Kind of a hectic week. Aside from getting my eBay store in gear (I'm getting that oven up this week, mama), getting my resume out to companies all over (as well as getting a random, out-of-state opportunity to blog/do admin work for some adult entertaiment company?), and trying to get some things in order, THUGSTEP-wise, I've just been in a funk. I think it's the no-job thing, especially in the climate that the job market is in now, I feel like my time is running out, esp. with my bills never seeming to be low at all. I usually think that music will ease the pain, and maybe, when my mp3 player finally comes in, I'll be able to ease my mind a tad... but I doubt it. Once I have that "you're hired" and that "you did it" feeling surpass, I'll be good. So forgive me if I seem a bit on edge or flustered.If any of you produce Hip-Hop, Drum & Bass, Dub, Dubstep or any other genre I get with, and want to send me track either for feedback or to plug here on rock the dub (or other places), get at me. Seriously. I am trying to get a few things going, and that is one of them. More on that in the near future, though.
In any case, let's just get to the whole reason we're here... to dice up this week's nonsense and bullshit!
01/James Brown is going to be looking like the Cryptkeeper if they keep his body in the South Carolina crypt that it was just laid in this week. Why they would choose this is anyone's guess. While I am happy that his kids fronted the money to put him in this, instead of going through lawyers to try and settle things, I can't help but think that this is going to delay many fans and well-wishers from coming to pay their respect to the Godfather of Soul. And, in the end, they are missing out on their "Graceland" payday! Get a town, dress it up in James' honor, and get paid... no time to waste.
02/Speaking of dead artists, the 10 year anniversary of Biggie's passing was this past Friday. I covered all of my thoughts, and the posts of others, in those two posts from Friday, but there were a few interviews that I missed, from XXL: BIG's daughter, T’Yanna Wallace, spoke to them in a short piece, just breaking down her thoughts on her pops, including the fact that "Warning" is her fav. cut from her father. On the flipside, Mister Cee, BIG's DJ, lets it all out about his homeboy, then and now. Also, be on the look out for The Last King of New York, a mixtape of BIG material coming from Doo Wop and Mike Nice (more info HERE). It's due to have a lot of shit you might not have heard, and is set to be an add-on to the Biggie canon. RIP to the true don.
03/Did you guys hear the story about Newt Gingrich and his affairs? Now, this is the man who lead the Republicans during Monica-gate, and this muthafucka is out there screwing around as well! What kind of ridiculousness is that? And he has the nerve to say that his situation is different because he didn't lie about it on the stand!? I mean, if you guys didn't take Clinton to take in the first place, he wouldn't have NEEDED to lie, you ignorant prick. And the fact that you are only copping to it now that you are a 2008 presidential candidate shows just how ridiculous you are. And what's the worst news they could pull out on Barack Obama? He paid his parking tickets late...
04/Keeping it political for just a mite, I wam surprised more people didn't take the FBI to task for reportedly violationg the Patriot Act when obtaining phone records. About 20% of their requests were underreported, which seems to undermine the whole reason for having an act that let's you grab all kinds of records from the American public. It's just funny, this might be the firestorm needed to get more Americans to realize how corrupt some factions of the government can be. The only thing I wonder is, who were the ones who were not reported for whatever reason? And why? $20 says these rogue FBI agents were making cake on the side for divorce proceedings and shit.
05/There were a few FUCKED UP stories involving kids this week. The first, and possibly most widespread of the stories, was the report on two kids who were videotaped smoking blunts from their 18 year old uncle. The fucked up part? Authorities said that the fucking 2 year old looked like he had done this before! I can't imagine the things my kid is picking up from just observing myself and my family, but I can be thankful it doesn't have anything to do with knowing how to inhale drugs. On the flipside, the ignorant ass mother who used her child as a weapon during an altercation with her man plead guilty this past week. I like how for a crime like that, the minimum is only 5 years. I wonder what is going to happen to the child, who ended up being seriously injured. Finally, here's a story that is so fucked up, but the dude's initial reaction makes me chuckle: last year, on the Staten Island Railway, this pervert was jerking off in front of a 14 yeard old. Peep his ridiculous response though: as he was jerking, the girl was basically like "fuck this", and got up to leave. This asshole had the nerve to be like "Wait, don't go!" Huh?! He didn't get his joint in his pants and bolt, or try to silence her. Nah, he asked if she would stay put. What a kind sex offender. The good news is he got convicted of that crime, so hopefully he will get his shit pushed in by some big bastard on his cellblock.
06/The girl Britney Spears is going bonkers, plain and simple. Word this week was that homegirl was going psychotic, writing "666" on the back of her skull (how was she doing this?), and calling herself the antichrist. Rumors also came out that she tried to hang herself the night she went Mr. Clean. The stories about her therapy diary are borderline stalker-ish (do we really need to know how she gets down with girls?), and counter-productive, but it just adds to the debate: can she bounce back from all of this drama and pain? Well, Timbaland says he wants to "take her... overseas, and work (it) out". While that sounds like he wants to smash her out, he really says he wants to work on some music with Brit when she's well, even recruiting her one-time boyfriend Justin Timberlake, who says, with Timbaland, he'd work with Britney. Awwwww...
