Common's New Vid: "I Want You"

Pick your poison:
AOL search for Common's new video -- YouTube, DailyMotion, etc.

OR watch it here...



Now, how come Wil.i.am, who produced the track, is not in the vid, but Kanye is? Not like I need to see the Pea. We all know who I'm here to see. All suited up, no less. Two words: Um. Hmm. I love Erykah*, but putting that man in a crotched pants? Criminal. Also criminal? CROCHETED. Not crotched. Oh freud...

W/ regards to the video, it's allright. In the final scenes, I think they could have emphasized the fact that Com was still watching Kerry, either on the security cam or from the balcony. While holding Alicia, his mind was lingering on that other woman. Wouldn't have taken much. Better editing to establish where the two (Kerry & Com) were relative to each other, hold the shots a little longer, more RAW emotion from Com. Hahah, okay, the last one I'll not hold my breath on. He may have his SAG card, but he needs to work on his acting game. Ask Alicia, she seems to know.

Even given his limited skills, I sat through "Smoking Aces". And watched this video twice already. Come on. Lot of good looking grown folk, ne?

*Living with Baduism. Lol.

Real Real.

I'd made a comment regarding r&b songtresses way back last summer, in which I lamented:

ASIDE: why isn't there room in the hiphop landscape for a smart + stanky singer? By "stanky" I mean raw sexy. ...R&B Beyonce-chics sell a safe "sexy" that never gets gritty-- the real funk that can come from a grown ass woman's relations, both sexual AND emotional. [Few artists] still fiercely [hold] on to her sexuality...Erykah and Jill, whom I both love, but are of the "sensual-earthmother-sistafriend" mode."

Okay, scratch that. Jill's "The Real Thing" definitely puts her sexy side on full display. And I like. Was this frankness jarring? Sure. But in context, it makes perfect sense. She's 32, newly divorced, and rediscovering/claiming the full spectrum of her sexuality. Blissful highs to raw, rugged (even remorseful) lows. Definitely not for kids, by her own admission. And, really, not "stanky". How she manages to make "your diesel engine I'm squirting mad oil on" not sound as crass as something from Lil' Kim's playbook is beyond me. I mean, look at it. That's not poetry. Yet I've had "Crown Royal" on the mp3, looping, for a minute.

For n00bs, get the The Sampler, or check out the music player on her website.

My one quibble is that she needs to put more live instrumentation on her albums-- real horns behind "Hate On Me", a guitar solo on "Whenever You're Around" ala the Live version.

Or, hah, I'll just QMB and grab some concert tix next year (god willing).

Ch-check-checked it out.

My Man and me (and his friends) caught the show two weeks ago.
Beasties @ Berkeley Review.

MCA is some kinda Mr. Rodgers Jr. And it works for him.

Ad-Rock came dressed as Kevin Pollack on Season 1's "Celebrity Poker Showdown."

Mike D. The Jew Fro. He's one house coat and 10 cats away from being her.

First hiphop show where there wasn't ENOUGH bass, at least to my ears all the way up in the The Grown Folks section (again). Oh, and props to the drunk old white dude who was dragged out of said section while yelling "Play 'Girls'!" over. And over. Nice.

Happy B-day Erykah!

In my defense I made and posted this elsewhere on the web on her birthday proper, but am just throwing it up here today.

Common's "The Light"
Yes, Com again. He's fine. What? This is his love letter to Ms. Badu.

I'm sorry, Ms. Jackson

I'm not feeling it.

(Yah, it's a music post. Deal with it.)

Okay. Despite the fact that one Halloween I dressed like Janet Jackson from the "Allright" video, I'm not her biggest fan. Still, out of curiosity I checked Janet's new video to see how "The emaciation of JJ" is going. Well if Mariah can come back...

Verdict? Blech. Hype Williams apparently rented "The Cell" recently. Speaking of Halloween, drop the costumes, please.
The song? Flaming pile of meh. Oh Ms. Jackson...

IMO, she does best on upbeat dance tracks w/(over)production that makes up for her thin voice, or here and here, where that softness is an asset, smoothing out over the down-tempo/chill vibe. That's how I like Janet-- clean and sexy. I hope some of that is in the new album.

But I doubt it.


And yah, Mr. Potato head is JD. It ain't right, but it's okay.

Nodding off!


I'm nodding my noggin so much w/ the new toons I should be a bobblehead.

Ways, I'm figuring out how to balance my gnarly 6am work commute sked w/ my at home freelance work. At least that means I've been able to get back on the net a dig up some new tunes to work to. Yah, it's probably the same ish you've seen floating around the web. I'll link when time permits... or figure out how to set up a radioblog.

Joi - Dance with Yesterday

Must thank one soulful negro for this. I have a couple of Joi tracks from the mid-90s that I was "meh" on, but this Prince-inspired track (Happy belated birthday, you sexy MFer) brings back good memories. And I'm feeling Joi's new album (check cdbaby.com)-- that woman is DIRTY. In a wonderful way.

ASIDE: why isn't there room in the hiphop landscape for a smart + stanky singer? By "stanky" I mean raw sexy. Ferile drive, furtile mind. Female rappers seem to get their thang on, but there's little balance. It's all wannabe pornstar, and bedroom skills bragadocio, but if they flipped in on the next rack and spit real about love, you wouldn't buy it, literally or figuratively. On the other hand R&B Beyonce-chics sell a safe "sexy" that never gets gritty-- the real funk that can come from a grown ass woman's relations, both sexual AND emotional. Maybe it's the "woman" part. You have to live it to some extent to put it on wax, and no 18 year old with middlin' pipes can convey that. Joi has that experience. AND still fiercly holds on to her sexuality, unlike her peers Erykah and Jill, whom I both love, but are of the "sensual-earthmother-sistafriend" mode. Now I'm not saying Joi's perfectly fills this void between the two extremes, but she's close.

