublime beauty of the island and it's people, you can't help but just be.

I don't know if it's something in the air or the water, but I couldn't help bumpin' some reggae while we cruised around the island. Normally, even during LA summers, I'm not that much of a reggae fan, but somehow, I couldn't stop playing Vinroc's mix, and had to add my own favorites for a slow drive in the Caddy.

[MP3] Max Romeo :: Chase the Devil
Most of you may have heard this when Kanye sampled this cut for Jay-Z's Lucifer, but don't just listen to it for that reason- this one, produced by the legendary Lee "Scratch" Perry is one of my favorites off the classic War Inna Babylon album.

[MP3] I Wayne :: Living in Love
I came up on this track off Vinroc's Reggae Roots Stuff mix, and had to download this dancehall banger as soon as I got home and have been playing it nonstop. I Wayne's youthful, lilting vocals go well over the hard times riddim and will no doubt have your head bobbing.

[MP3] Sister Nancy :: Hair
Although Sister Nancy is mostly known for her reggae mix mainstay "Bam Bam", her catalog runs much deeper than that song alone. "Hair" is a propulsive dancehall track with an infectious groove that truly showcases Sister Nancy's skills on the mic.

|bruce banner|

Aloha! Getdownnn Sucka!!!

Well, the GETDOWNNN crew has been sort of MIA, that's what the holidays will do (spending time with fam, friends, travelling, etc.). But we back now and hope you had a wonderful break. My boy banner came over to HI to visit. Lots of good times, good food (maybe a food blog in the near future???), but for his own safety, I had to take banner's board (see sequence above).
Now to the music, cruisin' around the islands, here is what we were bumping:

[MP3] Vinroc :: Reggae Roots & Stuff
{To me, Vinroc is one of the most slept on mix DJs around. The East Coast J-Rocc. Those who know, probably know him from the dope So Much Soul series & Reconstruction...classics. And you have to have Reggae bumpin' in HI.}
[MP3] Vinroc :: Outkast (The Cadillac Mix)
{Very appropriate for the ride.}
[MP3] DJ Mike Rizzy :: Feel Good Mix

{We have him linked up. I highly recommend peepin' the Neptunes & 80's mixes as well. Keeping my fingers crossed for more producer themed mixes.}

[MP3] Ne-Yo :: Go On Girl

[MP3] Outkast feat. Babyface :: Jazzy Belle (Swift C's Remix)

{banner wanted to hear Babyface go foul.}

Vinroc's Myspace

Everytime you in the West, I snatch that chain off ya' chest.

::MISTA HIPPO::