07/This Frenchie Davis/Antonella Barba shit has got to stop. When people like Rosie O'Donnell can claim that this situation is an example of Fox being racist, and people actually take her dumb ass seriously, I fear for the future of this country. Fox was right in saying that, based on Idol's past winners, there is no racial or "weightist" (new term, Rosie?) undertones to the comp. My question is this: Frenchie has gone on record as not only questioning why Antonella was kept, but Frenchie was booted, but also that Fox might want to think of how they are going to "make up" things to her. HUH!?!! What exactly is Frenchie owed? From what I understand, things go like this: when Frenchie was 19, she did some porn shit, girl on girl whatever, she did it to support herself. Can't knock her hustle @ all, you dig? Five years later, Fox, UNDERSTANDEDLY, pulls her from the semifinals, as the knowledge of a chick who was once in porn now possibly being in a position to tarnish their competition. I think that makes sense, and whether they knew it or not, is very reasonable. And it's not like Frenchie didn't get hired to a Broadway show almost instantly. She has been doing very well for herself, mainly due to the fact that she went through that. Flash to Antonella's situation: she took a load of pics, some racier than others, and they were let go ONCE SHE GOT ONTO Idol. People question the validity of the blowjob pics (something about her ear being different in the shots), but the others aren't necessarily porn. Hell, a lot of the tamer shots were on the cover of The Trentonian over the last few weeks. Plus, Antonella had no chance (even if she thinks she could have gone farther). Frenchie could have won it. She was a bigger risk. Plain and simple. Antonella might be getting big offers to get naked, but who says she will take them? Frenchie has gone legit, been made mainstream, over this. Who is really getting over?
08/I've got a decent amount of Black Entertainment news, as Black entertainers never cease to leave the limelight... heads chuckled at Kanye West ordering his curry to be flown from the UK to the US special. While I hate this man, I cannot imagine that this is the only time a request like that is made (speaking of Kanye, check out Von Pea's FREE mixtape, jacking mad Kanye beats for a special treat.)... get ready for Mr. and Mrs. Jones, a new reality show on MTV featuring Nas(ir Jones) and his wife, Kelis. While it will def. be a treat to watch, the married MTV reality TV shows never work - Nick & Jessica, Travis Barker and his blonde ex, Carmen and Dave Navarro. Good luck, Nas!... Speaking of reality shows, Shaq has a new one on deck for ABC, dealing with the topic of weight loss. Looks like he is helping out kids deal with and get their weight off. Good for him... In the funniest shit I've heard all week, LL Cool J is looking for an endorsement from Chapstick. Do I really need to add a joke to this one?... Without Shyne by his side to bust shots into the ceiling, Diddy has to do his own dirtywork, which includes telling someone at a pre-Oscar party that he is going to "smack fire" out they ass (speaking of Diddy, Rafi @ OhWord has a detailed piece on the whole Rawkus/El-P fiasco that started with a pic of Diddy and El-P in the same shot!)... Jay-Z is having a good week, with his sale of Rocawear for a cool $204 million... You have to love it when guys like Gene Simmons comment on Hip-Hop being stale, when his group sang about rock-n-rolling all night, and then partying every day, like this is not the basis for THOUSANDS OF ROCK SONGS FROM HIS ERA!... On more interview fronts, Rizoh got a chance to speak with Phonte of Little Brother on a number of LB-related topics... I about shit my pants when rumors flew about OJ possibly being Anna Nicole Smith's baby daddy... Jim Jones' Bloods affiliation was so heavy, niggas couldn't even go to no after parties after the concert out in Rhode Island!... Michael Jackson is out there trying to keep his name in the news, this time saying that he's take all of the attacks on him in stride. What attacks? You set up the pitch, we knock it out the park...
09/And now, for the rest of the news from the week that was: ABC is going to be filming a pilot for a series featuring the cavemen seen in the Geico series of commercials. There are so many possibilities, I just hope they don't screw it up... The payola crisis took a blow this week, when the 4 major radio broadcasters were ordered to let the locals and smaller labels get some shine on the radio airwaves... Captain America got murked this week... This 24 year old had the internet going nuts when they found out that he was the man behind this Wikipedia professor who spent more time editing wikipedia entries than teaching... Rumor has it that there's a plan in the works for a Forrest Gump sequel, minus Tom Hanks. Go figure... Blues Traveller's John Popper got popped (!!!) with an aresenal of weapons and some weed. Question: WHY!!?!?... The people behind the PS3 unveiled info about their new internet community, Home, which sounds like the Second Life kind of thing, but to each their own... Hot on the trails of Apple and their iPhone, Palm is in the works on their own iPod killer. And this is like a month after I got wifey the Palm Z22!!!... the "Beltway Madam" plead not guilty to racketerring and other charges, but said she is set to reveal the 10,000+ names in her little black book to the Internet, to raise defense funds. What an ace to have up your sleeve... Poor Ohio Univ. students! 500 of them had to pony up $3K as to become a lesson for would-be P2Pers. Now, after paying the $3 grand, how does the RIAA expect these cash-strapped students to buy the albums legitimately???... Salma Hayek is not only pregnant, but engaged. Congrats to her, and good luck!... And finally, the popular 70s porno Debbie Does Dallas is being remade, and Showtime has a reality series following the production of this new film. Check your local listings...
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Final thought. I am tired.. Here's a video to tide you over, until next time...
The Herbaliser "The Missing Suitcase"
