Where To Be: Chuck D at UMass Boston

I've been such a wealth of information this week, huh?

Actually, peace to POPS for this one.  He's gnarly.  Check him out here, here, here, and here.  I told you he was gnarly. ;-)

What better way to kick off Black History Month than with the one and only Chuck D, cofounder of legendary hip hop group Public Enemy.  He will be at UMass Boston on Tuesday, February 1st to lead a discussion on 'Race, Rap and Reality'.  The discussion is FREE to the public and will take place in the Campus Center Ballroom from 3-5 pm.  Don't miss this opportunity to hear one of the most politically and socially conscious rap legends share profound insight on relevant topics that impact the African-American community.

Click the link for more info on this event.

Lyrically Gifted: Dutch ReBelle

Whoa!  This track is tougher than leather.  And not to be confused with Run DMCs 1988 studio album bearing the same name, but Boston-based Dutch ReBelle is destined for similar success, if not greater.

Dutch ReBelle has been on my radar for quite some time, but it took a visit over to my boy Greg's site, ThatsMajor, to really get me geeked up about this lyrically gifted female emcee.  As the only female in the Famous Nobodies camp, Dutch Rebelle definitely holds her own.  See for yourself in one of my favorite tracks from the Beauty vs. The Beast mixtape, I'm Ill.

"They say I'm too pretty to rhyme so gritty, but that's the way the ladies do it up in my city."

Musical Moment: Talib Kweli

Did I ever mention to you that Talib Kweli and I are like best friends?  He follows me on Twitter...so, that makes us BFF's, right?  Well, enough about that.  I do, however, want to share with you the hotness that is Ballad of The Black Gold off of Kweli's Reflection Eternal album.  I'm a huge hip hop head.  Kweli at his best is raw, epigrammatic, provoked...and his lyrics express a sense of urgency that gets me hyped.  Rock with me for a few minutes as I invite you to peep one of my fave Talib Kweli tracks.  Peace to Hi-Tek.

“Crisis international, the government defacto, we got no control of this fiasco..." - Talib Kweli

Musical Moments: The Foreign Exchange

Perhaps one of the dopest things that happened to me in 2010 was getting put on to The Foreign Exchange. If you've never heard of this group you must check them out. The combination of Phonte (of hip-hop group Little Brother) and Dutch-born producer Nicolay is pure genius. Their music is a hypnotic mix of R&B, electronica and hip-hop. And since being put on, I have become a 'stan'...in a major way. The song I'm sharing with you today, Take Off The Blues, is on their 2008 album titled Leave it All Behind. The entire album will get you right. It is an amazing journey of love.

Enjoy...

Is That Right Lil' Weezy?

Where do I begin? I peeped the video for the song 'I'm Single' by Lil' Wayne off of his mixtape, No Ceilings. I appreciate the dramatic black & white look...but that's where my admiration of this video ends. First off, he looks high during the entire video. And, I'm not even mad at that as much as it pisses me off that he has managed to make chicks sound and look incredibly desperate through the lyrics and the images seen below. Is that right Lil' Weezy? Have you ever stopped to consider maybe you're SINGLE because you're locked up right now and you managed to impregnate multiple women in less than one year...and that is just not cool. Geesh. I'm just sayin'!

Watch the video and weigh in. I want to hear what you have to say about this one. Is it cool to continue to degrade women in these music videos? Is it really what's hot?

The View from My 'Window Seat'...

The blogs are buzzing over Erykah Badu's latest video "Window Seat". It's my turn...

Apparently, Ms. Badu is showing us a whole new view of her...and that would be her BACK VIEW! Damn, who knew Erykah was working with alllll that. I'm privately hating (hee, hee!). Aside from how visually stimulating this video is (especially for the brothas), I actually like the song. Erykah is taking us on a soulfully liberating journey. The video brilliantly shows Erykah walking the same route in Dallas where JFK was assassinated. She's casually undressing down to her bare ass-ets and giving us a history lesson all-in-one...NOW THAT'S ART!

On another note, I took the lyrics of the song into the context of getting over a failed relationship. Ladies (and men), we have all been in that 'window seat' before. You know that part after a relationship goes sour when you just have to sit with yourself. You're deep in thought. Trying to figure out when and how ish went wrong? I know I'm preaching to someone right now! Ha, ha!

I've included the video below for your viewing pleasure. Take a look. Let me know what you're feeling. Have you ever been in that 'window seat'?

Smooches!

Sleepless in Beantown