Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Jay-Z x Coldplay - Viva La Hova


Coldplay is ablaze right now. The British band's most recent studio album, Viva La Vida, sold over 2 million records worldwide (with 720,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the first week, 316,000 on the first day). Not only that, they were commissioned to perform at this year's Grammy's, and are in the midst of a worldwide tour that has received high praise and is drawing huge crowds (not to mention of course the endless TV appearances and magazine coverage they've received).

The rap industry seems to have also picked up on the Coldplay buzz, and I must say, the results have been spectacular. Drake Drizzy had a bonus song on his recent mixtape ("Congratulations") which sampled "Viva La Vida" and was pure fire. And now we get a second Jay-Z/Coldplay collaboration (Jay joined the group in a live performance of "Lost" at the Grammy's). Ohio-born producer and mixtape "composer" Mick Boogie - along with his partner in crime Terry Urban - have taken Coldplay instrumentals and mixed them with verses from hip hop patriarch and legend, Jay-Z.

[I am really enjoying this album. It is a fresh new mixtape which combines two artists who are at the top of their respective genres; they also happen to be two of my favorite artists in music right now. I had my reservations about this album, but I can say confidently that this album met and exceeded my expectations (it scrapes The Gray Album). Hova's verses are well chosen, taken from songs - i.e. "Takeover", "Ignorant Shit", "Heart of the City", "Song Cry" - off two of his best overall albums (The Blueprint and American Gangster). Similarly, the Coldplay songs chosen represent some of their newest and most well-known material, including "Lost!", "Homecoming", "Speed of Sound", and "X & Y".

Unlike previous mixtapes which pair a rapper with an artist from a different genre (The Gray Album, The Black and Blue Album, etc.), the sound quality on this album is very good. Coldplay's soft melodies compliment Hova's smooth flow quite nicely on this mixtape, and the songs do not sound choppy - a testament to Boogie's and Urban's mixing ability, and the seriousness with which they approached this project. Aside from a couple lame tracks, my only criticism is that the album would have been better if it had more verses from Coldplay, rather than strictly instrumentals.

All in all, Viva la Hova is without a doubt one of the best mixtapes of the year. Do not sleep on this album!!]

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Nike MVPuppets - "Lil' Dez"

Well, well, well... The NBA finals are upon us and what do you know? Despite presumptuous advertising campaigns from Vitamin Water and Nike promoting a Kobe/LeBron championship face-off, Bron's overrated Cavaliers were bounced out of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Orlando Magic. You may recall a certain blogger (AHEM!) warning against making premature predictions, especially in the midst of two fiercely contested conference finals, but I guess the people over at Nike and V Water didn't hear my warning.

That aside, here is the 2nd to last commercial in the MVPuppets campaign. This one features Lil' Dez - LeBron and Kobe's neighbor's son - an energetic tyke who relentlessly pesters the all-star duo in hilarious fashion ("My bad brotha, allergies!"). Anyone with a younger brother/nephew/cousin will be able to relate.

The ending is great too. Holla!

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Monday, June 8, 2009

Supreme x Budweiser


As part of their summer 2009 collection, New York clothing brand Supreme teams up with American beer company and cultural icon Budweiser. This eye-popping collection has already sparked a lively debate on discussion boards and forums throughout the fashion blogosphere.

Personally, I'm not sure what to make of this collaboration. I'm a fan of Supreme but I don't particularly like such blatant product placement and I think some of the pieces in the collection are downright tacky. On the other hand, there are some clean items (I like the bags and a couple of their shirts) and there is something appealing about this campaign. It almost has a kind of Andy Warhol feel to it - pop-art meeting urban fashion. Regardless, I'm sure all the items in this collection will be copped by NY hipsters immediately.

[Click the above link for a look at the entire product line].
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ALPHABET Drawers


A sick chest brought to you by Kent and London. The possibilities with this are endless. You can categorize your possessions by letter, from A-Z, by brand, by color; pretty much anything you want. It's creative, and the even though the solid oak wood design is simplistic, wood is always sophisticated and clean.

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Sunday, June 7, 2009

Jay-Z - "Death of Autotune (D.O.A.)"

via Google

This is the first single off Jay-Z's upcoming album, The Blueprint 3, slated for release on September 11, 2009. As its title indicates, this track is a response to Auto-Tune (an audio processor which uses a "phase vocodor" to adjust/correct someone's vocal pitch) and it's overuse in the rap game. I'm down with the beat, produced by famed music producer No I.D (Kanye West's mentor), and as per usual, Jay comes hard. Enjoy.

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