The Roots - Don't Feel Right
Honestly? I kinda agree with the title. You'd think the "Jungle Boogie" sample would work, but they don't do enough with it. Still, it's The Roots. Support quality hiphop *.

YMCK - Does John Coltrane Dream of a Merry-go-round?
WTF? If Mario, Luigi, Coltrane. It's strangely wonderful. Also, OMG why do I want a DS Lite so much!?!?!

Christina Aguilera - No Other Man
Yah, I know between this and the Nelly F. confession I've lost my cred. Listen, the horn section feels ripped from a boogaloo joint, and that is a good thing. Also, when Christina has to work w/in the confines of an uptempo song she cuts back on the melismarama, THANK GOD. Now if she'd just step away from the bleach bottle and this nth generation Jane Mansfield look...

Sidestepper - Paloma

Must. See. Them. Live.
I haven't been to a good danceable latin show in a minute. Fingers crossed I'll check them in the city at the end of this month. Need to get my sweat on. Tu sabes!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever to Tell
Bombombombombombombomb dehdun dehdun dehdun dedum.

*Says the girl who can't afford to see them in concert tonight. GRRARGH.

There goes my music cred...

Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous" has been on repeat in my mp3 player for a minute. And NO I'm not gonna buy the album. The track is worth everything I paid for it. What? It's almost summer: the season of aural junk food. Yum.

Oh, right, there are supposed to be drawings here. Okay, eventually. I finally got the comp/net situation fixed, so I'll be able to easily scan images again. I know y'all have planned your lives around this momentous return... Scanned, sealed, delivered...

Ways, finally attended the first BBQ of the season, a family joint, and it was swell. Good food, karaoke, mahjong, and a little too competative game of badminton. Sh!t, if you haven't figured out we're asian, that description nailed it there. Ain't the normal "pork and too much beer"-fest, because we had youngins' in the house. Ah, summer's just started, plenty of time for such adult party shenanigans.

Speaking of party, ah the concierto, mis amigos... get a taste here. Had fun with M.O.F., holding up behind the railing in what we dubbed "The Grown Folks Area", while the college kids (and younger?) posted up by the stage. "Come Close" you say? Naw, Com, I'm good where I am. Those days of jockeying for position and trying not to get a stilleto heel in my foot are over, thank you. I'll just head knod over herr, meng.


(Truth is I probably couldn't handle being close to the stage. Can't stand near the sun. HOTNESS! Ahhh. I just turned 15yrs old for a minute there. Sorry.)

Anyway, good show, considering I expected it to be a phoned-in* afterthought, post Coachella. Mostly from the new album, a preview of the next that I can barely remember, plus the "Love of My Life" wayback trip with Snoop, Eric B & Rakim (I think?), and Pharcyde tossed in. Ah, I have that last one on tape somewhere.

Yes, I said "tape". Where's my walker? MAN! I'm feeling old. Getting to the point where on one hand I had old skool pride @ knowing the all the lyrics to "Passing Me By" and singing along when the DJ spun "411" era Mary J.(pre-cinanbon hair, woman!). On the other hand I bemoaned my dessicated, ancient state ("Somewhere in that crowd is the kid I gave up in high school!" YES I'm joking, crimmeny.)

Hell, I'm closer in age to the fool on the stage than the audience, so I had no reason to complain.

Fun show, great company, and no service fee on the tix. That, my friends, was a good day.

*Although the cell phone bit with Talib and Mos calling? CORNY!

Went to see Common in concert last night. He brought the goods. More on that soon.

Since this past monday was Tax Day, a little Marvin G.:

Rockets, moon shots
Spend it on the have nots
Money, we make it
Fore we see it you take it

Oh, make you wanna holler
The way they do my life
Make me wanna holler
The way they do my life
This ain't livin', This ain't livin'
No, no baby, this ain't livin'
No, no, no

Inflation no chance
To increase finance
Bills pile up sky high
Send that boy off to die

Oh, make me wanna holler
The way they do my life
Make me wanna holler
The way they do my life

Hang ups, let downs
Bad breaks, set backs
Natural fact is
I can't pay my taxes

Oh, make me wanna holler
And throw up both my hands
Yea, it makes me wanna holler
And throw up both my hands

Crime is increasing
Trigger happy policing
Panic is spreading
God knows where we're heading
Oh, make me wanna holler
They don't understand

So this morning I did a warm-up/speedpaint of my "next lifetime" boyfriend, Common. Had a fricking teeny a$$ 75px wide image as referrence. Damn.

(Yah, I'll be over him soon.)

Then I caught Dave Chappelle on Oprah (that is one
thoughtful, eloquent, paranoid brother) and he's got a
new documentary coming out March that I *have* to
see.
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Trailers here

Look at that lineup-- Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Mos
Def, and Common. Shit, I didn't even see Common in the
footage he showed on Oprah but I *knew* he was gonna
be there. And directed by Michel Ghondry. I have no
idea how he got hooked up with hiphop (having just shot the Kayne vid mentioned in a previous blog entry), but I like it.

I am so psyched to see this, you don't know...

God, back to your regularly sked'ed doodles soon.

p.s.
For those who guessed correctly, yah, I'm over at DA, too.

I can play to Willie Bobo's "Elation". Woohooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(requires real audio)

That is all.

Konono No1


What started out as a sitdown, indoor "jazz" (riiiight...) concert turned into a dance marathon...to the DEATH!

You know it's bad sign when someone approaches the festival director asking when the show's gonna end... and he SHURGS.

Thank god we brought water.

Ahinama! Guess who's drumming again!